A Small Problem
by Kittie

Billy stepped into the crowded Juice Bar tentatively, looking around for his friends. Adam noticed him first and waved him over; Billy didn't seem to notice. Adam excused himself from the others and approached, tapping Billy lightly on the shoulder. "Hello?"

Billy jumped. "Oh! Where'd you come from!"

Adam glanced back at the others, his eyes questioning. Tommy shrugged, shaking his head. "Um... right over there." He pointed to their usual table, and everyone waved.

Billy waved weakly back and gave Adam a sickly smile. "Sorry. I've been.... Listen, I need to talk to you guys."

"Well... sure. C'mon." Adam placed a hand on Billy's shoulder and led him over to their table.

"Hey, Billy." Jason smiled as they arrived and pulled out a chair between Adam and himself. "Have a seat. What's up?"

Billy lowered himself somewhat painfully into the chair and seemed to falter; his eyes went momentarily blank, and he had to shake his head to bring them back to focus.

"You okay, Billy?" Rocky looked at him suspiciously. "You don't look too good."

"Actually, that's... what I wanted to talk to you about. I... see, there's this... thing."

"Thing?" Tanya raised an eyebrow. "What kind of thing?"

"I dunno. I mean, I know, but I can't... think... of it."

"Billy, what are you talking about?" Kat put it all out on the table.

He blushed slightly and looked down at the table. "Sorry. Wait, I have to think." For an agonizingly long moment, he closed his eyes and was deep in thought. The others shared glances over his head. "I've been.... They asked me to.... These doctors, and... I didn't want to but they... my Dad, and--"

"Billy, you're making absolutely no sense," complained Rocky. "Try speaking in complete sentences?"

"Yeah, how about some of that famous Billy-speak we've all learned to love," teased Jason.

"I can't."

"You can't? Why not?"

"It's these... lab guys. With... electrodes. Tests. For... brain waves, or something. I can't think... straight."

"Wait a minute, someone's performing tests on your brain?" Kat placed a hand over Billy's, and realized his were trembling.

"Well... sort of. They're from... the government. They had these... papers. They made me.... Experiments, and... stuff."

"Wait, the government?"

"We said no, but... they had these papers. They made us sign them...."

"Us?"

"My Dad... and me. They did something to me and I'm... my... thinking... things went... down."

"Your... what?"

"Those letters... they use. For smartness... measuring."

"I.Q?"

"Right, yeah, I.Q. That sounds... right."

"Your I.Q. went down?!?" Adam shook his head, trying to comprehend what Billy was saying. "You're saying the government lowered your I.Q?"

"Um... that sounds... wrong."

Someone spoke suddenly behind them. "It sure does, geek." A hand was clapped onto Billy's shoulder, and Billy jumped, looking around aimlessly for a few seconds before his eyes finally rested on the culprit.

"Oh, hi... Derek."

"Leave him alone, Derek," sighed Jason, struggling to keep his temper in check. When he'd returned to Angel Grove, he'd been shocked and pleasantly surprised at the changes in Bulk and Skull's attitudes. Unfortunately, Derek had more than taken over their old job.

"Sounds like the dweeb finally snapped, huh?"

"Snapped what," asked Billy, and Derek laughed loudly.

"Get out of here, Derek," Jason ordered, getting to his feet.

"Okay, okay," Derek smirked and stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender. "I'm leaving." He started off, but seemed to change his mind, turning back to Billy. "Hey, Billy, why don't you come over to my house later? I'm having a little party, and I think you'd be good entertainment-- I mean... you'd have a good time."

Billy nodded. "Okay."

"He's busy," disagreed Kat quickly.

Derek grinned lecherously at her. "Let him speak for himself, Blondie."

Billy spoke slowly. "I don't think they want me to go."

"Think for yourself, huh, Bill? Seeya." Derek sauntered away, and Billy waved after him innocently.

Rocky quickly grabbed Billy's arm and yanked it back down. "Guys, I think we'd better go talk to Zordon."

* * *
Billy jumped as he was deposited none-too-gracefully in the Power Chamber. Adam grabbed his arm to keep him from falling, and the teens looked to Zordon for answers. "Zordon," asked Tommy, shooting a glance at Billy, "did you hear what happened in the Youth Center?"

YES, RANGERS. I AM AWARE OF THE SITUATION.

"Well, could you clue us in, cause we are so confused," said Rocky.

Tommy jumped and looked at him. "What did you say?"

BILLY, PLEASE STEP UP TO THE EXAMINING TABLE.

Billy looked around vaguely. "Which one is that?"

"There's only one table," pointed out Tanya.

"Oh." He nodded and took a seat on the table.

ALPHA, PLEASE BEGIN A SCAN ON BILLY'S BRAIN WAVES.

"Right, Zordon."

A picture came up on one of the radar screens, showing a fast-moving sine wave. "This is a picture representation of Billy's recorded brain waves," explained Alpha.

"Wow," breathed Jason. "I've never seen a brain move like that before."

"And over here...." Another picture came up, this time of a much slower wave. "Is his current brain activity."

Tanya's mouth fell open. "My God! That's... Jurassic!"

"Can you help him, Zordon?" Rocky cast a nervous look a Billy, who saw him and waved happily.

I AM NOT SURE, ROCKY. FIRST, WE MUST DISCOVER EXACTLY WHAT WAS DONE TO HIM. THIS WILL REQUIRE FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

Adam had a thought. "Billy?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is that where you kept disappearing to? You know, before? When we were looking for the Gold Ranger?"

"Um...." The rangers watched as the small brain waves struggled to speed up. "Ummm... I think... maybe. No...."

"He kept disappearing whenever Trey showed up," explained Kat, seeing Jason's look of confusion. "We thought he was the Gold Ranger for a while there."

Jason nodded. "Oh."

RANGERS, BILLY WILL BE SAFE HERE UNTIL ALPHA AND I HAVE PERFORMED FURTHER RESEARCH. WE WILL CONTACT YOU AS SOON AS ANYTHING DEVELOPS.

"Thanks, Zordon," nodded Tommy. "Billy, don't worry, Zordon and Alpha will figure this out, okay?"

"Okay. Then can I go to the party?"

"Um... we'll see, okay?" Tanya hugged him gently. "Just sit tight."

"Tight?" Billy crinkled his forehead, trying to comprehend. "I don't think I can get any tighter."

Rocky slapped his forehead. "Oh man, what a disaster! Now what do we do?!"

* * *
Hank Cranston nervously peeked out of the curtains in his living room window, wishing Billy would hurry and get home from his "appointment." It always made him nervous knowing his son was in the hands of those monsters, but what could he do? He fought back a wave of nausea as he remembered that first phone call....

*Mr. Henry Cranston, I presume?*

"Um, Hank. Everyone calls me Hank."

*Right. You can call me John. John Doe.*

"Excuse me?"

*I have a proposition for you, Hank. I want your son.*

"What?! What do you know about my son?"

*I know about a lot of things, Hank.*

"You leave Billy alone, or I'll--"

*You'll what? I don't recall giving you a choice in the matter.*

"But--"

*You will do exactly as I tell you, or there will be severe consequences, do I make myself clear?*

....Hank subconsciously fingered the bandage on his left hand. They had certainly made themselves clear. He could only hope they hadn't done anything horrible to Billy. He shook his head, fighting back tears. _I thought the constitution prevented things like this from happening. Apparently, I was wrong._

The ringing of the phone interrupted his thoughts, and he rushed to pick it up. "Billy?"

*No. This is John.*

"Oh God, where is my son?"

*I could have asked you the same question. He missed our appointment this afternoon, Hank. That made us very angry. I don't like to be angry.*

"I'm sure he had a reason," Hank stammered. "He didn't call home, and he's always very responsible--"

*Find him, Hank. Or we will.*

The man hung up abruptly, and Hank set down the phone with a shaking hand. _Billy, where are you?_

* * *
At the moment, Billy was staring dreamily off into space as Alpha scanned him with yet another weird device. Adam stood off to the side, having been unable to stay away from the Power Chamber for more than seven minutes and forty-eight seconds. Rocky had timed him. "So, have you found anything yet?" He asked quietly.

Billy jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. Alpha merely shook his head. "I have determined that there is no physical damage to his brain."

"So what's the problem, then?"

"There must be a block of some sort."

"A block?"

YES, ADAM. AS YOU KNOW, THE HUMAN BRAIN USES PULSES OF ELECTRICITY TO SEND SIGNALS TO THE DIFFERENT NERVES AND--

"Yes, I know," cut in Adam impatiently. "So?"

IT APPEARS THAT SOMETHING IS BLOCKING THE ELECTRICAL IMPULSES FROM MOVING THROUGH BILLY'S BRAIN. THAT IS WHAT IS CAUSING HIS... LOSS OF BRAIN FUNCTION.

"You mean that's what's making him stupid?"

"Shhh! He'll hear you!" scolded Alpha.

"Hear what?" Billy asked slowly, looking around in confusion. "Can I go home now? I'm hungry."

NO, BILLY. YOU MUST STAY HERE FOR A LITTLE WHILE LONGER. ADAM, WHY DON'T YOU BRING BACK SOME DINNER FOR YOURSELF AND BILLY?

Adam sighed. "All right. You like Burger King, Billy?"

"Mmmm. Whopper."

"Gotcha. I'll be back."

"Bye-bye!" Billy waved at him and grinned widely.

Adam turned an imploring eye to Alpha. "Please hurry."

* * *
High above Angel Grove Park, two teleport beams slammed into one another and fell to the ground. "Ow!" Rocky rubbed his backside and looked around. "What hit me?"

"I did," Adam moaned. "Sorry."

"Well, where are you headed in such a hurry?"

"Burger King. Billy's hungry."

"How's he doing?"

"Dumb as a doornail. You?"

"I'm kinda hungry too. I'll go with you."

The two boys walked in silence for a little while, Rocky limping slightly. "I landed hard," he complained after a long silence. "My butt really kills!"

Adam gave him a dirty look. "I don't care about your butt. My best friend is... a vegetable!"

"Aww, he's not that bad," comforted Rocky. "He can talk, can't he?"

"Just barely."

"They figure anything out yet?"

"Zordon said the electrical impulses of his brain had been blocked somehow."

"So he's knocking but there's nobody home?"

"Basically, yes."

"Wow. I wonder if the real Billy's trapped in there somehow, screaming to get out."

"Oh yeah, Rocky, way to make me feel better."

"Sorry. Look, Alpha and Zordon'll figure it out. They always do."

"I guess." There was another long pause. Then Adam stopped short, causing Rocky to slam into his back.

"Ow! Adam!"

"Didn't Billy say something about his father?"

"What? Hank?"

"He did! At the Juice Bar! Maybe Hank knows something!"

"Hey, good idea." Adam started to turn around, but Rocky grabbed his arm. "Hey, we're on a mission, here! Whoppers await us!"

"But--"

"We'll contact the others and tell them to go to Billy's house. Okay?"

Adam paused, then sighed in resignation. "Oh, all right."

* * *
Hank jumped as the doorbell rang. _Oh God, they've come for me!_ His hand began to itch madly, and he scratched it through the bandage. "Who... who is it?"

"Uh... it's Tommy!"

"And Katherine!"

Hank let out a sigh of relief and opened the door, yanking the two kids inside before closing it abruptly behind them. "Yes, hello, hi, how can I help you, drink?"

Tommy blinked. "Uhh...."

"Actually," clarified Kat sweetly, "We had some... concerns."

"Con... concerns?"

"Yes. You see, Billy came to the Juice Bar this afternoon--"

"He did? Is he all right? I mean--"

"He's... well, maybe you'd better sit down." Tommy placed a firm hand on Hank's shoulder and guided him into a chair.

"What's going on?" Hank looked up at the boy fearfully. _Dear God, is he one of them? Have they gotten to you, too?_

"Mr. C., Billy was acting kinda... weird. And we were wondering if you might know why."

Hank laughed nervously. "Weird? Billy? Oh no, he's quite stable, really. Wonderful boy, just wonderful."

"Well, we know that, but--"

Hank grabbed Tommy by the lapels. "Was he all right? Was he hurt at all?"

Kat and Tommy exchanged a look. He knew, all right. "Look, Mr. C.," Tommy took a deep breath. "We know."

"What?"

"About the government people," Kat continued. "Billy told us."

Hank blanched, then spoke in a hushed voice. "You stay out of this, you hear me? They're very dangerous, these people!"

"They've done something to Billy! He's not... himself."

"What do you mean?"

"He's stupid, Mr. C."

"Stupid?"

Kat nodded. "Completely. The light's on, but nobody's home."

Hank sank back into his chair. "Oh, dear God."

* * *
"Can I go now," yawned Billy, flinching away from Alpha's seventh scanning device of the hour. "I want to go to the party."

Alpha glanced at Adam and Rocky, both of whom shook their heads emphatically. Then he turned to Zordon. "Ai-yi-yi, What should I do, Zordon?"

I AM AFRAID YOU CANNOT LEAVE, BILLY. IT IS NOT SAFE FOR YOU IN YOUR... WEAKENED CONDITION.

"But I feel fine," Billy whined, his eyes welling up with tears. "Come on, please? Please? With cherries on top?"

"Oh... oh... all right."

"Prodigious!"

Adam jumped. "What did you say?!"

"I said... Prod... uh... Produgah... a big word! I said a big word!"

ALPHA, QUICKLY, SCAN BILLY'S BRAIN WAVES ONCE AGAIN.

Alpha did so, and began to jump up and down excitedly. "Zordon, the block appears to be weakening! Billy will be back to normal within a few days!"

"Yesss!" Rocky grabbed Adam and began to dance him around the Power Chamber. "Didja hear that, buddy? Billy's gonna be okay!"

"Let go of me!"

"What in the world are you doing," asked Kat as she and Tommy teleported in. "And why do I smell mayonnaise?"

"We're dancing," answered Rocky, dancing Adam over to Kat. "Billy's gonna be okay!"

"And we had Whoppers," added Billy solemnly. "I spilled on my shirt."

Tommy eyed Billy suspiciously. "He doesn't sound okay to me."

"I said a big word," bragged Billy proudly.

BILLY'S RECOVERY WILL NOT OCCUR OVER NIGHT, TOMMY. GIVE IT TIME.

"Let's contact Jason and Tanya and give them the good news," suggested Rocky, bringing his communicator to his mouth.

"Wait!" Kat grabbed his arm. "This isn't over yet!"

"What do you mean?"

"What about those government thugs? They're sure to come after Billy. Mr. Cranston was terrified!"

Adam rolled his eyes and sank to the floor. "I knew this was too good to be true."

Billy jumped down off the examining table and knelt down next to Adam, putting an arm around him. "Don't worry, Adam, everything will be okay. I'm sure you'll think of something."

Adam jumped. "Me?"

Billy nodded. "You're the smartest, aren't you?"

The other rangers looked at one another, then nodded silently. Tommy spoke up. "Billy's right, Adam. Next to him, you're next in line for the genius position."

"But I'm not a genius!"

"Maybe not, but you do have the highest IQ in this room."

Adam started to protests, but then he caught sight of Billy, who had been mesmerized by the white noise on the viewing screen. "Oh. I guess you're right. Maybe Tanya and I can think of something."

Rocky nodded smugly. "Now can I call them?"

Kat glared at him. "Go ahead."

* * *
Jason and Tanya teleported into the Power Chamber and headed straight for Billy. "Hey, bud, say something smart," begged Jason.

"Uh..." Billy struggled to tear his eyes away from the blank viewing screen. "Confucius say... Whopper make burp. *urp!*"

Tanya raised an eyebrow. "Never mind."

"We need a plan," explained Tommy. "And you and Adam are elected to think of one."

"What about the rest of us?" Jason looked slightly hurt. "We can't just stand around and do nothing!"

JASON, YOU AND THE OTHERS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR WATCHING OVER BILLY UNTIL HE IS... BACK TO NORMAL. HE IS PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE RIGHT NOW.

"Tell me about it," sighed Tanya, shaking her head.

* * *
It was dark, and the lab was empty except for one man, who sat silently at a desk in the center of the room. He clenched and unclenched his fist obsessively, staring at the empty lab table where his latest "patent" should be resting. But his patient wasn't there. The table was bare, the leather straps swinging uselessly without a subject to restrain.

A bang broke the silence of the lab, as John Doe slammed his fist into the desk. "Where is he?!" he screamed aloud, fairly growling in his rage.

A lab assistant hurried into the room, his fear evident in his eyes. "I assure you, sir, we are doing our best to find the boy. He can't get far, our people are stationed everywhere."

"Then why is he not here?"

"We have an idea of where he might be. We observed two children visiting the boy's home; they spoke to the father. We believe these children know where he is."

"Then find them," ordered John simply. "Find these children and get my patient back."

"Sir, we've looked everywhere for--"

"Don't you realize how important this is?!? If we can isolate the gene that gives the boy his extreme intelligence, we can duplicate it in the entire human race!"

"I realize that, sir, but--"

"No buts! Find the boy and bring him back here. He must not be allowed to escape again. Go!"

* * *
"Just lie still, Billy, relax!" Tanya took hold of Billy's arms and tried to hold him still, but he struggled with all of his might against the bonds holding him to the table. Behind them, the other rangers shared looks, but didn't speak.

"No! No more, let me go, please!"

"Billy, you're not in any danger, I swear! Come on, we're your friends!"

Billy opened clenched eyes and shook his head. "Please, Adam, let me go!"

Tanya's eyes met Adam's. She had never seen Billy cry before. Adam gulped and tried again to calm the boy. "Billy, we're not going to hurt you. We just need to perform some tests--"

"No more tests!"

"--To isolate the block! You have to trust us!"

"No! No more tests!"

Jason shook his head. "Man, they musta done a real number on him, huh?"

"Tell me about it," agreed Rocky sadly. "I wonder what they did to him...."

Kat shuddered. "Something tells me we don't want to know."

* * *
*knock-knock!* Hank turned to the door warily, unsure of whether or not to respond. Tommy and Katherine had said they would get back to him, so it was possible it was only them at the door. Than again, it was also highly probable that it was John Doe or one of his men. A visit from them was never good news.

*knock-knock!* More insistent this time. Hank took a deep breath and called out in a wavering voice. "He... hello? Who is it?"

"Open the door, Cranston."

Hank's heart skipped a beat. "What do you want?"

"You know what I want. Open the door before I kick it in."

Hank didn't hesitate another second. He turned and ran.

* * *
RANGERS, WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY SITUATION ON OUR HANDS.

Adam turned away from Billy and addressed their leader. "What's going on?"

Zordon shot a look at Billy, confirming that the sedative had worked, before continuing. I AM AFRAID BILLY'S FATHER HAS BEEN ATTACKED BY A GROUP OF MEN, PRESUMABLY THE SAME ONES WHO HAVE BEEN EXPERIMENTING ON BILLY. A picture came up on the viewing globe, showing Hank Cranston flanked by two rather large men, in what looked like a dark basement.

Billy stirred slightly on the table and moaned, but he didn't wake up. Tanya placed a calming hand on his forehead before speaking. "Is he all right?"

SO FAR, THEY HAVE NOT HARMED HIM. I BELIEVE THEY ARE ATTEMPTING TO USE HIM AS BAIT.

"Bait?" Rocky shot a nervous look toward Billy.

EXACTLY, ROCKY. THEY WANT BILLY.

Everyone jumped as Adam teleported away without another word.

* * *
Hank covered his eyes as there was a flash of green in front of him. _What are they doing to me now?!_

"Let him go," commanded a slightly familiar voice.

"What the--"

"The Green Ranger!"

Hank's eyes flew open, and he was greeted with the sight of the Green Zeo Ranger holding his captives at gunpoint. Well, not gunpoint exactly... it was more like a laser. Thingy.

Then man on the left lifted his hands into the air slowly and started to back away. His partner followed his lead. "Look, Green Ranger... sir... we don't want any trouble."

"Well, you got it," growled the ranger, his finger tightening just slightly on the trigger.

"Hey, we weren't going to hurt him," protested the man on the right. "We just--"

"Wanted the boy," finished Green, his voice tight with pent-up anger. "And then you were going to hurt him."

Both men were beginning to tremble. "Hey, you're supposed to be a good guy, right? You can't hurt us."

"No?" Beneath his helmet, Adam's eyes narrowed. "Watch me." Hank flinched as a flash of light exploded from the Ranger's blade blaster, missing the men by mere inches. "Now unless you want me to do that again, I suggest you get the Hell out of here. And I warn you... I won't miss twice."

"Yes sir, I'm sorry sir. Won't happen again." They turned tail and ran, not even bothering to look back.

Hank just stared as the Green Ranger approached him. "Are you all right, sir?"

"Y... yes, I'm fine. How did you...?"

"We have ways," hedged the ranger, offering a hand to pull Hank to his feet. "We always know when there's a monster, don't we?"

"Well, yeah, but they break stuff."

"Well... they broke open your door. That qualifies as breaking stuff."

"I suppose. Green Ranger... do you know where my son is?"

"Um... he's fine. We'll make sure to get him back to you... and all."

"Really? He's okay? His friends said he was... changed."

"We're aware of that problem. Believe me, that's only temporary. We fixed it."

"Thank God."

"I'll take you home now. Hang on to me."

Hank's world dissolved in green light.

* * *
Adam reappeared in the Power Chamber and demorphed, refusing to look any of his friends in the eyes. "Well, Mr. Cranston's safe."

Tommy cleared his throat. "Guess so, yeah. Um... why'd you do that?"

"You know why." Adam removed his Zeonizer and placed them on one of the consoles. "I'll leave this for Billy... for when he wakes up. No way those... negative ions or whatever will repel the green power too."

"What?" Tanya stepped toward him, trying to look into his face, but he refused to turn around. "Adam, what are you talking about?"

"I deliberately broke the rules, and now I'm paying the consequences. You'll tell Billy, won't you?"

"Adam, that's not necessary," protested Jason, but he was interrupted.

"Yes it is. I'll... see you guys later." And he teleported away, the familiar green light replaced by an empty white.

Rocky finally found his voice. "Dang."

* * *
Billy shifted slightly and moaned, tugging at his restraints. At his side, someone shifted and placed a hand on his wrist; he flinched away and whimpered slightly, expecting the inevitable blow. It never came. Apparently, the redhead was on duty. She never hit him like Blondie and John Doe did. He shifted again and the redhead loosened the restraints. Had he been stronger, he would have stood right then and bolted. But they'd drugged him again, and he was too weak. So he concentrated on drifting away....

"Billy, come here, please," called Hank from downstairs.

Billy looked up from his book, confused. There was something about his voice.... "What's up?"

"Nothing, just come down here, please."

Billy put the book down and headed down to the living room, where he saw Hank surrounded by several strange men who would become all too familiar within the next few days. "What's going on?"

"You don't know me," said one of the men, his voice as slick and oily as his smile. "My name is John Doe."

Billy raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"

"Not really. Come here a minute, boy, I want to show you something."

"Dad?"

"Do what he says, Billy, don't ask questions."

Billy bit his lower lip. Something was definitely wrong here, but he didn't want to disobey his father. He stepped forward and was promptly grabbed by the two larger men. He jumped and tried to pull away, but they held him fast. John Doe grinned even wider, and Billy had a disturbing vision of a shark. "Sign here," said the man, holding up a paper covered with small print. "Need a pen?"

Billy sighed and turned over, dimly wondering why the redhead hadn't tightened the restraints. She never used to loosen them for more than a few minutes at a time. Someone was talking to him. The voice was familiar, but it didn't sound like the redhead. He couldn't make out what she was saying; everything was fuzzy, but her voice was soothing. He drifted again.

* * *
Tanya smiled slightly as Billy shifted in his sleep. "That's it," she whispered, stroking his forehead lightly. "You're okay now."

"How's he doing?" asked Kat lightly from across the room.

"He's all right," answered Tanya, being careful to keep her voice low. "The sedative is wearing off, and when he wakes up, he should be almost back to normal."

Kat nodded, then spoke again. "I know you're worried about Adam. Why don't you go check on him? I'll keep an eye on Billy."

"Are you sure? Because I--"

"It's no problem, really. Besides, I think Adam really needs you right now."

Tanya flushed slightly, but stepped away from Billy. "Thanks, Kat. Give us a call if he wakes up?"

"Of course. Now go!"

* * *
Tommy and Jason watched as Hank paced aimlessly back and forth across his living room. "Um... Mr. Cranston? Are you okay?"

"What? Oh, yes, I'm... just worried about Billy. "

"I thought you said the Green Ranger took care of all that?"

"Well... I suppose. But John Doe won't give up that easily. You're not safe here, kids. None of us are."

"Well... I can take care of myself."

"All of the kung-fu in the world won't protect you from a bullet, Jason."

"You think they'd go that far?"

"I know they would. John Doe is a ruthless man. He wants Billy, and he won't let anyone get in his way."

"Oh." Tommy considered that carefully. The obvious solution would be to take Hank to the Power Chamber until John Doe could be captured and... restrained. Of course, as Adam had so recently reminded them, that was against the rules. Then again, they didn't have their power coins anymore, they had Zeo crystals. Maybe the rules had changed a bit. And besides, they weren't exactly using the power for their own personal gain, just the teleportation system. But on the other hand, this wasn't a matter of saving the world, so it was out of their hands. He looked over at Jason, who could only shrug apologetically. Tommy sighed. Sometimes being the leader sucked.

* * *
"Adam?" Tanya approached him slowly and took a seat by his side.

"Hi, Tanya," he murmured dejectedly, skipping yet another stone out over the lake. "What are you doing here?"

"Cheering you up," she answered matter-of-factly, and put an arm around his shoulders. "You didn't have to do that, you know." He didn't answer, he just skipped another stone. "You didn't break any rules, really."

"I saw the way Zordon looked at me when I came back. I couldn't keep the Zeonizer after that."

"Oh, Zordon's an old fogey. Besides, he wants Billy safe as much as the rest of us!"

"I guess." He skipped another stone. "But Billy deserves a shot at the power, and now... he'll get it."

"At the expense of your happiness?"

"He's sacrificed his happiness for us tons of times. And besides, I'll be happy just knowing he's safe."

Tanya gazed out over the lake, deep in thought. "He's not safe yet. That John Doe guy is still out there somewhere."

"I know. But it's a start."

"Take the power back, Adam, we need you. You're the best martial artist on the team!"

"Don't lie, it doesn't suit you."

"I'm not lying! You are! Tommy's good, sure, and so's Rocky, but you? You're... amazing. I love watching you work out."

Adam blushed. "Stop it."

"Well, I do! You're a big part of this team, and we need you. Don't give it up like this."

"I--" Their communicators buzzed. "Saved by the bell."

"This isn't over," she warned. "Not by a long shot. What's up, Zordon?"

TANYA, ADAM, PLEASE REPORT TO THE POWER CHAMBER IMMEDIATELY. WE HAVE A SITUATION.

"When don't we have a situation," sighed Adam under his breath.

"Hey, he asked for you," pointed out Tanya. "See? He's not mad at you!"

"Whatever. Let's go."

* * *
Adam and Tanya arrived at the Power Chamber to find all of the other rangers hovering nervously over Billy. Adam's heart jumped, and he had to force himself to ask, "What's going on?"

Jason turned to face them, his body practically vibrating with rage. "They really hurt him," he managed, his fists clenching and unclenching convulsively.

"What are you talking about?" Tanya stepped closer, pulling Adam with her, and the group parted to let them in. "Oh my God!"

Adam chocked back a cry of disgust as he caught sight of Billy. His shirt and jeans had been removed, and he looked very small lying there wearing only a pair of Looney Tunes boxer shorts, but the disturbing thing was the bruises and burns all over his body. His face and neck were unmarked, suggesting that John Doe and his men had been very careful not to leave obvious signs of physical abuse, but now that Billy was almost fully exposed....

Alpha spoke, his robotic voice subdued. "I was just going to give him physical, to make sure he was all right, and...." He gestured vaguely, and Adam swore he heard a tremor in the little robot's voice.

Jason stomped away and slammed a fist into the wall. "I can't believe they did this. I mean, just experimenting on him was wrong, but this?" He stood there motionless for a second, then turned, his brown eyes burning. "I'm going back to the house. We left Hank alone." And he abruptly teleported away.

Adam gulped and turned away. Alpha could fix up the bruises and burns in no time, that wasn't really an issue. Heck, they'd all gotten the same kinds of injuries, and worse, while battling monsters. But these men weren't monsters. Exactly. "Um... has Billy awakened yet?"

"No," Rocky shook his head glumly. "He keeps tossing and turning."

"Did he think we were going to... do something to him? He was so afraid of us before," murmured Tanya, mostly to herself.

"He has to know we'd never hurt him," protested Adam, but he was interrupted by Tommy, who until then had been silent.

"Maybe he didn't know it was us. All he knew was that he was strapped to a table. God knows he's had enough of that lately."

Adam ducked his head guiltily, and Tommy hastily moved to reassure him. "Hey, I wasn't blaming you, man, you did what you had to. I was just... thinking aloud. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, Adam, nobody's blaming you. Thanks to you two, he'll be back to normal in no time. Well, IQ-wise, anyway," grumbled Rocky. "Meantime, we've got some wacko government guy running around loose kidnapping people and doing wacko experiments on 'em, one of our guys just quit, and our main brain is broken! What else can go wro--"

Kat clapped a hand over his mouth. "Don't even say it! Do you want to jinx us?"

"Sorry," he mumbled, but it sounded more like, "Ffffrrrourrghhh."

Adam cleared his throat. "Um... well, I might be able to fix one of those problems, if... if you'll have me." He looked up at Zordon humbly. "I'd like to rejoin the team."

Zordon seemed to smile slightly. ADAM, YOU ARE WELCOME TO RETURN TO THE TEAM. I DO NOT CONSIDER YOUR ACTIONS TO BE REPREHENSIBLE, EVEN IF THEY WERE SLIGHTLY... UNCONVENTIONAL. I WOULD BE GLAD TO REINSTATE YOU AS THE GREEN RANGER.

Adam's throat tightened, and he swallowed hard to keep the tears from spilling. "Thanks, Zordon."

Tommy handed him his Zeonizers and clapped him on the back. "Welcome back, buddy."

* * *
Billy rolled over, curling into the fetal position for greater comfort. He was rather cold, and though his new captors were much nicer than John Doe and company, they certainly liked to keep a frigid room.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but his captors had been taking turns guarding him. The woman with the soothing voice had been replaced by another female voice with an accent he, in his muddled state, couldn't quite place. She was just as gentle, however, so he didn't mind the switch. Then she had been joined by someone else, and that was when he had gotten so cold.

Now there were more people, which normally would have made him nervous, but they weren't attempting to touch him in any way, so he was content. Their voices were reassuring somehow, so he let himself drift away again....

Billy wandered through the streets of Angel Grove, knowing he had an appointment to get to, but not sure where. Ever since last week's session, he'd been feeling increasingly muddled and dizzy. He shook his head, trying to clear away the cobwebs. The session, that was where he was supposed to be going. Normally, the walk to the clinic was a mere fifteen minutes, and scenic enough to be rather pleasant, despite the torture he knew awaited him. Today, though, he couldn't figure out which way to go.

He suffered another dizzy spell and shook his head to clear it. When he opened his eyes, he didn't recognize his surroundings. _What?_ He looked around carefully. He was in front of the Juice Bar. _But how did I get here? I was just in the park.... I must have blacked out._

He started to get scared. Even at his worst, he'd never been this confused. He thought hard, trying to call upon his knowledge of basic physics. A few complicated problems always cheered him up. But the formulas wouldn't come. Billy felt a flash of panic. Something was definitely not right. He had to get help. But who could he trust?...

"....Adam?"

Everyone rushed to Billy's side. "Did you say something?" queried Tommy.

"What... what am I doing here?"

"You're gonna be fine, Billy, we... fixed you up. Well, Adam and Tanya did, anyway. We just watched," babbled Rocky.

Billy suddenly realized why he was cold and blushed deeply. "Where are my clothes?"

"I put them away," answered Alpha.

"You're all goose-pimply, do you need a blanket?" Rocky ran to one of the antechambers without waiting for an answer. Zordon had to keep a linen closet around somewhere....

"Goose-pimply?" asked Alpha, cocking his head to the side.

"I want my clothes. How come I'm not wearing any clothes?!"

"Don't be embarrased," teased Kat, eyeing his boxers. "You and Michigan J. Frog look so good together!"

* * *
John Doe emptied a bottle of Tums into his waiting mouth. He could feel his ulcer starting to act up again, and he had a headache coming on. Things had just gotten ridiculous. How in the world had the Power Rangers gotten involved? Now he was left with an AWOL test subject and no employees. "Apparently, I'm the only one willing to go up against the Power Rangers," he mused aloud. "But I will do it. I must get that boy back, my life's work depends on it."

He collapsed into a chair and tried to think. It was his own fault, really. Admittedly, he got off on making the boy cry. If he'd only stuck to experimenting and refrained from the beatings... but that was in the past. All that mattered now was finishing the research. He lit up a cigarette and leaned back, deep in thought. There was still the matter of those two kids that had been seen at the Cranston home, and then the muscular boy who was currently at the house with Hank. He could be easily subdued, all it would take was a surprise attack. John was no heavyweight, but he prided himself on his aim. So that was the plan. Once the muscular kid was out of the way, Hank would have no choice but to lead him to Billy.

Of course, there was still the problem of the Power Rangers. Their armor, he knew, was pretty strong. What if his bullets didn't affect them? And what if Hank didn't even know where Billy was? For all he knew, the Power Rangers had the kid in protective custody. He sighed, letting a column of smoke glide up to the ceiling. Damn Rangers were more trouble than they were worth.

* * *
Jason sighed for the fifth time in a minute, still trying to calm himself. Seeing Billy in that condition had upset him more than he'd thought was possible. Billy was just a kid, after all. Well, not really, but he'd always seemed like a little brother to Jason. And weren't big brothers supposed to protect their younger siblings? He'd done just fine as a big brother in the old days, protecting him not only from Rita Repulsa's weird monsters, but also from from Bulk and Skull's bullying. Now, though....

Well, they were all older, and maybe Billy didn't want a protector anymore. God knows he wasn't half as talkative as Jason remembered him. He seemed depressed most of the time, and he actually spoke in understandable sentences. There was just something... missing. As if the old Billy had just ceased to exist.

Jason sighed again, hating himself for being so negative. Billy would be fine, after all, as soon as this government thing was straightened out. And he was supposed to be supporting Hank, not making things worse. "How you doing," he asked the older man, trying to break the silence.

"What? Oh, fine, I guess. Just thinking...."

"About Billy?"

"Yes. The Green Ranger said he'd be okay, but... well, where is he? I can't stand this waiting."

"I know. But I'm sure he--" Jason was interrupted by a loud bang. He jumped to his feet, only to feel his legs suddenly collapse beneath him. _What the...?_ He couldn't breathe. And his side hurt. A buzzing started in his ears, and he thought he heard Hank cry out. He tried to lift himself up, but his arms didn't obey him. Then all reason faded away.

* * *
Hank stared in terror at Jason's motionless body, and at the blood that began seeping from the hole in his shirt. "Who's there?"

A grining John Doe stepped out of the shadows, a still-smoking gun in hand . "Some bodyguard he was, eh?" He kicked Jason in the side, and the boy whimpered slightly, but didn't move. "I want Billy."

"He's not here! I don't know where he is!"

"Liar." Doe trained the gun on his chest. "Take me to him, or you'll join your young friend."

"He didn't deserve that. He's just a kid."

"He was just a kid," corrected Doe sadistically. "Now he's a corpse. Too bad, really. If you'd only cooperated with me, he'd still be alive."

"You bastard son of a--"

"Language, language! Is that really necessary? All I want is to complete my research, and for that, I need your son. Tell me where he is."

"No."

"Fine. You give me no choice." Doe cocked the gun and took careful aim. "Bye."

Hank closed his eyes tight and said a silent prayer. _I'll see you in Heaven, son._

The gun went off, and Hank heard a cry of shock and pain. Had he cried out? _Wait, I'm still standing!_ He cautiously opened his eyes and saw the Green Ranger standing over the charred and smoking body of John Doe. Green looked up at him, slowly lowering his blaster, and despite the helmet covering his face, Hank swore he could see the shock and sadness in his eyes. "You had to," he told the stricken Ranger, but he just shook his head. The blade blaster fell to the floor, and the Green Ranger was gone.

* * *
Adam teleported back into the Power Chamber and was greeted with a shocked silence. He took off his helmet and took a shaky breath. "I swear, I was aiming for the gun. I got nervous--"

"Stop. Stop it right there," commanded Tommy, and Adam looked meekly at him, waiting for an explosion. But Tommy surprised him. "Don't you dare start that again, Adam. We all know that was the only way to stop that guy from doing what he was doing, so don't you dare go blaming yourself again."

Adam's mouth fell open, and he just stared, his helmet clattering to the floor.

"He's right, Adam," agreed Kat. "You see what he was capable of." She gestured to Jason, who had taken Billy's place on the cot. Billy was leaning against one of the consoles, wearing what looked like a pink bathrobe and wrapped in a blue blanket. His head rested lightly on Tanya's chest.

"He could have killed Jason," agreed Rocky angrily.

"He... he's alive?" Adam finally found his voice, and took a tentative step toward the table.

"Yes," answered Alpha gravely. "But it will take time for him to recover. If Tanya had not returned with him when she did...." He trailed off, leaving the rest of the thought unsaid. Billy shuddered beneath the blanket and brought his knees up to his chest.

"I'll take Billy home," said Tanya softly. She shifted slightly and stood, lifting Billy as one would a child. "Adam?" She glanced toward her communicater.

Adam nodded and approached her, preparing to pressing the button that would send her and Billy off in a flash of yellow-white light. Tanya smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, startling him so thoroughly that even after she had disappeared, he still stood there, his finger pointing at nothing.

* * *
"I thought you hated me." Adam snuggled closer to Tanya and sighed in contentment as she responded in kind.

"Of course not, silly. I know you'd never do anything like that unless... it was necessary."

"I didn't mean to kill him," he repeated for what seemed like the zillionth time.

"I know. But as it turns out, you did a good thing. I know it sounds horible, but the world's a better place with him out of it."

"Maybe." Adam sighed again and kissed the top of her head.

They sat together in silence for a long while, just curled up on Tanya's living room couch, ignoring the TV flickering in silence across the room. After a few moments, she spoke. "Should we go and visit Jason? You know how bored he gets in that hospital all alone."

"Actually, he's not alone. Billy's with him."

"But visiting hours don't start for another hour!"

"Mr. Cranston pulled some strings and he's staying in Jason's room. The doctors wanted to keep an eye on him anyway, because of his injuries and the... side effects...."

"Yes," Tanya nodded, smiling in spite of herself when she thought of Billy's less-than-stellar intellectual state.

"So it was pretty convenient. Jason gets a roommate, and Mr. Cranston can set his mind to rest about Billy. Worked out pretty well."

"Um-hmm. How did you know all this and I didn't?"

"You forget... my Mom's a nurse at the hospital."

"Oh yeah." Tanya looked sheepish, and Adam choked back an urge to laugh. "I forgot."

"No problem."

"So... that visit to the hospital can wait?"

"I'd say so."

She nodded and sat up, fingering the buttons on his shirt. "Good. Because I have a better idea."

* * *
Jason groaned slightly as he inadvertently jostled his wounded arm. Billy was by his side in an instant. "Jason? Are you okay? What's wrong? Do you need a nurse?"

Jason chuckled softly. "I'm fine, Billy, relax."

"Are you sure?" Billy looked him over carefully, his eyes lingering on Jason's bandaged right side. "You might have opened it up again...."

"I doubt it. I just moved my arm wrong, that's all."

Billy nodded and sat down on the edge of Jason's bed. "I'm really sorry about all this."

Jason rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. You've only told me about fifty times?"

"I have?"

"Short-term memory hasn't come back yet, huh bro?"

"Guess not. But I remembered part of the periodic table this morning."

"Good. I guess. Besides, you don't have to apologize. None of this was your fault."

"He could have killed you, Jason! What if--"

"But he didn't kill me. There's no use lingering on it, it's over."

"Everything could have been over."

"But it's not. You have to stop blaming yourself. I'm fine, your father's fine, everybody's fine. End of story."

"I guess."

Jason sighed irritably. "All right, Billy, that's it. I've had it." He struggled to a semi-seated position and looked a startled Billy straight in the eyes. "You've always been the smart one, but right now, I'm ahead of you by about fifty IQ points, and I am going to take advantage of it. As your former leader and honorary big brother, I hereby order you to quit feeling guilty and start using that injured brain of yours the way it was meant to be used. Look at it logically. Did you do anything to make J.D. come after you and your Dad?"

"No, but--"

"Did you ask me to go to your house and stay with Hank?"

"No, but--"

"Did you call J.D. and tell him I was there?"

"No, but--"

"So you're blaming yourself because...?"

"Because I...." Billy stopped, realizing he didn't have a good answer. "I... don't know."

"Well, there you go." Jason forgot himself and shrugged, sending a bolt of pain down his side. "Ow!"

Billy grinned. "You just lost your fifty honorary IQ points, smart-boy."

End

---