* HOMECOMING *
Part 6
by Naomi Tilley
Trini arrived back at the Scott's home to be met by Sarah. Immediately, Trini noticed the worry in the older woman's face.
"Sarah?" she asked softly, in concern. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Sarah replied with a sigh. "It's Jason we're worried about.
He's been pacing back and forth in the family room for the last half hour. We can't get through to him at all."
Trini sighed softly with understanding as she followed Sarah inside.
"He was the same way when William was in hospital. Don't worry. I'll talk to him."
"Trini..."
Trini paused, looking at her mother in-law questioningly. "Yes?"
"This is going to work out," Sarah told her softly. "I know it will. Everything is going to be all right."
The younger woman managed a tired, sad smile before disappearing through into the family room.
"Jason?"
If Jason heard her, he gave no sign. Trini watched him for a long moment in silence, as he paced back and forth near the fireplace, before walking up behind him an slipping her arms around his waist.
"Honey, stop, please."
"Did you see them?"
Trini sighed inwardly. "Yes. They agreed. Tommy was able to tell us for certain that everything is still operational. He's been going there once a year since Zordon left."
Jason turned around sharply, concern deep on his features. "What?"
"It's okay," Trini reassured him. "He hasn't been secretly morphing, or anything. Apparently Zordon asked him to make a regular check on the place after he'd gone. That's all. Tommy said he hasn't activated the power, and I believe him. But at least we know the coins and the crystals can be used."
For a long moment, Jason said nothing. Then, finally, he walked over and sat down with a thud on the sofa.
"More than anything, I want to go up there right now and use the coins to get William back. I really want to do that, Trini. Tell me why we can't?"
"I don't know," Trini whispered. "I really don't know. We have to hold on, Jason. We're going to get our baby back. Somehow, we'll get him back."
Jason shut his eyes tightly against a sudden flood of hot tears. "He must be so scared I swear to God, if he's hurt my little boy...."
The door slid open and Donavon looked in, uncomfortable at having to interrupt the couple.
"Jason?"
The young man looked around at his father questioningly. Donavon went on quietly.
"Michael Oliver just called. He needs you to go down to the precinct to sort a few things out."
Jason sighed heavily and, though clearly unhappy about it, conceded and got up. Trini joined him, grasping his free hand in her own.
"I'll come. I can drive you."
Police Headquarters
It was all Jason could do to keep his calm at the deeply sympathetic looks he and Trini got from the other officers has they made their way through to Michael Oliver's office. A few men offered their sympathy and support to the couple, but most simply sat back and watched them in silence.
Michael Oliver was waiting for them, and ushered them quickly into his office, sparing his men a warning look to get back to work before shutting the door and pulling the curtains. David Ashley was there, and he clapped Jason gently on the shoulder.
"How are you doing?"
"Oh, great," Jason muttered dismally. Michael motioned to the chairs as he took his own seat.
"Sit down, please. The reason I called you in here, Jason, is because we've been contacted by Bennett."
Jason stiffened visibly, and so did Trini.
"What did he say?"
Michael looked grim. "He said he'd exchanged William for you, Jason. We told him no go."
Anger flashed across Jason's face. "You should have told him yes."
"Jason, we aren't putting you at risk like that."
"Forget about putting me at risk," Jason snapped. "This is my son we're talking about. When he calls back, you agree to whatever he says."
Michael and David exchanged weary glances, and then David spoke quietly.
"Jason, don't be an idiot. You can't just hand yourself over to this guy. You don't really think he'd just let William go as easy as that, do you?"
"No," Jason conceded, "but I have no intention of handing myself over to him, either."
Silence met Jason's statement, and then Michael spoke in confusion.
"What, exactly, do you plan to do, then?"
Jason looked to Trini, then, and they traded knowing looks.
"I'm going to beat this son of a bitch at his own game," Jason answered softly. "When he calls back, I want to know about it."
Michael sighed audibly, then. "Fine. But don't think I'm going to let you just walk into a potentially dangerous situation. Whatever you have in mind, I want full details. We are going to work together on this. I will not have you going AWOL on me. Do you understand me, Captain?"
Jason conceded grudgingly. "Yes, sir."
"All right, then," Michael said. "That's all for now, but I don't want you going just yet. Go and wait in the meal room. There's a couple of things I want to talk to you about, but I have to see someone else first."
Jason and Trini stood and left the office in silence, making their way through to the officer's meal room. David followed them in, speaking with quiet determination.
"Everything's going to be fine. We'll get your son back, and put Bennett away for the rest of his damn life."
Trini offered David a faint smile. "We know, David. Thankyou for the support. We really do appreciate it." She looked back to Jason, squeezing his hand gently as he sat down in the nearest chair. "I'm just going to the bathroom, Jason. I'll be back in a minute."
Jason watched her go, then looked back to David. "She's right. We appreciate everything you and the chief are doing. I'm sorry if I'm not really showing it."
David hesitated, then pulled up a chair. "It's okay, Jason. I'd be in the same state if it was either of my kids that was missing. Shit, I'd be going out of my mind." He smiled crookedly, then. "I'm glad I stopped wasting time trying to alienate you. I don't think I've ever really had as good a partner as you."
When Jason hesitated, David shook his head. "Don't worry, Jason. I know I can't replace Sid. But I'm glad we're friends now. And as a friend, I'm telling you not to worry. We'll get William back safely."
Jason nodded in silent agreement, and then spoke with absolute certainty in his tone. "I know we will."
David spared Jason a puzzled look, then. "Why do I get the feeling there's something you aren't telling us?"
Jason hesitated, and was almost on the verge of telling David everything when David's pager went off.
"Great," David muttered as he glanced down at it. "It's probably my mother. Look, try not to worry, Jason. Everything's going to work out. I'm sure of it. And I'll talk to you later."
He turned and hurried from the room, leaving Jason alone. The young man was about to get up to stretch his legs a little, when his cell phone rang.
Frowning, Jason unhooked it from its case attached to his belt, and answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Hello again, Jason. Been a long time."
The blood froze in Jason's veins as he instantly recognised the voice.
"Bennett...."
"You remember me. I'm flattered. The question is, how much do you remember me?"
"Enough to tell you that you aren't going to get what you're after," Jason snarled, struggling against the rage that was gathering momentum in his gut. Bennett giggled.
"I think I am. Because if I don't get what I want, then you won't get what you want. And you do want your little boy back, don't you?"
"You crazy, fucked-up bastard," Jason exploded. "If you've hurt him..."
"Oh, shut up, stop acting so macho," Bennett retorted. "You know I haven't hurt him. I'm not stupid. Now, I called your boss before to give us some time to sort out our little dispute. While they're waiting for me to call back, we're going to be making the real deal between us."
"Go ahead," Jason said hoarsely. Somewhere, distant in his mind, a voice screamed at him to go and find David, or Michael. He ignored it, though, his anxiety for his son's well-being to great to ignore. Bennett went on quickly.
"I'm in the building, Jason. In the parking lot beneath the building. It's a blue van, in section 3A. I'll be waiting here for you. You come alone, don't bring anyone with you. Because if you fuck this up, you know what I'll do to your little boy."
"You touch him and I'll kill you myself," Jason hissed. Bennett laughed.
"Oh, sure you will. Just come alone, tough guy. Oh, and by the way, there's someone here who wants to talk to you." There were some muffled sounds in the background, and then....
"Daddy?"
Jason's heart skipped a beat at the sound of his son's voice. "William? Just hang on, Daddy's coming to get you."
"Daddy, please, don't let him...."
There was a harsh shout, and then Bennett was back on the line.
"Now you know he's here. Two minutes, Jason. Get moving."
The phone went dead. Jason let it fall to his side, his heart pounding in his throat. He knew he should go and tell Michael, but he was terrified that Bennett would simply kill William. That was something he just wasn't willing to risk. Setting the phone down on the table, Jason hurried to the other door, on the far side of the room and disappeared out into the hall.
Less than thirty seconds later, Trini walked back into the room, through the first door. She froze when she saw the empty room.
"Jason?"
For a brief second she thought he must have gone to the bathroom himself. Then, she saw the phone. Hurrying over, she snatched it up off the table. It was still switched on; either Jason had called someone, or someone had called Jason. She suspected the latter, but why would he walk off and leave it on the table? Unless....
She ran from the room, back into the main office, and quickly found David and Jason's office. David was in the middle of a call, but as soon as he laid eyes on Trini's panicked expression, he apologised to the person he was talking to, and hung up.
"Trini? What's wrong?"
"Jason's gone," she told him breathlessly.. "He left his phone on the table, and it was still switched on. David, Bennett could have called him..."
David was on his feet in an instant, guessing along the same lines.
"C'mon. If it's what we 're both thinking, then the only possible place is the car park beneath the building. It's the only area of the building that's unmanned."
The two ran from the office, and headed for the lifts.
Jason stepped out of the lift into the underground car park, looking around slowly. Section 3A, Bennett had said. He walked along the edge of the building, silently wishing he had a gun. Inwardly, he knew what he was doing was foolish and dangerous, but his desperation to get his son back overrode common sense.
He rounded the corner, and saw the van. Breathing deeply, he walked towards it, praying that Bennett, in his own eagerness, would make a mistake. He reached the van, and paused by the side. There were no windows in the back; he couldn't see inside it. The only way was to open the back doors, and he had no doubt that Bennett was probably waiting for that. He hesitated, then took a step away from the van and spoke out loud.
"All right, you son of a bitch, I'm right here. Where the hell are you?"
"Daddy!"
Jason spun around in shock at the sound of his son's voice, and spotted him a moment later, kneeling on the back seat of a white sedan, peering out at him through the rear window with a tear-streaked face. Too late, he realised the blatant trap that he had walked into, and started to back quickly away from the van. A moment later, there was a blur of movement in his peripheral vision, and something hard slammed into the side of his head. He was rocked right off his feet, crashing into the side of the van and cracking his head a second time before crumpling to the ground, unconscious.
Bennett let the cricket bat drop, and moved to stand over Jason's still form, giggling crazily to himself.
"Not so smart after all, are you? Plenty tough, but not too smart."
Still giggling, he grabbed Jason's ankles and dragged him across to the car, grunting with the effort it took. Unlocking the trunk, he managed to lift Jason enough to push him into small space, then locked it again.
"Got both of you, now," he giggled to himself. "Gonna have a party tonight, for sure." He climbed into the car, then glowered over his shoulder at William. "Sit down, and shut up! Or I'll hurt your dad even worse."
That brought a response faster than any other threat possibly could have, and William dropped back into the seat, trembling with fear. Bennett nodded, pacified.
"That's better. Now, be a good boy and do up your seatbelt. We don't want to get stopped by the police."
William did as he was told, still trembling. Bennett watched him carefully, then nodded his approval.
"Good boy, William. You keep being a good boy, and maybe when we get back to the house, I'll let you be with your dad. Would you like that?"
William nodded tearfully. Bennett chuckled softly, cruelly to himself, and drove the car out of the car park.
The lift opened only a matter of seconds after the sedan disappeared out the exit, and David, Trini and Michael ran out into the car park.
"He probably didn't even come down here," Michael growled as they looked around at the seemingly quiet area. "Did you bother checking the bathroom?"
David, who had walked along to the edge of the wall, glanced grimly at his boss, then ran over to a light blue van.
"Chief, look over here."
Michael and Trini hurried over to see Michael crouching over a cricket bat.
"What the hell?" Michael muttered. David hesitated, then touched his fingertips to a patch of red.
"Blood," he said, as his fingers came away wet. He glanced up at the van. "Look at that."
Michael walked around, and stared in growing concern at the considerable dent in the side of the van. "David, get to the surveillance room and get the video for this area. I want to check out the surveillance of here for the last ten minutes. Then call forensic and tell them to send a team down here immediately. Go."
David went, running. Michael turned away from the van, to find Trini standing there, staring at him in distress.
"C'mon," he said softly, putting an arm around her shoulders and leading her back towards the lifts. "We'll go and figure out what to do."
Five minutes later, they stood in the surveillance room, looking at the video.
"There," David said, as Jason came into sight, walking slowly over to the van. They watched as he stopped next to the van, then looked around. Moments passed, and then he turned around sharply. Then....
"Oh shit," David whispered. "Behind him...."
They watched as Bennett strode up behind Jason and slammed the cricket bat into the side of his head, knocking him out cold, then dragged him over to another car and lifted him into the trunk.
"Damn it," Michael growled. "If Bennett called him, why the hell didn't he come and say?"
"He was probably scared that Bennett would kill William," David said, defending his partner's actions. "I would have done the same."
Michael clenched his jaw. "All right. Put an APB out on that car. I want every available man out on the streets looking for it in the next five minutes. I want that bastard found, Captain. Am I understood?"
David nodded, watching in grim silence as Michael stormed out of the room. Once he'd gone, David turned his attention back to Trini.
"We'll find them, Trini. I promise. Bennett isn't going to win. You won't lose them."
Trini barely heard David, though. "I have to go," she whispered. "I have to tell the others..."
David hesitated, then passed on his own orders to the officer next to him, and followed Trini out of the room.
"I'll take you wherever you have to go," he told her, gently taking hold of her arm. "You aren't in a fit state to drive. Where do you want to go?"
"The Dojo," Trini answered in a trembling voice. "Tommy, Rocky and Adam's dojo."
"The Dragon Dojo?" David asked, and Trini nodded. David sighed inwardly and conceded. "All right. I'll take you."
Dragon Dojo
Tommy had just finished with a class and was about to head off for lunch when Trini burst into his office, followed by David Ashley. He stood up quickly, startled and concerned.
"Trini?"
"He's got Jason," Trini sobbed, falling into Tommy's arms and crying uncontrollably. "That son of a bitch has them both...."
Tommy looked over at David in shock. "Bennett has Jason?"
David nodded, irked at having to explain anything to Tommy. "Yes. Not half an hour ago, Bennett got him in the car park under the police Head- quarters."
He glowered at Tommy, silently daring him to make a crack about security in the police building, but Tommy didn't even touch on the subject.
"Well, I guess this classifies as an emergency, and we all promised."
"Promised what?" David asked suspiciously. Tommy ignored him and, detaching himself from Trini, walked over and opened the top desk drawer.
"I got this out of my closet the night after we had that little chat."
He produced his communicator from the drawer. "Do you still have Jason's with you?"
She nodded, and pulled the communicator out of her handbag. "Yes, right here."
"All right. I'll go get Adam and Rocky."
"Do you have Tanya and Kat's phone numbers?" Trini asked as Tommy headed for the door. "I'll call them, and Billy, as well."
Tommy nodded. "Yeah, in the address book there on my desk. Just tell them ranger emergency. They'll know what you mean. I'll be back in a minute."
David watched Tommy go, then looked back as Trini began flipping through the address book, looking for Adam and Tanya's phone number, and Kat's phone number.
"Trini, what the hell is going on?"
Trini glanced at him as she picked up the phone receiver to call Tanya.
"We have a way to find Jason, David. But you have to trust us."
"We?" David growled. "You mean you and Tommy? For god's sake, Trini, he's just a damned junkie!"
"Was," Trini corrected him. "And no, not just Tommy and myself. Me, Tommy, Adam, Rocky, Billy, Tanya and Kat. Trust us, David, please."
He conceded reluctantly, and let her make the phone calls. She contacted both Tanya and Kat, passing on the message that Tommy had told her to, and then called Billy. The former Blue Ranger was pleased at her calling, until she spoke.
"Billy, do you still have your communicator?"
On the other end of the line, there was palpable silence. "Did I hear you correctly?" he asked finally.
"Yes," Trini insisted. "You did."
"As a matter of fact," he confessed, "I do. But why would I be needing it now?"
"I don't have time to explain now, Billy. It's just, Jason is in real trouble. The only way we might be able to find him in time could be through the Power Chamber. Billy, please! We need all the help we can get!"
"All right," Billy agreed finally. "I'll meet you there. Who else have you got?"
"Everyone that's in town. Tommy, Adam, Rocky, Tanya and Kat."
"Okay. I'll see you there."
Trini hung up, only to be confronted by David.
"Power Chamber? What the hell is that?"
Trini looked up at him. "David, do you remember the Power Rangers?"
"Sure. But what's that got to do with you?"
"David," Trini said softly, "we were the Power Rangers. Jason and I were part of the original team, along with Billy Cranston and two others. Tommy joined as us the Green Ranger, and then the White Ranger, and then Rocky, Adam and their friend Aisha took over from us when Zack, Jason and I went to Geneva."
David fell back in shock, and said nothing even when Tommy came in with Adam and Rocky.
"Have you called the girls?" Tommy asked, and Trini nodded.
"Yes, and Billy, too." She noted silently that each man wore a communicator, and realised they must have each kept them. "They'll meet us there," she added, locking Jason's communicator onto her own wrist.
Rocky was staring at David, a touch of suspicion in his eyes.
"What about him?"
David spoke, then, jolted out of his shock. "Don't even think you're leaving me behind. Jason's my partner. I'm not sitting around doing nothing if there's a definite chance of finding him."
"He can come with us," Tommy said, falling almost too easily into his old role of leader. "The more help we have, the better."
Trini walked over and gently took David's hand. "This will feel strange, but don't be scared."
David nodded wordlessly, wondering exactly what was going to happen. Tommy looked around at them grimly.
"All right. Let's go."
They hit the teleportation buttons on their communicators together and, instantaneously, vanished in a flash of white light. Seconds passed, their feet hit solid ground, and they reappeared in darkness....
*
....darkness so complete that he couldn't see, could hardly breathe. He turned his head or tried and pain ripped through his skull, so acute that for an instant he honestly thought he was going to die. Then, it faded, and he took care not to make the mistake of moving again.
Blood... He could taste blood in his mouth. He could smell blood in the air around him, and it was an effort not to throw up. The pain came again, less severe but still bad enough that he groaned softly.
There was tentative movement at his side, and a moment later, a small voice cut into his conscious mind.
"Daddy? Are you awake?"
For a long minute, he couldn't bring himself to reply. Then, as his memories gradually began to filter back, he remembered what had happened and realised what was going on. He opened his eyes again, and this time could make out a small figure leaning over him with concern on his thin, pale face.
"Will..." He croaked it out, cringing at the sharp pain through his throat. William gave a choked sob, and leaned over to hug Jason as best as he could.
"Daddy, I thought he killed you!"
Jason shuddered and tried to move shift his arms, only to discover that he couldn't. Looking around, he realised with dim alarm that he was lying on a bed, with his wrists and ankles tied to the posts.
"He tied you up," William said, in between hiccupping sobs. "He said if I tried to untie you, then he'd have to punish me."
"Listen to me," Jason told him. "We're going to be okay, tiger. Your mother and Uncle Tommy and some others are going to get us out of here. Just be brave for a while longer, okay?"
William nodded, then climbed up onto the bed next to Jason.
"Does your head hurt, Daddy?"
"Yeah," Jason admitted in a weak whisper. "It does."
Large tears rolled down William's cheeks. "When Mummy and Uncle Tommy rescue us, Mummy will make your sore head all better. Don't worry, Daddy. I'll look after you until Mummy comes."
Jason sighed faintly. "I love you, William."
William cuddled in against his father, trying not to cry. "I love you too, Daddy."
Neither father nor son had the chance to rest. A minute later, the door swung open, and Jason was just able to make out Bennett's silhouette in the doorway. The sadistic man giggled crazily at the scene before him.
"Cute. You play daddy real good, Jason. I hope you'll let me join in."
"Go to hell," Jason whispered. Bennett snickered.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Sorry, I'm not going anywhere. You've got a long-awaited lesson coming to you, Jason. You know, you should have let me give you that present on your birthday. But on the up-side, you've really given me a goal to aim for. I have to thank you for that."
He stepped into the room, grinning as he closed the door behind him.
"Now, just let me get the...."
*
"....lights.... There!"
Tommy found the main switch and threw it, causing the lights to come on in a flare of brilliance, momentarily blinding them all.
"Holy...." David gasped as he finally was able to look around him. Ignoring the police captain's astonished exclamations, Tommy strode over to a table encased by a plastic cover, which held all six power coins and the five Zeo crystals.
"Okay, guys. Come and get them."
Rocky walked over, and looked down at the crystals and coins with near-reverence.
"Never thought I'd lay eyes on those again." He paused, then reached out and plucked the Blue Zeo Crystal off the table. "Good old Blue."
Billy had joined them, and smiled faintly as he took the Blue Power Coin. "I wholeheartedly agree, Rocky."
Adam paused in his decision, then finally took the Black Power Coin.
"First was always best," he said by way of explanation when Tommy glanced at him questioningly.
Kat and Tanya were there behind Adam, and when he moved away from the table, Kat reached over and picked up the Pink Power Coin, while Tanya picked up the Yellow Zeo crystal. Trini came up after they stepped away, and picked up the Yellow Power Coin in one hand, and the Red Power Coin in the other.
"For Jason," she said quietly. "Just in case."
Tommy nodded, then reached down and, with trembling fingers, picked up the White Power Coin."
"The morphers and zeonizers are over there, in that cabinet," he told them. While the others went to get them, Tommy paused, then carefully picked up the Red Zeo crystal, and took it over to David.
"Here."
David hesitated in taking the offered crystal. "What is that?"
"It's part of the Zeo crystal," Tommy explained. "It's what enabled the Zeo Rangers to operate. This was my crystal, when we used them."
David regarded Tommy with a touch of suspicion, and more than a little confusion.
"You're giving it to me, now?"
Tommy shrugged as he turned the White Power Coin over in his fingers.
"White was always my best colour. Take it. You want to help, and we need your help. And Jason probably needs your help."
Finally, David took the crystal from Tommy, looking down at it with no small amount of wonder. He held it in his hands for only a moment, though, when it suddenly vanished.
"Hey, where....?"
"Don't worry," Tommy reassured him. "It just sort of evaporated into your body. Can't you feel it?"
David hesitated, then realised that he could feel it. It wasn't blatantly obvious, but he _could_ feel it.
"Here, David." He looked around as Trini came back to him, and handed him two odd-looking wrist bracelets. "Put these on your wrists."
"What am I supposed to do with them?" he asked, frowning.
"You'll know," Tommy answered. "It sort of comes naturally." He looked around, and saw that they were all armed with either a Power Coin and morpher shield, or a Zeo Crystal and zeonizer. "Now, we find Jason and William, and then we put an end to that bastard's operation for good."
