Power Rangers: Whole (17/?), Billy/Tommy, R.
Title: Whole, chapter seventeen
Author: vandonovan
Pairing: Billy/Tommy, background Skull/Kim, Adam/Rocky, Jason/Zack and Aisha/OMC
Word count: 4,854 (this chapter)
Rating: R
Era: MMPR AU after "The Green Candle" where Tommy never becomes the White Ranger. (Picks up in 1999.)
Warnings: adult language, sexual situations/innuendo, AU, potential spoilers through Space, may contain triggering content, please read at your own risk.
Summary: Six years after losing his Green Ranger powers, Tommy has been consumed by inner darkness and a destructive lifestyle. Can Billy bring Tommy back or will his attempts strain the Rangers too much as they face the return of an old enemy?
Notes: Super special thanks to azelmaroark for both playing beta and helping me create and cultivate this monster.
Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
Chapter seventeen:
To Billy's surprise, not everyone is waiting in the Command Center. He glances around before heading toward the one's who have arrived, now staring into Viewing Globe. “Where’s Adam?”
Rocky just points.
Instead of visualizing the monster in Angel Grove, the Viewing Globe shows Adam making farewells from a very trendy party.
“Time to go save the world!” he cheerfully says. “Turn on the news; you’ll have front row seats.” To one particularly attractive woman seated next to him, he says, “Don’t worry, Scarlett. I’ll be back just as soon as I take care of this monster!” He hesitates a moment and then kisses her cheek. “All right, just one more autograph.”
Billy’s fuming, but there’s no time to berate him. He turns back to Zordon. “Have Adam join us when he can fit it into his schedule. It’s morphin’ time!”
The four arrive on the scene to find that Master Vile’s monster has already been grown to city crushing size. Billy spares a glance to Rocky, but it's impossible to ascertain his emotional state through his helmet. As angry as Billy is, it's not hard to guess how Rocky must be feeling.
Aisha steps up beside Billy. “What’ll we do? We can't form the Ninja Megazord without Adam here and these monsters are stronger than ever.”
“We’ll just have take him out individually.”
Kimberly steps up on his other side. “Or hope Adam gets his butt here real fast!” She reaches into the sky. “We need Ninjazord Power, now!” she shouts.
“Pink Crane Ninjazord, Power Up!”
“Blue Wolf Ninjazord, Power Up!”
“Yellow Bear Ninjazord, Power Up!”
“Red Ape Ninjazord, Power Up!” Rocky goes for the monster immediately. “You guys come in from behind. I’ll distract him!”
“Right!” Billy swiftly navigates the Wolfzord around behind the monster, sliding under to slice at the monster’s legs with the Wolfzord’s sharp tail.
“Head’s up!” Kimberly calls, allowing just enough time for Billy and Aisha to get out of the way before she fires her Cranezord’s laser beams into the monster’s back.
Aisha rears the Bearzord up on its hind legs. “And now it’s my turn to play!” She double swipes the monster’s back with her zord’s powerful claws.
The Apezord catches both of the monster’s hands in its fists, holding it immobile. “Get him together, guys!” Rocky shouts.
Quickly repositioning their zords, Billy, Kimberly and Aisha each unleash their laser cannons into the monster. The Apezord takes the monster’s struggles and drops a roundhouse kick, sending it to the ground.
“We’ve got to get it out of the city,” Billy calls.
Kimberly takes to the skies again. “Follow me!”
They arrive at a nearly deserted beach, but before they can reengage the monster, Billy curses. “I’m getting reports of another monster attack, about six miles from here.”
The Apezord punches at the monster. “Where the hell is Adam!”
Aisha rears the Bearzord up again. “Things didn’t go so well last time we split up.”
“Can you get the Golden Eaglezord out here?”
“Negative, Kim. I can’t control it from the Wolfzord cockpit; we’ll have to form the Ninja Megazord first.” Billy darts across the shore again. “I may have an idea. Rocky, lure the monster into the water. Kim, do an aerial and make sure there aren't any civilians in the water. Aisha, get over on the shore with me.”
Without asking questions, the Rangers do as asked.
“All right. Kim, get ready to pull Rocky out of there. Aisha, on my mark open your portside electrical bays. The static build up between our zords should create a big enough current to stop this biological nightmare’s heart. Kim, get ready to pull Rocky out of the water! Ready? Kim, get him out of there! And, mark, Aisha!”
Billy opens his starboard electrical bays and the static build up that close to the water creates an almost immediate spark. The Pink Cranezord hauls the Red Apezord out of the water just in time to break the connection so the electricity runs right into the monster.
It’s barely able to turn around before the current hits it full on. It’s body begins convulsing and before Kimberly can land the Red Apezord on the shore, the monster explodes in a flurry of sparks. It spins once and then crashes into the ocean.
“All right!”
“No time for celebrations now. We’ve got another monster to handle.”
Into the communications channel comes Adam’s voice. “Hey guys. I’m already here taking this monster on. Could definitely use your help.”
“Adam!” Rocky shouts. “What the hell do you think you’re-”
Gritting his teeth, Billy almost growls. “We don’t have time for that, Rocky. Get ready to form the Mega Ninjazord. We’re on our way!”
Whatever it was Adam was doing that took so long for him to join up is out of Billy’s mind; it just feels good to combine into the Mega Ninjazord. When Adam arrives in the cockpit with the rest of them, Billy’s glad none of them say anything.
Rocky leans forward, staring out the cockpit window at the monster. “What’s he doing?”
“That’s the Rivera Dam!” Aisha shouts. “If he brings that down, it’ll flood the whole city!”
Billy raises his fist. “We’re not gonna let that happen. C’mon guys!”
The second monster is much more heavily armored than the first and easily brushes them off the first few times they attack. The intensity with which its focused on pulling down the dam is impressive. It’s clear that Vile’s interested in causing general destruction as well as taking out the Rangers. It’s an unsettling realization; at least Zedd and Rita, for the most part, were content to focus their attacks on the Rangers themselves.
“We’re going to need the Golden Eaglezord for this.” Billy pulls out the remote for it and lets Rocky control the Mega Ninjazord while he brings the Eaglezord in.
Once they’ve engaged the sixth zord, Billy powers up the controls for flight, taking the Ninja Mega Eaglezord to the skies. They soar over the dam and come around the monster’s front, landing a fierce kick right into its torso. The impact is enough to knock the monster back, finally thwarting its assault on the dam.
“Let’s not waste any time,” Billy says. “Power Punch, now!”
It’s brutal to attack a monster when it’s knocked down, but Billy’s no longer sure why they’re still playing fair when their adversaries never do. The Power Punch does the trick, wiping the monster out in almost record time. Feeling it’s too good to be true, Billy double checks their long-range sensors for other monsters. Not seeing any doesn’t help him lower his guard.
“Should we check on the dam?” Kimberly asks. “We might be able to seal up any cracks before they get worse.”
“That’s a good idea.” Billy’s grateful for the others. The thought didn’t even begin to occur to him and it’s a huge issue. When they arrive, the structure appears sound, but they spray it with a coat of strong adhesive from their arsenal.
“Oh man,” Rocky says. “It’s a good thing we got here when we did. Look! The water from that dam would have torn right through the Command Center, too.”
Billy calculates the trajectory and realizes Rocky’s right. There’s definitely no chance that was mere coincidence. “Let’s see what Zordon has to say about all this.”
--
“It would appear that Master Vile has realized you are truly a force to be reckoned with. Instead of taking you head on, he has begun making more strategic attacks.”
Aisha crosses her arms. “Taking out the Command Center would be a serious blow.”
Kimberly shivers. “And I don’t know about you guys, but I’d totally rather have his monsters attack us instead of innocent people.”
“Yeah,” Adam says. “It’s real demoralizing.”
Hearing Adam speak makes Billy spin around. “It’s also demoralizing to be out there fighting to save the world when one fifth of your team decides he has better things to do than to show up and help.”
Adam’s brow furrows. “Hey, I showed up! You guys did fine on that first monster without me and I was able to keep the second one away from the dam all on my own long enough for you guys to join up with me.”
That Adam can’t see the problem with all of that has Billy almost seeing red with anger.
It’s with considerable relief that Kimberly takes over. “That may be true,” she says, “but it would have been a lot better if you’d been there with us from the start. We’re a team. We need to stick together.” She looks at him sternly. “And that means we have to be able to trust each other to respond to threats immediately.”
“Geez. If I’d known you’d give me such a hard time, I would’ve come faster. It won’t happen again.” He puts his hands on his belt. “Now if you’re done berating me, I’d like to get back to my date.”
Before Billy can stop him, Adam teleports out, leaving the rest of the Rangers staring where he was, dumbfounded.
Aisha scowls. “What’s gotten into him?”
Rocky shrugs. “Adam’s always wanted to be popular and loved. Now he finally is.”
Kimberly puts her hand on Rocky’s arm. “You can’t be okay with this.”
“Even if Rocky is, I’m not.” Billy glares at the Viewing Globe. “Adam is acting way out of line.”
“He’s been under a lot of pressure lately,” Rocky says. “You can’t blame him for acting out.”
Turning around, Billy can only stare at him. “You two have been together for years. Don’t you care that he’s on a date with some other person right now?”
Self-consciously, Rocky shrugs and grabs his left bicep with his right hand. “I guess. I mean, yeah, but . . . he and I talked about this. I know he’s never really wanted to be with me. I can't stand knowing he was unhappy because he didn't want to hurt me, so I agreed to let him go do what he had to. I’d rather him be happy with . . . with whoever than miserable because I made him stay with me.”
“Oh, Rocky.” Kimberly hugs him. “You deserve better than that.”
Aisha puts her hands on her hips. “Kimberly’s right. That’s unacceptable, Rocky. You shouldn’t let him treat you like that.”
“You guys don’t understand,” he says. “I can’t let him be miserable, and I’d rather share him with some Hollywood actress or whoever, than lose him completely.”
Aisha shakes her head. “What happened to him? He didn’t used to be like this.”
“The war has changed us all.” Billy wants to sit Rocky down and explain to him how love should actually work. He wants to find Adam at his party and tell him off in the most humiliating way possible. Most of all, he wants to check that Tommy’s all right and reassure him that he’s safe. “I’ve got to get back to Tommy,” Billy says. “He’s reconnected with his parents finally and I don’t want to leave him alone too long.” He fixes Rocky with an intense stare. “When you see Adam again, make sure he knows how serious this is. If he can’t be reliable, I’ll find someone else who can be.”
All three of the others respond to that with wide eyes, but they can just ponder because Billy doesn’t want to explain. He puts his hands on his belt and teleports out.
--
The warm, homey embrace of the Oliver’s living room is such an extreme contrast to the cold hostility of the Command Center than Billy almost loses his balance. To his surprise, all three of the Olivers are still sitting there chatting, instead of crouched around a television, watching the news. While Hank and Margaret jolt in their seats in surprise at Billy’s appearance, Tommy leaps to his feet immediately.
“You’re all right!”
Tommy’s hugging Billy before he can reply, and it’s like the battle never happened. There’s just Tommy’s warm, strong arms around him, melting away all the anger and frustrations in the Command Center away. “Yes. Glad to see that you are, too.” Only slightly embarrassed by making a scene in front of his parents, Billy gently pulls away. “I was worried about you.”
Tommy laughs. He glances over his shoulder at his parents. “See? He was worried about me!”
Hank gets to his feet again, offering his seat to Billy. “We had no idea you were such a keeper when he brought you home!”
Overwhelmed, Billy feels himself blushing. “You mean you knew we were . . .?”
“Well,” Margaret says, “we thought that might be the connection. We always rather suspected that our Tommy might be into boys.”
“You suspected,” Hank says. “I knew, right from the start.”
Billy’s shocked by just how happy and accepting the Olivers are about this. “It’s . . . refreshing to see that won’t be an issue.” As surreal as this is, he finally lets himself sit back down.
“Was the attack bad?” Tommy asks, sitting down close beside him. “They wouldn’t let me watch it on the news.”
“We’ve certainly had worse. Adam’s giving me a little trouble, but . . . hopefully that will be sorted before too long.”
“Adam? Not about me, I hope.”
“No.” He glances at Tommy’s parents.
“Oh.” Tommy fidgets. “I told them a little about what I was doing and that I’m okay now, and clean and safe and in therapy.” He smiles slightly. “And that we’re together.”
Billy doesn’t want to say 'I told you so,' but he’s very glad this reunion is going as well as it is. “I certainly would have rather been here than out fighting monsters.”
“What is that all about?” Hank asks, settling himself on another chair. “Are they really space aliens?”
“I’m afraid so. This one is named Master Vile. He’s the father of some of the ones who were attacking us before.” His body relaxes as he sinks back into the plush couch. It’s surprising how dark it’s already gotten outside.
“Very fascinating. And what do they have against Earth?”
“Like true explorers, they wanted to conquer the planet and make it their own, but we defeated them. Now, Master Vile wants revenge for his children. We had no choice but to kill them during the war.”
“Well, no one could blame you for that.”
“It was either kill or be killed.”
Hank’s brow furrows. “William Cranston, isn’t it?”
Blinking, Billy tilts his head. “Yes, sir.”
“You wouldn’t happen to be related to the William Cranston that published a excellent paper in Astrophysics Today on tachyon particles, would you?”
“Uh.” The topic change is bewildering. “Yes, sir. That would be me.”
“Oh, no. This was some time ago. Your father, perhaps?”
“It was my paper. 1987, if I remember correctly?”
Off Hank’s shocked face, Tommy says, “Like I was saying, Dad. Billy’s really, really smart.”
“But, you're Tommy's age, aren't you? You couldn't have been more than ten in 1987.”
“Nine. The paper wasn’t even very good,” Billy says. “Especially not by my current day standards, but I was young and foolish. It’s one of those papers I wish I could take back, or at least correct.” He shakes his head. “But, you have an interest in tachyon particles?”
“My dad’s really smart, too.”
Hank shakes off his amazement. “I have a little passing interest in everything. I knew I knew your name from somewhere, it just took a bit to trigger where.”
“What on Earth were you doing working in an IT firm with a brain like that, Billy?” Margaret asks.
“Being a Power Ranger is a full time job.” He pauses. “Did you not see our reveal on the news?”
“Oh, we heard about it.” Hank folds his hands across his lap. “I'm afraid to say we didn’t pay too much attention to it, though. We never thought it would really apply to us.”
“I see.”
It feels like the conversation is growing strained again and that sensation of being with a bunch of strangers returns to Billy. It’s welcoming and comforting and he feels like he belongs-but it is also overwhelming and a little awkward.
Quietly, to Tommy, he says, “It’s getting late. Perhaps this is enough for today?”
“Are you tired?” Margaret asks. “I can have one of the guest rooms made up in a jiffy.”
“Oh,” Tommy says. “We weren’t planning to stay the night.” He looks at Billy. “Were we?”
Although Billy’s willing to if Tommy wants to, he shakes his head. “No. I think it would be better for you to sleep in your own bed tonight.”
“Our beds are better than any hotels around here!”
“No, I mean his bed back in Angel Grove.”
Hank laughs. “You can’t seriously mean to go back to California tonight.”
“No, Dad. We’ll teleport. It just takes a second.”
He blinks a few times. “Goodness. I just saw him do it and it slipped my mind.”
Margaret frets. “You don’t want to stay here?” She takes up Tommy’s hand. “I’ve saved so many of your old things.”
Sensing Tommy’s uncertainty, Billy grows more confident. “It’s no trouble to teleport. We can be back in time for breakfast tomorrow morning. For now, it’s better if Tommy sticks to a routine. He sleeps much better at my house. Otherwise he tends to be plagued by nightmares.”
“Oh. I remember your nightmares,” Margaret says.
Hank shifts uncomfortably before getting up to stoke the fire. “Always thought you were exaggerating those.”
“No,” Tommy says. “I had terrible dreams after Rita controlled me. They got much worse at the club.” He shrugs. “They’re not all gone now, but it’s much better when I'm with Billy.”
“But we just got you back,” Margaret says. “I don’t want you going away so soon.”
“Mom.” Tommy gives her a hug. “We’ll be back in time for breakfast. You’ll hardly know we’re gone at all.”
“You’ve been missing for six years,” she protests. “Of course I will.” She reaches out to straighten his collar and pet his curls. “You promise you’ll come back in the morning?”
“I promise.”
Billy gets back to his feet. He’s glad they’re going; a long soak in the tub sounds about right tonight, followed by cuddling with Tommy on the couch in the living room.
The Olivers move together, staring forlornly at them as they prepare to leave. Tommy waves to them as Billy presses the teleport button, whisking them away.
The house back in Angel Grove is cold and dark. It takes a few seconds for Billy to figure out where they are and where the lights are. “That wasn’t so bad,” he says once the living room is illuminated.
Tommy immediately wraps up in his fleece blanket and settles on the couch. “They’re so different.”
“It’s been six years.”
“It’s not bad different. I just . . . feel like I hardly know them. It’s almost like talking to strangers.”
“It’ll take more than two hours together to make up for six years apart.” Billy kisses his forehead. “You really should shower and get some sleep.”
Tommy stares up at him. “What’d Adam do today?”
Sighing, Billy tells him about Adam’s delayed response during battle. “Rocky wasn’t exactly in high spirits afterward, either.”
“Maybe I can visit him tomorrow, after I see my parents.” He runs a hand into his hair. “It’s so weird to say that and think about it. My parents. All these years I thought they hated me, and they were really missing me and looking for me.”
“They seemed surprisingly calm to find out that you’re . . . in a relationship. With a man.”
Tommy grins. “I think that’s the least of their concerns. They love you.”
It’s with a hollow, aching regret that Billy knows he’ll never be able to ascertain how well his own parents would have reacted to Tommy. “I’m glad. The last thing you need is more drama from your parents. It’s good you were all right alone with them, as well.” He puts his hands into his pockets. “I’m going to have to start really pushing hard to get everything I need to get done done. Unfortunately, that will mean spending less time home with you.”
Tommy manages a wry smile. “So now I’ve got another set of baby sitters?”
Billy kisses him again. “Only if you want. Rocky definitely needs a friend these days.”
Tommy puts his head back and stares up at the ceiling. “I can’t believe Adam’s doing this to him.”
“I can.” Billy doesn’t let Tommy’s scowl deter him. “Adam and Rocky got together when they were what, sixteen? Seventeen? As far as I know, neither of them had ever had a serious relationship before. I don't think Adam’s never quite come to terms with being with another man. Now he has a chance to change all that. He may only be twenty-two, but we've all been through a lot in the last five, six years; he’s having something of a mid-life crisis. I may not agree with how he’s going about it, but I do understand why he is.”
Tommy grunts. “I just wish it wasn’t at Rocky’s expense.”
“So do I.” He holds out his hand. “Come on. It’s past your bed time and you still need to shower.”
--
It’s a little strange to wake up in California, but to teleport to Oregon before breakfast. Billy’s sure Zordon’s monitoring all of this from his tube in the Command Center and having quiet little conniption fits over not being able to control them all anymore.
“Oh, you came back!” Margaret says, sounding genuinely shocked when she opens the front door to find them standing there, considerably better dressed for the weather this time.
“I told you we would.” Tommy gives his mother an awkward squeeze before hurrying inside and shedding his coat and scarf. “What’s cooking? Smells good.”
Billy lets Margaret lead Tommy into the kitchen. He hangs up his coat, but before following checks the itinerary he wrote down earlier. He doesn’t anticipate spending the day with the Olivers. He has business meetings in Los Angeles and New York, and wants to find the time to check in with Rocky and Adam at some point.
Tommy’s mother apparently spent the night going through boxes of Tommy’s old things, which she then dragged into one of the guest rooms to show off. They visit together after breakfast and Billy patiently stands in the doorway while Margaret begins a parade of baby booties and vintage Smurf and Carebear Valentines that should have been tossed fifteen years ago.
“I can’t believe you kept all of this stuff.” Tommy stares at an unidentifiable drawing done by a five-year-old Tommy on yellowed construction paper.
“I was glad I did after you disappeared.” She pulls out a small gilded box and gives it a rattle. “Look! Your baby teeth!”
Tommy gives Billy an apologetic cringe and Billy pushes away from the door, trying to involve himself more. “I wish I had more things from my youth.” When Margaret looks up at him, he shrugs. “Our house was destroyed in the war, too. I lost everything.”
“Oh, Billy, honey.” Margaret reaches up to squeeze his hand. “We were very fortunate to have most of Tommy’s old things in a storage shed that went undamaged during the war.” She opens another box and coos. “Oh, look! Your trophies!” She pulls one out, featuring a golden man executing a karate kick. It’s for first place and the engraving actually says Tommy Oliver.
Taking it from her, Tommy stares at it, a strange expression coming over his face. “This was the first trophy I won after I began attending Angel Grove.” He sets it down on the ground. “It wasn’t long after that tournament that Jason asked if I wanted to help him teach his karate class.”
Margaret’s eyes widen. “I didn’t know you taught karate in high school.”
“Yeah.” Tommy doesn’t lift his eyes off the trophy.
“Not only did Tommy teach,” Billy says, “but he was extremely good at it, too. I remember at the time thinking he could make a career of it.”
Tommy stares up at him. “Really?”
“Really. You were quite good at a lot of things. You had a natural affinity for learning.”
“Just not remembering to turn in my assignments.”
Margaret wipes dust off another trophy she’s pulled from the box. “I thought you didn’t turn in assignments because of the monster attacks?”
Billy chuckles. “That was true some of the time.”
Tommy puts the trophy back into the box. “Mostly though, I’m just forgetful.”
“Well, we all have flaws.” She smiles at Tommy.
Billy finds himself grinning too. “It’s endearing, in its own way.”
“Oh.”
Both Billy and Tommy turn toward Margaret. She’s holding a framed photograph in her hands now. “You must get your forgetfulness from me.” She presses the frame to her chest. “Tommy, dear, there’s something very important I have to tell you about; something your father and I discovered when we were searching for you all those years ago.”
Tommy’s brow furrows. “What is it?”
“I . . . really don’t know the right way to say this.” She takes a deep breath and hands over the framed photo.
Leaning over Tommy’s shoulder, Billy stares down at it. At first, he thinks it’s a picture of Tommy standing with his parents. Then he notices that ‘Tommy’ is holding a Missing Poster with Tommy’s face on it.
When Tommy looks up, baffled, Margaret says, “That’s your brother, David Trueheart. We never even knew he existed until we started getting tips as to your whereabouts from people thinking he was you. He lives on a Native American reservation in the Southern California desert. He’s such a very sweet young man; reminds me so much of you.”
Open mouthed, Tommy stares at the framed photo. “I have a brother.”
It’s a staggering revelation, and Billy finds himself marveling over the fact that two days ago Tommy had almost nothing in the world and now he has a whole family. He sits down beside Tommy on the floor. “Does he know Tommy’s been found yet?”
“I don’t know,” Margaret says. “Perhaps, if he’s watched the news recently. I’ve got his number. You should call him. Oh, you could teleport to visit him any time, couldn’t you?”
“We could,” Billy says. “I think a phone call would be more prudent, first.”
Tommy’s still staring at the framed photo. “David Trueheart.” He touches the man in the picture. “My brother. He looks so much like me.”
“He’s a few years older. Quite into martial arts, as well.” She laughs softly. “He’s definitely your brother.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“We’ll definitely look him up soon.” Billy gives Tommy’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “If you think you’re up to it, that is.”
Finally taking his eyes off the photo, he stares at Margaret. “Did he want to know about me? Was he surprised he had a brother?”
“Oh, of course. He wanted to know everything about you.” She scoots closer. “When we met, we spent the whole time telling him stories about you . . .”
After a few minutes, Billy leaves mother and son to bond over their shared history and family. He isn’t needed here and he has appointments that need to be kept. Before he slips out of the room, he stops and takes a mental picture of how happy Tommy is on the floor with his mother, surrounded by his old possessions and reminiscences. If nothing else, that he's helped make this happen makes everything he's done feel worth while.
Author: vandonovan
Pairing: Billy/Tommy, background Skull/Kim, Adam/Rocky, Jason/Zack and Aisha/OMC
Word count: 4,854 (this chapter)
Rating: R
Era: MMPR AU after "The Green Candle" where Tommy never becomes the White Ranger. (Picks up in 1999.)
Warnings: adult language, sexual situations/innuendo, AU, potential spoilers through Space, may contain triggering content, please read at your own risk.
Summary: Six years after losing his Green Ranger powers, Tommy has been consumed by inner darkness and a destructive lifestyle. Can Billy bring Tommy back or will his attempts strain the Rangers too much as they face the return of an old enemy?
Notes: Super special thanks to azelmaroark for both playing beta and helping me create and cultivate this monster.
Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
Chapter seventeen:
To Billy's surprise, not everyone is waiting in the Command Center. He glances around before heading toward the one's who have arrived, now staring into Viewing Globe. “Where’s Adam?”
Rocky just points.
Instead of visualizing the monster in Angel Grove, the Viewing Globe shows Adam making farewells from a very trendy party.
“Time to go save the world!” he cheerfully says. “Turn on the news; you’ll have front row seats.” To one particularly attractive woman seated next to him, he says, “Don’t worry, Scarlett. I’ll be back just as soon as I take care of this monster!” He hesitates a moment and then kisses her cheek. “All right, just one more autograph.”
Billy’s fuming, but there’s no time to berate him. He turns back to Zordon. “Have Adam join us when he can fit it into his schedule. It’s morphin’ time!”
The four arrive on the scene to find that Master Vile’s monster has already been grown to city crushing size. Billy spares a glance to Rocky, but it's impossible to ascertain his emotional state through his helmet. As angry as Billy is, it's not hard to guess how Rocky must be feeling.
Aisha steps up beside Billy. “What’ll we do? We can't form the Ninja Megazord without Adam here and these monsters are stronger than ever.”
“We’ll just have take him out individually.”
Kimberly steps up on his other side. “Or hope Adam gets his butt here real fast!” She reaches into the sky. “We need Ninjazord Power, now!” she shouts.
“Pink Crane Ninjazord, Power Up!”
“Blue Wolf Ninjazord, Power Up!”
“Yellow Bear Ninjazord, Power Up!”
“Red Ape Ninjazord, Power Up!” Rocky goes for the monster immediately. “You guys come in from behind. I’ll distract him!”
“Right!” Billy swiftly navigates the Wolfzord around behind the monster, sliding under to slice at the monster’s legs with the Wolfzord’s sharp tail.
“Head’s up!” Kimberly calls, allowing just enough time for Billy and Aisha to get out of the way before she fires her Cranezord’s laser beams into the monster’s back.
Aisha rears the Bearzord up on its hind legs. “And now it’s my turn to play!” She double swipes the monster’s back with her zord’s powerful claws.
The Apezord catches both of the monster’s hands in its fists, holding it immobile. “Get him together, guys!” Rocky shouts.
Quickly repositioning their zords, Billy, Kimberly and Aisha each unleash their laser cannons into the monster. The Apezord takes the monster’s struggles and drops a roundhouse kick, sending it to the ground.
“We’ve got to get it out of the city,” Billy calls.
Kimberly takes to the skies again. “Follow me!”
They arrive at a nearly deserted beach, but before they can reengage the monster, Billy curses. “I’m getting reports of another monster attack, about six miles from here.”
The Apezord punches at the monster. “Where the hell is Adam!”
Aisha rears the Bearzord up again. “Things didn’t go so well last time we split up.”
“Can you get the Golden Eaglezord out here?”
“Negative, Kim. I can’t control it from the Wolfzord cockpit; we’ll have to form the Ninja Megazord first.” Billy darts across the shore again. “I may have an idea. Rocky, lure the monster into the water. Kim, do an aerial and make sure there aren't any civilians in the water. Aisha, get over on the shore with me.”
Without asking questions, the Rangers do as asked.
“All right. Kim, get ready to pull Rocky out of there. Aisha, on my mark open your portside electrical bays. The static build up between our zords should create a big enough current to stop this biological nightmare’s heart. Kim, get ready to pull Rocky out of the water! Ready? Kim, get him out of there! And, mark, Aisha!”
Billy opens his starboard electrical bays and the static build up that close to the water creates an almost immediate spark. The Pink Cranezord hauls the Red Apezord out of the water just in time to break the connection so the electricity runs right into the monster.
It’s barely able to turn around before the current hits it full on. It’s body begins convulsing and before Kimberly can land the Red Apezord on the shore, the monster explodes in a flurry of sparks. It spins once and then crashes into the ocean.
“All right!”
“No time for celebrations now. We’ve got another monster to handle.”
Into the communications channel comes Adam’s voice. “Hey guys. I’m already here taking this monster on. Could definitely use your help.”
“Adam!” Rocky shouts. “What the hell do you think you’re-”
Gritting his teeth, Billy almost growls. “We don’t have time for that, Rocky. Get ready to form the Mega Ninjazord. We’re on our way!”
Whatever it was Adam was doing that took so long for him to join up is out of Billy’s mind; it just feels good to combine into the Mega Ninjazord. When Adam arrives in the cockpit with the rest of them, Billy’s glad none of them say anything.
Rocky leans forward, staring out the cockpit window at the monster. “What’s he doing?”
“That’s the Rivera Dam!” Aisha shouts. “If he brings that down, it’ll flood the whole city!”
Billy raises his fist. “We’re not gonna let that happen. C’mon guys!”
The second monster is much more heavily armored than the first and easily brushes them off the first few times they attack. The intensity with which its focused on pulling down the dam is impressive. It’s clear that Vile’s interested in causing general destruction as well as taking out the Rangers. It’s an unsettling realization; at least Zedd and Rita, for the most part, were content to focus their attacks on the Rangers themselves.
“We’re going to need the Golden Eaglezord for this.” Billy pulls out the remote for it and lets Rocky control the Mega Ninjazord while he brings the Eaglezord in.
Once they’ve engaged the sixth zord, Billy powers up the controls for flight, taking the Ninja Mega Eaglezord to the skies. They soar over the dam and come around the monster’s front, landing a fierce kick right into its torso. The impact is enough to knock the monster back, finally thwarting its assault on the dam.
“Let’s not waste any time,” Billy says. “Power Punch, now!”
It’s brutal to attack a monster when it’s knocked down, but Billy’s no longer sure why they’re still playing fair when their adversaries never do. The Power Punch does the trick, wiping the monster out in almost record time. Feeling it’s too good to be true, Billy double checks their long-range sensors for other monsters. Not seeing any doesn’t help him lower his guard.
“Should we check on the dam?” Kimberly asks. “We might be able to seal up any cracks before they get worse.”
“That’s a good idea.” Billy’s grateful for the others. The thought didn’t even begin to occur to him and it’s a huge issue. When they arrive, the structure appears sound, but they spray it with a coat of strong adhesive from their arsenal.
“Oh man,” Rocky says. “It’s a good thing we got here when we did. Look! The water from that dam would have torn right through the Command Center, too.”
Billy calculates the trajectory and realizes Rocky’s right. There’s definitely no chance that was mere coincidence. “Let’s see what Zordon has to say about all this.”
--
“It would appear that Master Vile has realized you are truly a force to be reckoned with. Instead of taking you head on, he has begun making more strategic attacks.”
Aisha crosses her arms. “Taking out the Command Center would be a serious blow.”
Kimberly shivers. “And I don’t know about you guys, but I’d totally rather have his monsters attack us instead of innocent people.”
“Yeah,” Adam says. “It’s real demoralizing.”
Hearing Adam speak makes Billy spin around. “It’s also demoralizing to be out there fighting to save the world when one fifth of your team decides he has better things to do than to show up and help.”
Adam’s brow furrows. “Hey, I showed up! You guys did fine on that first monster without me and I was able to keep the second one away from the dam all on my own long enough for you guys to join up with me.”
That Adam can’t see the problem with all of that has Billy almost seeing red with anger.
It’s with considerable relief that Kimberly takes over. “That may be true,” she says, “but it would have been a lot better if you’d been there with us from the start. We’re a team. We need to stick together.” She looks at him sternly. “And that means we have to be able to trust each other to respond to threats immediately.”
“Geez. If I’d known you’d give me such a hard time, I would’ve come faster. It won’t happen again.” He puts his hands on his belt. “Now if you’re done berating me, I’d like to get back to my date.”
Before Billy can stop him, Adam teleports out, leaving the rest of the Rangers staring where he was, dumbfounded.
Aisha scowls. “What’s gotten into him?”
Rocky shrugs. “Adam’s always wanted to be popular and loved. Now he finally is.”
Kimberly puts her hand on Rocky’s arm. “You can’t be okay with this.”
“Even if Rocky is, I’m not.” Billy glares at the Viewing Globe. “Adam is acting way out of line.”
“He’s been under a lot of pressure lately,” Rocky says. “You can’t blame him for acting out.”
Turning around, Billy can only stare at him. “You two have been together for years. Don’t you care that he’s on a date with some other person right now?”
Self-consciously, Rocky shrugs and grabs his left bicep with his right hand. “I guess. I mean, yeah, but . . . he and I talked about this. I know he’s never really wanted to be with me. I can't stand knowing he was unhappy because he didn't want to hurt me, so I agreed to let him go do what he had to. I’d rather him be happy with . . . with whoever than miserable because I made him stay with me.”
“Oh, Rocky.” Kimberly hugs him. “You deserve better than that.”
Aisha puts her hands on her hips. “Kimberly’s right. That’s unacceptable, Rocky. You shouldn’t let him treat you like that.”
“You guys don’t understand,” he says. “I can’t let him be miserable, and I’d rather share him with some Hollywood actress or whoever, than lose him completely.”
Aisha shakes her head. “What happened to him? He didn’t used to be like this.”
“The war has changed us all.” Billy wants to sit Rocky down and explain to him how love should actually work. He wants to find Adam at his party and tell him off in the most humiliating way possible. Most of all, he wants to check that Tommy’s all right and reassure him that he’s safe. “I’ve got to get back to Tommy,” Billy says. “He’s reconnected with his parents finally and I don’t want to leave him alone too long.” He fixes Rocky with an intense stare. “When you see Adam again, make sure he knows how serious this is. If he can’t be reliable, I’ll find someone else who can be.”
All three of the others respond to that with wide eyes, but they can just ponder because Billy doesn’t want to explain. He puts his hands on his belt and teleports out.
--
The warm, homey embrace of the Oliver’s living room is such an extreme contrast to the cold hostility of the Command Center than Billy almost loses his balance. To his surprise, all three of the Olivers are still sitting there chatting, instead of crouched around a television, watching the news. While Hank and Margaret jolt in their seats in surprise at Billy’s appearance, Tommy leaps to his feet immediately.
“You’re all right!”
Tommy’s hugging Billy before he can reply, and it’s like the battle never happened. There’s just Tommy’s warm, strong arms around him, melting away all the anger and frustrations in the Command Center away. “Yes. Glad to see that you are, too.” Only slightly embarrassed by making a scene in front of his parents, Billy gently pulls away. “I was worried about you.”
Tommy laughs. He glances over his shoulder at his parents. “See? He was worried about me!”
Hank gets to his feet again, offering his seat to Billy. “We had no idea you were such a keeper when he brought you home!”
Overwhelmed, Billy feels himself blushing. “You mean you knew we were . . .?”
“Well,” Margaret says, “we thought that might be the connection. We always rather suspected that our Tommy might be into boys.”
“You suspected,” Hank says. “I knew, right from the start.”
Billy’s shocked by just how happy and accepting the Olivers are about this. “It’s . . . refreshing to see that won’t be an issue.” As surreal as this is, he finally lets himself sit back down.
“Was the attack bad?” Tommy asks, sitting down close beside him. “They wouldn’t let me watch it on the news.”
“We’ve certainly had worse. Adam’s giving me a little trouble, but . . . hopefully that will be sorted before too long.”
“Adam? Not about me, I hope.”
“No.” He glances at Tommy’s parents.
“Oh.” Tommy fidgets. “I told them a little about what I was doing and that I’m okay now, and clean and safe and in therapy.” He smiles slightly. “And that we’re together.”
Billy doesn’t want to say 'I told you so,' but he’s very glad this reunion is going as well as it is. “I certainly would have rather been here than out fighting monsters.”
“What is that all about?” Hank asks, settling himself on another chair. “Are they really space aliens?”
“I’m afraid so. This one is named Master Vile. He’s the father of some of the ones who were attacking us before.” His body relaxes as he sinks back into the plush couch. It’s surprising how dark it’s already gotten outside.
“Very fascinating. And what do they have against Earth?”
“Like true explorers, they wanted to conquer the planet and make it their own, but we defeated them. Now, Master Vile wants revenge for his children. We had no choice but to kill them during the war.”
“Well, no one could blame you for that.”
“It was either kill or be killed.”
Hank’s brow furrows. “William Cranston, isn’t it?”
Blinking, Billy tilts his head. “Yes, sir.”
“You wouldn’t happen to be related to the William Cranston that published a excellent paper in Astrophysics Today on tachyon particles, would you?”
“Uh.” The topic change is bewildering. “Yes, sir. That would be me.”
“Oh, no. This was some time ago. Your father, perhaps?”
“It was my paper. 1987, if I remember correctly?”
Off Hank’s shocked face, Tommy says, “Like I was saying, Dad. Billy’s really, really smart.”
“But, you're Tommy's age, aren't you? You couldn't have been more than ten in 1987.”
“Nine. The paper wasn’t even very good,” Billy says. “Especially not by my current day standards, but I was young and foolish. It’s one of those papers I wish I could take back, or at least correct.” He shakes his head. “But, you have an interest in tachyon particles?”
“My dad’s really smart, too.”
Hank shakes off his amazement. “I have a little passing interest in everything. I knew I knew your name from somewhere, it just took a bit to trigger where.”
“What on Earth were you doing working in an IT firm with a brain like that, Billy?” Margaret asks.
“Being a Power Ranger is a full time job.” He pauses. “Did you not see our reveal on the news?”
“Oh, we heard about it.” Hank folds his hands across his lap. “I'm afraid to say we didn’t pay too much attention to it, though. We never thought it would really apply to us.”
“I see.”
It feels like the conversation is growing strained again and that sensation of being with a bunch of strangers returns to Billy. It’s welcoming and comforting and he feels like he belongs-but it is also overwhelming and a little awkward.
Quietly, to Tommy, he says, “It’s getting late. Perhaps this is enough for today?”
“Are you tired?” Margaret asks. “I can have one of the guest rooms made up in a jiffy.”
“Oh,” Tommy says. “We weren’t planning to stay the night.” He looks at Billy. “Were we?”
Although Billy’s willing to if Tommy wants to, he shakes his head. “No. I think it would be better for you to sleep in your own bed tonight.”
“Our beds are better than any hotels around here!”
“No, I mean his bed back in Angel Grove.”
Hank laughs. “You can’t seriously mean to go back to California tonight.”
“No, Dad. We’ll teleport. It just takes a second.”
He blinks a few times. “Goodness. I just saw him do it and it slipped my mind.”
Margaret frets. “You don’t want to stay here?” She takes up Tommy’s hand. “I’ve saved so many of your old things.”
Sensing Tommy’s uncertainty, Billy grows more confident. “It’s no trouble to teleport. We can be back in time for breakfast tomorrow morning. For now, it’s better if Tommy sticks to a routine. He sleeps much better at my house. Otherwise he tends to be plagued by nightmares.”
“Oh. I remember your nightmares,” Margaret says.
Hank shifts uncomfortably before getting up to stoke the fire. “Always thought you were exaggerating those.”
“No,” Tommy says. “I had terrible dreams after Rita controlled me. They got much worse at the club.” He shrugs. “They’re not all gone now, but it’s much better when I'm with Billy.”
“But we just got you back,” Margaret says. “I don’t want you going away so soon.”
“Mom.” Tommy gives her a hug. “We’ll be back in time for breakfast. You’ll hardly know we’re gone at all.”
“You’ve been missing for six years,” she protests. “Of course I will.” She reaches out to straighten his collar and pet his curls. “You promise you’ll come back in the morning?”
“I promise.”
Billy gets back to his feet. He’s glad they’re going; a long soak in the tub sounds about right tonight, followed by cuddling with Tommy on the couch in the living room.
The Olivers move together, staring forlornly at them as they prepare to leave. Tommy waves to them as Billy presses the teleport button, whisking them away.
The house back in Angel Grove is cold and dark. It takes a few seconds for Billy to figure out where they are and where the lights are. “That wasn’t so bad,” he says once the living room is illuminated.
Tommy immediately wraps up in his fleece blanket and settles on the couch. “They’re so different.”
“It’s been six years.”
“It’s not bad different. I just . . . feel like I hardly know them. It’s almost like talking to strangers.”
“It’ll take more than two hours together to make up for six years apart.” Billy kisses his forehead. “You really should shower and get some sleep.”
Tommy stares up at him. “What’d Adam do today?”
Sighing, Billy tells him about Adam’s delayed response during battle. “Rocky wasn’t exactly in high spirits afterward, either.”
“Maybe I can visit him tomorrow, after I see my parents.” He runs a hand into his hair. “It’s so weird to say that and think about it. My parents. All these years I thought they hated me, and they were really missing me and looking for me.”
“They seemed surprisingly calm to find out that you’re . . . in a relationship. With a man.”
Tommy grins. “I think that’s the least of their concerns. They love you.”
It’s with a hollow, aching regret that Billy knows he’ll never be able to ascertain how well his own parents would have reacted to Tommy. “I’m glad. The last thing you need is more drama from your parents. It’s good you were all right alone with them, as well.” He puts his hands into his pockets. “I’m going to have to start really pushing hard to get everything I need to get done done. Unfortunately, that will mean spending less time home with you.”
Tommy manages a wry smile. “So now I’ve got another set of baby sitters?”
Billy kisses him again. “Only if you want. Rocky definitely needs a friend these days.”
Tommy puts his head back and stares up at the ceiling. “I can’t believe Adam’s doing this to him.”
“I can.” Billy doesn’t let Tommy’s scowl deter him. “Adam and Rocky got together when they were what, sixteen? Seventeen? As far as I know, neither of them had ever had a serious relationship before. I don't think Adam’s never quite come to terms with being with another man. Now he has a chance to change all that. He may only be twenty-two, but we've all been through a lot in the last five, six years; he’s having something of a mid-life crisis. I may not agree with how he’s going about it, but I do understand why he is.”
Tommy grunts. “I just wish it wasn’t at Rocky’s expense.”
“So do I.” He holds out his hand. “Come on. It’s past your bed time and you still need to shower.”
--
It’s a little strange to wake up in California, but to teleport to Oregon before breakfast. Billy’s sure Zordon’s monitoring all of this from his tube in the Command Center and having quiet little conniption fits over not being able to control them all anymore.
“Oh, you came back!” Margaret says, sounding genuinely shocked when she opens the front door to find them standing there, considerably better dressed for the weather this time.
“I told you we would.” Tommy gives his mother an awkward squeeze before hurrying inside and shedding his coat and scarf. “What’s cooking? Smells good.”
Billy lets Margaret lead Tommy into the kitchen. He hangs up his coat, but before following checks the itinerary he wrote down earlier. He doesn’t anticipate spending the day with the Olivers. He has business meetings in Los Angeles and New York, and wants to find the time to check in with Rocky and Adam at some point.
Tommy’s mother apparently spent the night going through boxes of Tommy’s old things, which she then dragged into one of the guest rooms to show off. They visit together after breakfast and Billy patiently stands in the doorway while Margaret begins a parade of baby booties and vintage Smurf and Carebear Valentines that should have been tossed fifteen years ago.
“I can’t believe you kept all of this stuff.” Tommy stares at an unidentifiable drawing done by a five-year-old Tommy on yellowed construction paper.
“I was glad I did after you disappeared.” She pulls out a small gilded box and gives it a rattle. “Look! Your baby teeth!”
Tommy gives Billy an apologetic cringe and Billy pushes away from the door, trying to involve himself more. “I wish I had more things from my youth.” When Margaret looks up at him, he shrugs. “Our house was destroyed in the war, too. I lost everything.”
“Oh, Billy, honey.” Margaret reaches up to squeeze his hand. “We were very fortunate to have most of Tommy’s old things in a storage shed that went undamaged during the war.” She opens another box and coos. “Oh, look! Your trophies!” She pulls one out, featuring a golden man executing a karate kick. It’s for first place and the engraving actually says Tommy Oliver.
Taking it from her, Tommy stares at it, a strange expression coming over his face. “This was the first trophy I won after I began attending Angel Grove.” He sets it down on the ground. “It wasn’t long after that tournament that Jason asked if I wanted to help him teach his karate class.”
Margaret’s eyes widen. “I didn’t know you taught karate in high school.”
“Yeah.” Tommy doesn’t lift his eyes off the trophy.
“Not only did Tommy teach,” Billy says, “but he was extremely good at it, too. I remember at the time thinking he could make a career of it.”
Tommy stares up at him. “Really?”
“Really. You were quite good at a lot of things. You had a natural affinity for learning.”
“Just not remembering to turn in my assignments.”
Margaret wipes dust off another trophy she’s pulled from the box. “I thought you didn’t turn in assignments because of the monster attacks?”
Billy chuckles. “That was true some of the time.”
Tommy puts the trophy back into the box. “Mostly though, I’m just forgetful.”
“Well, we all have flaws.” She smiles at Tommy.
Billy finds himself grinning too. “It’s endearing, in its own way.”
“Oh.”
Both Billy and Tommy turn toward Margaret. She’s holding a framed photograph in her hands now. “You must get your forgetfulness from me.” She presses the frame to her chest. “Tommy, dear, there’s something very important I have to tell you about; something your father and I discovered when we were searching for you all those years ago.”
Tommy’s brow furrows. “What is it?”
“I . . . really don’t know the right way to say this.” She takes a deep breath and hands over the framed photo.
Leaning over Tommy’s shoulder, Billy stares down at it. At first, he thinks it’s a picture of Tommy standing with his parents. Then he notices that ‘Tommy’ is holding a Missing Poster with Tommy’s face on it.
When Tommy looks up, baffled, Margaret says, “That’s your brother, David Trueheart. We never even knew he existed until we started getting tips as to your whereabouts from people thinking he was you. He lives on a Native American reservation in the Southern California desert. He’s such a very sweet young man; reminds me so much of you.”
Open mouthed, Tommy stares at the framed photo. “I have a brother.”
It’s a staggering revelation, and Billy finds himself marveling over the fact that two days ago Tommy had almost nothing in the world and now he has a whole family. He sits down beside Tommy on the floor. “Does he know Tommy’s been found yet?”
“I don’t know,” Margaret says. “Perhaps, if he’s watched the news recently. I’ve got his number. You should call him. Oh, you could teleport to visit him any time, couldn’t you?”
“We could,” Billy says. “I think a phone call would be more prudent, first.”
Tommy’s still staring at the framed photo. “David Trueheart.” He touches the man in the picture. “My brother. He looks so much like me.”
“He’s a few years older. Quite into martial arts, as well.” She laughs softly. “He’s definitely your brother.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“We’ll definitely look him up soon.” Billy gives Tommy’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “If you think you’re up to it, that is.”
Finally taking his eyes off the photo, he stares at Margaret. “Did he want to know about me? Was he surprised he had a brother?”
“Oh, of course. He wanted to know everything about you.” She scoots closer. “When we met, we spent the whole time telling him stories about you . . .”
After a few minutes, Billy leaves mother and son to bond over their shared history and family. He isn’t needed here and he has appointments that need to be kept. Before he slips out of the room, he stops and takes a mental picture of how happy Tommy is on the floor with his mother, surrounded by his old possessions and reminiscences. If nothing else, that he's helped make this happen makes everything he's done feel worth while.