Author's notes: It's been one of the worth semesters I've ever had to teach, and I've literally had to give up every one of my hobbies just to keep up with work. Thankfully, things are calming down, and I can release the chapter I've been sitting on for a really really long time. If you're confused about any of the plot points, it may be a good idea to read through the previous Ninja Quest chapters, as this one ties up all those plot threads.
Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers: Ghostwriter, crying mink, The-Knight2000, brankel1, Nerdman3000 (I plan to take this rewrite through season 6, even if it kills me), secretangel106, KLR, and rush721.
Book 8: Quest for Power
Chapter 32: Family
"I believe," Zordon began, "I owe you all an explanation… and an apology."
The Command Center was crowded, with all six Rangers and assorted parents (Aisha's parents looked a little shell-shocked). He addressed the whole group, but he made sure to seek out the eyes of the Rangers. The last time he'd seen them, he'd berated them in an attempt to sacrifice himself. He was glad those weren't the last words they would share.
"You may know already," Zordon said, "that I was tormented not long ago by the Wizard of Deception in my attempt to escape the dimension I've been trapped in. He forced me to face my own responsibility in the danger you face every day. It was not… pleasant. His goal was to incapacitate me as a leader, to weaken me so that this part of space would fall to evil. He very nearly succeeded, but not in the way he'd intended. He expected that I would succumb to my emotions, when instead I fell back on my old trick. I distanced myself from everyone around me. Alpha and the Rangers felt the effects of this without truly knowing the cause."
Zordon took a breath. "I distanced myself because I could not bear to lose you, and I knew the price of war. I selfishly thought to protect myself from that loss, and thus endangered myself and everyone around me."
He noticed that the families of the Rangers, especially the Campbells and Aaron, were looking alarmed at all this talk of loss. "This is not to say that your children are not well-protected. We are all in danger, all the time. From war, from our own behavior, from a host of other causes we can't predict. The Power Rangers face danger, but my time on Earth has shown that all of you, everyone in this room, and those who have left us, are truly heroic. Ninjor called the Rangers 'transcendent.' The same could be said for you," he indicated the families of the Rangers, "and all those who fought to protect people in Angel Grove."
"As you know," Zordon said, "I have resisted allowing your families to participate in the war. I was wrong. Operation Beta, the plan Alpha 5 created with your families, was vital to the protection of Earth. They were able to protect the Earth while you secured new powers. You are all Earth's protectors. I will no longer stand in the way of that. You are… we are all family."
There was a tense silence, and Kimberly laughed a little nervously. "Z-man, Ninjor must have had some talk with you."
The tension broke, and more people were laughing. It was out of relief, mainly, and Zordon joined in.
"Indeed he did, Kimberly," Zordon said. "Ninjor has offered to be our ally. We have only to call on him, and he will give his aid."
"Well, I believe this calls for a celebration," Sylvia said. "We can put tables in the training room. Any objection to teleporting in takeout pizza? The RadBug is a bit… grounded at the moment."
Billy looked startled, but Sylvia was already skillfully avoiding any follow-up questions about crashed flying cars. The others broke off, Aisha guiding her parents to a private room.
When it was just Tommy left in the room, he looked up at Zordon. "I'm glad you finally talked to us." He smirked. "I'm the one who's supposed to bottle up feelings and do stupid, impulsive things instead of dealing with them."
"It seems we have that in common," Zordon said. "And it seems we never grow out of it."
Tommy laughed, and then ran his fingers through his hair. "Did… did Ninjor tell you about our test?"
Zordon turned serious. "He did not go into detail."
"It… it was horrible." Tommy took a breath. "It was years in the future. Rocky and I led some kind of authoritarian military force, and I was literally making monsters and planning to stab them all in the back by allying with Rita. Kimberly and Aisha were leading a rebellion against us, and Adam was a mole for them. Billy had committed some kind of atrocities… I'm actually starting to forget a lot of it." He scratched his head, as if to dig out the memories.
"Ninjor said you passed the test, because you were still prepared to fight selflessly despite what he'd shown you," Zordon said. "It was a story, nothing more."
"But it was possible," Tommy said. "Zordon, we've changed so much. I think I've changed for the better, because I'm not getting in trouble with the law like I used to, but what if I'm just becoming a different kind of horrible? What if this power is changing us, for the worse?"
"Gotta agree with that," Kimberly said, walking in from past the Viewing Globe. "Sorry, caught the tail end of that and figured out the rest."
"That's always the risk," Zordon said. "Ninjor has always been right, though occasionally over-cautious. Power does change people. It made me cold and closed off. I'm still struggling with that. I imagine it did something similar to you both."
Kimberly looked at the Viewing Globe. "I can't remember everything, but I do remember looking at this Viewing Globe at the ruins of Angel Grove. I remember… mourning for the dead." A tear rolled down her face, and she wiped it away impatiently. "Yeah, it sucked pretty hard. I… I remember hating Tommy. Wanting to kill him. Actively planning to kill him."
She shot a guilty look at Tommy, who grabbed her hand for comfort. "It's a future that could be," Tommy said, "but I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't end up like that."
"That is the point," Zordon said. "That is why you passed the test. Ninjor called you 'transcendent,' and I heartily agree with him. Your love for each other, for the other Rangers, for your families, your friends, for… for me. It's what truly sets you apart. I have much to learn from you."
"So… Mom, Dad, I'm a Power Ranger."
George and Anita Campbell regarded their daughter. "We sort of figured that out," Anita said.
Aisha held up a finger. "No, mom, just…" She took a breath. "I've been preparing a speech for months, and I sort of want to get through it."
"Right," George said, holding Anita's hand, as if they were on the couch in their living room and not on a small bed in a secret headquarters full of alien technology. "Oh, my," he said in fake surprise, "you're a Power Ranger."
Aisha and her mother rolled their eyes at the same time.
"I've been the Yellow Ranger for a few months," Aisha continued. "I took over, along with Rocky and Adam, shortly after we moved to Angel Grove. I was chosen because I helped the Power Rangers when they were in trouble." She left out the part where she almost died because of that help, and the part that she didn't remember, where she'd apparently been a freedom fighter in a forgotten timeline. "I wanted to tell you," she said, her voice finally faltering. "I was scared. I… I didn't know how you'd react."
Anita gave a small smile. "I really wish you had told us. This would have made a much better speech." She scooted over on the bed and motioned for Aisha to sit between them, and then hugged her with one arm when she did.
"I know… I'm sorry," Aisha said, her voice wobbling harder as her mother squeezed her and her father stroked her hair. "We're technically not supposed to tell anyone our secret identity, but apparently all the older Rangers' parents knew, so we were given the option. I was going to tell you after we came back from this mission. After we lost our powers, and had to travel so far to get them again. I thought…"
"You were afraid you wouldn't come back," George said, his voice a low, comforting rumble.
Aisha nodded miserably and buried her face in his shoulder.
George and Anita exchanged glances over Aisha's head.
"Baby girl, you've never been able to stand by and let others suffer when you could do something about it," Anita said. "This is… unexpected. And dangerous. But we're going to support you no matter what."
"Even if we have to get after those aliens with a tire iron ourselves," George added.
Aisha laughed through her tears. "Please don't. But… thank you."
They held each other for a few minutes of silence, enjoying the moment of peace.
"Say," George said, "did we just talk to a floating head and a robot?"
Billy was in the lab at the Command Center, staring at his computer screen. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. Some kind of word from Cestro? An encrypted message from Cestria? Any kind of update on the murder investigation?
No progress. The Aquitian leader was dead, and there was enough circumstantial evidence against Cestria to convince anyone of her guilt. Cestria, in the meantime, had disappeared. Hell, he didn't even know if she was still alive.
They'd been distracted from this problem by the attack and the loss of their powers, and now they were celebrating their victory. It seemed he was the only one who remembered that Cestria was still in trouble. Or maybe he was the only one who cared.
After some time, Sylvia walked into the room. Billy braced himself; he was expected to celebrate with everyone else, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave the quiet lab.
Sylvia rustled with something behind him, and then, without a word, steered him over to a table and chair, where pizza and drink was waiting for him.
"Eat," she said firmly. "Then we talk, okay? I'll be right back."
Billy gave her one grateful look before forcing himself to eat. After one bite, he realized he was starving, so he wolfed down the pizza as quickly as he could.
When she returned, Tommy was trailing after her. "No word from Aquitar, huh?" Tommy said. "Me, neither, but I was hoping you'd have something from Cestro."
"Negative," Billy said, though he felt heartened that Tommy had remembered.
"Tommy told me what happened," Sylvia said. She was fretting with a napkin, twisting it around her fingers until it looked like a pretzel. "We don't know the whole story, but it seems pretty convenient that Cestria was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least, convenient for certain people." She tossed the pieces of the napkin on the table when they tore. "So, we approach this like any other problem. We look at who benefits."
Billy frowned at the table. "Cestria was an easy target, as she was already distrusted because of her parents. They were essentially considered terrorists on Aquitar, so people would already be primed to assume Cestria did it. The Power Rangers' decision to befriend Cestria was never popular."
"So Power Rangers discredited," Tommy added. "They're affiliated with the government, and they're public figures. The opposition on Aquitar, which has allies within the forces of evil… they benefit. From the news feeds, there's already an upsurge in propaganda against the Rangers."
"We need to go there, then," Sylvia said. "To Aquitar. Perhaps Cestro can't tell us anything if his communications are being monitored."
Billy and Tommy looked at Sylvia in surprise. "We?" Billy said.
"You two are Power Rangers, so you're going to be under suspicion," Sylvia said firmly. "You'll be there for diplomatic reasons… make up whatever reason you want. I, on the other hand, am there as a tourist." Her eyes got wide, and she took on an air of amazed confusion. "Oh, I've never been to space before. Is it true the people here swim everywhere?" She dropped the act. "You won't be left alone, while people will mostly ignore me. I can find out more."
Billy stared at her without speaking for a full minute. "Did I ever tell you you're the smartest person I know?"
"Not nearly enough," Sylvia said.
Tommy smirked. "Also, you just really want to go into space?"
"Absolutely."
Billy found he was actually able to laugh with the others.
"I'll clear it with Zordon, but I don't see a problem with the plan," Tommy said. "And as far as family vacations go, I've been on worse."
"Mom… Tommy… thank you." Billy was trying to hold back tears, and he wasn't completely succeeding. "I know this is a bad time to leave Earth, and we've just got our powers back and have a lot more to worry about."
"Shush," Sylvia said. "If we can't help the people we love, what's the point of anything?"
Goldar stalked through the hallway, utterly exhausted but unable to rest yet. He had to collect Rito, and they had to report to Lord Zedd and Empress Rita. It wasn't going to be pleasant, but it was best if they got it over quickly.
Not in his room, not in the training room or the weapons room…
As he was passing Finster's lab, Goldar heard Rito. "Is she gonna be okay, doc?"
No…
Finster sighed. "If you'll be patient, Rito, I'll have the diagnostic done soon. Thankfully I've had the opportunity to study human physiology."
Goldar walked into the lab, startling both of them. Finster had the still-unconscious Katherine on the diagnostic table, while Rito hovered unhelpfully above both of them.
"Are you both completely insane?" Goldar asked in a hoarse whisper, as if afraid the sound would carry to the throne room.
Rito waved at him weakly and tried to step in front of the table, as if to hide that anyone was there. "Uh… hey. So…"
Earlier that day, at the bowling alley:
"So you're monsters," Katherine said.
Goldar's eye twitched. "It's a little more complicated than that."
"Yep! We're monsters!" Rito yelled over the sound of another bowling ball crashing through the wall.
Katherine laughed. She was still a little pale from her blood sugar drop, but she seemed to be recovering nicely. "Like, grr? Argh? Attack the city and such?"
"That's what I was doing just this morning!" Rito said. "You shoulda seen it. The Zords went crash! Ker-splonk!"
"And any time now, you're going to go running for your life," Goldar said, staring at the infuriatingly calm human.
Katherine shrugged. "I mean, you're not attacking me. I guess I was supposed to get to an evacuation center, but I just moved here. I didn't know where to go, so I figured this place was safe as any."
"With monsters," Goldar pointed out.
"Hey, mate, I was here first," Katherine said. "So… why are you not going grr argh ker-splonk? There's a whole city out there, and a pretty glaring lack of Power Rangers."
"We're trapped here! It's fun," Rito said. "We followed the plan, but we got no orders now."
"And what about you, 'it's complicated,'" Katherine said, referring to Goldar. "Don't feel like going on a rampage? I've seen you on the news."
Goldar smirked. "I thought you thought we were birthday performers. Now you know we're monsters, and you're still not running off?"
"I'm not afraid," Katherine said. "I almost died last year, and all my dreams basically went ker-splonk themselves. Maybe I think you'll get annoyed with me and finish what should have happened last year."
Goldar regarded the girl carefully. He'd only ever met one human quite like her, and he was now his greatest enemy. This girl was fearless or suicidal or a strange combination of both, and Goldar was actually starting to get a little afraid of her. He considered threatening her, chasing her away, but he didn't know what she'd do.
Katherine got up and stretched. "Well, since you're the only monsters around, and you're not doing anything, I think I can go home now. Catch ya later, Bones and Goldy."
Rito cackled. "Bones and Goldy! That's cute! See ya later, Kat!"
Goldar rounded on Rito as the human left. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Rito looked around, confused. "Talking?" he said slowly. "Bowling?"
"Humans are not your friends," Goldar said. "You can't socialize with people you're trying to take over."
"Why not?" Rito swung his sword at one of the score terminals, shattering it. "The forces of evil attacking Aquitar have actual Aquitians helping them. Same goes for a lot of places. It's called allies."
"That's not an ally," Goldar pointed out. "That's a probably suicidal girl who's part of a primitive race of people. Hell, she probably goes to school with our enemies, the Power Rangers. Remember them?"
"All the more reason to make allies," Rito said. "We spend all our time terrorizing humans… maybe some of them want to join our side."
"It doesn't work like that," Goldar growled. "They can be influenced by spells, but this is their planet. They're always going to side against us. They're inconveniences at best and enemies at worst." And they'll always turn against you, Goldar thought, but didn't say.
At that moment, Goldar and Rito heard a scream outside. Rito muttered a curse and ran to the source, and Goldar followed, shaking his head.
Outside the bowling alley Goldar was greeted with the sight of Tenga warriors, freshly hatched and full of murderous intent. He grinned—obviously reinforcements from Lord Zedd and Empress Rita—but his grin disappeared when he realized Rito was hitting one with his sword.
"Come on, you birdbrains… back off! This one's off limits!"
The Tenga warriors scattered, off to chase easier prey, leaving Katherine on the ground, unconscious and bleeding.
Rito ran to her, but Goldar held him back. "What do you think you're doing?"
Rito gestured furiously at her. "She's hurt!"
"That's what happens to people in a war," Goldar said calmly.
"She's not in a war, though," Rito protested. "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." He pulled away from Goldar. "I get that we send monsters, and people get hurt, but this doesn't do anything. This is just… sick."
Goldar growled. "If we leave her here the humans will take her to get medical attention."
"With those Tenga warriors swooping around?" Rito said. "It will be too late." He looked at Goldar, furious but also helpless, and Goldar felt his resolve crumbling.
"Okay," Goldar said, "and I can't believe I'm doing this, but we can put her in stasis. Let's leave her in the bowling alley, and you can get her to the hospital or wherever once we can teleport again. Is that okay with you?"
Rito whooped. "You're the best, Goldar, no matter what anyone says."
"Just… just don't let this cause any more problems," Goldar said wearily.
Present time:
"You said I could help her when we could teleport again," Rito said.
"I said you could take her to the hospital."
"Or wherever," Rito countered. "And I chose my personal doctor." He indicated Finster, would was fastidiously ignoring the two. "I knew I could trust him."
Goldar was starting to consider if he was the one going insane. "I told you not to cause any more problems. What do you think this is?"
"It's fine," Rito said. "She'll be gone as soon as soon as Finster says it's okay. No one has to know."
Goldar opened his mouth to argue again, but Finster broke him off this time. "It's a waste to argue with him. Ever since he was a child, he just wouldn't take no for an answer. Taking in strays, taking his father's skiff out for a joy ride… He's going to do it whether we help him or not. It's easier and safer this way."
"I quite agree."
A stunned silence fell in the lab as Rita walked in. She was only slightly leaning on her staff, so she must have done something to boost her power. She'd looked like death warmed over just an hour before.
"Empress, I…"
"Hey, sis… this isn't what it looks like."
Rita silenced both Goldar and Rito with a wave. "It looks like you brought a human teenager who was injured on Earth… here. To the Moon Palace. Without my permission."
Rito shrugged. "Okay, it's exactly what it looks like. But can we keep her? Come on… She's really tragic and dramatic. It's adorable!"
"Oh, good, we need another one of those," Rita said under her breath. She held a hand up to stop Rito from talking and looked at Finster. "How is she?"
Finster seemed unfazed by Rita's appearance. "The scratches from the Tengas are superficial. What worries me is the head trauma. Humans have remarkably fragile heads. I believe I'll need to wake her soon, and I don't recommend that she teleport away. Who knows if that will exacerbate her condition."
She looked from her brother's pleading face to the unconscious girl. "Head trauma, you say? Perhaps there's another way to heal her… and since she's going to be here anyway…"
Finster sighed; he had suspected this would happen. "I will ask Babboo to ready the potions."
Rita smirked. "Good. We can start tomorrow, so I can get some rest. Rito, you'll want to entertain your guest. Goldar, you're with me."
Rito looked delighted, and Goldar didn't have a chance to tell him what was going to happen. He wondered if Finster would tell him. He followed after Rita, biting back everything he wanted to say.
They were nearly to the throne room when Rita sighed. "Goldar, go ahead and say it."
"It's a bad idea, Empress Rita," Goldar said. "After what happened with Tommy…"
"I understand your concerns," Rita interrupted wearily. "Believe me, I know." She slumped against her staff, and Goldar prepared himself to catch her, but she waved him off.
"We've just suffered a major blow." Rita's voice was dark and quiet, and Goldar found it easy to hold his tongue. "We very nearly won today, but 'very nearly' turned so quickly into complete disaster. Not only do the Power Rangers have stronger powers, but they somehow pushed Ninjor into rejoining the war. This will have repercussions throughout the galaxy." She paused, catching her breath. "We need a new strategy. And I believe this girl can be part of that."
"Empress, I worry about how it will affect you." Goldar knew he shouldn't have spoken, but they'd lived through that nightmare once already.
Rita chuckled dryly. "I'll be… keeping my distance, in a way. This spell will not be quite as personal as the one I placed on Tommy, and she won't be becoming a Power Ranger. Merely a tool." She lifted her chin, throwing off her exhaustion. "I will be putting you in charge of her, by the way. Lord Zedd and I… we'll be going on a little trip."
"A vacation? Empress?"
"Something like that," Rita said. "Just make sure my brother doesn't start any new disasters while we're gone."
She waved him off, and Goldar left. He didn't know everything that was going on, but he knew that there was no way Zedd and Rita were going on some kind of vacation. It was either part of that new strategy, or Dark Specter had requested their presence. Either way, Goldar felt they were two steps away from disaster, and not any kind that Rito could cause.
"So you think this human will be useful?" Lord Zedd was prone, hooked to his medical equipment. He'd shared some of his energy with Rita, but it had been too much.
Rita had unrolled her hair and washed her face as she'd explained about the stray human her brother had taken in. Now she lowered the lights with a lazy wave of her hand as she finished getting ready for bed.
"I think so," she said. "We've both tried our hand at mentally controlling Power Rangers, and both attempts have failed for various reasons. If we don't allow this girl power, if we use her strategically…"
"And how is your father supposed to help again?" Lord Zedd said.
Rita shot him a look. "Don't start again. We need his support and we need his information. He's the oldest ruler I know, and thus he knows more about Dark Specter than anyone. If we're going to keep our positions, we need to…"
"I understand that. You're getting yourself worked up. Please relax, Rita."
It was the intimacy of Zedd calling her by her name, not "my love" or "my dear," that calmed Rita down. She nodded wearily and pulled back the covers to get into bed.
Zedd shifted. "You shouldn't have to stay in this bed with me like… this." He waved at the medical tubes and monitors. "Your own bedroom would be more comfortable."
Rita chuckled. "Oh, do hush. It's further away, and I don't mind."
Their hands touched, and Rita let her hand linger rather than pulling away.
It was strange. They were exhausted, which was why they weren't raging at their failure, perhaps coming up with new punishments for their subordinates. In fact, Rita knew she should feel devastated, but she didn't. All she could feel was the warmth of the covers, and the quiet safe dark of the room, only punctuated by the reassuring beeps of the medical equipment, and her husband near her.
They worked together. She had accepted that long ago. But what she was starting to realize was that they didn't have to hide what they were really feeling around each other. They could be vulnerable and not fear.
At this thought, a jolt of fear made Rita's eyes pop open, something that Zedd didn't notice as he'd drifted off to sleep. The love spell. What would happen if it broke, or if Zedd found out? Somewhere along the way she'd come to see him as her partner, someone she could rely on. Her future was tied up in his, and she found she wanted it that way.
But what would happen when… if… he found out? It would all come crashing down. Would Rita have the strength to defend herself against someone she, and there was no other way to say this… someone she loved?
"Hey, thanks for helping me out with this," Rocky said, drumming his fingers on the table in the Parks' tiny kitchen. "The words were becoming… not words anymore, I guess."
Adam absent-mindedly used a hand to still Rocky's fingers, and then quickly pulled back. He focused on Rocky's essay. "No problem."
Rocky kicked his legs restlessly, careful not to kick Adam. Things had been awkward between them, ever since that "fractured future," as Rocky had taken to thinking of it. The details were starting to get fuzzy, but two things were vivid in his mind. He'd been a privileged despot and a drunk, and Adam's mission had been to kill him.
Yeah, so… awkward. Not exactly something to laugh off.
"So, remember that time when I was such an awful leader you needed to assassinate me? Fun times, right?" Rocky blurted out, laughing.
Yup, he was right. Not something to laugh off. Shouldn't have tried it.
Adam put down his pencil. "So we're finally going to talk about that? Took you long enough."
"Am I that easy to figure out?" Rocky said, his face going red.
Adam tapped the paper with his pencil. "I've already looked at this essay. A week ago. Right before it was due."
"Oh."
Adam waited for him to proceed, and Rocky's kicking legs finally got a table leg, making the whole table shudder. Rocky cursed, then looked around quickly. Aaron was in the other room watching TV and didn't hear.
"It was like being my dad," Rocky said, his voice soft with sadness. "Or, like, what my dad is pushing me to be. Penthouse. More money and responsibility than I should ever have. Running the Power Rangers like some kind of corporation." He laughed bitterly. "Tommy was permanently injured, Billy had lost his mind… but I feel like I was the one who was worst off. I'd stopped being a hero and became a CEO."
"You know, not every CEO is terrible like you say," Adam said.
Rocky took a huge gulp of juice, wishing it were stronger and hating he was wishing that. "You haven't met any. I have. Trust me."
Adam rolled his eyes. "Rocky… do you really think you were the worst off? I was a double agent. A traitor. I tried to kill you."
"You had to."
"No, I didn't, Rocky," Adam said. "That was the point. None of us had to do any of that. There was another way, there's always another way. We were just too screwed up to find it." Adam looked down. "I was planning on taking my own life right after I did it. I don't remember everything, and it's sort of fading, but I remember that much."
They stared at the table, the theme of I Love Lucy playing faintly from the other room.
"I do have one question," Rocky said. He started to tear the essay in front of him, nervously fidgeting with it, and pushed it away when he realized what he was doing. He couldn't remember if he'd even turned the thing in.
"Shoot," Adam said.
"Why did you stay with me that long? In that 'fractured future?' Why did you play double agent that long instead of rebelling?" Rocky laughed weakly. "Looking back, I could have sworn you would have followed Aisha. She always makes more sense than I do."
Adam shrugged. "Who said I have any sense?"
"More than I do."
Adam knew Rocky wouldn't be put off, but he really didn't know what to say. He couldn't bring himself to tell the truth. He pictured himself blurting out, 'Because I love you, you idiot, why the hell do you think I'd stay with you that long?' But he just couldn't. It would break everything between them, and Adam couldn't handle losing him.
"Come on," Adam said, smirking. "Leave you to fend for yourself? You wouldn't last a day without me."
Rocky laughed. "I wouldn't even try."
Bulk and Skull had been called to the principal's office more times than they could remember, so much so that the secretary joked they should have their own offices here. That number had gone down ever since Bulk was elected student body president, but this call to Principal Caplan's office seemed like a return to old habits.
What was odd, was that Aisha was there as well.
"So, you think this is about the evacuation center project?" Aisha said. "Hindsight being pretty clear, that may not have been the best idea we've ever had."
"What, get most of the town together and put up a force field so it makes a giant target?" Skull said. "I voted against it in the meeting."
"And you're not in the student council," Aisha pointed out. "You're just there to hang out with Bulk."
"I'm going with Skull on this one," Bulk cut in. "By the way, where were you? I had to run the thing all by myself."
"Caught clear across town," Aisha said. "I had to hole up in a gas station most of the day, with only Funyuns to support me." She look dourly at the office door. "Think we're in trouble?"
The door opened, and a police officer stood in the doorway, beckoning them in.
Bulk gulped. "Yeah, I think we are."
The three walked into the office hesitantly, giving the police officer a wide berth. Mr. Caplan, however, didn't look like he was angry. He looked a bit worried, but not enough that they were starting to fear for their futures.
"Officer Stone, let me introduce you to Farcas Bulkmeyer, Eugene Skullovitch, and Aisha Campbell. They were the most involved in setting up the evacuation center in the school gym. Students, this is Officer Jerome Stone of the Angel Grove Police Department."
"I believe I've met the two gentlemen before," Officer Stone said in a clipped tone. "At that point it was sponsoring an illegal fight? I believe you called it a 'Grudge Match of the Century?'"
Aisha gave them a sidelong glance. "When did you guys sponsor a fight?"
"A long time ago," Bulk said shortly.
"Yeah, and it was Jason and Tommy doing the fighting… I mean, it was no one any of us know doing the fighting," Skull said.
"That's not why I'm here," Officer Stone said. "First, I'm here to officially shut the evacuation center down. Everyone will proceed to their formerly designated evacuation centers from now on."
Bulk shrugged. "That's fair."
"Yeah, it was a terrible idea," Aisha said. "We thought we were going to protect the students in the area better, but it just made a target for the monster."
"Exactly," Officer Stone said. "However, that doesn't mean that you weren't on to something. Teenagers and young adults have been targeted the most by monster attacks in the past year, and you were right that we haven't done enough to protect them. That's what I want your help with."
Aisha, Bulk, and Skull stared at him. "So… you want us to fight monsters?" Skull said slowly.
"Now let me be clear," Stone said, "I do not in any way, shape, or form condone teenagers, or any civilian, putting themselves in danger." He eyed them sternly, as if they had just suggested they all storm the Moon Palace itself. "I do, however, see the merit in training a select few to help their peers in emergency evacuations.
"So, you're recruiting for… something?" Aisha said.
Stone smiled and handed them each a pamphlet, which said Angel Grove Junior Police.
"To be police officers?" Aisha said
"Junior police officers," Stone corrected. "Think of it as an after-school program. There's usually a boot camp program our new recruits go through, but I think all of you have proven yourselves in heroism and leadership."
"Heroism?" Skull said blankly.
"Leadership?" Bulk said incredulously. "Us?"
"From what I've seen and what your principal has said, yes… you," Stone said. "Bulkmeyer, you led the evacuation center and put your own life at risk to protect the people there. Skullovitch, you went to find stragglers when not everyone was checked in. And, of course, Campbell, while you were infinitely more sensible and stayed in hiding, you planned and organized the evacuation center." Stone smiled at all three of them. "I'm going to be recruiting others, but I want you three to be the first."
"Question," Bulk said.
"Yes, Bulkmeyer?"
"Will we get uniforms?" He held up the pamphlet, which showed a bunch of young people standing at attention in uniform.
"Of course you will," Officer Stone said. "Why do you ask?"
"Because chi…" he trailed off when he realized Aisha was there, "women dig uniforms." He tossed off a salute.
Skull grinned. "Oh, right! Bonus! I'm in."
"We're both in," Bulk said.
"Right," Officer Stone said, a tired look passing over his face. "Just… don't make me regret this, gentlemen." He looked over at Principal Caplan, who shrugged, as if to say 'this is your idea.' "What about you, Campbell?"
Aisha took one last look at the brochure. "I really appreciate the opportunity, but I'm out. I already have student council, and I have too many other extracurriculars. I'm also planning on volunteering at an animal shelter soon, so…"
"It's all right, Ms. Campbell," Principal Caplan said. "You don't have to justify yourself. I'm not altogether sold on this plan, anyway." He looked sharply at Officer Stone. "I don't condone endangering children, so if I see that this program endangers my students in any way, I'm pulling the plug and talking to the mayor."
Officer Stone nodded. "I respect that." He nodded to the group. "It's been an honor. Ms. Campbell, contact me if you reconsider. Boys?"
Both Bulk and Skull saluted.
Stone sighed. "Orientation is this Saturday at the police department, at 10am. Try not to be late."
When Tommy, Billy, and Sylvia teleported to the surface landing pad on Aquitar, Delphine was already waiting for them in a submarine. She was maintaining a smile, though her tired eyes showed how much of a strain she was under.
"Welcome White Ranger, Blue Ranger… Mrs. Cranston," she said hesitantly. She turned her attention to Billy. "We've had no word from Cestria, which is good news. If the opposition had her, they wouldn't keep it secret." She looked back at the submarine. "I fear after we go underwater we won't be able to speak freely, but neither can we tarry here for long."
"You don't think she actually did it, do you?" Sylvia asked. Billy shot her a look, but she waved it off. "No sense in standing on ceremony if we don't have a lot of time."
"No, Mrs. Cranston," Delphine said emphatically, "I don't think she did it. I think she's a convenient scapegoat, and I'm not sure that framing her was the main priority of the killer. We live in dangerous times, as you well know." She waved away more questions. "We truly don't have a lot of time. If I stay up here too long, it will look suspicious."
They strapped in to the submarine, giving Delphine odd looks. Delphine began the descent and, in a formal tone, said, "While you're here, you'll be accompanied by an official government escort."
Tommy raised his eyebrows. "That's a little different from the last time."
Delphine's lips thinned, but her tone of voice didn't change. "It's been deemed necessary for safety reasons. I would usually be accompanied by my guard, but she had an emergency at the last minute and I couldn't leave you three waiting up top. The ocean can be dangerous for humans."
Their hurried conversation made even more sense now. Delphine had taken a great risk by ditching her escort so she could talk to them without surveillance. She hadn't been able to tell them much, but at least they knew a bit more about Cestria, and the trouble the rest of the Aquitians were in.
"I hear congratulations are in order," Delphine said. "I wish we had been in a better position to help you when you'd lost your powers, but perhaps that hardship was needed to allow for the miracle of Ninjor rejoining the war."
"He wants to meet the other Power Rangers," Tommy said. "You're our closest allies; he'll definitely want to meet you."
Delphine gave a wry laugh. "I'm not sure how good a figure we'll cut now."
They docked in the main Power Rangers geosphere, and were greeted by an armed guard. Tommy and Billy suddenly wished they were morphed, and that Sylvia wasn't there.
Aurico, Tideus, and Corcus met them at the central chamber. They were subdued, and Corcus looked like his anger was smoldering just below the surface. Little could be said beyond the basic pleasantries in front of their guards/spies.
"Will Cestro be joining us?" Billy asked. He wanted to ask a million questions and demand to review all the evidence against Cestria, but he knew to rein himself in. His relationship with Cestria was well-documented for anyone to find. If he became over-eager, he might find himself arrested and questioned.
"He's helping the Reef security with their investigation into the murder at this time," Delphine said. "Not… something we can help with."
Translation: he was being interrogated. Tommy and Billy kept their faces neutral, and Sylvia's mouth had formed a thin white line. They couldn't stay here long, and there seemed to be little they could do to help the Aquitian Rangers.
They were afforded a little more privacy when Delphine insisted that, since the Rangers and the Earth civilian were technically foreign dignitaries, they should have a welcome meal. Since they were all together, few of the escorts remained. The surveillance began to zone out as Sylvia regaled them with Earth dining customs and Tommy and Corcus discussed hand to hand fighting strategy.
As Aurico was laughing at one of Sylvia's jokes, he clapped Billy on the back. This seemed odd, as Aquitians did not usually touch like that. Aquitians shared touches rather than giving them; he'd learned from Cestria that in Aquitian culture two people must be both engaged in the physical contact. He had reason to remember that one, as it had occupied his imagination for quite some time. He shot a questioning look at Aurico, but Tideus distracted him with a question about swimming pools on Earth, and whether water was truly that restricted on their dry planet.
Delphine offered them a place to spend the night, but they could tell from her eyes that they really needed to politely refuse. They did, and she and an escort accompanied them in the submarine to the teleport pad, where Alpha could bring them back to Earth.
"Next time you'll have to bring some of your Earth delicacies. I believe they're called chips?" Delphine said. "Of course, I wouldn't want to put that on your shoulders, as you say."
"It's no problem," Tommy said. "Send our regards to Cestro." He shot a challenging look to the escort, who for some reason had her hand on her weapon. Perhaps she thought Delphine was going to escape, but Delphine did not stray far from the submarine.
As soon as they teleported back to the Command Center, Sylvia turned Billy around and started examining his shoulder.
"So you got that," Tommy said.
"It was a bit obvious," Billy said. "I'm surprised the security didn't pick up on it. Alpha, could you get my mother some magnifying equipment before she tears a hole in my shirt?"
Zordon looked relieved that they had returned. He hadn't been thrilled by their mission, but he couldn't fault Sylvia's logic behind it. Not when she'd been so insistent. "I take it the situation on Aquitar is as tense as we feared."
"For a water planet, it's doing a great impression of a powder keg," Tommy said. "The Rangers are under constant surveillance. Cestro has maybe been arrested? He's at least being interrogated, and the Rangers can't get him out." He sighed. "At least no one knows where Cestria is."
"Hopefully this will shed some light," Sylvia said. She lifted a tiny piece of metal from Billy's shirt. "You think you can do anything with this, Alpha?"
If Alpha were human, his eyes would have popped. "This is the most advanced data chip I've ever seen. If I know my Aquitian technology right, it's supposed to be suspended in a drop of water.
"I'll want to contain it in a petri dish for safety. I'll be right back," Billy said, already on the move.
"They risked a lot to get us this information," Tommy said. "They had to plant it on Billy, and then give us clues about it, right in front of their surveillance. But there's no way they'd actually want to eat chips. Dry and salty potatoes? Billy said Cestria nearly gagged when he described them to her."
"Good way to get our attention," Sylvia commented.
Billy returned with a petri dish and a dropper. He squeezed a drop into the dish, and Sylvia carefully dropped the tiny chip into the water. They waited silently, and then the figure of Cestro projected into the Command Center, looking like the reflection on water. Billy angled it so the projection hit the Viewing Globe.
"Billy, I'm so glad you're safe," he said. "I can't say much, but Cestria insisted that I record something for you. I can't give details just in case this message is intercepted, and just this much could prove a danger to us all."
The projection started wobbling, and they realized Billy's hands were shaking. Tommy took the petri dish to hold it steady, and Sylvia wrapped her arms around Billy to steady him.
"Cestria is safe, first of all," Cestro continued. "I don't know where she is, but I do know that she's on the run, and she's fully capable of taking care of herself. She told me to tell you to not look for her… and I agree. If she needs help, she'll reach out to you."
Billy let out a breath he'd been holding. It didn't completely relieve him. Cestria was on the run, and thus she'd have to avoid any and all of her friends and allies, that she had left. The galaxy was a dangerous place, especially for someone who had trouble surviving on most planets. But she was alive, and it sounded like she was determined.
"We weren't able to investigate much before our opposition in the Reef took over and made life difficult for us. Whoever murdered our leader covered their tracks well, but we were able to recover one file that wasn't fully erased. The current leadership has a vested interest in letting us go on thinking that Cestria did it. I'm sending that file to you, to see if you can at least find out who did this, even if it doesn't change anything." Through the projection, Cestro smiled at his own bitterness. "And Power Rangers… stay safe."
The projection blinked out. Alpha took the petri dish from Tommy in the ensuing silence and began scanning it. "It looks like Cestro had to compress and encrypt the data. It will take some time to access it."
"It's not like we can start investigating tonight," Tommy said. "Not after a day like we had. Zordon, are you still sensing that Zedd and Rita are gone?"
"Yes, Tommy. We'll be able to rest for the moment," Zordon answered. "Billy, I will contact you when we're able to reach the data. I assume you want to investigate."
"I do," Billy said. "Right now it's just good to know that she's not in any immediate danger."
"But, for now, sleep," Sylvia said. "Maybe for a whole week."
They prepared to teleport, but Zordon interrupted them. "Billy, could you stay for just a minute? I'd like to confirm one of your observations from Aquitar. It won't take long," he responded to Sylvia's warning look.
Sylvia smiled. "See you in a bit, then." She and Tommy teleported out.
Billy rubbed his eyes. "What did you want to confirm?"
The door opposite the Viewing Globe opened slowly. "Is it safe to come out now?"
Cestria was barely able to get past the door when Billy threw himself at her, practically collapsing in her arms in joy and relief.
"Whoa, there," she said, laughing. "It's almost like you haven't seen me in a long time."
"Wh… what? How? When?"
"I guess 'why' and 'where' are pretty obvious," Cestria said, gently pushing back from Billy so she could breathe. "I'm in trouble, and the Command Center is the most secure place in the galaxy. As for when and how? Ninjor found me hiding on a neutral planet and brought me here. I have no idea how he did that."
"I asked him to look," Zordon broke in. "I believe these are the types of acts Ninjor is most comfortable with: saving the people who are most hurt by the war, rather than making weapons." Zordon smiled. "As for how he knew where you were, who knows?"
"But why couldn't you come out when mom and Tommy were here?" Billy looked between Cestria, Zordon, and Alpha.
"The fewer people who know I'm here, the better," Cestria said. "I'm not going to endanger anyone I don't have to. My Power Rangers are already suffering because of me."
"But it's not your fault…"
"And it's not fair," Cestria finished for him, brushing his hair out of his face. "Alpha's set me up a secure location that the other Rangers don't know about. Until we complete the investigation, please don't let them know."
"Don't you trust them?" Billy said, hating himself a little for saying it.
Cestria smiled sadly. "Of course I do. Billy, someone broke into the most secure building on Aquitar and murdered someone right under my nose. Someone knew our movements and knew how to get in and out without detection. Either they're just that good, or they had inside help. I'm not discounting spies here, too. If it gets out that I'm here, it will only bring conflict to Earth, when Earth has enough conflict to deal with." Her smile widened. "It's almost like you're not glad to see me."
Billy embraced her again, which she returned enthusiastically.
"Okay," Billy said. "I won't reveal your presence, but only if we investigate together."
Cestria laughed. "What do you humans call it? It's a date."
End of Book 8
Next time: The Potion Notion
