The monster ain't gonna shrink [Open!]

[morphitudinous]

How could he sleep with all of this on his plate?


Billy was really beginning to feel the weight of everything on his shoulders. He'd lost a friend, was now facing the possibility of losing another, and felt hopeless to stop any of it. Every waking second was spent on these thoughts, and they were starting to leak into his dreams as well. He needed to get away.

So he sought the refuge of the Command Center late one night, feeling quite protected despite the loneliness of the empty halls. Some unknown urge carried him down to one of the basement levels. It was difficult to see here, but there was a faint blue light coming from what must have been a room. Ever-curious, he entered and found cabinets lining the walls along with a central operating table.

Above him, faint light filtered through a grate---the same grate, he realized, through which he had watched Zordon and Alpha create Tommy's White Ranger powers. That had occurred in this room, but those events felt like they had taken place a lifetime ago to him. A lifetime before Ohm, death, and new friends from beyond the stars.

In this unexplored room, there was only one option: explore it! No cabinet was left unopened, no loose tile unturned, not even the one that hid a key. That fit a keyhole on the far wall, as he found out. And that keyhole opened a door, revealing a digital screen of blueprints glowing brightly.

They weren't just any blueprints, though. They were blueprints, he realized after a moment of study, for a new set of Power Morphers. Most of the key raw materials were here in the cabinets, but a few small pieces would have to be collected outside if he was to build them.


Could he really build morphers and distribute them? With his original friends absent and increasingly unlikely to be released by Stacy, that meant creating a new team from the crew members here. It was a thought that had a list of implications increasing every second. Clearly, this fledgling idea in the back of his mind would require some careful consideration before he acted.

This thought process, he believed, would be a little easier away from this place that contained so many memories. After copying the blueprints to his omnicom and gathering the raw materials he found, he exited the Command Center and made his way up to the observation deck. It was late at night, and therefore unlikely to be very crowded. That was a good sign, he thought, but late night conversation wouldn't exactly hurt him either.

Billy found a comfortable meat-couch and started tinkering with this first Green morpher, allowing his worries to sink to the back of his mind. From what he had seen on the blueprint, this Power granted weaponry far more versatile than his own. There would not be arsenal envy with the new Green Ranger if he went through with this, Billy told himself.

Comments

[morphitudinous]

"A morpher," he explains to Jamie, holding the device up for his friend to see.

"I found them disassembled and sitting near completed blueprints down in the Command Center. If I choose to create a new team of Power Rangers with them, I'll have a long fight with Command ahead of me. But that seems to be my best option right now, and the one that makes sense."

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie had been about to give the device a curious poke, but stops and gives Billy an incredulous look instead. "Fight with ye? Why would Command want to fight with ye about that? If ye ask me, we'll need all we can get to help defeat the Ohm."

Shaking his head, he adds, "They'd be daft to not go ahead and let ye make a new team."

[morphitudinous]

"Yes, but Command also wants to be cautious in deciding who to give power to. My choice would be to empower those who can't fight alongside the stronger heroes right now, especially people who feel they might be otherwise useless. But Command values experience."

Experience seemed to mean age if he was reading their cues correctly. "The problem is that Rangers are traditionally teenagers or other young people, and Command tends to react poorly to teenagers having any form of power. I could choose older candidates or hand the choices over to someone they approve of, but that has its drawbacks too."

[bonnypiperlad]

"Aye, well, the teenagers will be fighting alongside everyone else," Jamie says, somewhat annoyed at the idea Command would want to limit it based on how old someone is. He may not be a teenager any longer (at least, he doesn't think he is, if he's right about how long he's been awake) but he's still close enough in age that he knows what it feels like to be dismissed because of one's youth. "Better to have something to keep them safe. It's not like the Ohm won't kill them too if they get the chance."

Handing the morphers over to someone Command approves of could be tricky. If nothing else, who knows how long it would take them to make up their minds? And older people...well, it might be harder to train them, as there's more they would have to unlearn first.

"Well, Zordon picked ye, did he not? Did he ever explain to ye why that was?"

[morphitudinous]

"Right. I hope they'll be receptive to that," he says, but he doesn't sound too hopeful.

That was an interesting question. Billy paused, thinking back over just how that had happened. "He never did, so I can only make guesses based on other things he said. I believe he wanted a group with some fighting experience who were already friends to make the transition easier. I didn't know the first thing about fighting, but I was allowed to stay on and learn to fight because I could invent. I'm sure there was also a qualification about our moral character."

Of course, doubts lingered in Billy's head. What good had all of that done? He was in a much more serious situation now. People were dying all around, whole worlds were blinking out of existence, and nothing was clearly right or wrong anymore.

"If I go through with this, I'll try to choose similarly, but like I've said I don't have his tools. He would know right away whether someone had bad intentions. I won't know."

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie has his doubts on if Command will be receptive as well, but keeps them to himself. No need to add to Billy's worry on that score - he's fairly certain his friend's considered quite a few of those potential roadblocks already. He rubs at his chin for a moment, thinking.

"Well, what if ye worked with someone that could help ye make that choice? Sometimes a second person can help with problems or see something you've overlooked, aye?"

And possibly if it's two people presenting the idea as opposed to just one, Command might be more willing to consider the possibility of a new group of people with powers.

[morphitudinous]

"I've been thinking about it, but I'm not sure who I can trust that will have the credibility they're looking for. Will numbers be enough?"

He doesn't mean to insult Jamie---he knows very well that his friend's loyal and true, and he would trust him with his life. But their leaders may not see things the same way.

"Well, I suppose I'll never know their answer until I find someone and make an attempt. And if I succeed and make the right choices, it will be an adjustment, but I think we can make a real difference."

Billy tips his chin in his hand, thinking. Who should he choose? Part of him thinks that Jamie would be a fantastic Red Ranger, but would it be fair of him to choose his friends? Was that the right thing to do?

"I know a few people who would be more than suitable for the team. I'm looking at one right now. I just don't know if it would be better in the long run to pick people who are friends already or if I should pick a group to become friends as they fight together."

[bonnypiperlad]

He's not insulted, as it's a valid point. "I see what ye mean. It depends on who ye can get on your side, though." The right person could definitely make a difference in terms of convincing Command, which would mean that the team could make a real difference in the fight...

Which seems to be where Billy is going with that as well, and Jamie nods in agreement. "Aye."

While Billy is thinking, Jamie goes back to studying the morpher, trying to figure out how a bunch of bits and pieces can transform someone into a fighter like his friend. He's not completely paying attention to what's being said, and his reply starts out sounding somewhat distracted.

"Aye, I'm sure ye..." Wait, what? He couldn't have heard that second part correctly. He visibly startles for a moment before turning back to his friend, a rather incredulous look on his face. "Me?"

[morphitudinous]

"I'll put out feelers to the people I trust who've earned some respect with Command, then." Mostly, that means any of his friends that isn't close to being a teenager.

Jamie's surprised? Billy smiles just a little. "Affirmative. Power Rangers, at least the group that I had the honor of serving with, are kind, loyal, dedicated, skilled at fighting, cooperative, and always ready to help. I know of very few people on this ship who match the profile more than you do---in fact, you may be the best potential Ranger I know."

[bonnypiperlad]

"Och, I don't know about all that..." Jamie supposes he can see where Billy might have gotten the idea, but he's not convinced his friend's entirely correct. It's not so much that he disagrees with the unspoken opinion of his character (although he would argue he's not always ready to help, despite his earlier offer), but that he can see some real problems with some of the things he'd have to learn.

"Don't ye have to be able to control those Zord-things of yours? I've not even operated an automobile before. I didn't even know what an automobile was until I met the Doctor, let alone something like that. Are ye sure I could work one of those without wrecking it?"

He's not even going to get into the Doctor's possible reaction. Jamie is having a hard enough time wrapping his head around the concept right now - he can't even begin to imagine what the Time Lord would think.

[morphitudinous]

"Knowledge of how to operate them comes with the powers," Billy explains. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but none of our original team had ever had any piloting lessons or mecha experience either. Our powers told us what to do. Over time we learned the functions on our own and relied on it less, but the Power wouldn't let a new Ranger fall."

That leads to another interesting confession. "The same is true for combat skills. As you know, I still have trouble in our training classes. When I was first chosen, I couldn't fight at all---I think I've mentioned that. Well, the Power guided me so that I could fight as well as the rest of my friends when morphed. As I learned, it gave control back to me and I was able to do more, but we'll be able to teach beginners."

[bonnypiperlad]

Huh. Jamie says slowly, "So it's more than just hiding your clothes and giving ye the extra energy, then." He remembers Billy mentioning something along those lines, one time.

There's a small part of him that wonders what it would be like to be able to do the same things Billy does. But...does he really need it? He may not be super-powered, but he can fight. And maybe, eventually, he could learn to do the other things on his own, too. He's just not sure, right now. Not to mention, Billy still has to make the decision on who to pick to start with. Would it be better to start with someone who's already a friend or a team of relative strangers?

"Look, Billy," he says after a small pause. "If ye really think I'd be a good choice, I'll consider it...but only if that's what ye decide ye want to do."

[morphitudinous]

"All right," Billy nods slowly. "That's all I can ask for right now. There's still too many unknown variables in the picture."

He sets the morpher down, studying its form and imagining how the finished product will look. "Thanks, Jamie. You'll be the first to know about any updates---choosing replacements is much harder than I thought it would be."

[bonnypiperlad]

"You'll make the right decision," Jamie says, trusting that Billy will be able to do just that. "Ye know more about these than anyone else here, aye?"

Surely that would factor into things somehow. He yawns for a moment, not bothering to try and hide it. He's a little tired, but not quite ready to try and sleep just yet. "How are ye holding up, otherwise?"

He's seen Billy in Engineering, but he's always seemed so busy - and it takes most of Jamie's concentration to try and keep up with everything that he's trying to learn, so he hasn't really had that chance to ask.

[morphitudinous]

"Except perhaps Stacy, or someone who watched the TV show." He nods, crossing his fingers. This would work out somehow. If anyone could find the solution, he could---not in a conceited way, but Jamie was right. The technology was 'his'.

That yawn is caught, and he smiles just a little. "Don't worry, I won't be too much longer. I have a mother Renne on tracking me, and I suspect he'll be along to scold me for staying up too late at any moment. That's actually a good description of how it's been---I work, I keep up with my normal schedule, Renne watches to ensure that I'm really recovering from it all."

[bonnypiperlad]

"The TV show?" This the first Jamie's heard of that - well, almost. "Oh, is that like that Divine Threads thing that Daligig mentioned? Some story of yours somewhere else?"

He smiles a little in return. "I'm not that tired, aye?" He does pull over another meat couch, however, so he can stretch out on it while still watching Billy. Even if he doesn't need his help, it's interesting to watch - and who knows, Jamie may pick up on something.

"It's good that ye have Renne keeping an eye on ye. Otherwise I think you'd work yourself until ye fell over." Billy works too hard as it is, in Jamie's opinion. "How did your friends manage to keep ye from doing that before, anyway?"

[morphitudinous]

"Right. Apparently, my friends and I were fictional heroes in other worlds. From what I've gathered, I fulfilled the 'geek' archetype and was rather unpopular."

Oddly, his tone doesn't quite match the content of the words. He's speaking in self-depreciating humor, not longing or worry. Yes, his friends were great and deserved more attention than him, but...they were a unit. He still missed them dearly.

"They wouldn't disagree with you," he says with a fond shake of his head. "They were the first group of people to ever include me socially. When they invited me to join them for picnics or exercises, I was so surprised that I rejected it at first---then it came to be an experiment, an opportunity. When they knew me well enough, they knew that I couldn't bear to let them down. That extended to socializing---just by scheduling things for us to do, they kept me from locking myself away. You and the others are in charge of that now."

Not that he minds so much. It's wonderful to have people to talk things out with who will at least make an effort to understand you. And his friendships go far deeper than that.

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie knows self-depreciating humor when he hears it, and he snorts. "I don't know what this 'geek' is that ye are talking about, but I bet ye still got to come up with things that saved the others."

He yawns again - although this time he does hide it behind his hand - and blinks a little sleepily, settling deeper into the meatcouch while he listens.

Nodding, he says, "Aye, well, they obviously had some sense." Pity he's not very good at coming up with things to actually do. He'll have to think about it and see if he can't come up with an idea. Maybe a little later, though, after he rests his eyes a bit.

"We should do something," he murmurs, letting his eyes drift shut. "Not sure what, though."

[morphitudinous]

"I'm quivering with anticipation," he jokes, already gearing up for Renne and the others to sweep him away again---but Jamie's tired, and that won't be happening now.

Shaking his head, he walks over to Jamie's couch and gently prods him. "Come on, we should both probably get some sleep. And these couches are far from the most comfortable place for it."

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie's already well on his way to drifting off when he's prodded. "Wha..heywhat?" Opening his eyes, he looks at Billy rather muzzily. "Oh. Right." Stretching a bit, he sits up and says wryly, "I've slept on worse, but ye have a point."

A little reluctantly, he pushes himself up off the meat couch. "I'll see you in Engineering tomorrow." And maybe he'll try and come up with some ideas for making sure his friend doesn't make himself sick by working too much.

"Good night, Billy."