Chapter 18 Revenge
Several days later Andros and Ashley were sitting in their living room with Ajax, Bella, Karone, Zhane, and Kinwon. They had been anxiously awaiting the decision of what would happen once Diana and Duncan arrived.
"Okay," Kinwon began, looking at the family sitting around him, "I've been talking with the Council members for several days to determine what will happen with Diana and Duncan upon their arrival. The Council has decided that they have served their time for the crime that they committed against you, Andros. They will be free to live where ever they wish to."
"What happens if they try to come after my family?" Andros asked. "They made threats before the evacuation. Am I just supposed to sit back and wait to see what they do?"
"Andros," Ajax said, "we'll all be on the lookout. We're not going to let anything happen to anyone in this family."
"I can't promise that they won't do something," Kinwon answered. "All I can tell you is that at this point in time the Council isn't going to prevent them from living on our planet. I'm sorry. I wish there was more that I could do." With that he stood and left.
"We can't let them control what we do," Ashley told him, as she took his hand. "We just have to make sure we pay attention to everything around us."
"I can't let anything happen to you, Brytan, or this baby, Ash," he whispered. "I can't make it without all of you."
"You won't have to, Andros," Zhane stated. "I promise you that I will not let anything happen to your family. We'll all help keep an eye out. If Diana and Duncan so much as look at any of you cross-eyed I'll take them out." Andros couldn't help but smile at his best friend. "Now, let's talk about something else. When do we get to find out if there's more than one baby in the oven?"
"Still a couple of weeks," Ashley answered, blushing, though she was happy for the subject change. "I can tell you one thing though. I am over this morning sickness."
"Oh, trust me, dear," Bella began, "it only gets worse. Or at least mine did with these two."
A couple of more weeks passed and it was time for Andros and Ashley to have another ultrasound to determine if there was more than one baby. They had been diligently watching for any signs that Diana and Duncan were planning something but so far everything had been quiet. Alden smiled as he walked into the room and saw both Andros and Ashley as well as Brytan.
"Glad to see you earlier on this time, Andros," his uncle said.
"I'm not planning on missing anything this time around," Andros answered, holding Ashley's hand while holding Brytan in his other arm.
"Okay, let's see what we have here," Alden stated, as he began moving the ultrasound wand around slowly on Ashley's abdomen. "There's one heartbeat." He moved the wand around a little more. "And there's a second heartbeat. Congratulations you two. You're having twins."
The nurse in the room steadied Andros as he swayed slightly and offered him a chair to sit in. "Thanks," Andros said. He and Ashley were both starring at the screen in awe. They couldn't believe it. Two babies.
"Twins?" Brytan repeated. "That means two babies?"
"Yeah, Bry," Andros answered, once he was able to overcome his initial shock. "You're going to have two siblings. You okay?" He asked as he looked at Ashley.
"Yeah," she replied, still looking at the screen. "You're sure?" Alden nodded and smiled at them both.
"You guys are handling this better than Ajax and Bella did," he told them. "Ajax passed out in the floor." Andros couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. "You guys take all the time you need. And I'll see you guys in about four weeks." He smiled at them again as he walked out of the room.
"Can you believe it?" Ashley asked. Andros just shook his head. "How will we ever handle two babies?"
"I'll help," Brytan answered. "I'm going to be the best big brother ever. Even better than Jeff."
"I know you are," Ashley answered as she sat up on the bed. "Now, let's get home. We have to decide how we're going to tell everyone else."
Andros held his hand out to her after placing Brytan back on the floor. Ashley got down off the bed and Brytan immediately took one of her hands and one of Andros' as they walked out of the office.
Once home, Andros took Brytan upstairs for a nap so he and Ashley could discuss how to tell the rest of their family about the babies. As he came down the stairs, he saw Ashley coming from the kitchen with two cups of hot chocolate in her hands and rushed over to help her.
"I'm not incompetent you know," she said, as she rolled her eyes at him. "I can still manage to carry two cups from the kitchen to the living room."
"Sorry," he apologized as they sat down on the couch. "I just don't know what to do to help. I want you to know that I'm here for you no matter what." Just as Ashley was about to answer the comm system rang and Andros went to answer it. "Hey, Allison," he greeted his sister-in-law. It was then that he saw the tears running down her cheeks. "What's wrong?"
"Pick up," she told him and he picked up the handheld and placed it to his ear. "Ashley doesn't need to hear this. I got this letter in the mail today. It's from Diana and Duncan. It says something about Jenna. They claim that they have her. I know that it's not possible but I just wanted you to know."
"What exactly does it say?" he asked. He needed to have all the information before he could decide what to do. He listened carefully as Allison read every word to him. He could feel his anger building as he thought about what this news would do to Allison and mostly his son if Brytan were to ever hear it. "I'm going to look into it. I'll let you know as soon as I know something, I promise."
"Who was that?" Ashley asked as he walked back into the room. "What's wrong?" she added when she saw the look on his face.
"It was Allison," he answered. "She got this weird letter that's supposedly from Diana and Duncan saying that they have Jenna. But that's just not possible. Not possible at all. But I have to look into it for her."
"Will you let Zhane go with you? I would rather go with you myself but I know you won't agree with me pregnant. I at least want someone with you."
"If you agree to let Karone, Mom, and Dad look in on you and Brytan. I don't want you two here by yourselves. And now we have two more people to worry about too." He said as he placed his hand on her stomach. Ashley nodded and Andros quickly called Karone and Zhane and his parents. They quickly filled them in on the events of the day and Zhane quickly agreed to go with Andros to find out the truth. "This isn't how we wanted to tell everyone about the twins but I guess it will have to do for now."
"It's fine, son," Ajax told him. "You and Zhane just go and figure out what's going on. Your mom, sister, and I will keep an eye on your family. We won't let anything happen to them.
A short time later Andros and Zhane found themselves back on the Megaship using DECA to scan for any truth behind the letter that Allison had received.
"Andros," DECA said, "I have used my scanners to scan the location where Jenna was buried and I have determined that her body is no longer there. Also, there is an unusual spike in energy in the Morphing Grid that I had not seen before."
"What kind of spike?" he asked. "Like there are more rangers than before."
"Yes," she replied. "I hadn't been scanning like I was before since Dark Specter was destroyed. But it appears that after Zordon's sacrifice there has been a surge of power."
"Can you locate the source of the power signatures?" Zhane said.
"I have located them," DECA stated. "They appear to be on a nearby planet."
"Let's go," Andros commanded.
An hour later Andros and Zhane found themselves orbiting a nearby planet that they had been to several times as children. They opened communications with the planet below and found themselves communicating with a familiar face.
"Connor," Andros started, "I was wondering where you ended up."
"I decided to try to come help another colony rebuild," Connor replied. "What can I do for you?" Andros quickly explained their situation and Connor agreed for them to come down to the planet's surface. "I must admit I don't know everyone here so it is possible that there are rangers among us." Andros and Zhane used the scanner that DECA had provided them and followed the power signatures.
"Who the hell are you?" Andros shouted as they found the holders of the power signatures. He couldn't make himself believe what his eyes were telling him. Before them stood Aalion, Xadrian, and Brylee.
"It's us, Andros," Aalion answered. "We're not sure how we got here. One minute we were fighting in the war and the next minute we're waking up on this planet's surface. We didn't even know if anyone else survived."
"I don't understand," he began, shaking his head as though that would make everything clearer. "You were dead. DECA confirmed it. Your morphers came back to the ship. You can't be real."
"We're real alright," Xadrian replied. "We couldn't believe it ourselves when we woke up here. Maybe you guys can help us catch up." Andros nodded and they made their way to a more secluded area to continue their discussion. Andros went through explaining how they had met new rangers, how he and Ashley had ended up together and were now married and expecting twins, how he had to destroy Zordon in order to save the universe, and finally telling them how he and Zhane had ended up chasing them down because of the letter Allison had gotten.
"Is it even possible?" Brylee asked. "I mean Jenna has been dead for four years. From what you've said it looks like Zordon's energy is what brought us back but would it have been possible to do that for Jenna?"
"I don't know," Andros whispered, sinking down onto a nearby chair, his head in his hands. "I wouldn't have thought it possible to bring you guys back either. But if you guys are back, I guess it's possible for Jenna to be too. If that's the case then they may really have her. I have to get her back. I can't lose her again." He stood up quickly only to find himself face to face with Zhane.
"Listen," Zhane began, "let's take this one step at a time. We can't go running into a trap. We've done that before and it never ends up going well for us. Let's go back to the ship and think this through before we do anything." Andros agreed but Zhane could tell that they were going to have to keep a close eye on their red ranger to keep him from doing anything foolish. Once aboard the Megaship Zhane asked, "Should we call home? Tell them what we've figured out so far?"
"We probably should," Andros told him. "They would all probably be safer here anyway. I've got to go clear my head."
"DECA," Zhane stated, "keep an eye on him. I can't have him rushing off on one of his normal save the world kicks right now. Ashley and Karone may kill me if he does." Zhane quickly contacted Karone and within minutes she, her parents, Ashley and Brytan were on the Megaship as well.
"You're sure they are who they say they are?" Karone questioned and Zhane nodded. "DECA verified it?" Again, he nodded.
"You act as though I wouldn't have thought of these things," he said.
"Where's Andros?" Ashley asked, looking around the Bridge.
"He said he needed to clear his head," Zhane replied. "DECA is supposed to be keeping an eye on him. Where's he at DECA?" When DECA didn't reply he asked again. "DECA?" Karone rushed over to one of the control panels to find that DECA had been deactivated.
"I swear I'll kill him," she shouted in anger as she reactivated the computer. "DECA, can you locate my brother?"
"He has turned off the tracker on his communicator and morpher at this time," DECA answered.
"We need to get in touch with Allison," Brylee suggested. "See exactly what that letter said. Maybe that will tell us where he is."
Karone looked over at her sister-in-law and saw the tears in her eyes. She rushed over to Ashley and wrapped her arms around her. "He's going to be okay," she whispered. "I promise that we will find him and bring him back to you. Even if I have to beat him half to death and drag him back myself."
"What if she is alive?" Ashley asked in a whisper, as the tears started to pour from her eyes. "Then what will we do? What if he wants to be with her instead of me?"
"Hey," Karone began, leading Ashley over to a chair, "first, you are my brother's soulmate. I have no doubt about that. That doesn't mean that he didn't love Jenna but I don't think the connection he had with her was half as strong as what he has with you. Second, if Jenna is really alive then all that means is Brytan has one more person to love him. I'm not going to promise that it will be easy but you guys will be able to figure it out. Now, this stress can't be good for you or the babies so I need you to try to stay calm so we can go rescue my incredibly stupid brother." Ashley nodded and managed a small smile. "Oh, I guess I should make introductions. Ashley, this is Aalion, Xadrian, and Brylee. Guys, this is Ashley, Andros' wife."
"It's nice to meet you," Brylee said, stepping forward and wrapping Ashley in a hug. "I'm glad to see that Andros finally let himself be happy again." Aalion and Xadrian stepped up next to hug her. "And I'm not so glad to see that he is still a stubborn ass." Ashley couldn't help but laugh at that as she nodded her head.
"Guys," Zhane started, running back onto the Bridge with Connor on his heels, "I just finished talking to Allison. The letter she got mentioned some place that Andros and Jenna used to go on dates. Someplace on this planet apparently. Do any of you have any idea where that would be?"
"I think I might," Brylee answered. "I need a map of the planet." Connor nodded and pulled out a data pad and handed it to her.
Meanwhile, Andros was on his way to the spot where he and Jenna had spent a lot of their dates when they wanted to get away from their friends. He couldn't believe that Diana and Duncan knew about this place so he knew that they must have found a way to get Jenna to tell them. He couldn't figure out how they had found out about her unless someone who had been evacuated with them had mentioned something without realizing who they were. Suddenly a streak of lightning struck Andros and knocked him off his Galaxy Glider. He hit the ground hard barely managing to keep himself from landing head first on the ground.
"How nice to see you again," Duncan snarled. "Now, I think that we have something that's rather important to you." He waved his hand behind him and Diana came forward, dragging Jenna behind her.
"Jenna!" Andros yelled. When she looked up at him, he could see that it was really her. "I'll get us out of this I promise."
"Don't go making promises you can't keep," Diana said. "We'd hate for her to end up dead again."
"If you do anything to her," Andros began, stopping suddenly when a sword was pressed against his throat by Duncan.
"You're in no position to be making threats," he warned and Andros could feel the blade cutting into his skin. "I suggest you do exactly as we say or neither of you will be making it out of here alive. If you do as we say we may let her live." Andros nodded the best he could without making the sword go any deeper. "Good, I'm glad we have an understanding. Now, let's all go into that house over there and see what kind of fun we can have."
On the Megaship, Brylee had found where Jenna had told her that she had went on dates with Andros. "It's right here. Jenna said they went there when they wanted to get away from us."
"DECA," Karone began, "can you get us to these coordinates as fast as possible?" They all felt the engine roar and they were off once again to save their hard headed and stubborn leader. "I'm going to check on Ashley and Brytan." Karone walked towards the Simudeck, knowing that her nephew liked to play and knowing that Ashley would be trying to distract him from what was going on. "Hey, Bry, having fun?"
"Yeah!" Brytan yelled from the swings, where he was being pushed by his grandfather. Karone just nodded at his questioning glance and he went back to pushing his grandson.
"We think we know where he's at," she told Ashley, sitting down beside her. "I need you to promise me that you will stay here."
"What?!" Ashely asked. "Karone, you can't expect me to sit here while you guys go to save him."
"Ash," she began, "I know you want to go. But these people are dangerous. I know that we've fought against worse but you're pregnant. I can't put you in danger. Plus, if you go Zhane and I will be looking out for you and we need to be focused on finding Andros."
"Will the others go with you?" she asked. "If they will give them the morphers. They're in that same box they were in when you guys gave them to us."
"That's a great idea," Karone told her. "At least then we'll have a little extra protection. Have you told Brytan anything yet?"
Ashley shook her head. "I don't know what to tell him. I don't want to get his hopes up that she's alive and I don't want to scare him by saying his father is gone," she whispered, glancing over toward her son, making sure he hadn't heard her.
"It's fine," Karone said. "I agree. It's better not to have him worried about something he can't do anything about. He's too much like my brother as is."
"Karone," Zhane said over the loud speaker, "we're ready."
"I promise I will bring him back to you," Karone told her as she hugged her. "Even if I have to beat him up to get him here." Ashley smiled and watched Karone go. She sighed and then pushed herself to her feet. She had to be strong for her son right now.
At the house, Andros was thrown back into the make shift cell. He hit the ground hard and Jenna waited until the door had closed to make her way over to him. She gently turned him onto his back and gasped as she saw the shape he was in.
"Come on, Andros," she said, "you have to be okay. You can't let them win. You've got to make it through this for Brytan." She felt him stir a little and raised his head up a little higher as he began to cough.
"Jenna," he managed, "it really is you. I won't let them hurt you, I promise."
"Yeah, it's me," she replied. "Listen, you can't go and get yourself killed just to save me. Our son needs you."
"He needs you too," he whispered. "I don't want him to lose you again." Before Jenna could reply the door was thrown open and Duncan and Diana rushed in.
"Let's see exactly what you're willing to do to save her," Duncan laughed evilly. They drug them both out of the room and Diana chained Jenna to a wall while Duncan just threw Andros to the ground. "Get up! Fight me if you want her to live." Andros struggled to get to his feet but he finally managed to remain standing. Duncan charged at him and easily knocked him to the ground again. "How did you ever manage to be picked to be a ranger? You can't even stand up." He charged at Andros again and this time Andros managed to block a few blows before falling to his knees.
Suddenly, there was an explosion outside. "What was that?" Diana asked, as she held a blaster at Jenna.
"I think someone is coming to try to save them," Duncan answered. "I guess this is one of those the more the merrier moments." The door was thrown open and Andros could see his sister and the rest of his teammates standing there. When he saw a yellow ranger all he could hope for was that it was Brylee and not Ashley. "I wonder what you would be willing to do to save your brother, Violet Ranger."
"I will kill you," Karone told him. "I am tired of you ruining my brother's life. And I'm tired of you torturing my entire family." With that she charged at Duncan and the other rangers followed quickly. Zhane managed to see Andros' morpher lying on a table in the room and got close enough to grab it.
"Andros!" He shouted at he threw it to his friend. Andros caught it and within seconds the red ranger had joined the fight. "Get Jenna!" Andros nodded and began making his way to Diana.
"Let her go," he said, pulling out his own blaster and pointing it at her. "She has nothing to do with this."
"Oh, she has everything to do with this," Diana answered. "You see, the best way to break you is by hurting the people closest to you. And who would be closer to you than your wife?" Andros wisely kept his mouth shut. Diana and Duncan did not need to know about Ashley. "Of course, we really wanted to find a way to get your son but we knew that you would be watching him. You wouldn't be expecting your dead wife to suddenly be alive again." She stepped closer to Jenna, making sure that Andros saw her change the blaster to its highest setting.
"Don't do this," he begged. "You want me. You don't want her."
"Again, my dear," she stated, with an evil look in her eyes, "we want to break you." She leveled the blaster at Jenna but Andros surprised her by running at her and she fired at him. The blast hit him square in the chest and he was thrown backward into the wall, demorphing as he landed on the floor. "Well I guess since you're defenseless maybe I should just take you out of the picture."
"I don't think so," Karone yelled as she kicked the blaster from her hand. Aalion and Xadrian quickly grabbed her and placed cuffs on her. "Andros!" she yelled and hurried over to her brother.
"Jenna," Brylee said as she helped her friend down from the wall, hugging her tightly, "it's really you?"
"Yeah," Jenna answered as she hurried over to Andros. "Why are you always so stubborn?" She grabbed his hand as tears rolled down her check.
"Come on, guys," Zhane stated coming over to them. "We need to get him back to the ship. These guys can handle those two." He gestured over to the police officers that had taken custody of Duncan and Diana. "I don't think they'll be bothering us anymore."
DECA teleported them directly to the Med Bay where they placed Andros on one of the exam tables and the boys began bandaging his injuries. Karone looked over to see Jenna holding her brother's hand and knew that she needed to talk to her.
"Jenna," she started, "we need to talk." Jenna nodded and reluctantly left Andros' side. She followed Karone to the Observatory where they both sat down. "Listen, I know that you just woke up so nothing has changed for you but it's been four years. A lot had changed for the rest of us. Especially for Andros."
"I know, Karone," Jenna replied and Karone could see the tears in her eyes. "He couldn't block me anymore after the first time they beat him. I could see everything. My son and this girl named Ashley. I can tell that they were meant to be together. I don't plan on getting in the way of that but I want to be a part of my son's life."
"I'm sure that you guys can figure that out," Karone answered.
In the Med Bay, Zhane had gotten DECA to call for Ashley to come and see Andros. He pulled her a chair over beside the bed so she wouldn't have to stay on her feet.
"Again," she stated, "I'm pregnant. I'm not incompetent. At least not yet. What happened down there?"
"Well," Zhane began, "as you can see your stubborn fool of a husband got himself shot by a blaster at its highest setting and he had gotten a pretty good beating before that. I think he'll be okay but it's definitely going to take him a few days to get over this."
"Was it really Jenna?" she whispered. Not sure if she wanted to know that answer or not.
"Yeah, it was," he answered. "Karone took her to the Observatory to talk to her. I can watch him if you want to go."
"I think I will," she said. "Ajax and Bella are keeping an eye on Brytan right now. Can you let them know to keep him away from here and the Observatory?"
"I sure will," Zhane answered, sitting down in the chair once Ashley had left the room. "I don't know how you managed to get two beautiful girls to fall for you, Dros. You have to get better. None of us know how to do this without you."