Title: Commando Team
Fandom: Power Rangers ZEO
Characters: Hunter, Jade, Marc, Tacy, Steve, Andros
Universe: Ranger Academy
Prompt: 011 - Red
Word Count: 5253
Date finished: 04/02/2006
Rating: G
Summary: Remember when Carlos mentioned they needed to train a Commando team? Well, here's the third generation.
Author's Notes: Unfortunately, I was more interested in writing this than the Sequel to "Superhero," but I've made it work. Also, most of this fic is attributed to Sparticus, who got me started on this whole thing anyway. Jeanka, here's your cameo! Thanks so much for your help with this fic!
Disclaimer: I don't know who owns the Rangers at this point: I'd guess Disney. At any rate, it isn't me. Maggie, if she appears, is MINE. Please don't take her.

Hunter Bradley worked the lock on the door to the security chief's office as fast as he could, trying to get it open. If he could just….

"I guessed this was your target," a quiet voice said, and the hallway lit up. Cursing under his breath, Hunter stood and turned to face Professor Park, whose hands were clasped behind his back.

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked, pulling off the hood and mask that had obscured his features, hiding the lock picks in them.

Mr. Park gestured over his shoulder to the camera in the hallway. "DECA monitors the security system, and contacted me when she noticed you." The Korean teacher tilted his head. "Call off the rest of your team."

Hunter gaped. "What?"

"Stop them. They'll get into trouble because you failed your part."

Hunter spat a curse and grabbed for the radio on his belt. "Jade. Steve. Abort. Pass it on."

"What?" Steve asked, incredulous.

"Abort. I got caught." He clicked the radio off. "Now what?" He couldn't keep the resignation out of his voice. Too many times he'd been caught like this.

"Now, you go back to bed. And I have a talk with the Headmaster in the morning."

"But I…."

Mr. Park held his hand up and Hunter shut his jaw, teeth clenching in familiar frustration. "You'll be given a chance to defend your actions," the teacher said, "but I'm not the person to talk to."

Hunter nodded tersely. He didn't believe a word of it. That was beside the point, though; if he flunked out of the academy, he was sunk. He followed Mr. Park back to his room, slipped in without waking his roommate, and got back into bed. Well, if he was gone, he was gone. There wasn't much he could do now.

"He was what?" the Headmaster demanded. Hunter didn't know if he was supposed to hear that, but the others waiting outside the office with him winced as he did.

They didn't hear Professor Park's answer. "Are we in trouble?" Jade asked.

Hunter sighed. "Probably. Sorry, guys. I didn't think we'd get caught so fast."

Steve shrugged. "We should have thought of the security system," he said, and scowled up at the eyestalk watching them. "I forgot about that."

"I should have remembered," Tacy said, sounding frustrated. "That was one of the reasons Mom let me come at all."

Before Hunter could respond, Mr. Park stepped out of the headmaster's office. "He'll see you now. All of you."

That sounded even more ominous. Hunter took a deep breath, wishing it were a private interview. These people were his friends, his team, now - thankfully - and he wasn't going to take them down with him. They were going to be good Rangers. He pushed away from the wall and led the way in.

The Headmaster looked… well, not angry. Hunter squashed the hope he felt as his team flanked him. "I understand you have an explanation," he said in a neutral tone.

Hunter nodded. "Yes, sir," he said, and started talking. It was different, though. He had the feeling the Headmaster was actually listening, trying to understand. Hunter explained how they'd seen that a member of another team was injured, so he'd decided to 'help' Professor Scott postpone the test scheduled for that day. He'd convinced his team to help out….

"Hang on," Marc protested, but the Headmaster held his hand up.

"You'll get your turn," he said. "Continue, Cadet Bradley."

Hunter took a deep breath. "They agreed, helped me make a plan, and we executed it. I was caught before I could finish my part. Everyone else's depended on me to do what my assignment was."

The Headmaster nodded. "You had something to add, Cadet Elder?"

"Yes, sir," Marc said. "It did happen like that, except we were all involved." He shot Hunter a glare as the rest of the team nodded.

The Headmaster's brow furrowed, and he opened a folder that Hunter took to be his record. Hunter felt his stomach drop. "Cadet Bradley. This is a last chance for you. You were willing to take the blame. Why?"

Hunter swallowed. He could feel the looks the others were giving him, but he refused to look at them. "Sir. My team does not deserve to lose this chance because of me."

"You?" He didn't look up.

"Yes, sir. I'm pretty sure the records you have look like the ones from my last few schools. A list of my sins - some of which aren't mine - and punishments meted out." He really wished this conversation were private, now; he really didn't want his team to think the worst of him, like everyone else did who had seen - or heard about - his record. A public dismissal would be humiliating.

The silence was deafening. The Headmaster finally looked up. "Who is injured?" he asked.

"Sir?" Hunter stammered.

"You said a member of another team was injured. Who is it?"

"Daren Caney," Jade said immediately. "Something's wrong with his shoulder."

"Very well. If you hurry, you'll be able to eat breakfast before classes start. Dismissed."

Hunter was utterly frozen. What?

Steve pulled him out the door. "Never look a gift release in the mouth," he said once they were in the hallway, away from the Headmaster's office.

"What were you guys doing?" Hunter hissed as they made their way to the commissary.

"Keeping you from sacrificing yourself," Tacy told him flatly. "We like you. We plan on keeping you."

"There's no way the Headmaster will let that slide!" Hunter told them as they walked into the commissary. "I was trying to keep you guys out of trouble!"

Marc snorted. "Lost cause, man. Give it up." He grinned as Steve hauled Hunter into line. "What I want to know is, how did you know all that stuff?"

"What stuff?"

"You told us exactly what to do and how to do it," Jade said, accepting a filled plate from the worker behind the counter. "It didn't come from powers, so you had to get it from somewhere. Fess up."

Hunter sighed, feeling like his mother must have the first time he and Blake had come back from the track, bruised and covered with mud - totally exasperated. "Let's sit down first."

Considering how much Steve liked the food here, they were sitting in record time. Usually it took him half of their allotted lunch time to find something he liked. "Eat first," Tacy told him flatly. "You can spend all day talking, if you have to. You can't eat all day."

Grateful for the reprieve, Hunter dug in. As soon as he was done, he glanced at the clock. "All right. Long story short," he said, and every member of his team looked at him. "I used to be a practical joker. Pretty good one; I rarely got caught, and in the last few years, next to never. And then I got a younger brother; my parents adopted him. Blake is part Asian, no one's sure where from, and our neighborhood… Anyway, the school was worse. So I learned more… destructive ways to distract people, and I didn't always sneak around. Sometimes I made sure they knew it was me, and why I was doing it. People started to leave him alone." He glanced at the clock again and got up. "If we don't get moving, Park is going to kill us."

Hunter sank into his classes, glad to keep his mind off what they'd tried to do last night, and what the repercussions might be. At least, he thought during a short break, he hadn't been dismissed yet, and he was going to enjoy all the time he might have left at the Academy.

The Headmaster was waiting just outside the commissary after dinner, and gestured them aside. Hunter's heart sank. So soon? He'd just found this team, these friends, he didn't want to have to leave!

"Are you five interested in taking additional classes?"

Hunter blinked. That was not what he'd expected to hear. He glanced at the rest of his team, caught nods and shrugs, and shrugged himself as he turned back to the Headmaster. "Okay. When?"

"In an hour, on the mats."

"Yes, sir."

"Don't tell anyone."

Hunter's eyebrow went up. Not that he had anyone to tell, besides the team flanking him. "No, sir." He watched the Headmaster stride off before turning to his team. "Any ideas?"

Jade grinned. "We could relax until we have to meet back here?"

Hunter rolled his eyes. "About why he wants to give us extra classes."

The team exchanged looks, but no one volunteered anything. Hunter sighed. "I've got to do some research for Ms. Kwan," he said. "I'm off to the library."

"I'm coming," Tacy said. "I've got some work to do, too."

Jade sighed. "Okay, so we've got homework."

There were five classes. Three of them were more intense versions of Strategy, Combat, and Teamwork; the fourth was a firearms class, and the fifth -

"You want to split us up?" Hunter asked, confused and a little worried.

"Yes," the Headmaster said. Behind him, Hunter could see five people he'd seen around the Academy; two were security guards, one a medic, one was a member of Ranger Stuart's lab, and the last was one of the mechanics. "Each of you will be paired up with one of them." He gestured behind him. "They will choose you."

One of the security guards stepped forward and caught Hunter's eye. "You're coming with me."

Hunter followed, more curious than ever. The guard led him to a small classroom, and carefully shut the door behind him. "My name is Mike," he said bluntly. "Did Andros tell you why you were here?"

"Not a word. Are you going to?" He tried to make it sound respectful, but he didn't think he did very well. But then, this was just a security guard, right? He didn't get the kind of respect Rangers did.

"Eventually," Mike told him flatly. "You'll be studying with me for the next five Friday nights," he went on. "It'll be more specialized. Each of your team is getting instruction in the roles they'll fill later on."

Hunter took a deep breath, half afraid of what he was going to hear. "Which role is mine?"

"The hardest of them all," Mike said grimly. "Team Leader."

Hunter stared at the wall across the table, his homework forgotten in front of him. His mind still spun with the information Mike had given him, stuff Mike said he was going to have to know. Although he hadn't said why yet…

"Penny for your thoughts," a voice said behind him, and he spun to see his team. They looked as spooked as he did.

"Once they're organized, I'll see what I can do," he said, and gestured to the chairs at the table. "Better sit down."

They did, watching him in some alarm. "Do you know what's going on?" Marc asked.

Hunter shook his head. "Not exactly," he said. "Are you allowed to tell me the roles you've been picked out for?"

They exchanged glances. "I wasn't told to keep it quiet, other than the Headmaster's 'Tell no one'," Jade said. "She said my technical title was Assistant Automatic Rifleman."

Hunter looked at Tacy, who shrugged. "Medic." To his surprise, a knot in his shoulders loosened.

Marc smiled. "Rifleman," he said quietly. "Point."

"Automatic Rifleman," Steve said. "But he wouldn't explain what it meant. What about you?"

Hunter swallowed, almost afraid of their reactions. "Team Lead."

"Oh, there's a surprise," Jade said, rolling her eyes. Tacy grinned.

"Told you so," Marc said to Steve in a whisper that was not quite soft enough.

"What?" Hunter asked, startled.

Steve grinned. "We were pretty sure you'd be leader," he said. "The team was most effective with you in that position."

"It's true," Marc said. "I certainly can't lead."

Tacy laughed. "It wasn't that bad," she said with a wink at him.

"Not compared to when I led," Jade said ruefully. "I'm just glad none of you got to see it."

Hunter grinned, but then he sobered. "Any idea what this is about?" he asked.

Marc shook his head. "Not a clue. But… Part of what I'm learning takes what I've learned, the tips you gave me, Hunter, and helps me be even more sneaky."

Hunter's eyebrows went up in surprise. "More sneaky?" he asked, then hesitated. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Me, too."

"But why?" Jade asked, sounding frustrated. "It doesn't make sense!"

"Not yet, it doesn't," Hunter said. "But eventually, someone will have to explain. Anyone else got extra homework?" When they all raised their hands, he nodded. "Book work or practical?"

"Practical," Tacy said. "I'm supposed to spend an hour in Medical with Mel."

"Book," Jade groaned. "Eve wants me up on the fire power the Rangers are using now."

"Practical," Marc said. "Specific simulation."

"Book. Sort of like Jade," Steve said.

"Sweet! I got a study partner." Jade brightened a little.

"What about you?" Tacy asked.

Hunter shrugged. "A little book, a little practical," he said. "Also a simulation. Due by next Friday?"

Nods around the table. Hunter took a deep breath. "Okay. We're going to have to work hard at this, guys. And it's not going to be easy to get this homework done. It sounds like the simulations will have to be a block of time, as will the hour in Medical, although you might ask if it can be broken into smaller pieces of time. The book work…." He grimaced. "See if you can work out something to help each other."

"What about you?"

Hunter sighed. "I get to research Red Rangers," he said, and looked thoughtful. "I know we've got papers due for some of the classes coming up. See if we can use what we're learning for those to cut down on time." He looked at his team. "And see if we can find answers," he said. "I tried asking Mike, but no go."

"We could ask the Headmaster," Steve suggested.

"Let's find out what we can, first," Hunter said slowly. "But for now, lets get back to our rooms. We'll need lots of sleep for this."

Hunter stared at the screen, a little confused. "Official Red Rangers," he said softly, brow furrowed. He hesitated, then called up the search function and typed in Unofficial Red Rangers. However, it told him he had to go to a secure terminal, then was polite enough to let him know where one was. Once he settled down there, he called up the search function and ran the same search. This time, it asked for his name, and then, to his surprise, a fingerprint id. Pressing his finger to the screen in the place indicated, he wondered what it could mean, but only until it flashed "Confirmed" on the screen, and then "Access Granted." And his eyes widened in disbelief.

Mike was a Red Ranger. An unofficial Red Ranger, on a team that didn't exist. In fact, he was the second bearer of that title. What in the world? He started to read it, then tried to download it. No luck. That didn't surprise him, when he thought about it. If they didn't want people to read this, didn't want people to know… He hesitated again. That meant that the others, those who were training his team, were also Rangers.

He leaned back, thinking, and was interrupted by a loud chime. He'd have to get back to this later. He closed down the document, erased his search criteria, and ran for the mats.

That made it difficult, however. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to tell his team, and he hated keeping secrets from them. By the end of the day, he'd worked himself into a frazzle.

"You guys go ahead," he told his team, who had paused when he did. "I've got a question to ask. I'll catch up with you."

Steve nodded. "We'll watch for you." He started off for the commissary, and the others followed, if not entirely sure they wanted to.

Hunter turned around and nearly walked into the Headmaster. "You have a question?" he asked.

Hunter stiffened to attention. "Yes, sir."

"Regarding the file you accessed at lunch time today?"

"Yes, sir." For some reason, he wasn't too surprised the Headmaster had known. Although why he'd thought to put in an alert for whoever accessed the files, Hunter would have liked to know.

"Does the question need privacy?"

"No, sir, I don't think so."

"What is it?"

"May I tell my team, sir?"

The Headmaster looked at him for a moment. "Why?"

"Because I think they ought to know, sir, and I don't like keeping secrets from them." Hunter watched as the Headmaster seemed to think.

"Will you?"

"Will I what?"

"Keep secrets from them?"

Hunter hesitated, not sure what the right answer would be - and then not sure there was a right answer. "Only if I am ordered to, sir. But I'm not good at it, and they'd guess something was wrong."

"I don't suppose you got the chance to read it all," the Headmaster said after a few moments.

"No, sir."

"I suggest you do, before telling your team."

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

Hunter turned and started for the commissary at a run. He didn't have much time left.

He sat down near his team, listening as they talked about some of the lessons they'd had that day, eating as fast as he could. "Did you get the answer to your question?" Steve asked at a break in their conversation.

"Yes," Hunter said, "but with a proviso. As soon as I do that, I'll fill you all in. I've gotta hit the library before we meet tonight, so I'll see you then." He took his tray and dropped it off before heading for the library.

He read slowly, trying to comprehend all the information in the file. He'd gotten about half way through when his datapad beeped, alerting him that he had about five minutes to get down to the mats. He closed the file, erased his search criteria, and headed down.

Now that he had an idea of why he was receiving the intense training, Hunter paid even closer attention to what they were learning, and was a little surprised to find that the rest of his team followed his lead in that. Once they were done there, however, he excused himself and headed back to the library and that secure terminal.

He finished just before the library closed. Once again erasing his search criteria, he closed down the terminal as it asked, and walked back to his room. This was a lot of information, and he couldn't use anything he'd read in any of his other classes. It made his head hurt, the implications that he was allowed to read that file. He could just admit to himself that it was frightening.

The next morning, he sat down at breakfast and looked at his team, meeting each person's eyes. "Okay," he said. "It's a lot of information, but I can tell you what's going on. At lunch, get something portable and I'll see about reserving a small classroom or something."

"That important?" Steve asked.

Hunter nodded. "Oh, yeah," he said. "And you can't tell anyone."

Jade snorted softly. "Who are we going to tell?" she asked. "I mean, the only ones I'd be tempted to tell will be there."

The others nodded agreement. "So noted," Hunter teased, and turned his attention to the food in front of him, wondering how in the world he was going to explain this to his team.

They gathered in a small room, and Hunter took a deep breath. "From what I understand - from the reading I did - the people who are tutoring us on Fridays are a Ranger Team. The only people who know about this team are the Headmaster - and the people chosen to replace them." He paused a moment. "They don't get used often; they're for when all else has been tried. Usually more for extraction than anything, in a hopeless situation."

"How did it get started?" Steve asked.

"It was a comment Ranger Valerte made when they went into Hope Fortress to rescue Trey of Triforia during the first year of the Academy," Hunter explained. "Once they had a chance, they started working on one. The power was created by Ranger Stuart and Professor Cestro. The uniforms are darker than average, and instead of pink, it's a dark purple." He sighed. "And we're the next incarnation of the team."

He took a deep breath. "This team has been in some tight spots, but they've never lost a member, and they've returned successfully more often than not. Because of the situations they go into, their chance for failure is that much higher."

"What happens when they fail?" Tacy asked, her voice so quiet Hunter could barely hear her.

"A lot of not nice things." Hunter swallowed. "Sometimes, the only option is to end the hold someone has over the Rangers or someone else."

"End…." Marc said, his voice no louder than Tacy's.

"Part of the medic's pack includes quick-acting poisons for whatever race they've gone to rescue. If it comes to that," he added as Tacy's eyes widened. "It only has once. More often, the target of the mission is killed either before they arrive, or before they can extract him completely."

Jade looked confused. "I didn't quite follow that," she said.

Hunter took a deep breath. "The team is sent in to extract someone from prison or any other unjust incarceration. If the team cannot extract the being alive… the team is to kill it or in some way remove that being as a hostage."

Jade stared at him, disbelief on her face. The room was silent. "It won't be easy," Hunter said, "but they think we can do it."

"How do you know?" Steve asked.

"Because they wouldn't waste their time on us if they didn't," Hunter said bluntly. "But here's the hardest part. We don't get to graduate."

They all stared at him, then Marc nodded. "It's a secret," he said. "No one knows."

"So we get hired, one by one, as each member of the former team quits," Hunter said.

"So what happens to you?" Jade asked. "The Headmaster said this was your last chance."

Hunter grimaced. He still wished no one had heard that. "Failing out because I don't have what it takes is one thing. Being kicked out because I tried to wreck havoc is something else." Actually, he hadn't thought of that. He hoped that was the case, anyway. But if they passed this class, something would work out. He was sure.

"So, all we have to do is pass this Friday class…." Steve started.

"And the Headmaster will take care of the rest," Hunter finished. "Or at least, that's my guess."

Jade huffed in frustration. "I have so many questions," she said.

"Go to a secure terminal, and search for unofficial teams or unofficial Rangers. But you'll have to go to a secure terminal, because it'll ask for fingerprint id."

"Interesting," Marc murmured. "I didn't know there were secure terminals."

"I'd guess that most people don't need them," Steve said.

"No," Hunter said, and checked his watch. "And we're late. Hart's gonna kill us."

They scrambled to their feet and ran for the mats.

By the last week of their special instruction, Hunter had an idea of what was going on. The last four weeks had finished up their training nicely, and added to it; the last week was mostly simulations. Friday was their final.

It was another simulation, which managed to use every skill they'd learned; even Tacy got to practice her medical training when Steve was hit by friendly fire - although not from their team. The mission was a mixed success, Hunter decided; they had managed to get one of their targets extracted, but the other one was dead when they arrived, killed just minutes before.

The simulation shut off, and Mike gestured to Hunter, guiding him to a small room near the Simudeck. Hunter watched the rest of his team taken away by their counterparts as well. "What did you think?" Mike asked as he closed the door behind Hunter.

"I know we need work," Hunter said, "but I'm proud of my team."

"Why?"

"Each member of the team performed to the best of their ability and knowledge. Steve had information that helped me make better decisions, and Marc's reconnaissance was instrumental in knowing what was ahead." He paused, smiling slightly. "Jade was able to get us in by creating a diversion, and Tacy did a great job patching Steve up. She was also helpful in making sure the captive was in good health." He hesitated. "Should I have split the team up?" he asked, sounding unsure even to himself.

Mike considered. "It could have gone either way," he said slowly. "But if you had, you might have had more casualties - and lost both targets. Usually, it's better to keep the team together. Only once have I ever felt I needed to split us up, and it was justified, and it worked out." His head tilted. "I think you'd find that particular simulation much less difficult with powers."

"What should I have done different?" Hunter asked.

Mike grinned at him. "Good question," he said, and Hunter settled down to listen and learn.

Hunter emerged from the room, his mind spinning, but Mike's last words were a huge help. "You'll learn all this," he'd said. "Just keep working." It was a lot, he could admit to himself. He made his way up to the Headmaster's office, and joined the rest of his team in the hallway there. He sank down next to Steve.

"I feel like a Gary Larson cartoon," Tacy said after a moment. "The one where the kid raised his hand and said "Can I go now? My brain is full.""

Marc laughed. "Yeah, me, too.

The Headmaster's office door opened, and they scrambled to their feet. The Headmaster beckoned them in, and closed the door behind them. He moved around the desk and stood behind it, regarding the team. "Congratulations," he said. "You made it."

Hunter stared. "Made it?" he repeated.

The Headmaster smiled. "In the next few weeks, each of you will be dismissed from the Academy. Within a week, you will receive an offer of employment. Please accept it. Each of you are aware of which job your counterparts hold; if you would prefer to be somewhere else, let me know by the end of the day." He surveyed them quietly. "Thank you for accepting this assignment," he said. "Dismissed. Hunter, I need to speak to you."

Hunter felt four hands touch his arms and shoulders, silent comfort from his team, and he appreciated it. "Sir?" he said when the door had closed behind them.

"Your situation is unique, but has been resolved. You will be dismissed with honor from the Academy. Please, stay out of trouble from the time you're gone to the time you're hired."

Hunter nodded. "I'll do my best, sir."

"Good. Dismissed."

His team waited in the hallway. "Well?" Steve asked. "What did he want?"

"When I'm released, my record won't be a problem," Hunter said. "And told me to stay out of trouble."

Jade snorted. "Yeah, like that's possible."

Hunter chuckled. "For a week? With this at the end of it? I'll be an angel."

Steve laughed. "Oh, I wish I could see it!" He nudged Hunter and they headed off for their rooms. Hunter paused a moment, watching them go, smiling. It wasn't going to be the same when they returned; they'd have to be more careful. But for now, he was happier than he'd ever been in his life.

They met two weeks after the last of them had been hired, finding a table at Adelle's on Wednesday night. Hunter was there early and watched as his team - although he couldn't really call them that now - came in, one by one. He was so glad to see them, and once the group was there, they all radiated a… satisfaction, a completeness that he was glad to feel.

"Jade's in seventh heaven," Steve said, leaning closer to Hunter as Hunter watched Marc and Tacy tease her. "She gets to blow things up."

Hunter grinned. "Yeah, I bet she's happy," he said.

He stiffened as the watch on his wrist uttered a low tone - the one that meant be ready - and noticed the others had stiffened as well. "Order or not?" Jade asked in a low voice.

Hunter considered, but before he could answer, Tacy did. "Yes," she said. "Ready could mean they need us in five minutes or in three hours. We need food, just in case we don't get any before we leave."

"Okay," Hunter agreed, and they all studied their menus. Dinner was nutritious - if not as yummy as he would have liked, and just as they finished, another tone summoned them back.

"Good call," Steve told Tacy as they split up to their separate cars, and headed back to the Academy.

They gathered in the alternate Zord bay, one of the few places they could meet in private. Andros - he'd insisted, even though Hunter found it weird to call him that - waited for them. "One of the Blue Rangers got caught by raiders on Baran. She's being held to make the rest of her team leave. The rest of the information - on the planet and the raiders - you can read on your way there." The team split up for their Zords, but Andros stopped Hunter. "I'd rather not lose this one," he said softly. "Once you get her out, any damage you can do is fine." His eyes were hard. "Teach them not to mess with the Power Rangers."

Hunter nodded. "Yes, sir," he said softly. "I can do that."

When they returned, Andros was waiting for them, an expectant look on his face. Hunter climbed down from his cockpit to stand before him. "It's taken care of," he said. He was pretty sure he and his team were going to have nightmares.

"Good," Andros said with satisfaction. "The five of you have appointments with the in-house psychiatrist tomorrow. It's standard procedure; don't try to fight it, you'll lose. Anything that's bothering you, tell her." He looked at each of them. "I need you to be in the best shape you can be. Get to know Lita. She'll be a good friend, and she understands."

Hunter nodded, already feeling better. The chance to talk to someone else about what had happened - someone he was not reporting to - made him feel so much better. He turned to his team as Andros strode off, and managed a smile. "We're tired, and we hurt," he said. They nodded. There wasn't an injury among them, but what they'd seen and done… that was something else. "We have a way to get better. And we have to take it." He paused, serious again. "You did good, guys. Thanks for your help."

Jade started it; she reached out to Steve and Tacy, and pulled them into a hug. Tacy pulled Marc in, and Steve pulled Hunter in, and they stood for a moment, clinging together. And it felt… right. Hunter let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. They were going to be all right.

Power Rangers ZEO | Challenge Main

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