This is madness, Evan McKnight thought to himself as he followed Carter out of the coffee shop. He paid no attention to where they were going, just followed Carter's lead and ignored every attempt the other man made at conversation. Eventually Carter stopped trying to engage him. Evan was not concerned at all about his rude behavior; he had enough to deal with and if people got offended, well, that was too bad. He was far too angry and confused to carry on a conversation anyway – in reality he was saving Carter from bearing the brunt of his bad temper.
A walk down a long corridor, a short elevator ride, another long hallway – it all blurred together. Carter came to a stop outside of an empty room. "This is where they'll be bringing Conner. It should only be a few minutes." Carter paused and seemed to be having an internal argument, then his patient good nature won and he asked Evan, "Can I get you anything while you're waiting?"
Evan didn't respond, he simply shook his head in the negative and walked into the room. Carter knew enough to give him some space and left for parts unknown. Evan was glad to have a few moments to himself. At first he occupied himself by looking around the room. It looked like every other hospital room he'd ever been in – stark, functional, intimidating. There were fluorescent lights overhead, but they had been left off, and the room was lit instead by the more muted lights over the bed and the standing lamp near the chair. Because the light from the window was also muted the lamps gave the room a warm and soft look. Evan wasn't fooled.
The room was for a single occupant, but it was a large size. There were two low chairs flanking a table on the left side of the room, as well as a table tray leaning slightly against the wall. A private bathroom was close to the hallway entrance. And after noting all the amenities the room had to offer, Evan had nothing to occupy him but his thoughts. Sliding dejectedly into one of the chairs, Evan sat with his head in his hands, and his elbows propped up on his knees. He knew he shouldn't have taken his anger out of Dr. Oliver, but after getting the call from the hospital; the horrifying scene with Catherine; getting a good look at Conner; it was the only way he had to release his frustration.
What it really came down to was – he was terrified. Even after he realized Conner was the Dino Thunder Red Ranger, the situation has a bizarre surreal feel. He couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that Conner was out there fighting monsters every day. And seeing how Conner was able to shake off most of the effects from the fights gave Evan a false sense of security. He knew a little bit of Ranger history – he started to look into it when he realized what Conner was doing in his free time – and it comforted him to know that no known Earth ranger was killed in the line of duty. But getting that call this morning brought back every fear, and sent him into a panic.
And listening to the others talk did nothing to ease his mind. The things the doctor told him were vague and supposedly reassuring; but it was what he overheard from her that really had him concerned. When Dr. Mitchell, was ordering tests on Conner, they were like nothing Evan had ever heard. Was she seriously going to measure his energy readings and check his morpher? What the hell was that? What kind of a medical doctor was she?
Before Evan could become completely wrapped up in his disturbing thoughts a noise from the hall got his attention. He jumped to his feet as an orderly wheeled Conner into the room. Evan's heart constricted in his chest as they wheeled Conner past him; he looked so tired and weak; so unlike himself that it made Evan just want to weep. An orderly who had followed the stretcher worked together with the first to transfer Conner to the bed. A very efficient nurse made sure all of the tubes and machines were properly affixed to Conner before making a few notations on a chart and leaving just as swiftly as she'd arrived. Evan was left breathless at their quick arrival and departure – apparently they had nothing new to say since none of them stopped to address him.
Evan's anger flared again. He wanted to know what was going on. He wanted to know what these people were doing to help Conner. But no one seemed to have the time of day for him. He looked angrily at the doorway, as if wishing for the doctor would make her appear, but the doctor wasn't there; instead, it was the tall, blonde boy who'd been hovering earlier. Evan's temper snapped. This kid could stay with Conner while he, Conner's father, was shunted off to the side?
"What are you doing here?" Evan demanded angrily.
The boy didn't seem to realize he was being addressed at first, and when he did respond it was clear he hadn't picked up on Evan's anger or resentment. "Blake sent me." was the boy's reply. As though speaking with Evan was an invitation to enter the room, the boy came closer and stood by the foot of Conner's bed.
Evan was aggravated by the boy's unclear reply – who was Blake and what did he have to do with Conner? "So you're a ranger too?" Evan guessed bitterly.
The boy nodded distractedly. "Crimson Thunder Ranger."
In spite of his irritation, Evan was drawn to this boy. And his curt responses made Evan want to know more. He seemed pretty free with his information; maybe he'd heard something Evan needed to know. His temper cooling slightly, Evan approached the bed. "What's your name?"
"Hunter." He rolled his head on his neck to release some tension and Evan realized how exhausted the boy was. Jason's comment about battles that people never see came back to Evan, and he wondered what had happened to this boy. Then he realized that he recognized him – sort of. That morning on the news when they showed the fight in front of the municipal building it caught his attention at first because it wasn't the Rangers fighting the Tyranodrones, it was someone else. Someone else dressed in a uniform much like this young man was wearing. And though the casual observer might not have noticed it, Evan knew that the boy with the crimson piping on his uniform was the one who fought with Conner once the Dino Thunder Rangers arrived. This kid was out there with no powers, and even after the Rangers arrived, he and his friends didn't quit.
Evan's attitude changed instantly. His paternal instincts took over and he wanted to help the kid out. Dragging a chair over he pushed it between the bed and the wall where it would be least likely to be in the way of a medical person trying to check on Conner. But Hunter didn't seem to realize the chair was for him. With a hand on his elbow, Evan prodded Hunter into motion and then guided him to the chair. Hunter collapsed gratefully into it, and Evan took a good look at him.
Evan was shocked to see how drawn Hunter looked. There were deep circles under his eyes and he was very, very pale. Yet he offered Evan a wan smile. "Thanks."
"Are you okay?" Evan asked with concern. "Did anyone check you when you came in?"
"I'm not hurt." Hunter said dismissively. "Blake was." An intense flash of pain lit Hunter's eyes and he tensed up, but then he relaxed slightly. Evan couldn't help being drawn in. "Who's Blake?" he asked.
"My brother." Hunter's gaze had drifted back to Conner. "He said Conner needed me more. I should stay with Conner."
Evan's gaze drifted from Hunter to Conner. He tried to look at Conner the way Hunter was – what did he see? A flame of hope sputtered to life in Evan's chest. He hardly dared to trust his instincts, but he couldn't stop himself from asking Hunter, "You're helping him…aren't you?"
Hunter's looked resolutely at Evan. "Think so." He picked his feet up off the floor and rested them on the bedrail. Taking a deep breath he tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Evan swallowed hard around the lump that had closed his throat. He moved swiftly to Hunter's side and warmly grasped his upper arm. "Thank you!" he whispered fiercely.
Hunter didn't open his eyes, but he did reach over with his free hand to clasp Evan's hand with his own. After a long moment, Evan released him and returned to the far side of Conner's bed to begin a vigil of his own.
Kanoi felt buoyed by the reunion of the three Ninjetti Rangers. Rocky's connection to Adam was euphoric on its own, but adding Aisha to the mix was enough to make Kanoi feel like he was floating down the hallway. After seeing Blake and now Adam on their way to recovery, helped along by the members of their teams, Kanoi felt great confidence about Conner as well. He retraced his steps to the emergency room, but was surprised when he found the room he was looking for was empty. Hunter was also nowhere to be found. Kanoi stepped back out into the hallway to look for a familiar face, but there were no Rangers hovering in the vicinity. He paused and then he stepped to the side of the hallway to get out of the way of oncoming traffic and closed his eyes.
Taking a deep breath Kanoi centered himself and focused on finding Conner. He wasn't counting on being able to identify Conner's spirit energy in a hospital filled with hundreds of people; his injuries would make him too weak for his spirit to project very far. But knowing that Hunter was close to him should make Conner easy to find – Hunter's aura was easily recognizable to Kanoi after working with the Thunder Ninja for so long. Kanoi extended his senses seeking those most familiar to him – Cam and Blake both blazed brightly to his inner eye; though Blake's energy was still somewhat weakened by his injuries. There were other bright auras of energy, probably associated with the other Rangers that Kanoi did not take the time to identify. He frowned. Finding Hunter should've been as easy as finding Cam and Blake, but for some reason Hunter's aura was far more elusive to pinpoint.
Kanoi opened his eyes; this was a disturbing development. The only person Hunter would've left Conner for was Blake. Hunter wasn't with Blake, Cam was, leaving Kanoi to reason that Hunter was still with Conner. If that was the case, and Hunter hadn't left the hospital grounds for some reason, then something was seriously wrong. Kanoi decided to find Conner using more conventional means. There was only one person he knew the location of who would probably know where Hunter and Conner were. He returned to the elevator and pushed the button for the forth floor.
Keeping the eye of his inner ninja open, Kanoi traveled quickly to Blake's room. Cam and Blake's auras were easy to recognize, but as he entered the room and took a closer look Kanoi was disturbed to realize that Blake's energy signature was not as strong as he had thought upon first impression. Cam rose at his father's urgent entrance. Tossing a worried glance at Blake who was sleeping he hurriedly crossed the room to meet his father. With no words exchanged Cam knew that something was gravely wrong.
"Father," he asked with no preamble, "what is it?"
As was his habit, Kanoi answered Cam's question without answering it, but asking a question of his own. "What room has Conner been moved to? Is Hunter still with him?"
Cam frowned. He didn't like the tone in his father's voice at all. "Dana got him settled in a room right down the hall. Hunter's still with him, he poked his head in on the way down."
Kanoi was already in motion before Cam finished speaking. "Father!" Cam called after him as he moved to follow, but he halted at the threshold. He couldn't leave Blake. He turned his head and looked back over at the bed. He'd been sitting with Blake for so long and reading while the Thunder ninja slept, that he hadn't really looked at him for a while. What he saw was discouraging. Blake looked very pale and drawn; like he was getting weaker when he should be getting stronger. The echo of Blake's mother whispered in his mind 'Take care of your brother' and Cam resolutely returned to his bedside. Ignoring his book and collection of magazines, Cam took Blake's hand in his own while he kept a sharp eye on the door.
It was hard to ignore Cam's urgent cry, but Kanoi felt strongly that time was of the essence. He glanced in each room as he strode down the hallway, and found Conner situated in the last one on the right. Paying no mind to the other occupants of the room, Kanoi walked swiftly forward until he reached the bed. Leaning over the prone Red Ranger, Kanoi placed his hands on either side of his face and closed his eyes. He searched with the eye of his inner ninja for the spark that was Conner, but there was very little life left in the boy. Kanoi drew deeply upon his own resources disregarding his own overtaxed power, but he was unable to pass any of his personal power on to Conner. It was as if all that he offered just slid away; Conner couldn't tap into any of it.
Kanoi drew away with a gasp. He was stunned and dismayed to realize how far Conner had retreated. When the Dino Rangers had first joined with the Wind Ninjas to contact Dr. Oliver, Kanoi had been staggered by the depth of strength at Conner's disposal and his utter willingness to open his mind to share that strength with him. Now, that seemingly boundless well of strength was nearly depleted. There was only one thing that continued to hold him to this life – Hunter.
Staggering away from the bed, Kanoi made his way to where Hunter was seated. He had settled himself in a chair wedged between the bed and the wall. Unlike the other Red Rangers who had attempted to lend their strength to Conner by making physical contact, Hunter was seated close to but not touching him. His feet were tucked up into the bedrail, causing his knees to tuck up toward his chest. To the untrained eye it would appear Hunter was dozing, but what Kanoi sensed was Hunter's struggle to maintain not only Conner's life, but his own.
Kanoi knelt by the chair; he was almost afraid to touch Hunter and disturb the precarious balance he had achieved. He placed his right hand on Hunter's shoulder and neck. Hunter immediately responded to his touch and opened his eyes; the look on his face grieved Kanoi. It was the look of a man who knew he was drowning in a raging river, but was willing to stay in the water if it gave his friend the chance to survive.
"Blake?" Hunter croaked out in a hoarse voice.
Kanoi squeezed his neck reassuringly. "Blake is fine, he is sleeping. Cam is with him."
"'kay." Hunter took a deep breath and let his eyes slide closed again. Kanoi stayed there for a few long moments, attempting to bolster Hunter's strength with his own internal source of power. But the Wind and Thunder powers didn't mesh, and as much as Kanoi wanted to pass his power on to Hunter, he knew it was fruitless. It enraged and frustrated him – as a Master Ninja he had fantastic amounts of power to tap into, but it was nothing Hunter could use.
Kanoi withdrew his hand and stood shakily. When he turned to survey the room he was surprised to see many of the Rangers had filed in silently while he tried to connect with Hunter and Conner. Dana, Carter, Billy and Haley had clumped together; Tommy and Kim stood together flanked by a dark haired man. And another man, standing apart from the Rangers stood closer to the bed than all of the others. The group with Dana looked as grim as Kanoi felt, but the others wore expressions of guarded optimism; as if he had some kind of magic cure. Obviously the two groups had yet to converse.
Tommy was the first to speak. "Sensei, can you do anything?"
Kanoi sighed deeply, and then looked at Dana, "Tell me what you know."
"It's been over seven hours since Conner was brought in. He presented as shocky and unresponsive but we were able to stabilize him physically when he first came in. The tests that we were able to run this afternoon have only confirmed what I had begun to suspect…" Dana looked down unnecessarily at the pile of papers in her hands. She had the results basically memorized; no way of looking at the numbers could change what they represented. She looked back up at Kanoi. "Conner's life force is fading, and even with the help of the other Red Rangers I don't know how much longer we can sustain him."
The man Kanoi didn't recognize silently shook his head and crossed the room to stand at Conner's side. He positioned himself in a way to interpose between the Rangers and the bed; as if by standing there he could prevent Conner from being affected by what was being said. He had to be Conner's father; Kanoi's heart went out to him. He was the only one in the room who could understand the fear of losing a son. Regardless of the man's feelings, their information had to be shared. Kanoi spoke to urge the others to continue. "Haley?"
Unhappy to be put on the spot, Haley nevertheless began. "We've been trying to focus on determining how Conner was injured. We theorized that by determining how he was hurt we could reverse engineer a way to help him heal. Billy and I have been analyzing the data that's been collected. It's hard to figure out exactly how Conner was injured because the storm interfered with the feedback from the suits and surveillance equipment. But, from what Tommy was able to tell us, we think Zeltrax attacked Conner in the same way Mesogog attacked Tommy."
Billy picked up seamlessly. "It seems that Mesogog has very advance mental abilities. Because Tommy's defenses were so low, Mesogog was able to batter his way past his natural mental shields and invade his thoughts; get into his mind."
Kanoi could see Tommy flinch, but he was quickly supported by Kim and the man in the red shirt who could only be Jason. Though none of them had verbalized Tommy's experience using the word rape, it was the closest thing that could be used to describe what happened to him. He had not suffered a physical invasion, but Kanoi wondered if, in the long run, a mental invasion would leave more intense and lasting scars.
Though everyone recognized Tommy's reaction to Billy's recitation, it was not the time to focus on the Black Ranger, and he'd never think to try to pull the focus onto himself. No one was fazed when Billy continued. "From the descriptions Hunter and Cam gave of the Zeltrax's attack, it seems he was attempting to use the same mental weapon as Mesogog. But," he paused and his voice took on a hopeful note, "Conner was able to hold him off."
"At least that's what we think." Haley picked up. "Mesogog attacked Tommy repeatedly." She looked warily at Tommy trying to gauge his reaction, but he looked fixedly at Kanoi. Now the only indication of his distress was his tightly clenched jaw. "But Zeltrax maintained one, intense burst of energy at Conner. If we had to guess…we'd say he never got through."
Kanoi nodded as he looked at Conner. "That would not surprise me. For someone who is not trained in the ways of the ninja, Conner has surprising mental strength. If he had not let his shields down so I could guide him in our meditation, I would have been hard pressed to force my way through."
"So it's possible then. He could have stood up against Zeltrax? Zeltrax didn't get through?" Tommy's voice was rough with emotion.
Kanoi knew how important the answer to that question was to Tommy. "I believe it is more than possible."
Tommy nodded in acknowledgement and absently wiped away the tears that had gathered but not fallen from his eyes with the back of his hand. Kim wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled his arm around her shoulders. He gave her a slight squeeze of gratitude.
"Unfortunately," Kanoi continued grimly "it may very well be those same shields that are hindering Conner's recovery now. But you already knew that." he glanced meaningfully at Dana.
Dana looked helplessly at the sheaf of papers in her hands, and then she looked at Kanoi. It was clear she didn't want to make eye-contact with the other Rangers, Tommy in particular. "The sensors we brought from Lightspeed Rescue are very sensitive to energy readings and fluctuations, particularly in relation to Rangers. All of us emit specific energy signatures that tie into our morphers; even those of us who are retired give off these signatures to a greater degree than most people."
Dana ran a hand through her hair as she struggled to explain herself clearly. "Energy travels outward from its source in waves, like ripples created when you drop a rock into a pool of water. Each of us has a specific signature. I did some baseline readings on Conner when he arrived – his signature was in flux but that wasn't surprising considering the condition he was in. And, he wasn't projecting very far. Also not surprising- he needed to conserve his energy."
"Since Mr. McKnight arrived," she nodded in the direction of Conner's father, "we've done more intense and specific energy readings. It's not that Conner isn't projecting his energy because he needs to conserve his strength…he's not conserving his energy at all – he's pouring all of his power into the aura around himself…and it's shrinking."
"What does that mean?" demanded Tommy taking a step toward Dana. Jason laid a restraining hand on his arm.
"I believe Conner may think he is still under attack." Kanoi stated quietly. The others look at him in shock and disbelief. "The only way Conner had to protect himself from Zeltrax was to withdraw behind his shields and throw all of his power into them. By doing that he became disconnected with what was happening around him. From all accounts, Zeltrax maintained his assault up until the moment Hunter broke through his shield and Jason distracted him. Somehow when Hunter killed Zeltrax, Conner was unable to realize that the fight was over and kept pouring his power into his shields. Maybe he thought he would just know when it was "safe" to come out."
Kanoi shook his head with deep sadness. "But Conner is untrained in using his mental abilities. I believe he has passed the point where he can disengage his shields on his own, and they are far too strong for any of us to break through. He needs someone to let him know the fight is over, but he is too far away for any of us to reach him now."
"What about Hunter?" Haley asked quietly. "He's still connected to Conner…can't he let him know it's safe to let his shields down?"
Kanoi turned slightly to look at Hunter. He laid his hand gently on Hunter's shoulder, but this time the Crimson Ranger didn't respond to his touch. Kanoi looked wearily at the machinery attached to Conner – they had all this technology at their disposal, yet it was the unyielding strength of Hunter's will that was keeping Conner alive. "I'm not sure how it is that Hunter is connected to Conner. I believe it has more to do with pure power than a mental connection. Conner is trapped too far behind his own shields for Hunter to reach him…at this point, Hunter is nothing but a battery to him."
For the first time Evan McKnight spoke up. His face was a mask of distress. "But Hunter's at the end of his strength." He shook his head in disbelief, not understanding why he was the only one in the room who could see how depleted Hunter was; but that wasn't right, the other man knew too – that was why he was so desperate and sad. It made Evan wonder how they were related.
Kanoi nodded at Evan's assessment. "And the storm is nearly over." He made a gesture toward the window. Evan didn't understand why that statement made the others react with expressions of growing horror. It became disturbingly clear and Kanoi continued. "I am afraid when Hunter runs out of power, we will lose them both."
I know that's a horrible and evil place to stop…but I have to do my plans! If I keep writing I will never get them done, and then I would be fired! (Okay it wouldn't be that bad, but you know what I'm saying.) But, I have been finding surprising amounts of time to write in spite of school being back in session, so I promise I won't leave you hanging for long!
Thank you so much to all the constant readers and reviewers (and even you lurkers)! Your support is so encouraging and wonderful! I appreciate everyone who takes the time to drop a line – you're awesome! Thanks to siriuslydeceased, LJstagflower4e, sky's girl forever, Etcetera Kit, Jessica LeeAnn, Jenna, Dany, Hybyrd0, Funky in Fishnet, the real vampire, ThePotterWay, LeosGurl876, Manders and Tygerwind8.
CMR – LOL! - can I be a bridesmaid? ;)
P-G-W-4Ever – You're right on track – I hope this chapter explained a little more.
Akume – Ethan's dream came about because I needed him to be the one to figure certain things out. It made sense to me that even though his body was sleeping his mind would still be at work. This is not a situation he can apply his computer skills to; it's all internal. Hopefully by the time things are resolved, you'll be able to go back, reread the dream and see a clearer connection between what was happening there and what eventually gets figured out.
Stormchilde – I am honestly humbled by your review. I'm glad that this story had the ability to make you happy. I'm astonished that it's 122 pages long! Wow! You're pretty dedicated to have printed it all out (though to be honest, I did the same thing with Akume's "Fade to Darkness".) I think it's awesome that it's something you share with your daughter. Winds will return soon – big plans for them!