Section Ten: Pit Stop 
Billy couldn't sleep. Carefully, so as not to disturb Cestria, he eased himself out of their bowl-like waterbed. However, he paused to look on his chosen mate (which was more than a lovemate but not quite a lifemate --a distinction he was still unclear on); her breath-taking beauty still astonished him, and he wondered anew how he, of all beings, should be so fortunate that such a woman bore for him the same affection he felt for her.
He reached out as if to touch her --merely to stroke her cheek-- but withdrew his hand. In his present state, to caress her, no matter how innocently, would be his undoing. With a frustrated sigh, Billy, without even bothering to clothe himself, padded out of their sleep chamber and ventured down to his lab.
This was his private hideaway (although he'd never refuse Cestria entry should she so wish it), a little piece of home. It had been a gift from his mate and the Aquitian Rangers; they had recreated his garage workshop in every detail --down to the old lumpy couch-- in order to help alleviate his feelings of alienation on his adopted world. And it was times like these when Billy truly felt the need to be close to home and his earth-bound friends.
He flopped down on the sofa, ran his hand through his wispy blond hair and sighed once again with vexation. The source of his disquiet was the complex state of his physical relations with Cestria.
The process to reverse his accelerated aging had worked perfectly... in fact, almost too perfectly. He had been restored to his former state as an eighteen-year-old human male in prime physical condition; however, there had been complications due to the influence of the Morphin' Grid on his system. Hormonally, he had been returned to the early stages of the old 'spikes.'
Fortunately, he and Cestria had already acknowledged their mutual attraction, and he had already made the decision to remain on Aquitar when this complication arose, so it did not seem untoward that the lovely scientist should offer to assuage his resurgent need.
They had begun discussing the various hurdles in their blossoming relationship: cultural and ideological differences, biological and physiological incompatibilities... nothing that was insurmountable for two intelligent, enlightened beings in love. They had hoped to one day enjoy physical intimacy --just not quite so soon.
The physiological difficulties had proven to be less prohibitive than either had anticipated, and the two had enjoyed uninhibited intercourse to the fullest. Billy felt certain that some of their provocative escapades would have made even Rocky blush!
What he hadn't realized was that his 'spike' had coincided with Cestria's hormonal peak. Billy quickly learned, to his chagrin, that Aquitian females were governed more strongly by their biological cycles --both physically and culturally-- than their human counterparts. During the 'time of the Bloodsong,' pretty much the sky was the limit when it came to sex, but once it was over, all sexual congress between Cestria and him ceased. And for him to have importuned her at all once her cycle was past was akin to sexual harassment at the very least, rape at the worst. All of which left Billy high and dry.
Cestro had generously offered his assistance, and Billy had gratefully accepted --for a brief time. While same gender liaisons were not taboo, they were as highly ritualized as the mating cycle. For he and Cestro to have continued would have put the Aquitian in a difficult position, and while the Blue Ranger of Aquitar never said a word, the former Blue Ranger couldn't ask his friend to continue.
A brief visit to earth to complete his work on the newest generation of Zords (and a very satisfying encounter with Jason, in addition to the orgy the eleven had engaged in in Tommy's basement) had enabled him to get through the worst of the build up. However, he was now into the withdrawal stage again, and Billy was left to his own devices. At least masturbation was a viable release mechanism this time around; the Terran scientist sincerely doubted he'd survive until the onset of Cestria's next cycle with his sanity intact otherwise.
Thus, the one-time Ranger found himself in his home-away-from-home in the middle of the night with a raging hard-on.
Wet dreams do not help my cause any. I bet I jerk off more now than I ever did as a Ranger, Billy muttered to himself as he reached for the bottle of lubricant and the remote control. His replicated lab had one improvement over his other sanctuary that was just as much a piece of home: a viewing globe. Thanks to his replica of his former mentor's observation apparatus, he was able to keep abreast of events on his homeworld; he was aware of everything from Zordon's departure from earth and his subsequent capture to the changing of the guard from Turbo Rangers to Space Rangers.
He also had the Eltarian to thank for some unexpected assistance with his hormonal difficulties. Prior to his exodus, Zordon had bequeathed to Billy the master files of his erotic archive. The former Blue Ranger had been both astonished and appreciative. While the eleven of them never actually admitted to their voyeuristic mentor that they had found his cache, they were fairly certain that he knew of their discovery (if his recording equipment picked up the continuation of their orgiastic pursuits in his private chamber). And Zordon had never actually owned up to taping their exploits. There was a tacit agreement to maintain the facade of the other party's ignorance.
Billy had to wonder, though, if Zordon had been aware of the difficulties he was going to face with the differences between Aquitian and Human sex drives. If he had been, why had he not forewarned him?
Most likely because I wouldn't have believed that any more than Jason, Zack, Kimberly, Trini and I would have believed him if he had been the one to tell us our Powers would make us want to have sex with each other. Some things have to be experienced to be believed.
Since receiving his gift, Billy had relived his own encounters with his friends and vicariously shared in those he hadn't been a party to. The first time he had watched the episode between Zack and himself when he got his new telescope, he had to laugh at the irony of the situation. At the time, he had been too self-conscious to admit that he enjoyed watching others have sex; now, it was the only way for him to get by.
Rocky and Zack would have a field day if they could see me now. They were always teasing me about turning into Zordon Junior. I just pray I don't go bald, too!
However, as the young man reclined on the sofa, he realized that he wasn't interested in reliving the past. Reruns, even the best of them, get old after a while. He needed new material. With that in mind, he activated the viewing globe and tuned in to see what the latest generation of Rangers was up to.
Zordon had continued archiving their amorous pursuits up to his departure; however, the Turbo phase had been rather disappointing in terms of the quantity of erotic interludes. The decrease in sexual activity had been due to the way the Turbo Powers had been created. The energies from the Morphin' Grid had been routed through a booster to strengthen the Rangers' abilities, as opposed to simply linking the team directly to the Grid. This had the effect of diluting the hormonal impact. While there was still a certain amount of build up, it wasn't enough to create a 'spike.' In all probability, if Tommy, Adam, Kat and Tanya hadn't already been exposed to the greater influxes, they wouldn't have noticed anything out of the ordinary --as had proven to be the case with their successors.
Which is most likely why Zordon allowed Justin to remain on the team after the Muranthias emergency. Billy shuddered to think what would have happened to the twelve-year-old had he been exposed to a full-blown spike. He'd probably have been knocked right into puberty! The other ramifications did not bear too close an examination.
While his former teammates remained sexually active, it wasn't with the previous intensity, as the longer they were exposed to the Turbo Powers the more their bodies acclimated to the reduced hormone levels. Their interludes could have been explained away as normal teenage sexual activity.
Those four won't experience the dregs as intensely as the rest of us, the former Ranger realized, for which he was profoundly grateful. The dregs were not something he wished upon anyone.
Billy found it rather ironic that Zordon's decision to return to Eltar coincided with the Rangers' reduced libidos. Be that as it may, it was just as well that the hormone trips had become a thing of the past. He had no idea what Dimitria would have made of them. Would she have understood and allowed the Rangers' their freedom in dealing with the phenomenon? Would she have derived any pleasure from the situation as her predecessor had? Or would she have been uptight about the whole matter? Another plus for the absence of the side effects was that it made it easier for the others to pass on their powers. As long as TJ, Carlos, Cassie and Ashley held the Turbo Powers, they wouldn't have to worry about uncontrollable hormones, and there was no need to breach Zordon's --and the other former Rangers'-- privacy.
Although, Tommy should have at least mentioned the possibility to TJ, as team leader to team leader, Billy sighed. Experience should have taught them that Power changes could happen at any time --and they had once again. In the wake of the Power Chamber's destruction, the second generation of Turbo Rangers had gained new powers... powers directly linked to the Morphin' Grid.
The original Blue Ranger hoped Andros would be able to help his unsuspecting teammates adapt. After all, Kerovans were human, too, and the Red Ranger had held his powers long enough to have experienced the hormonal upheavals. However, considering the trauma the young man had endured and his prolonged stint of isolation.... How had he managed to keep his hormones in check? Were his telekinetic abilities sufficient to blunt the build up and keep it manageable through solitary pursuits? Partners on the holodeck? Billy would have liked to know, in the interest of accommodating his own needs until the next mating season.
In the meantime, he'd see what his patch into Zordon's automatic recording system (which miraculously survived the devastation) had turned up. Pointing the remote at the snow-filled orb, he reflected, As Zordon used to say, 'Rangers, observe the viewing globe.'
Section Eleven: Space: The Final Frontier
