Chapter 16: Memories, Futures, and Plans
"So, this is the Lab when it's not in pieces," Zack said as he leaned back in one of the chairs, grinning at Tommy and Kim. "You realize you work in a cave, right?"
He ducked one of the beanbags Kim threw at his head at the joke as the teens laughed. Zack had arrived as quickly as possible, reacting in about the same way as the younger Rangers had and it was followed by a pout that he didn't get to go along. He'd argued that he could have been there to do something, but, as they were reluctant to admit, somehow he'd ended up as the most well-adjusted. He hadn't needed to go on that quest and had something gone terribly wrong, he would have been needed in the physical plane. They'd discussed the various quests to him and what they'd learned, but after that, none of them really spoke about it much. Zack turned his attention away from the playful insults and toward the three teenagers as he grinned even harder. "So, about presents…"
"Dude, you brought us something?" Conner asked. Kira and Ethan looked over as well, while Tommy just groaned and muttered about how he was spoiling them. Kim patted her boyfriend's arm, reminding him that Zack didn't get to see the teens as often. Zack looked thoughtful at the question before answering.
"Yes and no. No, I didn't bring you anything you can keep, though we're going to get you all something later at the mall and yes, I brought you something to show you," he said happily. He reached into his bag, which he'd brought down with him and pulled out a slightly dusty disk. He blew it off and put it into the computer. The teens looked eager, but the adults all looked a little confused.
Kim looked at Zack. "Zack, what exactly is on that disk?' She asked and Zack's grin turned mischievous.
"Don't worry, Kim. You'll recognize it. It's amazing what Zordon saved," he said cheerfully causing his teammates to pale. Both Jason and Tommy raced toward Zack at the same time, which caused the former black Ranger to quickly press the play button, yelling "Enjoy!" as they tackled him to the ground.
Ethan raced for the computer before Billy could get to it and covered all of the buttons to turn it off. Kira and Conner raced over to help him, laughing as they did so. Billy tried to get past them but felt something holding him back. He turned to see Hayley whose smile was just as bad as Zack's. "I want to see the embarrassing tape," she told him. Trini and Kim both tried to get to it as well, but it was well-blocked by this point and the video had already begun.
"Is it working yet, Billy?" A much younger version of Kim was looking into lens and waved as she asked, nearly bouncing on her toes. She looked about seventeen and slightly overeager to begin whatever they had planned.
"Affimative, Kim. The frequency may be a bit erratic due to climate conditions, but it should function in a reasonable manner," Billy answered. Kim looked over helplessly at Trini.
"He says it will work fine, but we might have some trouble with keeping it up because of the rain," she answered. Kim nodded.
"Thanks, Trini," she said and looked at the others who could all be seen at this point. Even Billy, who was finishing setting it up, was ready. "So, whose going first? How are we going to do this? Are we all going to go or one at a time?"
"One at a time, Kim. Tommy, can you keep her quiet during everyone else's turn?" Jason teased. Tommy grinned and looked back at him.
"You always complain when I do that," he joked back. "Besides, I don't want to fry out Alpha."
Billy looked at Trini helplessly and the yellow Ranger quickly got the conversation back on track. "Billy, they're not going to short-circuit Alpha. Your weekend is safe. Tommy, stop scaring Billy. Jason, no teasing Tommy and Kim. Kim, one at a time and in whatever order fits. I think it makes the most sense for Jason to go first."
There was a round of agreements and Jason stepped forward. "I can't believe I let Kim talk me into this. So, if you're watching this, first, I'm sorry. This was Kim's idea. Blame her. Why am I doing this?"
"Because you're our fearless leader!" Kim answered and continued with a slight whine. "Come on, Jason. I can't go until you do!"
"I vote we make Kim go last!" Zack teased. Trini sighed as there was laughter mixed with Kim's protests.
"Guys!" She said and they quieted down again. She smiled at the red Ranger. "Go ahead, Jason."
"Umm… well, we're the Power Rangers. You're probably one too if you're watching this, so, uh welcome? I'm Jason Scott, the red Ranger. And these," he said moving out of the way. "Are the other Rangers. I'll, uh, let them introduce themselves now."
"Hi! I'm Kimberly Hart, the pink Ranger. Welcome! I hope that you don't see this too late in the future so that I can meet you all! If I'm still around, make sure to get a hold of me, okay? I could tell you so many stories…" Kim said happily before turning the camera over to Zack.
"Run! Run away before she finds you!" he mock-whispered, only to get smacked in the arm by Kim. "So, I'm Zack Taylor, the black Ranger. If I'm still around, look me up and I'll teach you some hip-hop Aikido."
He proceeded to show a few moves and handed the spotlight to Trini. "Hello," she said softly. "I'm Trini Kwan, the yellow Ranger. I hope, like Kim, that one day I'll be able to meet some of you."
"Salutations," Billy Cranston said taking over from Trini. "I'm Billy, the blue Ranger. Flucuation!"
The camera went dead for a moment and Zack shrugged. "It was a pretty bad night. Considering that we were trying to get everything fixed in the place anyway, I'm kinda surprised now that we didn't have more problems. Okay, and we're back."
"Did you want to continue or…" Tommy said as he took the screen. An off-camera motion was made as Tommy quickly took it back. "My turn, I guess. I'm Tommy Oliver, the gree…"
"White!" The others called out. Jason rolled his eyes.
"That's the third time you've done that. Look at your clothes," Jason teased. Tommy gave him a look before continuing.
"Right, I'm the white Ranger, but I used to be the green Ranger. Umm… if you lived in Angel Grove at any time I was evil, I'm really sorry about that."
Jason groaned. "When this is done, can we delete it and pretend like it never happened?"
"No!" Kim said. Jason sighed.
"You're not going to let this go, are you?" He asked and she shook her head.
"No. We need to hurry anyway. Alpha's finally gone. If we're going to do this, we need to do it now," she said. Jason nodded.
"Fine," he sighed.
"So, Trini, Zack, and I are getting ready to go to this Peace Conference we got accepted into. We're pretty excited, but for the first time, we're not going to be a team anymore," Jason said.
"And it's really kind of got us scared, you know?" Zack continued. "I mean, the fate of the world and everything, but what's going to happen to our family? That's kinda what we've become."
"And eventually other groups will have to go through this as well, so we thought we'd tape this so that you'd have something to show them. We added bits and pieces that were recorded on the viewing globe and to this, including some parts with you and Alpha in it," Trini continued.
"Apologies, Alpha. We aspired to inform you of our plan, but it was imperative that Zordon was kept out of it and it is arduous for you to keep a secret from him," Billy added. "The splitting of the team is already strenuous, but we have decided not to let it break us apart. We'll always be Rangers."
"Billy, Kim and I are eventually going to leave too, so you new Rangers, you guys better take care of Zordon, okay? And we were serious before: if you need us, call us, okay? We'd love to meet you," Tommy added. "We know what it's like when you first get your powers but Zordon is a good teacher. You'll be fine."
"So, I think that's everyone but me. Umm… well, we thought that since we're splitting up, you might want something of all of us, so I suggested we make this and the others agreed," Kim said. "And you can use it when you have another team too. We managed to even find some footage of how we reacted when we first got our powers, so you can show them that if you want."
She looked over at the others and Jason motioned her to continue. "This was your idea," he told her. "You should say it."
"We know it's an Earth custom, but, uh, we wanted to stay 'Happy Father's Day!' We hope you enjoy your gift!" She finished. "Hey Billy? How do I turn this off?"
"It's a good thing we're not losing Billy. Everything would break down," joked Tommy. Kim looked at him.
"Tommy, Trini's leaving," she reminded him and his eyes widened as he realized that their best translator wasn't going to be there. He looked over at Trini and grabbed her into a hug.
"Don't leave us! We'll never know what Billy's saying again!" He whimpered. Kim looked over at Jason.
"You're leaving me alone with him and Billy? I can't understand one and the other is clinging to my best friend," she joked, trying not to laugh. Jason glanced over and sighed, trying to take command of the situation.
"Tommy, get off Trini," he told him, pulling on him, but Tommy held on even harder. By this point, Trini was protesting, Jason was pulling, and Tommy was still begging her not to go. Zack and Kim were both nearly on the ground from laughing so hard at their friends' antics.
"Aye-yi-yi! What is going on?" A voice called out and Alpha could be seen coming in and trying to figure out the situation. "Tommy, Jason, what are you doing?"
Both boys, to the amusement of Kim and Zack, seemingly ignored him. Tommy glared at Jason. "She's not leaving!" He exclaimed, still holding onto Trini's waist. Trini had given up trying to get him off by this point and merely had her arms folded as she waited for the white Ranger to let go.
"Yes she is!" Argued Jason. "You can't stop her from going just because you can't understand Billy sometimes!"
"Yes I can!"
"No you can't!"
"Rangers, please!" Alpha pleaded and Zack clapped a hand on the robot's shoulder.
"Relax, Alpha. They just need to get it out," Zack told him, trying to control his laughter.
"Yes I can!"
"No you can't!"
"Rangers…" A voice called out and all of the activity died down. Tommy let go of Trini so quick that she nearly fell over before he tried not to look guilty. Jason had fallen over at he let go of Tommy and lost his footing, and was quickly pulling himself up off the floor. Both Kim and Zack tried to calm down, which was a lot easier at this point. All of them looked a little sheepish, other than Billy who was off-camera. "What are you doing?"
In a move they would all regret later, every last one of them including Billy answered. "Nothing."
Before any of them could say anything else and while Zordon sighed at whatever they were up to, Billy spoke up. "Guys, the camera is continuing to function."
Tommy winced. "Trini, please tell me that doesn't mean the camera's still on."
Trini, deadpanned, look back at her friend. "See, you understand him perfectly."
Conner, Kira, and Ethan were on the ground laughing at the end of it and the only thing holding Hayley up was the chair she was leaning against. The others looked far less than amused by their younger companions laughter, other than Zack who was laughing right along with them. He almost missed the murderous tone that was in Tommy's voice. "Zack…"
The former black Ranger pulled himself together as Tommy lunged at him. He quickly dodged and ran, trying to find some place to hide. Tommy chased after, not about to let him get away. The others were waiting for Tommy to catch his so that they didn't end up running into each other. Tommy probably would have gotten Zack had the raptors not been watching. Red, Yellow, and Blue were content to let it be, but Black wanted in on the fun and knocked Tommy over thinking it was a game, making a playful chirping noise after he did so. Zack grinned. "Yeah! That's right, Black! We fun guys gotta stick together!"
Black chirped again happily as Zack rubbed his side. Tommy was pulling himself back up. "Black! Whose side are you on?!"
Black looked at Zack who was still petting him. Zack thought for a minute and grinned. "If you help me get away, I'll get you something new to chew on. Steel even. Whatcha say?" Black chirped and bent down his head so that Zack could get on. Zack threw himself on the raptor's back. "Wahoo!"
Tommy glared at Black as he moved away from his usual rider, chirping again just as playfully. "Black! You traitor! Come back here!"
Black bounded over Tommy's head, playing an easy game of keep away with him. The Dino Thunder Rangers laughed even harder as the game commenced. Conner's eyes lit up as they watched. "Guys, I just got a great idea."
"I really hope it doesn't involve the raptors," Kira pleaded to whichever deity was listening. "Please don't let it involve the raptors."
"So we take the raptors…"
"Damn."
"And we get a large ball, right? And we play a weird form of basketball on raptor back. With how they can jump, it would be great!" Conner insisted. Kira rolled her eyes and turned to Ethan who was watching the antics of Black and Zack and didn't look at all worried about his friend's idea. That often only meant one thing.
"Oh God, you agree with him!" She exclaimed. "You want to do it too."
"We'd need rules, Conner, or the raptors would tear each other apart," Ethan suggested, ignoring Kira who threw her hands in the air. "Hey Zack!"
"Yeah?" Zack asked, ignoring the fact that Tommy had managed to get the others to help him simply by saying the word 'movie'. While he still had a raptor, there was now five of them and one of him.
"We were thinking about creating a game. Mind helping us come up with some rules?" He asked.
Conner couldn't help himself. "If you're not too busy!"
"Nah. I'm good. What kind of game?" Zack asked as Black ran past Trini who fell into Kimberly, knocking them both down.
"See, we want to use the raptors to play something like basketball on horseback. Only, instead of horses, we use the raptors," Conner answered. "You in?"
"Oh yeah!" Zack said. Both Kim and Tommy looked incredulously at them.
"No!" They both exclaimed.
"You are not using the raptors to create a new sport," Tommy said and Kim nodded in agreement.
"Absolutely not!" She added. They both missed the wink that Zack gave the trio as he looked at his former teammates.
"So, you're saying that you're not willing to let them train?" He asked. "I mean, a game like that would be great training for both the raptors and the Rangers."
Tommy looked ready to refute it, but Kim sighed. He looked at her. "Can you honestly think of a response out of this one?"
He thought for a minute but other than 'I'm the teacher. What I say goes' he couldn't. "No. I hate it when he does that. Why does he have to spoil our Rangers? Why can't he get some of his own?"
Billy gave him a look. "And you wonder why I did not tell you about Trinine."
"Please, Billy?"
Billy sighed, beginning to think that it was never ending. With Zack in town, Trini and Jason had decided to make their wedding at that point so that Zack could come to it. He'd managed to convince his work that that he was scouting for a new area in the California area to help them expand their business. True to that, he had been spending a lot of time looking around the state for viable options. An idea he'd come up with while Tommy was in the hospital. They had quickly agreed to it, having wanted to expand anyway, and with him there, paying for himself, they would not have to expend more resources into it. Still, it was unknown how long they had before Zack had to go back, so they were putting it together quickly. Jason had muttered more than once that he was glad they'd already had most of it planned out. That said, new circumstances meant new changes which Billy and Trini were arguing over. "It would mean so much to me."
"Trini, I realize that you are excited about your wedding, but she does not even know what a 'flower girl' is," he tried to convince her again. They'd been at the same conversation for hours as they worked on general repairs and updating systems. Ethan and Hayley had been helping Trini, but they were on break from pleading due to work and school. The others knew that Trini would have the best chance to convince their friend and had left it in her capable hands. "She has never even been to Earth."
"No better time to come than now. Please, Billy?" Trini asked and Billy sighed, his resolve thoroughly weakened.
"We will call her. If she is willing to come, then I will bring her here. Deal?" He asked and Trini smiled.
"Deal," she answered and pointed at the computer. Billy sighed, but walked over to it, pressing the buttons accordingly. Cestro answered for her, being her temporary guardian. Billy had decided that Cestria's brother was a logical choice in that regard when he wasn't there and Cestro had easily agreed to it. After a quick greeting, he put the young girl on to talk to her father and exited out of view range so that the two could talk more easily.
Like her father, she had sandy brown hair that probably went below her shoulders, but like many Aquitians with longer hair, it was tied in a pony tail behind her. She had her mother's darker eyes and a mask around them, but that was the only physical Aquitian trait the child had. She wore typical Aquitian clothing which had blue trimming. She beamed when she saw her father on the screen and when she spoke, she sounded human with only a slight Aquitian accent. "Papa!"
"Salutations, Neen," he answered, smiling back at his only child. "Do you recall our conversations about my friends and Earth?"
"Affirmative," she answered and frowned. "Why?"
"Aunt Trini and Uncle Jason have requested that you come here and participate in an Earth cultural event called a wedding," he explained, not simplifying his speech like many people would. "If you do not…"
"I get to go to Earth?" She asked excitedly. If he could have done it without his daughter seeing it, he would have groaned. He had hoped she wouldn't want to come since she'd lived on Aquitar her entire life. His final plan had failed and when he glanced at Trini, he knew that she knew the same. "When? Now? May I come now?"
Trini laughed. "She definitely seems like a normal girl to me. The Aquitians have always sounded calmer," Trini said and Billy nodded.
"They are. She is half-human," he explained and turned back to his daughter. "I promised your aunt that if you were willing, then I would bring you here. If you are serious, go pack and put Cestro…"
He hadn't been able to finish before she rushed off and Billy looked apologetically at Cestro. The Aquitarian Ranger just nodded before Billy said anything. "She needs her father."
"I understand," Billy said. "I am unsure of when we will return."
Cestro nodded, but said nothing else. In little time, Neen had gotten all of her stuff together and was waiting on her father. He pulled out the same thing he'd used to teleport the other Rangers out and, making sure she was ready, transported her into the Lab. The little girl squealed with delight and rushed toward her father, who picked her up in a hug before setting her back down.
"Billy, she's adorable," Trini said calmly, using every method she had not to get overly excited and possibly scare the child. "Hello, Trinine."
The girl smiled politely. "Hello," she answered. "Please call me 'Neen'. That is what Papa calls me."
"Alright, Neen," Trini answered. "I'm your Aunt Trini. Everyone else is out right now, other than Zack, but before you meet him I have a big favor to ask you. I'm getting married soon to your Uncle Jason."
She paused when the girl looked confused. Billy fortunately took control of the situation. "An officiated life-bonding."
"Oh," she answered and then looked pleased. "Is this another Earth custom with a party?"
"Similar to a birthday, but it celebrates something else," he explained. She just nodded and turned back to Trini.
"Please continue," she said and Trini tried not to laugh at the child's speech pattern. She was very similar to her father in that regard.
"Part of the ceremony is the flower girl. We were wondering if you would be willing to do that part," Trini continued.
"What would be required of me?" She asked and Trini took a mental note that the girl was not going to understand too much of Earth's culture other than what she'd learned from her father. She continued accordingly.
"You would have to wear a specialized outfit for the event and carry flora in a basket container," Trini answered, a little amused at having to do her translating job backward. The girl seemed to understand and nodded.
"Very well, Aunt Trini. I will be pleased to be in your ceremony," she said happily, walking off a little to see her surroundings. Trini nodded and laughed a bit, though not meanly before looking at Billy.
"She's just like you, only more sociable," Trini gently teased. Billy nodded.
"I tried to make sure that she was not going to be as shy as I was. I see that it worked," he said and they both heard her scream. Anything else that was going to be said was thrown to the wind as they rushed over to her. She was backing away from Black who had noticed the new human and had been checking to see what she was like. When she had screamed, it had caused him to backpedal and fall over while Neen had raced back to her father. "Shh, it is alright. That is just Black. He is friendly."
"Are you certain?" She asked and he nodded.
"He's similar to how my Zord was. Simply smaller and more annoying," Billy explained. Black didn't even both to look indignant, but got up and headed away from the girl. She was noisy and Red was already doing the equivalent of laughing at him. Trini and Billy started to turn back to the conversation when they were interrupted yet again.
"I'm telling you. Doctor O is going to kill me!"
"Conner, he's not going to kill you. I just wouldn't want to be you during training this week."
"Kira's right. He needs you. Now, if we beat Mesagog this week, then you might be in trouble." The three of them descended down the stairs. "I just don't know why you didn't study in the first place."
"I was busy!" He snapped. "I did fine in English and History."
Kira rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's great, Conner. Flunk the test for the teacher who's your mentor. Brilliant!"
"It's fine. We can fix this. We just need a distraction. A large distraction," Conner said hopefully, looking at the computer screen for an alarm. "Come on, Trent. You've been wanting to kill me. And… now!"
Ethan snickered. "Figures. The only time they don't attack is when it would help you out."
Conner groaned again. "I'm doomed," he stated as he sat down and threw his head down onto the table. "And now my head hurts."
He felt a hand patting his head that was too small to be any of his teammates followed by, "It will be okay." He paused, sat up and looked down toward where Neen had come over. Leaving the safety of her father, she was stopped patting him and looked up at him. "Salutations. Are you better now?"
"Yeah, hi," Conner said, looking extremely confused and more than a little worried that she'd heard the conversation. He was already in trouble with his mentor over the test. He didn't want to be in trouble for revealing their secret. "Uh… who are you?"
"Neen," she answered. Both Trini and Billy were standing nearby, looking amused. "Who are you?"
"Uh… Conner. Neen, can I ask you a question?" He asked and she nodded. "Why are you in the Lair?"
"It is where Papa transported me," she answered, point to where Billy was. She looked at Conner's head. "Are you still in pain?"
"No, no, I'm okay," he assured her and his momentary confusion was lifted. "So, you're Billy's kid, huh? Hey guys! Trini talked him into it!"
Ethan and Kira had been snickering further off, but both of them rushed over to introduce themselves once Conner was finished embarrassing himself. Ethan elbowed Conner and grinned. "All of the humans on Earth and the first one she meets is you. We'll be lucky if she doesn't run screaming back to Aquitar."
Conner glared at him, but didn't answer to it. Instead, he got a slightly evil look and decided that it was someone else's turn to be the resident punching bag. "Hey Zack!" He called. "Trini and Billy are holding out on you!"
Billy's eyes widened. "Not Zack," he moaned. "I have not have time to discuss with her what not to say in order for Zack not to buy her every toy on the planet."
Zack headed down the stairs easily, still eating part of the sandwich he had gotten as a snack. "Holding what out on…" He paused when he saw Neen standing there. "Billy! Man! You should have told me!"
"Which is why I did not," Billy whimpered. Trini pat his shoulder sympathetically. "She has always wanted to meet Zack the most."
"Why?" Trini asked, a little hurt. Billy just motioned to the girl as she raced over to Zack. Everyone else was forgotten.
"Salutations, Uncle Zack. I am Neen. Will you teach me hop-hip Diko?" She requested, nearly bouncing up and down. Zack laughed.
"Hip-hop Aikido," he corrected. "And it would be my pleasure."
Conner laughed as the little girl tried to follow the steps her uncle was showing her. Zack was patient and made sure that she had it down before he continued. He nearly forgot about the grade, until he heard his teacher. "Conner! Upstairs! Now!"
"Can I write out a will first?" Tommy's armed were folded as the teenager crept up the stairs. Conner looked a little hopeful at the idea of buying himself a little more time with the idea, but his mentor rolled his eyes at the question.
"No," he answered. "I'm not going to kill you. Come on." He didn't say anything else, but Conner still followed, feeling worse and worse. Ethan and Kira were right. If he was going to screw up in a class, why did he have to make it Doctor O's? Tommy looked and took a little pity on him. "I can't kill you. Trini's insistent that you're going to be in her wedding."
Conner smiled a bit, but still looked back at the ground. "I'm really sorry, Doctor O. I won't do it again."
Tommy sighed and Conner panicked. He recognized that noise and it wasn't good for him. "You said that last time. And the time before. Of all the kids in my class, Conner, I expected more out of you," Conner winced, but at least his teacher wasn't yelling yet. He had to admit that that was a definite plus. Instead, Tommy just looked at him. "Run."
Conner looked a little confused. "Doctor O?"
His teacher looked completely calm and serious. "I said I wouldn't kill you, Conner, but your performance as of late hasn't been the best. You've been slacking in school work and training. I'm wondering if you need a stricter lesson," he answered and Conner backed away, looking around for any other help. If there was one thing he didn't think he could take, it was Tommy Oliver but to his dismay, there was no one to bail him out. "Now, I suggest you run. Or I'll start the lesson here."
Finally completely scared, he did as he was told and he put everything he had behind it, power and all. Still, he felt like he could do more and pushed it, putting in everything he had just to get away. Finally, he stopped and realized that he was near the Biozords and even though he knew he could run fast, he hadn't known he could move that fast and it would take his teacher a while to keep up. He debated on whether or not to stop here or keep going since he was far away, but his mentor had invisibility which he couldn't see. His communicator beeped and Conner's fear kicked back in. He quickly ran through two scenarios in his head: Don't answer it, run away, and never return… Or answer it and possibly die. Sighing, he put his mouth over it. "I'm sorry, Conner's not here right now. Please leave a message after the beep."
"Conner, come back now," Tommy said on the other line, sounding a lot more gentle than he had before. Conner's conflict kicked back in and his survival mode was advising him against it.
"No. You'll kill me," Conner decided. He could hear the exasperation on the
other side and winced a bit.
"You talk to him," he heard his teacher nearly growl and a quick laugh as someone else took it.
"Conner, it's Kim. Can you come back now, please?" His primary mentor's voice helped a bit.
"Kim, he's going to kill me. He had that look in his eye," Conner explained. He heard a slight smack and knew that Kim had gently hit Tommy's shoulder.
"Stop scaring the kids," she grumbled. "I swear, he goes grr and who has to clean it up? Me. Or possibly Trini. Or Jason. Still… Conner, are you still there? I promise I won't let him kill you. Will you come back now?"
He thought for a minute and then nodded, forgetting he couldn't see her. "Okay," he answered and turned off the communicator. He glanced over at his Tyrannozord. "I may die. If I do, be nice to my replacement, okay? Wish me luck!"
With that, he ran back, though not as quickly, to where they were. Tommy was nodding to himself and talking with Kim. He crept up and slowly came toward them, feeling more than nervous. Well, this is just great. Doctor O better never go evil again. I know I'm too scared to take him on.
"Come here, Conner," Tommy said just as gently as he had on the communicator. Conner started to feel better when the science teacher looked up apologetically. "I'm sorry I scared you."
"Though, he had a good reason this time," Kim said helpfully. "Tell him what you told me, Tommy."
Tommy nodded and motioned for Conner to sit down, which he did, next to Kim and as far away from Tommy as he could get. Tommy followed in suit and then Kim who placed a hand on Conner's shoulder. Once sitting down, Tommy took off his bracelet and held it up. "The gems are a little more connected than we thought."
"Okay," Conner agreed, not understanding at all. "What are you talking about?"
Tommy took a breath and looked at Kim. "Can I talk to him about this alone, please?"
"Don't leave me," Conner begged, his eyes wide.
"I should be here too," Kim argued.
"I'm not going to hurt him," Tommy promised. He looked at Conner for help and the younger Ranger seemed conflicted. While his teacher had seemed angry before, he seemed much more calm at this point and apologetic which seemed genuine.
"I'll be okay," Conner said and Kim shook her head.
"I'm his mentor as well," Kim reminded them. Conner looked at Tommy who was starting to get agitated and decided that he might get bonus points for helping his teacher out.
"Hey Kim? Billy's kid is here. She's in the lab," Conner said casually. He barely finished before Kim was racing back to the house as quickly as she could and Tommy smiled at Conner.
"Thank you," he said honestly. "It's not that I didn't want her here, but rather that I think it's important that we have this talk alone at first."
"Why?" Conner asked.
"In case there are any embarrassing answers," Tommy said. "I have no idea exactly how far these powers go and I want you to be truthful. So, your powers work together with Kira and Ethan's. It's one reason why even when you didn't get along, you were still a great team. I don't know what else they could do together, but I do know that with the black gem, the powers are increased. So, when you started running, by concentrating on my own gem and you, you were able to run quicker. I needed to see just how fast you could run."
"Which is why you scared the life out of me?" Conner asked and Tommy shrugged.
"Sorry, Conner, but it was effective. You wouldn't have run nearly as fast if you hadn't been scared," he answered. Conner grudgingly nodded and relaxed a bit more at the answer. Without any sort of threatening action, it was hard not to believe his teacher. Tommy continued as the younger Ranger pondered that. "Besides the speed, do you feel any other changes?"
"I feel great," he answered. "I hit my head against the table earlier and I think it healed quicker than normal. Plus, running didn't wear me out too bad. It's like I've been training twice as hard."
"Then I think it's fair to say that it affects all of your powers and not just running," Tommy agreed. Conner looked at him strangely.
"What happens if you concentrate when I'm morphed?" He asked. Tommy thought for a moment.
"I'm not sure," he answered and reached toward his communicator. "Ethan, Kira, can you come to the training grounds please?"
Conner couldn't help but to feel a little worried. "This isn't going to blow me up or something, is it?" He asked. Tommy shook his head.
"No," he assured him. "This should actually be a good thing for you."
Kira and Ethan showed up as quickly as they could and looked at their science teacher. "What's up, Doctor O?" Kira asked.
"Conner, morph, please," Tommy instructed. The teenager shrugged, but did so. Tommy looked at the others. "Alright, now think about your gem and think about Conner. Try to imagine that you're giving your strength and power to him."
They both shrugged, but obeyed. All of the crystals, even Conner's red one, glowed and Conner felt himself changing a bit. He glanced around and found that his gloves had been given claws. He didn't have a tail, but he did feel faster and more agile. He tried running and, while not as fast as when he was when unmorphed, he was easily fast enough to keep up with Trent now. He also felt stronger. He glanced over to make sure that Tommy, Kira, and Ethan were okay and the gem glowed even redder. To his amazement and slight horror, Ethan was turning grey. "Doctor O!"
They all stopped and the new additions to Conner began to fade. They all looked at him until he pointed at Ethan whose greyness was only beginning to fade as well. Ethan turned his hands over and nodded appreciatively. Kira reached over at touched his right one. "It's… it's like stone."
They all stared at him and then at Tommy who nodded. "So, who was thinking about Ethan?"
Conner demorphed and looked a little sheepish as he raised his hand. "I wanted to make sure you guys were okay," he answered. Tommy smiled a bit.
"Okay, Conner," he answered. "Guys, here's what's going on. We can use our own abilities to help each other out, but Trent can take them away. I'm assuming that you all understand why this isn't a good thing."
They all nodded. Conner folded his arms and gave his teacher a slight smirk. "Come on, Doctor O. We're not stupid."
Tommy gave the same look back. "Funny, Conner. Your grades seem to disagree."
Conner just glared before continuing. "So, what am I supposed to do? How do I fight something like that?"
"I already have that figured out. I think that if you can willingly block us out, then you should be able to block him out as well," Tommy decided. "We'll just be practicing of course. If he attacks and we're around, of course we'll help you. This is just in case he takes you alone."
Conner nodded and looked at them seriously. "When it comes to it, I want to do it on my own. I want to know that I can really take him. That I'm good enough to take him."
Kira and Ethan started to protest, but Tommy nodded. "Just don't do anything stupid," he told him. When the other two look at him, he shrugged. "It's a red thing."
Both nodded, accepting that answer. Conner looked at his teacher before he began. "Are you still mad at me?"
Tommy sighed and shook his head. "No. Just please, please study next time. I don't want to fail you. And you have extra practice this week."
Conner nodded, feeling much better about the situation since his mentor wasn't going to throttle him. They went to work on preparing him. It was going to be a long road, but they were hoping by the end of it, they would all be ready. This wasn't just for Conner, they'd eventually need this in the final battles against the others as well and Tommy wasn't about to let them go unready.
"I am surprised we are not all wearing red," Billy mentioned as he finished getting his tie on. "Especially with Trini's dresses."
Tommy groaned. "Don't remind me, Billy. I had to listen to Kim complain for three days over how she had to wear yellow. And then I had to listen to her last night, once we got home, because I let Conner and Ethan come to the bachelor party."
"Thank god for Conner and Ethan," Zack muttered. "I didn't know the rest of us could get that drunk."
"Yes, because telling her that would have made me look better," Tommy grumbled. He turned toward the door. "Are you boys ready yet?"
"I am!" Conner called back. "We're just finishing with Ethan. He's having a little trouble with the tie."
Tommy folded his arms and looked at Jason. "So, is everyone coming?"
"Yep," Jason answered.
"And… how are we explaining this again?" Tommy asked. Jason sighed.
"How many times have I explained this to you?" He asked and Tommy grinned.
"At least ten," he assured him and pointed to his head. "Faulty memory."
Jason grumbled, but obliged. "Fine. For the hundredth time, I know you. We know Rocky from high school and I met TJ through you. Andros is friends with TJ so I know him from that. You and I met the others on the 'retreat' we went on and so that takes care of Leo, Carter, Wes, Eric, and Cole. The kids knew the Ninja Storm Rangers, so that's covered and you're the Dino Ranger's favorite teacher. You got them interested in martial arts and asked Trini and I for help so we sort of got attached to the kids. Because we knew the red Rangers, we met all of the others too and that's why they're there. The Aquitian Rangers decided to opt for a video later and Billy created something or another to hide Neen's Aquitian attributes. Any questions?"
"Nope," Tommy answered with a grin. "I just wanted to hear you go through it again."
"Why are you my best man again?" Jason demanded and Tommy shrugged.
"Okay! We're ready!" Conner said as he came back out. Both young men were wearing similar suits and were trying to look easy-going about it though they both looked a little uncomfortable. "Aren't there going to be more groomsmen than bridesmaids? I mean, we have Rocky, Adam, Billy, Zack, Tommy, Ethan, and me. They've got Kim, Kira, Aisha, Tanya, and Hayley, right?"
"And Kat," Jason added. "And they have a flower girl. We figured that made it even."
Conner nodded. "Sounds fair to me. Now, onto more important things," he started and looked completely serious. "What flavor is the wedding cake?"
Rocky laughed from where he was sitting and pointed at Conner to Adam. "See? I told you he took after me!"
"And the world cries," joked Jason, but he was grinning as he finished checking himself out in the mirror. He couldn't help it. He was getting married.
"I have to agree with Kim. Why couldn't we wear pink?" Kat agreed as she handed Kimberly the hair brush several of the girls were sharing. "It wouldn't be that much of a change."
"Especially if we would have let me wear blue," Hayley complained. "I would look better in blue and then you still would have had Easter colors."
Trini glared at them both. "Because I'm the bride and I said so!" She answered. Both women sighed. Kat turned to Kimberly.
"When you get married, we can wear pink, right?" She asked hopefully. Kim nodded.
"Definitely," she promised. "And Hayley? I'll make sure you can have blue."
The yellow Rangers shook their heads and sighed not understanding what the big deal was really over. Hayley nodded at Kim. "Thanks. I'm going to go check on Kira and Neen."
"It's alright!" Kira said as she came out, holding the little girl's hand. "Someone is already in her dress."
Neen looked at Trini. "Is it acceptable, Aunt Trini?" She asked and Trini laughed.
"Yes, Neen. You look wonderful," she assured her. "You all look so wonderful and you're all here."
"We wouldn't miss this for the world," Aisha assured her and thought for a minute. "Okay, maybe the world. But anything besides a worldwide catastrophe, we're here for you."
Kim gave her a look. "Aisha, you're going to tempt Mesagog," she warned with a smile. "And I left my bow and arrows in the Lab with the raptors."
Kira nodded vigorously. "No tempting the dinosaur!"
All of them laughed at that and Kim smiled at Trini. "You ready?"
Trini nodded and smiled back at the others. "I'm ready."
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…" Trini and Jason were only half listening. They'd been waiting for this for such a long time and now it was finally time. They both knew that the reception was going to be a little uncomfortable due to the explanations they had had to give about the various groups, but that was worth it to have everyone they cared about there. The ceremony seemed to almost fly by for them as it arrived at their vows.
"Trini," Jason began. "You have been one of my best friends since grade school. You were right there with me when I was learning martial arts, you were there when we went to the Peace Conference, and you were patient when I struggled to get the dojo up. You have stayed by me through so much. I love you and I'm so glad we're going to be together for the rest of our lives."
He slipped the ring on her finger and she smiled back at him. "Jason, you have always led me in the right direction. You never shoved or forced your way, but you always helped me figure out the way to go. You rarely complain about how often I'm gone and you have such a big heart. I can't think of another man that I would love to be with more than you."
"We are here together and have heard the willingness of Trini Kwan and Jason Scott to be joined in marriage. They have come of their free will and in our hearing have made a covenant of faithfulness. They have given and received a ring as the seal of their promises." Trini and Jason held the others hands and just smiled at each other as the wedding continued. Over their heads, Tommy and Kim grinned at each other as they watched their friends. "Therefore, by the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
Jason barely waited for the finishing statement before he held his wife and did as he was told. There was a roar of applauding and cheering as they did so. Jason smiled at his new wife. They turned and headed down the aisle, the wedding over.
"That was so beautiful, Trini," Kim told her as there was the hustle and bustle of people getting food and relaxing. They were relaxing for the moment, trying to avoid having to answer some uncomfortable questions. While most of the former Rangers weren't being bothered, most of the non-Ranger guests were interested to find out how long Trini and Jason had known the Space Rangers, who were famous for having revealed themselves. The girls had decided to let the boys handle it.
The other slight problem that some of the guests were having were the inclusion of Conner, Ethan, and Kira into the ceremonies considering they were only supposed to be students. They were facing some difficult questions and neither woman was shocked when Kira and Conner snuck over to them. Trini looked between them. "Where's Ethan?"
"Hiding," Kira answered. "With Billy, Hayley, and Neen."
"They didn't want to answer questions either," Conner grumbled. "I thought this was supposed to be 'Yay Trini and Jason!' time, not 'Bother the teenagers with sixty bazillion questions' time."
"If Ernie was here, we could have him distract them," Kim muttered and Trini nodded. "Damned plane."
"It happens, Kim, but this is getting out of hand," she agreed. "I hope that Jason and Tommy think of something to get us out of this."
Kim gave her a slight look. "Yes, Trini, let's count on the same boys who planned the 'retreat'."
Trini winced at that. "Well, maybe they'll have a better plan this time."
"Does a better plan include starting karaoke?" Conner asked. Kim and Trini both shook their heads while trying to figure out why he'd asked. "Oh. Umm… Is it a half-way decent plan?"
"No," Kim answered. "Karaoke is a bad plan."
"Oh," Conner answered, looking a little uncomfortable. "How about sorta good?"
"Conner, please tell me my husband and his best man are not setting up karaoke to distract our guests," Trini said. Conner shrugged.
"Okay, they're not setting up karaoke over there in order to distract your guests. I'm sure that getting the giant T.V. and microphone are just for looks," he assured her. Kira hit her head as her boyfriend squashed any hope the bride had had.
Trini held her head while Kim just patted her back. She was certain that Zack and Rocky had something to do with this as well and was a little surprised that Conner didn't. Considering that they weren't technical wizards, and that he'd been wanting to hide, Billy was probably involved as well. Never mind the fact that of the original Rangers, only she and Zack had good singing voices and never mind the fact that the majority of the guests didn't, yet would still want a turn. "We can't leave them alone for two seconds, Trini."
"I can't believe I'm going to say this," Trini began and shared a small smile with Kim. "But I have such a headache."
While the younger two members looked confused, Kim just laughed. "Don't worry, Trini. We can still save this. Kira, take the microphone. If you need a singing partner, enlist Zack and no one but Zack for now. Conner, find Ethan and see if you guys can blow the power to the television. Don't do it yet, wait until I tell you to. Trini, you and I are going to get the only thing that can distract all of our families. The one thing insidious enough to distract a room full of adults for a long time. And while we do that, we'll have the other girls get it set up for the toasts and cake. That should last for a while."
"And when we're done with that?" Trini asked as Kira and Conner obediently ran off.
"Then we have the dance. Then, if the questions come up again or they decide to karaoke, we signal for Conner and Ethan to do their job and the reception is over," Kim answered. Trini thought about it for a minute and then nodded.
"It's crazy enough to work," she agreed. "I'll take Yellows, you take Pinks."
Kim nodded. "And Trini? Remind me to have two weddings."
Her friend nodded. "Promise."
"Kat!" Kimberly called out as Trini called for Aisha.
"What's wrong, Kim?" Kat asked politely and tried not to look too worried. She lowered her voice significantly. "We're not under attack, are we?"
"Worse," Kim answered. "The guys are setting up karaoke and Conner assures me that when you want an attack…"
"You never get one. What do you need me to do?" Kat asked. Kim smiled, happy the other girl was willing to help.
"We need you guys to prepare everything for the toast and cake. We'll keep everyone distracted until then," Kim promised.
"How?" Kat asked. "They've been asking questions all night!"
"Trust me, we've got that covered."
"First I was afraid, I was petrified. Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side…"
Kim and Trini's plan had gone in effect. Kira had quickly taken the microphone before Jason and Tommy could get their hands on it and the 'insidious' distraction had been followed through. Just as they had predicted, almost everyone was staring at the stage. Apologies were being made to Trini and Jason as many of the other Rangers were using the distraction in order to leave. Both of them understood.
On stage, distracting everyone, was Kira with the attention stealer. "Here comes the chorus, you ready?"
"I will survive! As long as i know how to love, I know I'll stay alive. I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give and I'll survive. I will survive!" Neen sang along. She seemed to be enjoying herself and though her father looked thoroughly worried, the others were just happy she was distracting everyone. The song ended and their audience clapped.
Kim and Trini glanced over at the other girls who quickly nodded, looking a little tired, but proud of themselves. Trini nodded to Jason who quickly took the microphone. "Thank you, Kira. Thank you, Neen. We're ready to cut the cake!"
The group headed back to the tables as Trini and Jason sat down. Kim sat next to Trini and Tommy sat next to Jason. "I get to do my speech first," Tommy reminded him and Jason glared.
"I would like to remind you that you're not married yet. I can still embarrass you," he whispered. Tommy just grinned. "I'm doomed, aren't I?"
"Oh yeah," Tommy answered. The room fell quiet as Tommy stood up. Kim held her head in her hand.
"Oh lord," she muttered as Trini pat her back.
"We all know I've known Trini and Jason for over ten years and they've known each other longer than that. So, with that in mind, Trini… good luck," Tommy began and a good-natured chuckle covered the room for a few seconds. "Jason, you've got a great girl. Don't lose each other. Congratulations, guys."
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Jason whispered to him as everyone toasted. He looked more than a little confused. "Tommy, why wasn't that so bad?"
"I haven't known you long enough," Tommy whispered and motioned to his own girlfriend. Jason looked over at Kim who went from looking a little worried to having an almost evil spark in her eye. "So, I figured I'd let an expert handle it."
"Jason, Trini, congratulations, you guys. You've earned it. Trini, you're the best friend I ever had for so many years and I am so happy you found Jason. I just want to warn you about a few things in case you have a daughter. Don't let him near her Barbie dolls unless your daughter wants them with hair cuts or headless, don't let him near her dates because I'm not sure how you can eviscerate someone with a spoon, but he'll try, and don't let him near an easy bake oven. I swear, it will explode and you will be cleaning it up for days," Kim said and even though he was trying to glare at her, even Jason was laughing at the good natured remarks. "I hope you guys have a long and happy life together. I love you, guys."
The cake had been cut and Conner was keeping an eye on Kim for any signals she might give him and Ethan. They'd figured out where the fuse box was and were ready when she gave it. For now, though, they were half-way huddled together. "Did you talk to Neen, Ethan?"
"Yep. Fortunately, Billy and Hayley were talking so I was able to ask her about it. She says that she can help," Ethan said and Kira smiled.
"Good, 'cause trying to do that on our own was going to be much harder," she said and Conner shook his head.
"I dunno, Kira. It's still not going to be easy. We have to make sure that they don't find out," he reminded her. "I was thinking that it might be a good idea to get some of the others to help."
"I thought we wanted to do this on our own," Kira argued and Conner nodded.
"The main part we will, but when are we going to have time to build it? Seriously?" He asked and she bit her lip and nodded.
"Right. Ethan?"
"No worries. Hayley has their numbers in the computer. Leave that to me. Hey Conner? What's Kim doing?"
"She's giving us the signal. Kira, we'll see you later assuming we survive," Conner said and Ethan followed.
"To the fuse box," Ethan whispered and Conner shot him a playful look.
"I swear, if you say anything with 'holy' in it…" he started and Ethan grinned.
"I don't have to. You just did," he answered.
Fifteen minutes later, the party ended as the electricity in the building died.
Author's Note: I needed a slight break chapter that still kept the plot moving, so this chapter came out of it. Neen is introduced as her own character at this point. For the rest of this fanfic (unsure on the sequel), this is the biggest part she plays. I'm unsure if anyone has paid attention to Billy's speech patterns and the lack of contractions, but you'll notice that Neen does it too. I did this on purpose since they lived on Aquitar and I figured it would have its own language which probably wouldn't have contractions, so I figured that after a while, Billy would more than likely stop using them. And yes, both of them are bilingual in the Aquitan language.
I'm sorry about Zack not playing a major part in the last chapter. It just didn't work with him playing a major part in it. There were only three shards and it made sense that the "heart" of the team and the key to Tommy's heart would put it back together. That said, he has a bigger part in the rest of the story and in the sequel (Book II?). As does the quests and understanding. They're going to need to deal with any guilt, pain, secrets, or fear they come across.
I figured now was as good of a time as any for Jason and Trini's wedding. And I got to begin the idea of Raptorball. Yay for Raptorball.
As always, thank you for all of the wonderful reviews. I love getting them.