Tommy sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. He needed to think and figure things out before the meeting. Standing, he started to head for the door, but Kat caught his hand.
"Where are you going?" Kat asked, tugging him to a stop.
"Kat, I need to focus," he said. "I need some space to think and—"
He stopped, seeing the look on her face. She was clearly worried and stressed. Hearing Christine and Will had been the last straw in a long line of stressful moments for the last few weeks. Sighing, Tommy turned and pulled her into a hug.
"It's going to be fine," he said. "Please go check on JJ."
"Tommy…" Kat mumbled, her forehead resting against his chest.
"He needs you right now," Tommy said. "Conner and the rest will be trying, but they can't hide the fact that there's an emergency with the lockdown. He's going to be freaking out right now, especially with neither of us there. We're out of sight. I can't go or I'm never going to make it to the meeting. Please go check on him."
Kat sighed but nodded. She knew he was right.
"I'll keep someone with me, ok?" Tommy said as he let her go.
"You'd better," she said.
He nodded and she gave him a kiss.
"I love you," she said softly.
"I love you, too," he smiled. "Now go on. I'll be fine."
Kat took a deep breath and hurried out of the room. Tommy waited a moment and then started toward the door again himself.
"Tommy, wait," Jason said.
Tommy stopped, turning to Jason.
"This can't be real—right?" Jason asked hesitantly. "They wouldn't…"
He trailed off, still trying desperately not to believe his wife and her brother could be capable of anything like this. Tommy sighed and shook his head.
"Jason, I can't force you to believe it," Tommy said quietly. "But no one has any reason to lie to you about it. I need to get ready for the meeting right now, but we can talk—"
"But why would they do any of the things you said?" Jason exclaimed. "It doesn't make sense!"
"Sure it does," Ethan said, speaking up. "Pretty sure they want your inheritance. I mean, to most people it doesn't make sense. But if you look at it from a no-morals, money-is-more-important than people perspective…"
He shrugged.
"Then it does make sense," he finished. "At least to them. Kill him and we get his money and can blow it on whatever we want. Millions can be a big motivator to those kinds of people. And it's the only thing we've found that made any sense. We just haven't been able to prove it."
Jason stared at Ethan as Tommy sighed, dropping back into his chair. He knew he wasn't going anywhere yet.
"What do you mean?" Jason asked. "I don't have millions. I'm broke. That's why I'm living in my grandfather's old house instead of a new place of my own—or in New York."
Ethan raised an eyebrow as Tommy frowned at Jason.
"Umm…ok…" Ethan said slowly. "So, I mean, I know it's not the best idea to take things out of investment accounts. But if you need money, taking like $50,000 out of a $2 million account isn't going to make that big of a difference."
Jason stared in shock.
"What are you talking about?" he sputtered after a moment.
"Jase, your inheritance," Tommy said slowly. "He's talking about your inheritance from your grandfather."
"My what?" Jason asked, looking between them now.
"Your inheritance," Tommy repeated.
"The house?" Jason frowned. "It's not worth that much. I checked. And if you're saying that's the motive that's crazy. Christine hates the house and I already told her it wasn't worth enough to sell to try and stay in New York. She saw the papers—"
"The house?" Ethan snorted. "That's like the least valuable—"
He stopped as something clicked. Ethan looked at Tommy who sighed and then back at Jason.
"Wait," Ethan said. "Jason, did you not look at any of the accounts your grandfather left you? Do I seriously know more about your finances right now than you do?"
When Jason just looked at him in confusion Ethan grimaced.
"Dude, you need a financial adviser like right now," Ethan said, shaking his head. "Dr. O, he needs help."
"Apparently," Tommy said. "Jason, your grandfather didn't just leave you the house."
"I know that," Jason said shortly. "He left me everything. That's why I also have his car and—"
"No, Jase," Tommy interrupted. "Did you actually read the will?"
"Well, no…" Jason admitted. "I couldn't make the reading since I was in New York. Mom mailed me a copy with the rest of the stuff but I didn't really open it… she'd already told me he left it all to me since I was his only grandkid. So, I jumped on the house thing and then we were moving and I was getting a new job and…"
He shrugged.
"I glanced through everything at one point," he continued. "But it just listed a couple of bank accounts. Grandpa didn't have much so I figured I'd just let it sit for a while before I worried about it. Why? What am I missing?"
"That hurts," Ethan winced as Tommy shook his head. "Seriously, Jason. Read things. You're as bad as Conner. Actually, worse. He at least reads his bank stuff. Or makes sure someone he trusts does. You need to look—"
He paused, looking around.
"Great," Ethan muttered. "I don't have my computer because I didn't think I'd need it for this particular emergency—and if I leave Conner will kill me. Hayley!"
Tommy shook his head as Ethan shot Hayley a quick text.
"I don't understand…" Jason said slowly. "How does Ethan know anything? And what am I missing?"
"Ethan knows because it was part of the investigation…" Tommy admitted. "Jason, your grandfather wasn't poor by any means…though I do realize he lived rather frugally."
"And how do you know that?" Jason asked suspiciously.
"I helped him set up all sorts of things," Tommy shrugged. "I had the experience and helped him start some investments so it wasn't just sitting. I drove him to LA all the time to visit the bank. I've got accounts at the same place."
He paused, rubbing the back of his head.
"Though I may have opened those so he wouldn't feel bad about me making special trips for him," Tommy admitted. "And I was the one who introduced him to Conner."
"What?" Jason frowned.
"Your grandfather was looking for a good cause to support," Tommy said. "And Conner was trying to get his non-profit off the ground so he could start his soccer camps. Jase, where did you think your grandfather got the money to help support something like that?"
Jason paused.
"I guess I never really thought about that…" he admitted.
There was a light knock on the door and then it opened. Hayley walked in holding a computer.
"Here, Ethan," she said as he hurried to meet her. What's going on?"
"Oh, we're just proving to Jason they have motive to do this," Ethan said, taking the computer. "By showing him his bank accounts."
"Well, yes," Hayley said, frowning. "That much money can be a definite motive for killing someone and is currently in the running as the most likely motive for the current situation. Why is that a question?"
Tommy rolled his eyes.
"And that is why you aren't in my will and never will be," he said drily.
Hayley rolled her eyes in return. Ethan sat down on the stool next to Jason's bed as he started pulling up documents and accounts.
"Here, look," Ethan said after a moment.
He handed the Jason the computer. Jason stared at it for a moment before hesitantly scrolling through.
"Congratulations," Ethan grinned. "Your kid's college is officially taken care of."
"College—life in general," Hunter said behind Ethan, leaning over to peek.
Jason jumped. He hadn't heard Hunter come back in. Hunter just grinned at him and moved away.
"Where did all of this come from?" Jason demanded, looking around.
"Your grandfather, Jason," Tommy said.
"But he wasn't rich," Jason protested.
Tommy sighed again.
"He was," he said. "He came into it later in life. And, like I said, he didn't flaunt it and lived frugally. He wanted to make sure you and your kids would be taken care of."
"But how…?" Jason muttered. "I didn't know about any of this! How would anyone else who didn't talk to my grandfather? There's no way Christine could have known."
"Well, it would have been in the papers your mom sent," Tommy said hesitantly. "And if she went through it without you…"
Jason groaned and fell back on his pillows. Ethan snagged the computer before he dropped it.
"Can I have that back now?" Hayley asked. "I have things I'm supposed to be doing…"
"Take it and go," Tommy said. "I think Ethan got his point across. Jason can take a closer look later."
Nodding, Hayley grabbed the computer and excused herself. The room was silent for a few minutes. Then Tommy sighed and stood, grabbing his backpack.
"I'm going to give you some space, Jason," Tommy said quietly. "If you need me just call. I'm taking Ethan and a couple of the ninjas. The rest will stay here with you. Ok?"
Jason just nodded numbly, still processing all of the information that just kept dumping on him. Tommy left without another word. Leaving Jason to think and remember—including several fuzzy memories about paperwork and Christine that didn't sit right with him after everything he'd just learned.
Will frowned as he looked around. Walking down the hall toward his suite, he hadn't seen anyone moving around. Usually, he at least saw some of the staff or maybe one of the rangers heading in the other direction. But he hadn't seen anyone.
"It's way too quiet," he muttered. "Something weird is going on."
Turning down the hall that led to their suite, he finally saw someone. Eric and Wes were leaning against a wall talking quietly across the hall from his and Christine's room. Both glanced over at him as he approached.
"What are you doing here?" Will frowned.
"Just talking," Eric shrugged. "My daughter is taking a nap in the suite and my wife will kill me if I wake her up, so we aren't allowed back in yet. Didn't feel like going downstairs so we just decided to talk out here. What's it to you?"
Will eyed him suspiciously.
"It's just weird that you're hanging out over here," he pointed out. "And where is everyone? I'm hungry and the machines downstairs aren't working, and no one answered when I tried to call for help."
"Probably because everyone is a little busy right now," Wes said shortly.
Both of their phones went off and they took a look. Eric looked back at Will and then down at his phone as he started texting.
"Fair warning, but you may want to go to your room for a while," he said.
"Why?" Will scoffed.
"Well, they're going to be running some test alarms in the halls," Eric said, raising an eyebrow. "They're kind of loud. And they'll be going off for a while."
Straightening up, Eric exchanged a look with Wes. Without another word to Will, they turned and headed down the hall back toward the elevator. Will rolled his eyes but continued toward his room. He was still hungry. So, if he couldn't get food in the cafeteria, he was going to see what was in the fridge in the suite.
Leaving Will in the hallway, Eric and Wes headed straight for the elevator. The text they had gotten had been calling them to a meeting that would be starting as soon as possible.
"Nice call on the alarms," Wes commented once they were out of earshot. "But that does mean you'll have to have someone actually run the test."
"All over it," Eric smirked, holding up his phone to show him the conversation with Hayley and Ethan.
Eric: Hey. I need one of you to run the alarm test in the residential hallways. Maybe not the suites. No reason to scare the kids.
Ethan: Alright. do I wanna know why?
Eric: Scaring the brother into his room while the reds are talking and he's unsupervised
Hayley: All over it. I'll warn everyone else it's a fake test.
Chuckling, Wes winced a little as the alarms in the halls started blaring. Shaking his head, he followed Eric into the elevator.
Back in the guest hall, Will had barely made it in his room when the alarms started going off.
"What is that?" Christine demanded.
He shut the door which blocked out most of the noise.
"Some kind of alarm test," he muttered. "Apparently it's going to be going for a while."
"Oh, lovely," Christine muttered. "What happened to dinner?"
She had noticed he didn't have food with him.
"Machines are all down because apparently they are too busy to take care of us right now," Will scowled. "So, if you're hungry we get to eat what we have. We might be stuck for a while."
Reaching the Command suite, Kat placed her hand on the pad and waited for a response. It didn't take long for the door to open. Trent let her in without a word. JJ came racing over and threw his arms around her.
"Hi, sweetheart," Kat said, hugging him tightly.
"Where's dad?" JJ demanded after a moment.
Trent had already shut and locked the door again. Kira, Conner, and Krista were still in the living room with Rae and Izzy. Trent went back to join them.
"Your dad is fine," Kat assured JJ. "I was just with him. he's with the Ninjas, Jason, and Ethan."
"How is Jason helpful in an emergency?" JJ frowned. "Oh, sorry, Marc."
He gave his friend a sheepish look. Marc had followed him and was standing a little ways away.
"Honey, no one is getting past the Ninjas," Kat told JJ with a faint smile.
"So, my dad's ok, too?" Marc asked hesitantly.
Kat nodded.
"He's fine," she said. "The Ninjas are with him, too."
"So, they're together?" Marc asked.
"Well, they were," Kat said. "But Tommy had somewhere to be, so probably not anymore…"
Marc frowned.
"There's a lot of Ninjas, remember?" JJ said. "Enough for both of them."
He turned back to Kat.
"What's going on, mom?" he asked.
Kat hesitated.
"It's nothing to worry about," she said after a moment. "There was a potential situation and the rangers are just taking some precautions to make sure everyone is safe. Now come on. Let's play a board game with everyone."
JJ sighed but didn't argue. Kat distracted everyone for a little with a game while they discussed options for lunch. Then Conner's phone went off. He pulled it out to read the message before getting to his feet.
"I'm gonna grab a sandwich," he sighed. "Cause I've gotta go meet the—meet Dr. O. And it's lunchtime…"
JJ's head whipped around at the mention of his father.
"Can I come?" he asked.
"Sorry, not this time, kid," Conner said, ruffling his hair.
Krista was quickly throwing a sandwich together for Conner. JJ scowled at him.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Cause your dad is helping the rangers with something," Conner answered. "And he needs me to come answer a question about what happened to me the other night. Ok? So, you can't be there…"
"Oh…" JJ mumbled. "I guess…"
"Don't worry," Conner said. "We'll both be back later."
He turned to leave.
"Hold on, Conner," Kat said. "I'm coming with you."
Conner stopped, frowning at Kat.
"Kat, I don't think—" he started to protest.
He stopped when he saw the look on her face.
"Sure, why not?" he said, quickly changing his mind. "You can bring Dr. O a sandwich, too. Or a smoothie!"
Trent quickly snagged one out of the fridge. They had originally planned on Tommy eating lunch with them and had been starting to get things ready when the emergency alert went out. Trent handed it to Kat.
"I'll keep everyone updated," Conner said, waving his sandwich at them as he and Kat headed toward the door. "Keep the door locked."
When Tommy got up to the conference room with Hunter and Shane in tow, Carter, Trini, and Hayley had everything just about ready. They'd chosen the room with the most video screens—outside of the full UN meeting room—since most of the reds would have to video into this meeting. Hayley was fussing with electronics while Carter and Trini were sitting at the table talking. Wes and Eric were already there, too, sitting at the table talking quietly.
Rocky had joined Tommy on the way up. He'd excused himself from the Zeo suite with Adam not long after explaining to the group there what was going on. Adam had gone back to make sure Jason was alright while Rocky had tracked down Tommy.
"Where's Billy?" Tommy asked, glancing around.
"He went back to Jason's room," Hayley said absently. "Dana said Jason wasn't allowed to join in person, so he took a computer down. I think Adam is there, too."
"He is," Rocky confirmed.
"Good," Tommy said.
"Sit down," Hayley told him. "I've got almost everyone connected. And the only one we're missing here now is Conner. But he had to escape a room with JJ in it so…"
Tommy sighed but took his usual seat at the head of the table.
"I've got the rest of my team still patrolling for the moment," Carter said, looking over at Tommy. "I told them to be subtle about it. You left the rest of the Ninjas with Jason?"
"I did," Tommy confirmed. "And everyone else is in their suites for the time being."
They both glanced over when the door opened. It was Conner and Kat. Tommy grimaced when he saw her follow Conner in.
"Well, now I'm in trouble for sure," he muttered.
Sighing, he stood.
"Zeo 1," he said firmly, catching Kat's attention.
She paused to look at him. Conner gave Tommy a sheepish look and hurried to sit by Wes and Eric. The rest of the room had quieted down, including those on the video calls, when Tommy spoke.
"Yes?" Kat said.
"If you are attending this meeting, Zeo 1," Tommy said, "then I need to remind you that you are here as an observer only. You will not participate in the discussion. As per the agreement to trust your team leader to make decisions for you. If you have concerns, you will address them with him without interrupting the meeting. Agreed?"
Kat scowled but nodded.
"I know how this works," she said, stalking over to the table. "It's probably a stupid plan anyways."
"Kat…" Tommy sighed. "You don't know that."
"Because you won't tell me," she countered. "Someone is actually threatening you. By name. And you won't tell me what you intend to do."
"It's not like it's the first time," Conner inserted. "I mean, Mesagog, Zeltrax, and Elsa did it all the time."
"So did Goldar," Rocky added. "And Zedd. And Rita—"
"Shut up, Rocky," Tommy scowled. "You are not helping. Now would everyone please sit down. Hayley?"
She glanced up from her computer and nodded. Everyone was connected now. Tommy glanced around at the screens. Though it was the reds from each team in front of the camera, he could see other team members in the background for most of them. They had all mostly tuned out the room again, holding their own conversations as they were all trying to figure out why they were having an emergency meeting. All of them knew there had been some kind of threat again Tommy and Jason, but there had been no further details. Rumors and guesses were flying back and forth across the screens. Tommy shook his head, letting it continue as everyone in the room took their seats.
Kat had taken the seat to his right, stubbornly determined to stay close, and set the smoothie down in front of him. Carter was on her other side still talking quietly with Trini next to him. Conner had taken the seat on the other side of Tommy with Eric and Wes by him. Rocky had snagged the seat next to Trini. Hunter and Shane took the seats next to him. The video screens were all angled so Tommy could see them.
Once everyone was seated, Tommy cleared his throat.
"Order," he said.
While some people stopped to look at him, most hadn't heard him speak. Tommy sighed and tried again with the same result. Carter shook his head. Standing, Tommy leaned on the table with both hands.
"Enough!" Tommy said loudly, finally catching their attention. "Everyone please quiet down."
The room went silent. Shaking his head, Tommy sat back down.
"Thank you," he said. "Now, since I can see we have guests on the video calls I would like to remind everyone that only your red—or equivalent representative—should be speaking during this meeting. If you need to discuss something as a team, please mute yourself so you don't interrupt the meeting. This meeting is time sensitive, so I don't have time to keep everyone quiet tonight."
He paused, looking around.
"So, first order of business…"
Tommy reached out and tapped a button on the control board in front of him. It muted all of the video calls.
"Just to make sure," he said. "And everyone present in this room is to remain quiet while I bring everyone up to date—understood? No interruptions. Everyone will have a chance to speak after I finish."
The rangers around the room nodded in agreement. They knew pieces of everything already except for whatever Tommy's plan for dealing with it. Satisfied that he wouldn't be interrupted, Tommy launched right into the major events of the last couple of weeks. The rangers knew bits and pieces at this point, but they had yet to send out a full explanation of everything. He'd been hoping to avoid it. But knowing they were past that point now, Tommy started with the poisonings of himself and then Adam and Rocky. Then he explained what had happened to Jason, Conner, and Zach. He could see the outraged reactions on the screens and was glad he'd muted them. The shooting hadn't been shared with anyone off the base yet, so it was a bit of a shock to the rest of the group. He also explained how they had finally put everything together and realized Jason being sick was tied into the whole thing. Then Tommy explained the threat that had been heard by the three rangers earlier that morning. That was when he was truly happy for his mute button. He could see them all talking—or shouting—about the threat. When he was done catching them up on what had happened, Tommy unmuted the screens for a few minutes to let them ask questions. The uproar was minimal—if only because they'd gotten most of it out before he unmuted them. Conner and Jason being shot was a bit of a shock but that didn't generate a lot of discussion. Just questions on how they were doing. And they had already had days to process the poisonings. It was the direct threat to the lives of Tommy and Jason that had them the most agitated.
"Alright," Tommy said after a few minutes. "I know none of you are happy about this—"
"Why would we be?" Nick asked. "Death threats? Seriously? Are they locked up yet?"
"No…" Carter sighed.
Tommy hit the mute button to stop the explosion of protests and angry questions.
"Moving on," Tommy said, looking around. "Now, our current problem is our evidence against them is all either circumstantial or can be ignored as hearsay. We don't have anything that the UN can't ignore. So, we are going to let them dig their own graves."
He glanced around, making sure he had everyone's attention.
"This base is supposed to be our safe place," he continued. "And right now, it isn't. Rangers shouldn't have to hide here, but that's what they are doing. And these two are actively plotting to violate that safety even further. So, what I am proposing is to let it happen."
There were some strangled protests from the group in the room, but Tommy held up his hand to stop them. He still hadn't unmuted the video calls again. For good reason.
"Let me finish," he said firmly, looking around the room.
Reluctantly everyone fell silent.
"Based on what was heard today, we have a good idea of what they are going to try," Tommy said. "And I would have someone there to make sure I didn't actually get hurt. But they want me out of the way. If we do nothing right now and let them try, it gains us two things. One, it proves beyond a doubt they aren't just saying things. Two, it gives us the hard evidence we need do something about it. Because they can't attack me outside of my room without it being caught on camera and providing us proof."
"We have proof!" Trini snapped, breaking the silence.
Tommy sighed. Kat had grabbed his hand under the table and was squeezing it tightly.
"Trini, we need proof that can't be ignored or dismissed," he pointed out. "They can't ignore an attack on a ranger that happens on ranger soil. And Will and Christine were both informed when they arrived of my identity. Carter and Kelsey witnessed that. If they actually try something they won't be able to get out of it. We can't just leave this up to chance or they're going to get a slap on the wrist in an Earth court and walk away."
"I can work with what we have," Trini insisted. "All of our witnesses are reliable sources and I can work the circumstantial stuff when it's all put together. There is absolutely no reason for you to intentionally put yourself in harm's way."
"Trini might be right," Hayley offered. "With the texts and videos, not to mention some of the other things Ethan found—"
"Hayley, are you assisting or leaving?" Tommy interrupted, raising an eyebrow.
She scowled at him but fell silent and went back to taking notes.
"Trini, we can't take them under evidence of hearsay," Tommy sighed. "That would raise far too many questions—and potentially hurt the reputation of the rangers and SPD. We can't afford that right now. The UN will start questioning what we're doing and interfering with SPD. We need proof that absolutely no one can call into question."
Trini sighed.
"You're right…" she admitted. "It doesn't mean I like it…"
"Then we can all agree that we need better evidence?" Tommy asked, glancing around.
There were nods from everyone in the room as well as on the screen. No one looked pleased, however. Tommy was ignoring the looks he was getting from his closer friends.
"How do you intend to get it, then?" Carter asked suspiciously. "Tommy, are you really suggesting—"
"That we catch them in the act of actually trying to kill me or Jason? Yes," Tommy answered. "Because then there is absolutely no one who can argue that they intended anything else."
Everyone stared at him in shock for a moment as they absorbed what he just said. Tommy hit the button to unmute everyone on the video screens. That unleashed chaos. Everyone was talking over each other and demanding to know what he was thinking.
"You want us to let them kill you?"
"Why would we just sit back and let it happen?"
"Not a chance!"
"We have to let them try, not succeed," Tommy corrected, speaking loudly to be heard about the group.
Kat was shaking her head, gripping his hand even tighter now, but she was keeping her word to remain silent. Conner leaned over to talk to him as the rest of the rangers were arguing amongst each other.
"Dr. O, you can't do this," Conner hissed. "You can't. You're already hurt, and I can't protect you—"
"Conner," Tommy said, interrupting.
Conner stopped, scowling. Tommy knew it had bothered the younger ranger immensely when both he and Trent were kidnapped, and he wasn't able to do anything. This whole situation hadn't helped anything—especially now that Conner himself was injured.
"Conner, you can't always protect us from everything," he said quietly, shaking his head. "I've been doing this a lot longer than you and I've been in bad situations countless times. And I probably will be again. You have to let it go. You aren't responsible for our personal decisions—and taking that burden on yourself is just going to hurt you in the long run. I give you my word that I am approaching this with as much caution as I can. Alright?"
Conner scowled, slumping back in his chair without an answer. Tommy sighed and turned to the group. Squeezing Kat's hand back briefly, he tugged his hand loose and stood again.
"Alright, order," Tommy said over the noise. "Everyone quiet down."
It took a moment, but the rangers quieted back down, and Tommy sat again.
"I know none of you like this plan," Tommy said. "But this is the best way to finish this for good—and make sure they can't hurt anyone again."
"But why does it have to be you?" Nick questioned. "Jason is just as involved. And you're our leader—he isn't."
Tommy saw Jason's flinch on the screen. He'd stayed silent for most of it, listening to the other rangers rather than participating himself. Jason didn't know most of them, so it didn't surprise Tommy that he was just observing.
"Because Jason is emotionally invested," Tommy said evenly. "I am not. And I don't want to put myself in danger, but it is better that I am the bait then Jason. His emotions could cloud his judgement at a critical moment which has a high potential of ending badly. I'm not emotionally attached to anyone involved. You all have my word I will do whatever I need to keep the risk minimal and will have discreet protection with me at all times."
"And if they actually manage to catch you alone?" Mack asked. "What then, Tommy?"
"I'm not going down without a fight," Tommy answered firmly. "I've fought with Will before and beaten him. I have no doubt I can do it again—even if I'm not in full fighting shape."
"Which you aren't," Eric pointed out.
"So how do you know you can beat him if he catches you off guard?" Troy asked.
"I am confident I can absolutely hold my own long enough for help to come," Tommy said, looking around. "If I do this, I don't intend to be truly alone for more than a few minutes at any given time."
"This doesn't sound like a solid plan," Cole pointed out.
"Because it isn't," Tommy agreed. "But we don't know exactly what will happen, so those of us here will need to be able to move and be flexible and adapt as necessary. It's not a concrete plan because we have no way of knowing their exact plan or timing."
"So, then how do we make this work?" Rocky asked, his arms crossed. "Because I'm really not for just throwing you in and saying good luck."
Tommy shot him a look.
"We run it like a football play," he said. "Everyone in their zone and knows their part and how to react on the fly. Because they will need to think they've caught me alone—even though I will not be."
"I think there's a flaw in your plan, Tommy," Andros said.
"And what is that?" Tommy asked stiffly.
"If they think you're out of the way they will immediately go after Jason," Andros answered, frowning at Tommy's tone.
"And you didn't want Jason in the line of fire," Nick added.
"And he won't be," Tommy confirmed. "That leads to part two of my plan. Eric."
"Tommy?" Eric said, looking at him with some surprise. "What—"
"You'll take Jason's place," Tommy said.
"You want me to what?" Eric exclaimed.
Tommy held up a hand before anyone else could start protesting. He was glad Taylor was here instead of listening with the rest of her team. He wouldn't have to deal with explaining this to her. That would be someone else's job later.
"You are the only one here who could plausibly pose as Jason," Tommy said. "So, it has to be you. Based on everything else they have done, they are most likely going to rely on drugs. So, they would go after Jason—you—while he is sleeping. Relatively non-violent. You would just swap places with Jason at night."
"So, no violence for Jason?" Jayden said. "Then why for you? They could do the same thing to him."
"Because they hate me," Tommy shrugged. "They always have. And I unintentionally forced them into it by always being around when they were around Jason here. In my efforts to protect Jason, I backed them into a corner…now they are angry and just want me out of the way."
"I hate to say it, Tommy," Wes said, shaking his head. "But they are going to notice if Eric takes Jason's spot. They do visit him every night before they go to bed."
Tommy shook his head. Jason was shaking his head, too, but Tommy ignored him.
"We make the switch after that," he said.
"And where will Jason go?" Eric asked.
"My room, right?" Adam inserted, looking at Tommy from his place by Jason.
Tommy nodded.
"Exactly," he said. "It's right next door, so he won't have to go far. And there will already be eyes on Adam's room since it's so close anyways. And if nothing happens the first night—Eric sleeps there and we continue until something either happens or we are sure they've given up."
Tommy could see from looks that more of them were starting to concede his plan wasn't completely awful. Conner was still scowling at him and Kat had her hands clenched in her lap.
"What if they try it in the daytime while Eric can't be there?" Leo asked.
"Leo has a good point," Aurico agreed. "You already admitted you do not have an actual plan from them. They could try something at any time."
Tommy shook his head.
"Too high a risk," he answered. "There is almost always someone in the room with Jason and I now that Eric's set the Ninjas on us. They'd have to do it without getting caught by someone in the room. And they don't want to get caught—they want to get away with it. That's why they want me out of the way."
"And neither of them is any kind of criminal mastermind," Hayley inserted, ignoring Tommy's look. "They aren't that smart. But Tommy's right that they know they don't want to get caught. So, we can be confident that the one thing they will think through all the way is not having witnesses. It is perfectly reasonable to expect anything against Jason will happen when they think everyone is sleeping."
"No," Jason said, finally speaking up. "If Tommy is going to put himself in danger than I can handle it, too. No one needs to take my place."
"Sorry, Jason," Tommy said, shaking his head. "You don't get a say in that."
"But—" Jason tried to protest.
"Tommy is correct, Jason," Billy sighed. "You have yet to commit to the council. You are voting for us today only because Tommy cannot vote, and I am holding his tie breaker."
"And you get no choice because you still aren't moving around on your own," Tommy added. "You've barely been out of cryo for two days."
Jason scowled but didn't argue. Kat leaned closer to Tommy.
"So, if I take your cane does that mean you have no choice?" she muttered.
"No, because I can survive without it," he answered quietly, glancing at her. "It's mostly just a weapon now."
She scowled, crossing her arms. Tommy sighed and looked back at the reds.
"Now, to recap," Tommy said, looking around. "Before we have final discussions. We will not arrest them and allow them to continue forward with whatever they are planning. Jason and I will both have discreet protection with us at all times. We are fairly certain of when it will happen—at night when everyone should be asleep. And we have an idea of how they are going to attempt it, but still need to be ready for anything. And we need to let this happen without letting them know we are aware. So, the hardest thing is going to be acting no differently than we have been. It needs to happen naturally, not be forced by us."
He finished, nodding as he indicated they could make their final arguments and ask last questions before he called a vote.
"I still think we should just go with the circumstantial evidence," Trini said, shaking her head. "There is enough to work with."
"Again, Trini," Tommy said. "We'll have a hard time convincing the UN, which means we may have to let them go and they'll just get off with minimal punishment from Earth courts."
"But we have witnesses," Hunter protested. "Including an ambassador."
Tommy shook his head.
"They can say Kat is biased because she is my wife," Tommy said. "And Trini is attached to us as a close friend—so also biased. Chad they might take seriously because of his position, but then it's two against one. Because I am absolutely not letting our other witness speak to them."
Rocky sighed in relief that Tommy had no intention of bringing his daughter in the middle of everything.
"I have a question," Brody said, speaking up. "What happens if, after they attack you, no one is able to intervene quickly enough, and they actually poison Eric?"
"Dana or Angela will be on call close by," Tommy said.
That got him several looks. Tommy sighed.
"Look," he said. "I know it isn't ideal. But I truly believe it is the best option for making sure we can see them punished appropriately. They nearly killed five rangers in the last week in a desperate attempt to take something from Jason."
"What do they even want?" Nick asked. "Why go through all of this?"
"Money," Hayley said simply.
Tommy shot her another look and she just shrugged.
"What they want isn't the point," Tommy said. "The point is they don't care about collateral damage and they're willing to keep trying. Most of us physically here have kids. What happens if the next time they try one of the kids gets hurt? We're lucky it didn't happen already. Anyone could have eaten the food Rocky and Adam were poisoned with. It was just sitting in the fridge in the Mighty Morphin' suite. And if they get away, they could keep trying. With Jason or with someone else entirely—and it would be our fault for letting them go."
Jason, who had been scowling since he was shot down by Tommy, froze. It hadn't occurred to him yet just what could have happened with that lunch box. Adam and Billy looked at him in concern.
"Jason, are you ok?" Adam asked.
He started shaking his head.
"I could have killed Marc!" Jason exclaimed. "If I hadn't given it to you, I probably would have told him he could eat it. It would have killed him!"
Exchanging a look with Adam, Billy quickly reached over and turned off sound and video from their screen. Tommy grimaced as they disappeared. He hadn't intended to plant that idea in Jason's head. He just wanted to emphasize that the danger wasn't just to the rangers, but to everyone around them if it wasn't stopped.
"Trent…what's for lunch?" Izzy asked, looking up at him.
Conner and Kat had left a little while before and he, Kira, and Krista were still playing a game with the kids. Ethan had disappeared into his room not long after the other two left, saying he needed to check something for Hayley. Looking at Izzy, Trent grimaced at the question and looked around. He had forgotten about lunch after the other two left.
"Oh, um…hold on, Izzy," Trent said, getting up. "Let me look."
Getting to his feet, he headed to the kitchen to start checking cupboards while Kira and Krista started cleaning up with Marc and Rae. He wasn't about to take them down to the cafeteria. Izzy and JJ followed Trent to the kitchen. Ethan came back out muttering over his tablet and saw Trent in the kitchen.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Lunch?" Trent answered.
Having an idea of what was there now, Trent turned and listed a few options for the kids, most of which was leftovers from things Kat or someone else had cooked and put in the fridge. Or a sandwich.
"We've been eating that stuff all week," JJ grumbled.
"Alright," Trent said. "How about mac 'n cheese?"
JJ scowled.
"I don't want boxed mac 'n cheese," he exclaimed. "We've been eating it like all week. Because it's easy and there are a lot of us but I never eat that much boxed mac 'n cheese and I don't want to keep eating it. Dad would never let me eat that much at home!"
Trent sighed.
"Well, then what do you want to eat, JJ?" he asked.
"I don't know…" he muttered.
"And that is not helpful," Trent retorted.
JJ just shrugged, dropping into a chair at the table.
"Doesn't really matter," he said. "Not like you can give me what I actually want, so…"
Trent exchanged a look with Ethan who shrugged.
"JJ, what do you want?" Trent asked again.
"Dad's stir fry…" he finally answered.
Trent didn't say anything for a moment as he exchanged looks with the other Dinos. They all knew Tommy cooked for his family all the time. So, while it didn't necessarily surprise them that JJ wanted his dad to cook, they all knew there was a chance that wasn't happening anytime soon. Especially after the events of the morning. The rest of the group was moving into the kitchen now.
"I'm sorry, JJ," Trent sighed. "I can't make that happen right now…"
"I know," JJ muttered. "That's why I said it doesn't matter…"
"Well, what do you want that we can make?" Trent pressed.
"I don't know," JJ shrugged again.
"Ok, you're killing me, kid," Trent sighed. "What do you want to eat?"
"You gotta help us out, JJ," Ethan added.
"How?" JJ asked irritably.
"By telling us what you want that we can cook," Trent answered.
"We can't answer that question, Trent," Rae said, tugging on his shirt.
"And why not?" Trent asked, smiling at her.
"We don't know what you can cook," she said. "Cause you don't cook for us. Mommy and daddy and Uncle Tommy do."
"Right," Trent said sheepishly.
Rae was correct. While the Dinos had babysat for the girls and JJ at various times over the years, they generally weren't responsible for cooking for them. They ate leftovers or ordered something like pizza. Occasionally they'd throw something easy in the oven or make mac 'n cheese.
"Well, I'm not cooking," Ethan said, shaking his head as he sat down. "You all know I'm not good at it. I survive on takeout and microwave meals."
"I can handle salads and pancakes without a problem," Trent said. "Or just about anything in a box that comes with instructions. And sandwiches."
"Pancakes are breakfast," Izzy said. "And everyone can make a sandwich…"
"I know…" Trent sighed.
"Well, don't look at me," Kira said, shaking her head. "I live on the road most of the time these days with no access to a kitchen. And when I'm home I don't usually do the cooking."
"Great…" JJ sighed. "So canned or boxed food again."
He paused.
"Or I can cook," he said hesitantly.
"Sure," Trent agreed. "What can you cook?"
"Do we have stuff for lasagna?" JJ asked.
Trent glanced through the cupboards again and shook his head.
"Nope."
"Tacos?"
"Nope."
"How about—oh wait, breakfast has been shot down…" JJ said. "Umm…"
"Come on, kid," Ethan sighed.
"I'm sorry!" JJ exclaimed. "Most of what I can cook is breakfast. Or protein smoothies. And mom is teaching me spaghetti."
"We have that," Trent said.
"I said teaching," JJ sighed. "I still don't know how to make the sauce by myself."
"Alright," Krista interrupted. "How about I make something? I cook for Conner all the time, so I think I can figure something out."
"Please," Trent said gratefully, getting out of the way.
Krista took a quick look through everything herself and then started pulling stuff out.
"English muffin and bagel pizzas," she announced. "How does that sound?"
JJ sighed while everyone else nodded.
"I guess that works…" JJ said reluctantly. "Thank you for cooking, Krista…"
"Don't worry, kid," Ethan said, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "I'm sure your dad will be able to cook you dinner soon."
Ethan shrugged at looks the others gave him. JJ just sighed and leaned his head in his arms.
"Yeah… sure…"
Damien laughed as Jake chased him around the living room as they played, trying to keep him entertained since they were locked in the suite.
"Alright, time to settle down," Aisha announced, walking over. "Lunchtime."
Damien came to a sudden halt and Jake had to stop himself from tripping over the three-year-old. Aisha laughed in amusement.
"Food!" Damien exclaimed.
Abandoning his game with Jake, the little boy went running to the kitchen. Jake shook his head as he watched him go.
"Well, I see where I rate," he said. "Guess food is more important."
"Always," Aisha laughed, following her youngest.
Tanya was already shooing the other kids into the kitchen. Aisha scooped up Damien and sat him in Rae's chair and then turned and stuck Liam in Izzy's. The twins climbed into the chairs Tanya pulled out for them while Karly got her own seat.
"Mom?" Jazz said.
"Yes, honey?" Tanya answered, looking at her.
"How can we eat if we can't see?" Jazz sighed.
Tanya looked at her daughters and sighed. They were both still just a little too small to really sit in the chairs they had without a booster seat. Kim, who was getting plates out of the cupboard, turned to look.
"What's the problem?" she asked, setting the plates on the table. "Oh."
"Yeah…" Tanya said. "There are no extra booster seats in here because it's just the two kids."
"Hold on," Jake said. "I have an idea. Start passing out food."
He hurried over to the living room and came back a moment later with an armful of large, hardcover books from the shelves. The women watched in amusement as placed a small stack under each of the twins.
"Now don't wiggle too much or the books will move," he warned them with a grin.
"Ok!" they agreed, giggling.
The four adults joined the kids at the table as they all started eating their lunch of chicken noodle soup and sandwiches. It was a bit crowded with four adults and five kids, but they made it work. They'd been eating for a little while when Zach came out of his room.
"Finally done with that video call," he muttered, shaking his head. "Oh! Lunch!"
Karly looked at him as he came over to see what they were eating.
"This is our lunch," she told him when he reached for an empty plate.
Zach looked at her in surprise as the other adults exchanged amused looks.
"Well, can't you share?" Zach asked.
"You're an adult," Karly answered. "You're supposed to cook for yourself."
"Ouch…" Zach said, pretending to be hurt. "That hurts. Well, what if I tell you I cook for myself all the time? Then can I have some soup?"
His friends were snickering now.
"I haven't seen you cook…" Karly said doubtfully. "So can you really?"
"Well, now I just feel attacked," Zach muttered.
Aisha, Tanya, Jake, and Kim were laughing now.
"Alright, kid," Zach said. "Does your dad always cook for himself?"
"No," Karly said. "But mom says he cooks for the firehouse all the time. And he cooks for us when mom is gone or tired or tells him too. So, daddy cooks. And if he doesn't he gets to eat with us cause he's our daddy. You're not."
"Aisha, your kid is mean," Zach complained, turning to Aisha.
"Zach!" she said, trying not to laugh.
"What?" he protested. "I just want a sandwich!"
She rolled her eyes.
"Zach, you can just take a sandwich," Tanya said, shaking her head. "As an adult, you are able to tell the child you are having a sandwich. Now sit down."
Grumbling, Zach grabbed an extra chair and squeezed in at the table.
"I'm not a parent," he muttered. "And I like kids. But I kind of feel bullied right now…"
Back up in the meeting, Tommy was getting ready to call for the vote. Jason, Billy, and Adam were back on screen again. Though Jason was still clearly agitated.
"Reminders for everyone before we start," Tommy said, looking around. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and vote. This is not a dictatorship, and you all have a say. That's why you had time to discuss with your teams."
They were all nodding.
"I will not be voting as usual," Tommy continued. "Though I will also not be voting in case of a tie. Billy will break any ties instead. Jason is voting for Mighty Morphin'."
"Can I vote for Zeo?" Kat inserted.
Tommy sighed and shook his head.
"No, Kat," he said firmly. "Adam is voting for Zeo. Andros?"
Andros nodded, taking over from Tommy.
"For those who are new to this," Andros said in explanation. "I will call out your team's name. The red, and only the red, is to cast the vote. There is no pressure to agree with anyone else. No one will hold your vote against you."
Tommy nodded in agreement. With no questions or arguments, he indicated Andros could continue.
"Mighty Morphin," Andros said, looking at Jason.
Jason stared at him for a moment, not expecting to be the first. Adam nudged him.
"No," Jason said after a moment, looking at Tommy.
Tommy just nodded and Andros moved on. Hayley started tracking the votes.
"Ninjetti," Andros continued.
"Yes," Rocky said, looking at Tommy. "I trust your judgement."
"Alien."
"No," Aurico answered.
"Zeo."
"Yes," Adam said.
Conner shot glares at both Rocky and Adam, but they ignored him.
"Turbo."
"No," TJ said, shaking his head. "I still say there has to be another option."
"Space votes yes," Andros said, placing his own vote. "Lost Galaxy."
"No," Leo said firmly. "You can't control everything. Sometimes things go wrong. Not worth the risks."
"Lightspeed."
"Yes."
"Time Force."
"Yes," Eric answered for himself and Wes.
Conner scowled at him, too.
"Don't give me that look, kid," Eric said before Andros could continue. "I trust Tommy's motives and his plan allows for adjustments. Wes and I agreed on this."
"Wild Force," Andros quickly continued before Conner could say anything.
"Yes," Cole answered.
"Ninja Storm."
"Yes," Hunter said quickly, shooting a look at Shane when he started to say something. "We agreed, shut up."
Tommy rolled his eyes at the pair.
"Dino Thunder."
"No," Conner said sharply.
Everyone turned to look at him in surprise.
"Wait—what?" Rocky sputtered.
He had clearly missed the look Conner had giving him earlier. Conner just scowled at him. Most of the rangers were looking at Conner in surprise.
Down in Jason's room, he looked at Billy and Adam in confusion. Adam was shaking his head in surprise.
"What's the big deal?" Jason asked, looking at them. "Why does everyone seem so shocked."
"Conner never votes against Tommy," Adam answered, glancing over at him. "Quite literally. He is the one we have always counted on voting with Tommy. So, we're just a little surprised."
"I am not," Billy said, shaking his head. "If you think about it, Tommy is intending to put himself in harm's way. Conner is…"
He hesitated.
"Extremely overprotective?" Adam said drily.
Billy chuckled and nodded. Jason frowned, glancing back at the screen thoughtfully.
In the meeting room, Tommy sighed.
"Let it go," Tommy said firmly, looking around the room. "Conner is, as always, free to make his own decisions. His team trusts him. Move on."
He looked at Andros who nodded.
"Mystic Force."
"Yes," Nick said.
"Operation Overdrive."
Mack hesitated for a moment. Andros waited patiently.
"Yes," he finally answered.
"Jungle Fury."
"Yes," Casey said.
"Samurai."
"No," Jayden answered.
"Yes," Lauren inserted next to him.
Andros paused, frowning as he looked at them. Tommy sighed as the siblings broke into a small argument.
"Lauren, you aren't voting," Jayden said.
"I was red, too," she retorted.
"But you aren't anymore," he snapped back. "And we can't both vote!"
Tommy looked over at Carter who sighed and stood.
"Lauren and Jayden," he said, catching their attention. "Only one of you gets to vote."
"But I was red, too," Lauren insisted again.
"But you can't both hold the same Power at the same time," Carter reminded them. "So, there is still only one vote for Samurai red."
Lauren scowled, crossing her arms.
"Take two minutes and take a vote amongst your team," Carter said. "I can see they're with you. Majority is the vote you cast."
Tommy muted the screen for the Samurai and they waited patiently a the team had a small argument. When Jayden turned back to the screen a minute later, he unmuted him.
"No," Jayden repeated.
Lauren was sulking in the background with the rest of the team now. Andros sighed.
"Megaforce."
"No," Troy answered.
"And Ninja Steel," Andros finished.
"Yes," Brody said.
Andros fell silent and Tommy turned to look at Hayley. She tapped a few buttons on her keyboard and nodded at him. The results popped up on his tablet in front of him.
"The vote passes, 11 to 7," Tommy said.
Kat and Conner were both sitting silently, clearly unhappy about the result. There were several others who were clearly unhappy, too. Jason was scowling. Though Billy with him was clearly relieved just to not have to make a decision. Tommy gave everyone a moment before he spoke again.
"Now," he said, drawing the attention of the group again. "We are going to enact this immediately. I will work out the details with Carter, focusing on keeping everyone as safe as possible. Again, I assure all of you that no one will be unprotected. We are taking this threat seriously. Everyone not already present at the base is to keep their distance until further notice. More rangers showing up is just going to make things harder. Alright?"
Glancing around for visual or verbal agreements, Tommy was satisfied they'd stay away for the time being.
"Then this meeting is adjourned," he said. "I will keep you all updated. The Power protect you all."
As the calls began to disconnect, Tommy turned his attention to the rangers in the room.
"I need all of you to inform the rest of the rangers here," he said, looking around at the group. "And a reminder that you need to continue as we have been. If Christine or Will notice something has changed, we risk them changing their plan entirely or giving up until they are off base again. Which would potentially put Jason—and Marc—in more danger. Eric?"
"I'll be ready tonight," Eric said. "I have to go tell Taylor…"
Wes winced.
"Yeah, you're on your own with that," Wes muttered.
Eric rolled his eyes as he stood. Wes followed suit and the two headed toward the door. The rest of the group started moving, too. Conner stood abruptly and stalked out of the room without a word, Kat right on his heels. Tommy didn't try and stop either of them. He just watched them go. Shane and Hunter walked over to Tommy.
"We're going to work out a rotation with the rest of the team," Shane said. "Two on at all times."
He paused, looking at Tommy.
"You aren't going to try and give us the slip, are you?" he asked.
"You have my word," Tommy said. "Let Carter or I know once you have things settled so we know the schedule. I'll be heading back to the med bay in a few minutes."
"We'll wait outside," Hunter nodded.
Rocky sighed as he stood.
"I guess I get to go tell the girls and Zach," he muttered. "Unless—Adam?"
Adam, who was still connected by video, shook his head.
"Good luck!" he grinned.
Then he hung up, disconnecting himself, Billy, and Jason. Rocky groaned.
"Traitor," he muttered as he headed toward the door. "One of them is his wife!"
Tommy just shook his head and finally stood. Carter, Trini, and Hayley were getting up as well.
"I'll have everything filed shortly," Hayley said. "And I'm going back to helping Trini."
She paused as she passed Tommy.
"Also, I would like to remind you that I still don't have to be nice to them," she smirked.
Tommy just rolled his eyes.
"Behave," he said drily.
"I promise nothing," she retorted, leaving with Trini.
Carter shook his head as he stood next to Tommy.
"I'm still going to have my team patrolling," he said. "But I'll make sure they keep it discreet. If they aren't in uniform, it will look like they're just around the base visiting. That way we'll have extra hands around for an emergency situation."
"Thanks, Carter," Tommy nodded.
Conner stormed back to the Command suite. He hadn't waited for Kat at the elevator, but he knew she wouldn't be far behind. Slapping his hand on the panel, he waited impatiently for someone to open the door. Trent answered, pausing in surprise when he saw the scowl on Conner's face.
"Kat will be here in a minute," Conner said shortly. "Unlock the door."
Trent nodded as Conner brushed past him into the suite. Kira, Ethan, and Krista looked up at him from where they were all comfy in the living room.
"Hey," Ethan said. "How'd it—"
"Not right now," Conner snapped, interrupting.
He'd seen JJ and Marc sprawled on the floor of the living room. Conner knew he couldn't vent in front of them without saying things they weren't supposed to hear. JJ sat upright, looking at Conner in concern. He'd known Conner his whole life, so the eleven-year-old knew it took quite a bit to upset him enough for other people to notice. He was normally pretty easy going.
"Conner?" JJ said, frowning. "Are you ok?"
Conner hesitated.
"I'm—I'll be fine," he muttered.
Spinning, he stalked to his room and shut the door. They all heard the lock click. The adults shared concerned looks while JJ and Marc just looked at the door in surprise. The suite door opening again temporarily distracted them from Conner. Kat stalked in, looking nearly as agitated as Conner had been. She paused just inside, taking a breath to try and calm herself down. JJ scrambled to his feet with Marc following suit.
"Mom, what's going on?" JJ asked, rushing over to her. "What happened? Where's dad?"
Kat sighed, smiling faintly as she ruffled his hair.
"Everything is fine," she said. "Your father was going back to the med bay."
"Is my dad ok?" Marc asked anxiously.
"They're both fine," Kat assured them. "Everything is fine."
Kira, Ethan, and Krista were all up now, too, and walking over to join the group. Trent moved from the door. They exchanged looks again. Marc and JJ were both eying Kat suspiciously. Everyone could tell something was off.
"So, I know you had a late lunch, but what does everyone want for dinner?" Kat asked, trying to change the subject.
"Can you make stir fry?" JJ asked.
Kat sighed.
"Sorry, honey," she said. "Not tonight. We don't have everything. But I will try and get it from the kitchen. So, maybe tomorrow?"
JJ sighed but didn't argue.
"JJ, why don't you and Marc go hang out in your room for a while," Kat suggested. "I'll let you know when dinner is ready. Ok?"
"Is dad not coming back for dinner?" JJ frowned. "He said he might this morning…"
"I don't know," Kat sighed. "But go on."
Reluctantly, JJ and Marc disappeared into JJ's room. Kat walked over to the table and sat, the Dinos following her.
"What happened at the meeting, Kat?" Kira asked quietly.
Sighing, Kat quickly explained Tommy's plan and how the red's had voted. They looked at her in surprise as she explained.
"Well, that was unexpected," Ethan commented when she was done. "Does Dr. O really think this is going to work?"
"I guess…" Kat said, shaking her head.
"Explains why Conner was so mad when he came back," Trent said, glancing toward the red ranger's room.
Conner hadn't come out when the boys went to JJ's room. Krista sighed as she looked at their door. Ethan was shaking his head.
"I don't see why Conner is so mad, though," he said. "Dr. O would never suggest anything like this if he didn't have the best backup plan ever."
"And if he doesn't have one?" Kira pointed out. "Dr. O is still recovering, Ethan."
"Aren't we—well, the Ninjas—the backup plan?" Ethan countered. "The rangers are supposed to work together. So, Dr. O is supposed to trust other people. He's trusting all of us to keep him safe."
Trent nodded in agreement as Kat frowned.
"Give Conner time," Trent said. "He'll figure it out. I think he's mostly just angry because he can't do anything himself with his shoulder messed up."
"Do you think I should go talk to him?" Krista asked.
The three Dino rangers shook their heads.
"I wouldn't yet," Ethan said. "Not that I think he's going to unlock the door anyways…"
Ethan's phone went off and he grabbed it. He read the text message and stood.
"I'm out for dinner," he said. "Hayley needs help with some video she just found. I'll be back later."
Kira and Trent both turned to look at him.
"At a reasonable hour for sleep," he promised, heading toward his room for his computer.
Kat sighed and stood, too.
"Where are you going?" Kira asked.
"To talk to Tommy," Kat answered. "Can you guys start planning dinner? So we can figure out if we need anything from the cafeteria? I won't be too long."
"We can do that," Trent agreed.
Nodding, Kat headed out the door.
When Eric and Wes arrived at their suite, the door was already unlocked. Eric had texted Taylor as they were leaving to ask her to turn off the lockdown on the door. Devin came racing over when they walked in.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed happily.
"Hey, sweetheart," Eric smiled catching her and hugging her. "Have you been good for mom?"
Devin nodded eagerly.
"I helped with lunch!" she said proudly.
"That's great," Eric said. "Now, can you do something for me?"
"Ok," Devin nodded.
Eric set her down and crouched next to her.
"I need you to go play in your room for a while so I can talk to mom, ok?" he asked.
Devin nodded. Turning, she skipped away to her room. Eric straightened and turned to look at Taylor. She had her arms crossed and was frowning as she looked at him.
"So, then how did it go?" she asked. "Did you handle everything?"
"Well…" Eric said slowly.
"I'll let you two talk," Wes inserted, pulling out his phone. "I should really call my kids back."
He quickly retreated to his room. Taylor watched him go and then turned back to Eric.
"Eric, why is Wes running away?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
He sighed. Walking up to her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her after him into the kitchen so they could sit and talk.
"Because I need to talk to you and he doesn't want to help," Eric answered as they sat.
"About what?" Taylor asked.
Taking a breath, Eric started explaining. He started with the reason an emergency had been called and then explained the plan Tommy had presented to the reds.
"Ok," she said. "I mean, I can see where he's coming from. Undisputable evidence would be best. That doesn't explain why Wes is avoiding this conversation."
"Because there is another part to the plan," Eric said. "Tommy wants me to help."
"Ok…?"
"With Jason only just coming out of cryo and being right in the middle of the situation, Tommy is concerned he'll hesitate around his wife and brother-in-law," Eric continued. "So, since we are fairly certain they'll act against him at night, they asked me to take Jason's place at night so that if something happens it won't be Jason in immediate danger…"
Taylor stared at him for a moment without saying anything.
"No," she said.
"Taylor…"
"No," she repeated. "Tell them no. That you aren't just going to lay there and let them try and poison you like they did Tommy, Adam, and Rocky."
Eric sighed.
"I can't…" he admitted. "Since I kind of already agreed to it…"
"Then why did you say we needed to talk about it?" Taylor demanded.
"I'm sorry…" he said. "But I wanted you to at least have the illusion of a choice in this. Kind of like I had…"
She paused again.
"Are you telling me you didn't get a choice?" she asked icily.
Eric grimaced at the tone in her voice.
"Technically? Not really…" he admitted.
Taylor scowled and he caught her hand before she could stand and storm away.
"I would have said yes anyways," he told her. "You know that. And you know that if it was the other way around, you would have done the same thing without giving me a real choice either."
"Doesn't mean I have to like it," she snapped irritably.
"I know that," he said, squeezing her hand. "I wouldn't like you being in danger, either. But I also know you can take care of yourself, and I wouldn't stand in your way. So, you don't have to be happy about it, but I'd like you to at least understand."
She scowled at him, tugging her hand away and crossing her arms. Eric sighed.
"Taylor, I'm not just going to let something happen," he said. "We are going to be as safe as possible with this whole thing. But we need to keep them both safe and this is the best plan to make sure nothing happens to Jason that he's not prepared for. Ok?"
Taylor sighed, her shoulders slumping.
"Fine…" she muttered. "But you can tell them I'm not happy about it."
Eric stood and walked over to her chair, leaning down to kiss her forehead.
"I'm sure Tommy knows that already," he said as he straightened. "Given he made no offer to help tell you. Now, I'm going to fish Wes out of his room and get Devin. Then we can talk about dinner plans."
Taylor nodded. He headed across the suite to the bedrooms. Glancing over his shoulder, he stopped when he saw Taylor going for the door. Changing directions quickly, he went to intercept.
"Where are you going?" Eric asked.
"To talk to Tommy," she said.
"Nope," Eric answered.
He caught her around the waist and threw her over his shoulder.
"Eric!" Taylor protested.
"You can talk to him later," he said, heading toward Devin's room. "When you don't want to yell at him."
Kat paused outside of Jason and Tommy's door. Taking a deep breath, she opened it and walked inside. Jason was in his bed with Billy still sitting next to him. Adam was gone. And, to Kat's surprise, the curtain was pulled between Jason's bed and Tommy's. She could hear Tommy talking to someone on the other side, though, so she knew he was there.
"He is talking with Shane," Billy said, seeing Kat hesitate. "I believe they are discussing the Ninja's rotation."
"And the curtain?" Kat asked, looking at the curtain and then at Jason and Billy.
"Jason is less than amused by the red's final decision," Billy answered as Jason scowled. "Tommy thought it best to give him some space."
"I can answer for myself, Billy," Jason said irritably.
"Don't worry, Jason," Kat said. "You aren't the only one not happy. Conner had to lock himself in his room so he wouldn't upset JJ."
Billy winced as Jason just kept scowling. Kat walked to the other side of the curtain. Shane and Dustin were sitting and talking to Tommy.
"So, we'll be here for a couple more hours and then Hunter and Cam will be up," Shane was saying. "They're getting some sleep right now. Like I said, we figured two at a time will be best because then if you need to go somewhere one of us can follow you and the other can stay with Jason. Between us and whatever rotation Carter is setting up with Lightspeed we should have eyes everywhere."
Tommy nodded, glancing over at Kat.
"Thanks, Shane," he said.
The two Ninjas saw Kat waiting and stood.
"We'll be outside," Shane said. "Let us know if you need anything."
They quickly made themselves scarce, leaving Tommy and Kat as alone as they could be in a shared room.
"Hey," Tommy said quietly.
"Hi…" Kat said. "The curtain?"
Tommy sighed.
"Yeah, Jason isn't talking to me right now, either," he said. "I'm—"
"I'm sorry," Kat interrupted.
Tommy looked at her in surprise for a moment.
"That was supposed to be my line," he said.
"Let me finish," Kat said, shaking her head.
Tommy nodded and she walked over to sit on the bed next to him.
"I'm not sorry for being upset," Kat explained. "Because it means I care about you."
Reaching over, Tommy grabbed her hands and squeezed them as she continued.
"But I am sorry for not recognizing that you coming up with this plan is not you just trying to be the hero…" she said. "I talked with the kids, and Ethan had a good point. You made this plan putting full trust in the rest of us to take care of you…"
"Yes," Tommy said. "I'm trusting that everyone here will help take care of me. And, trust me, it's hard on me, too. Sitting back and letting something happen while I do nothing isn't easy."
He paused, shaking his head.
"Kat, I would love nothing more than to just go confront them and make it better," he said. "But I can't. I literally can't. They would deny the whole thing and probably get away with it. This isn't an evil space witch we can go to battle with…"
Kat sighed.
"I know," she admitted. "And I know you need to be here for the plan to happen. But, for tonight, I'd like you to come back to the suite. You can be back here tomorrow morning an—"
"Kat," Tommy interrupted.
He reached down and picked his backpack up, holding it for her to see.
"I was already planning on it," he said.
"Oh," Kat said sheepishly.
"I just have to wait until Christine and Will come by," Tommy said.
"Tommy?" Billy said, poking his head around the curtain.
Tommy and Kat turned to look at him.
"Do not worry about them," Billy said. "I have it under control. Go with Kat. You will miss dinner if you do not go now."
Tommy hesitated.
"Jason will not be alone," Billy assured him. "You have my word I will remain here until Eric arrives for the night."
"Thanks, Billy," Tommy said.
He stood, tugging Kat up with him. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he grabbed his cane and they made their way out of the room. Billy sat back down next to Jason and picked up his tablet. Jason sighed.
"I can't be mad at him now, can I?" he asked, looking at Billy.
Billy smiled, shaking his head.
"I do not believe so," he answered. "Tommy appears to have unintentionally eliminated that option."
Jason sighed. He didn't have an argument.
"What would you like for dinner?" Billy asked. "Hayley is bringing us food."
When Eric finally came up a couple of hours later, Jason was in a better mood. Hayley had already come and gone a while before, muttering something about a video when she dropped off their dinner.
"Where's Tommy?" Eric asked.
"Kat collected him for the evening," Billy answered. "I am remaining here to handle everything until they are gone for the evening."
Eric nodded and headed around the curtain. He knew he needed to be out of sight when the siblings showed up, so he got comfortable in a chair and pulled out his computer to work on some reports while he waited. None of them had to wait long. Tommy had left his phone behind, and the alert warned them when Christine and Will hit the floor. Jason tensed.
"Sleep, Jason," Billy suggested quietly. "It has been a long day and it is late. No one would blame you for being tired."
Jason rolled his eyes, but he got comfortable and laid down. He closed his eyes as the door opened. Part of him still didn't want to believe either of them capable of what they were being accused of, but most of him knew his friends wouldn't ever lie about something like this. Not to mention what he had heard from them a couple day prior. And if he tried to talk to his wife right now, he was going to ruin Tommy's attempt to gain solid proof. Proof that Jason needed to truly believe this was happening, even if he was running out of arguments for himself.
Christine and Will stopped in surprise when they saw the curtain around Tommy's bed and Billy sitting with Jason.
"What are you doing here?" Christine demanded.
"And why the curtain?" Will added.
"Tommy and Jason are both feeling under the weather today," Billy answered. "The curtain was to give them privacy. I am sitting with them until the doctors come for their evening rounds to ensure they are taken care of should they need something."
"Well, we're here now," Christine said. "I can take care of my husband."
"Of course," Billy nodded. "I will stay out of your way. I have work to complete, so I will be quiet. I have quite a bit to get done and this is a quiet place to work without being disturbed by my wife or daughters."
He made no move to get up, returning his attention to his tablet. Christine scowled. Sitting, she started sighing as she took Jason's hand. Billy ignored her attempts to annoy him and focused on his work. Will, trying to be intimidating, stood with his arms crossed as he glared at Billy. Again, Billy wasn't fazed. He didn't even look up from the tablet. He just continued to work. Finally, after nearly an hour of not-so-subtle attempts to get Billy to leave, Christine and Will gave up. They stormed out of the room and Billy sighed in relief.
"They're gone," Hunter announced a couple of minutes later.
He walked in with Cam. The pair had switched with Shane and Dustin while Christine and Will were there.
"Good," Eric said, pulling the curtain open.
He had put his things away. Jason's eyes were open again and Billy was putting away his tablet now.
"Alright, Jason," Eric said. "Let's get you moved next door."
"Alright, JJ," Tommy said, shaking his head. "It's late. Time for bed."
JJ had been extremely relieved and excited when Tommy came back with Kat in time to eat dinner. He'd talked a mile a minute all through dinner. It was a few hours later now, however, and he was still bouncing excitedly around the suite.
"But dad…" JJ whined. "We were gonna watch a movie and—"
"Weren't you up late last night watching a movie?" Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah, but—"
"But nothing," Tommy said firmly. "It's bedtime."
"But dad… you just got back," JJ complained.
"I've been here all evening," Tommy pointed out. "And I plan to be here when you wake up in the morning. Now go put your pajamas on. I'll be in there in a couple of minutes to make sure you are actually getting ready for bed."
Grumbling, JJ headed toward his room. Marc, sitting on the couch, hesitated.
"You, too, Marc," Tommy said. "Let's go."
Marc got up to follow JJ.
"Make sure you brush your teeth!" Tommy called after them. "None of that wetting the toothbrush trick!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," JJ muttered.
The two boys disappeared into JJ's room. In the living room, Trent, Krista, and Kira were snickering. Tommy turned his attention to them. Ethan was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, his focus entirely on his computer. Conner still hadn't come out of his room. He hadn't even come out to eat dinner.
"Hey, we're adults," Kira protested immediately. "We don't have a bedtime."
"So, you're telling me you haven't all been overtaxing yourselves?" he countered. "You need sleep."
The three of them exchanged looks. None of them could argue.
"Ok, so maybe you're right…" Trent admitted.
"Then go," Tommy said, gesturing toward their rooms.
The three of them stood, stretching as they headed toward their rooms. Ethan hadn't moved, absorbed in his computer. Tommy walked over to him.
"It will keep, Ethan," he said. "Put it away."
Ethan's head shot up.
"What?" he said, looking at Tommy.
Sighing, Tommy leaned over and shut the computer.
"It will keep," he repeated firmly. "Go get some sleep."
"Oh, right," Ethan said. "Thanks, Dr. O…"
Standing, Ethan stretched and headed toward his room. Krista was standing in front of her door. It was still locked. Sighing, she knocked.
"I'm not coming out," Conner answered. "I know he's out there and I'm not ready to talk."
"Conner, I just want to go to bed," Krista sighed. "Can you please let me in?"
There was a pause and the door lock clicked. Shaking her head, Krista let herself in. Tommy sighed, shaking his head as he turned away. Kat was watching him.
"He'll get over it," Kat said. "Conner just doesn't want to watch someone else he cares about get hurt while he has to stand on the sidelines."
"I know," Tommy said, walking over to give her a hug.
She hugged him back.
"JJ has missed you," she said quietly. "He may not act like it, but…"
"I figured," Tommy said, smiling at her. "And I can play mean dad for the night. They all need the sleep."
He glanced up at the clock on the wall after standing together for a few minutes in silence.
"Well, I think that's been enough time," he said.
Letting go of Kat, Tommy turned and headed toward the boys' room.
"Times up!" he called. "Incoming. You two better be in bed!"