DRAGONKIN

FANDOM: POWER RANGERS

PAIRING: Kim/Adam; Trini/Zack; Kat/Tommy; Adam/Rocky; Jason/Billy

RATING: PG13

AUTHOR: Cobalt-Blue

ARCHIVE: Yes

SUMMARY: The old team is brought back online to fight off an invasion of dragons. But the dragons' presence create changes in our heroes.

FANDOM: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.

SETTING: 2005

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I'm just playing with them. If I did own them, trust me, they'd still be on the air.

DRAGONKIN

by Cobalt-Blue

May 2005:

Five F-A18 Superhornets swooped down low to the deck in perfect formation, and fired. Twenty missiles streaked out from under the wings of the low-slung aircraft, leaving a long line of smoke and contrail as they homed in on the huge reptilian creature hovering over the new experimental submersible carrier.

Exploding against its body, the missiles seemed to have little to no effect as the giant creature reached out and literally bit the giant ship in half. A series of explosions detonated throughout the ship as it began to sink into the ocean. Suddenly the sea boiled as ships twin nuclear reactors ruptured into a fiery cloud of superheated steam.

The giant winged saurian screamed in sudden pain as its golden scales suddenly shifted to orange, then red, followed by yellow and finally a blinding white. Streams of energy shot from its eyes and mouth as it's skin cracked and blackened before exploding outward.

The scene suddenly shifted from a low on the deck shot to a satellite feed from high in space. Off the coast of Los Angeles, a tiny pin- prick of light appeared, followed by a wave of energy that suddenly shot outward from that central point. In a flash the City of Angels was flattened, whole buildings were pulverized, and slammed into the mountains to the north and the west. A hundred foot high wave of water crashed into what was left, drowning any hopes for survivors.

The feed ended and Lieutenant Commander Jason Scott swallowed hard as he sent up a silent prayer that none of his friends had been in Los Angeles when the attack occurred. Looking over at Admiral Cupit, his commanding officer, he brought his emotions under savage control before asking, "Any word on what the creature was, sir- or what caused the explosion?"

The tall steel-gray haired man leaned back in his chair, his eyes seemed to search for something inside Jason before he answered. Finally, satisfied with what he found, Cupit shook his head, cleared his gravelly throat and answered, "You saw it yourself, Scott. What did it look like to you?"

Jason swallowed before answering. Cupit had a reputation for being somewhat unorthodox in his command style, and it was widely purported that he was a firm believer in things that the US Military deemed as unscientific- things like Power Rangers. Finally, he offered, "With all due respect sir, it looked like a Western Dragon- granted it was a thousand feet of dragon, but that's what it LOOKED like. Sir."

The admiral stood and turned his back to Jason as he looked out over the shipyards at Alameda. After a moment he said, "The Constellation was one of the most powerful warships ever launched. It had a complement of over six thousand, and that creature bit it in half like it was made of balsa wood. Los Angeles was the second largest city in the US with a population of over seven million. Now, there's a bowl shaped bay there over a hundred feet deep." Turning back, he faced Jason, "If the former Red Ranger tells me it was a dragon, I'll believe him."

Jason hoped the shock didn't show on his face. He was proud of the calm evenness he was able to keep in his voice when he answered, "I don't know what you're talking about sir." His heart was racing with possibilities. Jason had gone to a great deal of trouble to hide his past from the military. Granted his experience at piloting the Tyrannosaur, Red Dragon, and Pyramidus Zords made him one of the best fighter pilots in the Navy- which was to say in the world- but he thought he'd been successful in hiding who he had been.

Cupit smiled, "Don't worry, Commander. Your secret is safe with me. I like the idea of having a Power Ranger under my command."

"I don't understand sir?" Jason said genuinely confused. Where did this man get his information?

The admiral smiled and leaned against his desk. "There's a new multi-national para-military task force whose job it is to deal with these monsters. You've been slated to command Team Prime for it."

"Team Prime?" Jason asked.

The admiral nodded. "Yes, they've asked for you by name." The admiral chuckled, "Actually, we refused to sign on to it, if an American didn't lead it."

"Why sir?"

"Because, we're not about to put American fighting forces under anyone's command that's not an American," the admiral told him.

Jason understood. Americans were very wary of letting their soldiers serve under commanders who were not American's Something about a tendency to risk American resources over their own. It hadn't worked very well with the now defunct UN and it wasn't likely to work now in the more nationalistic atmosphere of the world today. More importantly, was that since these things had shown up, no single nation had been able to withstand an assault by one. "What are these things, sir?" Jason asked.

"We're not really sure." The admiral went back around to his desk, sat in the large chair and picked up a file. Glancing at it briefly, he handed it across the desk to Jason. "All we really know is that they appeared in the skies over Europe, Asia, and Africa two months ago. They've been slowly devastating those continents since then. So far, no force on Earth has been able to stop them, not even the current Ranger team. We don't know exactly what they are, except that they appear to be dragons, or what they want. They suddenly appear, occasionally attack a city or village, and then fly off. All we really know is that when they show up, they cause huge amounts of devastation. Paris is in rubbles and Cairo is now buried under fifteen feet of sand." He sighed, "To be honest, after the European's lack of help in the Second Gulf War, I really don't give a rat's ass if they burn that cess-pool to the ground, but now they're moving toward the US, and that's something I DO care about. Two of your former colleagues, Trini and Zack Taylor managed to actually get enough governments to back a multi-national task force to deal with what they are calling the Dragon Threat."

"But why me?" Jason asked. "I mean who pulled my name out of a hat?"

Admiral Cupit shook his head, "I'm not sure. I get the feeling that somebody on the mission, brought up your name and the rest of the team agreed, with only one dissention."

Jason raised an eyebrow. If who the Admiral was alluding to was on the team, he could imagine the one person who wouldn't want to work with him again. Not that he blamed him. "And the person who voted against my name? Is he willing to work with me again?"

The Admiral smiled at him, "Think you know who it is, do you?"

Jason held his peace, and kept his voice as even as possible. "I have an idea." Sighing he said, "Let's just say that we didn't exactly part on the best of terms." That of course was putting it mildly. Jason hated the rift that had grown between he and his best friend in the world, but there was little that could be done about it. Too much time had passed since they'd last spoken and too many things that needed to be told had been left unsaid.

The Admiral fixed him with a steel blue gaze, "I'm not concerned about your personal situation Commander. You're a US Navy pilot- that makes you one of the best in the world. I expect you to put your personal issues aside and make this team come together. As much as a cliché as it might sound, Team Prime is the last best hope for all of mankind. These creatures have to be stopped before they burn the human race back into the Stone Age?"

Jason snapped to attention in his seat and answered reflexively, and answered, "Yes sir."

"Good man." The Admiral leaned back, "Now any more questions?"

"Do we have any idea of what destroyed Los Angeles? I mean what made that dragon suddenly blow up like that?"

The Admiral shook his head, "Damnedest thing. It wasn't nuclear. There's not a trace of radiation within three hundred miles of the blast. One of the science boys down in Angel Grove thinks that
somehow the dragon had," he cleared his throat and said, "and I quote: a physio-nuclear reaction, producing a proto-kinetic blast of multi-megatonage intensity."

Jason smiled at the familiar sounding wording that further strengthened some of his suspicions. "When and where do I report sir?"

The Admiral smiled, "You're going home my boy. Your new base is Angel Grove,"

2

Aisha DeSantos was not a happy camper as she looked around the `Tech bay and shook her head. Cables snaked across the floor, leading to each of the ten menacing looking omni-techs hung from their launching cradles. Technicians were working their way back and forth between the ships as they prepared them for their first mission. She had a bad feeling about this set up. She hadn't been happy about the stipulations the military had put on the project in order to get permission to deal with the Draconic Threat. Her time in Africa attempting help stop the plague ravaging the animal population had left her with a deep mistrust for anything military.

Intellectually she understood that the US military was entirely different from those of various African nations that had ravaged their population in one brush war after another as they fought for control of limited resources there- many times destroying those very resources in the process. They had exacerbated the problems already prevalent on that continent to the point that to Aisha it looked like they would never be capable fighting their way out of the crushing poverty that dominated the landscape. She'd seen whole villages wiped out or enslaved by what amounted to mercenaries in military uniforms in the name of "protecting the peace". That had left a bad taste in her mouth for anything with a gun. Of course her own experiences at the hands of those so-called "military personnel" hadn't done much to improve her opinion.

She was still having problems separating her own prejudices against those military regimes from the very professional volunteer armed services she'd been dealing with back here in the States. She couldn't complain about the way she'd been treated here- always with courtesy, respect and professionalism- but she still shuddered from certain sights. She tried to tell herself that this wasn't Angola, and that these weren't the same men who'd carried out the atrocities she'd experienced in the conflict between the FLEC and the Angolan military, but it was difficult sometimes. If it weren't for Rocky's steady support, she didn't think she would have ever been able to readjust.

She smiled at the thought of her new husband and the gentle strength he'd given her since he Kimberly, and Adam had rescued her last year- how he'd held and comforted her through the flashbacks, how he'd been so gentle and patient with her, bringing back the strength she'd lost in the military prison. Those thoughts gave her the strength to deal with all the uniforms she had to see every day, and she actually found herself smiling for the first time in days.

"Aisha!," an excited voice came from across the bay. Looking over she saw Kim's petit form was waving frantically at her.

Altering her course, she quickly stepped over a power conduit and made her way to where Kim was standing by the doors to the main complex. "What's up Kimmie?" She smiled at the fact that Kim was still wearing pink after all these years.

Kim grinned at her and bubbled, "I was in the galley and guess who I ran into?"

Aisha found herself smiling at her petit friend's enthusiasm and unable to resist asking, "who?"

Suddenly Kim reached through the double doors behind her and yanked someone into the room, probably with more strength than she'd intended. They were all still adjusting to the effects of the "treatments" as Rocky liked to call them. A tall lanky form stumbled through the doors and sprawled onto the floor. At first, Aisha didn't recognize the brown haired man, until she realized it was the hair. Gone were the long locks of soft brown hair, only to be replaced with a more modern spiked and gelled coif. "Uh hi," Tommy Oliver smiled up at her from the floor.

"Tommy!" Aisha squealed and launched herself at her former leader, sweeping him into a hug.

After a moment, Tommy managed to gurgle in her embrace, "Aisha… ribs… I need them."

"Uh sorry," Aisha muttered as she let him go and stepped back to appraise her old friend.

"What has Billy done to you guys?" Tommy asked. "It's like wrestling Amazons or something."

Aisha felt herself blush at the gentle reprimand. "I guess we're still adjusting to the conditioning," she said. "Billy says that we should become more accustomed to what's happening to our bodies in a few weeks."

"Yeah," Kimberly said. "I know Adam will be glad when we do. He accidentally ripped the shower head off in our quarters the other morning just trying to adjust it."

"So if I agree to this, that's what I can expect?" Tommy asked sheepishly, "Tossing my friends around like rag dolls, and destroying the plumbing?"

"Billy says that the proto-phyre affects each of us differently." Kimberly told him. "Zack hasn't shown the least amount of increased strength, but don't try to race him anytime soon."

"That fast huh?" Tommy asked.

"Let's just say, don't get between him and the door anytime soon. The man has reactions like you wouldn't believe."

"Zack always had good reactions," Tommy said.

"I know," Kim giggled, "But now if he doesn't stop and think about what he's doing, he finishes things he starts in about a third of the time." Kim suddenly blushed deep red as she winked over at Aisha. "Trini is NOT happy with him about some things right now."

Aisha just smiled at her friend's embarrassment. There were some things that although were accepted as part of their married friends' lives were still difficult to imagine. Even Aisha had to admit that some of the pairings had turned out strange. Who would have ever thought that after coming back from Florida that Kim would have gone for Adam of all people? Then there was her and Rocky- friends since second grade, but not until he'd come crashing through that Angolan prison wall with Adam and Kim in tow, hell bent on rescuing his `Sha, had she ever thought of him as anything other than a brother. Thank God for Amnesty International's Human Rights Watch.

"So how many of the old gang is here?" Tommy asked.

Kim smiled and answered ticking their old teammates off on her fingers, "Trini, Zack, Billy, me, Adam, Aisha, Rocky, and now you and Kat." She looked over at Aisha and smiled. Aisha could see the apology in the former Pink Ranger's eyes. "Jason is flying in this afternoon."

"It's okay, Kim," Aisha told her. "I'm not angry. I understand, and it really has nothing to do with Jason himself per-se. It's what he does for a living," Aisha told her friend.

"I don't understand," Tommy said questioningly. "What's wrong with what Jason does for a living?"

Aisha shrugged and looked down, "I'm just not comfortable with this team being attached to the military." She saw from the corner of her eye, Kim gesturing gently to Tommy.

She felt Tommy gently cup her chin and raise it so that their eyes met. "I understand that you've been through a rough time, Aisha. We all do, but you have to realize that this is Jason we're talking about- the original big brother. He not only won't hurt you, he won't let you come to hurt either. It's the way he is."

Aisha nodded her head, "I know that Tommy. Like I said, it's not Jason I have the problem with. It's those stripes on his sleeve." She took a deep breath, "But I understand that we need him. That he's one of only ten people in the world who can pilot those damn things," she gestured savagely with her thumb back toward the omni-techs hanging in their bays. "I just have to get over my own issues."

Tommy smiled at her, "I know `Sha." He pulled her into a brotherly hug. Pulling back from her, he sighed, "You have a problem with his career. I'm just wondering how we're ever going to get him and Billy in the same room again."

"Don't worry about Billy, he'll do what he has to," Kim said firmly from next to them. "He always has."

Tommy turned to face Kimberly and asked, "Anybody able to find out what the problem between those two is?"

Kim shook her head, "No, and if you ask either one of them they'll deny that they're not speaking, but we haven't been able to get them in the same room since just before Billy left for Aquitar."

Tommy just grinned at her, "Then I guess I'm going to have to bust a couple of my Bros' heads."


Trini watched as Billy went over the read-outs on the screen for the fifth time. Everything was coming out exactly the way it was supposed to, but for some reason he couldn't be satisfied with what he was seeing. "No matter how long you look at those numbers, they're going to stay the same," she said from behind him.

"A change is not a desirable outcome." Billy told her. "The data is perfectly within optimum parameters."

"Then why have you been staring at them for the last hour and half?" Trini asked, suspecting the answer.

Billy shrugged and pushed back from the console. "You're right. I've got other work in `Tech bays."

"Cranston, you go near that `Tech bay and I'll skin you alive. The technicians have already asked that I keep you out of their hair for at least forty-eight hours. You've made all the modifications to `Techs that they are going to allow. If you change one more thing, they're going to lock you in a supply closet until the first mission is over."

"I'm just trying to make sure that we have the best chance possible to defeat the dragons," he told her.

"I believe you Bill, but I'm not so sure the modifications you're making now will really do that." She leaned back against one of the examination tables and hoped she wasn't wrong about she was thinking. "I think you might be trying to find something to do to keep you from dealing with something else."

Billy looked up at her, "Please enlighten me."

She smiled and shook her head refusing to drop into Billy-speak with him, "You tell me."

"I'm unsure as to what you are alluding, Trini."

"Billy, you're caught up. Tommy and Kat aren't due for their first proto-phyre session until tomorrow morning. The omni-techs are all on-line and ready to fly. The only thing missing from the base is the team leader."

"I fail to ascertain how that is germane to the situation," Billy replied.

"You're hiding from something Billy," Trini told him. "You tell me what it is."

"Trini, I'm unaware of anything about Jason that would make me want to engage in unnecessary tasks." Billy told her flatly. His eyes however, said volumes about what he was feeling.

Trini leaned over, and locked her hands on either side of his chair arms, effectively pinning him in place, "Billy, don't go there with me. I know something is wrong between you and Jason, Zack knows it- hell the whole team knows it. The only people who seem to not know that you two are having problems is you and Jason." She sighed and stood up. "I don't know what the problem is, nobody but the two of you do, but we haven't been able to get you to even discuss each other since before you left for Aquitar."

"Trini," Billy said rising from his chair, "I have no animosity toward Jason what-so-ever."

"Yeah, but there's no affection between you two any more either," she said turning her back to him. "You guys used to be inseparable, and now you haven't even spoken to each other in eight
years."

"Trini…"

Turning to face him, Trini cut him off savagely, "Look you don't want to admit it that's fine with me. I'm tired of trying to reach you. You want to sit here and pout about something, that's fine." She stepped forward and stuck a finger into his chest, dropping him back into the chair. "But remember this: This new team is going to have to work together, and if you and Jason don't get whatever's eating you worked out then you're probably going to get yourselves and the rest of us killed." Turning on her heel, she walked to the door but stopped without turning to face him again, "Personally, I don't want to die just yet. At least not until we get the problems the Power created in me, Kim, Aisha, and Kat worked out." She turned, keyed the exit sequence to the lab and left without another word.


Adam looked over to where Rocky was silently lifting weights, the sweat streaming from his body in rivers that soaked his red tank top. There was a look of grim determination on his face, as he strained against the machine. For long minutes, Adam sat there watching his best friend taking his frustrations out on the chunk of metal. Finally, he broke the silence, "I take it Aisha had another rough night last night."

Slamming the weight up in a final exertion of energy- Adam noted that Rocky was chest pressing nearly three-quarters of a metric ton- Rocky looked over at him and asked, "What makes you say that?"

"The fact that you're trying to push yourself to exhaustion," he answered. Leaning against the wall he asked, "You want to talk about it?"

Rocky racked the bar and sat up, "There's not anything to talk about. She's having nightmares again." He shrugged as he toweled off, "There's not a whole lot I can do about it, except be there for her."

Adam understood what was really bothering his friend. "And the fact that you can't do anything about it, is driving you up the wall," he ventured.

"Oh there's a lot I can do about it," Rocky said. "It's just that most of them would cause more problems than they would solve."

"Such as…?" Adam asked carefully.

"Going back to Angola and killing about half their government…" Rocky joked, but Adam wasn't so sure it was one.

"That wouldn't be a good idea, Rocko," Adam told him carefully.

Rocky shrugged and stood, "I know, but I can wish can't I?"

Adam chuckled, "You can wish pal. I'll even help you wish." What he didn't tell Rocky was that he'd probably help him carry it out, if he asked him. He remembered what `Sha had looked like when they broke into her cell. Her captors had reduced their normally vibrant friend to a mere shell of a human being. It was obvious that she'd been abused in ways that no human being should ever be. Her emaciated form was covered in bruises and cuts, there were dark welts on her nearly naked body where electricity had been used cruelly on her skin. Adam still had nightmares about that day. Rocky just chuckled at his comment. Adam took the towel from him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm there for you man. If you need anything, just let me know- either of you."

Rocky smiled up at him, "I know. `Sha knows it too." He sighed. "Right now, this whole mission is bringing out the worst of her memories." He shook his head, "I hate it that that it's Jason's arrival that's triggering it."

"'Sha just doesn't know him. Once she gets to know him, I think it'll pass," Adam said.

"I hope so," Rocky said. "I hope so."


Tommy, and Zack stood outside the Command Center, looking out over the changing California desert. Some part of his mind noted that the destruction of Los Angeles and the leveling of the mountain ranges to the East of the city had begun to change the environment here in the deserts. More moisture was reaching the land, and he suspected that soon the desert he'd come to love was going to disappear from this area.

To the north, they saw a small dot as it streaked toward them, growing bigger with each passing second. Checking his watch beside him, Zack said, "Here's Jason, right on time." He grinned over at Tommy.

"Hey, I was on time today," Tommy weakly protested as the jet came to hover above them.

"Only because Kat was there to prod you on," Zack grinned as he yelled over the sound of the jets rotating down. Anything else he might have said was lost in the backwash of the dust and sand as the aircraft set down on the desert floor.

Minutes later, the canopy on the jet popped as the engines slowly quieted down, and several ground crew wearing Navy uniforms moved in to secure it. They watched as a single burly form climbed down from it, and Tommy wondered how Jason was ever able to fit into the cockpit. He watched as Jason pulled the flight helmet and walked over to them grinning.

No word was spoken, none was needed, as each man swept the burly fighter pilot into their arms and embraced him grinning like mad men. Finally, Jason extricated himself and held Tommy at arms length, and Zack spoke, "I didn't think Navy pilots flew Harriers."

Jason grinned at him, "It's on loan from the Marine Corp Bro. The jarheads weren't really happy to let a squid fly it, but they eventually let me have it."

Tommy looked over his shoulder and said, "How many heads did you have to bust to get it."

Jason shook his head, "Doesn't work that way buddy. I just had to prove I could fly it." Turning back toward the Command Center, he said, "And thanks to all my years here, I can pilot just about anything I crawl into the cockpit of." Sighing deeply, he looked up at the building and Tommy could see him drink in the sight of the place. Finally, he asked, "Who's responsible for putting this place back together."

Tommy watched his friend's eyes carefully when he answered, "Billy. He bought the land a few years back and has been slowly rebuilding it for his research." For an instant, Tommy saw something very much like regret and pain flash across his eyes.

Finally, he said, "Cool. I'm glad to see he's doing well."

"Yeah, Bro," Tommy said. "He's the one who's put together this whole force. He developed the technology that's going to let us kick some lizard butt." Tommy shrugged, "Trini and Zack helped him push it through with the State Department as well as London, and Sydney."

Zack laughed, "Hey, all we did was talk. Billy's the one who's giving us the chance to survive these things."

Jason just shrugged and said, "Great, I can't wait to get started." Jason's eyes did not reflect the enthusiasm of his voice. As the three men entered the Command Center, Tommy couldn't help but get the feeling that there really was some tension between the former Red and Blue Rangers.

(3)

Jason listened carefully to Zack as he showed him around the new Command Center. Evidently Billy had rebuilt it in exterior only. The main Power Chamber had been replaced by a multimedia- briefing center complete with a holo-tank that used real-time data from multiple J-STAR and Global Hawk reconnaissance aircraft as well as low orbit satellite feed to create a three-dimensional image of the battlefield. The only things he recognized from the old Command Center were the `Zord Bays and the labs. The latter were pretty much unchanged and the former were now occupied ten massive low-slung swept-wing aircraft that just seemed to project speed and power. Each was easily the size of a C-5 Galaxy, but was built like some designs for space fighters he'd seen at Top Gun. They were basically a tetrahedron compressed from the top and then stretched. A pair of wings curved forward from the ventral and aft section, with two wicked looking cannons mounted under them close to the fuselage. He couldn't wait to get into the cockpit and fly one.

A dry part of his mind noted that on the one he was admiring, someone had taken the time to paint the strip along the wings and rear stabilizers Red Ranger Red, and his name and call sign was stenciled neatly under the cockpit canopy: Commander Jason "T-Rex" Scott USN. He was still getting used to the extra full stripe on his sleeve. Was it just yesterday that he was Lieutenant Commander Jason Scott? He wasn't quite the youngest officer to ever make the rank of Commander, but he was definitely in the top five. Zack must have seen him admiring the ship, because he smiled, "Can't wait to take her up can you?"

Jason turned and laughed back at him, and put friendly hand on his shoulder, "Am I that obvious?"

Zack chuckled and said, "No, not really. I feel the same way about mine," he nodded to another ship trimmed in black at the end of the hangar. Jason could barely make out the name under the canopy: Zack "Mastodon" Taylor- no military rank was attached.

"Yeah, but I'm really not rated on it yet. It'll probably take weeks in the simulator before they let me fly one." Jason told him.

Zack shook his head, "We don't have that kind of time buddy." He indicated the doors leading from the hangar into the main operational center. "Besides, I can guarantee you can fly it. Billy designed it."

Jason shot him a look but said nothing. His mind drifted back to that night things had fallen apart between him and his best friend since fourth grade. He knew the others thought that their split had come before Billy had left for Aquitar. Evidently Billy had had as little inclination as he to correct their information-that it had occurred three years later, after his graduation from Officer's Cadet School. Viciously crushing the memories before they could come flooding back to him, he turned to face the briefing room as they entered. A short woman wearing an Admiral's uniform was standing in front of the inactive holo-tank. She looked to be in her early fifties, with soft brown hair that was just beginning to gray at the temples. She had dark hazel eyes that were just beginning to show the signs of crow's feet. Jason was reminded of the woman who played the new M in the Bond films. Without even noting the other occupants in the room, Jason reflexively snapped to attention and saluted, "Commander Jason Scott, ma'am."

The woman seemed to scowl at him for a moment before she returned the salute and then smiled, "At ease Commander. I'm Admiral Hazard, your new CO." She gestured toward the rest of the room, "This is the rest of your wing. A rather unorthodox mixture of pilots, and support personnel, but I have it on the best authority that they're the only people capable of carrying out your mission." Sighing she said, "Let me make some introductions: Thomas and Katherine Oliver," she pointed to Tommy and Kat, "perhaps you've heard of Mr. Oliver's racing credentials." The woman seemed oblivious to the fact that most of the people in this room were his old high school friends. "Adam and Kimberly Park," She gestured to where Adam and Kim were standing. Kim was doing her best to suppress the laughter in her eyes. "Aisha and Rockford DeSantos." Jason noted that Aisha seemed to tense when she saw him. "The man beside you is Zachary Taylor, and his wife Trini is the corner." Trini waved at him and smiled. Next she indicated where Billy was standing next to a tall man in his late thirties or early forties with reddish blond hair. Both men were wearing utility work suits with lab coats over them. They had the look about them as if they'd worked together for a long time. For a brief instant, Jason felt a wave of jealousy toward the Commander wash over him, before he crushed it as viciously as he did his earlier memories. "And this is Commander Benjamin Storm and Major William Cranston."

Every head in the room turned and looked at Billy at the mention of a rank with his name. Evidently he was still keeping secrets. Commander Storm nodded and smiled, "Commander."

Next to him, Billy just nodded impassively and said, "Commander." Then turning to the Admiral he said, "With all due respect ma'am, but I think perhaps you are unaware that Commander Scott is an old acquaintance of all of ours."

A minute hardening of around her eyes was the only indication of any surprise the Admiral might have felt. "Thank you, Major. Then that should make your job in working together that much
easier."

Jason reminded himself that he was a professional, and forced his face to become impassive as he nodded toward the men. Neutrally he replied "Commander, Major, it's good to see you again."

Billy just nodded, but something else showed in his eyes- something that cut Jason to his soul. Did he really see disdain, and indifference in those blue-green eyes? Had the confessions of that night so long ago- no not the confessions, his own cowardice- really caused his best friend's heart to harden that much? Well, if that was the way Billy wanted, it, he could be the professional too.

Kim watched the interplay between Jason and Billy. The news that Billy was in the military had come as a complete surprise to all of them. She made a mental note to ask the Admiral about it, in a round about way of course. Right now, she had to find out what eating two of her oldest friends.

Turning her attention back to the Admiral, the woman continued, "I am told by Central Command that all of you possess some kind of unique genetic quirk that makes it possible for you to interface with the Omni-Tech fighters." Walking over to the holo-tank she activated it and the image of one of the fighters in the hangar bay appeared in the field as it rotate in three-dimensions. "The Omni-Tech is the ultimate in multipurpose assault craft, capable of metamorphing itself into various combat configurations."

The craft in the field- Kim noted that it did not have any of its markings painted in- began to shift forms, not unlike the old `Zords, into a quadrapedal walker, complete with gun turret. "They are the most versatile piece of technology on the planet." The craft shifted again to form into a huge humanoid shape complete with an energy rifle. "They are also capable of combining into one giant form under the central command of the lead craft." She saw several more Omni-Techs appear on the screen and combine into a form that reminded her of Megazord, but more human looking. Only this Megazord was about five times the size of what she was used to.

"According to Major Cranston, you ten are the only people in the world capable of piloting these crafts. He says that some of the exposure you had to the first Power Ranger teams here in Angel Grove back in the early nineties has changed your nervous systems in some way to allow you to interface with the cybernetic controls of the Omni-Techs."

"What about the "treatments" that Kimberly was telling us about?" Tommy asked.

The Admiral turned to Billy. "Major Cranston, could you explain the effects of the proto-phyre?"

Billy stepped forward and hit several controls on the tanks. Kimberly had already heard this before- of course her explanation had been before the military had become involved, and covered some details with which the Admiral might not yet be familiar. It had started as an experiment in trying to re-activate either the Morphin' or Ninjetti Powers destroyed by Ivan Ooze and Mondo, and bring the old `Zords back online. Kimberly suspected that Billy might have known the Dragons were coming. "Commander Storm and I have discovered that the dragons are emitting low levels of a type of radiation we've never encountered before."

"Admiral Cupit told me that there were no traces of radiation at the Los Angeles blast site," Jason interrupted. Kim saw the look Billy shot Jason under his eyes, and wondered if she'd seen correctly. She wondered if Jason had caught it or not. It might explain what the rift between them was, but she wasn't sure.

Billy continued, "Correct Commander. There is an element in the dragons' body that reacts in unpredictable ways with nuclear radiation. However the radiation they are emitting is not nuclear based. We've named it proto-phyre- sort of a living energy. For some humans it seems to enhance them, make them more alive." Turning back to the Commander he said, "Ben, perhaps you could describe the effect this radiation is having on the human physiology."

The tall man who'd been at Billy's side since she and Adam arrived here, stepped forward, nodded to Billy and cleared his throat before beginning. "We've discovered that this radiation begins to slowly modify the genetic code in some-not all- but some humans." The holo-tank suddenly switched over to show an image of a pair of generic human forms, one of each sex. Several organs inside the forms were highlighted and blinking. Kimberly realized that most of them were parts of the endocrine system.

The female in the diagram disappeared and the male rotated and slid down as the medical lab took form around him. Kimberly could see the image slowly shift to become actual film footage- footage she hadn't seen before. The man in the film had his features blurred by the computer as well as certain other parts for the sake of modesty. She noted that he was very well defined, and in extremely good physical condition. It took her several moments to realize that it was Billy lying in the diagnostic bed. In the lower left hand corner was a series of read-outs showing muscle density, heart rate, and blood pressure. "It enhances several body functions, slows down others, and for most part super charges the body."

A line of light appeared above Billy's head and slowly made its way down his body, much the way a digital scanner moves down a sheet of paper. There was nothing dramatic about it, no flashing lights, no explosions, just a low hum as the line worked its way down Billy. The only change seemed to be in the readouts. Billy's heart rate dropped into the twenties, his muscle density doubled, and the blood pressure dropped. "The subject here saw a marked increase in physical strength, and an improvement in reaction times." The blond looked around the room and said, "Also it seems increase the healing factors in humans by about a hundred fold."

"What do you mean, it doesn't effect all humans?" Tommy asked.

Commander Storm shrugged, "Just that, Mr. Oliver. We've exposed several humans to the treatment to no effect. It seems to affect about one in a million people."

Kim watched Tommy do some quick calculations, "That would mean two hundred fifty people in the United States."

Commander Storm nodded, "Exactly, Mr. Oliver." Tommy asked, "Billy, are you saying that the ten of us happen to be among those one in a million?"

Billy smiled, and reached to push glasses he wasn't wearing up on his nose- Kim guessed old habits were hard to break, and knew it was a sure sign that he was uncomfortable about something. Looking around he finally said, "No." Sighing he continued, "The ten of us have each been exposed to some unique energy forms" he looked over and indicated Commander Storm, "Ben and I believe that they have something to do with the first two incarnations of the Power Rangers teams.

Commander Storm nodded, and continued, "Bill's right. Even the humans who are capable of benefiting from this exposure don't show the dramatic changes that you ten do. There is something about the radiation you were exposed to as… uh in Angel Grove that accelerates the process." From the tone in the Commander's voice, Kim wondered how much Billy had told him. It also didn't escape her notice that the Commander and Billy were on a comfortable first name basis that no longer existed between Billy and Jason.

Tommy looked over at Kat and asked, "Is there a risk of danger from the treatment?"

Billy shook his head, "No. Not for the ten of us. I'd never subject you guys," he looked at Jason as if to emphasize his point, "any of you guys to anything that would hurt you." Kim watched his face begin to blush deeply, "And there's reason to believe that the healing factor may reverse certain damage that previous radiations did to Trini, Kimberly, Kat, and Aisha."

Tommy nodded and then looked to Kat. Kim understood that this was something they would both have to agree on. Billy already told her that he wouldn't take just half a married couple- that he wouldn't put their marriage under that kind of stress. It had to be both or neither. Something seemed to pass between them before Kat looked up and said, "Count us in."

Billy turned to Jason and asked, "How about you Commander Scott? Are you in as well?"

Jason first looked to Billy, then to Commander Storm, and Kim wondered what was going through his mind. Her enhanced senses could see a slight flaring of Jason's nostrils, his pores open up and could detect the slight increase in his hear rate and respiration when he looked at the other Naval Commander. Looking back to Billy he said, "If you say it's safe Major Cranston, then I trust you.
I'm in."

END PART 3