Chapter 12: History Told
"Thanks Billy, I owe you one," Tommy said as the computer master managed to finish rebuilding the computer and other important aspects of the Lair. The house itself was being rebuilt thanks to the best construction company, insurance, and Zack's wallet. Most of the other Rangers had left using Billy's new transportation system to get to their respective homes. They'd stayed for a few hours, but that was all they could get away with on a 'Family Emergency' excuse.
Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Trini, Jason, Billy, and Zack had all been able to stay for a while longer since they were either self-employed or from a different planet. They were all seated in Hayley's café, which was closed to the public for the day, drinking smoothies and letting Billy finish the electronics which he'd jumped at the chance to work on. Ethan was helping the former blue Ranger who gave looks of gratitude to the younger man every once in a while. Occasionally Hayley would say a word or two once she'd sat down since she had been the one to build it in the first place. Billy didn't even glance up at Tommy's words. "I should thank you. I missed this."
"Well that's what you get for not visiting," Rocky teased and Billy did look up long enough to shoot him a look. After all, it wasn't as if it were easy for him to change back and forth. Rocky quickly changed the subject to something more favorable. "Hayley? Do you have any more muffins?"
"On the counter," she answered and glanced at the computer. "No, I'm pretty sure I put that over there."
"Hmm… you are correct," Billy said, a little surprised. At her glare, he quickly amended his statement. "I apologize, Hayley. I was merely surprised at myself for not foreseeing that result. It is unlike me."
"You just haven't been on Earth in while," she told him. "I'm sure once you're back for a while, you'll give me a run for my money."
Billy smiled and nodded at her. The others shook their heads at their excitement and Tommy called out to Ethan. "You might want to hear some of these, Ethan. These old stories can get pretty good."
Ethan looked at Billy who motioned for the teenager to join the others. "Just call me if you need me," Ethan said as he sat down next to Kira and Conner.
Conner looked at Rocky first, a grin on his face. "Is it true? Did you really hide from The Mission?"
"Damn straight!" Rocky said happily to the glares of Tommy and Jason. "Adam answered the phone, I asked who it was, I took the phone, pretended like I couldn't hear a word they said and high-tailed it out of there taking a five day vacation."
Adam shrugged and looked perfectly calm over the whole thing. "I just helped him pack without asking. I rarely want to ask when Rocky does something."
"You helped him pack?" Tommy asked in disbelief. He threw up his hands. "You're all against me."
Jason shrugged. "I showed up."
"Late."
"I showed up. What more do you want from me?" Jason asked with a grin. "Besides, I didn't go into a self-imposed witness protection program from the good guys."
"Good guys! Ha! Don't let them fool you. They cover up their evil ways by saving the world, but they're evil," Rocky said with a tone one would use during a ghost story. The teenagers laughed at his antics. "I was staying out of mischief."
Adam snickered and Zack just laughed. Everyone turned to look at them and Jason laughed harder than them both. "Hey Tommy? I think you had another who turned on you."
Tommy turned and looked at Zack. "You too?"
Kim put her hand on his arm. "I think you had better tell us this story, Rocky."
Rocky grinned and obliged.
Rocky leaned back against the couch, controller in his hand as he played the video game continuously. Adam was nearby lounging in a chair and reading a book that Aisha had sent him for his birthday. He'd just cracked it open and was enjoying the first bit when the phone rang. He didn't even glance up at it for fear he'd lose a life if he did. "Hey Adam! Can you get that?"
Adam sighed since Rocky was closer but he set down the book and reached for the phone anyway. "Hello? Uh huh. Yeah, he's right here."
"Who is it?" Rocky asked, pushing pause. Why he didn't do that in the first place was beyond Adam.
"Tommy," Adam answered and handed off the phone.
"Hello? Hey Tommy! A what? Yeah, sorry, I think your cell phone is cutting out on me. Hello? Hello? Tommy, are you there? Hello?" Rocky asked and hung up the phone. Adam looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You do know that there was nothing wrong with it, right? And it didn't sound like he was moving," Adam informed him.
"Hmm… really? That's weird. Oh well. It probably wasn't that important. Anyway, I need to get packed for that vacation I've been talking about," Rocky said as the phone rang again. "Don't bother with that Adam, I'm sure it's not important."
"That vacation, huh?" Adam asked, knowing full well that Rocky rarely planned anything nor had he mentioned anything about a vacation. Still, Rocky was his best friend which meant loyalty and it would mean some time alone to read without hearing video game noises which was more important. He'd have the apartment to himself. "I'll help you pack."
The answering machine yelled after them as they headed into Rocky's room. "Rocky! Rocky, pick up the phone now! Rocky? Adam? Guys? Pick up the phone!"
Tommy glared daggers at Adam. "You helped him because you wanted to read a book?"
Adam looked at Tommy, his face completely serious. "Yes. I take my reading seriously."
The others were just laughing and even Adam couldn't hold it in for too long. Aisha turned to Rocky, gently hitting his arm. "I can't believe you did that!"
"I can," Kim said, impressed by her old teammate. "And that was pretty smart. So, what happened next, guys? How did Zack find out?"
"How do you think he funded that little vacation?" Zack scoffed. "You're all a bunch of moochers, you know that?"
The adults all rolled their eyes and a couple even gave some rude hand gestures. Even Hayley snorted a bit at that. All three of the teens, on the other hand, looked a little ashamed. "We're really sorry, Mr. Taylor," Conner said speaking up for the rest of them who just nodded. Zack turned and looked at them.
"Whoa, oops. Didn't mean you three. Just the rest of these moochers that I call my friends and former teammates. Besides, I enjoy spoiling the three of you but someone who will remain nameless though his name starts with a T and ends with ommy won't let me do as much as I'd like," Zack assured them, waving his hand flippantly. He ignored the look Tommy shot him at that. "And call me Zack. We're all family here."
"Yes," Billy said dryly from the computer. "Just what I've always wanted. Rocky and Zack for brothers."
Zack grinned at him. "I know, isn't it great?" Billy rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling.
Conner looked at Rocky and Zack as the laughter quieted. "So, what happened next?"
Zack grinned.
"Zack? It's Rocky. Are you there?" Rocky asked, holding on to Adam's cell phone. He was pretty sure that Tommy didn't have the number so they had been using it instead of the house phone even before Adam was driving Rocky to the airport. Adam had mentioned that he thought that there would be over 20 messages waiting when he got back. Rocky was betting on 30.
Zack grinned on the other line as he rested at his desk. He was a little ahead in his work, so he didn't mind taking the time to talk to an old friend of his. "Rocky! Hey!" He answered. "What's up?"
Rocky felt a little relieved when Zack answered. It was harder to beg for help when the person wasn't there. "Well, I'm going on a little vacation and I was wondering if you wanted to come with and possibly finance it."
Zack thought for a moment and nodded. Any work he had, he could take with him and Rocky was by far one of his favorite people to go anywhere with. Unlike some of their other friends, Rocky had about the same way of thinking as Zack which ended in drinking, girls, and memorable nights. "Sure!" He answered. "Where are we going?"
"Vegas," came the reply. "This time, we'll go to Vegas."
"This time?" Zack asked.
"Yep. I'll explain everything later, okay?" Rocky asked.
"Sounds good. Should I ask why?"
"Better not, Zack. Most I can tell you is it involves Tommy."
Zack scoffed. "That's reason enough."
"Don't any of you people ask questions?" Tommy demanded as they temporarily finished. "Any questions? And 'it involves Tommy' is not a good reason to help him escape!"
"Eh," Zack said with a shrug. "It seemed like a good reason to me."
"I just wanted a quiet week," mentioned Adam. "That was it."
Tommy just grumbled over the proceedings. Jason reached out and clapped his friend on the back. "Hey, Bro. Don't let it get to you too much. Being the leader is like being the oldest. They respect you, but you're the one they're going to toy with the most too."
Tommy nodded and smiled back at Jason who had moved back to his place and was relaxing as he waited for the rest of the story which was on hold as they others joked around about Zack and Rocky's 'vacation'. Tommy didn't like to admit it, but he'd been devastated when he'd thought that Jason wasn't going to show up for that mission. It was one of the reasons why he got so defensive over it. It was like a slap in the face that his best friend, his Bro, the man who he was closest to wasn't there when everyone else was. Jason had told him in private later on that he'd had some trouble getting there and that he had felt horrible about possibly letting Tommy down. He'd also let something else slip: that he'd almost physically felt the rejection he knew that Tommy had had. The teamwork, the closeness, had turned into something different for the two of them and after years of nurturing it, it had become physical.
He wondered briefly if Conner, Ethan, and Kira would ever be like them. They would be the veterans of the new generational 'family'. Zack wasn't joking about them being a family, but even these people in front of him were part of a closer family broken off from the larger portion. If the Ranger family were like a family reunion with those you knew as family, who you still loved but barely knew, then they were the backbone of it. Though only the original six carried the burden of mentoring, the other three were on call if needed, just as they had always been starting when they took over for Jason, Trini, and Zack. The three had been the easiest for Billy to locate after the originals. They were the youngest siblings of the original family.
Just as the others, they'd taken to their younger color counterpart. Even Adam and Ethan, while different Ranger colors, had gotten together with Billy to talk about technology. Unfortunately for the Dino Thunder Rangers, having Kim and Tommy as mentors was both help and hindrance. He didn't want to tell them, but they were already being revered just by Kim and Tommy's names alone. The others expected more out of them, for them to live up to their mentors' image. He'd woken up a few nights wondering if those who knew Zordon had expected them to be like him. He could only hope if they did that they had lived up to those standards.
He woke out of his thoughts when he felt something hit him in the stomach, gasping and looked down to see a soccer ball in his lap with Conner's arms folded. "Yes, Conner?"
"Wake up, Doctor O. They won't tell us the rest of the story unless you're listening. Don't know why since we can't see your expression anyway, but I want to hear it," he answered. Tommy rolled his eyes, but motioned for Zack and Rocky to continue anyway which Rocky did.
The plane ride seemed to take forever for Rocky, not to say that he had several messages once he landed, but he figured that Tommy wouldn't be able to find him here. Adam knew where he was, but his old friend was helping him for some reason. He knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. He looked around and found Zack had already kicking off the weekend by flirting with two women who seemed absolutely enchanted by him. He saw Rocky and motioned for him to come over which he gladly did. They were pretty women after all.
Rocky looked at the teenagers and quickly stopped the story there realizing that he couldn't finish that part and stay alive at the same time. "And we spent a good few days having a good time in Vegas," he said to their disappointment. "Sorry, guys, but Kim and Tommy would have my neck if I was more descriptive than that."
"I already want your neck, Rocky," Tommy growled and Rocky grinned.
"So, I can tell them the story?" He asked hopefully until he saw Kim's laughter turn dark. "Or moving on. Anyway, we spent some time away, the phone calls stopped, and I eventually went back to the house. Which is where I saw Tommy."
Adam shrugged. "I'm a good friend. I wanted a break. I'm not suicidal. Tommy looked ready to kill someone so I invited him in for some food and drink."
"Well, Tommy didn't take it very well," Rocky said and started back into the story.
"Where were you?!" Tommy yelled as Rocky walked through the door. Rocky shrugged and offered Tommy a smile.
"Out?" He said and Tommy glared at him.
"Every other red Ranger shows up for the last mission and you were out?!" He yelled and Adam looked over.
"There was a mission?" He asked and Tommy nodded. "Oh. Did it go well?"
"Yes, we won. No thanks to your goddamned roommate!" Rocky looked at Tommy as his old friend let off steam.
"If you won, then you didn't need me anyway," Rocky said cheerfully. Tommy's glare increased.
"You still should have been there," he told him. Rocky shrugged.
"I was with you in spirit," Rocky told him. Tommy shook his head.
"Why don't you listen?" He demanded and Rocky thought for a minute.
"I dunno. Why do you nag?" He asked. Tommy sighed and finally just sat down. Rocky took that time to put the bag into a different room. "Seriously, Tommy, calm down. You won, I didn't go. Was it really that bad that I didn't go?"
Tommy sighed. "I dunno, Rocky. I just wanted us all there, you know?"
"Yeah, I know. So, did Kim kill you?" He asked, changing the subject a bit.
"I'm standing here, aren't I?" He asked and Rocky grinned.
"You could be a ghost. Here, run at the wall and we'll find out."
"Why did I want you along?" Tommy demanded.
"I personally think you're a masochist, but that's just me."
Rocky sighed. "Good times," he said with a slight sigh and Adam just looked at him.
"Tommy tried to kill you after that statement,' he reminded him. "I had to pull him off you and hide the silverware."
"Yeah, but he was still hanging out with us," Rocky said and grinned. "Plus, those injuries he gave me meant that women were checking me out for days afterward."
"Can't complain about it then," Zack agreed, taking another drink of his smoothie. Most of the others rolled their eyes at the discussion, though both teenage boys couldn't help but nod a little. It sounded good to them, but they were still young.
"Tell us another story. Please?" Kira begged. Both Conner and Ethan looked just as hopeful. "Something really good?"
Jason smiled at them. "Of course, Guys. It's not everyday we get to embarrass Kim and Tommy in front of an audience," he told them and both mentors glared at him. The others just laughed at the response and looked to Jason who, along with his future wife, often told the best stories. "Alright. I might have a couple. They have life lessons in them too, so pay attention. Trini?"
She looked at him, knowing what he was asking her, and paused to think about it for a minute. "Both," she answered. "Then just him."
Tommy looked at his best friend. "Why?"
Jason shrugged. "It's fun. Besides, you'll be able to do it when I have my own team, right?" He asked and Tommy turned to Trini.
"How close to that are you?" He asked and she laughed.
"As far as I was last time, Tommy," she told him and looked at Billy questioningly. He quickly shook his head to indicate that now wasn't the best time. They'd tell the others later. She looked back at Jason and motioned for him to begin. Not only were the Dino Thunder Rangers showing complete attention in such a way that Tommy wished they'd do it in class, but Rocky, Adam, and Aisha had obviously never heard these stories as they leaned in as well. They had come after Jason, after all, and Tommy wasn't good at sharing his embarrassing moments. Jason took a deep breath and began.
"Where are they?!" Jason demanded as he dodged yet another hit that the monster threw at him. Trini quickly slammed it from the side while Zack attacked it quickly after from behind to give Jason some breathing room. They'd already fought off all of the putties so that wasn't an issue any longer, but there still was the monster to deal with and they were down two team members. Billy looked up from his communicator and helped Zack with an attack before they ran back to Jason to regroup. "Billy, where are they?"
"Due to the unlikely possibilities of the removal of their communicators, there is no known explanation as to the reason for their deficiency in communication," he stated. Jason looked over at Trini.
"He doesn't know," Trini answered. "They should be here."
"They should, but they're not! This is the third battle they've been late to!" He snapped, hitting the monster straight on before falling back with the others. Trini nodded and helped him up.
"It never used to bother you," she mentioned and Jason shrugged.
"He wasn't the leader at that point," Jason reminded her. "Watch your left, Zack! Your other left! He should be here leading, not me!"
The monster started to throw them around like rag dolls and Jason quickly analyzed the situation. He'd been trying to hold out for Tommy and Kim to get there, but he wasn't sure if they had that long so they would have to do this the hard way. "Billy, Trini, left. Zack, right. T,Z, B, J. Go!"
If there was one thing that Jason had learned by now, it was that most monsters didn't have a very high IQ. They didn't need one to smash and kill. So, by using letters, pig-latin, or anything similar, they were often able to verbalize a plan without having to worry about the monster figuring it out. They were also lucky that this certain monster didn't seem to know his lefts and rights very well either as they hit him in the order that Jason had laid out. Jason pulled out his sword and the others quickly copied him and they struck with their weapons.
Still, it got back up. Jason felt more than a little worried at this point. His friends had never been this late before. The monster stood ready and they watched as an arrow hit it and knocked it down. Jason looked up and saw his two friends, morphed, and running toward the fight. Tommy quickly took the lead and they managed to work as a team to finish it before having to get in their Zords and do the whole thing over again.
Still, when they finished, Jason couldn't help but to demorph and glare at the two. "Where the hell were you?!"
They both looked a little embarrassed. Tommy looked one way and Kim looked the other. It was only then that Jason noticed that their hair was wet and their clothes had the dampness that came with putting on clothes without drying off first. "Well…" Kim started.
"We were, uh, and umm…" Tommy added. Jason's eyes widened as he realized that Tommy wasn't wearing trunks, only shorts. He glanced over at the embarrassed face of Kim and saw that she was biting her lip. She'd tell him if he wanted her to.
Jason realized something and he realized it quickly. He might have been annoyed but he was pretty sure that he didn't want to hear this story when it involved his surrogate little sister. "If we never mention this again and it never happens again, I won't kill you," he said to Tommy.
Tommy grabbed the lifeline. "Deal."
Conner was stuck in the position where he wanted to both laugh and be disgusted. He chose to block out certain aspects of the story and laugh, which looking to see his teammates had done the same, seemed to be the right choice. "Dude, you made me look good," Conner told his teacher.
Tommy glared at the teenager. "Don't call me dude and I wasn't that bad."
Conner rolled his eyes and turned back to Jason. "That was awesome. Tell the next one!" He said and quickly added, "Please."
Jason pretended to think about it for a minute as they looked on anxiously before breaking out in a grin. "Okay. This one only involves Tommy though, so you don't have to worry about needing therapy for the next 10 years."
Zack grinned at them. "By the way, we're banking on one of you becoming a therapist," he told them. "With all of the issues we Rangers seem to have, we need someone we can all go to."
Trini gently hit Zack upside the head. "Stop that," she scolded. "You're scaring them."
Before it could escalate, Billy looked over at Jason. "Perhaps it would be in all of our best interests if you would continue with the story, Jason?"
Jason quickly nodded.
One would expect Switzerland not to contain the problems of home thus allowing for the former red Ranger to get some peace and quiet, only having to worry about the Peace Conference squabbles. He would expect that all he would be doing is helping out and learning everything he needed to while getting a decent amount of sleep a night and occasionally scolding Zack for flirting with every woman at the conference. He would expect that he would get letters from his friends at home with hidden meanings to tell him what was going on both in the normal and Ranger fronts. What he didn't expect was a phone call at two in the morning from a nearly irate white Ranger begging him for help. At least, he was pretty sure that's what it was as he was still waking up and Tommy was talking nearly as fast as his girlfriend often did.
"Jason! Help me!" Tommy nearly whined on the other end as he finished. Jason sighed and leaned against the pillow, phone to his ear. He wasn't sure where Tommy was getting the money for long-distance calls, but he wasn't too pleased with whoever was giving him the money either.
"You can figure it out," Jason muttered, still waking up. "You're the leader now."
"I've been the leader, but you were here, Jason!" Tommy whimpered. "You were able to talk to me about it."
"Tommy, we've been through this. You're ready. Just trust yourself, Kim and Billy. Those two know your weaknesses and they can cover them up if needed until Rocky, Adam, and Aisha grow to know and trust you," Jason patiently explained again. It wasn't that they were at odds with the trio, but when Jason had started, he was among friends who were used to following his lead. When Tommy showed up, he was still aching from being evil and it was easier for him to follow Jason's lead. The newest members were used to trusting each other and while they were teammates, both Tommy and Jason knew that it would take a little longer for them to fall into the pattern of trust that the leader needed to have. Jason sighed. "Now, what have you been doing right?"
"Well, I haven't been late with Kimberly," he said helpfully. Jason snorted.
"Definitely a step in the right direction," he told him. "What else?"
"They're functioning as a team?" He suggested and Jason threw his head against his pillow in aggravation.
"Try again. This time without asking me," Jason suggested.
"They're functioning as a team," Tommy stated. Even though the other couldn't see him, Jason nodded.
"Good. See you're doing fine. I'm going to get some sleep," Jason informed him.
"But how do I handle this?" Tommy asked, slight panic coming back.
"You'll think of something. You're the leader now and you're doing fine. Good night, Tommy," Jason answered.
"But…"
"Good-night, Tommy," Jason said a second time and hung up the phone only to see Zack up and looking at him.
"Tommy call again?" The other boy whispered and Jason nodded. "Man. You explained time zones to him yet?"
"I tried the first time. He forgot. Imagine that," Jason answered sardonically. He could tell he sounded grumpy and this wasn't the first time. "You expecting any important calls?"
"Nah. And they don't call us either, so don't worry about," Zack told him. Jason shot him a thankful look and called down to the front desk asking them not to let anymore calls through for that night. Both Zack and Jason smiled at each other and fell back asleep.
Tommy turned red as he felt everyone staring at him. Even Hayley and Billy had paused to look over at him. He'd pulled himself up to be a good leader, but he had just been so dependent on Jason for a length of time. It hadn't been easy to break away from the mold. "Thank you, Jason," he muttered, knowing he was turning red. Jason grinned.
"Anytime, Tommy," he assured his friend who groaned even louder. Jason waited until they'd all finished laughing before he looked at Tommy. "Alright. Other than Kim, I don't think any of us know how you met Hayley. I want to hear that story."
"Nope. I'm not telling it," Tommy said. "I've been embarrassed enough for one night, thank you very much."
"I'll tell it!" Hayley offered, looking at Billy. "Are you going to be able to handle this alone?"
"I need a break anyway," he assured her. "I would like to hear this as well."
"Hayley!" Tommy exclaimed. "Come on!"
"I don't have any Ranger stories to tell," she reminded him. "So, this is my contribution."
"Yay," Tommy grumbled. He glanced over at Kim for help, but she was just sharing a grin with Hayley. Hayley moved over to where the others were and sat down near Tommy and Kim as she began.
Hayley rested against the back of the bench as she went over her work for the third time. She knew it was right and usually didn't doubt herself this much, but it had taken forever for her to be allowed into the upper class and she wanted to prove that she could do this. It wasn't easy for her to convince the professors that she could take the upper division courses and if she failed, she probably wouldn't be able to get into any others. The class she was in now had a professor with a history of giving chances to younger students. She didn't want to blow it. She finished checking it over, deciding that it was as good as she could get it and put it back into her bag, pulling out another book. She reached for a pencil when the book was shadowed.
She knew that being outside meant that she had to deal with people, but that didn't mean that she had to like it. She was out there for the sun, not the other students. The look on her face wasn't cheerful when she looked up at a young man who looked both embarrassed and a little intimidated by the young woman's stare. "What do you want?" She demanded.
"Uh… Hayley Ziktor?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.
"Yep. What do you want?" She demanded again. She was more than annoyed now since she didn't want to deal with him.
"Professor Burbank said that you might be able to help me since I have a little trouble with the class. I called your dorm, but your roommate said you were here," he explained. She looked at him without saying a word. "In high school I had a friend who would help me, but the long distance is bad and he doesn't have the internet and…"
"If I don't agree, are you going to babble for the next three hours?" She asked. He looked even more embarrassed, his face turning a bright red. "Yeah, okay, I'll help you."
His face became a friendly smile. "Thanks! I'm Tommy Oliver, by the way."
"I'm Hayley. Now sit down and let's go over the problems, huh?"
"You know," Tommy said. "You really were arrogant."
"Yeah, but it knocked you down a few pegs, didn't it? You didn't know how to react to someone who didn't see you as the all great Tommy Oliver. Kim even bought me a 'Thank you, Hayley' cake because of it," Hayley said. Tommy looked over at Kim who shrugged.
"I use every opportunity I have to get to eat cake," she told him. Hayley grinned and everyone laughed a bit at that. Kira looked over.
"Is that when you found out Doctor O was a Ranger?" She asked and Hayley shook her head.
"Not quite. I didn't find out about that until a few months later. That's also when I met Kim," she told them. At their insistence, she continued on to that part of the story.
"You're back," Hayley said as she opened the door to Tommy's house. Since he'd left for Angel Grove, he'd asked her to watch the apartment while he was gone which she quickly accepted. Tommy didn't have too many friends and oddly enough, none that were similar to the relationship he had with the younger genius where he trusted her that long in his house. Then again, she'd freely admitted that she'd only accept if he allowed her to eat whatever she wanted in his kitchen. Since she normally had to eat dorm food, it was understandable and a nice change for her.
"Yeah," he answered solemnly. He was holding a young woman close to him and neither looked too happy. He helped her in the house and put down his bags as Hayley shut the door.
"What are you upset for? You went to Angel Grove, right? Shouldn't you be happy? I saw the news. There were parties and everything," she informed him. The woman beside him nearly broke down again and he ignored Hayley as he turned to her.
"Why don't you go lie down?" He offered gently. She nodded and walked to the bedroom, closing the door behind her drowning out any cries or sobs she was going through.
"Tommy, are you okay?" Hayley asked, finally looking a little worried when he just stood there after. Once again, he didn't answer her, but instead pulled out a piece of metal. He stared at it for a minute, twirling it in his fingers so that she had a hard time seeing what it was. Finally he stopped and just looked at it again before yelling and throwing it against the wall as hard as he could.
"What was the point?" He roared. "What did any of it matter if that's how it ended?! We could have stopped it! He should have asked us to! He should have found a way!"
Hayley moved away from Tommy as he went off. She had the feeling that he'd completely forgotten she was there and she wanted to keep it that way until he calmed down. He headed over to the couch and nearly fell into the seat. It took her a moment to realize that he was breaking down himself, that's he'd obviously had to keep himself together a bit before now. She walked over to the piece of metal he'd thrown down and looked at it.
It was rectangular with a gold coin in the middle with a tiger on it. She stared at it for a moment, but even if she had been completely dense, the two words: Power Ranger was written upon it in a circle which surrounded the golden coin. She had known that Tommy was from Angel Grove, the frontlines for the defense of the world, but this was beyond anything she'd ever though of before. She glanced over at Tommy, who was quietly crying on the couch, and sat down next to him, unsure of what to say.
"Maybe he couldn't," she said quietly, though she still didn't know who 'he' was. "Maybe there wasn't another way."
Tommy looked at her, shocked that she was still there. He sighed and looked away from he seemingly annoyed. "You don't understand. Go home, Hayley."
"I don't understand what, Tommy? Understand that you're hurting? That's you're angry? That you feel this guy let you down?" She asked. He opened his mouth and looked into her eyes. Even before she said it, he knew that she knew. "Or I don't understand what it's like to be a Power Ranger. 'Cause you're probably right about that last one, but I think I understand the rest of it."
He stared at her. "How?" He asked and she tossed him the morpher.
"You threw it against the wall. In front of me. It wasn't hard to figure out," she told him. "Besides, I would have put two and two together eventually."
He nodded at that. "I don't…"
"But you need to," she told him. "Look, I realize that we're not exactly best friends here, but you're the only friend I've got and I know I'm the only one here that you've got. So, talk to me."
"You'll listen?" He asked. "Not yell at me for babbling on?"
"Yeah," Hayley agreed. "And I'll make the two of you dinner too. You've got to eat."
"Thanks, Hayley," Tommy said quietly and began. He told her everything from being evil to when he gave up the Turbo power to T.J. He told her of the friendships he'd made, the partings that had brought sorrow, and new beginnings that seemed to even it all out. She had begun dinner near the end of the Zeo chapter and still listened intently as the story finished.
"Feel better?" She asked and Tommy nodded.
"Yeah. I do," he said.
"So, if it was such a great time in your life, why are you so upset?" She asked, knowing he'd dodged the question. He bit his lip, not quite sure what to say at that.
"Zordon died." The voice didn't come from Tommy's mouth and both of the two turned to see Kim standing in the bedroom's doorway. "That's why."
"Kim, I…" Tommy started and the former pink Ranger shook her head.
"She found out." It wasn't a question, but Tommy nodded anyway. She looked at Hayley. "That's why. Zordon died."
Hayley nodded, not sure what she was supposed to say. Finally, she decided to nod and change the subject. "Dinner's almost ready," she said.
"Good," Kim said, gratefully talking the change. "I'm hungry."
Tommy just nodded his agreement, though he did remember enough manners to introduce them. "Hayley Ziktor, this is Kimberly Hart. Kim, this is Hayley Ziktor."
"Nice to meet you," Kim said. "Dinner looks good."
"Likewise and thank you," Hayley said. After that, dinner was silent.
"So, I made two friends and eventually became a better human being for it," Hayley said with a shrug. Kim smiled at her friend and Tommy nodded. "I couldn't have asked for anything better, really."
"And thus lives the only honorary Power Ranger I know of," Zack said happily and leaned over to Conner half-whispering. "She's adopted."
"Zack!" Kim and Tommy both exclaimed, but even they joined in on the laughter when everyone else did.
"Besides," Trini reminded him. "Others have found out."
"Yeah, but it's not the same somehow," Zack disagreed. "I don't know why, but it just isn't."
Billy looked at him. "It's quite simple. She knows, but has never used it to her advantage. She is not related to any of us. She assisted us with both mentoring and developing technology to help us with our cause though it was not necessary to her survival nor was it financially gratifying other than the café which Tommy and Kim offered after she'd been assisting for months. Finally, she helped two of our teammates accept and understand the sense of lost once Zordon died."
Kim nodded. "It was almost like the last thing that Zordon could do for us, you know? Send us someone who could help us."
Billy laughed. "I would not put it past him. Zordon knew more than any of us."
"Yeah, yeah," Hayley said. "Keep up the flattery, but you're still not getting free drinks."
"Mean," Zack whined. "How about me? Can I have free drinks?"
"No."
"But I helped finance it," he whimpered. She rolled her eyes.
"As a present," she reminded him. He folded his arms and continued to pout, though he still paid when the time came which wasn't too far after. It had seemed like they'd just shown up yet now they were forced to leave due to jobs and other factors of normal life. Rocky, Aisha, Adam, and Zack exchanged hugs and promises of visits with the others, though they quickly got the same promise from Billy before they morphed out. Billy turned to Jason and Trini.
"Do you two need to leave as well?" He asked and Trini shook her head.
"No. We forgot to tell them while Zack was here," Trini groaned. Billy shrugged.
"He already knows," he assured her. "And perhaps it is better this way. I already hear enough about it from Zack. I do not wish for Adam, Rocky, and Aisha to add to it."
"Hear about what?" Kim asked and Trini looked at Billy, who just nodded for her to tell them.
"Well, Billy created the new power source. It won't be perfected for a little while, but it is stable now," Trini began. Tommy looked a little confused.
"That's good news, right? Why would Zack give him flack over that?" Tommy asked and Trini looked over at Billy who was very interested in the computer by this point.
"It's not the power source, exactly, it's that he didn't take into consideration with the materials he had how strong the power would be. So, everything he'd taken the time to create is, uh, useless," she answered. Jason, Tommy, and Kim all stared at their own friend who felt more and more embarrassed.
"It was a simple miscalculation," he muttered. "Stop staring at me."
"Sorry, Billy," Kim said. "It's just… well…"
"We didn't see it coming?" Tommy offered. "So, it's probably going to take a while to fix, huh?"
"Not precisely," Billy answered and Trini took back over.
"As we all know, I haven't been able to find a power source, so I started to build around that. Ironically, my work will support it," she answered. "So, since he's here, I'm sending it back with Billy to be perfected with the power. Soon enough, we'll have a working power source."
"That's great!" Kim said. "If the Dino morphers ever go down, it would be nice to have a back up supply."
"But you're not replacing us, right?" All of the adults turned to look at the three nervous teenagers. Conner had asked the question, but the other two looked just as apprehensive.
"Of course not," Kim promised. "We're just being cautious."
Tommy nodded. "By the time I retired, I'd already gone through three different colors and five different power changes. By the time Jason, Trini, and Zack left, they had different Zords than when they first started. We're just being careful."
Conner nodded. "Makes sense."
"Good," Kim said. "Then no more worrying about that. How long until the house is finished, do you think?"
"A couple weeks at least," Tommy guessed. "And that doesn't include the lab."
"Well, at least you have a working computer," Hayley offered. "Billy's done."
"I couldn't have done it without Hayley," he answered modestly. "So, where are these raptor cycles I've heard about?"
"Forest," Hayley answered, standing up. "So normal people don't go near them. Some of my best work, really."
"A simple fix?" He asked her and she nodded.
"More than likely. I bet I can finish two by the time you get one done," she teased. He looked at her, though he was smiling.
"Not a fair assessment. You built them and have had to repair them before while I have no prior knowledge of them. Therefore, I get Ethan," he stated calmly. Ethan's head whipped around and he looked at the former blue Ranger not sure what to say. "Unless, of course, he doesn't wish to accompany us."
"No, no, he wants to," Ethan said quickly, grabbing his bag. "Bye guys, see you later!"
The three headed out the door discussing various computer aspects that none of the others understood, other than Trini who wasn't in a translating mood at this point. Kim leaned against the seat of the couch. "We should lock up and get you guys home."
"Or we could stay here a little long," Conner suggested. "I want to hear more embarrassing stories about my mentors."
"I second that," Kira added quickly. "And don't worry about leaving Ethan out. We'll fill him in later."
"Promise," finished Conner. Both of the youngest Rangers were grinning. Tommy and Kim groaned at that, but Jason smiled at their eager faces.
"Well now. How can I say no to that?" He asked and with that, began another tale which they actively listened to, spending the rest of the day drinking smoothies and laughing.
Author's Note: I needed a drama break and other than Hayley's story, I think I got it. It was a nice, calm chapter. I have to admit that I really enjoyed the background with Hayley and I might do a side story with that later. If that happens, it will probably include some of Mercer and Smithy as well since they are part of the past as well.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to let Kat and Tanya stay as well during story-time, but I finally decided against it. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha made more sense to me because they really were part of the original power. Tanya, and even Kat, were more Zeo Rangers instead.
Thank you once again for the reviews! I always enjoy getting them.