The silence in the office was numbing. Andros watched Vincent pace, glancing once at Zhane with a slight grin, then at the cadet on the other side of him. She seemed okay, if a little scared. He took a deep breath. "You know," he said, conversationally, "this is not the brightest idea you've ever had in your life." He desperately hoped this would keep Vincent from concentrating on finding Ashley.
Vincent spun. "Quiet," he growled.
"Inviting Astronema to join you is inviting your own death."
Vincent moved to stand in front of him, and the cadet shrank away from him. "I told you to shut up."
"Getting me to shut up is not going to help you feel better," he said, hiding the smile as he watched the man begin to crack. A sudden commotion outside broke the tension, then the door opened.
"Vincent. There's a woman out here demanding to see you. She's got a guy in black with her, and I think it's the body we couldn't find." Andros stiffened, turning to look at the man. Please, let it be Carlos, he thought.
"Is she in armor?" Vincent asked, stepping back around the desk.
"Yes, sir."
Vincent sat down and leaned back in the chair. "Let her in."
Carlos stumbled in first, and Andros let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. It wasn't that he didn't trust the cadet they'd seen earlier that day, but rather that the not being sure had worn on him. They didn't know her. He watched as Carlos fell to his knees, looking tired and beat, then Karone walked in. She paused in the doorway for effect, then took a step forward and nearly tripped over Carlos. With a snarl, she kicked him, and he rolled out of her way, climbing to his feet.
Andros couldn't keep his eyes off his sister. It was like a nightmare coming true, and he didn't want this nightmare. "I understand you lost one," Karone said, grounding her staff. "It's pretty sad when your people won't even check to see if he's dead. I found him taking out cameras around Medical. You don't have very good security around here." She moved suddenly, aiming her staff at Carlos. "Don't move," she said. Carlos froze, a step closer to Andros and Zhane than he had been a minute ago.
"I'm glad you're here," Vincent said. Andros glanced at Carlos, surprised to see a bit of humor in his eyes. Then he wondered if he'd actually seen it; his eyes hardened in determination.
"Oh? Why is that?" Karone asked. Andros opened his mouth to say something, but Carlos shook his head, just barely.
Vincent leaned forward. "I thought we could go into a... partnership. I'm sure you understand revenge?"
She smiled, slowly, and Andros shuddered. He'd never seen that expression on her face before, and he hoped he'd never see it again. She glanced at Andros, her gaze slipping past him to Zhane, then back to Vincent. Carlos inched towards him again. "I don't do partnerships," she said.
Vincent nodded. "A trade, then?"
She seemed to think about it. "What do you have in mind?"
"I'll give you the Silver Ranger if you can produce the Yellow Ranger."
"What if I want the Red Ranger?" she asked.
Vincent frowned. "He figures highly in my revenge," he said.
Karone paused. "I don't have the Yellow Ranger," she said. "I might be able to find her, though."
Andros straightened, truly frightened. "No, Karone, please...."
"I said quiet," Vincent growled, "or I'll have you gagged. Understood?"
Andros nodded. Please, no, leave Ashley out of this, he thought.
"I told you not to move," Karone snapped. Her staff touched Carlos' shoulder and he froze, significantly closer than he had been. She turned to Vincent. "I will trade the Silver Ranger's Digimorpher for the Yellow Ranger; I have no need of the man himself."
Andros couldn't help it; he glanced at his friend to see the startled, then indignant look on his face. Vincent laughed, and Andros looked at him, eyes hard. That didn't bother his captor, who leaned back in his chair. "I would consider that a good trade," he said.
Karone nodded. "Very well."
Carlos suddenly dropped under the staff resting on his shoulder and swept Karone's feet out from under her. He dove for Andros and with the slash of a knife, freed him, turning to cut Zhane loose as Karone's staff activated, purple electricity dancing around the tip. Andros launched himself at Vincent, hearing the staff go off, then he slammed into Vincent, knocking the chair over, and spent the next little while concerning himself with the younger man.
When he stood up, one of Vincent's arms twisted behind him, Carlos was helping the cadet to her feet. "Are you okay?" Carlos asked gently. The girl nodded, glancing around in some panic. Carlos turned to him. "And you?"
Andros nodded. "I'm fine," he said, "other than not knowing exactly what is going on." He turned his attention to the man he held onto. "Now, Vincent Corry, you have had it. I suggest you get your men to stand down, those that are left."
"Cassie's gone to rally the people in the Commissary," Carlos said, his voice wavering. "I'm not sure how many will be standing." He stepped forward and took Vincent from Andros, which allowed Andros to relax a little. "That was really close, Karone."
"They already put down a riot in the Commissary," Vincent snarled.
Andros sighed. "That isn't going to stop them. If you'd hit a student, maybe, but you hit TJ, who is a fully powered, if inactive, Ranger."
"Sorry, Carlos" Karone said softly, and Andros turned to see her and Zhane locked in an embrace. It didn't look like they were going to let go soon, and he sighed in relief. That had been a ploy. She'd acted it out so well, he'd been afraid she had reverted.
"Karone, can I have my battlizer?" he asked, and it came flying at him. He snatched it out of the air. "Thanks. I hate to break you two up, but we do have things to do. Is Ashley all right?"
"She's fine," Carlos said. "Let's clear this riffraff out of here before we get her, okay?"
"Agreed," Andros said, and turned to Vincent. "Are you going to help or hinder us?"
Vincent sneered. "Hinder, of course," he said.
Andros nodded. "All right." Grabbing the ropes that had bound the cadet, he quickly tied the man to the chair. "We'll do it the hard way."
Vincent took a deep breath and opened his mouth, probably to shout an alarm to the men outside. Before he could make a sound, Karone's staff was aimed at his face, purple electricity dancing on the tip. "Don't tempt me," she said. Andros smirked at the fear that surfaced at her cold words; there was the malice she'd gotten from Ecliptor. He shuddered, glad it wasn't directed at him. "I'm really not in a good mood right now." Vincent closed his mouth, glaring defiantly up at them. He even managed to hide the fear, unless he was really stupid and wasn't scared.
"It's probably going to be best to just knock him out," Zhane said.
"I don't want to hurt him," Andros said, glancing around his office for something to gag him with. He came up with nothing.
"Then I will," Carlos snarled, and rapped him sharply across the head. Vincent slumped, and Andros turned to the cadet, who was staring at them all, eyes wide.
"What's your name?" Andros asked.
"Eh-Amy," she stuttered.
"Amy, will you be okay here? I'd like you to keep an eye on him for a minute. We're going to get rid of the guards," he said.
She nodded, biting her lower lip in concentration. "Is there anything I shouldn't touch?"
"Him," Andros said, pointing at Vincent. "I don't think he'll wake up, but we won't be long." She nodded, and he turned to Karone. "You need to lead the way out. They're expecting you."
"Then let's go," Karone said, and started for the door. Zhane followed her, then Andros, and Carlos brought up the rear.
The two guards were taken completely by surprise and tossed back into the office, knocked out and tied with their own belts. Amy stared up at Andros in surprise, and he smiled. "Come on." He took her to the office next door, Karone's. "Stay here. We'll be back soon," he said, and they left again. He paused only long enough to lock the door to his own office.
The hallways were silent, and Andros shuddered, remembering his thoughts earlier in the day about how dead it seemed. They moved quickly and quietly through the hallways, and Andros focused on what he was going to do once they got to the Commissary.
He shouldn't have worried; Adam and Jason greeted him outside the doors, looking lethal and slightly worse for wear. Their blasters were aimed at Andros' group as they came around the corner, then both of them relaxed.
"Most of the mess is cleaned up in here," Jason reported. "Cassie is tending to the injuries." There was a faint haunted look on his face.
"Is TJ okay?" Andros asked.
"He'll be a couple of days recovering, but nothing major. And Trini is down with a broken leg," Jason said. "Other than that, all the casualties were the bad guys." He said it with some measure of satisfaction. "There was one cadet taken from here, though, and when they did the count, there were three missing already."
"The one they took is fine. She's been with us, and she's in Karone's office now. We'll find the others." Andros took a deep breath, knowing where one of them was. "Okay, let's find out what was going on while we were... disabled." He stepped into the Commissary to find controlled chaos. The students were in groups, probably the ones they'd been assigned to that morning, and each had a specific task to do; most seemed to be cleaning up what did, in fact, look like a food fight. In the center of the room, Cassie stood next to TJ, who lay on one of the tables, with Trini on her other side, face white.
Andros waited a minute, then gestured all the teachers over. It didn't take long to break them into small search parties to get the rest of the invaders, and he sent Zhane to get Ashley. Then he paced, aware of the growing silence in the room and the eyes on him but not caring, wanting to make sure she was okay. Carlos sat off to the side, watching him, watching the door, and he seemed about to collapse.
He didn't know how long he'd been pacing when he turned and there she was, Zhane grinning brightly behind her. "Ash," he whispered, and pulled her close to him, feeling the desperation in her grip, too. He stood there, not caring who saw him, letting the relief wash over him. He heard Zhane take over with the prisoners, sending Bulk to his station to get things up and running again, and to call the police.
When he finally let Ashley go, Carlos stood up and approached him. "There's an injured cadet missing. I'm going to go look for her. Will you be okay here?"
Andros took a deep breath, forcing his mind to confront the task at hand. "Who was it?"
"Her name is Vie. She's the one you gave your battlizer to." Carlos looked worried, and Andros hoped the girl had broken through the walls around his friend. Then it registered what he'd said.
"She's missing?"
"She never came back." He sounded helpless.
"I'll be fine. Go ahead." With relief on his face, Carlos left the Commissary.
Cassie walked by them, one hand on the bed TJ was on. When had they come down from Medical? he wondered. "Andros, bring Ashley and come on. You've got blood on your face."
"Huh?" he asked, then Ashley gently touched the mostly healed gash on the side of his head. "Oh," he mumbled, and nodded, half releasing Ashley but keeping one arm around her waist. He never wanted to let her go.
"Where did you get that?" she asked.
Andros sighed. "It's a long story. I'll tell you tonight."
Go on to Next Chapter | "I Wonder What it's Like...."