"Trouble? What are you talking about Dad?" Scott asked, his eyes wide.
Colonel Truman ignored his son's question and turned to Dr. K, "Dr. K do you still have the morphers?"
"Yes. They are in storage." she replied.
"Well get them out of storage. You're going to need them again. Venjix is back." Colonel Truman replied.
Instantly the room erupted as everyone began yelling at once. The air was a mix of expletives and questions.
"EVERYONE CALM DOWN!" Colonel Truman yelled over them.
"Calm down?! You just told us Venjix was back!" Ziggy replied his voice squeaking.
"How is he even still around? We defeated him!" Scott added.
"We're not sure. All we know is that the city of Pirnum is in ruins. At precisely 2 this afternoon Grinders invaded the city with four attack bots. In an hour the city was destroyed. Thousands of lives were lost and still more were taken away by Grinders." Colonel Truman said and pulled out a video pad and played a black and white video of Grinders destroying the city.
They watched the video in horror as the city fell in ruins, humans dying left and right. Before the video even ended Dillon turned away, stomping away. He began to pace in the back and a moment later he let out a scream, punching the solid wall.
"DILLON!" Summer yelled and hurried over to her boyfriend, taking his large hand in her smaller ones, inspecting the knuckles.
"I'm fine." Dillon said and tried to pull his hand from Summer's grasp but she held firm.
"Let me see." she ordered and began to run her fingers over the skin, checking for anything that might be broken. After a few seconds she saw that it was only the skin that was broken, the bones underneath still intact.
"I'm going to go get the first aid box." Summer replied and let go of his hand, heading towards the kitchen.
"Dillon you need to calm down. We're all angry." Scott said.
"You don't get it." Dillon said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.
"Then explain it to us." Flynn replied.
"The last city we were in was Pirnum." Tenaya said suddenly.
"How long ago-"
"Were you there?" Gem and Gemma asked looking at Tenaya.
"A week ago." Tenaya replied.
"Did anything seem odd to you?" Colonel Truman asked.
"No. Everything looked normal." she replied.
"Well one of the few survivors reported that they were headed this way. We have increased security but we're going to need all the help we can get." Colonel Truman said and turned to look at Dr. K who nodded.
"The morphers are in storage. I will retrieve them in the morning." Dr. K said.
"Very well. I guess the only question is are all of you up to becoming the Rangers again?" Colonel Truman asked.
"If I do I'm going to need some time off from Eagle Squad." Scott smirked looking at his father.
"Of course." Colonel Truman smiled back.
"Then I'm in." Scott replied.
"We're in too!" Gem cried, both him and Gemma smiling from ear to ear.
"It's not even a question." Flynn replied.
"I'm in." Summer said as she finished wrapping Dillon's hand.
"You can count on me." Ziggy said.
"And me." Dillon nodded.
"I have a heavy heart in asking you to once again to sacrifice everything to protect all of us but I thank you for doing so." Colonel Truman said.
"Dad…you couldn't tell us not to do it. It's our job." Scott said.
Colonel Truman nodded and bid everyone goodbye before leaving.
As much yelling and screaming that had happened when Colonel Truman had dropped the Venjix bomb was how much silence there was now. No one spoke or made a single noise for a large stretch of time. All 8 of them all sat staring into space, their minds racing.
Dillon thought about the people who had died, people he had just left. If he'd stayed another few days he may have been able to save some of those lives. Just maybe…
Summer's thoughts were similar to Dillon's. She worried about all the lives that had been lost but she worried about Dillon too. She knew he would take this all on himself and harbor the blame for a long time.
Tenaya found herself worrying about Venjix. The memories of being under his control had somehow become slightly faded but now they were back and sharp as ever. She worried what would happen now that Venjix was back. He hadn't taken kindly to her defecting to the Ranger's side and she had been an important part of why he had seen defeat at all. If he had somehow managed to survive the first time what was to say that this time would be any different?
Gem and Gemma for once didn't share exactly the same thoughts and worries. Both thought of when they'd been 'deleted' by Venjix and then they thought about how they would stop him this time. The one thought that separated their worries was Gemma's. Her mind was on Flynn.
When she had originally become a Ranger it was only Gem and herself that she had to worry about. Now she had Flynn too. She loved him and worried about just what might happen to either of them. He was just as important to her as her brother. It wasn't that she didn't worry about Gem but it was different. She wasn't sure why but she wasn't as scared for him as she was for her fiancé. Maybe it was because as her twin he was a mirror of herself. Either way she was scared.
Scott's mind was on how Eagle Squad would fare without two of their best members and two of their best members. He would have to assign a new captain to take his place for the time being. He knew that they had stopped Venjix once and fully believe they could do it again. How he didn't know but they really didn't have a choice.
Flynn couldn't stop worrying about Gemma. They had nearly lost her the last time that they had fought Venjix and the thought of her being gone again made him sick. He didn't know what he would do without her.
The only two who had the same thoughts were Dr. K and Ziggy. Their mind was on the 3 year old little girl who was asleep upstairs and none the wiser about the threat that lay just outside the boarder of Corinth. What would they do if something happened to either of them? After a few moments of worry they looked up and their eyes met. Wordlessly the both of them stood and walked out of the room, none of the others paying attention because they were too absorbed in their own heads.
"So what are we going to do K?" Ziggy asked once they were away from the others.
"Well obviously we must take steps to ensure that Candy's life will remain as normal as possible and that she will be well taken care of should we both meet an untimely demise." Dr. K replied.
"Okay…so the question is if something happens to us who gets Candy? What do you think?" Ziggy asked.
Dr. K was silent for a few moments as she thought. Which of the people she had come to call friends would be best suited to raise her daughter? Which would be able to contend with a child who was so exceptionally intelligent? And most importantly who would give her all the love she needed and that both Ziggy and herself wanted to her to have?
"Let's consider our options shall we?" Dr. K said.
"Well our circle of friends is really small so there aren't a lot to consider. Lets start out with Scott." Ziggy replied.
"No. Though a dedicated soldier I do not believe that he has the skills to appropriately raise a small child. Though around her for 3 years Scott still sometimes seems baffled as to what to do with Candy." She said shaking her head.
"Okay then there's Flynn and Gemma." Ziggy said next.
"I don't think they're suitable either. Though I know that Gemma is bright enough to raise a child I do not know if she could handle the responsible aspect of the job. I'm still stunned by the fact that you're capable of punishing our daughter as it is. Flynn would be but Gemma regularly gives into any whim that Candy has as it is now. Without us there to stop her she would certainly spoil her. Flynn gives into Gemma and Gemma gives into Candy. It's a vicious cycle. Gem is the same as Gemma so therefore he wouldn't be a proper candidate." Dr. K said quickly as she waved her hands in a dismissive manor.
"Okay then…that leaves Dillon and Summer but they've only known her for a few hours. Do you think they would even take her?" Ziggy asked.
Dr. K bit her bottom lip and considered this fact before answering.
"Candy seems quite taken with the both of them and they are both the ideal mix of strict and kind that you would look for when considering who would take your child in the event of a tragedy. Candy also warmed up to them quite quickly. Usually she's quite cold until she knows you. The question isn't if they would be able to handle raising our daughter but if they would be willing to." Dr. K said.
"Well I know Dillon is good with kids. I watched him and Candy play earlier and they were a good match." Ziggy said.
"Then it's decided. If the will accept then we will as them to be Candy's godparents." Dr. K said nodding, happy they had come to the decision.
"When do we ask them?" Ziggy asked.
"The sooner the better I believe." Dr. K replied.
"Right. Let's go." Ziggy said and the two of them headed back into the main part of the Garage.
They found that the others had moved from their spots. Flynn was working under the hood of his Hummer, Gem and Gemma were tinkering at the workbench and Tenaya and Scott were playing pool. Summer and Dillon were nowhere to be found.
"Hey! Where did Dillon and Summer go?" Ziggy asked.
"Summer's taking a shower and Dillon went up to his room." Tenaya replied as she watched Scott shoot the 4 ball into the pocket.
"Thank you." Dr. K replied and they headed upstairs.
They found Dillon sprawled out on his bed with his hands under his head, staring up at the ceiling.
"Hey Dillon? Can we talk to you?" Ziggy asked knocking on the door.
"Yeah sure." Dillon replied sitting up.
"We have something of utmost important to ask you. You're not obligated to say yes but we do ask you to please think it over first before you reject our proposal." Dr. K said.
Dillon looked at her for a moment, "Um…okay."
Ziggy took a deep breath and sunk down onto his bed, Dr. K choosing to remain standing.
"K and I were thinking some things over. We realize just how dangerous this whole Venjix returning thing is going to be and we started thinking about Candy and what was best for her." Ziggy said.
"Wait…whoa…are you talking about quitting Ziggy? Giving up your morpher?" Dillon asked.
"What? No! We actually would like to know if you would be willing to take Candy. You know…in case something happens to K and I?" Ziggy asked.
Dillon looked at his friend and the doctor confused, "So you want me to like…be her godfather?"
"In other terms yes. We've reviewed our options and we have realized that you and Summer are clearly the best choice." Dr. K said.
"What would we be the best choice for?" Summer asked as she walked into the room drying her hair, already dressed in a pair of yellow pajama pants and a white tank top.
"They want us to take Candy if anything happens to them." Dillon replied.
"What? You guys…nothing is going to happen to you! You're going to be fine!" Summer said.
"It's just a precaution. We don't really think we're going to kick the bucket but if we do we want to know that Candy is safe." Ziggy said.
"So you want us to take care of her? We barely know her…she barely knows us." Dillon replied.
"That's just it though. Candy took to both of you quickly. Candy is a very astute judge of character. She very rarely takes to people as readily as she took to you two and Tenaya." Dr. K replied.
Summer sunk down beside Dillon and looked at Dr. K, "Really?"
"Indeed. When you told me that Dillon and Candy were playing this afternoon I was quite surprised. She will refuse to talk to someone she doesn't like and even go as far as to completely ignore them. The fact she seems to enjoy the company of you both is quite extraordinary." Dr. K said.
"So what do you think?" Summer asked looking at Dillon.
"What do I think? Are you saying that you're in?" he asked.
"Only if you are Dillon. They want both of us." Summer pointed out.
"I don't know the first thing about kids Summer! How in the hell am I going to be able to raise a 3 year old?" he asked standing up.
"Look Dillon, if you don't want to it's okay. We just thought we'd ask you first. If you don't want the responsibility we understand. We'll find someone else." Ziggy said patting Dillon on the shoulder.
"Exactly. Thank you for the consideration though." Dr. K said and they both turned towards the door.
Dillon watched as they began to walk out of the door and he remembered coloring with Candy and how she had smiled at him. She was a sweet little girl as well…
"Wait!" he said.
Ziggy and Dr. K turned and looked at Dillon who sighed.
"I'll…I'll be Candy's godfather."
"Oh my god thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to us!" Ziggy said and threw his arms around Dillon.
"Whoa…Zig…I can't breath!" Dillon gasped.
"Sorry." Ziggy smiled pulling away and moving onto Summer.
"I agree with Ziggy…thank you so very much Dillon." Dr. K said and gave one of her rare hugs to Dillon.
"You're welcome." Dillon replied awkwardly hugging her back.
"We're just happy we can help." Summer smiled as Dr. K hugged her as well.
After thanking both Summer and Dillon a few more times Summer decided it was time to head to bed as did Dr. K, leaving Ziggy and Dillon alone to get ready in their own bed.
"So tomorrow we're getting back in gear." Ziggy sighed as he pulled off his t-shirt.
"Yeah…it's kind of weird isn't it?" Dillon smirked.
"It is. Do you think the team will work the same way?" Ziggy inquired.
"What do you mean? Why wouldn't it? It's not like we're sending half of our team off to some Peace Conference or something and pulling 3 random people in off the street." Dillon replied.
"Well things are different for all of us. It might affect the dynamic." Ziggy said.
Dillon turned and looked at Ziggy for a second before laughing, "When did you turn into an adult?"
Ziggy shrugged, "Sometime around the time I heard 'Ziggy I'm pregnant and you're the father'?"
Dillon shook his head, "Well I'm sure we'll be fine. We may have changed but we're still the same people. Don't sweat it."
Ziggy nodded and climbed into bed, "Goodnight Dillon."
"Night Zig." Dillon replied crawling under his own covers.
Soon they were both asleep.