Cataclysm (Tsukino Akume, Drama/Friendship)
Only on DeviantArt will you find 10801 results in a search for the word 'napkin'. Turns out a lot of people like to draw on them.
Three quarters of this chapter has been sitting on my computer for ages. Last night I was suddenly able to finish it for some reason. -Shrugs- Whatever the muses want, ne?
For those who haven't read this story before or can't remember what was going on because I haven't posted it in forever, the prompt chart can be found here.
Title/: Cataclysm
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Relationship/: Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, mentions of Cassie/Phantom
Rating/: K+
Warnings/: emotional trauma, mentally disturbed people, depression
Disclaimer/: If I owned the Power Rangers, this universe would exist. We would have known who the Phantom Ranger was - and it *would* have been a girl because I'm weird like that - and team snuggles would be mandatory every episode. As none of that is cannon, it's safe to assume that I don't.
Summary/: When Astronema was defeated, the Astro Rangers gave up more than their Powers. Reporters, fans, and long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork as the team struggles to adjust to it all. Bright Skies Universe.
Theme/: #12. Evil
Author's Notes/: Personal disclaimer: Cassie's comment against domestic violence support groups is not intended as a slight toward anyone or what these groups do. I have the greatest respect for the people who organize these groups, and those who have the courage to attend them. The reasons behind her feelings may or may not be touched upon later; it depends on how the story goes.
I am totally bullshitting my way through the legalese here, and I am not ashamed to admit it. I've done lots of research for this chapter, but I am not a lawyer or associated with anyone who has legal knowledge. If anyone happens to come across something I've used that is absolutely not true, feel free to let me know (although in that case I would appreciate an alternative suggestion, if possible).
Love to
starlit_purple for beta! ♥
"So, here's a stupid question we should probably already know the answer to," Carlos spoke up, frowning at the fork in his hand. He paused, waiting for everyone to look over at him. "*Can* Earth issue a warrant for Astronema's arrest? I mean, doesn't she have to be a citizen first?" He frowned suddenly. "Wait ... *was* this from Earth?"
There was an awkward pause.
"In the interest of being respectful of your planet because you're my teammate and I love you," Zhane said at last, "I'll give you the short answer. No, they can't. And yes, it was."
Cassie glanced at Zhane, both amused and worried for Karone. "Do we know *who* it was? I mean, what was their reasoning behind - "
"It's under the city of Angel Grove, which means it was either the chief of police or the mayor," T.J. answered, frowning. "Probably mayor. They're citing Aggravated Assault, Bribery, Vandalism, Homocide and Attempted Homocide, and Trespassing. And if they ever find out Andros and Karone are related, they can add Domestic Violence."
"*Trespassing*?" Ashley repeated, looking incredulous.
"She's not a citizen of Angel Grove," he explained.
"Again, not even a citizen of *Earth*." Carlos pointed out.
T.J. shrugged, looking sympathetic. "Hey, I didn't say it made sense. By that rule, Andros and Zhane are technically trespassing, too."
Carlos snorted. "Good luck with that charge. 'The Power Rangers are trespassing. Sorry, but they can't help save your planet because they don't live here.'"
Zhane snickered. Karone smiled faintly, reaching across the table they'd squeezed themselves around for the salt.
"Domestic Violence?" Andros spoke up, looking confused.
Ashley winced. "It means attacking a family member. Which is illegal."
"There's support groups for that," Zhane offered, smirking. He ducked when Andros glared and swung at him.
"How do you *know* these things?" Carlos demanded. "Where are you getting your information?"
"Yeah, and they all suck," Cassie muttered without thinking.
There was an awkward pause, and she glanced up, mentally cringing as she realized what she'd just said. "Domestic Violence support groups," she clarified reluctantly. "They suck. It wasn't me," she added, because everyone was staring at her in growing horror and she knew they'd never let it go. "It was someone I knew."
After a moment T.J. cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention again. "Anyway, from what we know, Angel Grove cannot arrest Astonema. They don't have the authority, and she has has no connections to Earth to even be tried under Earth law, let alone American. The *problem*," he stressed as everyone started to relax. "Is that first of all, just because Earth can't prosecute her doesn't mean anyone else can't. And second, if we don't show some sort of legal responsibility about all this, there might be actions taken against *us*. And four of us are still liable under the laws of the United States."
Ashley sighed, leaning forward to rest her chin in her hands. "We need a lawyer."
"Tell me about it," T.J. murmured, rubbing his temples with a sigh of his own. "I've been researching criminal procedures and the Geneva Conventions all morning."
Karone shifted in her seat, frowning. "Maybe it would be best if - "
"Don't finish that sentence," Zhane warned, looking up from his breakfast to glare at her.
She glared back at him. "It would be easier for all of you if I just - "
"No," Ashley interrupted firmly as Zhane's expression darkened and Andros looked at his sister in alarm. "We're not sacrificing anyone. Turning yourself in when they don't even have the right to ask you to isn't going to help anyone, least of all you. Besides, we don't turn in our friends."
"Not unless there's a reward involved," Carlos agreed. Andros and Zhane both scowled at him and Ashley looked exasperated, but Karone smiled a little, which had obviously been his goal.
Cassie smiled faintly, still thinking about lawyers. "I know some people with experience in working with the law, but they're not exactly on the side we're looking for," she commented. She reached for a piece of toast from the stack and frowned. "Carlos, your dragon is -
"Sparkle," Ashley corrected. "His name is Sparkle."
"He's a Mini-Dragon," Zhane added absently, reaching over to steal a piece of fruit off Karone's plate and ignoring the glare he received in return.
Carlos reached to catch the little lizard in its attempt to steal a piece of toast, ignoring the adorable squawk it made in protest as he scooped it up in one hand. "His name is not Sparkle," he said flatly, giving Ashley a look as he fed the dragon a piece of his sausage instead.
"Well, if you won't give him a name, someone has to!" she exclaimed.
"He doesn't need a name! He's a dragon!"
"Mini-dragon," Zhane reminded them again, reaching for another piece of fruit and pouting at Karone when she slapped his hand away.
Cassie looked at T.J., who was now holding his head in his hands, and Andros who was watching the arguing with a resigned look on his face. "You're thinking that we're not taking this seriously enough, aren't you?" she asked with a wry smile.
"Of course you're taking it seriously," Andros replied, oddly solemn as he watched the others. "It's when you're not fighting with each other that I worry."
T.J. looked up enough to give him a dirty look.
"We *are* taking it seriously," Ashley spoke up, glancing over at them as she pulled her orange juice closer to herself and out of reach of Zhane, who'd been eyeing it. "But until we figure out what steps we need to take, we can't really do anything yet. And we won't know that until we find a lawyer, or at least someone with legal expertise."
"Actually," T.J. began, just as Andros said "Well, there is - " They stopped, looking at each other, and Andros shook his head, gesturing for T.J. to go first.
"There's a few loopholes we can take advantage of," T.J. told them. "First of all, Astronema never actually made a formal declaration of war against Earth."
Cassie stared at him. She wasn't the only one.
"She made what could be considered acts of war, but she never made a formal speech or submitted any documentation. I know," he cut in, raising a hand before anyone could say anything. "It's stupid. But *technically*, she never legally declared war on Earth. She tried to claim property rights and threatened lives and did a lot of damage, but that's about it.
"Which means that she can't be tried on anything more than the charges they have. Also, seeing as how she wasn't working for Dark Spectre willingly - at least, not at that point - I think we can also argue that she wasn't at fault," he went on. "But from what I've been able to find as of right now, the fastest way to protect Karone would be to declare her a prisoner of war."
"What does that mean?" Andros asked, frowning.
"On Earth," Zhane clarified, glancing at Andros. "What would that mean on Earth?"
T.J. shrugged. "Well, I don't know how it works everywhere else, but here it would mean offering up a white flag and surrendering to someone - namely us. Which makes us directly responsible for protecting her and releasing her to her homeland: KO-35."
"I surrender."
Everyone looked at Karone in surprise. She had both hands raised in the air, and her expression was calm. In her right hand she held a white napkin. "I surrender to you," she repeated softly once she had their attention.
"D.E.C.A., can you make a recording of this?" Zhane asked abruptly, glancing at her camera. "For documentation?"
"Recording," D.E.C.A. answered calmly.
"I surrender to you," Karone announced again, offering the napkin to T.J.
T.J. blinked. "We accept your unconditional surrender," he said at last, accepting the napkin.
There was a long moment of silence.
"Now what?" Ashley asked blankly.
T.J. shrugged reluctantly. "Well, now Karone is under our protection, but we need legal representation."
"There's always Lord Billy," Andros offered.
" ... Who?" Cassie asked warily.
Zhane stared back at her. "How do you not know your own lord?" he demanded.
"Lord?" she repeated, giving him a bewildered look. "Earth doesn't have a lord."
"It's not one country," Ashley added gently. "There's several leaders, not just one."
"I know that. I read," Zhane retorted. "But that doesn't mean you don't have a lord."
"The Alliance has an Earth representative," Andros explained as the rest of them continued to stare at Zhane. "He's a former Ranger of Earth, but he moved to Aquitar after he retired. He took over for the Aquitian Rangers as Earth's Alliance representative, which makes him considered the lord of Earth by political standards."
They stared at him.
" .... Huh." T.J. said at last.
Ashley looked puzzled. "So Earth has a ruler we didn't even know about?"
"Maybe he can help promote the cause for World Peace?" Carlos suggested wryly, feeding his dragon another piece of sausage.
"What he *can* do," Andros continued, clearly ignoring them now, "Is represent Earth, and its Rangers, in the Alliance. He can also motion *as* a member of the Alliance to have former creatures of Evil absolved of their crimes due to the nature of Zordon's Golden Wave."
"Dropping Zordon's name into any conversation *always* makes people listen," Zhane assured them.
"*At which point*," Andros went on loudly, shooting a glare at him, "The Alliance will vote for or against the dismissal of all crimes against Karone and the others. If they agree to absolve them, there is literally nothing Earth can do about it, seeing as she's actually from KO-35 and falls under intergalactic law. And whether all members of Earthian society are aware of intergalactic law doesn't change the fact that they *do* fall under it. And as a citizen of Earth himself, Lord Billy would be obligated to explain all this to them."
"Do you think he would?" Ashley asked tentatively, looking hopeful.
Andros shrugged. "I'm not sure. Zhane knows him better than I do."
"I think he'll be annoyed with us for putting this all on his shoulders, but he'll do it," Zhane said before they could ask. He shrugged. "He's always been kind of protective of Converts and Spell Victims."
Cassie gave him an odd look. "What's - "
"I'm a Convert," Karone interrupted, taking something off Andros' plate while he wasn't looking. "Someone who has converted from Evil to Good. Spell Victims are people who have been attacked or turned in some way by magic."
" ... There's a word for that?" Carlos murmured, frowning at his juice.
Cassie frowned. "So ... we ask this Lord Billy to get Karone absolved, and then ... ? What happens to her after that?"
Andros gave her a blank look. "Then she'll be protected under law."
"Then people can't arrest her," Zhane corrected, stretching as he stood. "Doesn't rule out 'accidents' or assasination attempts, though."
Ashley went pale."Assasination attemps?!"
"Relax. This is Karone we're talking about. She'll send them home crying."
Karone smiled very slightly as she stole the last of Zhane's juice.
"But what if she can't?" T.J. asked with a frown, completely missing the glare Karone shot him.
Zhane shrugged. "That's what we're here for, isn't it?"
Three quarters of this chapter has been sitting on my computer for ages. Last night I was suddenly able to finish it for some reason. -Shrugs- Whatever the muses want, ne?
For those who haven't read this story before or can't remember what was going on because I haven't posted it in forever, the prompt chart can be found here.
Title/: Cataclysm
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Relationship/: Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, mentions of Cassie/Phantom
Rating/: K+
Warnings/: emotional trauma, mentally disturbed people, depression
Disclaimer/: If I owned the Power Rangers, this universe would exist. We would have known who the Phantom Ranger was - and it *would* have been a girl because I'm weird like that - and team snuggles would be mandatory every episode. As none of that is cannon, it's safe to assume that I don't.
Summary/: When Astronema was defeated, the Astro Rangers gave up more than their Powers. Reporters, fans, and long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork as the team struggles to adjust to it all. Bright Skies Universe.
Theme/: #12. Evil
Author's Notes/: Personal disclaimer: Cassie's comment against domestic violence support groups is not intended as a slight toward anyone or what these groups do. I have the greatest respect for the people who organize these groups, and those who have the courage to attend them. The reasons behind her feelings may or may not be touched upon later; it depends on how the story goes.
I am totally bullshitting my way through the legalese here, and I am not ashamed to admit it. I've done lots of research for this chapter, but I am not a lawyer or associated with anyone who has legal knowledge. If anyone happens to come across something I've used that is absolutely not true, feel free to let me know (although in that case I would appreciate an alternative suggestion, if possible).
Love to
starlit_purple for beta! ♥
"So, here's a stupid question we should probably already know the answer to," Carlos spoke up, frowning at the fork in his hand. He paused, waiting for everyone to look over at him. "*Can* Earth issue a warrant for Astronema's arrest? I mean, doesn't she have to be a citizen first?" He frowned suddenly. "Wait ... *was* this from Earth?"
There was an awkward pause.
"In the interest of being respectful of your planet because you're my teammate and I love you," Zhane said at last, "I'll give you the short answer. No, they can't. And yes, it was."
Cassie glanced at Zhane, both amused and worried for Karone. "Do we know *who* it was? I mean, what was their reasoning behind - "
"It's under the city of Angel Grove, which means it was either the chief of police or the mayor," T.J. answered, frowning. "Probably mayor. They're citing Aggravated Assault, Bribery, Vandalism, Homocide and Attempted Homocide, and Trespassing. And if they ever find out Andros and Karone are related, they can add Domestic Violence."
"*Trespassing*?" Ashley repeated, looking incredulous.
"She's not a citizen of Angel Grove," he explained.
"Again, not even a citizen of *Earth*." Carlos pointed out.
T.J. shrugged, looking sympathetic. "Hey, I didn't say it made sense. By that rule, Andros and Zhane are technically trespassing, too."
Carlos snorted. "Good luck with that charge. 'The Power Rangers are trespassing. Sorry, but they can't help save your planet because they don't live here.'"
Zhane snickered. Karone smiled faintly, reaching across the table they'd squeezed themselves around for the salt.
"Domestic Violence?" Andros spoke up, looking confused.
Ashley winced. "It means attacking a family member. Which is illegal."
"There's support groups for that," Zhane offered, smirking. He ducked when Andros glared and swung at him.
"How do you *know* these things?" Carlos demanded. "Where are you getting your information?"
"Yeah, and they all suck," Cassie muttered without thinking.
There was an awkward pause, and she glanced up, mentally cringing as she realized what she'd just said. "Domestic Violence support groups," she clarified reluctantly. "They suck. It wasn't me," she added, because everyone was staring at her in growing horror and she knew they'd never let it go. "It was someone I knew."
After a moment T.J. cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention again. "Anyway, from what we know, Angel Grove cannot arrest Astonema. They don't have the authority, and she has has no connections to Earth to even be tried under Earth law, let alone American. The *problem*," he stressed as everyone started to relax. "Is that first of all, just because Earth can't prosecute her doesn't mean anyone else can't. And second, if we don't show some sort of legal responsibility about all this, there might be actions taken against *us*. And four of us are still liable under the laws of the United States."
Ashley sighed, leaning forward to rest her chin in her hands. "We need a lawyer."
"Tell me about it," T.J. murmured, rubbing his temples with a sigh of his own. "I've been researching criminal procedures and the Geneva Conventions all morning."
Karone shifted in her seat, frowning. "Maybe it would be best if - "
"Don't finish that sentence," Zhane warned, looking up from his breakfast to glare at her.
She glared back at him. "It would be easier for all of you if I just - "
"No," Ashley interrupted firmly as Zhane's expression darkened and Andros looked at his sister in alarm. "We're not sacrificing anyone. Turning yourself in when they don't even have the right to ask you to isn't going to help anyone, least of all you. Besides, we don't turn in our friends."
"Not unless there's a reward involved," Carlos agreed. Andros and Zhane both scowled at him and Ashley looked exasperated, but Karone smiled a little, which had obviously been his goal.
Cassie smiled faintly, still thinking about lawyers. "I know some people with experience in working with the law, but they're not exactly on the side we're looking for," she commented. She reached for a piece of toast from the stack and frowned. "Carlos, your dragon is -
"Sparkle," Ashley corrected. "His name is Sparkle."
"He's a Mini-Dragon," Zhane added absently, reaching over to steal a piece of fruit off Karone's plate and ignoring the glare he received in return.
Carlos reached to catch the little lizard in its attempt to steal a piece of toast, ignoring the adorable squawk it made in protest as he scooped it up in one hand. "His name is not Sparkle," he said flatly, giving Ashley a look as he fed the dragon a piece of his sausage instead.
"Well, if you won't give him a name, someone has to!" she exclaimed.
"He doesn't need a name! He's a dragon!"
"Mini-dragon," Zhane reminded them again, reaching for another piece of fruit and pouting at Karone when she slapped his hand away.
Cassie looked at T.J., who was now holding his head in his hands, and Andros who was watching the arguing with a resigned look on his face. "You're thinking that we're not taking this seriously enough, aren't you?" she asked with a wry smile.
"Of course you're taking it seriously," Andros replied, oddly solemn as he watched the others. "It's when you're not fighting with each other that I worry."
T.J. looked up enough to give him a dirty look.
"We *are* taking it seriously," Ashley spoke up, glancing over at them as she pulled her orange juice closer to herself and out of reach of Zhane, who'd been eyeing it. "But until we figure out what steps we need to take, we can't really do anything yet. And we won't know that until we find a lawyer, or at least someone with legal expertise."
"Actually," T.J. began, just as Andros said "Well, there is - " They stopped, looking at each other, and Andros shook his head, gesturing for T.J. to go first.
"There's a few loopholes we can take advantage of," T.J. told them. "First of all, Astronema never actually made a formal declaration of war against Earth."
Cassie stared at him. She wasn't the only one.
"She made what could be considered acts of war, but she never made a formal speech or submitted any documentation. I know," he cut in, raising a hand before anyone could say anything. "It's stupid. But *technically*, she never legally declared war on Earth. She tried to claim property rights and threatened lives and did a lot of damage, but that's about it.
"Which means that she can't be tried on anything more than the charges they have. Also, seeing as how she wasn't working for Dark Spectre willingly - at least, not at that point - I think we can also argue that she wasn't at fault," he went on. "But from what I've been able to find as of right now, the fastest way to protect Karone would be to declare her a prisoner of war."
"What does that mean?" Andros asked, frowning.
"On Earth," Zhane clarified, glancing at Andros. "What would that mean on Earth?"
T.J. shrugged. "Well, I don't know how it works everywhere else, but here it would mean offering up a white flag and surrendering to someone - namely us. Which makes us directly responsible for protecting her and releasing her to her homeland: KO-35."
"I surrender."
Everyone looked at Karone in surprise. She had both hands raised in the air, and her expression was calm. In her right hand she held a white napkin. "I surrender to you," she repeated softly once she had their attention.
"D.E.C.A., can you make a recording of this?" Zhane asked abruptly, glancing at her camera. "For documentation?"
"Recording," D.E.C.A. answered calmly.
"I surrender to you," Karone announced again, offering the napkin to T.J.
T.J. blinked. "We accept your unconditional surrender," he said at last, accepting the napkin.
There was a long moment of silence.
"Now what?" Ashley asked blankly.
T.J. shrugged reluctantly. "Well, now Karone is under our protection, but we need legal representation."
"There's always Lord Billy," Andros offered.
" ... Who?" Cassie asked warily.
Zhane stared back at her. "How do you not know your own lord?" he demanded.
"Lord?" she repeated, giving him a bewildered look. "Earth doesn't have a lord."
"It's not one country," Ashley added gently. "There's several leaders, not just one."
"I know that. I read," Zhane retorted. "But that doesn't mean you don't have a lord."
"The Alliance has an Earth representative," Andros explained as the rest of them continued to stare at Zhane. "He's a former Ranger of Earth, but he moved to Aquitar after he retired. He took over for the Aquitian Rangers as Earth's Alliance representative, which makes him considered the lord of Earth by political standards."
They stared at him.
" .... Huh." T.J. said at last.
Ashley looked puzzled. "So Earth has a ruler we didn't even know about?"
"Maybe he can help promote the cause for World Peace?" Carlos suggested wryly, feeding his dragon another piece of sausage.
"What he *can* do," Andros continued, clearly ignoring them now, "Is represent Earth, and its Rangers, in the Alliance. He can also motion *as* a member of the Alliance to have former creatures of Evil absolved of their crimes due to the nature of Zordon's Golden Wave."
"Dropping Zordon's name into any conversation *always* makes people listen," Zhane assured them.
"*At which point*," Andros went on loudly, shooting a glare at him, "The Alliance will vote for or against the dismissal of all crimes against Karone and the others. If they agree to absolve them, there is literally nothing Earth can do about it, seeing as she's actually from KO-35 and falls under intergalactic law. And whether all members of Earthian society are aware of intergalactic law doesn't change the fact that they *do* fall under it. And as a citizen of Earth himself, Lord Billy would be obligated to explain all this to them."
"Do you think he would?" Ashley asked tentatively, looking hopeful.
Andros shrugged. "I'm not sure. Zhane knows him better than I do."
"I think he'll be annoyed with us for putting this all on his shoulders, but he'll do it," Zhane said before they could ask. He shrugged. "He's always been kind of protective of Converts and Spell Victims."
Cassie gave him an odd look. "What's - "
"I'm a Convert," Karone interrupted, taking something off Andros' plate while he wasn't looking. "Someone who has converted from Evil to Good. Spell Victims are people who have been attacked or turned in some way by magic."
" ... There's a word for that?" Carlos murmured, frowning at his juice.
Cassie frowned. "So ... we ask this Lord Billy to get Karone absolved, and then ... ? What happens to her after that?"
Andros gave her a blank look. "Then she'll be protected under law."
"Then people can't arrest her," Zhane corrected, stretching as he stood. "Doesn't rule out 'accidents' or assasination attempts, though."
Ashley went pale."Assasination attemps?!"
"Relax. This is Karone we're talking about. She'll send them home crying."
Karone smiled very slightly as she stole the last of Zhane's juice.
"But what if she can't?" T.J. asked with a frown, completely missing the glare Karone shot him.
Zhane shrugged. "That's what we're here for, isn't it?"