Legacy Of Power: At World’s End

Part 4 – Training

Chapter 16 – Getting To Know You

Written By Pink-Green-White-4ever

Story Ideas By: Pink-Green-White-4ever and Marcus

 

Last Revised: July 3, 2008

Summary: Jason’s hurt, the others are learning to relate to each other, and two Rangers have a long awaited serious talk about their places in each other’s lives...get the tissues ready!

Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance

Rating: T for language

 

AN: I’m sorry about the long wait between chapters, but like many of you, school, finals, and real life have just gotten in the way.  That, and Chapter 20 came in at the second longest of this story so far at 37 1/2 pages long...inspiration was hit and miss for a while.  I’m hoping for another chapter by mid-August, but don’t hold your breath.

 

Dedication: For Marcus, who’s going through hell right now; you’re not alone, don’t be afraid to email or IM me, even if it’s just to chit chat or bitch about something!  LOVE YA!

 

“The world is not respectable; it is mortal, tormented, confused, deluded forever; but it is shot through with beauty, with love, with glints of courage and laughter; and in these, the spirit blooms timidly, and struggles to the light amid the thorns.” -- George Santayana --

 

“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.”  -- Billy Graham --

 

--

 

“JASON!”

 

The entire group of Rangers tensed and spun around at Nick’s frantic yell.  Their hearts hit the ground and their stomachs tightened when they saw Rito pull his sword up from Jason’s side as the Red Ranger hit the ground not far from where Nick had been standing.

 

“Time to stop playing!” Taylor hissed.  “READY?”

 

“READY!” the others responded, hands automatically seeking out their morphers.

 

“IT’S MORPHIN TIME!” Aisha yelled proudly, her hands going through the motions of her morph.

 

“LET’S ROCKET!” Cassie ordered, hitting the buttons on her morpher to activate her powers.

 

“GO GALACTIC!” Damon’s strong timbre echoed as his arms spread wide in his morphing sequence.

 

“TITANIUM POWER!” Ryan called out, activating his morpher.

 

“TIME FOR TIME FORCE!” Lucas all but barked, his body sliding naturally through his morph.

 

“WILD ACCESS!” Taylor announced, her hands moving with her morpher as she called on her powers.

 

“NINJA STORM SAMURAI FORM!” Cam’s voice sounded as he brought his amulet morpher out.

 

“WHITE RANGER DINO POWER!” Trent commanded of his powers, flipping, twisting and turning with the power.

 

“SPD EMERGENCY!” Sky shouted, thrusting his arm out at the end of his morph.

 

While the others morphed, Nick scrambled toward Jason on hands and knees.  Even as Taylor flew over his head, Nick rolled Jason onto his good side and checked the older Ranger’s wound.  “Come on Jason!  Don’t do this to me!” Nick uttered frantically, pressing down on the wound to stop the bleeding.

 

“OW!” Jason hissed out.  “Not so fucking hard!”

 

Nick jerked back in surprise.  “You’re awake?”

 

Jason gave him a bland look.  “Naw, you think?”

 

The Red Mystic started laughing, relief washing over him at Jason’s sarcastic tone.  If the Zeo Ranger wasn’t okay, he wouldn’t have reacted with sarcasm.  “How bad?”

 

“Bad,” Jason grunted.  The pain shot through him, causing every nerve ending to throb along to the beat of the blood pulsing through his veins.  

 

“As soon as the others take out Rito, we’ll get you back to Rootcore and Mom can fix you up.”

 

Jason tried to nod but felt nauseous at the motion.  “Leave it to Sha, she’ll kick his ass,” Jason muttered, swallowing hard.

 

“I’d kick it if I wasn’t worried about the blood you’ve lost.  What the hell were you thinking taking that hit for me?” Nick demanded, anger now replacing the worry.

 

The Red Zeo Ranger winced and struggled to breath.  “Not stupid, must protect,” Jason muttered as he started losing consciousness.

 

“Protect what?” Nick snapped, seeing Jason going under.  “JASON!”

 

“Must protect light,” Jason uttered before he passed out.

 

The younger Red Ranger began to shake, a horrible sense of déjà vu attacking him.  His friends, his beloved Maddy, the same ones he now counted as his family, they had once done what Jason was suggesting.  The sense of loss, even though he’d gotten them back, attacked him, even worse than before.  “Come on Jason!  Hang in there!”

 

While Nick was with Jason, the others were morphed and taking out their frustrations on Rito and his goons.  “Damn!” Rito grunted as he was hit from all sides and fell to his knees.  With a roar, he unleashed his eye lasers and slammed his sword into the ground, causing the whole forest to shake.  The Rangers lost their footing until Taylor launched herself into the air, claws extended.

 

“Lights of Orion, activate!” Damon announced, the special weapon adding itself to his suit as commanded.

 

“SUPER DINO MODE!” Trent called out.

 

“SPD SWAT MODE!” Sky’s voice followed a few seconds later.

 

“SUPER SAMURAI MODE!” Cam’s voice echoed, his uniform changing to it’s powered up mode.

 

“You’ve got nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, Bonehead!” Aisha fiercely growled, facing him with the others circled around them.  “I’m so sick of you bad guys fighting dirty and us not being able to counter!”

 

“You’re a goody-goody, Yellow Ranger.  You don’t have it in you to fight down and dirty!” Rito taunted.

 

“Eleven years too late to grow balls, Rito,” Aisha hissed.  “Don’t think we’re not going to extract payment for Jason’s wound.  Your ass is mine.”

 

“You haven’t got the guts!”

 

Aisha smirked behind her helmet.  “See, that’s why Zedd, Vile, and Mondo got their asses handed to them – they underestimated the Rangers.”

 

“Just you and me, Aisha; just you and me.”

 

“Fine!” Aisha hissed.  “Power down!”

 

The others gasped when Aisha’s suit melted away, revealing the yellow tank top and red and yellow sweat pant wearing civilian.  “I’ll be rewarded for sure for taking out one of the Morphin brats.”

 

“In your dreams.”  With that, Aisha silently launched herself toward him, ducking to avoid a slash from his sword while popping up and nailing him in the chest with her fist, which sent him stumbling back while she back flipped out of his reach.  He grasped his chest and grumbled something under his breath.  “I’m sorry, did that hurt?” she mouthed off at him.

 

“Naw, it didn’t hurt,” he announced, dashing forward toward her.  He caught Aisha by surprise, slamming the handle of his sword into her back as he passed by her, which caused her to cry out and hit the ground.  “Oh, I’m sorry, did that hurt?”

 

Aisha rolled over onto her back, drew her legs up and extended her hands backwards over her head before pushing up from the ground and popping up in front of him.  “I won’t give you satisfaction by answering that,” she smirked before she bent down on one knee, closed her eyes, and concentrated on the power that lived inside of her, the one that was separate from her Ranger abilities.  The others watched in shock as she planted her palms flat on the ground and then began to glow yellow.

 

Seconds ticked by, leaving Rito standing there, twitching, as he watched her.  Before he had time to react, Aisha’s head was snapping back, her eyes wide and her mouth flying open as yellow power blasted straight into the air.  Power was also emitted from her hands, seeping into the ground, which began to shake.

 

The ground began to start ripping apart, as if something was snaking under its surface.  The rip headed for Rito before it stopped and disappeared.  Rito looked down between his legs at the dirt under him before he looked up at Aisha.  “Ha, your powers shorted out chickadee.  Nice try.”

 

Cam, the most sensitive to the elemental powers charging around the forest, shook his head.  “Wait for it,” he whispered.

 

The others gasped when suddenly a fountain of yellow power blasted through the ground and straight into Rito, lifting him into the air before dropping him, hard.  Rito only had a moment to grunt as he was suddenly sucked into the hole Aisha’s power had made, until only his head was visible and the dirt had closed around him.  “Since I don’t have time to beat you senseless like you deserve, leaving you stuck in the earth ought to be good enough for now,” Aisha hissed before she looked to the others.  “Let’s get Jason back to Rootcore; I’ve had enough of Rito’s ugly butt for one day.”

 

The others nodded, not wanting to anger their obviously powerful friend, and headed for Nick and Jason.  “How do we get him up and to Rootcore without hurting him?” Cassie asked, pulling Jason’s head into her lap.  She shook her head, knowing Kat was so not going to be happy.

 

Aisha pursed her lips.  “Nick, listen to me,” she started, knowing he was still freaking out slightly.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Can you channel all our powers to use a transport spell?”

 

The Red Mystic looked skeptical but nodded.  “I can try.”

 

“Good.  Ready guys?” she asked.

 

“Ready.”

 

“Yellow Bear…”

 

“Pink Space…”

 

“Green Condor…”

 

“Titanium…”

 

“Blue Time…”

 

“Yellow Eagle…”

 

“Green Samurai…”

 

“White Drego…”

 

“SPD Blue…”

 

“Mystic Phoenix!” Nick called, concentrating on pulling all the power floating around them into himself as he began to weave that power into the transport spell.

 

Aisha turned her head and saw Rito struggling to free himself.  “See ya later, Rito, cause we are so not finished!” she told him in a sickeningly sweet voice, blowing him a kiss just as Nick called the spell.

 

“VANISHIO!”

 

--

 

“You have got to be kidding,” Nadira muttered.  She and Ally were still awake, listening to their guards argue back and forth, about some stupid numbskull named Rito losing to the Rangers after having injured one of them.

 

“I don’t understand, is that bad?” Ally asked.

 

“If memory serves correct, Rito’s an idiot, but if he managed to hurt one of the others, then things are really serious,” Nadira told her, her eyes shifting from Ally’s dirty face to where Nikki and Ransik slept.  The two older adults had kept watch most of the night while the two younger women slept.  “As much as I hate to say this, I sorta wish Daddy had power still.  At least then we could get out of here.”

 

Ally just patted Nadira’s shoulder.  “Are you alright?  You look, I don’t know, scared?”

 

Nadira’s lips thinned.  “That’s because I am.  We’re in a lot of trouble, Ally; I’m not sure you understand how much.  Every bad guy on Earth that the Rangers faced from 1993 to 2006 has been brought back and teamed up with each other to face the Rangers.”

 

The blonde haired human looked resigned as she turned away from the bars.  “I didn’t really spend a lot of time with Jack when he was a Ranger; I sorta came in on the tail end of that, and my stubbornness shone through every time he mentioned it.  I guess... part of me was jealous that I couldn’t share those experiences with him, so I made him deny them, made him turn his back on that part of his life.”

 

“Why?  I don’t understand how you could do that.  I know Lucas, and I know that having been a Ranger is very much an instrumental piece of the man I love.”

 

Ally blinked away tears.  “It hasn’t been so bad the last year or so, but in the beginning, I couldn’t stand seeing him with his former teammates, knowing that they shared those experiences with him and I wouldn’t.  I love him so much, Nadira, that it took me a long time to realize that if he hadn’t been the Red Ranger for that brief year, I wouldn’t have found him to begin with.”

 

“So you really don’t know what we’re up against, do you?” Nadira asked, suddenly realizing how frightened her new friend had to be considering.

 

“Oh, I know some of it, just not all.  I remember Morganna and Gruumm, I remember Jack talking about Mirloc in terms of Sky and mentioning Benagg had something to do with Cruger, but I don’t know the details, simply because I never wanted to.  I’m ashamed of that, but right now, I know Jack, and I know he’s got his morpher back and his teammates behind him.  If your Lucas is anything like Jack, or any of the other Rangers are for that matter, then we’re out of here, and soon.”

 

Nadira smiled.  “Oh, I completely agree.  I’ve met the Wild Force and Lightspeed Rangers, though the latter was on more combative terms, but I know that we will get rescued, and evil’s going to get its ass kicked.”

 

“SHUT UP!” a figure in gold and red hissed, slamming her sword against the bars.  “No talking!”

 

Nadira sneered at her.  “Gee, like I wouldn’t recognize that fashion disaster outfit a mile away.  Scorpina, right?”

 

“I suggest you shut your mouth, Nadira, before we shut it for you,” a second figure, as tall as Scorpina, snickered.

 

“Morganna,” Ally’s voice was barely a whisper.

 

“Well, well, if it isn’t the little Red Ranger’s chickie poo.  Enjoying your accommodations?”

 

Ally just looked at the woman and suddenly felt sorry for her.  When SPD got their hands on her, she was one dead minion.  “Jack and the others are going to kick your ass.”

 

Morganna looked unimpressed.  “We’ll see, but I hate to break it to you, I’m a lot more powerful than before.”

 

“And so are the Rangers,” Ransik’s strong voice suddenly echoed through the cell as he and Nikki walked up to the bars.

 

“Scorpina, Morganna, I don’t think…” Zurgane started, sounding worried.

 

“That’s right, you aren’t paid to think, you’re paid to do, now shut up!” Morganna hissed, lurching at him.  Zurgane jumped back in fear and cowered for a few moments.

 

Nikki let out a sound of disgust.  “You three are pathetic,” she told them, shaking her head.  “Honestly, don’t you know that all Rito has done is piss off the Rangers?  Who’d he injury anyways?”

 

“The original Red himself, who is now playing Zeo leader,” Scorpina laughed.  “Ironic that Jason fell saving that wimpy Red Mystic.  Some ultimate weapon he turned out to be, he didn’t even see Rito coming at him until it was too late.”

 

Nikki’s eyes burned with anger as she lunged at the bars, surprising the three on the outside and sending them jumping back.  “Let me tell you something, the Light is to be feared.  He will destroy the darkness, reset the balance, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do, and don’t think that the Rangers don’t know that.”

 

Scorpina got close to where Nikki stood and gave her a wicked smile.  “You have no idea how much damage we’re about to do to those stupid Rangers.  Everything they ever took for granted is about to be pulled out from under them, and soon, the whole world is going to know what failures they are.”

 

That said, she and Morganna spun around and headed to another room, leaving Zurgane to watch the four.  “Please, I’m asking you, don’t anger them.  I can’t deal with them both, not when they’re that mad.”

 

“Shut up, Zurgane,” Nikki hissed before she stalked to the back of the cell.

 

--

 

Udonna and Dana fairly flew into the main room after Nick and Joel’s frantic calls over their communicators the instant they reappeared.  “What happened?” Udonna demanded, moving toward Aisha, who was being helped into a chair by Cassie and Taylor.

 

“Long story; needless to say, Rito Revolto showed up and shoved his sword straight into Jason’s side,” Aisha huffed, her eyes locked on Jason’s withering form on the ground.  The Yellow Ninjetti was reeling still from her use of power, but what was worse, were the feelings of helplessness and guilt echoing through her; she hadn’t been fast enough to get to her friend in time and now he was suffering needlessly.  In the ten plus years she’d known Jason she’d never seen him look so helpless.

 

Meanwhile, Dana was already at Jason’s side.  “Nick, where are you bleeding?” the Pink Ranger asked, her voice calm though she knew her question would shake Udonna.

 

“Nick!”

 

“I’m fine,” he assured them both.  “It’s Jason’s.  I tried to put as much pressure as I could on the wound,” he shakily told Dana.

 

The Pink Ranger smiled at him.  “Good job, you probably saved his life,” she told him.

 

“Just trying to return the favor,” he murmured, causing Dana’s eyes to lock with his, an understanding between them.

 

“JASON!” Kat’s frantic voice echoed as the Pink Zeo Ranger raced in, followed by the Morphin and Zeo teams as well as all of the Red Rangers.

 

Dana’s sharp glance at Rocky and Tommy had the pair catching the Pink Zeo Ranger before she could get anywhere near her hurt fiancée.  “Guys!  Let go!” Kat cried as Tommy turned her around and wrapped her in his arms.

 

“Katherine, listen to me,” he started, his own voice shaky as he saw the blood all over Nick’s tank and sweats and all over Jason’s clothes.  “Dana’s a doctor; let her do what she needs to in order to save his life, alright?  Right now, you’re just going to be in her way.”

 

While Kat hugged Tommy fiercely, no one could catch Kimberly in time as she fairly flew across the room and hit her knees next to her big brother.  “Kim, please, I need to see to this,” Dana murmured.

 

“You don’t have enough time,” Kimberly softly uttered, terror in her voice.  “He’s lost too much blood already.  Let me.”

 

Dana looked confused until an unknown voice echoed in her head, reminding her that the Ranger teams had new powers they didn’t know about yet.  “Go for it.”

 

“Monitor his pulse for me,” Kim murmured.

 

The group watched on in shock as Kimberly’s whole body suddenly flared a bright pink.  When the light died down, she was outlined in pink still, her normally doe brown eyes were fuchsia and her hands were twin balls of pink light.  Leaning down, she put her hands on either side of Jason’s injury and bowed her head.  She flared like a strobe light for several seconds before her head flew back and Jason was enveloped in pink light before he began to glow red on his own.  One blinding flash of white light burst forth, blinding them all, and when it died down, Jason was breathing normally, his eyes open and looking up into Dana’s.  Kimberly, on the other hand, had passed out.

 

“What the hell just happened?” Rocky uttered, finally breaking the silence.

 

“Did you not listen when Zordon and I explained your abilities were greater now?” Ninjor asked, moving from the doorway, navigating through the crowd, before he knelt next to Jason and Kimberly.  “How do you feel?”

 

“Like I just got sucker punched, but a lot better than I did,” Jason muttered.  “Kim!” he cried out in shock, trying to lean over before Ninjor’s hand stopped him.

 

“She’s just asleep.  Using her powers for the first time in such a way has left her a little under the weather.  Nick, can you carry Kimberly to one of the bedrooms?”

 

The Red Mystic looked down at his clothes and then back up at Ninjor.  “I don’t want to pick her up with the blood on me,” Nick murmured.

 

Ninjor waved his hand at Nick’s clothes and instantly they were clean.  “Better?”  Nodding, Nick crawled around Jason’s now sitting form and crouched next to Kim before lifting her into his arms and then carrying her upstairs.  “Tommy, I think now would be a good time for you to have a talk with him,” Ninjor suggested.

 

The White Ranger nodded and released Katherine, who immediately moved over to Jason, throwing her arms around him while Dana continued to check his pulse.  Tommy turned, leaving the group, and headed after Nick and Kim.

 

--

 

“Did you get what I asked you to?” the deep voice requested as Broodwing entered the room.

 

“Yes, I got it,” the giant bat-like being huffed.

 

“Good.  Allow me to introduce King Mondo of the Machine Empire,” the First spoke, pointing to Mondo’s hulking form.  “You, Divatox, Mesogog and Trakeena will be working with him on the project.  I want it ready immediately.”

 

“Programs of the magnitude and sophistication you’re suggesting take time,” Broodwing grumbled.

 

“You have until March 17, fair enough?” the First angrily asked.

 

“Why then?”

 

“Because that’s when the second phase of our plan begins.”

 

Broodwing glared at the First’s back before turning to face a stupidly grinning Mondo.  “I’m surrounded by idiots.”

 

--

 

Once he laid Kim on his bed, Nick collapsed on the floor beside it, his face buried in his hands.  He drew his legs up and tried to get the images out of his head.  It didn’t work.  Open or closed, his eyes kept replaying Jason falling to the ground with Rito’s sword protruding from his side.  Nick swallowed convulsively, hoping to keep the contents of his stomach down.  He felt the guilt eating at him; he and Jason hadn’t been on the best of terms until just before the fight, and then the Red Zeo Ranger had to go and be heroic.

 

“They must make Red Rangers out of the same mold,” a voice muttered.

 

Nick’s head snapped up and his eyes met Tommy’s.  “Huh?”

 

“I know that look,” Tommy started.  “I can’t count how many times as the Green Ranger I had that guilty look, or how many times as White and Red I felt I’d let the team down.  Every Red has had that look at some point in their career.”

 

“I…” Nick started before shaking his head.  “Why’d he do it?”

 

Tommy leaned against the doorframe.  “Start from the beginning and tell me what happened.”

 

Sighing, Nick told the older Ranger everything that happened from the time training ended until they’d brought Jason back to Rootcore.  “I just, I don’t get it, Tommy.  I couldn’t stand him and we were both abrasive and after one talk, he’s jumping in front of me, taking the hit that was meant for me.”

 

The White Ranger shook his head.  “That’s Jase for you; even though you’d been at odds, the second you made friends with him it was forgotten,” Tommy told him, the look on his face saying he’d been there done that with the older Red Ranger.

 

“Sounds like the voice of experience.”

 

Tommy nodded and moved into the room.  Carefully, he checked on Kim before sitting on the floor next to Nick.  “Have you heard how I became a Ranger?”

 

“Some.”

 

“I nearly killed the original five,” he started, shaking his head at the memory.  “When Jason destroyed the Sword of Darkness, thus breaking the spell over me, I felt horrible; I felt this overwhelming guilt that I tried to kill the people who had tried to befriend me.  He was the one who extended the invitation to me, to join the team, to be friends with them after what I did to them.  The minute I accepted, all of what had been done under Rita’s influence was forgotten.”

 

Nick swallowed the lump in his throat.  “If he dies…”

 

Tommy laughed.  “It’ll take more than Rito to kill Jason, trust me on that.  Besides, didn’t you see what Kim did down there?”

 

“Is SHE going to be okay?” Nick asked.

 

“Kim?  Yeah.  She’s just sleeping it off.  She’s always been the one to push the limits, even at the expense of wearing herself out.  She’ll sleep like the dead for a couple of hours then be good as new.”

 

Nick was surprised Tommy wasn’t more worried about Kim but figured the White Ranger knew his fiancée and her limits, not to mention had enough respect for her not to completely flip out.  “Are you going to be alright?” Tommy asked.

 

The Red Mystic nodded.  “I guess so…”

 

Tommy chuckled.  “Yeah, definitely a true Red.”

 

Nick grinned at that.  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

 

“Be careful,” Tommy warned.  “The girls would call it a turn off too, since we tend to be more stubborn than even they are.”

 

Chuckles ensued then.  “Sounds like something Maddy would say.”

 

“Direct quote from Kim, who is the master of knowledge when it comes to Ranger men,” Tommy grinned.

 

--

 

“Don’t look so happy,” Taylor teased as she plopped down next to Alyssa on one of the couches in the library, her attention on Danny.

 

“Taylor, I really don’t want to hear it from you right now, okay?  I’ve got enough to deal with without listening to you harp on me,” he huffed before he got up and headed out of the room.

 

The Yellow Ranger looked bewildered.  “I was just teasing, what crawled up his butt and died?”

 

Cole looked weary from where he stood near the stairs to the second level.  “He found something out a few days ago, and the conversation he just had with Kendall didn’t help.”

 

“Fill me in?”

 

Alyssa sighed.  “It has to do with Z,” the White Ranger started.  When Taylor gave her a look she continued.  “He overhead Jen talking to Katie.  Apparently, Z is his and Kendall’s daughter from the future, and from the sounds of it, she grew up on the streets.”

 

Taylor’s blue eyes widened.  “Then something happened to Danny and Kendall, because I know for a fact neither of them would up and abandon their daughter.”

 

“That’s what we were thinking,” Max finally put in.  “He just called to see if Kendall would come out here, but she’s too busy right now.”

 

“Does Z know?” Taylor asked.

 

“We’re not sure,” Cole spoke up again.  “Danny wants to talk to her about it, but he wanted Kendall here when he did it.”

 

Taylor nodded.  “Let me go talk to Jen, since I’m the closest to her of us.  I’ll come find you guys when I get some answers.”

 

That said the three Rangers watched Taylor stand up and stride from the room, her destination the Pink Time Force Ranger.

 

--

 

Katherine sighed as she sat on the bed Jason was resting on, her eyes trained on his still pale face.  He seemed to be resting comfortably since whatever Kim had done to him, but her own uneasiness prevailed.  She had nearly lost him to a devastating injury and the shock and fear still had a firm grip on her heart and soul.  “Kat?” Jason’s soft voice sounded, causing her to lean closer to him.

 

“I’m right here.  What’s wrong?”

 

“I can’t sleep,” he uttered tiredly.

 

“I don’t know how to help,” she told him honestly.  “What do you want me to do?”

 

Jason licked his lips.  Usually when he had trouble sleeping he thought about Kat, or tried to remember her singing.  “Sing for me?”

 

A smile spread across Katherine’s face.  “I can try,” she whispered.

 

As Katherine’s melodic voice launched into a semi-familiar song, Jason felt his eyes get heavy and his body start to settle down.  He barely felt the shift from being awake to being asleep, but as soon as he found himself in the basement lair of the Dino Thunder team, he knew something was going on.

 

“Go ahead Andros,” Tommy told a familiar figure on the large plasma screen.

 

Jason could also point out several other familiar figures – Leo, Carter, Wes, Eric, Cole, T.J., Rocky, and the only non red of the group, Zhane.  For a moment, he felt bewildered until he realized what was going on.

 

“They’ve defeated their evil,” Andros spoke carefully, gauging everyone else’s reaction.  “Apparently, he was after something called The Light.  From what Zhane and I have been able to find out, The Light refers to their Red Ranger, Nick Russell.”

 

The former Red and Gold Ranger suddenly felt the déjà vu overwhelm him.  He was reliving the conversation from November when Andros had called them all together to say that Mystic Force had prevailed.

 

“Okay, color me confused, but why is their Red Ranger referred to as The Light?” T.J. asked.

 

“Apparently he’s not from this realm,” Zhane broke in.  “He’s from a magical realm that is located in the Dark Forest outside of Briarwood.  His parents are two of the most powerful magical beings on the planet.  His father was turned to the darkness and his mother is known as the White Witch.”

 

“Do I want to ask how you got those gems of information?” Eric sarcastically asked.

 

Zhane’s chin came up.  “Unlike other teams, the whole of Briarwood seems to know the story of the Mystic Force Rangers, including their identities.”

 

“Oh that’s wonderful,” Rocky muttered.  “Do Rangers these days not get the concept of SECRET IDENTITY?”  Jason couldn’t help but chuckle at that.  He remembered had thought the same thing but knew that sometimes things happened beyond their control.

 

“Is that all?” Tommy asked, drawing their attention back to the reason for the conference call.

 

“Just that both Zhane and I got the feeling that if a team up is necessary, it might not hurt to have some older Rangers come in for backup.  If something happens to The Light, it could very well spell disaster for all of us.”

 

“If the Master was after him, I’d have to agree with you,” Carter spoke up for the first time.

 

“The Master used him, but underestimated him; we might not get so lucky next time,” Andros pointed out.

 

“Andros is right.  The rest of you, if your teams have their powers, have them on stand by, just in case.  Tommy and Jason out.”  Jason watched his friend kill the transmission between the Rangers and then suddenly felt himself ripped from the memory.

 

“Jason?” Aisha’s soft voice floated to his ears.

 

“Sha?”

 

The Yellow Ranger smiled down at him.  “Shh, Kat’s asleep.  I just came in to check on you.  Are you alright?”

 

The Red Ranger shook his head.  “Not really; memories.”

 

“I know the feeling; want to talk about it?”

 

“Did Rocky tell you about our Red-colored conference call in November?”

 

Aisha nodded.  “He mentioned it, briefly.  Why?”

 

“I spilled the beans to Nick, just before I passed out when we were fighting Rito.  He knows I know he’s The Light.”

 

“And that’s a problem how?”

 

“I don’t know, I just get the feeling there’s going to be issues because of it.”

 

Aisha shook her head at him in disbelief.  “The entire town of Briarwood knows he’s The Light, he can’t hold you and the other Reds and a few others knowing that against you, and if he does, he’s got a lot to learn about the whole issue of trying to keep secrets as a Ranger.  The two things don’t go together.”

 

Jason smiled a goofy grin at his friend.  “I hate it when you’re right.”

 

“Then you must be hating all the time, huh?” she teased.  “Honestly though, is there anything I can get you?”

 

Yawning, Jason shook his head no.  “I’m good.  I got a soft bed and my woman; I just need to get to sleep.”

 

Aisha rolled her eyes.  “Then get to it boy, get to it,” she laughed as she got up and quietly left the room.

 

--

 

As she packed her gear, Jen felt a ball of tension building in her stomach.  She tried to breath through it, but knew what it ultimately meant – a confrontation was about to ensue, and she wasn’t sure she’d like it much.

 

“Got a minute?” Taylor’s voice echoed in the room, causing the Pink Ranger to stand up and face her friend.

 

“Sure, what’s up?”

 

“Look, give it to me straight – is Danny Z’s father?” Taylor asked point blank.

 

Jen’s expression of muted shock gave Taylor and instant answer.  “Why are you asking me that?”

 

“Because Cole, Max and Alyssa just told me why Danny’s suddenly so pissy; it’s true, isn’t it?”

 

The Pink Ranger slid down onto the floor near her bags, her knees drawing to her chest.  “Yes.”

 

“Why does it sound like Z was raised on the streets?  What the hell happened to Danny and Kendall?” Taylor demanded.

 

Closing her eyes and swallowing hard, Jen fought to find the right words.  “I can’t tell you everything, Taylor, because no one is supposed to know their future, because we all make our own destinies.  What I can tell you is that the future Z is from doesn’t contain her parents.  I won’t go into detail, but she grew up in an orphanage and a children’s home starting at about age 4 or 5.”

 

For the first time, Jen saw Taylor’s feelings for her teammates swirling in her eyes.  Despite the tough image she presented, Taylor had a soft heart, especially where her teammates were concerned.  “Why?”

 

“I can’t tell you!” Jen bit out.  “Z knows, and now apparently so does Danny.  It’s up to them to talk to each other.”

 

“I cannot even image…” Taylor began.

 

“I know, I didn’t want to believe it either, but I have access to all of SPD’s files, and I looked.  Cruger knew I knew her parents.  How, I don’t know, but when I first met him, he knew.”

 

Taylor nodded.  “I pissed Danny off earlier.”

 

“That’s nothing new, you piss everyone off,” Jen retorted.

 

The Yellow Eagle Ranger grinned.  “I do, don’t I?  Anyways, should we get them to talk to each other?”

 

Jen shrugged.  “Z said she needed time to absorb.  With everything going on, I don’t think she’s really had time to sit down and think it over, and neither has Danny.”

 

“You’re right.  Look, sorry I snapped at you.  You know how overprotective I get.”

 

“Yeah, I know.  Look, no one outside of you, me, Katie, Z and the rest of Wild Force knows.  Let’s keep it between us, okay?”

 

Taylor nodded.  “You got it.  I guess I need to go find Danny.”

 

Jen watched Taylor walk out, her heart breaking all over again for the knowledge she had.  How could she ever tell Z that her parents had died protecting her one night from someone trying to steal her because of her genetic powers.

 

--

 

Lucas leaned against the doorframe and watched SPD’s Red Ranger clobber the punching bag that had been set up in the room Daggeron had set aside for them to train.  Trip had mentioned earlier how maybe Lucas could talk to the ever quiet Jack about how he was doing.  The Time Force Ranger had to agree with Trip on one level, he knew how Jack felt.  They were both going through having had their girlfriends kidnapped.  “You hit that much harder, you’re going to break your wrists.”

 

Jack hit the bag once more then leaned against it, his head turning in Lucas’ direction.  “Didn’t know I wasn’t the only one in here.”

 

“Trip said you looked like you could use a friend,” Lucas started.  “And since I don’t think anyone else around here might understand how you’re feeling, I took it upon myself to come and talk to you.”

 

The Red Ranger shook his head.  “Don’t want to talk about it, there’s nothing to talk about.  Gruumm’s going to regret ever messing with SPD when I’m through with him.”

 

“I wish I could say the same, but I have no clue who took Nadira.  However, if and when I find them, they’re dead.”

 

Jack nodded, completely understanding the sentiment.  “I’m probably going to get an earful when I get to her.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Ally hates the fact that I shared something with my team that she’s never going to get to.  So the first year of our relationship, after I left SPD, she pretty much flipped out if I so much as brought up things that happened,” Jack started, shrugging as he leaned against the bag.  “It’s gotten better lately, especially with Syd and Sky and then Bridge and Z getting together.  Ally seems a bit more able to handle me talking about that part of my life.”

 

Lucas shook his head. “I’m glad I never had to deal with that, but it sounds like your Ally’s learning that being Red Ranger is part of the man she loves, and to deny that would be to deny who she fell in love with.”

 

Jack chuckled.  “That’s the same thing Syd said to me when I asked her about the whole thing a few months ago.”

 

“I’ve learned that Pink Rangers are smart women, you should take her advice to heart.”

 

“You don’t know our Syd,” Jack laughed.

 

“No, but I’ve known quite a few Pink Rangers in my time.  If Syd is anything like the women who’ve come before her, which from what I’ve seen she is, then there is no doubt you should be taking that advice to heart.”

 

The Red Ranger chewed that piece of advice for a few minutes.  “Good point.  So, feel up to some more working out?”

 

“Oh yeah.”

 

--

 

“Are you alright?” Bridge asked, wrapping his arms around Z from behind.  The Yellow Ranger had become quieter as the days wore on, ever since Jen had told her about Danny being her father.

 

“I’m fine,” she murmured, leaning back against her boyfriend’s chest.

 

“Liar,” Bridge whispered, his lips seeking out the side of her neck.  “Talk to me Z.”

 

She sighed and tried to find the words to tell him what was spinning around in her mind and her heart.  “I want to talk to my dad, but how do I bring it up without starting a huge argument?  He’s not going to believe me, and Jen’s already stressed enough.”

 

The Green Ranger seemed to contemplate the problem.  “It’s going to be a shock to him either way, Z.  You know you can’t reveal the future to him, but I know you need to tell him.  It’s a lose-lose situation either way.”

 

Z was about to respond when the very person they were talking about entered the library.  “Z?” he called out.

 

“Up here,” she croaked out.

 

“We need to talk, NOW,” Danny told her.

 

Bridge’s arms tightened around her waist when she sucked in a deep breath.  “Do you want me to stay?” he softly asked.

 

Z wanted to cry out a yes but having Bridge around during the coming conversation wouldn’t be good, for any of them.  “No, but don’t go far, I may need you.”

 

The Green Ranger nodded.  “I’ll be with Syd and Sky.”  He kissed her cheek and then headed down and out of the library.

 

Slowly, the Yellow Ranger moved down to the main floor, stopping just a few feet from where Danny stood staring at her.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

Z looked ready to cry.  “Because, I didn’t know it was you until a few days ago,” she told him, looking at her feet.  “How’d you find out?  It was supposed to be my decision to tell you.”

 

“I overheard Jen telling Katie.”

 

She nodded at that.  “Look, I can’t tell you anything about the future.”

 

Danny silently glared at her.  “Just tell me when it happened.”

 

The Yellow Ranger shook her head.  “I can’t.”

 

“Z, you have to know…” he started, the apology already in his voice.

 

She looked up at him then, tears in her eyes.  “I know I was loved, and I know I was safe and cared for, but I was so young, I don’t remember anything else.”

 

The absolute misery in Danny’s eyes made Z cry more.  “How could this happen?”

 

“I don’t even know what all happened, all I know is one day you and Mom were there and the next minute, I was by myself.  That’s how my whole life was until Jack, until SPD.”

 

“Score one for becoming a Power Ranger right?” Danny muttered half jokingly as he sat down in a seat.  “I’m so sorry.”

 

“For what?” she asked, moving to kneel down in front of him.  “You had no control over it happening, that much Cruger has told me.  Bad things happen to good people; it’s just how it is.”

 

Gently, Danny reached out and cupped her face; staring into eyes that looked so much like the ones he woke up to every day back home, he finally saw so much of himself and Kendall in her – the way her face was shaped, her coloring, her pretty little mouth, the way her hair curled naturally around her shoulders.  She looked so much like Kendall, with a few of his own traits thrown in, and the way she battled, it was all Ranger, and one thing he wouldn’t have wished for her, but was happy she had held up the legacy he was proud to be apart of himself so admirably.

 

“You look just like your mother, with just a bit of me mixed in,” he softly spoke, causing her face to scrunch up as she tried to blink back the tears that were soon running down over his fingers.  “I’m not sure why I didn’t see it before.”

 

“It’s enough that you know now,” she whispered.  “I just wish…”

 

“There’s so much I wish for you,” he told her, smiling.  “But I have a feeling I know the one thing you wish for most.  You want to see your mom, don’t you?”

 

She nodded through her tears, causing him to let her face go and pull her onto his lap and into his arms.  “I want to know her so badly,” she cried into his shoulder.

 

“I know, baby girl, I know,” he tried to sooth, running his hands up and down her back.  “I’m going to call her and tell her it’s really important that she come here as soon as she can, alright?”

 

Z pulled back then, looking at him in shock.  “Why?”

 

“Because, if there’s one thing I can do for you before you leave, it’s that.  You deserve that much for having missed out on having us there, consequences be damned.”

 

A fresh round of tears came then as Danny pulled her tighter to him, tucking her head under his chin as she sat on his lap.  He knew it would look mighty awkward to anyone else other than their teams and possibly Time Force, but he didn’t care.  He wanted to get the chance to hold this young woman who was his child, because he wasn’t going to get to keep her, and he wasn’t going to get to watch her grow up into the woman she was, but he would cherish their time now.

 

“I love you, Z.  If you remember anything when you get back to the future, remember that I loved you.”

 

She was starting to drift off to sleep, lulled by the protectiveness of his embrace and the peace she found after so many years without him.  “I love you, Daddy,” she whispered.

 

Danny choked back his own tears as he stared down at the woman in his arms, falling in love with his daughter the way only fathers could.

 

--

 

“You know, wearing your glasses might help,” Hayley suggested, standing near the table in the middle of the giant tree, her arms folded over her chest as she stared at the other person in the room.