CHAPTER 12 - SUSPICION
Lord Zedd stormed down to Tommy's rooms, intent on confronting the boy over his Rangers' actions, but the moment he reached the door, he felt something wrong. Knowing what he'd find, he entered the rooms and thoroughly searched them before returning to his throne room. Goldar bowed deeply as he entered, fear shining in his eyes, but Zedd ignored him and the putties he was overseeing in the repair work.
Nothing inside the throne room survived the bombing. The teleportation control room and Finster's lab faired no better. It would be some time before enough repairs were made for them to repay the Rangers for this. Zedd stepped out on the balcony - it was untouched by the destruction though Zedd wished it had been. The Rangers were standing there when they set off the bombs after all, he wouldn't have minded the destruction if they'd been killed in it.
Or if they hadn't managed to distract him from his boy long enough for Tommy to somehow escape. Somehow. Tommy claimed human soldiers worked with them to free the other Rangers' parents but that wouldn't explain this escape. The door required magic, great magic to open. And that magic had to be focused from the outside of the door. Tommy was the only one he knew to be mage born, but even if another Ranger was, they had all been present on the balcony. Zordon was trapped, no one else from that government was anywhere near this world. Did Tommy know someone else of Power, from a world long believed to be Powerless? Or, more likely, had one of Zedd's own people betrayed him in favor of the boy?
Two names came to mind immediately. Goldar and Scorpina. Two of his most trusted warriors, the two that originally told him of the boy but also the two that considered the boy their friend. He knew their honor and would usually never question their loyalty to himself, but he knew their bonds with the boy to be strong. Was it strong enough that when confronted with the choice, they chose loyalty to Tommy over Zedd? They had done so over Rita, though they'd both served her for centuries. Zedd hadn't thought much of that since the very act of making the boy the Green Ranger was a rebellion against him, he'd assumed their disloyalty to Rita based on this. But they called Tommy their friend. They sometimes even reacted like they saw him as a younger brother or son. Would they betray him for the boy's sake?
While they were the immediate ones to come to mind, they weren't the only ones that had shown favoritism to the boy. Finster had assisted Tommy against Rita as well, though he did it in a less obvious way. Would he side with Tommy over Zedd? Maybe. Would he willingly allow his own lab to be destroyed in doing so though? That was less likely.
There were others too. Almost all the staff liked the boy since he'd been kind to them even while under a control spell meant to bring out aggressive behavior. He'd been kind to them any time he came in contact with them after the spell too, even serving on the other side. That they weren't fighters made it easier for them to like him since they never had to fear facing him on the battlefield. Most of those wouldn't be able to pass the magical seals but there were some that were skilled enough to do so.
It would take time to investigate this but, as almost all war efforts were held up from lack of working equipment, he had the time. Right now, he wanted to see the boy someone chose over him.
When he located him, he called Goldar and Scorpina to him. Though he wasn't sure how much to trust them at the moment, he wanted to hear what they would say.
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Tommy stopped in the shadows across the street from Kit Kat, watching her and her girls, waiting until they were alone. It was some hours before things died down and Tommy stepped out, crossing to them.
"Hey Kitten," he greeted.
The girl smiled as she threw her arms around him. "Dragon! We were worried about you."
Tommy returned her embrace for a second before stepping back. "It takes more than an evil alien overlord screwing with my head to get to me. I'm fine. Seriously," he added when the other girls joined Kit Kat in worrying over him. "He wasn't trying to hurt me this time. I don't know what he'll do when it gets through his head he won't get what he wants from me, but for now it'll all okay."
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They hadn't known what to make of Tommy standing silently observing the girls, but they'd easily recognized what the girls were doing.
Despite the air of anger hanging over her lord, Scorpina couldn't stop the laugh when she saw the girl hugging Tommy. "I've seen her," she informed her lord. "That is the girl that was flirting with Goldar when we picked up Tommy's lunch. Look at that, Goldar, you flirted with a real whore."
Goldar looked embarrassed. "I didn't … she didn't…"
"Whatever she does for a living," Zedd interrupted the two, "she obviously knows my boy. How?"
They didn't know. "My guess would be he saved her sometime or another," Scorpina finally said. "I've never noticed them together but I can't imagine him knowing her through her work. And he does have a habit of saving everyone in sight."
"Probably as the Ranger. She did call him Dragon," Goldar agreed. "His identity never has been all that secret."
Zedd growled as Tommy teleported himself and the girls away. "Find out who they are. I want to know everyone the boy lets anywhere near him, everything about them and everything about their relationship with him," Zedd ordered before storming off.
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"Hey Street," Kat said after she regained her footing from the teleportation. "Why are we at your place, honey?"
Connor nodded to Tommy. "He set the place up so the aliens can't spy on us here."
"And I need to ask you something," Tommy put in, smiling at her and the other girls. "How would you like to be Rangers?"
Silence fell as everyone turned to him. After a moment, Kat asked, "How? And what's the catch here, hun?"
Tommy held up a small box. "Zedd had some Thunder Coins locked up, just like Zordon. Fear of Power too great for you to control is common no matter what government. Those powers seem to be reaching out for you. As far as the catch, you get to fight a war, you can't ever give up the Power. Once a Ranger, you're a Ranger for life. But it's the Thunder Line, it's directly under me alone, no government ties. And you know me, you know my rules."
"This Power chooses who uses it?"
"It's attracted to you," Tommy answered. "I can feel that 'cause I'm master of the Thunder Line. It would work better for you than anyone else but there are others that could use the Power. It's your choice."
Kat looked to her girls who all nodded or shrugged. Candy said, "We trust Dragon."
"Okay. We're your girls," Kat agreed.
Tommy smiled and opened the box. "Just take any Coin, you'll know how to morph the moment you touch them so go ahead."
Kat grabbed one and it turned pink. "Pink Valkyrie." In a flare of pink flame, the Pink Thunder Ranger stood morphed. Just like with the other Thunder Rangers, the armor was more streamlined, the color darker, more easily hidden in shadow, though it was definitely feminine in appearance. A blaster rested at her side, throwing daggers were secured two her forearms and twin swords rested at her back.
Candy Cane was next. "Lilac Gorgon." The earth rose around her then she stood in dark lilac armor, the helmet looked a bit more serpentine, venomous daggers were at the tops of her boots and the small of her back.
Brandy skipped over to claim hers, smiled as she called out, "Yellow Bean Si." Air swirled around her. She had a wooden staff strapped to her back but she knew her strongest weapon would be her scream.
"Always thought ya had some banshee in ya, sweet," Harmony said as she took her own coin. He giggled as the knowledge filled her. "Turquoise Siren." A whirlpool of water surrounded her before revealing her. She laughed and it sounded of music. The short sword at her side worked much like Tommy's Dragon Dagger, playing its own magical tune to call her zord.
Tommy smiled at her, feeling some relief that finally a water elemental appeared on the team.
"Orange Cerberus," Sherry called. Fire once again flared as her Power answered. A double bladed axe rested at her back.
Cherry Pie smiled as she reached in the box, the gasped in shock as she felt the Power for the first time. "Violet Hydra!" For the second time, a whirlpool of water answered a Ranger's call. Twin daggers rested at her side but more interesting was … "Self-regeneration?" she asked Tommy.
Tommy grinned. "One of the stronger Water gifts."
"There's still a Coin left."
Tommy nodded. Turning to Connor's boys, he asked, "Blade?"
"Me?" the boy said, shocked, as he stepped forward. He slowly took the final Coin in his hand the laughed in joy at the feeling. "Tan Tangie!" A whirlpool of water flowed around him before revealing him in the armor. The only weapon visible was his blaster, at the same place as his gun was always worn, but he knew he could call on a whirlpool of water anytime he needed it that would pull under and drown his enemies.
"Finally complete," Tommy breathed, looking over the Thunder Rangers.
"And a very large team," Jason commented from behind him. "You know, I'm really wishing they were joining us on the battlefield."
Harry laughed. "So long as no one knows of them, it'd be stupid to give away the advantage. Look at what it did for us already."
"I know."
Harry asked, "What do you think Zedd'll think of your escape, bro?"
"So long as he doesn't think we formed a new Ranger team he knows nothing about, we're good," Tommy responded. "And I'm thinking two teams. The boys are used to following Con already, the girls follow Kat so just stick with the usual there."
"Works for us, love," Kat purred.
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Continued - Let me know what you think. Review.