Thanks to all my reviewers: McQuirk, thenight613, Manley24, bobmanv2.0, Kekejo99, GothamPowerKaiju, Willz, brankel1, Mirajane92, Son of Whitebeard, Togapika, KLR1, MovieGal007, Bahamut Slayer, jwstahle, Ghostwriter, and bleedredstars.
Brighter Paths
Book 2: The Sword of Power
Chapter 7: Sendoff
Tommy sat on the edge of his bed, leafing through the photo album. He should have been packing. He had been packing, but he'd gotten distracted. That had been happening a lot lately.
This time, though, he let himself be distracted. It would be the last quiet moment he'd have in a long while.
There was a soft knock on the door, which pushed open at the slight pressure. Sylvia peeked in, a hamper of laundry on her hip. "I think some of this is yours, Tommy. I..." She trailed off with a sad smile. "I can come back."
"It's okay," Tommy said, forcing himself to put the album down. "Yeah, I know I was missing some..." He realized his voice was a bit choked, and he looked away quickly.
Sylvia put down the hamper and sat on the bed, picking up the discarded album. "You've added some pictures." She flipped the pages, smiling at the pictures from the party, the impromptu one they'd held the night he'd become the White Ranger. It had been the first picture he, Billy, and Sylvia had all taken a picture together... at least, without John.
Tommy was at his dresser, idly fingering through a few bits of junk. Nothing he would take with him, of course. They were packing light. Not even the album could come with him. "It's... it's the therapy Zordon has me on. Pictures help reinforce memory, help me make connections." He closed his eyes. "Help keep me grounded."
He looked back around. Sylvia was flicking through the pages slowly, her gaze lingering on pictures of his father, her fingers lightly tracing his face. She turned the pages from back to front, so it was like life in reverse, John's face getting less and less lined and haggard, his figure less and less gaunt, until it was the earliest pictures of him, Tommy, and Penn together, Tommy around one year old.
"You know, for the longest time, I couldn't look at pictures of George," Sylvia said quietly. "It was possibly a mistake to hide them away. Made it harder on Billy. But it was like a ghost following me around. You're... you're perhaps handling things more healthily than I did."
Tommy gave a short, bitter laugh. "Yeah... But you don't see me all the time."
Sylvia smiled thinly and looked up from the album. "I see the light in your room at night. I know you don't sleep."
Tommy's eyes widened. He thought he'd been able to keep it from everyone. He looked away slightly. "Just... bad dreams. Or sometimes my brain won't shut off."
"And you think you'll be doing fine, only to have it hit you fresh all over again? And you replay years of your life, thinking of something you could have done to prevent losing him?"
Tommy looked up, again surprised.
Sylvia put the album down carefully. "Just because you feel the need to hide your grief, just because people expect you to be recovered, doesn't mean I don't notice. Or care."
Tommy nodded, allowed himself to be hugged. He felt like he could let out a breath he'd been holding in a long time. It felt good to let himself feel lost and broken, even for a few moments.
But then the moment ended. They heard a crash in the living room and Billy's hastily bit-back curse.
"Do me a favor," Sylvia said, laughing slightly. "Keep an eye on him in space."
"I'll do my best," he said.
"And yourself," Sylvia said, squeezing his shoulders once. "I know you now have all this responsibility, but you can't forget to take care of yourself as well. Rely on the others. You don't have to save the universe by yourself, and you don't have to always be strong."
Tommy didn't answer, didn't know what to say. Instead, they left the room to see what was wrong with Billy.
The living room seemed to be a minor disaster, with Billy staring despairingly at the mess. His carefully-packed duffel bag had exploded.
"You remember I said to pack light," Tommy said, chuckling. "That doesn't mean try to pack your entire room and lab into one bag."
"The one bag rule is impossible," Billy said. "How am I supposed to be prepared for any eventuality without more space?"
"You planning to carry around more than one bag? It's not like we're taking a vehicle. We're teleporting, and there may be no place to put our bags. You really should be carrying a backpack that will leave you unencumbered, not a duffel bag," Tommy said, rolling his eyes a bit as he repeated exactly what he'd said a few days before.
Billy picked up the duffle bag and fingered the busted zipper. "I suppose I have little choice now."
Sylvia started wading through the mess. "I'll help you narrow down. We still have an hour."
Tommy smiled and let the two alone. He knew that Sylvia would want a few minutes alone with Billy anyway, so he said, "I'm finished packing, and I need to take care of a few things at the Command Center."
"You'll come back before you leave, won't you?" Sylvia said.
"Count on it," Tommy said before hitting his communicator and disappearing.
Zack and Trini hopped downstairs, giggling together. Trini had come over after packing to make sure that Zack had finished, and the whole thing had turned into a rather enthusiastic make-out session. Now they were ready to say goodbyes, first to Zack's parents, and then back to Trini's house for her parents. It came as a surprise, therefore, when Trini spotted her parents waiting for them in the Taylor living room.
"Mom... dad..." Trini said slowly, "what...?"
"Please sit," Mrs. Kwan said, indicating the couch.
"You, too," Dr. Taylor said, staring at Zack.
The two shifted their backpacks off and sat on the couch. They knew they looked guilty. It was impossible not to when their parents were standing around them like this.
Mr. Taylor's eyes crinkled. He was the only one sitting, perched on the edge of a leather ottoman. "You don't have to look like you're facing one of Zedd's monsters. You're not in trouble."
Zack and Trini looked up dubiously.
"But you are preparing for a long journey," Mr. Kwan said. "Not only in your present mission, but then to Switzerland, and to many places after that. While you've both shouldered adult responsibilities, you're still very young."
"And you can still make... mistakes," Mrs. Kwan added.
Trini's eyes widened, and she felt her face burn. Oh, God. They weren't going to talk about... She looked down, wishing she could just crawl under the couch cushions and disappear.
Zack hadn't caught on. "We've been through training," he said, smiling patiently at what he thought was worry over their traveling. "Both as Power Rangers and as ambassadors. And we'll have people with us the entire time... Trini, what?"
She'd been kicking his leg, trying to get him to stop talking, but as usual that didn't work. Zack didn't know the meaning of unobtrusive.
"Oh, we have faith in your abilities," Dr. Taylor said with a half-smile. "And we realize we're not sending you alone. But we can't always count on your friends, young like yourselves, to chaperone you responsibly."
"Chaperone... what..." Then Zack realized what they were talking about, and he shot up from the couch. "Mom!"
Dr. Taylor put a hand on his shoulder and guided him back down on the couch. He plopped down, slightly stunned.
"The thing is," Mr. Taylor kindly, "we know you're both smart kids. But this whole relationship is new, and you're both young and hormonal..."
Zack looked like he wanted to disappear as well.
"And mistakes can be made... if you're not careful," he finished. "Especially when you've got Tommy and Kimberly there, who haven't always been the most careful."
"You'll be camping together, staying at hotels..." Mr. Kwan said.
"And there's going to be temptations," finished Mrs. Kwan. "Hormones can cancel out better judgment."
Dr. Taylor nodded. "We just wanted to warn you both not to get in those situations. To stay with the group, no matter what group they may be. Now, I've talked to Zordon..."
"You've WHAT?!" Again, Zack shot up from the couch, and again, Dr. Taylor lightly pushed him back down.
"And he seems to believe you will have reliable judgment," Dr. Taylor continued. "Of course, he's a giant floating head, and not a teenager. So, at least for this first trip, we enlisted the help of Jason and Billy..."
"This isn't happening..." Zack muttered. "This isn't real..."
Trini had taken to suffering in silence.
"And we're sure that they will help keep an eye on you," Dr. Taylor finished.
The parents looked pleased with themselves, far opposite to what Trini and Zack looked like. The upstairs make-out session seemed like a much more pleasant lifetime ago.
"Mom, dad..." Trini finally said, "we're not going on a Spring Break trip or anything like that. We're going on a Power Ranger mission. It's outer space, not a weekend getaway. We're not going to have time for... anything. And after that, we'll be in a leadership program with lots of adults around. You don't have anything to worry about."
"We've just made extra sure of that," Mrs. Kwan said. "Now... let's not make this the last thing we talk about. You both need to get up to the Command Center."
Trini got up and hugged her parents, the embarrassment ebbing away slightly. They hugged her back tightly. "You be careful out there," her dad said. "Here, you know what you're fighting against. Out there..."
"I'll be careful," Trini promised, her eyes stinging.
Zack looked up at his parents as the Kwans moved to the corner to talk. "Am I allowed to stand up now?" he said.
"Are you going to have any more outbursts?" Dr. Taylor said.
"I might," Zack said. "I can never tell with you two."
Mr. Taylor laughed and pulled his son up. "Oh, come on. That wasn't so bad."
"It was the worst experience in my life, and I was shot with a poisoned arrow once."
Dr. Taylor's face crumpled a bit at that. "Zack... in all seriousness... I'm so proud of you, but if you get yourself hurt I will personally track you down, outer space or no."
Zack laughed a bit. "I believe it."
Jason took a steadying breath and looked around his room one last time. He knew once he got back from space he would be there again before going to Switzerland, but for some reason it felt like he was leaving this room forever.
Which made what was waiting for him in the living room much harder to face.
Before anyone came looking for him, he shouldered his backpack, opened the door, turned out the light, and left.
He saw his sister first, sitting at the kitchen table idly flicking a pencil. She dropped the pencil when she saw him.
Then his parents came into focus. He'd expected his father to be sitting in his customary chair in front of the TV, but he seemed instead to be fussing over something on the mantle. His mother was instead sitting in the chair, and she didn't seem to know what to do with her hands.
He sidled over to his dad first, curious about what he was doing to the mantle, when the whole thing shifted and his elementary school wrestling trophy slipped off. Jason caught it just in time as his dad lunged for it.
"What's going on?" Jason said, twisting the trophy around in his hands. The top of it was chipped from the move; he'd earned it at his old school. He didn't care much about trophies, but he knew his father treasured them, and he was glad it wasn't damaged.
"I... ehm..." Mr. Scott coughed a bit. "I was trying to make room."
"I haven't won any more trophies, dad," Jason said. He looked over at Kristen.
"Don't look at me," Kristen said. "All my awards are there." She pointed to the far wall. She didn't have any trophies, but she had plenty of academic and service awards, which tended toward plaques and certificates mounted on the wall.
"And it's something that can wait," Mrs. Scott said. "It's not as if he's leaving forever. He'll be back after this space adventure."
Jason shifted, putting the trophy on the edge of the fireplace. There wasn't any room on the mantle anymore. "Not sure how much of an 'adventure' it's going to be. We're just meeting Zordon's contact, and hopefully that will lead us straight to the sword. Not sure it's even going to take a day. We're just packing as a precaution."
"It's in outer space, it's an adventure," Mrs. Scott said.
"There!" his father declared, stepping back to admire the handiwork, not even looking at the displaced trophy on the fireplace. "You think that'll work?"
There was a small empty place in the middle of the group of trophies. Jason noticed his martial arts trophies were now in more prominence, when they had formerly been shoved to the back.
"It's... great?" Jason said. He looked at his mom and mouthed, "What is he talking about?"
"It should keep it hidden. Only anyone who looks close enough would notice it, and they'd have to crane their necks to see it over the bases of the other trophies."
"Dad, that sounds great, but I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Jason said. "What would be hidden?"
"Your power morpher."
If Jason had been expecting anything, it wasn't that. He stared at his dad, wondering if that was really what he'd said. He opened his mouth, but the words seemed a bit stuck.
"I know it won't have the coin in it, of course, because that's going to Rocky, but I talked to Zordon, and he said he would have to have a different morpher, so you'll get to keep that. You can't take it to Switzerland with you, and I didn't want it lost in your room, so..."
"But..." Jason finally got the words past his throat, "why there?"
"Because I'm proud of you," Mr. Scott said softly. "I know I can't show it off to anyone, but I wanted it there with your other accomplishments. I mean, it's the best thing you've ever done. Things like that don't get packed away."
Jason wasn't sure when his legs gave out, but he realized he was sitting on the chair near the mantle, and his dad's arm was around his shoulders. "I'm... thank you... and... I'm sorry. For all the grief I gave you when I had to keep it all secret."
Jason gulped. It was something he'd held on to, something that had bothered him for a long time. "That time, when I ran out of the house. After I yelled at you. I... The Green Ranger had just wrecked the Command Center, and I'd just had to tell Billy that we couldn't look for Zordon until we got key systems repaired, and I was just trying to hold it together... and I took it all out on you."
The arm around him squeezed, and he saw his mother and sister in front of him, concerned, but Jason could barely meet their eyes.
"I made so many mistakes," Jason said. "Soon after that I went to the Moon Palace and got myself captured. I almost got myself killed. I couldn't protect any of my friends. I kept trying to be the leader, but..." he squeezed his eyes closed. "I couldn't protect anyone. It was always Tommy, or Billy, or Zordon, or one of the others who got everything done. I'm just..." he swallowed hard, "really glad someone else is leading now."
The arm around his shoulders loosened, and suddenly his dad was pulling him in for a hug. "Jason, when I said I was proud of you, I meant it. Being a leader doesn't mean being perfect. It means doing everything you can to put others in front of yourself. That's what you've done, over and over. You even knew when to step down and let someone else take over. That's... incredibly hard."
"And, come on, Jas, we know what we're talking about. We were under your leadership for those two weeks," Kristen said. "I have no clue how we could have gotten through all that without you."
Jason willed the tears away, but he knew a few leaked out. He pushed his dad away lightly and got up. "Sorry about this. I didn't mean to..."
"I caught you off guard," his dad said. "I haven't always been the best at supporting you, even when I knew what you were doing. I just wanted you to know before you left."
Jason nodded, not trusting himself to speak anymore. He hugged his sister, and then his mother, who whispered in his ear, "Come back safe."
It wasn't going to be forever, Jason knew, but somehow this really felt like goodbye. Nothing was going to be the same.
Kimberly jabbed at a button on a Command Center console. "I uploaded a few more leads, just in case this one doesn't work out... and the locations of a few places we can go for safety." She went through the readouts again, making sure she wasn't missing anything. "Alpha, are you sure these are all the places we absolutely need to avoid?"
"I'm sure, Kimberly," Alpha said. "That should keep you out of any war zones and the most dangerous enemy territory."
"Right," Kimberly said, taking a breath. She glanced at her checklist. Their contact would take them into neutral territory rather than just sticking to friendly. Even that was dangerous, Zordon had told them. Not only was neutral territory hotbeds for crime, they were also rife with spies for both sides... and other bits of nastiness. People who were on the wrong side of the law on both sides. In truth, their contact was a spy posing as a weapons dealer that sold to both sides, and even Zordon wasn't completely sure about how trustworthy their contact was.
And now she was partly responsible for keeping them all safe. It was verging on overwhelming.
An arm slid around her, and Kimberly smiled, leaning back into the embrace. "Is that everything?" Tommy murmured.
"I think so," Kimberly said, letting herself relax in his arms. "At least, we're as ready as we're going to be. Space is big, and it's not like either Zordon or Alpha have done a lot of traveling recently. We're depending on intergalactic communications and hearsay."
"That's all we can do," Tommy said. "I'm going back down to say goodbye to Sylvia. Won't take long. What about your folks?"
Kimberly steeled herself. "Yeah... I mean, I've been here all morning. I guess..."
Tommy kissed her on top of her head. "Go see them. Even if we're just gone a few hours, you need to."
Kimberly closed her eyes. She didn't know why she was so hesitant to say goodbye to her family. Maybe because saying goodbye felt like... final. Like she might not be coming back.
They all knew this was dangerous. They all knew that was a possibility. Saying goodbye made it feel more real, was all.
Her mother launched herself at Kimberly as soon as the shimmer of teleportation faded. "You waited so late," she said.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I was just..."
Mrs. Harris pulled away. "I know. But you're going to be fine. I have faith in you."
"We all do," Frank said, pulling Kimberly in for a one-armed hug.
Kimberly finally let herself smile, even if it was a weepy one. She motioned to Kevin, who was standing across the room, arms crossed. "You got a hug for your big sister?"
"You gonna bring me something back from space?" he said, still scowling.
"I'll get you a t-shirt that says 'my sister went to outer space and all I got was this lousy shirt.'"
Kevin skulked forward and let himself by hugged. "Just don't get kidnapped by space aliens," he said. "That sucks on an epic level."
Kimberly laughed. "Don't I know it."
When Kimberly returned, the five other Rangers had already gathered, backpacks slung over their shoulders. She dashed to the corner to retrieve her own, and realized they weren't the only ones there.
"Aisha... you guys came to see us off?"
Aisha was leaning against the wall, looking a little uncomfortable in the Command Center. She'd been there a couple of times: once when they'd been offered the positions as Red, Yellow, and Black Rangers, and another time when they'd accepted the positions. That had only been the week before.
"Zordon wants us to do some training, so we figured now's as good a time as any," she said, motioning with her head to Rocky and Adam, who were talking quietly with Tommy.
She looked at the others, and then back at Aisha. "Why aren't you over there?"
"Wanted to talk to you." Aisha gripped her arms, her nails digging into her forearms and leaving little half-moon marks.
Kimberly was surprised. She'd gotten to know Aisha as someone who radiated confidence. Now she looked like she wanted to jump out of her skin.
"I just..." Aisha looked away, her voice lowering. "I mean... how the heck am I going to fill her shoes?"
"Who?" Kimberly said, before she could stop herself. Of course she knew 'who.'
Aisha rolled her eyes and motioned with her head to Trini, who was going over some complicated readouts with Billy and Alpha.
"Billy told Adam she created a heal-all serum," Aisha said. "She's a genius. I'm..."
Kimberly chuckled. "Thankfully for me, you don't have to be a genius to be a Power Ranger."
"But you're still amazing," Aisha said.
Kimberly flushed, even as ice formed in her stomach. "I... I haven't made the best decisions. By a longshot. But I've tried. And that's all we can do. Aisha, you've already done more than most people in Angel Grove. When things were tough, you and the guys did what you could to fight. Most people hide... and they should. But you're made of different stuff. You're a Power Ranger, whether you have a coin or not."
"So when am I going to stop feeling like an imposter?" Aisha said, though a smile had crept onto her face.
Kimberly grinned. "Literally never. I'm starting to think that's what all adults are doing. Pretending to know what they're doing and hoping no one questions them."
"Hey, guys... ready?"
Tommy had motioned them over. Kimberly gave Aisha's hand a squeeze before they joined the others.
The nervous energy in the room was palpable. They had never had a mission like this before. The farthest most of them had gone was the moon, and rarely voluntarily. The idea of going to another planet, to multiple other planets, on a mission that was not one of combat, to find a relic that may or may not be there...
"Rangers," Zordon said, and even his voice sounded nervous. "Alpha has prepared the long-range teleportation, and Billy has modified your wrist communicators so that we can be in contact..."
"Probably," Billy interjected.
"Though there may be times when we won't be able to communicate, for which times you've been briefed on the protocols."
"We've gone over everything, Zordon," Tommy reassured him. "We... well, we don't know what we're doing, but we've done as much prep work as we can."
"And now I will simply leave you with advice," Zordon said, unperturbed by the interruptions. "Your mission is to retrieve the Sword of Power, and to do that you must follow the trail of inquiry we've started to its completion. Remember, you are soldiers in a larger war. You will find allies, but you will also find enemies. On top of that, you will find those who wish to prey on you because of your inexperience. Keep on your guard... and try to make this a short mission," Zordon ended with a smile. "For those who remain home and worry."
They all smiled, having gotten much the same farewell from their parents.
"Good luck on the training," Jason said to Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. "If everything goes as planned, you're going to need it."
"And if everything doesn't, everyone's going to have a whole new set of problems, so there's that," Zack added.
Tommy rolled his eyes. "Alpha, prepare to teleport."
They vanished, leaving the Command Center almost echoingly empty.
Rocky, Adam, and Aisha hesitantly stepped from the sides to the space just vacated by the Rangers.
"So," Rocky said, his jovial tone barely hiding a tremor of nerves, "what's next?"
Finster approached the throne room, willing himself not to tremble. He wouldn't give the bastard the satisfaction that he was the least bit afraid of him... but, then again, Finster never knew when Lord Zedd was in the torturing mood.
For now, it seemed, Lord Zedd was not angry. The throne room was a dull gray rather than radiating red, and it reflected the cold stars shining from the balcony. Lord Zedd himself stood at the balcony, probably watching what Finster had already noted. The Power Rangers were leaving Earth.
"Finster," Lord Zedd said without looking at him.
"Lord Zedd," Finster said, giving a minuscule bow. "I am reporting as you ordered."
Finster braced himself. He would not allow himself to truly surrender to this usurper... but he was also not in love with pain and untimely death. It was a fine line to walk, and Finster found that he had grown rather comfortable under Queen Rita's protection. His new life was proving rather exhausting.
"As you know," Lord Zedd said, "the Power Rangers have left Earth." He let the silence hang. "However, they have not left the Earth unprotected."
Finster raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. It faintly amused him that the self-sufficient tyrant Lord Zedd would need help, as he was obviously attempting to gain without actually asking. Finster decided not to help.
"Zordon has already been in communication with me," Lord Zedd continued, still not looking at him. "He's strengthened the shield around Earth, to the point that even I would have to drain my reserves to create a monster. Likewise, he can apparently call back the Power Rangers at a moment's notice. He was... concerned about my health if I tried to attack without proper preparation."
Finster's amusement grew. Was it his imagination, or had Zordon become snarky in his old age? The humor was wasted on Zedd, though. Queen Rita would have laughed.
"The absence of the Power Rangers is far too good an opportunity for attack to pass up," Lord Zedd continued. "Particularly as Zordon will most assuredly be occupied with training their replacements. These new humans must not take the war-weary Rangers' place. Even as Goldar must prevent the Rangers from gaining the Sword of Power, we must eliminate the potential Rangers... who have proven far too troublesome even without power."
"'We,' Lord Zedd?" Finster said, emphasizing the pronoun. "Am I to assume that I might prove useful to your plans?"
Lord Zedd finally turned to regard the scientist. The room took on a slight red tinge, and Finster tensed again. "Marginally," Lord Zedd said finally. "I can take care of the shield, though it will take considerable effort. I wish you to gradually disrupt long-range communications between the Command Center and the Power Rangers... gradually enough that they don't know something is wrong until it's too late."
"And... medical service?" Finster offered.
It was as Finster suspected. Lord Zedd's attempts to weaken the shield around Earth would cost him dearly, and he would need Finster to monitor him and help him whenever the pain and effort proved too much. Lord Zedd, however, hated weakness, and hated to be dependent on an old doctor who wasn't even loyal to him.
But Finster wanted to hear the words. He wanted to make sure that Lord Zedd acknowledged this dependence.
"Yes, damn you," Lord Zedd hissed, the room flashing bright red. "Now get out of my sight."
Finster left, feeling much better than when he'd entered the room.
Zack rubbed the grit out of his eyes for the fifth time. "What is it with Zordon and deserts? Why couldn't we have touched down closer to the city?"
"This planet isn't mapped out properly for long-distance teleport," said Billy. "The desert means a smaller probability that we will appear over an ocean, inside a wall...
"Got the picture," Zack said.
"We're not that far out anyway," Tommy said, scraping his hair out of his face. He'd been letting his hair grow longer; his, Kimberly's, and Trini's hair whipped in the wind.
"We're headed that way," Kimberly pointed to a smudge on the horizon, unperturbed by her hair. "The tavern is going to be in the center of town, and that's where we're meeting our contact." She took a breath; she and Tommy had discussed this, but they hadn't told the rest of the group so they could focus on preparation rather than argument. "We're going to have to split up. We're too conspicuous as a large group."
"Why does that strike me as a really bad plan?" Trini said.
"That's because it is," Zack said. "When has anyone in a movie ever said, 'Let's split up,' and it went alright for them?"
Jason held his tongue. He also thought it was a bad plan, but he also didn't want to undermine Tommy's and Kimberly's authority. While there hadn't been a formal hand-out, it was the tacit understanding that Tommy was the leader on this mission, with Kimberly as second. He'd provide advice if asked and speak up if he saw any real danger, but he couldn't keep taking charge if he was really serious about giving up being a Power Ranger.
"How do we break it up?" Jason said instead. "Threes? Twos? Might be better to do it just before we hit town."
Tommy considered. "Me, Billy, and Trini will meet the contact; I'll need them to decipher the charts and relay them to Alpha. Kim, Jason, and Zack, you guys keep an ear out for any trouble at the local bar, and we can meet you there after. Zordon hinted we might not be the only ones after this thing... but be careful. Just because this place is neutral doesn't mean there's not people who wouldn't make things difficult for us."
They all agreed, however begrudgingly. As the town loomed larger, they broke into two groups, with Tommy's group going in first while Kimberly's group hung behind.
"Well, into the wretched hive of scum and villainy," Billy said.
Tommy chuckled appreciatively, but took one uneasy glance at the Rangers they were leaving behind. He hoped he was making the right decision.
Kimberly took a slow breath. "Ooookay, I guess we need to sit at one of the middle tables and try not to look conspicuous. I've got some local currency, so could you get us some drinks, Zack?"
She handed Zack a few coins and tried to sit with Jason like they belonged there. "Tried" being the operative word. They stuck out. There weren't many women, and no one was wearing anything close to their jeans, t-shirts, and backpacks. She'd felt like this once when she'd spent some time in Los Angeles with her dad. Everything was too big, too busy, and she felt like a bumpkin. And, right then, she felt like an alien bumpkin.
It wasn't good. They looked like targets. She placed them in the middle so they could at least be targets perhaps too easy to go after. Too public to get at inconspicuously.
Zack came back with the blue drinks-slightly alcoholic, but it was the least alcoholic in the house. They sipped and tried to look like they were just killing time. Slowly, people stopped looking at them and continued with their conversations.
"Have any idea what we should be listening for?" Zack said quietly.
"Nope," Kimberly said, hiding her mouth behind her glass. "But this is better than staying outside the city, or out in the street."
"I'd rather be out in the street," Jason said darkly. "I'd like to get out of here quickly."
"Sh." Kimberly motioned with her eyes at the table across from them. Two men had just taken up the table next to them, and they looked too spooked to notice anyone listening in.
"You sure it was strangle-vine? Thought that shit was illegal."
"What's illegal anymore?" This man had a shock of blue hair, and was obviously trying to hide his fear with bravado. "What's worse is who they picked on. One of 'em worked for Divatox, and word is she's out to get Rito and that bounty hunter, and you know she doesn't care much who stands in her way."
"Why are you telling me this?" the other man said, sweat glistening on his bald head.
"A courtesy," the blue-haired man said, arching an eyebrow. "You're the one who sold them the strangle-vine."
The bald man clenched his fist. "I didn't… and you can't prove a thing, anyway."
"Interesting answer. It doesn't matter." The blue-haired man leaned in, and Kimberly had to strain to listen. "Divatox is the type to torture first, for the fun of it, and then ask questions. You don't want to get in her clutches."
Kimberly felt Jason and Zack shift impatiently. They didn't seem to think this was worthwhile eavesdropping, but Kimberly had noticed enough familiar words to know two things: 1) the blue-haired guy was right and 2) they were all in danger if they were near someone Divatox was looking for.
"Come on," Kimberly mumbled. "Walk out all casual-like."
They left their drinks and started ambling to the door… only to have their progress blocked by the bald man, who looked enormous now that he was standing up.
"Wonder what was so interesting?" he said. "What we were saying."
"We were just killing time til our friends were done with errands," Jason said.
"Somehow I don't believe that," blue-haired man said. He grabbed for Kimberly, but she deftly grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him.
"You've a right to be nervous," she said. "Just not of us. I'd suggest we all vacate the area before it's too late."
"Too late for what?"
The voice came from the front door. Everyone in the bar turned to see a white alien with a long, pointed head, pointed ears, a chin that stretched down his chest, and golden and red armor covering his body and jutting over his head. Most prominent, though, was the terrifying frozen grin revealing yellow teeth that matched the color of his eyes.
The room was heavy with tension as the man walked slowly into the bar. The blue-haired man struggled in Kimberly's grip, and Kimberly finally let him go. If she had guessed right, they had bigger things to worry about.
"Stop me if you've heard this one," the white alien said, his jovial tone contrasting with the obvious fear from everyone at his presence. "A depressed man with no arms walks into a bar. The bartender says, 'I'll give you something to lift your spirits.' The man says…"
The bald man suddenly lunged at the alien. A wild attack, no chance of success, but he'd obviously lost his nerve. The alien, in a flash, drew a sword, and the three Ranger turned away before it happened. They only heard the sick thunk of slicing meat and the screams afterward.
"Sh… shhhh," the alien said, his grin still terribly frozen on his face. "You interrupted my punchline. Now, where was I?" He looked at the bald man and his arms, which were now on the floor. "Oh, yeah! The man with no arm says, 'That's my problem. I can't lift my spirits!'"
There was a whine of electronics from around the bar, and everyone turned to see the bartender pointing a blaster right at the alien's face. "Okay, you've got what you've come for, Elgar," he said. "Now leave peaceably. There's no one here that's done anything to you or your captain, and you don't want to break the peace here."
Elgar grinned at the blaster. "All I've done is told an entertaining joke and defended myself, and in return I've been attacked and threatened. I think this calls for retribution…" he seemed to savor the word. "Don't you think so, Rygog?"
Another alien, this one who looked like a tiny, monstrous head surrounded by a huge circle of armor, emerged from behind the bar. Casually, he stabbed the bartender from behind. "Let's show this scum what they can do with their peace."
Elgar pulled out a device that caused everyone to panic and run. Several barreled past Elgar and the guard. Zack, who was closest to the door, grabbed Kimberly, who grabbed Jason, and they ran for it, following closely behind the blue-haired man.
Zack just got out of the building when there was a blinding flash, and then silence. He turned, but didn't see either Jason or Kimberly.
"Idiot, keep moving!" the blue-haired man yelled at him. "You don't want to be picked up by the local law. They'll want someone to blame."
Zack let himself be pulled away from the bar. "But…" he stammered out as the man pulled him down several alleys. "My friends are back there."
"No, they're not," the man said. "They're in Divatox's hands now."
"But," Zack pulled himself out of the man's grasp. "I can still save them."
"No, you don't get it," the man said. "They're not here anymore. They're not on the planet, and you'll probably never see them again. They're gone."
Zack ignored him and backtracked. It took him several minutes to find his path again, but he finally made it back to the bar, which was surrounded by people in tan uniforms.
"Bar's completely empty," one uniformed woman reported. "Teleport signal. Sir… it's Divatox."
The other officer blanched, and then stiffened. "Bury it. Not like we can do anything about it. Search the area for suspects… there should be someone likely… and lose that report. We don't need any piratical trouble around here."
"Yes, sir," the woman said, but Zack didn't notice what happened next. He was already making his way away from there. He had to get out of there, and he had to find the others. If Jason and Kimberly were really not on the planet anymore, they had a new mission priority. He only hoped the other had better luck than he had.
Tommy and Billy stood in the doorway, carefully blocking the view and looking slightly sick.
"Is he…"
"Yes, he's our contact," Trini confirmed, rising from the floor. "And he's dead."
