Title: History
Fandom: Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Characters: Connor, Ethan, Kira, Tommy, Trent, Hayley, Adam, Maggie, Tanya, Aisha, Billy, Kim
Universe: N/A
Prompt: 026 - Teammates
Word Count: 5453
Date finished: 05/25/2006
Rating: G
Summary: Dr. O is pulling strings for his Rangers.
Author's Notes: Yes, I know. It goes nowhere. But I had so much FUN with it, that I decided I'd post it anyway.
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.

The bell rang for first period, and there was no sign of the science teacher. Kira Ford exchanged glances with Conner McKnight and Ethan James, both of them looking worried as well. "Do you think something went wrong?" she asked. Dr. O was never late.

Ethan shook his head; Kira thought it was a little too fast. "No, because if it had, Principal Randall would be in here already, trying to teach the class."

"Don't even think that," Conner growled with a shudder, just as the door opened and Dr. Oliver walked in.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, without even calling the class to order, and set his books down. Then he launched into his lecture in such a fashion that Ethan, even taking notes, could not follow him. He said so as the three of them waited until the room emptied to approach their teacher and mentor.

"I don't know what you just said to us," Ethan told him bluntly. "None of that made sense. There was no logical progression. And, man, usually there is."

Dr. Oliver stared at him. "What?"

"You're distracted so badly that nothing you said made sense," Kira told him.

"You lost me after the second sentence," Conner agreed. "Usually even I follow better than that."

Dr. Oliver leaned back against his desk. "Wait. I didn't make sense?"

"Not at all," Ethan confirmed. "Is something up?"

Dr. Oliver just looked at him, and Ethan rolled his eyes. "Of course something is up," he answered himself.

"You guys had better get to your next class," Dr. Oliver said. "Don't be late."

It was a bit abrupt, but Kira obediently went after her friends. She cast one last glance back into the classroom and wondered what it was that had made Dr. O so… confusing today.

The rest of the day gave her other things to think about, and she was working her way through the crowd to her locker when something caught her attention. She wasn't sure what it was about the voice or even the words, but she listened carefully.

"I don't know how they stand it here," the woman said. It took Kira a while to find who was speaking. "It's seriously dark here, Adam. I've never been in a high school with this much…" Kira caught sight of her as she groped physically for the word. "This much… negative energy."

The woman was a little taller than she was, with dark red hair that curled luxuriously about her shoulders. Her clothes simple; jeans and a dark blue shirt, with tennis shoes. The man with her, though, was cute. At least as tall as Dr. O, he had an oriental look to him, with dark hair that brushed his shoulders. He was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt - and Kira was surprised at how familiar he looked. He reached out and took the woman's hand, and she sighed. "Thanks."

Kira just shook her head. She'd never understand it. She turned away and got her books just as Conner and Ethan joined her. "Hey," Ethan said. "We still going to Hayley's?"

"Is there a reason we shouldn't go to Hayley's?" Conner asked.

Kira opened her mouth to answer, and left it open as it hit her who exactly that guy was.

Conner was the first to notice her. "Kira?" he asked.

Principal Randall appeared behind him before Kira could answer. "Mr. McKnight. It appears you have a new soccer coach. It would not do for you to be late to your first practice with him."

Conner blinked as she walked away, and looked at Kira, who stared at him. "Did you know about this?" she asked.

"No," Conner said.

Ethan was trying not to laugh. "Did you see her face?" he asked softly. "She looked like she'd bitten into a rotten egg!"

"She hates sports," Conner said.

"She hates anything that makes anyone happy," Kira corrected him, slamming her locker shut. "She's not too happy about the computer club, or the chess club, or anything else that…." Her words slowed as she remembered the woman she'd seen - heard - earlier.

"Makes anyone happy, yeah," Conner said, and looked at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I need to see Dr. O," she said. "I just saw a ghost from his past."

Ethan perked up. "What kind of ghost?" he asked.

Kira shrugged. "Nothing I want to talk about here," she said. "You'd better get to practice," she told Conner, who nodded and headed for the gym.

"Can I come with you?" Ethan asked Kira.

"Sure." She shut her locker, and headed for Dr. O's classroom.

He was there, speaking to a tall, blonde young man in a blue suit and tie. Next to him stood a black woman, her long hair in braids. She wore a pale yellow dress suit, and had one arm looped through the blonde man's. Kira hesitated in the doorway; Ethan stopped behind her. "Are you going in or what?" Ethan asked softly.

"Come on in," Dr. O said in resignation, catching sight of them.

They walked in, and Kira narrowed her eyes at the two talking with Dr. O. Something about them was familiar, too. "Hi. Um…" she started. "I thought I saw someone…" And it finally hit her who these two were, too, and her jaw just stayed open.

Ethan sighed. "I swear, I can't take her anywhere," he said. "That's the second time she's done that today. Within the last ten minutes."

Kira gripped his arm so hard she thought it might bring bruises, but if he didn't know - and certainly she wasn't going to let them know Dr. O had told them who they were! Dr. O laughed out loud.

"Kira, Ethan, this is Billy Cranston and his wife, Aisha. Guys, Kira Ford and Ethan James. Two of my three problem students." He winked at Kira and Ethan as he said it, and Aisha laughed.

"Problem students?" she asked, sounding as if she didn't quite believe him.

"Sure," Ethan said, far too cheerfully, and Kira rolled her eyes. Aisha grinned at her.

"Conner would have been here, but he's got a new soccer coach, and Principal Randall didn't want him to be late to practice." She hesitated, but she wanted to ask her mentor about the woman she'd seen. "I don't remember a red-head in your history, Dr. O."

His brow furrowed. "A redhead?" he asked.

"Yeah. Long red hair, said something about this place having a lot of negative energy."

Dr. O looked at Aisha and Billy, his expression stern. "He brought Maggie?" he demanded.

"He couldn't very well tell her no," Billy told him. "They discussed it, and he agreed she might be of help."

"She wasn't this close last time," Dr. O argued.

Aisha laid her hand on his arm. "Tommy. Talk to her. We can't do anything about it."

"Where is she?"

"I'm sure she's with Adam," Billy said. "Presumably you know the way to the soccer fields?"

"We do, if he doesn't," Kira said. "Follow us." She turned to lead the way. Aisha caught up to her, grinning at her.

"That was well done," she said. "Does Tommy get that flustered often?"

Ethan snorted from Kira's other side. "Dr. O was so scatterbrained this morning that even I couldn't follow his lecture. And usually, I don't have a problem with it."

Kira nodded. "He was late, too. It was the first time since his first day."

Aisha laughed. "He was always late in high school," she said.

"That has changed," Dr. O said. "Please, don't give them any ideas. I met Ethan here because he'd decided to change the schedule on the sprinkler system and was put in detention."

"Really?" Billy asked, sounded fascinated. "You did that?"

Ethan shrugged a little uncomfortably. "Yeah."

"I take it you were also in detention?" Aisha asked Kira. She sounded almost as if she'd expected this.

Kira blushed. "Yes. For playing my guitar on school grounds without permission." She shrugged. "And Conner…" She stopped, glancing at Ethan. "Did he ever say why he was in detention?"

Ethan snorted. "Probably had something to do with soccer and with mouthing off about Principal Randall," he said, and then glanced around the hallway to make sure the Principal wasn't there to hear him.

"A terror, is she?" Aisha asked.

"She's no Mr. Caplan," Dr. O said, and both of his friends nodded, evidently understanding something the Kira did not.

They stepped into the sunlight, and made their way across the grass toward the soccer field. "Have you guys heard from Rocky lately?" Dr. O asked as they neared the field.

"Yes," Aisha said, and smiled broadly. "He's happy where he is, and he and Jason have set up a nice dojo together. Kat's volunteering at the Little Angel's Orphanage, and she loves it." She glanced toward the field and grinned. "There's Maggie. I'm going to sit by her; I'll see you later." She gave her husband a quick hug and was off before anyone could say anything.

"We can go at a more sedate pace," Billy said with a grin. "Ethan, what made you think of messing with the sprinklers?"

Ethan chuckled. "I think it was a video game I was playing at the time," he said, then shuddered. So did Kira. They'd been stuck in one of Ethan's games once, and that had been plenty for her; she didn't ever want to do that again.

"Play a lot?"

"Some," Ethan said. "Not as much lately; I'm busy."

"Too busy to help me develop them?"

"Is that what you're doing?" Dr. O asked. "Of all the strange things…."

"Well, video games are rather tame, but at least I can create a realistic alien environment."

"Really? Why?" Ethan asked.

Billy hesitated. "I've got a good imagination," he said, but there was a glint in his eye that put Kira on guard. That was a lie, she thought to herself. He was good, though; Ethan bought it.

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Ethan enthused, literally bouncing as they walked into the bleachers. "Thank you!"

By then, they'd reached Aisha and the redhead, who looked up as they approached. She smiled at them. "Hi Will. Hey, Tommy. Looking…" She drifted off, staring at him, and then grinned so widely Kira was surprised. So, apparently, was Dr. O.

"What?" he asked, sounding paranoid, and actually took a step back. Both Kira and Ethan looked at him in surprise. She'd never heard him sound paranoid!

The redhead gave herself a shake and smiled. "Nothing, sorry. Looking good, Dr. Oliver. I never expected you to go and get a doctorate, although I guess Paleontology is not too much of a surprise." She shifted over and gestured. "Please, sit down. I could use some positive energy." Then she laughed. "I'm sorry. My name is Maggie Jourdemain. I'm here with the new soccer coach."

Billy sat next to Aisha, and Tommy sat next to Maggie; Kira turned to catch sight of the coach and was not surprised to see it was the Oriental man. She moved around the group to sit behind Maggie. "How did you meet him?" she asked softly. "He's cute!"

Maggie chuckled. "We went to high school together."

"The last six months of senior year," Dr. O added. "I didn't think you knew who we were."

"Oh, I knew. How's Kim?"

Kira straightened. Kim? Wait, Kim… She was going to have to watch that journal again that Dr. O had put together. All these names were a little too much.

Dr. O nudged Maggie with his elbow. "She's fine. She said she heard from you not too long ago."

"Oh, I know," Maggie said easily. "But you obviously haven't told anyone you're seeing her."

"Easier that way," he said lightly.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again as Tyrannodrones landed on the field. "Oh," she said, and Kira thought she didn't sound quite surprised enough for someone who'd never seen them.

"What are those?" Billy asked, sounding more interested than surprised.

"A mistake," Dr. O growled. "Can you help get everyone out of here? Who knows what they want now."

Maggie gave him a significant look, but turned to help Aisha and Billy direct people out. Kira caught her looking at them as she followed the last of the students and parents off the bleachers, then her attention was taken up by the monster Mesogog had sent.

When the fight was over, Kira powered down and brushed at her jeans. The goop she'd been struck with hadn't come through her costume, but she felt like it was still on her. "Ick," she said. "I really wish he wouldn't do that."

Connor nodded. "I'm with you," he said, and shuddered.

"Yes," Dr. O agreed, but he was distracted again. "I'll catch up with you guys later," he said after a moment. "I left some things in my classroom."

"So - Hayley's?" Ethan asked, once Dr. O was gone.

"Yes," Kira said. "You done?" she asked Conner.

Conner looked around, then nodded. "Yeah. Everyone split. The new coach is going to have to get used to it."

Kira rolled her eyes. "He is used to it," she said, and started for the parking lot.

It took Conner and Ethan some time to catch up to her. "He's used to it?" Conner repeated.

"Yes," she said. "I think. I really need to watch that history Dr. O put together."

Ethan and Conner shared a glance. "Why?" Ethan asked.

Kira stopped in her tracks. "Okay. I expect that from Conner. But you? Did you not pay any attention?"

"Hey!" Conner protested. "Are you going to tell us or not?" he asked a minute later.

"Not," Kira said. "I'm going to wait until you guys figure it out." She would have caved if Conner had said she wasn't allowed in his car until she told, but it either didn't cross his mind, or he really didn't want to leave her that vulnerable.

Which was strange, she decided as she settled in the back seat. She never would have thought of herself as vulnerable before this whole "ranger" thing. But now, there were things out to get her. She thought a little more. Frankly, physically, she was more vulnerable, but she had two good friends - both so unlikely she still didn't believe it sometimes - that she knew she could depend on.

When they arrived at Hayley's, they found Dr. O was already there, as well as Billy, Aisha, Maggie, and the new soccer coach. With them sat another woman, also in yellow, with short dark hair and skin the color of coffee with creamer. Kira's eyes widened. She knew that face. She was a well-known producer, and Kira hoped someday to work with her. But how did she know Dr. O?

Hayley appeared at Kira's side, grinning. "You look like you've seen a ghost," she said softly.

"That's Tanya Sloan," Kira hissed as Conner and Ethan headed to a small, unoccupied table. "What… how…" And then it hit her. Tanya had been in Dr. O's history, too. "Do you have a version of the history of Dr. O's that I can take home?" she asked plaintively, keeping her voice low. "Or is this it for the history lesson?"

Hayley smiled. "I don't know if this is it, but unfortunately, I can't let that out of the lab. But let me know if you'd like to see it again."

"I think I have to," Kira said. "There are just so many… but who is Maggie? She wasn't in the history."

"No," Hayley said. "She wasn't in the fellowship. But she found out who they were."

"How? I didn't think it was possible without it being revealed!"

Hayley chuckled. "I bet she knows already that you guys are Rangers, and that Tommy is one as well. And, I bet she knew the moment you got close to her."

"Do you know her?"

Hayley shook her head. "No. But she walked up to me when she got here with Adam, and asked me if I was involved with Tommy's problem students."

"That's what he called us!" Kira said. "How does she do it?"

"I don't know. Ask her. She might be able to tell you."

Kira sighed. "If I can get her away from the soccer coach."

Hayley grinned. "He'll be more involved with Conner, I think."

"Kira, right?" a voice said behind her, and Kira turned to see Maggie standing there.

"Yeah."

"You look… frustrated. Is it something Dr. Oliver did?"

Kira sighed. "Am I that obvious?"

"Not to most people," she said, gesturing Kira to a table near Conner and Ethan's. "But I read energy, and you just felt like you were feeling worse and worse as you spoke to Hayley. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"How did you meet Dr. O?"

"The first time, or how did I know of his… alternate occupation?" Maggie asked.

Kira smirked. "The first time."

"I had a locker next to his girlfriend."

"And the alternate occupation?"

Maggie laughed. "That was much more… confusing," she admitted. "It dealt with an earlier generation. Someone was draining the magic from the beasts in the area. I had to call in reinforcements - and then Tommy showed up with four friends, and then three more showed up, and by the time we were finished, I'd figured out why the hairs on my neck stood up whenever I was around them."

"What kind of reinforcements?" Kira asked.

Maggie smiled. "Let's see. I had… well, Wolfgang doesn't have a title as such. His twin is a werewolf. I asked for help from the unicorns and the mermaids, and then there were the beasts being drained: a dragon, firebird, ki'rin, black lion, white tiger, and a griffin." She counted them off on her fingers. "Those were the things I saw."

"Who else was there?"

"That you know?" Maggie looked around the group. "Billy and Aisha - the ki'rin was his, and she had a closer link to the Griffin than Tanya did, and Adam, of course." A soft smile crossed her face. "I guess I can't forget Tommy, either," she said, shaking her head. "He was not happy when it was over. The ZEO crystal sort of… possessed them; the others were simply called. Getting Billy here was no easy task, either," she added. "He was… off planet."

Kira laughed. "No wonder he thought his game would be realistic!" she said.

"Yes," Maggie agreed.

A drink plopped down in front of Kira, and she looked up. "Hey, Trent. This is Maggie."

"It's good to meet you," Maggie said, and took his hand to shake it. Almost immediately, she flinched backwards, eyes wide. "You…"

In an instant, Adam was at her side, an arm around her shoulders. Trent moved away to wait on someone else, looking spooked as well. "Hey," he said gently. "Careful. What is it?"

"He…" she started, and then took a deep breath. "Oh, Adam, it's bad. I've never. Ever." She wasn't making sense to Kira, and judging from the look on Adam's face, it didn't make sense to him, either.

"What's bad?" he asked gently.

"His energies are so messed up." She turned to Kira. "Is he one of you?"

Kira hesitated. "Sort of. His Gem was… corrupted."

Maggie shuddered. "Oh. Yes. That makes sense. And hasn't been cleansed?"

"He's still not good, if that's what you mean," Kira said.

"Yes." Maggie leaned closer to Adam and closed her eyes. "Wow. I wonder if that's what Tommy felt like?"

Dr. O appeared at their table. "Maggie? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I will be. So this is four for you?" she asked. "You're collecting quite a palette. Does Kim know?"

"No. Not yet."

Maggie opened her eyes, looking irritated. "What is it with you two and secrets?" she demanded. "You're not helping your relationship! She knows you're not telling her something."

Dr. O looked even more discomfited than he had on the soccer field, and Maggie looked immediately contrite. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's none of my business. I just worry about you two."

"Who doesn't?" Adam asked rhetorically.

"I don't," Kira said.

Maggie chuckled. "Only because you don't know there's something to worry about," she said. Then she straightened and smiled brilliantly at Adam. "Thanks," she said.

When the men had left, she turned to Kira. "I noticed you hadn't ordered," she said.

To Kira's mortification, she blushed. "No," she said slowly.

"You really like him."

"I do. But what can I do?" she asked suddenly. "I mean…"

"I know. And from what I've heard of Dr. Oliver's life, before I met him, being evil was a fairly regular occurrence at first. He said, more than once, it was the girls who loved him, and his good friends, that usually brought him around. Ask him sometime about Gasket and his brain drain," she said. "That was harrowing. I wasn't there," she added at Kira's look. "But I knew when it happened. Kat talked to me afterwards. I'd never seen her so scared."

"What happened?"

"Ask Dr. Oliver," Maggie said. "It was tough, because she wasn't even dating him at the time. But she was closest to him."

Kira nodded. "Not to be rude," she said after a moment, "but what are you all doing here?"

Maggie smiled. "This is Tommy's way of… paying you back. He knows what it's like to be in your shoes, possibly more than anyone else. He just wants to give you a… boost."

"Is Adam really that good?"

Maggie grinned. "Oh, yeah. He's never played, you understand. But he's one of the best high school coaches around. Someone said he needed to get into coaching at college so he could go pro."

"Does he want to?"

Maggie shook her head. "No. He likes working with teens. He likes being able to make a difference."

"Ah. So… Why are you here?"

Maggie laughed. "Because he is," she said simply.

Ethan came up to the table. "Kira, we think we know what you meant," he said, glancing uncomfortably at Maggie.

"So, say it," Kira said. "She's okay."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Ethan looked at her, then shrugged. "Okay. So… they're all former…" He couldn't say it.

"Associates of Dr. Oliver?" Maggie supplied, and Ethan looked relieved.

Kira nodded. "Yes. They are."

"And you wouldn't tell us… why?" Conner asked from her other side, looking irritated.

"Because you needed to figure it out on your own," Kira said.

"Who's Kim?" Conner asked.

"Original pink, and Dr. Oliver's… girlfriend, I guess you could say." She shot a disapproving look at him.

"He's got a girlfriend?" Ethan asked. "That's… strange."

"He's going to lose her again if he doesn't start talking to her," Maggie growled. Then she sighed, and smiled. "Sorry. It's none of my business." The comment was aimed more at her than at them, and she excused herself to go and sit with Adam. She took his hand as soon as she sat down, and Kira shook her head.

"There must be something about him," she said. "She's always touching him."

"They're dating, at least," Conner said.

"No," Kira mused. "It's like he grounds her or something."

Conner and Ethan stared at her, but she shrugged at their curious looks. "I don't know how to explain it better," she said.

"Okay," Conner said, and he and Ethan returned to their table.

Kira took a drink from the glass Trent had set down, watching the others quietly. She was used to her life being not normal, but this was all so strange. She sighed, got up, and joined her teammates at their table.

The next day was normal and attack-free; Kira spent the afternoon working on her homework at Conner's practice. It gave her a chance to relax, and to observe Maggie, who was there again. She spent more time on her homework, though, and was surprised when Conner touched her shoulder. "Hey," he said, still breathing hard from the workout. "Ready to go?"

She blinked up at him. "Yeah." She gathered her books, and with one glance at the new soccer coach, followed Conner from the field. "I don't think I've ever seen you out of breath after practice," she said after a moment of silence.

"Usually, I'm not," he said, and grinned at her. "It's not because I'm in great shape, either. It's because the last coach just didn't push me. Well, any of us," he added. "I felt like I was in a rut."

"Not any more?" she asked.

"I don't know. He's only been here two days." But he flashed a smile at her. "I think he'll be good for us."

"Good," she said, and grinned at him.

They met Ethan at Hayley's; he was effusive as he told them about his introduction at Blue Wolf, Billy's company. Kira listened quietly, smiling as she heard all the things he wanted to do.

Hayley touched her shoulder as Ethan began to wind down. "Would you be willing to perform tomorrow night?" she asked. "The group I had lined up cancelled."

"Sure," Kira said, and grinned up at her. "Thanks."

They didn't see Dr. O until much later, and he looked happy. He joined them somewhat abruptly, smiling happily. "How was practice?" he asked Conner.

"Good," Conner said. "Really good. I like the new coach."

"He's good, then?"

"You don't know?"

"I don't know anything about soccer," Dr. O admitted. "I trust Adam to know what he's doing."

Kira regarded her teacher for a moment. "Dr. O, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What did you mean when you said Maggie wasn't this close last time?"

He'd just taken a drink, and he nearly spit it out. He managed to swallow it, but coughed for a while. When he finally caught his breath, he narrowed his eyes at her. "What?" he asked, and cleared his throat.

"You said Maggie wasn't this close last time. What did you mean?"

"She… wasn't really a friend until near the end of the school year," Tommy said. "Divatox never tried to use her against us, because she wasn't that close to us. But she is now."

"Not really," Ethan said. "She's connected to you through the soccer coach. And he's not even that close."

Tommy shook his head. "She's still much closer than I like a civilian to be."

"Aren't Tanya and Billy and Aisha civilians as well?" Conner asked.

Dr. O took a deep breath. "I don't consider them to be, no," he said. "They were active. She wasn't."

Kira nodded slowly. "Have you talked to her about it?"

His shoulders slumped. "It's not really my place," he said. "I voiced my concerns when I talked to Adam, but apparently, they didn't feel they were enough to keep her in Angel Grove."

Kira didn't have much to say in response, and Dr. O straightened. "I can't make her decisions for her," he said with a laugh, "any more than I can for you. It's just hard."

"Well, as you say," Conner said, "it's not supposed to be easy."

Dr. O rolled his eyes, but he grinned. "True," he admitted.

Kira didn't give up. "Even if it's not your place, it is your responsibility to tell her how you feel, isn't it?"

Dr. O's grin faded. "She probably knows."

"But probably isn't definitely," Ethan said, and Dr. O scowled at him.

"Do you think I need advice on how to deal with my friends?" he asked, only half joking.

"Yes," Conner said at the same time Kira did.

"Obviously," she added. "You should talk to her. And probably Kim, if what she says is right."

Dr. O looked decidedly uncomfortable, and got up without saying anything. Kira watched him go, hoping he'd talk to Maggie, at least.

And realized how strange it was that she was giving advice to her teacher, and her Ranger Mentor. That was just a little too much.

The next few days were quiet, except for Mesogog's attempts at turning the world back in time. Even the new arrivals seemed to settle into the routine. But on Friday, someone new was at Hayley's café, and Kira was certain she knew who it was. She'd had the chance the day before to look over Dr. O's history again, and this time, the woman in pink wasn't so much of a surprise.

Aisha's greeting only confirmed her guess. "Kim!" she said, and ran over to give the newcomer a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"Aisha. What are you doing here?"

"Billy came for work. You should see who else is here, though," she said as Adam, Maggie, and Tanya walked in.

"Kim!" Adam said, and wove his way through the tables to give her a hug. Maggie followed, smiling faintly, and Tanya followed her.

"Adam. What are you doing here?"

Adam hesitated. "I'm the soccer coach here," he finally said. "Tommy got me the job." He turned and pulled Maggie closer. "I want you to meet my girlfriend," he added. "This is Maggie Jourdemain."

Kim smiled and extended her hand. "Maggie. Nice to meet you. I'm Kim."

"Tommy's girlfriend. The one who didn't send him the letter."

Kim stared. "You… you know about that?"

Maggie grinned. "I told him to call you."

"Why?"

Maggie shuddered. "Because it was making everyone in the school sick," she said. "I tracked it down to him." Kira noticed a strange look on her face, but it cleared.

"I don't think you've met Tanya, either," Adam said. "She followed in Aisha's footsteps."

"I haven't. It's good to see you," Kim said, greeting Tanya with a hand shake as well.

"Good to meet you," Tanya grinned.

Kira's bracelet sounded, and she flinched, but didn't cover it. Getting up, she headed outside, knowing Hayley would certainly understand if she were a little late.

Outside, she didn't even have to talk to the others. The conflict was in the parking lot outside. "Oh, man," she muttered, and went to join Conner and Ethan, who had obviously just arrived. "Can't take you anywhere," she said to them when she'd battled her way through the tyranodrones to where they stood.

They were overrun almost immediately. Kira was so glad when Dr. O showed up, although it didn't seem to help too much. But they began making progress, pushing the tyranodrones back from the Café. And then, suddenly, they were gone.

Kira collapsed to the ground, breathing hard, hanging onto her morph by pure willpower. "Come on," Conner said, taking her arm and pulling her up to her feet again. "We need to get out of here. You still have to sing tonight."

"It's going to be a disaster," she said, but followed him off.

When they got back to Hayley's, Kira sank into the empty chair by Maggie. "Oof," she muttered.

"Tough?"

"We couldn't even figure out why that attack happened; Ethan's still working on it. Hopefully he won't do anything to make Hayley want to kill him." They spoke quietly, but it was obvious something was bothering Kim, because she came to join them.

"The Black Ranger has some very familiar moves," she said idly to Adam, who sat on Maggie's other side.

"How could you even see him?" Adam asked. "Those things were everywhere!"

Before she could say anything, Tommy stepped in with Conner, and Kim's eyes narrowed slightly. Maggie sighed and shook her head, and Kira looked at her, curious. Maggie shook her head again.

Tommy paused in the doorway long enough to find Kim, and strode over to her. "Can I talk to you?" he asked.

Her eyes narrowed at him. "What about?"

"Something that is private," he said. "Please, Kim?"

She gave him a suspicious look, but nodded. "Okay."

"Hayley, can I use your office?"

The redhead turned and waved at him. Kira watched them go, and turned back to Maggie as she sighed. "I hope that turns out good," she said.

"Why?"

"Well, knowing Tommy - it could be a complete disaster."

Kira laughed. "That bad?"

"Probably worse," Maggie grinned.

But when they emerged, Kim didn't look upset. Maggie sighed in some relief and grinned at Kira. "Oh, good. He won't be impossible."

They watched as Kim sat next to Aisha and the two women conferred quietly together. The smile on Maggie's face grew, and she finally laughed out loud. Then she turned to Kira, the smile still on her face.

"Don't worry," she said gently. "Everything will come out right in the end. Tommy will find a way to bring your friend back where he belongs."

And to her surprise, Kira was comforted more than she thought possible.

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