The Return

Chapter 7

Theo realized only after storming out of JKP that he had no money and nowhere to go. He knew that he at least needed to get out of Ocean Bluff. He didn't want to ignore his duties as a ranger, but he couldn't stay. There was no way he'd beat Zen-Aku on his own and the others weren't about to help him. He would return to the academy, try to explain to the other masters that Mao was wrong about RJ. It wasn't the best plan but it was the only one he could come up with. He sighed. His steps had taken him to the highway, the road out of town. He would have to head into the nearby trees before ninja streaking away. As turned he heard the sound of screeching tires, blaring horns, metal hitting metal, and a sickening silence.

Theo was running across the road before he even knew what had happened. The first car must have stopped suddenly because the second had been driven on top of it and a truck had crashed into both of them, sending them skidding up the road. The truck and its driver were fine, just shaken, it was the other vehicles that Theo raced towards. Traffic had practically stopped after the accident and Theo snapped at one of the gawkers to call 911.

He assessed the situation quickly. The skeleton of the first car was crushed tight and he couldn't even see through the windows, but the second car was fine, not drivable but fine. He climbed up to the door and saw that the driver was alone and unconscious. She was his mother's age and wore the same hairstyle. He reached through the broken window and unlocked the door. Only after he unbuckled the woman's seatbelt did he realize that he had no way of getting her safely to the ground.

"Here," a voice beneath him said. He looked down to see a man standing, with arms outstretched to receive the woman. Theo carefully pulled her out and eased her down. Once he was sure the woman was being taken care of he climbed down to examine the bottom car.

"There are two children in the back seat," the man said, stepping up beside Theo. "The second care will have to be lifted off or they might be crushed."

"If they aren't already," Theo muttered. "I guess that means we have to --" He was going to say, "wait for emergency crews," but stopped when he saw the wolf zord gently lifting the car in its teeth. "What the --?"

The man ignored him and simply started pulling the car door open. Theo figured that at this point a little ranger power wouldn't be too out of place and used his jaguar strength to help. The children both had broken bones and concussions, but the medics who showed up said they would probably be fine. Their father was fine save for a cracked rib and a nasty cut on the head -- they were lucky.

"Thanks," Theo said, shaking the man's hand once they'd inconspicuously separated themselves from the crowd.

"All in a day's work. You're one of the new rangers," he said, noting Theo's sunglasses.

Theo nodded.

"I'm Merrick."

"Theo."

"Where are you going, Theo? The evil's back that way."

Theo crossed his arms, eying the man's motorcycle which was also pointing out of town. "Where are you going?"

"To defeat Zen-Aku. Wanna help?"

Theo blinked rapidly before smiling with a nod. Finally, a ranger who knew what needed to be done.

Lily stepped slowly up to her door. She was almost afraid to open it but she needed a shower and a change of clothes. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open, hoping against hope that Casey would tell her to go away and let him sleep. He didn't. She could see his dark silhouette against the pale glow of her nightlight. She crossed the room and took his hand, her fingers brushing his wrist. She needed to feel his pulse, to see his chest rise and fall, even if only for a moment.

"Casey," she said, sinking into the chair Shayla had left beside the bed. "Casey, please. I know you probably can't hear me but we need you to come back. Everything's so wrong. We need our Red Ranger."

Casey calmly sat across from RJ, watching him meditate. The man was trying to ignore him but Casey could feel the anger coming from him. Casey looked down at his hand sharply. He could feel something there, like he was being touched. And there was something else -- a pinpoint of light just on the edge of his awareness, which meant it was on the edge of RJ's awareness. The master's eyes snapped open and Casey ignored the horrific yellow eyes that had replaced his human ones in this world. A wicked grin spread across RJ's face as the point became more distinct.

"Someone's eager to join you," RJ said.

They both leapt up at the same moment, just as Lily appeared in the clearing.

"What?" she asked as Casey pushed her behind him, blocking RJ's attack with all the strength he could muster. RJ fell back to observe the panting Casey and the utterly confused Lily.

"RJ?" she said, looking at his eyes. "Casey?"

"Lily, what are you doing here?" Casey asked, keeping his eyes on RJ.

"I- I don't -- where are we?"

"In my mind," RJ said and Lily fell back a step at the animalistic tone of his voice. "I didn't think you'd be so eager to come, Lily. If I'd known I would have --"

"Stop it!" Casey cried. "RJ, why are you doing this? Lily's your student! You would never hurt her! You're better than this, RJ, please."

RJ glared down at the boy. "That is not my name!" he yelled, each word emphasized with greater intensity until the last was a howl that shook the whole of this world.

Casey grabbed Lily's hand and ran. He realized as she held on that she was what he had felt before -- what he could still feel.

"Casey!" Lily cried, pulling her hand back and forcing him to stop. "What is going on?"

Casey looked up at her then back to his hand. "Lily," he said, putting her hands on his shoulders, "you have to let go."

"What?" she asked, closing her Cheetah eyes. "What are you talking about? What's going on here?"

Casey sighed. "Exactly what RJ said, we're inside his mind."

"Casey," Lily said, holding onto Casey's arm, "do you know -- who RJ really is?"

"Zen-Aku?" She looked up at him sharply. "Of course," he said with a smile. "You learn a few things about a guy when he eats you. Now, Lily," he said, his tone becoming more serious, "you need to let go."

She dropped her hand in confusion and he shook his head fiercely. He could hear RJ searching for them and it was taking all the strength Casey had just to shield them from him.

"Lily!" RJ's call echoed through the trees, almost -- almost -- sounding like the old RJ. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" He paused for a moment, then there was a ferocious growl that barely sounded like a voice at all, "Or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your forest down!"

"It's his forest," Casey hissed. "Listen, Lil," he said, keeping his voice low, "tell the others that I'm trying to get through to him here but they can't use either of us as an excuse not to fight him. If he's going to hurt people he needs to be stopped, okay?"

Lily nodded.

"Now, Lily, let go."

"What?"

"Let go of me."

There was a shudder in the bushes behind Casey and he turned, hearing RJ's heavy breathing from just beyond.

"Lily, you have to let go!"

He pushed her back just as RJ came running at them.

"Let go now!"

Lily sat up with a start, her hand raised high above her head. She looked down at Casey's hand, now falling over the side of the bed. She moved it onto his chest, careful only to touch his sleeve as she did so. She gave a weak smile before gathering her bath things. He was alive, even if he wasn't in his body, and that was all she needed to know. What he'd said -- about not holding back just because of him and RJ -- well, she'd just keep that to herself because no one hurt her family, not even her family.