The Rangers assembled in the Ranger Base after their battle. For most of them, they felt it should be a time to celebrate. For the team, they had finally destroyed Ripcon for good. Ripcon was not just a powerful warrior, but one of the strongest warriors on the Warrior Dome, a legend in the arena, and also a member of the inner circle of the Warrior Dome's workings. Destroying him dealt a huge blow to Galvanax and his plans.
For Brody and Mick, it also had to be cathartic. While the rest of the inner circle, Galvanax, Odious and Cosmo were all still alive, Ripcon had been the one to have the most direct contact with the slaves, acting largely as an enforcer or marshal for them to keep slaves in line. His cruelty was well known and both of them had more than an unhealthy interest in seeing him destroyed in a way that caused him as much suffering as possible. Brody had fantasized many times about the day he would finally exact revenge on him for everything he had done to him and his family, rehearsed many times the things he would love to say to him as he watched him die in agony. All in, it should have been a celebration, but as they got back to the Ranger Base, there was a far more subdued atmosphere than they should have expected after a victory such as this. No, now that they had dealt with Ripcon, Levi had to tell them about what had happened with 'Aiden'.
It took some time for him to relay the story. He didn't really know how to explain to the team, but especially to Brody, what had happened. While there had been some doubts, some scepticism about just how convenient it was that Aiden had shown up again and to whether or not he could be trusted, but through it all, they wanted more than anything for it to be real. For Brody, who had his entire life stolen from him, they wanted more than anything for Aiden to be back, and to be on the level about wanting to help bring down the Warrior Dome for good. They wanted so much for Brody and Aiden to be able to get to rebuilding the lives that had been taken from them. When Levi had found 'Aiden' in the act of stealing the Ninja Steel, and having attacked Mick, Redbot and Kody, he was livid. He couldn't imagine anything that would drive Aiden to betray them the way he had, even if he had given up on the war and was seeking to hand over the Ninja Steel. It made a certain amount of sense when they all remembered how passionately Aiden had pushed for them to give up when Brody was poisoned, though they had presumed that was out of concern for his brother. Even through his anger at the betrayal, Levi was most worried about how he'd break the crushing news to Brody that his brother had switched sides and was now trying to bargain with the Warrior Dome.
Learning that 'Aiden' wasn't even real though, learning that he was robot, was something he had no idea how to feel about. On one respect, he was happy that at least it meant he hadn't murdered another human, much less Brody's brother, but it did also leave a lot of questions for them.
The room was silent as Levi finished his story. Hayley was holding Kody close, hugging him and comforting him. She was sure he hadn't suffered any serious injuries, one of the benefits of her power was that she could understand him and directly ask him what he was feeling and how he felt. She was satisfied that Kody was more rattled than hurt. He would likely be fine in a couple of days, and with plenty of hugs. The team though, was most worried about Brody, who just stared at the disembodied head of the defeated 'Aiden'.
The head had most of the artificial flesh ripped or burned off it from the battle, but enough was left over that they could tell who it had been. Brody held it in his hands, staring at it.
"Brody, I'm really sorry." Levi told him awkwardly. "I...I really wish I had something better to tell you but..."
"It's alright." Brody sighed as he stared at the head. "You...you did what you had to."
"Brody, we all know how much you wanted this to be on the level." Sarah told him sympathetically as she clutched her rabbit in one hand, while putting a hand on his shoulder.
"This stinks of Odious." Mick told them coldly. "This is way outside of Galvanax's playbook. He's not smart enough to come up with something like this. Cosmo...he only cares about what's on camera. He wouldn't do something like this unless he had an audience."
"That witch, she probably had her little robot here infiltrate us so he could convince us to give up the Ninja Steel when Brody was poisoned." Hayley surmised.
"I think that was more opportunistic than anything else." Mick responded. "He was after the Ninja Steel. He set up this whole fight to get to distract you all so he could find out where we kept the Ninja Steel. As soon as he knew that, he made his move."
"Selling out Ripcon sounds just like something Odious would do." Levi agreed. "We also know Ripcon was looking for her in connection to kidnapping me. Ripcon being destroyed works out pretty well for her right now."
"So are you alright?" Calvin asked Brody. "We'll understand if you want to go home..."
"I am home." Brody stated.
"But...the farm..."
"I'm staying here." Brody told them.
"Are you sure?" Calvin asked. Brody just shrugged.
"What do I have to go back there for?" He asked in response as he dumped 'Aiden's' head in a trash can. "It was all a lie, and I'm sick of falling for lies. I want to be around stuff that's real, and that's what this is. This is what's real, this, right here."
"Well, you might be staying, but I definitely could do with going home." Levi said, rubbing his head. "I don't know what happened, but that thing laid a major whammy on me when we destroyed it."
"Are you alright?" Hayley asked him.
"Yeah, I'm sure I'll be fine, but I'm a little groggy. I could do with some rest." Levi told them. "I'm not really up for the talent show. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
As he left, Calvin just sighed.
"The talent show!" He groaned.
"I'm going to have to pull out." Hayley told them. "Kody might just be bruised up, but I don't think I want to risk making him do tricks."
"Not that I feel like it anyway." Kody grumbled. "I've played dead long enough for one day."
"As long as you only play." Hayley said with a smile, kissing his head and scratching him behind the ears.
"You...do remember none of us can understand when you two talk right?" Calvin asked his girlfriend.
"I guess if you don't want to..."
"Are you kidding? I've been looking forward to this all week!" Sarah interrupted Preston. "Just give me a chance to get changed and I'll be right there."
"Yeah, so will I." Brody answered. They all looked to him.
"Brody, none of us would blame you for giving this a miss." Calvin told him. "You were meant to be playing with Aiden."
"I guess for now it's a solo act." Brody answered. "That thing may have impersonated my brother, but as long as I still remember him, as long as he and dad are in my heart, they'll never really be gone."
"We'll just give you a minute." Mick told him. "Come on guys, we should all get ready."
As they left, Sarah hung back for a little bit. She assured Preston she'd be along to get ready in a moment, but she was still a little concerned about Brody. Putting her rabbit back in her cage, she went over to him.
"Brody, I know it's tough, but..."
"We nearly lost everything because I didn't see through this trick." Brody interrupted her. "I was so...desperate...to believe that Aiden was back that I didn't listen to you."
"Brody, we understand." Sarah answered.
"They played me!" Brody snapped at her. "All of you warned me not to just take this on face value. All of you warned me this might be a trick and I didn't listen! I am NEVER getting played like that again!"
"What do you mean by that?" Sarah asked him.
"Occam's Razor." Brody told her. Sarah just looked at him curiously.
"The most likely solution is probably the right one?" She asked him. "I don't understand."
"I wanted so badly for that to be Aiden that I ignored the fact that he was twelve when he went on the run. He was twelve years old and had no money and no one to look after him." Brody stated. "I know and you know what the odds are of that ending in anything other than a John Doe in some unmarked grave somewhere."
"So you're giving up hope?" Sarah asked.
"It'll be easier if I just accept the fact they're gone and move on." Brody told her. Sarah just shook her head.
"I don't think you should." She assured him.
"But..."
"So it's unlikely. Unlikely things happen all the time! Especially for us!" Sarah told him. She pulled out her cell phone and pulled up her contacts. "You want to know who I have on my contacts? I have a Palaeontologist who was thought dead for as long as Aiden was..."
"James was an adult when he went missing." Brody reminded her.
"I also have Ivan, a guy who disappeared 800 years ago." She reminded him. "Oh, and how about this one? Koda, a guy that spend the better part of 100,000 years as an ice cube! All of them are doing just fine today!"
"Sarah, I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it, but all of them had explanations. Other things that kept them alive." Brody reminded her. "For all we know Aiden was found face-down in a harbour somewhere a couple of weeks after he left."
"I don't think that for a minute, and I don't think you should either." Sarah told him.
"Why not?" Brody asked her.
"Because he knew stuff that only Aiden should know." Sarah reminded him. "He said and did a lot of stuff that only Aiden should know about, like that song you're singing today. That thing...that might have been a robot, but those memories have to have come from somewhere."
"So maybe they found him and took his memories." Brody responded. "That doesn't mean they kept him when they were done."
"But why would they care what some random 12 year old knew when they had his 8 year old brother was on the ship?" She asked him. "That would suggest to me that they only acquired those memories recently."
"So...you think...?"
"Odious took Levi." She reminded him. "Who's to say that he's the only human she's kidnapped?"
"Thanks Sarah." He sighed. Sarah just patted him on the shoulder, before heading to the door.
"I need to go find Preston." She told him. "Good luck out there."
With that, she left Brody alone in the Ranger Base. Picking up his guitar, he started to tune it. He knew it would be easier to just write off Aiden as lost, but some of the things Sarah said made a lot of sense. How would Odious gather those memories to put into her robot? And if she did have Aiden, was it possible she still had him?
Some time later, the talent show was underway, and the whole school was having a great time. Levi's brother Tom was sitting at a table with Mrs Finch and Principal Hastings, watching the acts as they progressed. The acts were something of a mixed bag, both in content and in talent. They varied from a juggling act that had to be stopped before he gave himself a concussion, to a dance group that Tom was seriously considering referring to one of his contacts in the business.
The kids were having a great time, regardless of what they were seeing. The whole show was dedicated to talents and abilities that some of the kids had that normally didn't get much in the way of credit from their peers. The fact it also got them all out of class was also an added bonus. The judges could be seen conferring and taking notes on the acts.
The penultimate act was Presto Chango, and his glamorous assistant, Sarah. Preston, as always, was dressed for the occasion, having had his tuxedo prepared for the occasion. Sarah, it seemed was also keen to impress, and had bought a pink, sequined, backless dress. Everyone was enthralled by the act, and it seemed that Sarah and Preston were really pulling out all the stops to impress. Preston had never put on a show this elaborate in front of an audience, but with Sarah by his side, he felt a boost in confidence that drove him to ensure he put on the best show for all involved.
Sarah was in a standing box, being strapped in tightly by the Blue Ranger. He lingered a little as he strapped her in, looking to her with a smile. He couldn't help thinking about what Calvin and Levi had said to him about Sarah, and he had to admit, when he first saw her in the dress, he had almost completely forgotten his opening trick. Fortunately once Sarah reminded him, his instincts kicked in and he was able to carry on with the act they had rehearsed so diligently all week for the show.
He had to get pretty close and intimate with her to ensure the straps were tightened properly, but also that the release that would allow her to escape for the trick to be completed was clear.
"You were right." He told her. "I really do love the dress. The audience does too."
Sarah smiled, and felt her face flushing a little at the compliment. She was glad that Preston liked the dress. She had seen his tuxedo a few times, and while Preston had assured her over and over that he didn't expect her to put in too much effort, she knew how important Preston's magic was to him and she really wanted to do everything she could to show the same level of commitment to it as he did.
"I think they're more impressed with the act." She replied.
"Alright, that should do it." He told her. He started closed over the door, locking the cabinet and trapping her inside, before turning to the audience. He went to a table and pulled back a sheet, showing a number of swords there. He picked one up and picked up an apple. He threw the apple into the air, and sliced it in half just to demonstrate that the swords were very real. He started to pace around, and put on a bit of a show, all so that Sarah had the time to do her part. He took the sword and drove it through the cabinet to some gasps from the audience. He continued to do this with another few swords, piercing the cabinet no less than a dozen times.
He went to another area, and pulled back a sheet, this time showing a massive, double-headed axe that was almost as large as him. He picked it up and made his way towards the cabinet, standing before it. He took a deep breath and swung it overhead, bringing it down on the cabinet. A small explosive squib went off as he brought the axe down, and the cabinet collapsed, revealing that Sarah was nowhere in sight.
Preston pointed to the back of the room, where Sarah was standing. She ran down the aisle towards him, hopping up onto the stage and threw her arms around him. Preston put an arm around her as they turned to the audience and waved, accepting the applause for the final trick. They both smiled as they took their bow.
"Now ladies and gentlemen, to close out our show today, my good friend, BRODY!" Preston called out. He and Sarah posed as a smoke bomb went off, at which they and their props disappeared. Brody made his way out onto the stage with a chair and his guitar as the audience greeted him. He set up the chair and settled in, gripping the guitar as he adjusted the microphone.
"My dad wrote this song for my brother and I when we were just little kids, to remind us that even though our mom was gone, we were still a family." Brody told them. "I was hoping to be singing this song with my brother, but until I find him, I'll sing it for you alone."
He started strumming the strings, at which the audience fell quiet. The judges all sat, listening intently. Tom in particular leaned right forward as soon as he heard the melody start to play.
"I'm with you,
When you're far from home,
I'm still with you,
A family bond that can't break!"
"Wow, it's just a shame Levi isn't here." Calvin whispered as he leaned over to Hayley. "Brody's really good, he'd have loved to hear it!" Hayley just nodded in agreement as she clutched her boyfriend's hand tightly.
"I choose a star,
Its light leads me home,
To be with you,
A family bond that can't break!"
The audience was hushed and somewhat in awe as Brody continued. It was like the song spoke to all of them on some level or another. Brody didn't notice though, feeling only the connection to his own family as he sang the song that had gotten them through so many hard times. The judges all leaned in towards each other and started discussing the act.
"Together we are family,
Every day now, we grow stronger,
In our hearts now and forever,
I can count on you,
You can count on me,
For we will always, always be,
Family."
The audience got to their feet, clapping wildly as Brody finished. Some of them even had to wipe away tears, and some of them were on their phones trying to call family members. It took a while for order to be restored. The judges all stood up, heading to the stage as the crowd waited for word. Tom took the microphone.
"Thank you all for a wonderful afternoon of entertainment. Unfortunately, there can only be one winner." He told them. Everyone waited for his announcement. "Congratulations Presto Chango."
There was a murmur from the crowd as he announced this. Preston and Sarah slowly, slightly reluctantly went to the stage to accept the trophy, but it was pretty clear that the audience believed Brody had won.
"Alright, I want all this cleared up and everyone out of here in the next hour!" Principal Hastings called out as she heard the rumblings from the crowd. The team all went after the judges as the kids started clearing up to loud protests.
"Principal Hastings!" Preston called out as they chased after her.
"What is it Preston?" She asked him. "You won, I thought you'd be happy!"
"Well...we are, but...we didn't deserve to win." Sarah protested.
"Quite on the contrary, your magic act is one of the best I've ever seen." Tom told them.
"Guys, it really doesn't matter..."
"No, Brody, it does matter!" Sarah interrupted the Red Ranger. She loved seeing Preston getting some credit for his magic, but even she could see that something wasn't right with this decision. "You heard that audience, there's no WAY we should have won! They all thought Brody..."
"Our decision is final!" Tom told them.
"Can you at least tell us why?" Preston asked him.
"I really don't think we should discuss this in public." He told them. "It would be embarrassing, wouldn't it Brody?"
"Embarrassing?" Sarah asked. "What are you talking about?"
"We...had to disqualify Brody." Mrs Finch told them. The Rangers all looked completely stunned by this announcement. As the judges went into Principal Hastings' office, they barged in.
"What?" Brody asked. "Disqualified? For what?"
"You really want to do this in front of your friends?" Tom asked him. "You don't want to just accept this and move on?"
"No, if you're calling him a cheat then I want to hear why!" Calvin said a little too forcefully, before backing down. "Principal Hastings."
"Alright, since you insist." Tom said, pulling out his phone. He pulled up his music files and started one of the files. They all listened as they heard the song...only it wasn't Brody that was singing. It was Tom! "My career might not have taken off like Levi's did, and I have no doubt that none of the kids out there have ever heard my album, but I know my own work when I hear it."
"Wait...your work?" Sarah gasped.
"You might want to look up intellectual property rights if you're going to claim something as your own." Tom told them. "Oh, and just a tip, if you are going to plagerise someone's work, you might want to make sure they aren't in the audience when you do."
With that, the team got shown out of the office, and the door was slammed behind them. Brody slung the guitar over his back.
"Brody..."
"It's fine." Brody told them. "Anyone want to get something to eat?"
"Brody..."
"I really just...feel like something to eat." Brody interrupted Calvin. "Preferably the biggest pizza I can find."
With that, he left. The others all looked dejected, but went with him for support. He had lost enough today without having to re-evaluate his memory of his father.