Cataclysm (Tsukino Akume, Drama/Friendship)
And I am on a roll today! ^_^
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/: #100. Slander
Author's Notes/: I'm not all that fond of this chapter - barring certain 'rumors' about Andros - but it is what it is. -Shrugs-
Love to rosabelle, lunaria_kitty, and purplestripe66 for help with rumors, and pushing me to work on this. Additional love to lunaria_kitty for beta. ♥
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Cassie stared at the comm screen, ignoring the sudden awkward silence behind her. It wasn't much of a party, certainly nothing like the welcome Carlos' mother had given him when he'd finally been released from the hospital - let alone the crowd of people waiting outside with banners and signs cheering at the sight of him walking out unaided - but it didn't matter much. Just the team, Alpha, D.E.C.A., and Carlos' new pet enjoying dinner together with balloons and streamers everywhere, courtesy of Ashley and Zhane. They'd called it a welcome home party, but it was really just an excuse to get them all together and silently celebrate the fact that Carlos was safe. Things had finally wound down, leaving Ashley and Carlos arguing over what to name his dragon, T.J. watching them in amusement, Andros and Karone talking quietly, and Zhane sprawled back in a chair, sipping at his juice as he stared off into space. Which was why Cassie had eventually turned her attention to the comm, absently flipping through local channels.
Apparently, this was a mistake.
"What is it?" Andros asked at last. She could hear the frown in his voice.
Wordlessly she turned up the volume, stepping aside to let the others see.
A picture of Cassie and Zhane was being displayed. It was shortly after they'd left Carlos' hospital room, when Zhane had hugged her and told her everything would be okay. Her face was turned away, hiding the fact that she was almost in tears, and Zhane looked like he was kissing her hair.
"The rumor that the Pink and Silver Rangers are in fact a couple is still unconfirmed, as the Rangers have been out of contact with the general public, but sources from Angel Grove General claim that they appeared to be very close, even holding hands as they left. This of course has fed into the recent accusations that the Rangers have been ignoring the destruction done to Earth in the wake of Astronema's attack, and that while the Rangers are willing to help save the planet, they are not willing to help in the aftermath. Others insist that the picture of a clearly private moment is a sign that Black Ranger Carlos Vallerte has been left with psychological damage in the wake of his kidnapping. All recent attempts to make contact with the Rangers has failed."
She lowered the volume back down, turning to look at the others. Ashley looked stunned. T.J. and Andros both looked annoyed, while Karone seemed thoughtful.
"Psychological damage?" Carlos demanded, insulted.
"We're not helping with the cleanup because we're too busy dealing with everything else," T.J. muttered darkly.
Andros shook his head, letting out a breath in a way that would be a huff from anyone else but Andros. "Rangers don't help with cleanup. It distracts us from guarding against new threats," he said with a frown. "It's standard procedure." For a moment he looked like he might say more, but seemed to catch himself.
Probably wanted to say something about Earth being sheltered and backwards again, Cassie thought irritably. He hadn't actually said it aloud at least, but after nearly a year of being teammates, she knew what he was thinking.
Has it really been a year? she wondered. We lost the Command Center in February ... Even now, the thought still hurt, and she swallowed painfully. It's just after New Years now, so ... a year next month. Wow. Her eyes flickered to Andros. Sometimes it was hard to imagine a time he hadn't been her friend, that she hadn't been an Astro Ranger. That she hadn't known him, Zhane, and D.E.C.A. forever. Other times it seemed like they'd only just met.
"Cassie?" Ashley ventured hesitantly. "Are you all right?"
She realized abruptly that she'd been clenching her fists so tightly that her hands were starting to hurt. She forced herself to relax, flexing her fingers for a moment. "Yeah," she said belatedly, as Ashley looked worried. "I'm just ... " She shook her head, at a loss for what to say. Her privacy had been invaded. There weren't words for what she was feeling.
" ... There are so many jokes I want to make right now I don't know where to begin."
She blinked, turning to look at Zhane. He was still sprawled back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head and a bemused look on his face. She saw Andros give him an irritated glance out of the corner of her eye, and Zhane shrugged absently. "It's true," he argued. "Rumors and speculations are part of being a Ranger," he informed them all as he glanced around. He shrugged again. "You get used to it."
"I always liked the story about the bar brawl on Santis 5," Karone commented mildly, glancing over at her brother. "How Andros got that bounty on his head."
"Oh, that one's true," Zhane assured her. "That's why we can't go anywhere near the Sani Systems anymore. My favorite was the one where Andros was carrying my child."
T.J. laughed. "I take it that one was started by someone who didn't know human men can't bear children?"
Zhane waved a hand dismissively. "No, of course we can. I just thought it was funny because if we ever did have a child together, obviously *I'd* be the one to carry it. Andros would make a terrible mother."
T.J. and Carlos stared at him. Carlos looked horrified. T.J. seemed to be trying to judge whether or not he was kidding. Ashley just looked confused.
Cassie eyed him. He didn't *look* like he was just teasing them, but with Zhane you never really knew.
"Bounty ... ?" Ashley said slowly.
Andros cleared his throat hastily. "Guys," he said loudly, calling everyone's attention to him. "We need to figure out what we're gonna do about this."
"Press conference," Zhane said immediately.
"Can we do that?" Cassie asked warily.
He blinked at her. "Why wouldn't we be able to do one?"
She frowned. "Well, Rangers aren't supposed to - " She stopped, realizing what she was about to say, and sighed. "Nevermind. I guess it really doesn't matter anymore, does it?"
"What doesn't matter?" Andros asked, frowning as well.
She shrugged a little. "Well, one of the first things Dimitria told us was that we should never reveal our identities. But that's sort of a moot point now."
"What's a moot point?" Zhane asked blankly.
"It means it doesn't matter anymore," she explained.
Karone frowned. "I don't understand why it mattered in the first place. I knew, so why didn't everyone else?"
"It's because Earth isn't officially part of the Alliance." Andros told her. "Under Ranger Etiquette Law, that requires that they remain as separated from other planets as possible."
She gave him a look. "Earth was being invaded and everyone knew about it. How does knowing who their Rangers are make a difference?"
"Technically, anyone outside of Angel Grove as always thought the Power Rangers were urban myth," T.J. told her with a shrug. "I did before I moved here."
Cassie nodded. "Me, too."
Andros sighed. "It's standard Ranger Law," he said again, his tone clearly declaring the discussion over. "And if we're going to hold a press conference, there's some things we need to go over first."
Karone shook her head, eyeing him. Cassie could have *sworn* she heard her mutter "Rangers," under her breath.
"Like what?" Ashley asked, frowning.
"Who's going to be our main representative, for one," he told her. "Press conferences run smoother when there's only one or two people answering questions. And there's less chance of getting our stories mixed up."
"But shouldn't that be you?" Carlos asked, catching his mini-dragon before he could steal a mouthful of cake. "I mean, you are our leader."
"Andros is not allowed to talk to reporters," Zhane interrupted firmly. "Not after the Drenali incident."
Ashley started. "The - "
"How many 'incidents' do you have?" Carlos demanded, looking at Andros suspiciously.
"T.J.," Cassie cut in.
He glanced at her, looking vaguely amused at the shifty expression on Andros' face. "What?"
"You should be the one to do the talking," she told him.
He stared. "Me? Why me?"
She shrugged lightly, counting off on her fingers. "You were leader of the Turbo Rangers. You're good with people. You don't have much of a temper. You're good at getting people to listen to you." She shrugged again, offering a faint smirk. "You want me to go on?"
Zhane nodded in agreement. "And you know Earth better than me or Andros. I can coach you."
"If you're gonna coach me on what to say, why can't you be the one to do it?" T.J. demanded.
"Because people will trust a Ranger from their own planet first," he explained patiently. "They always trust someone they think they can recognize."
"Any other tips?" Cassie asked him, amused.
He looked thoughtful. "They'll ask us about the rumors that are going around, obviously. Like you and me, and Carlos. Probably what happened with Andros at the hospital. They'll definitely ask who me and Andros are, and want to know all about us. Probably Karone, too. And they'll ask what happened with Astronema and all that." He leaned further back in his chair to the point that he looked like he was about to fall over, rubbing the back of his neck. "Earth has never known anything about Rangers before, so they'll want to know all about where the Power comes from and how we were all chosen and why. Why no one knew who you are. Who the former Rangers are." He paused, frowning. "They'll want to know about the Golden Wave."
There was an awkward pause as Andros looked away, and everyone else pretended not to notice the tears in his eyes.
"So ... what are we going to tell them?" Ashley asked softly.
****
"Cassie?"
There was a hand on her shoulder, but she didn't jump. She continued to stare vacantly out the window, not bothering to turn. "Yeah."
Ashley hesitated. "Are you okay ... ?"
They'd just spent an hour trying to come up with the worst things people might want to know about them and how to respond back. They'd spent an hour with Zhane pushing everyone's buttons, *trying* to make them angry to help them learn to control their emotions. "Never get emotional during a press conference," he'd warned. "It always comes back to get you later."
They'd spent an hour rehearsing how to let T.J. do the talking, how to ignore rude questions. How to respond to a direct question. How to answer that no, she wasn't dating the Silver Ranger, while not losing her temper against anyone for invading her privacy when her friend was trying to comfort her in the first place, and without offending Carlos in the process.
Part of her wanted to snap that it was a stupid question. Part of her wanted to burst into tears and hug her best friend. Part of her wanted to find a way to go back in time and make it all go away.
Instead she let out a slow sigh. "We need to do something about the Formers," she said quietly. "We can't keep avoiding them like this. And we can't do ... " She trailed off, gesturing widely over the main bridge of the Dark Fortress and ending on the viewscreen showing Earth. "*This*, without help."
"I know," Ashley agreed softly, moving to stand side by side. "We need help. I was thinking we might want to ask them to run security for us at the press conference too, if they're willing." She hesitated, shuddering slightly. "I don't want anyone else to - to - "
Cassie moved to wrap her arms around the other girl's, squeezing gently. "I know," she agreed, squeezing again as Ashley leaned in closer and dropping her chin to rest on Ashley's shoulder. "I just ... I'm not sure what we should say, or who to talk to. I'm not sure we'll even be able to get the guys to agree with us on this."
"T.J. might," Ashley murmured. "If it's for everyone's safety. But Carlos won't. I'm not sure about Zhane ... "
She nodded, ignoring the awkwardness of it from her position. Zhane understood that some times they needed to do what was necessary for the sake of others - sometimes better than they did themselves - but it was Andros that had had been hurt by it all. "Same with Karone. And we definitely don't want Andros there."
Ashley swallowed. "I'm still angry," she admitted. "That they didn't even ... They didn't even *try* to understand!" she burst out. "They just *attacked* him without - "
"And if we get angry about it without trying to understand, we're just as bad as they were," Cassie interrupted with another sigh, tilting her head toward Ashley's. "Trust me, Ash. I'm with you on this. But we can't fix Earth by ourselves. We need their help."
"I wish we didn't," Ashley muttered, sounding surprisingly bitter.
"Me, too," she agreed.
They stood together in silence for a few minutes.
"So who do we contact?" Ashley sighed at last.
Cassie shrugged a shoulder. "I'm not really sure. Any ideas?"
Ashley frowned in thought. "Trini," she decided finally. "We should start with her."
"Do we even know how to get ahold of her?"
Ashley nodded slightly. "She and Aisha gave me their contact information before - well, before."
Another pause, and Cassie sighed again. "You want me to do it?"
Ashley hesitated. " ... Would you be mad if I said yes?" she asked in a small voice.
Cassie smiled a little, but there wasn't any happiness in it. "No. You want me to?"
" ... No. No, I'll do it."
She waited, and after what seemed like an eternity Ashley finally reached for the comm. Her fingers hesitated again briefly over the keys, before at last she began to select the combination that would allow her to 'dial' a phone on the planet below. They waited together, still holding on to one another, as the comm finally began to ring.
" ... Hello?"
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/: #100. Slander
Author's Notes/: I'm not all that fond of this chapter - barring certain 'rumors' about Andros - but it is what it is. -Shrugs-
Love to rosabelle, lunaria_kitty, and purplestripe66 for help with rumors, and pushing me to work on this. Additional love to lunaria_kitty for beta. ♥
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Cassie stared at the comm screen, ignoring the sudden awkward silence behind her. It wasn't much of a party, certainly nothing like the welcome Carlos' mother had given him when he'd finally been released from the hospital - let alone the crowd of people waiting outside with banners and signs cheering at the sight of him walking out unaided - but it didn't matter much. Just the team, Alpha, D.E.C.A., and Carlos' new pet enjoying dinner together with balloons and streamers everywhere, courtesy of Ashley and Zhane. They'd called it a welcome home party, but it was really just an excuse to get them all together and silently celebrate the fact that Carlos was safe. Things had finally wound down, leaving Ashley and Carlos arguing over what to name his dragon, T.J. watching them in amusement, Andros and Karone talking quietly, and Zhane sprawled back in a chair, sipping at his juice as he stared off into space. Which was why Cassie had eventually turned her attention to the comm, absently flipping through local channels.
Apparently, this was a mistake.
"What is it?" Andros asked at last. She could hear the frown in his voice.
Wordlessly she turned up the volume, stepping aside to let the others see.
A picture of Cassie and Zhane was being displayed. It was shortly after they'd left Carlos' hospital room, when Zhane had hugged her and told her everything would be okay. Her face was turned away, hiding the fact that she was almost in tears, and Zhane looked like he was kissing her hair.
"The rumor that the Pink and Silver Rangers are in fact a couple is still unconfirmed, as the Rangers have been out of contact with the general public, but sources from Angel Grove General claim that they appeared to be very close, even holding hands as they left. This of course has fed into the recent accusations that the Rangers have been ignoring the destruction done to Earth in the wake of Astronema's attack, and that while the Rangers are willing to help save the planet, they are not willing to help in the aftermath. Others insist that the picture of a clearly private moment is a sign that Black Ranger Carlos Vallerte has been left with psychological damage in the wake of his kidnapping. All recent attempts to make contact with the Rangers has failed."
She lowered the volume back down, turning to look at the others. Ashley looked stunned. T.J. and Andros both looked annoyed, while Karone seemed thoughtful.
"Psychological damage?" Carlos demanded, insulted.
"We're not helping with the cleanup because we're too busy dealing with everything else," T.J. muttered darkly.
Andros shook his head, letting out a breath in a way that would be a huff from anyone else but Andros. "Rangers don't help with cleanup. It distracts us from guarding against new threats," he said with a frown. "It's standard procedure." For a moment he looked like he might say more, but seemed to catch himself.
Probably wanted to say something about Earth being sheltered and backwards again, Cassie thought irritably. He hadn't actually said it aloud at least, but after nearly a year of being teammates, she knew what he was thinking.
Has it really been a year? she wondered. We lost the Command Center in February ... Even now, the thought still hurt, and she swallowed painfully. It's just after New Years now, so ... a year next month. Wow. Her eyes flickered to Andros. Sometimes it was hard to imagine a time he hadn't been her friend, that she hadn't been an Astro Ranger. That she hadn't known him, Zhane, and D.E.C.A. forever. Other times it seemed like they'd only just met.
"Cassie?" Ashley ventured hesitantly. "Are you all right?"
She realized abruptly that she'd been clenching her fists so tightly that her hands were starting to hurt. She forced herself to relax, flexing her fingers for a moment. "Yeah," she said belatedly, as Ashley looked worried. "I'm just ... " She shook her head, at a loss for what to say. Her privacy had been invaded. There weren't words for what she was feeling.
" ... There are so many jokes I want to make right now I don't know where to begin."
She blinked, turning to look at Zhane. He was still sprawled back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head and a bemused look on his face. She saw Andros give him an irritated glance out of the corner of her eye, and Zhane shrugged absently. "It's true," he argued. "Rumors and speculations are part of being a Ranger," he informed them all as he glanced around. He shrugged again. "You get used to it."
"I always liked the story about the bar brawl on Santis 5," Karone commented mildly, glancing over at her brother. "How Andros got that bounty on his head."
"Oh, that one's true," Zhane assured her. "That's why we can't go anywhere near the Sani Systems anymore. My favorite was the one where Andros was carrying my child."
T.J. laughed. "I take it that one was started by someone who didn't know human men can't bear children?"
Zhane waved a hand dismissively. "No, of course we can. I just thought it was funny because if we ever did have a child together, obviously *I'd* be the one to carry it. Andros would make a terrible mother."
T.J. and Carlos stared at him. Carlos looked horrified. T.J. seemed to be trying to judge whether or not he was kidding. Ashley just looked confused.
Cassie eyed him. He didn't *look* like he was just teasing them, but with Zhane you never really knew.
"Bounty ... ?" Ashley said slowly.
Andros cleared his throat hastily. "Guys," he said loudly, calling everyone's attention to him. "We need to figure out what we're gonna do about this."
"Press conference," Zhane said immediately.
"Can we do that?" Cassie asked warily.
He blinked at her. "Why wouldn't we be able to do one?"
She frowned. "Well, Rangers aren't supposed to - " She stopped, realizing what she was about to say, and sighed. "Nevermind. I guess it really doesn't matter anymore, does it?"
"What doesn't matter?" Andros asked, frowning as well.
She shrugged a little. "Well, one of the first things Dimitria told us was that we should never reveal our identities. But that's sort of a moot point now."
"What's a moot point?" Zhane asked blankly.
"It means it doesn't matter anymore," she explained.
Karone frowned. "I don't understand why it mattered in the first place. I knew, so why didn't everyone else?"
"It's because Earth isn't officially part of the Alliance." Andros told her. "Under Ranger Etiquette Law, that requires that they remain as separated from other planets as possible."
She gave him a look. "Earth was being invaded and everyone knew about it. How does knowing who their Rangers are make a difference?"
"Technically, anyone outside of Angel Grove as always thought the Power Rangers were urban myth," T.J. told her with a shrug. "I did before I moved here."
Cassie nodded. "Me, too."
Andros sighed. "It's standard Ranger Law," he said again, his tone clearly declaring the discussion over. "And if we're going to hold a press conference, there's some things we need to go over first."
Karone shook her head, eyeing him. Cassie could have *sworn* she heard her mutter "Rangers," under her breath.
"Like what?" Ashley asked, frowning.
"Who's going to be our main representative, for one," he told her. "Press conferences run smoother when there's only one or two people answering questions. And there's less chance of getting our stories mixed up."
"But shouldn't that be you?" Carlos asked, catching his mini-dragon before he could steal a mouthful of cake. "I mean, you are our leader."
"Andros is not allowed to talk to reporters," Zhane interrupted firmly. "Not after the Drenali incident."
Ashley started. "The - "
"How many 'incidents' do you have?" Carlos demanded, looking at Andros suspiciously.
"T.J.," Cassie cut in.
He glanced at her, looking vaguely amused at the shifty expression on Andros' face. "What?"
"You should be the one to do the talking," she told him.
He stared. "Me? Why me?"
She shrugged lightly, counting off on her fingers. "You were leader of the Turbo Rangers. You're good with people. You don't have much of a temper. You're good at getting people to listen to you." She shrugged again, offering a faint smirk. "You want me to go on?"
Zhane nodded in agreement. "And you know Earth better than me or Andros. I can coach you."
"If you're gonna coach me on what to say, why can't you be the one to do it?" T.J. demanded.
"Because people will trust a Ranger from their own planet first," he explained patiently. "They always trust someone they think they can recognize."
"Any other tips?" Cassie asked him, amused.
He looked thoughtful. "They'll ask us about the rumors that are going around, obviously. Like you and me, and Carlos. Probably what happened with Andros at the hospital. They'll definitely ask who me and Andros are, and want to know all about us. Probably Karone, too. And they'll ask what happened with Astronema and all that." He leaned further back in his chair to the point that he looked like he was about to fall over, rubbing the back of his neck. "Earth has never known anything about Rangers before, so they'll want to know all about where the Power comes from and how we were all chosen and why. Why no one knew who you are. Who the former Rangers are." He paused, frowning. "They'll want to know about the Golden Wave."
There was an awkward pause as Andros looked away, and everyone else pretended not to notice the tears in his eyes.
"So ... what are we going to tell them?" Ashley asked softly.
****
"Cassie?"
There was a hand on her shoulder, but she didn't jump. She continued to stare vacantly out the window, not bothering to turn. "Yeah."
Ashley hesitated. "Are you okay ... ?"
They'd just spent an hour trying to come up with the worst things people might want to know about them and how to respond back. They'd spent an hour with Zhane pushing everyone's buttons, *trying* to make them angry to help them learn to control their emotions. "Never get emotional during a press conference," he'd warned. "It always comes back to get you later."
They'd spent an hour rehearsing how to let T.J. do the talking, how to ignore rude questions. How to respond to a direct question. How to answer that no, she wasn't dating the Silver Ranger, while not losing her temper against anyone for invading her privacy when her friend was trying to comfort her in the first place, and without offending Carlos in the process.
Part of her wanted to snap that it was a stupid question. Part of her wanted to burst into tears and hug her best friend. Part of her wanted to find a way to go back in time and make it all go away.
Instead she let out a slow sigh. "We need to do something about the Formers," she said quietly. "We can't keep avoiding them like this. And we can't do ... " She trailed off, gesturing widely over the main bridge of the Dark Fortress and ending on the viewscreen showing Earth. "*This*, without help."
"I know," Ashley agreed softly, moving to stand side by side. "We need help. I was thinking we might want to ask them to run security for us at the press conference too, if they're willing." She hesitated, shuddering slightly. "I don't want anyone else to - to - "
Cassie moved to wrap her arms around the other girl's, squeezing gently. "I know," she agreed, squeezing again as Ashley leaned in closer and dropping her chin to rest on Ashley's shoulder. "I just ... I'm not sure what we should say, or who to talk to. I'm not sure we'll even be able to get the guys to agree with us on this."
"T.J. might," Ashley murmured. "If it's for everyone's safety. But Carlos won't. I'm not sure about Zhane ... "
She nodded, ignoring the awkwardness of it from her position. Zhane understood that some times they needed to do what was necessary for the sake of others - sometimes better than they did themselves - but it was Andros that had had been hurt by it all. "Same with Karone. And we definitely don't want Andros there."
Ashley swallowed. "I'm still angry," she admitted. "That they didn't even ... They didn't even *try* to understand!" she burst out. "They just *attacked* him without - "
"And if we get angry about it without trying to understand, we're just as bad as they were," Cassie interrupted with another sigh, tilting her head toward Ashley's. "Trust me, Ash. I'm with you on this. But we can't fix Earth by ourselves. We need their help."
"I wish we didn't," Ashley muttered, sounding surprisingly bitter.
"Me, too," she agreed.
They stood together in silence for a few minutes.
"So who do we contact?" Ashley sighed at last.
Cassie shrugged a shoulder. "I'm not really sure. Any ideas?"
Ashley frowned in thought. "Trini," she decided finally. "We should start with her."
"Do we even know how to get ahold of her?"
Ashley nodded slightly. "She and Aisha gave me their contact information before - well, before."
Another pause, and Cassie sighed again. "You want me to do it?"
Ashley hesitated. " ... Would you be mad if I said yes?" she asked in a small voice.
Cassie smiled a little, but there wasn't any happiness in it. "No. You want me to?"
" ... No. No, I'll do it."
She waited, and after what seemed like an eternity Ashley finally reached for the comm. Her fingers hesitated again briefly over the keys, before at last she began to select the combination that would allow her to 'dial' a phone on the planet below. They waited together, still holding on to one another, as the comm finally began to ring.
" ... Hello?"