Tommy's eye colors:

Crystal blue - protective

Cobalt - affection/compassion/friendship

CHAPTER 2 - THE MONTH IS OVER

The sound of his communicator woke Tommy, he glanced at the clock as he answered. Three in the morning. "I'm here," he said, no traces of sleep in his voice.

'Tommy, there's something breaking in here!' Skull's terrified voice responded. 'I don't know - it's not human!'

"I'm on my way," Tommy promised. He heard a sound outside then Harry ran into the room.

"They've sent something after Mr. Caplin," Harry warned.

"Morph in and take him to the Command Centre. Then check on the Applebee's," Tommy ordered. He quickly sent a call to the rest of the Rangers. "Wake up guys! Check your area, Zedd might be trying for your families! Get everyone to the Command Centre!" He didn't give them time to respond before morphing out.

Harry morphed and teleported into Mr. Caplin's bedroom. "Wake up!" he ordered. "They're after you!"

Mr. Caplin opened his eyes and saw the morphed White Ranger before him. "Harry?"

"They're breaking in here. Get up, I'm taking you to the Command Centre." A crash sounded, jarring Mr. Caplin fully awake. He hurried out of bed and pulled on some clothes as the White Ranger fought the creature now in his hallway. He grabbed his briefcase by habit as he stepped into the hall behind the White Ranger. Harry immediately stepped back, grabbed his arm, and teleported them out and away from the monster.

Alarms were blaring in the Command Centre. "Shut those off, Alpha," Harry commanded. He told Mr. Caplin, "You should be safe here. I have to check on Mrs. Applebee's family."

Mr. Caplin watched him leave then glanced around.

"Do not touch anything," Zordon warned, and Mr. Caplin jumped as he saw the huge floating head for the first time. Alpha brought him a chair and he thankfully sank into it.

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Tommy fought his way through the putties that were crawling in the broken windows of the Bulkmeir home, noticing they were stronger and harder to take out than Rita's putties had been. "Skull! Bulk!"

"Upstairs!" Bulk yelled.

Tommy vaulted the stair railing and kicked the nearest putty down the stairs and into the others climbing after them. He pulled his blaster and fired into the ones that had reached the second floor. "Which room!" he questioned as all the doors were shut tight. A smart move as it hid their location from the enemies. When Bulk called out, Tommy rushed in their direction. "It's me," he said as he reached the door. Skull opened it to him, closing it the moment Tommy cleared the doorway. A loud bang sounded as several putties ran into the closed door.

"It won't hold long," Skull commented.

"I know." Tommy glanced around the room. It was the master bedroom, Mr. and Mrs. Bulkmeir were staring at him in shock. "We need to get out of here. If you'll trust me, Mr. and Mrs. Bulkmeir, I can teleport all of us to the Command Centre. You'll be safe there."

The couple shared a look. Mr. Bulkmeir said, "Our sons called you here. If they can trust you then I will."

"Better reaction than I got from the other Rangers' parents," Tommy murmured as he initiated the teleport.

Appearing in the Command Centre, Tommy's eyes scanned the gathering. He was glad to see Mr. Caplin safe as well as the Kwan's and Cranston's, even if they all still looked worried. "Where?" Tommy demanded.

Alpha answered, "Harry is working his way to the Applebee's, Trini joined Kim at her home and Billy is helping Zack. Jason's at his home and they are also attacking those boys you asked to help with training."

"I'm there then," Tommy said, teleporting out.

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Tommy appeared in the middle of a full out battle. Connor and his boys were surrounded, fighting in the middle of the floor. They'd formed a circle in which the younger kids and the injured were protected by those around them and they refused to give ground. Tommy tossed Connor his blaster, said, "It works better than your guns here."

Connor didn't say a word, merely holstered his gun and started using the blaster. Tommy pulled his dragon dagger and took out as many of the attackers as he could, moving around the circle and supporting wherever it was most needed. Before long, Harry teleported in and joined them, followed by Jason, then Billy and Zack. When Trini and Kim arrived, Billy stepped out of the fight to check the wounded while Kim started teleporting out the younger children. Only when all the wounded and the noncombatants were safe did they start taking Connor's set. Tommy and Connor were the last two to leave the battleground.

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The Rangers powered down once back within the Command Centre. Though the place was crowded, the only ones present that hadn't already known their identities were Mr. and Mrs. Bulkmeir - and their sons had explained while the Rangers fought.

When Tommy and Connor appeared, Tommy's crystal blue gaze swept over the assembly. "Everyone here?"

Jason shook his head. "They took my parents. Dad was being stupid, wouldn't listen," he griped but you could hear the fear in his voice. This wasn't expected. They'd assumed Zedd meant to target them, not their loved ones.

"Mine too," Kim breathed.

"And mine," Zack added. "Billy and Trini's families are here. - Tommy, you don't think … I mean, when he said it'd be an end game, he meant against us right? He wouldn't kill them? They aren't fighters."

Tommy's expression was grave as he tried to think of something to say, anything besides pointing out that them not being fighters just meant they were the weakest link. "They didn't just kill them in the fight, they were trying to take them. That means we have a chance to get them back," he finally said.

Tommy saw Mrs. Applebee and her husband and Kevin. He turned to Connor. "Check your people, see if anyone's missing. - Med bay's this way."

Connor followed Tommy to the med bay and checked on his injured boys. Billy met them at the door and said, "Everyone will survive. Don't touch any of the controls though, and don't wake anyone. The automatic system's can heal them from here."

Connor nodded slightly. "Thanks," he absently said as he walked passed the Ranger.

Striker, Connor's second in command, nodded to his boss and told them, "All ours came through. Listening to this man explain how those aliens fight helped that."

"Good to hear," Tommy said to this. He and Billy exited the med lab and joined the rest of the Rangers.

"It was supposed to be us," Jason said.

Tommy nodded. "When you care about someone, it can be used against you. I've always known that."

Billy stated, "I believe I'm starting to understand that."

"But the ones that mean the most to you are also the ones that give you the strength to keep going," Tommy added, his cobalt gaze meeting each of the Rangers' eyes in turn. "You guys taught me that. - We need to find where he took the others. Our day's just starting."

Billy and Trini immediately went to the controls. Tommy told the others, "Get some rest. I know you're worried but going in dead tired isn't going to help anyone." Receiving reluctant agreement, Tommy rose his voice and ordered, "Everyone is to stay in the Command Centre until we have things settled down."

"You have food here?" Bulk asked.

"Not yet," Tommy said with a hint of laughter. Trust Bulk to think with his stomach. "Connor?"

The gang leader exited the med bay. "Yeah?"

"You want to come with me to get food for this bunch?"

"Can I keep your blaster?"

"Not a bad idea really." Tommy walked to a wall panel and placed his palm against it. A green glow surrounded his hand then the panel slid open, revealing a weapons locker. He removed a standard blaster and sent it to his Ranger gear with a flick of his wrist. Then he pulled out several others which his passed out to the gang members, then Bulk and Skull, Mr. Bulkmeir, and anyone else that knew how to shoot a gun and was willing to accept the weapon. Sealing the locker once more, Tommy said, "We'll be back with food as soon as possible. - Billy, keep a lock on us just in case."

"Affirmative," Billy acknowledged.

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Continued - Let me know what you think. Review