The rumbling from the sky increased in frequency over Jamie's head; casting a quick glance skyward, he noted a medium sized ship with landing gear engaged preparing to set down a short distance from where he was luring this deranged mutt.
'I wonder if these powers also come with a Zord,' he wondered distractedly.
Unsure of the newcomer's intent, the Fox Ranger decided he needed to take out this fleabag in a hurry. His gloved hand dropped to his belt, blindly feeling for any additional firepower. Without looking, he grinned when his fingers found a new shiny toy to amuse the angry hound; instinctually, Jamie knew what the small round objects were.
"Here, boy!" he whistled sharply, feeling in the pit of his stomach a sour note at sounding just like Drakkon. "I'm all yours!"
The beast was closing the distance as just to the right, the ship had landed in the thick muck of the field. A movement of blurry figures could be seen disembarking, but Jamie couldn't afford to pay attention to them at the moment. Very shortly, he hoped, he'd be able to address whatever other bullshit was destined his way.
With a flick of his wrist, the Fox Ranger scattered a handful of small, silver metallic orbs into the mire; unable to stop, the hound's paws came down heavily on the unknown objects. Despite the eyes being fixed, it was evident the creature knew it fucked up.
Grinning under his helmet, Jamie came to a stop and activated the detonation button nestled along his gauntlet. Electricity bit into the surrounding flesh, climbing erratically through the muscles, making them spasm painfully before locking up completely. Yelping in agony and frustration, the hound collapsed on its side, legs spastically twitching.
The thrashing body and tail flipped mud wildly in every direction, sharp whines pierced with furious barks. The plastic eyes stared into the distance, creepy as fuck, as Jamie aimed his Blaster carefully through the pouring rain.
The next volley of piercing barks and snarls was cut off abruptly when the Fox Ranger fired a blast directly down the canine's throat. It gagged and retched, neck arching back, the sounds thick and guttural.
"Didn't like that treat, did you, you filthy menace?" he growled at the spasming beast.
From the corner of his eye, he realized the figures were rapidly approaching him and the seizing monster in the mud. Swiftly, Jamie took aim at the unknown people, who were now skidding to a stop before reaching the pair. They looked rapidly between him and the mud encrusted hound, eyes wide.
"What the fuck is that?" the man with longish brown hair exclaimed, pointing at the red craft eyes in the creature's mangled fur.
Jamie let out a strangled cry of surprise as recognition dawned.
'Drakkon? No, it can't be. He's young', he thought in panic, heart racing. 'It's the boy from the palace, the one who unlocked the collar. Drakkon's other self.'
Adrenaline spiking, he tried to look from face to face while keeping an eye on the downed hound. His weight shifted quickly from foot to foot, unsure what to do.
'There's my friend,' he struggled to remember. 'She kept trying to reach me. Kimberly. And Jason, the Red Omega Ranger, the other version of me.'
A pounding throb started to flare in the middle of his head again. He hissed in pain but managed to keep his weapon steady.
A voice in his mind spoke up, snarling like a feral animal.
'Fucking Red Sentry,' it growled in barely suppressed rage as he looked at an older man with the group. 'Blast him too!"
"No, stop it," Jamie whined softly, his breathing starting to accelerate.
Thick sucking sounds caught his attention as the canine heaved itself to its feet, attempting to stand on shaking legs.
'Goddammit, I don't want to deal with this right now,' the Fox Ranger swore.
All the building emotions surrounding the events of late beginning with Drakkon's reappearance, his demented behavior, moving the asshole into his home, retelling his back story so many fucking times he wanted to scream, this new threat, the realization of his alternate personalities, and now coming face to face with Jason's former friends who thought him dead…
If he wasn't morphed, Jamie was positive, he'd been thrown in a rip roaring Red Rage and would probably be able to tear this goddamn canine limb from fucking limb. With sudden energy, he raced toward the creature and with a powerful kick, caught the beast under the jaw, knocking it unconscious.
"Whoaaa, that's a neat trick," the Sentry commented with a grin.
The black and silver helmet slowly turned to look in his direction, as the Ranger stood, shoulders heaving staring at them silently. His weapon was still clutched tightly in his grip, muscles obviously tensed under the rain drenched black silk. Mud splattered his legs and boots.
A soft gust of wind through the chilly drizzle sounded like a voice whispering.
"Redi," it intoned ominously.
The canine grunted in its throat, body still collapsed limply as it began to fade almost magically into nothingness again. As it disappeared, the rain also began to recede into a gentle mist. The sky slowly lightened as well, the sun's rays glinting off the Fox Ranger's helmet.
Jamie stared where the creature had lain, his chest tight, strange voices warring in his head.
'Talk to them. Tell them the truth. Drakkon knows, so what's the point?'
'No, if you reveal yourself then you're opening up another shitstorm. Haven't you got enough on your plate right now?'
'Let them in. They can help us.'
'I know what I'm talking about. Keep quiet or we're all fucked.'
Jamie dropped his blaster into the mud and his gloved hands clutched at his head; he gave a whimper of pain and confusion.
The Ranger Slayer carefully approached the Fox Ranger, her hands raised gently.
"Hey, are you alright? Were you injured?" she asked in concern.
Jason stepped forward to stand beside Kimberly, just in case things weren't what they seemed with this new Ranger. All Jamie could manage was a slow shake of his head as he hesitantly stepped backwards away from the group. He put up a hand, attempting to stop them.
"We're fine. I mean, I'm fine," he stammered, nervously.
Jason and Kim exchanged looks at the odd comment.
"What was that thing? Do you know what's going on?" the Red Omega tried, moving slightly closer.
Billy spoke up, his portable scanner discretely gathering more data from the Fox Ranger's powers.
"The creature has a very concerning energy signature. We've tracked it here, the only place it has appeared more than once," he explained.
The jumble of voices arguing and jostling for control made it difficult for Jamie to think clearly.
"I don't… I think… It seems to be after us. Me. After me," he struggled, giving a sharp rap to the protective covering. "Shut up."
The Fox Ranger shook his head.
"Sorry, I don't mean you," he clarified, feeling more foolish and vulnerable by the second.
Taking a deep breath, Kimberly passed where Jason stood, her hand raised to the others to keep them from following. Jamie didn't notice how close she had gotten until he felt her hand on his shoulder.
"It doesn't look like you're ok to me," she commented kindly. "We only want to help you. You're not alone with that thing."
Knees buckling, the Ranger sank down into the mud; Kimberly knelt beside him, gently shaking his shoulder. But there was no response. The black visor stared down into the man's lap, his head lolling loosely with the movement.
The Slayer cast worried eyes toward Billy, who quickly sprinted up to assess what he could regarding the unknown Ranger's sudden silence. Skull followed close behind, unable to risk the man lashing out at the Blue Ranger. Tommy and Jason closed in as well, circling the Fox Ranger.
A softly beeping scanner swept over Jamie's helmet, he felt hands touching him, voices talking at once as he was surrounded by too many people standing over him. Billy was in the middle of explaining that "Physically, he's fine", as he continued to scan when the Fox Ranger suddenly leapt to his feet, shoving through the people crowding him.
"No, I can't," he barked sharply. "Please. I need space!"
Kimberly called after him, her voice pleading.
"Don't run away! That energy signature that dog is emitting is similar to Lord Drakkon. You must have heard of him," she tried, desperately. "We're to figure out what that means."
Jamie stopped and stood stock still for a moment, the words sinking in that tied David to this otherworldly demon. How the hell did this even make sense? The tyrant had no way he could even fathom of raising another canine from hell. The asshole was definitely going to be doing some serious talking when Jamie made it back home.
He couldn't help a bitter chuckle.
"I'm very familiar with Lord Drakkon," he muttered bitterly. "We all are."
The Fox Ranger turned back to return slowly to the newcomers. He gave a deep sigh.
"Perhaps we can all go somewhere for a private chat? Out of the mud and prying eyes?" he offered. "But you might have a hard time with what I'm going to tell you."
Kimberly looked over her shoulder at the others; they nodded in silent agreement.
"We can go to the ship," she offered but the Ranger was shaking his head before she even finished.
He laughed nervously.
"Actually, I think you'd better come with me. I need a place I feel safe and I also have to show you something," he explained.
Tommy stood and carefully approached the Ranger Slayer, eyes locked on the Fox Ranger.
"What if it's a trap?" he whispered.
This made the Ranger laugh out loud, his black helmet shaking to and fro.
"Tommy, right?" Jamie asked, his voice becoming slightly warmer and more friendly as he decided what needed to be done, firmly silencing the warring factions in his brain.
The White Ranger nodded, his expression confused at the man's sudden change in demeanor.
"That's right," he answered, looking back at Jason, Skull, and Billy.
Jamie pointed a gloved finger at the Ranger Slayer.
"Kimberly."
Then he nodded toward the Red Omega.
"And Jason."
He paused when he got to the Blue Ranger, the black helmet tilted slightly as he struggled to think back.
"I know you. But it's been decades and my mind isn't what it used to be," he chuckled.
When the visor turned towards Skull, the chuckle ceased.
"I'm sure you'll remember me, Sentry," he hissed hoarsely.
Skull shivered under that hidden gaze.
Kimberly spoke up quickly.
"This is Eugene. Skull. He was only one of Drakkon's Sentries to feed us intel," she reassured the Fox Ranger.
The Ranger merely stood silently, considering what Kim told him.
"You know who we are. So, who are you?" she continued, her curiosity peaked.
Shaking hands lifted to the clasps of his helmet, Jamie swallowed anxiously. It was in for a penny, out for a pound. Might as well let the universe attempt to correct itself.
"Please remember, Kim. I care about you guys deeply and I'm so sorry for what I did. But I really believed it was the safest thing for you all," he explained softly, popping the latches.
All eyes were on the Fox Ranger's face as the black and silver helmet slowly opened and descended over the man's chest.
The thick grey hair came into view first, followed by black framed glasses defining one dark brown eye and one hazy white one. His grey beard was trimmed cleanly, close to his skin where several distinct scars were visible.
"Oh wow," Jason exclaimed, clutching Tommy's tense shoulder.
"No way," the White Ranger breathed.
Kimberly's mouth fell open, her eyes welling with tears, sure her mind was playing tricks on her.
"Is it really you? Am I dreaming?" she whispered thickly, the man's face becoming blurry as tears gathered in her lashes. "Jason?"
Launching herself forward, she locked her arms around the Fox Ranger's neck, almost leaping into his arms. Holding him tightly, her eyes squeezed shut, she felt a nagging pull that somehow she had misunderstood, had hallucinated and was clutching a stranger.
Kimberly pulled back her head and looked again into the Ranger's face.
"This is real, isn't it? Not a trick? Because you died, Jason," she asked confused.
Wrapping his arms around the Ranger Slayer, he whispered in her ear tenderly.
"It's hard to explain, but I'm real," he answered. "Complicated doesn't even come close to describing what's happened."
Skull's eyes were glued to the man whom he had known as a violent, unstable rabid canine, one with a penchant for ripping apart Red Sentries.
"Red?" he questioned, bracing for an outburst.
The unique eyes turned towards him and the man frowned.
"The short answer if I'm Jason or Red is actually a yes and a no," Jamie mumbled. "I'm both and I'm neither."
He gave the former Sentry a soft smile.
"Don't worry, Sentry. I'm not as bloodthirsty as I used to be."
Reaching to his belt, Jamie powered down, standing before them in his grey and black street clothes.
"Now will you go with me?" he asked with a grin. "I promise I'll do my best to explain."