"So the Chief filled you guys in?"
"Yeah. It doesn't make sense. What interest would Zoltar have in him?"
"We don't know. But we're on orders to keep our eyes open. Anything
could happen, and we're to make sure it doesn't."
Tommy paused outside the kitchen doorway, frowning to himself as the voices
of Mark and his friends floated out to him. Who were they talking about...?
The voices continued.
"One other thing Kerig told us," Tommy heard Mark say in a fairly
grim tone. "There was mention about an adoption, thirteen years ago.
He said even Zoltar wasn't certain about any details, but he didn't get
any more than that, so we're no wiser."
"Adoption, huh?" That was Princess.... "It still is confusing."
"Let's just keep our eyes open. We don't want anything to happen."
Tommy fell back from the door, his heart beating hard. He had been adopted
out at the age of five. Nausea filled him as he assumed it was in him that
Zoltar had apparently taken an interest. He hadn't heard much of the conversation,
but nor was he a fool. First Rita, then Zedd, then Mondo, and then Divatox
and now Zoltar. Would he ever stop being a target for evil?
"Tommy?"
He started at the sound of Kat's voice. She spared him a puzzled look.
"Are you all right? You look like someone just walked over your grave."
He managed a weak smile. "I'm fine. C'mon, let's go see if the others
are up."
* * *
Tommy and Kat were the first two up. Tanya and Adam soon followed, then
Rocky, and finally Jason. The teens were ushered into a large dining room,
complete with a fairly enormous table, the likes of which they'd seen only
in movies with mansions.
"If nothing else," Mark told them as they sat down to a breakfast
of pancakes and waffles, "we try to have breakfast together. It's
almost the only time we're all in the same room."
The Rangers all looked around them in surprise. As well as G-Force and
themselves, the room was occupied by a young boy of approximately seven
years, two girls that looked to be twelve or so, a young woman in her early
twenties and another boy of around eighteen years. Mark made quick introductions.
"That's Sam, those two over there are Penny and Jennifer, that's Therese
and that's Michael. You saw Therese last night on the monitor when we were
coming in."
Therese offered the six teens a reassuring smile as she set a plate of
toast on the table. "Nice to meet you all. Oh, I'll give you some
free advice about staying here. Don't be shy at meal times. If you let
this lot get their claws in, you won't get anything to eat at all."
"You cook for everyone?" Tanya asked, awed. Therese grinned,
then.
"Actually, no. I used to, when there were considerably less of us,
but the Chief finally caved and hired cooks. But I am in charge of the
kitchen."
"Among other things," Jason added cheekily. Therese clipped him
over the ear.
"Don't start, Jason."
Rocky spoke up, then, eyeing the huge room curiously. "Just how big
is this place, anyway? I mean, you could fit half my house into this one
room!"
A brief silence fell as the residents of the house looked at one another.
"It's not really as big as it looks," Tiny said finally. "But
if you do get lost, just use the intercoms on the walls. Someone will be
around to direct you."
The Rangers exchanged startled looks. Get lost....?
"Don't worry," Mark told them. "We'll show you around the
place after breakfast. Better eat now, though, before it gets cold."
"Or before Tiny eats it all," Jason added, then yelped when Tiny
kicked him under the table.
"Serves you right," Keop snickered.
Jason spared the younger boy a threatening look. "Watch it, or you'll
be next."
"Both of you, knock it off," Mark warned them. "Just eat,
okay?"
Both boys grumbled and affirmative, and began to eat.
* * *
"So let me get this straight," Tommy said as they were led outside
to the paddocks. "Therese and Jennifer are both your sisters?"
Jason nodded. "Yeah. I didn't actually know about them until three
years ago. I mean, I didn't remember them, anyway. We were all sent to
the orphanage together when our parents died, but Chief Anderson only took
me out, when I was five. I forgot I even had two sisters. Zoltar found
out about them, though, and kidnapped them both a couple of years ago.
He thought he could use them against us, but it backfired because I didn't
even know who they were. At the time, they were just two ordinary hostages,
so I never acted any different. I guess if I'd known I might have treated
the situation differently, but I didn't. So now they live here, with us."
"And what about Penny and Sam?" Kat asked.
"Penny ended up with us almost by accident," Mark explained.
"She used to live with her grandfather, but he was killed when Spectra
attacked the city where they lived. Penny is actually a pretty smart kid.
She managed to get into the Spectran mother-ship and she sabotaged all
their files. They caught her, but they were too late, and they had to retreat
back to Spectra, because of the damage she'd done. Zoltar was planning
to execute her publicly on Spectra, but we came across her in the dungeons
when we were sent to Spectra on reconnaissance. We got her out and brought
her back with us."
"Not before some high drama, though," Princess said. "We
were just entering the Earth's atmosphere when something went wrong. Tiny
lost control of the Phoenix and we spun out of our re-entry path. None
of us knew what was wrong, or what to do, but Penny somehow managed to
break the virus and regain control before we totally burned up. After that,
we couldn't stand to see her go into an orphanage, so the Chief made the
arrangements and she's been here ever since."
"Seems like there's a story behind every person living here,"
Adam commented. Mark smiled and shrugged.
"I guess there is. Sam ended up here with us about two years ago.
That time that we were spilt up by welfare? That wasn't the first time
that had happened. But the first time we were all in Washington D.C., in
close proximity to each other. Anyway, it was Lucy who brought Sam into
the fold. She was placed with a couple that had been physically abusing
their son. When we finally got everything sorted out, the Chief stepped
in and Sam came back with us. His parents both got maximum jail sentences."
"Lucy?" Kat echoed. "Who is Lucy? Have we met her?"
For just a fleeting instant, raw pain shone in Mark's eyes. Then, finally,
he shook his head.
"No. She's not here anymore. She was killed by Zoltar about a year
and a half ago."
"Sorry," Kat murmured, sensing she'd inadvertently put her foot
in it. Mark forced a smile onto his face.
"It's okay. You couldn't have known. Wait here, all of you. I'll call
the horses."
They watched as Mark jogged away, disappearing into a large barn.
"Did I say something wrong?" Kat asked worriedly.
Jason shook his head. "No, it wasn't your fault. Mark probably slipped
up in mentioning Lucy. Besides, I don't think he talks about her enough
anyway."
"But who was she?" Tommy asked. Princess spoke quietly.
"Lucy was Mark's twin sister."
Shocked silence fell as the full implication of the statement hit the Rangers.
Finally, Tanya spoke, sounding sick.
"You... You mean...?"
Tiny nodded. "That's right. Zoltar murdered his own daughter."
"Oh my god," Kat whispered. Jason went on quietly.
"It was no accident. He knew who she was. He killed her specifically
because he wanted to break Mark. It nearly worked. For a little while,
he went totally ape on us. He got past it, though, eventually."
"That sounds terrible," Tanya murmured.
"We try not to dwell on the past," Princess said. "Our jobs
are too important. We can't let ourselves get dragged down when things
like that happen. It's the risk we live. Not just the five of us, either.
Everyone living here is at risk. They all know it. I suppose it makes it
easier to bear, because even though most of us aren't related by blood,
we're still a family."
The conversation was interrupted when a low rumbling caught their attention,
and they looked around to see nearly a full herd of horses coming around
the corner of the stables. Mark rejoined them, and leant against the fence.
"So... Who wants to go on a trail ride?"
* * *
Ten minutes later, all the former Rangers were sitting on saddled horses,
waiting to go. None had much experience with horses, except Kat, who'd
attended a horse-riding school in Australia. Princess had just finished
helping Tanya into the saddle and was about to go to her own horse when
she realised that Jase was standing off to the side, watching with a gloomy
look on his face. Puzzled, she went to see what was wrong.
"Aren't you coming?"
Jason glanced down at the plaster covering his arm. "I doubt I could
keep my balance, let alone control a horse. I think I'd better stay here."
As much as she wanted to reassure him, she knew he was right. None of the
trails were smooth, and he was bound to get jolted around a bit. The heavy
plaster would most likely cause him to take a bad fall.
"Princess?"
It was Mark. He was sitting on Thunder, his own jet-black horse, without
the comfort of a saddle, reigns or blanket. He'd long given up trying to
saddle the horse. The animal had a mean temper and had taken a piece out
of the boy's arm the last time he'd tried. Princess smiled up at him reassuringly.
"You guys go ahead. Jason and I are going to stay behind."
Mark raised an eyebrow slightly in amusement. "What? By yourselves?"
Both teens reddened at the supposition, and Princess glowered at Mark.
"Mind your own business. We might go for a walk into the town."
Mark's smiled faded. "I'm sorry. Okay. Just let the Chief know, all
right? Omoidasu. Chui-bukai de arimasu."
Princess nodded seriously. "Hai. Wakarimasu."
"What was that about?" Jason asked wonderingly as Princess led
him back towards the house. She smiled calmly, not quite able to look him
directly in the eye.
"Oh, it was just Japanese. Mark just told us to have fun."
"And he couldn't say it in English?"
Princess laughed, then. "Don't worry about that. We all learnt different
languages years ago so we'd be okay in foreign countries. We occasionally
bounce things off each other to make sure we don't forget."
Jason conceded to her explanation with a nod. "Fair enough. So what
are we going to do? I mean, you didn't have to stay behind, you know..."
He trailed off as she slipped her arm through his.
"There's a really nice walking path that goes through the park and
along the cliffs. Feel like a walk?"
Jason smiled, then. "If it's just you and me? Definitely."
* * *
Security Chief Anderson stood by the window in his bedroom, watching in
grim silence as Princess and Jason exited through the front gate of the
property and headed for the park, hand in hand. It was not seeing them
together that made him uncomfortable, though. He'd just received word from
Cronus that a Spectran transport ship had passed the Galilee system, skirting
past Boridia's tracking devices, travelling on a trajectory set for Earth.
Zoltar was on his way.
Anderson turned away from the window, wondering how long it would be before
Zoltar tracked Jason to Woodeforde. No doubt he would first go to Angel
Grove, California, then to Washington D.C., and finally to Woodeforde.
Previously, the town had remained a neutral zone; it had never come under
attack by Spectran forces. That could change, though, if Zoltar was as
desparate to get hold of Jason as Anderson believed.
Of course, he still didn't understand why Zoltar was so interested in Jason.
The boy was no different from his friends and, as far as Anderson knew,
he certainly wasn't an adopted child. The information about an adoption
had only confused the issue further.
Pulling his jacket on, Anderson went to make a phone call.
That night
The six former Rangers gathered in Tommy's allocated room, all tired
but pleased with their first day in Woodeforde.
"I don't know about anyone else," Rocky said, "but I'm glad
we came."
"Yeah," Adam agreed enthusiastically. "We get a whole two
weeks extra vacation, and we don't have to pay for it."
Tommy smiled distantly from where he lay on his bed. "Well, Jason
did say it was their turn to play host to us. After the last two times."
Tanya leaned back against the wall, tired but content. "I'd never
been on a horse before today. I was so scared, at first. I can't believe
how patient Mark was. He stayed back with me for nearly the entire ride,
making sure I was doing okay."
"He's got a really good heart," Kat agreed softly. "They
all do. It's pretty incredible, for what they've been through."
Rocky looked around, then, at Tommy. "Hey, Tommy, what's up with you,
anyway? You've hardly said anything tonight."
Tommy bit his lower lip for a moment, then spoke quietly.
"If I tell you guys something that I heard this morning, I want you
to promise not to panic, or anything."
Any and all amusement fell away in an instant. Kat got up, and sat on the
edge of the bed beside him.
"What's the matter, Tommy?"
"When I went downstairs this morning," he told them, "I
heard Mark and the rest of G-Force talking in the kitchen. Mark asked them
if they'd been filled in by Chief Anderson, and they said yes Apparently,
Zoltar has his eye on one of us. They're on orders not to let him get to
us."
"Do you know who he's after?" Adam asked, a touch of disbelief
in his voice.
Tommy looked sick. "I think it's me. I'm pretty sure that it's me.
They said something about getting information about an adoption thirteen
years ago. That's about the time I was adopted."
A frown touched Jason's face. "Adoption, huh? Why would Zoltar want
you? You aren't even a Ranger anymore."
Tommy shrugged. "I don't know. I'm probably the easiest to control.
Look at how many times I've been put under spells! First Rita, then Zedd,
then Gasket...."
"The brain-drain wasn't a spell," Jason pointed out. "That
was pure electronics. And just because you've been put under more spells
than the rest of us, doesn't make you easier to control. If anything, I
think it'd make it harder to control you."
"Jason's right," Tanya said. "Don't worry about it, Tommy.
It isn't worth the stress. Besides, we're on G-Force's turf, now. They
won't let anything happen to you, or any of us."
"That's right," Rocky joked. "If they did, our folks would
kill them."
Laughter rippled across the group, and they happily changed topics, pushing
the grim subject to the backs of their minds.
"So what did you and Princess do all day, anyway?" Tommy asked,
turning the tide of attention to Jason. The former Gold Ranger turned red
as everyone looked at him.
"We just walked and talked....."
"And the rest," Rocky cut in. Everyone laughed, and Jason went
beet red. "Knock it off," he grumbled. "At least I have
a girlfriend."
Amusement turned to delight, and Tommy hit Jason lightly on the right shoulder.
"That's great, bro! Man, Emily is gonna be mad when she hears."
Jason shrugged. "I don't really care. It's her problem that she thought
she could do better with an older guy."
Rocky smirked. "Now she can't even get a date, 'cause all the guys
from school think she's too stuck up. I'll never forget the day after G-Force
left. You really gave her the brush-off, and right in front of everyone."
Jason pulled a face as he remembered the day. He'd arrived at school, still
aching from his healing wounds, and not in a terribly good mood for knowing
he wouldn't see Princess again for some time. Emily had come up to him,
gushing sympathy for his ordeal. She may as well have had a flashing neon
sign declaring her availability, Jason had thought at the time. To her
shock, and the amusement of many others, he'd literally pushed her aside,
muttering he wasn't in the mood, and gone on into the building. She'd not
had the courage to confront him again.
"I didn't mean to be so callous. Not like that. I wasn't in a good
mood."
"She deserved it," Kat said dismissively. "I'd heard her
talking in the bathroom the day before to Kristin Jarvis and Delia Bell.
She was so sure that you'd take her back without question. She was gushing
about how she had you on a hook, and could do anything she liked with you.
I wanted to deck her so badly, but what you did the next day was ten times
better. She was so humiliated that it was worth the wait."
Jason had to smile, then. "I have to admit, for a while there, I might
have taken her back, no questions asked."
"So what happened?" Tommy wanted to know. Jason smirked.
"I met Princess." He grimaced as he got to his feet. "I'm
going to bed. I know it's early, but it takes twice as long to get to sleep
with a cast on. 'Night."
The others murmured replies, and Jason slipped out of the room. Once he'd
gone, Rocky spoke quietly, a devious grin on his face.
"You think anything happened between him and Princess today?"
"Not a chance," Tommy answered decisively. "She's too sensible
to let anything happen, and he'd never take advantage of her. And they've
both got way too much honour to do something stupid. Drop the thought,
Rocky. They won't do anything, and you know it."
Rocky shrugged as he got up. "Hey, you can't blame me for asking.
I don't believe none of you didn't wonder, even for a second. Anyway, I'm
gonna follow the Gold One's example. I'm going to bed. 'Night, all."
Adam and Tanya also excused themselves, and left with Rocky, leaving Tommy
and Kat alone.
"Don't worry about what you told us, Tommy. Zoltar won't get to you.
Not while Mark and the others have a say in it."
She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the mouth, then slipped out of
the room, leaving Tommy alone in the darkness.
* * *
_He was in a room. It was brightly lit, warm and cheerful. His mother was
there, playing with him, laughing with him.... But something wasn't right...
Something about his mother... Something strange...._
The scene changed.
_His mother... who was not his mother... was putting a coat on him. She
was in a hurry. The bad people were coming, and they had to hurry. She
was scared, so he was scared. They took a taxi, and drove a long way, to
a big building. She took him into the building. A strange woman was waiting.
His mother hugged him, said she loved him, and told him to be good for
his new mummy and daddy. He didn't understand, and began to cry.
Then, his mother was gone, and the strange lady was telling him it was
okay. He never saw his mother again..._
* * *
Mark awoke with a violent start, sweat stinging his eyes. His heart was
pounding in his chest, and he was breathing hard. He groaned softly. It
had been a long time since he'd had a nightmare of that magnitude, and
as usual, he didn't understand what it was about. Just a jumble of images
that made little sense.
He frowned. There had been a child involved, a little boy of no more than
five years, and a young woman, no older than twenty-four or twenty-five.
A very frightened young woman, Mark recalled. He sighed faintly and lay
back down. If he concentrated on erasing the images from his mind, then
perhaps he would be able to get back to sleep again...
The sound of footsteps outside his door snapped him back to attention,
and he sat up quickly. Who, he wondered, would be up at such a late hour?
A glance at his alarm clock revealed it was after two o'clock in the morning.
Curiosity reigning, he went to see.
* * *
Jason jumped a little as a door opened behind him, and he spun around in
fright, nearly losing his balance.
"Take it easy," Mark said anxiously. "I didn't mean to startle
you. What are you doing up?"
Jason grimaced. "I needed some water. Couldn't get back to sleep,
and when you have a plaster cast..."
Mark smiled his understanding. "Every craving gets amplified about
ten times over. I know what you mean. C'mon downstairs. I could do with
a drink myself."
* * *
Minutes later, the two sat at the kitchen table, two glasses and a jug
of iced water between them.
"I'm sorry for waking you up," Jason murmured as he sipped the
water. Mark shook his head.
"Don't be. You didn't even wake me up, actually. I had a pretty bad
nightmare, and that's what really woke me up. I wouldn't have heard you,
otherwise."
Curiosity flickered across Jason's face.
"You had a nightmare, too?"
Mark looked up at Jason in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Jason murmured, "That's sort of what woke me up
in the first place. I had a bad nightmare. I..."
"What is it?" Mark asked, encouraging him to go on. Jason looked
embarrassed.
"I actually woke up crying. I don't know why."
Mark smiled, then. "Don't worry. That happens to me a lot. It's nothing
to be embarrassed about."
Jason sat back a little. "I didn't even really understand the night-
mare. I think I was dreaming about myself when I was little but the woman
I was with wasn't my mum. I mean, I called her Mum, but she wasn't my mother...
It's hard to explain."
"You mean, it wasn't Sarah?" Mark asked, and Jason nodded.
"That's a little odd," Mark agreed. "You don't know who
she was?"
"No, not from memory. The only explanation I have is that she was
supposed to be my natural mother."
Mark momentarily froze. "Your natural mother?"
Jason nodded. "Yeah. I can't think of any other explanation."
A moment of silence followed, then Mark forced himself to ask the question.
"You're adopted?"
"Yeah," Jason admitted quietly. "Not many people know about
it. I never told Tommy, or any of the others. Actually, I never told anyone.
It was never important to me. I never wanted to know who my real parents
were. As far as I was concerned, Donavon and Sarah Scott were my real parents.
I still believe that. So I've never talked about it to anyone."
Mark shut his eyes for a long moment as Kerig's words in the Pentagon came
back to him.
_'I didn't hear all the conversation. Kaa was trying to explain it to someone.
He said, 'a boy was adopted out thirteen years ago, and Zoltar is interested
in finding the boy.' That's all I heard....'_
"Do you remember anything about being adopted?" Mark asked, trying
to maintain some semblance of calm. Jason shrugged.
"Not really. Sometimes I think I do, but it's never clear."
"You don't remember your parents either?"
"A little. I don't remember my real father at all, but I remember
my mother a little bit...."
Jason's voice faded into the background as Mark's mind began to work overtime
to formulate a possible answer to the puzzle they'd been presented with.
Jason was adopted, and Mark presumed it met the time-frame set by Kerig.
So thirteen years ago, Zoltar set his sights on a child that he believed
would be useful to him. The parents recognised the danger their son was
in, and decided the only way to save him was to put him up for adoption,
which they obviously did....
It didn't quite fill the gaps, but right then it was the most plausible
explanation that Mark could come up with. Perhaps Zoltar had found out
about Jason being adopted, and believed Jason was the child he had tried
to snatch so many years ago. But why? Why did Zoltar want him at all?
There were still many questions left unanswered, and it was frustrating
as hell.
"Mark?"
Mark looked up, blinking as Jason's voice cut through into his consciousness.
"Huh?"
"Are you okay? You look a little spaced out."
Mark smiled wryly. "I'm fine. I was just thinking You're lucky that
you do remember your mother a little. I wish I could remember mine."
"How old were you when Chief Anderson took you?"
"About five years old. My mother was killed when we were attacked
in our home by Spectran soldiers. The Chief had to grab me and Keop really
quickly to get us out. He wasn't fast enough to save our mother. I know
he tried, though. He still has some scars on his arms from where he got
burnt trying to save her as well. I might have remembered if I'd had the
chance to remember. We were put through such intensive, extensive training
that I never had the chance to sit back and think about her. That's where
I forgot."
"Look on the bright side," Jason said as he tried to stifle a
yawn, "you have Chief Anderson at least. He's sort of like a surrogate
father, isn't he?"
Mark had to grin. "Yeah. Except he can't ground us if we screw up.
Can you imagine what would happen if there was a major emergency on the
other side of the world? The Chief would have to send a message saying
sorry, G-Force can't come. They've been grounded."
Jason laughed, but it ended in a wide-mouthed yawn as sleep started to
catch up with him.
"Sorry. I think I'd better get back to bed."
Mark nodded. "Good idea. Before you get your second wind. I'll see
you in the morning."
He sat back, watching in silence as Jason disappeared through the doorway.
Then, finally, he got up and followed, but detoured at the stairs and headed
down the hall. Predictably, the light was still on in Chief Anderson's
study. Mark knocked once, then went in.
Anderson looked up from his paper work in surprise.
"Mark? What on earth are you doing up?"
Mark looked grim as he carefully shut the door behind him. "We have
to talk. Now. Something's just happened. I was just in the kitchen with
Jason Scott. We were talking, and he let something slip that he said he's
never told anyone else."
"And what's that?"
"He's adopted."
Anderson nearly choked. "What!?"
"That's what he told me. Donavon and Sarah Scott aren't his natural
parents. They adopted him when he was just five or so. At least, I assume
that was when it happened."
Anderson sat back slowly in his chair. "Well that dismisses that theory."
"What theory?"
"Nothing major," Anderson said. "Only that, for a while,
I was wondering whether Kerig had got his wires crossed and that Zoltar
was actually aiming for Tommy Oliver instead. Tommy is adopted as well,
isn't he?"
"Yes. About thirteen years ago. Same time frame."
Anderson frowned darkly at the desktop. "Well, it confirms one fact,
but it doesn't answer any of our questions. We still don't know what Zoltar
could possibly want with Jason."
"That wasn't all," Mark said softly. Anderson looked back to
him.
"What else?"
"I had a nightmare, Chief. It's what woke me up in the first place."
Concern flickered across Anderson's face. "Was it severe?"
"Well, I didn't wake up screaming, but it was pretty disconcerting.
The thing is, Jason admitted he'd woken up after having a nightmare as
well. He told me about it Chief, we pretty much had exactly the same nightmare."
Anderson stared at Mark incredulously. "Excuse me?"
"The same nightmare," Mark repeated. "A young woman rushing
her son out of the house in the middle of the night, and leaving him with
strangers to save him. It was pretty intense. I was thinking about explanations.
Maybe Zoltar set his sights on Jason when he was little, but Jason's parents
found out about it and decided to put him up for adoption to save him.
Maybe it wasn't even Jason, but Zoltar somehow found out that Jason was
adopted and thinks he's the same boy."
Anderson drummed his fingers lightly on the table. "Perhaps. It would
explain your dream But if that's the scenario, then I'd say Jason is the
same boy. After all, he had that dream as well, didn't he?"
"Yes..." Mark conceded.
"It's a plausible explanation, but it still does not say why! Damn...
I'm going to have to contact the Welfare and National Adoption Board tomorrow.
See if they can give me any information on Jason's natural parents."
"It may not have been an official agency," Mark pointed out.
"If the parents wanted to keep it anonymous to protect Jason, they
might have gone as far as to sell him. I know it sounds far-fetched..."
"On the contrary," Anderson mused, "it's a logical suggestion.
Does Jason remember any of this?"
"He said he didn't. Maybe he doesn't, on the surface. I've got a feeling
that if I probed him, the memories might be closer to the surface than
he thinks."
"Don't," Anderson warned. "It could have some very unpleasant
effects. We don't want to cause problems for him. Why don't you go to bed,
Mark? Stop worrying about this for now. Besides, you don't want to be a
zombie tomorrow."
Mark conceded with a faint smile.
"Okay. Good night, Chief."
Anderson watched the teen go, then reached over and picked up the phone,
dialing a memorized number. It was answered almost immediately.
"Brian?" Anderson asked quietly. "It's Anderson here. I
need a favour from you. I want all the information you can get me on the
adoption of a child by Donavon and Sarah Scott, thirteen years ago. The
boy's name is Jason. I want information on his real parents, and all the
details you can get. It may not have gone through formal adoption procedures.
It could possibly be a black market deal. Yes, as soon as you can. Thankyou."
He hung up and sat for a long moment before rising up and heading silently
out of his study.
The next morning
"It's gonna be a warm day," Tiny commented as they finished
up a large breakfast. He was right, they all realised. Already they could
feel the warmth of the morning sun through the windows.
"Do you think we could go down the beach?" Tanya asked hopefully.
Mark nodded slowly.
"I don't see why not. Just be prepared for a cold change, and watch
the tide. It can be sort of unpredictable."
A murmur of excitement swept through the group that was soon dampened when
Chief Anderson came into the dining room looking grim.
"Mark, I want you and the team in my study now. You have work to do."
"Aw, man," Keop grumbled. "It's not fair. We hardly ever
get time off!"
Jason clapped the younger boy on the shoulder as they headed out of the
room.
"Zoltar is just damned inconsiderate of our schedules, that's all."
Mark paused in the doorway, looking back at the Rangers. "You guys
go on down to the beach today. Therese will get the cooks to make lunch
for you if you want to eat down there. We'll join you later on, if we don't
get back too late."
Then, G-Force were gone. Only minutes later, as they were helping to clear
the table, they were nearly deafened by the roar of jet engines as the
Phoenix launched into the air.
"Does this happen often?" Rocky asked Michael Anderson. Michael
grinned.
"What? You mean them having to run off in the middle of something?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, all the time. Providing it's not too serious, they'll be back
by evening. Maybe even mid-afternoon. Do what Mark said and go down to
the beach. It should be pretty quiet. Not too many people will be down
there. Enjoy yourselves."
Tommy nodded his approval. "We will."
* * *
J'boath and Kaa watched silently from the shelter of the grassy dunes as
the teens made their way across the sand, finally deciding on a spot midway
between the water and the sand dunes.
"There's six of them. Which one do we grab?"
"All of them," Kaa answered. "We don't want G-Force alerted
too soon. This is a delicate operation, J'boath. Caution is a necessity."
"But which one is the important one?"
"The boy that Carlton tried to kill, the one in the black top."
A sneer touched J'boath's lips. "With that cast on his arm? You have
to be kidding. What would Zoltar want with him?"
"It is not our place to question his judgment," Kaa snapped.
"We do as we're told. And we take all of them. But remember. Beat
the others if they fight, but if you harm that boy in any way, it will
be both our funerals. Understand?"
J'boath grumbled an affirmative, and the two settled down to wait for an
opportune moment to attack.
* * *
"The water is freezing!" Kat gasped as she dipped one foot in.
Tommy laughed.
"So you wouldn't appreciate it if I threw you in?"
"Don't you dare!" Kat growled, then shrieked and bolted up the
sand, with Tommy in hot pursuit.
"Too bad it's not warm enough to go swimming," Rocky lamented.
Adam smirked at his friend.
"What would you swim in? Your boxers? We didn't bring bathers because
of the cold weather, remember?"
An evil grin lit up Rocky's face. "There's always skinny dipping."
Tanya grimaced. "Oh, don't be gross."
"Are you trying to tell me you don't want to see me naked?" Rocky
asked her, giving her his wounded puppy look. Tanya pulled a face at him
in response.
"Not in this lifetime. Sorry, Rocky. I just don't think I'm ready."
Adam laughed, then looked around to see Jason staring away from them, up
the beach. He leaned over and hit Jason lightly on the arm.
"What's up? You're going all spacy on us again."
Jason tried to smile. "I'm okay. I guess I'm just a little worried
about Princess."
Tanya gently squeezed his shoulder. "She'll be fine. She can take
care of herself."
Any further condolences were lost, though, when Kat and Tommy came barreling
back to the group, sending a spray of sand over Jason, Tanya, Rocky and
Adam.
"Hey!" Rocky protested. "What are you trying to do, ruin
lunch?"
"Sorry," Tommy apologized, struggling to catch his breath between
fits of laughter. "Oh, man... This is what we need. Relaxation and
fun, and not be worried about getting called away in the middle of it.
You know, I think that every time we tried to organise some event, we got
interrupted? Always some emergency. I hated that so much. I'm not sorry
to pass that on to someone else, I can tell you."
Jason smiled ruefully. "Yeah. Like Zack's birthday a year ago. We
were planning a surprise birthday party for him, and it nearly got ruined
when Rita sent a monster to attack him. Or when we were at the carnival,
and putties took over the place...."
Tommy nodded. "Not even just the fun things, either. Remember when
Rita tried to stop us from working together to win that tournament? Or
when we had that spell put on us?"
"What spell was that?" Kat asked curiously. Jason grimaced.
"Another of those anti-team work spells. Except that one was so potent
that Tommy and I nearly had it out in the school hall. Bulk and Skull tried
to cash in on it by arranging a fight between us in the Youth Centre. We
came so close to taking each other's heads off, it wasn't funny."
"Not good," Tanya agreed. "You guys don't have any reason
to fight. You're both as good as the other."
Tommy grinned across as his best friend. "Except when one of us is
under a spell. Such as Muranthias."
"Or as the Green Ranger," Jason shot back. "At least you
had the protection of powers when Divatox set me and Kim onto you guys
in the volcano. I didn't have any protection against you in the Dimension
of Darkness."
Tommy held up his hands defensively. "Touche. I surrender. Man...
It's good to be able to talk like this, knowing it's really over."
"But don't you miss it?" Tanya asked. "Even a little?"
Tommy shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I was a Ranger for so long, though,
and it took up so much of my life I'm just happy to have my life to myself
again. You get past the rush of morphing after a while. You're lucky you
weren't a Ranger for so long that you got to feel that way."
Kat nodded and was about to reply when she caught Rocky lifting the lid
on the hamper basket. Reaching over, she slapped him lightly on the wrist.
"Get out of that, Rocky! It's not even eleven o'clock yet! We are
not opening that hamper until twelve!"
Rocky pouted in response. "Aw, c'mon, I'm hungry!"
"Hungry?" Adam choked out incredulously. "You had two helpings
at breakfast! And that was only an hour ago!"
"Ease up, Rocko," Tommy said with an amused grin. "Let's
set up the net we brought and play some beach volleyball. It'll be lunch
time then before you know it."
Rocky conceded with obvious reluctance, and the teens set about putting
up the volleyball net that Michael gotten out of the storeroom for them.
Minutes later, they'd divided into teams of three and were engrossed in
their game.
* * *
"Well?" J'boath asked softly, watching the teens keenly. Kaa
nodded slowly.
"They're distracted. It's early in the day. G-Force won't return for
hours, and their absence, with luck, will not be discovered for as long.
Now. Let's go."
* * *
Jason was the first one to realise they were surrounded. He took a flying
leap at the ball to keep it inside the boundaries of the imaginary court,
but the cast set him off-balance and he landed face-first in the sand.
The game continued on behind him, and he pushed himself up to rejoin it,
only to freeze when he found himself staring into the barrel of a gun.
"Uh guys?"
"What's the matter?" Rocky yelled, oblivious to the trouble.
"Can't get up?"
"Guys, we've got a problem," Jason called out, his voice taking
on a sharp edge. Tommy recognised that tone all too well, and finally looked
around.
"Oh Shit..."
The volleyball match came to an abrupt halt. Surrounding the teens were
at least twenty Spectran soldiers, all armed with lasers or rifles. All
ready to use them.
Kaa edged his way through the line of soldiers, and looked around at each
of them appraisingly. His gaze fell briefly on Jason.
"Get up, boy."
Jason swallowed hard and got quickly to his feet, rejoining Tommy and Kat
on their side of the net. Kaa looked back to the others.
"So nice to see you all again. I believe our last meeting took place
in your home town, did it not?"
"What do you want?" Tommy demanded, unconsciously stepping in
front of Kat.
"I want each of you to come quietly. Without protest. I suggest you
concede. It is the only way to avoid injury."
Tommy hesitated, then stepped forward as he remembered the conversation
he'd overheard just the previous morning.
"Look, you don't want all of them. Just take me, okay? Leave the others..."
"Tommy, no!" Kat cried out. Kaa ignored her, and stared at Tommy
in amusement.
"Take you? Please, don't tempt me to shoot you. Now get back, before
my men turn you into a human sprinkler."
Tommy moved back, confused and very frightened. Kaa then motioned with
his gun and the soldiers moved in, quickly tying the hands of each teen
behind their backs.
"Excuse me, Lieutenant Kaa?"
Kaa looked around, and saw one of the soldiers was unable to tie up Jason's
hands because of the cast. He paused, then walked up to look the boy in
the eye.
"Will you attempt to run?"
Jason hesitated, staring into Kaa's eyes. There was a definite threat there,
and he dared not risk himself, or the lives of his friends.
"No," he whispered, his voice cracking from the strain of fear.
Kaa nodded.
"Good. Then we don't need to tie you up. But if you do run, I will
shoot dead one of your friends, and then send my men after you. Understand?"
Jason nodded, struggling to maintain his calm. Kaa smiled faintly, then
motioned with his weapon.
"All right. Let's go."
Two o'clock
Chief Anderson was almost falling asleep at his desk when a sharp beeping
snapped him back to awareness. He looked around for the cause of the beeping,
and was startled to discover it was his fax. Exhausted from lack of sleep,
he took the first page from the machine, intending to put it aside until
he was less tired. One glance at the sender's address abruptly cured him
of fatigue. His heart beating in his throat, Anderson waited until the
fax had finished printing, then gathered together all the sheets of paper
and began to read.
* * *
Nearly an hour later, Anderson found himself with even more questions than
he had started with. According to the information his informant had sent
him, Jason's natural mother was a woman called Natasha Whyte. She had handed
Jason over for adoption when the boy was six, for no other reason than
claiming she could no longer look after him. Anderson frowned deeply.
Mark had to be right. For Jason to have been adopted out to new parents
at such a late age, he had to have some memories, even if they were buried
just beneath the surface.
He looked back to the papers. The last known location of Natasha Whyte
was a small house located in the less prestigious areas of Los Angeles.
That was just over thirteen years ago. According to what had been sent,
an attempt had been made on Natasha's life. She had apparently escaped,
but it was unknown whether she was still alive.
Anderson's frown deepened as he sifted through the papers. There was no
information at all on Jason's natural father. The boy's birth certificate
was never handed over in the adoption, and even his date of birth- January
6th- had a question mark over it.
The security chief sighed faintly and slumped back in his chair. He had
been fervently hoping that some of their answers may have been provided
in the details of Jason's parentage, but it was looking as though, to get
the answers they wanted and needed, it would be necessary to go deeper,
and try to locate Jason's natural mother, if not his father as well.
He started to reach for the phone when the transceiver on his desk crackled
to life.
"Come in, Home Base. This is Eagle One."
Anderson reached over and pressed a single button. "This is Home Base.
Go ahead, Mark."
"Chief, the call was phony!"
"What do you mean?"
"We're at the designated area now. It's totally clear. We've done
a thorough search, both of the nearby coast and underwater. There is nothing
in sight!"
Confusion filled Anderson's face. "Who would send a false SOS?"
He froze, then leapt to his feet. "Michael!"
Michael Anderson appeared in the doorway seconds later, knowing that tone
only too well.
"What is it?"
"Get to the beach, now. Take your radio, and call back when you know
those kids from Angel Grove are all right. Go!"
Michael bolted from the room, and Anderson turned his attention back to
the transceiver.
"Eagle One, hold your position. I repeat, hold your position. Wait
for instructions."
Silence fell over the next five minutes as both parties waited for a reply.
Finally, a second radio receiver on the desk burst to life.
"Dad, they're gone! All of them! Their stuff's still on the beach,
but they're all gone!"
"They aren't in the water?"
"No. And there's a lot more footprints around here than six people
would make. Even playing volleyball."
Anderson cursed under his breath. "All right. Get yourself back to
the house now, Michael. Eagle One, attention."
"We're listening, Chief."
"Set a trajectory for Spectra. Our guests have been taken captive."
Imperial Castle, Spectra
"Oh, G-Force will take care of us," Rocky muttered sarcastically.
"They won't let anything happen to us. Who was it who said that? Tanya?"
Tanya glared at Rocky threateningly. "Don't start with me."
"Knock it off," Tommy snapped. "We don't need to be biting
each others' heads off."
"That's right," Kat agreed. "And at least none of us are
hurt. That's the most important thing."
Tommy sighed, then joined Kat on the dirt floor. "I don't get it.
They could have just taken me then. I wouldn't have put up a fight. Why'd
they have to take all of us?"
"To stop us from raising the alarm, probably," Adam suggested.
"As soon as Mark and the others know what's happened, they'll come
straight here after us."
"Wherever here is," Rocky muttered. He glanced around, and saw
Jason sitting in the corner of the cell by himself. "Hey, gold boy,
what's the matter?"
Jason looked up angrily at Rocky. "Will you lay off the insults for
five minutes? Please?"
A sneer touched the corner of Rocky's mouth. "Oh, forgive me, Exalted
One."
"Shut up, Rocky," Tommy growled threateningly. "Jase, are
you okay?"
"I feel sort of weird," Jason admitted softly. "I don't
know what it is.... I think I feel sick."
Kat moved over to kneel beside him. "Is your arm hurting?"
"No. It's deeper than that." He tentatively touched his chest.
"Deeper.... I can't explain it." He looked up at his friends.
"I'm scared."
Kat put her arms around him and hugged him gently. "It'll be okay.
G-Force will get us out of here. We'll be okay."
* * *
'G-Force will get us out of here. We'll be okay...'
Zoltar frowned a little, then switched the monitor off. "After so
long, the connection is still there. Even if he doesn't know what he's
sensing."
Kaa watched Zoltar intently. "What do you plan to do? Tell him the
truth?"
"Eventually, yes. I want the boy to join me. He could be more powerful
than Mark, given the opportunity. The problem is his upbringing. Abhorrently
similar to Mark and Keop. He has too many values to expect him to simply
switch sides."
"If he refuses you?" Kaa asked tentatively. A cold smile touched
Zoltar's lips.
"Then we'll give the boy a dose of true Spectran hospitality."
* * *
"We should have known it was a diversion," Princess growled as
the Phoenix raced along its trajectory towards Spectra. "Damn it..."
"We couldn't have known," Mark argued. "We have certain
jobs to do, but picking which calls are true and which aren't honest isn't
one of them. Not even the chief could have known. Stop thinking about it.
Our priority is to get them back, unharmed."
Tiny looked grim. "It's been at least two hours since they were taken.
Probably longer. Look at what Zoltar did to Joshua in that time."
Mark turned a light shade of green at the memory. "That isn't going
to happen again."
"He only wanted Jason," Keop said quietly. "He might just
order Kaa and J'boath to kill the rest. They might already be..."
"Stop it!" Mark exploded. "Damn it, they aren't dead until
we find each and every one of their bodies! So knock it off!"
Jason whistled softly. "Touchy, aren't we?"
Mark sat hunched over his control panel, glowering at the multiple buttons.
"They aren't dead. So just stop thinking that. Okay?"
Silence reigned for a long moment, then Tiny nodded.
"Okay."
* * *
A heavy silence had fallen over the teens as they sat in the cell. None
had spoken a word for some time until Adam finally spoke up, if only to
break the silence.
"What do you think they're waiting for?"
"Who knows?" Tommy muttered. Getting up, he went to the bars
and tried to look out. No one was in sight, as he'd expected. "Hey!
Can anyone hear me? We want to see someone now!"
"Stop it, Tommy," Jason said softly from where he sat. "It
won't do any good. They won't come down here before they're ready."
Tommy fell back from the bars, frowning darkly.
"I'm not sure I want to know what they have planned for me."
"Maybe they're just trying to scare us," Tanya suggested hopefully.
"You know, because we're friends with G-Force."
"We travelled through space," Rocky said. "I don't think
they'd go to that much trouble just to give us a scare."
Tommy moved away from the bars, and slid to the ground next to Jason.
"I'm sick of this. I'm sick of being used by every damned villain
as a weapon against my friends. When they come for me, they'll have to
damn well carry me out, because I'm not going anywhere."
"Well, that's going to make rescuing you bloody awkward."
All six teens looked up in surprise to see a young man in his late- twenties
standing there watching them intently, with a younger woman at his side.
Tommy stood up quickly.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Joseph. This is my sister Megan." Joseph paused as
he broke open the lock on the cell doors with the blade of a knife. "We
are part of a gypsy band. I suggest that if you lot care to see daylight
again, then you come with us right now."
The teens exchanged wondering looks, then quickly filed out of the cell.
Megan motioned down the dank corridor, which led into darkness.
"This way. Quickly."
* * *
"How did you know we were there?" Tommy asked as they hurried
along.
"We didn't," Joseph replied bluntly. "It was luck, nothing
more. My sister and I occasionally slip into the castle to salvage what
food we can. We overheard guards talking about prisoners in the dungeons,
and we decided to do something about it."
"We don't want to cause trouble for your camp," Tommy said. "They
might send soldiers, or something after us. Zoltar was specifically after
me."
Joseph spared Tommy a curious look. "You? Look, stop talking and just
move. All right?"
Tommy fell silent, taken aback by Joseph's lack of compassion and interest,
and hurried his pace.
* * *
Once outside, the teens finally got their first look at the main base of
the Spectran army. The castle sat atop a rocky hill, black and frightening
with towers that reached up towards a dim, orange sky. They could vaguely
make out windows and parapets, even blacker against the forbidding walls.
"Oh god," Kat whispered, staring out at the fortress from the
copse where they'd paused to rest. "It's worse than Zedd's dimensions."
Adam looked to Joseph incredulously. "You actually go in there deliberately?"
Joseph regarded the teen with a cool stare. "Don't complain, boy.
If we didn't, you would all still be in that cell."
"We appreciate your help," Tanya said quickly. "But what
happens when G-Force come after us?"
Joseph paused, then, glancing at his sister in surprise. Megan took a hesitant
step forward.
"G-Force? They're coming here?"
"Probably," Tommy said, "once they know we're missing. We
were staying with them when we were taken by those two lieutenants."
"Kaa and J'boath," Joseph murmured. "All right, then. Don't
concern yourselves about it. We have means to contact G-Force from our
camp. Just come with us."
"How do you know G-Force?" Kat asked as they started moving again.
Megan smiled.
"Who on Spectra doesn't know G-Force? They're either loved or hated
here. I personally owe them my life. They rescued me from the castle when
I was thirteen and returned me to my family. I'd been kidnapped by soldiers
to work in the castle as a slave."
"We've known G-Force for around ten Earth years," Joseph explained.
"They and their friends are always welcome at our campfire. Here we
are..."
They stepped through a wall of bushes and trees into a large clearing a
quarter the size of a football field. There were three or four caravans
and a number of hand-made tents forming a rough circle around a large campfire.
It was a scene not unlike what they would have expected to see on Earth,
they all thought silently.
"Joseph! What's this?"
"Earth children," Joseph called back to a burly man who was coming
towards them. "We freed them from the dungeons in the castle. They
say G-Force will be coming to rescue them."
The older man grinned. "Well then, bring them through. I'll get on
the radio, and make sure the kids don't go to the castle."
"Who's that?" Tanya whispered, watching the giant of a man in
awe as he departed.
"That's my father," Megan said with a smile. "His name's
Louis. He's the head of our camp."
"This way," Joseph urged them on. "We'll get you kids something
to eat."
"Kids?" Rocky grumbled. "We aren't kids. We're nearly adults."
"Just mind your manners," Tommy warned him. "They didn't
have to rescue us."
Rocky only frowned and followed the group in silence.
* * *
"All right," Louis said as he finally joined them by the campfire.
"G-Force are on their way here now. They should be here within twenty
minutes. Hopefully, you'll be off the planet before Zoltar either realises
you're gone, or before he realises where you've gone."
"Thank God," Jason muttered. "This place is starting to
make me sick."
Tommy elbowed Jason in the side, but Louis shook his head.
"Now don't do that. I understand that sentiment entirely. Spectra
is not the most pleasant planet in the universe to on. But I have to admit
that I am curious. Zoltar has taken one or two people in the past friends
of G-Force but he's never taken more than that at one time. Not without
a specific reason. Do you kids have any idea what he wants with you?"
Silence fell as the teens looked cautiously at one another. Finally, Tommy
spoke quietly.
"He wanted me. I guess he took the others to keep it quiet for as
long as possible."
"No offence, lad," Louis said, "but what would Zoltar want
with you?"
Tommy shrugged. "I don't know, and I don't want to find out. I over-
heard Mark talking to the others a couple of days ago. He said Zoltar was
after one of us, and there was mention about an adoption thirteen years
ago, and since I was adopted thirteen years ago..."
He trailed off, shrugging again. Louis eyed the teen curiously.
"Adoption, hmm? Doesn't make much sense. Well, you'll be away from
here soon enough and you won't have to worry about it anymore. Beth?"
A woman in her forties left the horse she was tending and walked over.
"What is it, Louis?"
Louis stood up, holding out his bowl to her. "Could you please get
me some more soup?"
She smiled lovingly at him, taking the bowl happily.
"Certainly."
She started to turn away, then froze, her eyes widening with shock. "Oh
lord..."
"What is it?" Louis growled, drawing his knife from his belt.
Beth shook her head, and managed a weak smile.
"It... It's nothing. I thought I saw a snake, but I was wrong. Louis,
could I speak to you please? Alone?"
Louis nodded, puzzled, and followed her away from the circle around the
fire.
"What's wrong?"
Beth swallowed hard. "That boy over there. The one with that brace
thing on his arm. Did you take a good look at him, Louis?"
Louis frowned as he glanced back at the group of teens.
"What about him?"
"Louis, he's the spitting image of Tashi!"
Louis continued to frown for a long moment before recognition dawned in
his eyes. "My god, you're right. That's uncanny Lord, how long has
it been now?"
"Sixteen years," Beth whispered. "Oh, Louis... Do you think
it's possible?"
"Don't jump to conclusions," Louis warned her. "We did everything
we could, but Zoltar had a hell of a lot more resources than us. There
was no G-Force back then." He paused, then shook his head. "We'll
wait for G-Force to get here. Then, perhaps we'll be able to get a few
answers. Or perhaps we'll even be able to give them a few."
He lightly touched the bowl she held. "Get the soup, Beth. G-Force
will be here soon enough."
* * *
G-Force arrived within twenty minutes, as Louis had predicted, and finally
met up with the former Rangers again in the gypsy camp as the teens were
helping themselves to a second lot of soup.
"If you didn't want to meet us on the beach, you should have just
said so," Jason joked. "You didn't have to go get yourselves
captured."
"Very funny," Kat retorted dryly. "Like we did this for
a laugh."
Mark grinned. "Just as long as you're all safe. We all panicked when
we got word that you'd disappeared."
"We're safe," Tommy confirmed. "Thanks to Joseph and Megan."
Mark looked around, and his grin widened at the sight of his old friends.
"Now there's a sight for sore eyes," he said with a chuckle.
Joseph grinned and clapped Mark on the shoulder, while Megan took the liberty
of hugging Mark tightly.
"It's been too long since you were last here," she murmured.
Mark hugged her back, then gently disengaged himself from her grasp.
"Maybe. Please don't take offence, but we make it a habit to stay
as far away from here as we can, for as long as we can."
Louis smirked. "Now I wonder why that is. Don't go running off straight
away. We haven't been ambushed yet, so I assume that they either don't
know these kids are gone, or they haven't figured out where they've disappeared
to yet. Stay for supper, will you?"
Mark looked around at the eager expressions on both his team's and their
friends' faces, then nodded.
"I guess it's unanimous. We'll stay, just for supper."
Louis thumped Mark on the shoulder enthusiastically, nearly sending the
teen over.
"Great. Supper will be ready very soon. You kids, feel free to have
a look around. Just don't wander away from the camp boundaries." He
waited until they'd broken up from their group before turning and speaking
in a low voice to the young commander.
"Mark, I think we need to talk."
Mark looked surprised, but didn't argue and followed Louis into the nearest
caravan.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, I asked them why Zoltar wanted them, and the lad with the long
hair..."
"Tommy."
"Yes. Tommy claimed it was him that Zoltar was after."
Mark blinked in astonishment. "Where did he get an idea like that?"
"He said he'd overheard you talking to the rest of your team, and
that something was mentioned about Zoltar being after one of them that
was adopted."
Mark frowned for a moment, then groaned. "Oh Damn. That's true, Louis,
but it isn't Tommy that's the target. It's Jason."
Louis faltered for a moment, caught by surprise. "Jason?" He
shook himself back to reality. "Which one is Jason?"
"The one with the plaster cast on his arm. Jason Scott. He's adopted
as well, but he never told his friends."
Louis was silent for a long moment as he contemplated that. "When
was the boy adopted?"
"About thirteen years ago. He would have been five years old. Nearly
six."
A deep frown creased Louis's face. "Thirteen years. That would be
three years after... Surely she wouldn't have..."
"Louis?" Mark asked tentatively. "What are you thinking?"
Louis turned around and went to the other side of the caravan, bringing
a box out from beneath the bed.
"I have something here somewhere.... Do you have any idea of the identity
of his real parents?"
"Jason, you mean? The Chief found out a few things. He told us on
our way here. There's no information at all about Jason's real father,
but his mother's name is Natasha Whyte. There wasn't much information on
her, either. No birth certificate was handed over when Jason was adopted,
and a lot of the information she gave the agency about him was questionable.
According to what the Chief found out, someone tried to kill her soon after
she gave Jason up for adoption, and then she disappeared without a trace.
No one knows if she's even still alive."
Louis turned back to Mark, several papers clutched in his hands.
"Mark, I think you had better sit down. I have something to tell you,
and it may not be entirely pleasant."
Mark didn't move. "What's going on, Louis?"
Louis handed Mark the first sheet of paper. It was an aging drawing of
a young woman, done with some version of charcoal.
"That is Tashi," Louis said quietly. "She is the daughter
of my second in charge. She would be nearly forty by now. Tashi was taken
from us when she was eighteen. She was taken to the castle to work, the
same as my Megan. Except that Zoltar took a personal shine to Tashi. First
he insisted on having her as his personal servant. That progressed to less
savoury activities. Tashi was returned to us a year after she was taken.
She was pregnant, with Zoltar's child."
Mark stood frozen for a long moment before sitting down quickly on the
bed behind him. Louis regarded Mark grimly.
"This was when Zoltar was still dividing his time between your people
and Spectra. He left the planet to return to Aareth, but he warned us that
he'd be back for the child. Tashi had wanted to abort the pregnancy to
begin with, but she was too terrified of what Zoltar would do to her if
she did. She saw the pregnancy through, and gave birth to a baby boy. Whatever
misgivings Tashi had were totally erased when she laid eyes on that child
for the first time. After that, there was no way in hell she would have
given him up."
Mark stared at the picture on the sheet of paper he clutched in his hands.
"Louis, if that's true... Then I have an older brother somewhere."
"Yes, I know. Not on this planet, though. We kept the child with us,
within our camp, for nearly two years. We weren't interferred with and
the child grew up healthy. Just before the boy's second birthday, we received
word that Zoltar was coming back to Spectra. Tashi became hysterical, screaming
that her son would be taken away from her and used for god knows what.
We were inclined to agree. We all knew by then that Zoltar had strange
talents, and no doubt it had been passed on to the child. We held an emergency
meeting, and decided to try and get both Tashi and the child off the planet.
At that time Colonel Cronus was still able to get small transports on and
off the planet to transport refugees from Spectra to Boridia. We sent her
to him and he placed her on a transport..."
"Colonel Cronus knows about this?" Mark interrupted. Louis shook
his head.
"No. He didn't know the significance of the boy. We kept that secret,
for both Tashi's and the child's sakes. All he knew was that a young mother
was desperate to get her child off a planet that recruited boys for military
training as soon as they could walk five steps without falling over. She
went to Boridia, and from there escaped to Earth. That was the last we
heard of her. That was sixteen years ago."
Mark was silent for a long moment as he digested all that Louis had told
him. "You think Tashi might have changed her name?"
"It's most likely. It's quite possible that the Natasha Whyte that
your Chief Anderson received information about is actually Tashi."
Mark's breath froze in his throat. "But then that would mean..."
"She named her son Jason," Louis said softly. "That boy
out there looks so much like Tashi that I can't pass it off as a coincidence."
A long silence followed.
"It would explain why Zoltar is after Jason," Mark conceded finally.
"Oh man.... This is too much."
Louis sat down carefully on the bed next to Mark. "Zoltar ravaged
our camp and had our people hunted down like wild prey after he discovered
Tashi had taken Jason and fled the planet. It took us five years to bring
everything together again. I know for a fact that he never gave up on finding
that child again. I doubt it would be for affectionate reasons, either."
Mark handed the picture back to Louis, aware that his hands were trembling
badly.
"It'd explain the dreams as well. Hell, I knew there was more to this
than what was obvious. I didn't realise it went so deep."
Louis watched Mark intently. "If that boy out there is Tashi's son,
then he is in a great deal of danger. And I believe it is him, Mark."
Mark shut his eyes for a long moment. "This isn't the answer I wanted,
Louis."
"We rarely get what we want, lad. But if it is him, you've just gained
a brother."
A faint sigh escaped the teen. "I guess we'd better go out and..."
The door swung violently open, and Joseph nearly fell into the caravan.
"Father! Mark! Soldiers!"
The two ran out of the caravan to find the grounds overrun with Spectran
soldiers. Leading them, was Kaa, J'boath and Zoltar himself. The gypsies
were unarmed, so were Tommy and the other teenagers, and G-Force dared
not fight. The soldiers were numerous, and soon had the entire camp at
gun point.
Zoltar moved forward, into the middle of the chaos, looking around with
more than a touch of amusement. Angry and fearful, Mark moved to confront
him.
"I won't even bother asking what you want."
Zoltar regarded the teen with disdain. "I'd like to think you aren't
that stupid." He glanced at Joseph. "I've no doubt as to who
rescued the brats. You have so little respect for the freedom I've allowed
your sister that you'd risk it so flagrantly?"
"Go to hell," Joseph spat. "I'll happily release anyone
you lock up in those dungeons."
"Easy," Mark warned him softly. "Don't lose it, Joseph."
Zoltar sighed faintly. "I should have everyone here killed. I'm tempted."
He turned a cold glare on Louis. "You got away with this once before.
What makes you believe I would let you escape retribution twice?"
Louis returned the stare defiantly. "Whatever you're planning, you'll
do your plans no favours by killing us all. That would cause you to lose
more ground than you could possibly recover."
Anger flickered in Zoltar's eyes as he realised the truth in Louis's words.
"You may be right," he conceded grudgingly. He looked around
slowly, taking in the situation before him. "Leave the gypsies,"
he ordered finally. "We will deal with them at a more convenient time.
We will take G-Force..."
"What about the brats?" J'boath hissed. Zoltar looked to the
former Rangers.
"We leave them. Let them stay with the gypsies. For now."
Kaa stared at Zoltar in confusion. "What about....?"
A small smile touched Zoltar's lips. "Of course. All but one."
He walked over to where the six teens were huddled close together. Tommy
glanced anxiously at his friends, then stepped away from the group, head
held high.
"You can take me. I... I won't put up a fight."
To Tommy's embarrassment and astonishment, Zoltar laughed.
"What would I want with you? Get back to your friends, you pathetic
waste."
Tommy fell back, stunned. Zoltar moved in and reached out, clamping a hand
down on Jason's shoulder. He pulled the boy out, away from the protective
huddle of his friends, and pushed him across to Kaa.
"I have what I came for. Back to the castle!"
"No..." Tanya whispered in horror as Jason was led away from
the camp and out of their sight. Adam had to struggle to hold her back.
"Tanya, don't. We can't help them. Not on our own."
"You're right about that, lad," Louis said in a grim voice as
he joined them. "Zoltar lost that boy once. He won't lose him again.
We need extra help now if we're going to get them all out alive."
Louis tramped away, leaving the teens in confused silence.
* * *
The trek back to the castle was frightening. Jason found himself in the
middle of the line. Mark and Princess were just ahead of him, and the other
three members of G-Force were somewhere behind him. He'd barely had a chance
to wonder what was going on before Zoltar grabbed him and dragged him away
from his friends.
Part of him had already acknowledged that it was him that Zoltar wanted,
but that part had still been buried deep. Now, he was very frightened and
very confused.
The line came to an abrupt halt as two of the soldiers up ahead suddenly
began to assault Mark, bashing him with the butts of their guns. The teen,
with his hands tied behind his back, went down hard, helpless to defend
himself.
"What are you doing?" Zoltar exploded, striding past Jason and
up to the front of the line. "Stop it! Did I give the order to incapacitate
any of them?"
One soldier looked uncomfortable. "We We thought he was about to try
and escape, sire."
Zoltar glared at the soldier. "With his hands tied up, and his friends
prime targets? He wouldn't have dared. Get him up."
The two soldiers leaned down and pulled Mark to his feet. Zoltar eyed the
teen critically.
"Can you walk?"
Mark nodded, coughing painfully and struggling to breathe evenly.
"I... I think so."
"Good. I'd hate to have to shoot you here and now. Get moving."
Mark spared Zoltar a baleful look before trudging onwards. Zoltar hung
back, watching the parade of prisoners, only to falter when Jase was pushed
past him. The look of hatred and fury in the boy's eyes was disturbing.
Then, he was past, and heading on towards the castle. Zoltar stood still
for a long moment, aware that his plan was becoming ever shakier, before
continuing on behind the line.
* * *
"What do you want done with them?" Kaa asked upon arrival back
in the castle. Zoltar motioned with a flick of his hand.
"Place G-Force in their regular accommodation. I'll see to them eventually.
Right now, I have another matter to deal with. Bring the boy to the main
hall."
Kaa replied with a bow, then went to carry out his orders.
* * *
Jason had little chance to take in his surroundings as he was propelled
down a long corridor by Kaa. Not that he particularly cared to see the
sights, he thought grimly. What he did catch a glimpse of was more than
enough to make his stomach churn.
"Like our decorations?" J'boath sneered at the boy as he brought
up the rear, behind his brother.
"Shut up, J'boath," Kaa snapped. "Our orders are to take
him to the hall. Not make him physically ill."
Jason swallowed hard, getting an eyeful of a semi-rotted corpse that was
nailed to the wall. Most of the flesh was gone, making the inner organs
all too visible. He looked away, but not before the image was burned into
his memory.
J'boath snickered at Jason's discomfort. "I guess that means you won't
be becoming a doctor?"
Kaa shot his brother a threatening glare. "I told you to shut up.
Zoltar will not take kindly to poor treatment of him."
Another sneer tugged at J'boath's lips. "Well, not yet, anyway."
Jason had no time to wonder what they meant. A door swung open in front
of them, and Jason found himself being pushed into a huge hall. It looked
like something out of the pages of a medieval book, he thought dimly, except
this was the castle of the villain and not the good king. He was ushered
down to the other end of the hall, to the bottom of a dais. At the top
of the steps, sat a rough wooden throne. In the throne sat Zoltar.
"Welcome to my domain," Zoltar said quietly once he had Jason's
attention. "I would have taken the time to greet you earlier, but
you and your friends ran out on me. That wasn't very polite."
Jason could barely believe the audacity of the figure on the throne.
"Where are Mark and Princess and the others?" he demanded to
know. A small smile etched itself across Zoltar's face.
"They're secure. They aren't going anywhere. So you can relax. The
gypsies won't allow your friends to come back here, so no one will be coming
to rescue you. Not that you need to be rescued."
Jason shut his eyes for a moment to regain his wits. "What do you
mean by that?"
Zoltar stood up slowly, and began to walk down the dais steps. "Is
it being rescued to be taken from your home? I'd be more inclined to call
it kidnapping."
"I don't understand what you're talking about," Jason whispered,
confused. "My home is in Angel Grove On Earth. Not here."
Zoltar reached the bottom of the dais and came to a halt in front of Jason.
"I don't doubt you believe that. I have something to tell you, though,
and I want you to promise me you will listen."
"I don't trust you," Jason growled.
"You don't have a choice. Either listen, or go back to the dungeons."
Jason's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"All right," he conceded reluctantly. Zoltar nodded.
"Good. Tell me, now. You know you are adopted, don't you?"
"Yes," Jason said tentatively, wondering if he should lie. A
dark frown flashed across Zoltar's face.
"Don't even try lying to me, Jason. I promise I will know."
"Yes!" the teen burst out, a touch of panic in his voice. "I
know I'm adopted. I said I knew!"
"All right. Calm down. What about your mother? Do you remember much
of her?"
"Some," Jason admitted grudgingly. "It's sort of hazy. I
remember she cared a lot for me."
Zoltar stared at Jason for a long moment, then turned away slowly. "I
knew your mother, Jason. I knew her well. And she was not the caring type."
Jason's jaw tightened a little with tension. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your mother was an
evil, vindictive woman. She stole you from your father and took you to
Earth with her, then abandoned you to a welfare centre when she no longer
had need for you."
"That's not true," Jason whispered hoarsely, stung badly by what
he was being told. Zoltar continued to stand with his back to the teen.
"It is true. I have no reason to lie to you. I don't need to lie to
you. The truth is painful enough without me trying to add to it. Your mother
would have terminated her pregnancy had I not threatened to kill her should
she do so. You have me to thank, Jason, simply for being born."
"How do you know all this?" Jason choked out, pain of tension
and panic clutching at his chest.
"I know for one specific reason. You don't remember your father at
all, do you? That's because you never met him, not as a baby, and not as
a child. But you are not an ordinary boy, Jason. You have a very special
birthright, passed onto you from your father. Passed to you from me."
Zoltar looked up towards the dank windows as he spoke, still not looking
back at Jason. "I am your father, Jason. I have been searching for
you for sixteen years, ever since that traitorous little wretch took you
off the planet." A smile twisted itself onto Zoltar's face. "I
suppose in that way, I should have been grateful to Carlton. If he hadn't
tried to kill you, I would not have realised who you were. I...."
Zoltar trailed off as Kaa moved into his line of sight, motioning tentatively
with his hand. Frowning, Zoltar looked around to see what was wrong, then
sighed tiredly. Jason had collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.
* * *
Colonel Cronus arrived on Spectra with a small squad of his own men, and
reached the gypsy camp to find the place in a shambles.
"What in the gods happened here?" he asked, astounded by the
destruction. Louis quickly went to meet him.
"The blasted castle soldiers happened. Thankyou for coming so quickly,
Colonel."
Cronus nodded. "That's all right. You've helped my men escape death
enough times. This is a meager repayment. But what's going on?"
"G-Force have been taken. They came here to rescue those kids over
there..."
Cronus looked past Louis to where five teens sat huddled together on a
log, talking amongst themselves.
"I know those children," he said suddenly. "They aided G-Force
five months ago. What are they doing here?"
"They were taken by Spectran soldiers on Earth, and brought here by
Kaa and J'boath. My Joseph and Megan rescued them. We were able to divert
G-Force here, but soldiers raided the camp, and took them prisoner. It
was all my men could do to stop those five running off to the castle to
try and rescue them."
A deep frown formed on Cronus' face. "So the whole thing was a plan
to trap G-Force. Damn Zoltar..."
Louis looked grim. "Actually, that wasn't the plan at all. There's
a sixth youth that was taken along with G-Force. A lad by the name of Jason."
Cronus stiffened. "Jason? Jason Scott?"
"That's right. It was him that Zoltar wanted. No one else. G-Force
was merely a bonus to him this time."
"Hell," Cronus whispered. "I should have known he'd try
to snatch the boy. We warned G-Force about it."
"I know. Mark told me. But now we know why Zoltar wants him. Colonel,
do you remember back sixteen years ago? I sent a girl to you from my camp.
She had her two year old son with her."
Cronus nodded slowly. "Yes, I think so. Tashi, wasn't it?"
"Yes. Tashi, and her son, Jason."
Cronus froze, staring blankly at Louis. "Jason?"
"That's right, Colonel. The boy that Zoltar has now is the boy that
we sent to Boridia with Tashi. That boy is Zoltar's son."
For nearly a minute, Cronus didn't say a word. Then, finally, he focused
a hard stare on Louis.
"Why didn't you tell me the truth?"
"We were anxious to do anything we could to protect both Tashi and
the child. We'd decided amongst our elders that we would never tell anyone.
What would you have done had you known? Tell me that."
Cronus sighed, then. "I see your point. But if what you say is the
truth, then Zoltar has his son back. And I've heard enough from Mark about
his people to know that the firstborn of each generation is endowed with
a great deal of power. If Zoltar is able to unlock that power, and manipulate
Jason to his own purposes, he may very well have a weapon on his side that
we can't stop."
"What are you planning to do?"
"I don't want to kill the boy," Cronus said softly. "Nor
do I want to see him killed at Zoltar's hand. I'm taking my men and we'll
get G-Force out first of all, and then see about rescuing Jason."
"Do you think Zoltar would be able to turn him?" Louis asked
softly. Cronus looked grim.
"I honestly don't know. The lad has a strong character. I just hope
it's strong enough to resist Zoltar."
* * *
Jason awoke what could have been minutes or hours later to find himself
lying on a soft bed in a large chamber room. For a long moment, he lay
still, not quite sure what was going on. Then, he remembered. Panic hit,
and he rolled quickly off the bed. It was then he realised his left arm
was free of the plaster cast. He stood frozen, staring down at his arm
in confusion.
They'd removed the cast while he'd been unconscious, he supposed. But why?
Frowning, he slowly flexed his arm and hand to discover there was no pain
or stiffness. He stretched his arm out, turning around, quickly finding
he had full mobility in the limb.
His arm fell to his side. He didn't have time to wonder how his arm had
been healed of the break so fast. Walking over to the door, he tried to
open it only to discover it was locked from the outside. Frustrated, he
turned and headed across to the window and looked out. Nausea hit as he
found himself staring at the ground so far below that to jump would surely
be fatal. He pulled back, feeling decidedly sick. He couldn't get out,
so his only option left was to wait.
Feeling more helpless than he had for a long time, he walked over to the
far corner of the room and sank to the floor to wait.
* * *
Mark had been in the containment cell for nearly five hours when the door
finally slid open and Kaa appeared.
"Get up."
The young commander got slowly to his feet, wincing with pain. "What
now?"
"Zoltar wants to speak with you."
Mark stepped out of the cell, and Kaa quickly released the safety on his
weapon and pressed the muzzle into the small of Mark's back.
"No foolish tricks. I guarantee I could pull the trigger before you
take me down."
"I don't doubt that," Mark grumbled. "Don't worry. I won't
try anything."
Kaa smirked. "Good. Let's go."
* * *
Rather than going to the main hall, Mark found himself being ushered to
Zoltar's private chamber. The chamber was empty when they got there. Kaa
motioned with his gun to an empty chair.
"Sit there and don't move. He'll be here soon."
Mark sat, and Kaa took up guard position in the doorway. Minutes later,
Zoltar arrived and ushered Kaa from the room. He then shut the door and
turned to look at Mark.
"Comfortable?" he asked dryly.
"Very," Mark replied abruptly. Zoltar walked over and sat down
in the other chair.
"How much do you know?"
Mark grimaced. "You never did go in for light chats."
"Don't be smart," Zoltar snapped. "I asked how much you
know. Answer me."
A faint sigh escaped the teen. "The Chief found out a few things,
Louis told me some other things, and I filled in the gaps. Jason is my
brother, isn't he?"
"Half-brother, yes. He was born not quite two years before you and
Lucy. His mother left the planet with him sixteen years ago. I have spent
as long searching for him. Now I have him back, and nothing you and your
friends do will cause me to lose him again."
"He isn't your son anymore," Mark said softly. "No more
than I am, or than Keop is. He'll never acknowledge you as his father.
Why can't you leave him alone? He wasn't raised to fight you like I was."
Zoltar laughed softly. "All the time you spent with Samuel, and you
don't understand? The boy has power, Mark. Substantial power. I intend
to use that to my full advantage."
Mark sat stiffly in the chair. "And if he refuses to let you use him
like that What are you going to do? Just kill him?"
"If needs be," Zoltar admitted. "You don't think I can simply
let him walk away, do you?"
"You heartless bastard," Mark snarled, only to suffer a backhand
across the face.
"Insolent wretch," Zoltar hissed. "You can deny me all you
want, but you are still my son. As is Jason. My children are mine to do
with as I please. Jason will be given a choice. If he refuses me, the two
of you will die, side by side. Kaa!"
The door opened and Kaa stepped in. Zoltar motioned dismissively with his
hand.
"Take Mark back to his quarters. And let your brother know I've given
him permission to do whatever is necessary must to restrain him."
An odd look flickered across Kaa's face. "Yes, my lord. Let's go,
Mark."
* * *
Mark walked into the containment cell, then looked back at Kaa.
"Should I expect your brother?"
Kaa frowned. "Don't tempt me."
A touch of surprise showed in Mark's eyes. "You mean you aren't going
to?"
Kaa glanced back over his shoulder, then spoke softly. "I don't see
the point in beating you to incapacitation. It would be foolish."
He paused, then added coldly, "In any case, I doubt you'll be a problem
for us much longer. I suggest you start praying for a miracle, Commander."
The door slid shut, and Mark sat down with a thud on the cold floor.
"So what else is new?"
* * *
Cronus had divided his force into five teams of two, and was about to enter
the west tunnel into the castle when his lieutenant spoke to him softly.
"We're being followed."
Cronus paused. "Spectran?"
"No. It's one of the kids from the gypsy camp."
"Damn. Where is he?"
"About twenty metres behind us."
After a moment of indecision, Cronus finally shifted around and looked
back to the bushes a short distance behind them.
"All right. Come out of there. We know you're there."
Silence followed, and then the bushes rustled a little and Tommy pushed
his way out of the scrub. Cronus regarded the teen with open annoyance.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to help my friend," Tommy growled stubbornly.
"The hell you are. I don't care if you were a Power Ranger. You aren't
now, and this is a dangerous place."
"I didn't reach a fourth degree black belt for nothing," Tommy
shot back. "I can look after myself. And you either let me come with
you, or I go in by myself."
"You do that and you'll get yourself killed," Cronus hissed.
"I can't guarantee that you won't anyway! Do yourself and your friend
a favour by going back to the gypsy camp. You'll help no one if you're
injured."
Tommy's gaze narrowed considerably. "Take me with you, or I swear
to God that I'll go in alone. I heard what you said to Louis. I'm not gonna
leave Jason to die in there."
Cronus knew then that he couldn't dissuade the boy. He sighed softly, then
nodded.
"All right. Come with us. But stay between us and keep your head down.
And you do what I tell you without question. Understand?"
Tommy nodded. "I understand."
"Good. Because if you cause trouble, I'll shoot you myself. Now, let's
go."
* * *
The door slid open and Mark looked up wearily, expecting to see J'boath
or Kaa. His eyes widened a little at the sight of an old friend.
"Colonel..."
Cronus strode in and pulled Mark to his feet. "Louis contacted me.
Said you kids were in trouble. I came as fast as I could. Are you all right?"
"I am now. What about the others?"
"They should all be out by now. Let's go, we have to get out of here."
"No," Mark said softly. Cronus hesitated.
"I know about Jason, Mark. Louis explained it to me. We have to get
out of here and reorganize ourselves. It isn't worth risking our lives."
Still Mark didn't move. "He's my brother. That's worth the risk. I
don't know whether Zoltar's tried anything with him yet. But I have to
get to him now."
"I'm with Mark," Tommy said defiantly. "Jason's my best
friend. I'm not leaving him behind."
Cronus stood still for a long moment, then spoke into his transmitter.
"Teams 2 to 5, report."
"We're out, Colonel," came the immediate reply. "They're
all safe."
"All right. Get them back to the gypsies, and get ready to leave in
a hurry. We're going after the other boy."
Cronus switched off the radio, then looked back to Mark. "Let's go
get your brother."
* * *
Jason was back in the main hall, facing Zoltar again. The evil leader regarded
the teen stonily.
"I hope the fainting spell was a one-off. Was it?"
The former Gold Ranger felt his hands involuntarily curling into fists.
"Shock tends to have that sort of effect."
Zoltar nodded. "Fair enough," he conceded. "And have you
recovered from the shock?"
"No," Jason replied bluntly. "Even if it's true, I'll never
call you father. I have a father, and he loves me a hell of a lot more
than you ever could."
A sneer crossed Zoltar's lips. "I'm not asking for your affection,
Jason. I want your compliance. Your obedience. You have a great deal of
power that is untapped. I can help you to realise that potential. You could
have more power than you ever dreamed of. All you need do is swear allegiance
to me, and we can rule this universe together. Father and son...."
Jason groaned, bringing one hand up to cover his eyes. "Oh god, I
feel like I'm in the middle of The Empire Strikes Back." He looked
back to Zoltar. "Do you honestly believe I could give up on everything
I believe in to join you? Because if you do, then you're dumber than Zedd.
If what you've told me is true, and if I do have some sort of power, then
I'll use it to do good. And to fight against people like you."
Zoltar stared coldly at the teen. "I wouldn't hesitate in killing
you. Perhaps you should consider that before deciding to reject my offer.
Understand that I can't possibly allow you to leave here as my enemy....
alive."
Jason swallowed hard. "My father would never threaten to kill me.
I don't believe you. And I'll never join you."
Zoltar paused, then shrugged. "So be it. Such a waste. J'boath?"
Jason didn't even have the chance to turn around before something hard
struck him across the back of the head, sending him to the floor with a
crash. A moment later, he felt something pressing into the back of his
neck, just below the base of his skull. A shadow fell across him, and he
heard Zoltar speak to him.
_You have one last chance, and that is more than I have ever given anyone
else. Join me, and you will live here, where you belong, as my prince and
heir. Refuse, and you will die as slow and painful a death as my men can
cause you._
Jason drew in a sharp breath as he realised the words had not been spoke
out loud, but rather in his head. Telepathy, he realised in shock. He shut
his eyes and, not quite sure what he was doing, he sent out a firm reply.
_Go to hell. I'd rather be dead than cause people pain._
Zoltar blinked, taken by surprise. Already, the boy's talents were starting
to surface.... Glowering angrily, he nodded to J'boath. The lieutenant
sneered and started to pull back on the trigger.... A high-pitched whistle
broke the silence, and J'boath howled in pain as the gun was knocked from
his grip. Looking around, Jason nearly sobbed with relief as his gaze fell
on Mark, Tommy and Colonel Cronus. Even as he watched, Mark reached up
and snatched his boomerang out of the air as it swung back to him.
Zoltar moved back slowly, glaring at the intruders.
"You have impeccable timing, Mark. It's really starting to get on
my nerves."
Mark smiled coldly. "Well, that is what I seem to do best. Tell J'boath
to move away from Jason, or the next time it'll be his head, not his hand."
Zoltar glanced to the lieutenant, and J'boath backed away, clutching his
wounded hand to his chest. Mark moved fast, and was at Jason's side seconds
later.
"Are you okay?"
Jason slowly pushed himself up. "I think so."
Zoltar glared at the two boys. "I won't let you walk away!"
"You don't have a choice," Mark snapped. "We're leaving
right now. C'mon, Jason."
They started towards the doors, only to be brought up short when Zoltar
clapped his hands together loudly and a squad of soldiers ran into the
hall.
"Great," Mark growled. "I hope you're up to a fight."
A grim smile twisted across Jason's face. "I've been waiting for a
fair fight. Tommy?"
"I'm with you, bro," Tommy called back. A moment later, the soldiers
converged on them and the fight was on.
* * *
Zoltar moved back from the fight, watching with sinking hopes. His men
didn't have a chance of winning the fight, and he knew it. If it had only
been Mark and Jason, then there might have been a chance, but Mark, Colonel
Cronus and two ex-Power Rangers....?
His hand slipped downwards and closed over the hilt of a knife in his belt.
He had one chance, and that was all. If he allowed the boy to escape now,
the consequences wold be disastrous. Drawing the knife from his belt, he
moved forward, into the fight.
* * *
Jason was in his element, relishing the physical activity without the concern
of a broken arm. He'd taken on two soldiers at once, roundhouse kicking
one in the gut, and putting his fist squarely into the face of another.
He found himself back-to-back with Tommy, and the two boys linked arms
and swung each other around with lethal force, sending over five more soldiers.
"I think you're enjoying this too much," Tommy gasped as he ducked
a punch, then replied with a spin kick that put the offending soldier out
of commission.
A grin lit up Jason's face as he taunted the soldiers forward.
"I haven't done anything physical for four weeks. Of course I'm enjoying
this!"
Tommy smirked as he sent another soldier reeling back into the rock wall.
He glanced back at Jason, and his smirk faded fast.
"Jase! Look out! Behind you!"
Jason spun around and found himself face to face with Zoltar. The evil
ruler glared at the boy with unrelenting hate.
"You were a mistake," he hissed, "just like Mark. I should
have killed your mother before you were born. It is time to rectify that
mistake."
Before Jason to put up any protest, he felt something sharp press into
his ribs. Looking down, he was surprised to see the hilt of a knife protruding
from his chest. A moment later, his legs buckled and he went down hard,
landing flat on his back.
"Jason!" Tommy screamed, shoving his way through the soldiers
and falling to his knees by Jason's side.
Zoltar spared the scene a cold, emotionless look before calling a retreat
and turning to flee down a side passage.
Within seconds, they were alone in the hall, and Mark, Cronus and Cronus'
lieutenant quickly gathered around Jason with Tommy.
"Is it bad?" Mark asked tensely. Cronus examined the wound carefully
before shaking his head.
"No. Zoltar may be an evil, powerful man, but he has terrible aim.
Better get that knife out of there before he loses too much blood, though."
Mark leaned in and closed his hand around the hilt of the blade. "Hold
him down, Tommy. This is gonna hurt."
Tommy closed his hands over Jason's shoulders, holding his friend down.
Mark drew in a deep breath, then gave a single, hard yank and pulled the
knife out of the boy's chest. Jason screamed in pain, jerking violently
despite Tommy's strong grip.
"All right," Cronus murmured as he tore a strip of material from
his cloak and pressed it to the wound. "Just another minute, and we
can get out of this hell hole."
As they waited for the bleeding to stop, Tommy looked across to Mark.
"Is it true? About Jase, I mean..."
Mark nodded once. "It's true."
Tommy let his breath out in a rush. "Man...."
"Don't hold that against him, Tommy," Mark said softly. "We
don't choose our parents."
"I won't," Tommy murmured. "It's just sort of hard to comprehend.
You know what I mean?"
Mark nodded again. "Yes, I know."
Cronus looked up at the boys. "Let's get out of here. We can pack
the wound properly back at the gypsy camp."
Mark nodded, and he and Cronus lifted Jason up carefully between them.
"Good idea."