Legacy
by Gamine

Part Three—Family

Taia woke in stages, as though swimming through thick grayness to the surface of awareness. Opening her eyes, she studied her surroundings; a comfortable room. Among friends, she thought, remembering the images of the night before, and her encounter with Sentinel.

There was a heavy weight to the side of the blankets that covered her, and she was surprised to see a dark head lying there, apparently asleep. There was something familiar about that head, those shoulders; had the raven hair been liberally sprinkled with gray, she would have sworn that it was her father. The man moved, turning his face toward her, and Taia gasped softly. He was indeed the image of her father; younger, clean-shaven, but the resemblance was uncanny, and she knew who it had to be.

"Jason," she whispered. His eyes, dark as her own, opened, and then he sat up abruptly.

Jason looked at the beautiful girl before him and smiled gently. "Hey, little sister. How are you feeling?"

She answered him with a smile that mirrored his own. "I am well, but I can see that you are not. What troubles you, brother?"

"Am I that transparent?"

"No, but you spent the night here instead of in a comfortable bed. Surely your concern about a virtual stranger would not lead you to such an action were you not already troubled in mind."

Jason chuckled ruefully. "You know me pretty well, for a 'virtual stranger'."

She raised a hand to his stubbly jaw in a light caress. "I am a stranger to you; but please believe that you are no stranger to me, Jason. I have always known you were out here somewhere, and I have loved you from the beginning. As for my knowing you..." Taia's dark eyes met and held his gaze. "Do you not feel it, then, the bond we share? It is tenuous, but it is undeniably there, brother. Perhaps, had we shared a common history, it might be stronger...but I do know you, a little. Tell me what it is that disquiets your mind."

~*~

Peter Cranston entered the room to find Taia clasped in her brother's arms, both of them weeping. "I'm so sorry, Taia; I'd give anything if things were different, if I could stay with you, be what you need me to be," Jason choked out. "God, what a mess."

Peter frowned and placed a gentle hand on the young man's shoulder. "What's happened here?" He smiled involuntarily at the two surprised, tear-streaked faces that turned to his, so alike in many ways. "Looking at you, there is no doubt that you are brother and sister. Now talk to me, son. What's going on?"

Jason related the story of his illness and the previous night's events; Peter's face seemed set in stone. "Mr. C.? Don't be angry at Billy," he said, rightly divining the cause of the older man's expression. "I had all night to think about it, and I'd be just as ticked at him if he kept something like this from me. It's a shock to him, I know; I guess I was just in denial about it, and then after I saw the way the Sentinel powers changed Billy, I hoped..."

"By all that's holy, Jason, if I'd known, I would have removed the constraint a long time ago, and maybe...oh, son, I am so sorry." Peter grasped the young man he'd loved like a son in a fierce hug. "I'm afraid my desire to keep you safe has somehow contributed to this."

"There may yet be a way," Taia's soft voice penetrated Peter's sorrow.

"Just the conclusion I had reached," came a voice from the doorway. The three turned to find Billy standing there, leaning against the frame. "I'm done being a butthead. I'm sorry, Jase. I hope you can forgive me."

"Nothing to forgive, bro," said Jason thickly as the muscular blond man crossed the room and enveloped him in a hug. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm an idiot."

"You're in good company," Billy chuckled, relief on his handsome face. His azure gaze sought Taia, and he knelt next to the bed. "How are you feeling, love?" He pulled her hands to his lips and kissed them.

"Did I miss something?" Jason asked Peter, watching Billy caress Taia's cheek.

"So that's what happened when all her readings went off the scale," Peter muttered.

"Do you think you can?" Taia was saying to Billy.

He looked at Jason. "I don't know, but I'm sure as hell going to try. Jason, can you come with me to the infirmary? You too, Dad."

Taia gave the three men an indignant look. "You surely do not think I will stay here."

Peter turned to her. "You still need rest, Taia. It takes time to come back from the kinds of things you've undergone. Your father's logs indicated you'd been in So'Vran's dungeons for a more than a month." Billy gave his father an appalled look at this piece of information, but held his tongue.

"I have the right to attend him!" she sputtered. "Jason is my brother! I need to..."

Jason looked at her impassively. "Xerya needs her Guardian well and strong, remember?"

Taia shot him a dirty look. "I feel perfectly well."

"It's all right, I think she should come along," Jason said to the others. Billy protested, Taia eagerly scrambled from her bed, but Jason held up his hand. "If," he continued, "she can prove that she is fully healed and back to full strength. So why don't you access the Guardian powers for us?"

She narrowed her dark eyes at him. "Our link works better than you claim, brother."

Jason made an elaborate show of waiting. "I'm right, aren't I? You can't do it."

She bared her teeth at him. "As you surmise, I am not yet strong enough to access Guardian. However, when I am, I fully intend to remind you of this. Happy?"

"No," Jason replied, his tone serious. "Go to bed, little sister."

<I want to be with you,> he heard her voice inside his mind. Jason blinked, then concentrated.

<Then take the time to get well, so you can be,> he replied silently; Taia turned away, blinking back tears. "Come on, let's get this over with," he said to the other two.

~*~

In the corridor, Peter turned on his son. "For crying out loud, Billy, you were just supposed to go in there and save her, not lifebond with the girl!"

Billy rested his brilliant gaze on his father. "And when Mom's blood sang to you, could you have stopped yourself?"

Peter seemed about to say something, then stopped, a faraway look on his face, smiling. "No. No, it would have been useless to try...like a couple of trains colliding."

Billy gave a 'there you are then' shrug.

"Okay, I'll give you that, but did you have to bind her right away? Couldn't you have waited a bit, gotten to know her a little?"

Billy shook his head. "Dad, Taia is just... part of me. She was from the beginning. Don't be a goofball. And exactly how long did you know Mom before you were lifebound?"

Peter hesitated, then gave a shout of laughter. "Five minutes, give or take a couple seconds. I get your point. Sorry, son; I keep forgetting that you've grown up."

Jason shot the two men a dark look. "Can somebody fill me in here? Lifebond?"

"The closest thing I can compare it to here on Earth is what's referred to as 'soulmates'. On Xerya, when such people meet, their inner selves call to each other through the Bloodsong. If they choose to heed it they come together, completing one another, and are bound to each other for life," answered Peter, as delicately as he could.

"Wait a sec. For life, as in 'til death do us part'?" He leveled a look at Billy, who blushed brightly. "Geez. You don't do things by halves, do you?" Jason shook his head slowly, chuckling. "I always thought of you as a brother anyway, Bill." He looked at his friend absently and began to laugh. "Oh, man, I can't wait until Tommy and the guys see you two together." A thought struck him as they reached the infirmary. "Mr. C., if it turns out that I become Paladin, will that...lifebonding...thing happen to me?"

"It's possible, Jason. Something in the blood; it just sings out when your mate is near," Peter said, his face sobering somewhat at a fragment of memory. "You can resist it; but you wouldn't want to, for you'll know that the greatest happiness in your life suddenly lies within your grasp. Your parents were the same. Now," he cleared his throat and smiled at the young man before him, "Let's figure this damn thing out."

~*~

"So what's this about, Bill?" Jason sat tiredly in the infirmary, rubbing his eyes. "Is this going to take long? I want to catch a nap pretty soon; I didn't sleep much last night."

"It's something I want to check out. Sentinel is capable of healing; is that right, Dad? Not just imparting spiritual strength, but actual physical healing."

His father frowned. "Yes, for exceptionally powerful Sentinels, though there's no way to know if you're capable of it at this stage. You might be interested to know that I've been thinking about things, too."

Jason cocked his head to the side and looked at him.

Peter spoke slowly, as though still working things out in his mind. "You've seen a communication from your father. Was he wearing his armor?"

"Yeah, sure, I guess so," Jason said slowly. "He was wearing some kind of golden stuff, pretty beat."

"Mmmm. That would be his daily stuff. Nelin had some too; but that's beside the point. The point is that the power of Sentinel, and Guardian, and Paladin each come from a sentient energy, and that when manifested, each has a certain...look to it, that has to do with the ultimate source of the power, or possibly its frequency; I'm not clear which."

Billy studied his father, blue eyes narrowed in thought. "I think I'm getting your drift, but go on."

Peter looked at Jason. "When you were the Red Ranger, what colors did you wear?"

Jason shrugged. "Red, mostly. It wasn't a conscious thing, but we all did it: Billy wore mostly blue, Tommy green, then white, Kim and Kat both wore pink all the time, and so on. I don't see what... hang on, yes I do. Father wears gold armor when he's not tapping the Paladin power because it manifests as gold, is that it?"

"That's it."

"So Jason was able to take the Gold powers when I couldn't because his body was naturally attuned in that direction anyway," muttered Billy, still deep in thought. "And taking the Gold power from him damaged him so much because... "

"...my body registered that as tearing my innate power away, and reacted as though that was what had been done," finished Jason thoughtfully. "Interesting."

Peter patted him on the back. "That's what I thought."

"Okay, but I don't see where that gets me."

Billy frowned. "So I think what I need to do is find a way to reconnect your power to your body. Reboot you, if you get what I mean. Let me try something." He closed his eyes and tapped the source of power that sat hidden within him. Instantly the bronzy liquid flowed from within him to cover his body, and once again he stood revealed as Sentinel.

"Okay," Sentinel smiled. "Ready to go. Come here, Jase."

Jason stood in front of the altered body of his friend. "What's the plan?"

"Hell if I know," Sentinel gave an eloquent shrug. "I'm just going to wing this." He placed bronze hands to either side of Jason's face and concentrated...

...and Jason faced Billy once again in a place full of shadows. "Okay," the dark-haired former Ranger said, "where are we and why aren't you Sentinel anymore?"

"Physically, I'm still Sentinel," Billy said slowly. "I can feel it. But we're not on the physical plane anymore; we're inside your being. And on the inside, I'm still me."

There was a long pause. "Man," said Jason finally, looking around. "I need a decorator."

Billy walked to the shadows, then turned to look back at his friend. "If your situation is anything like Taia's, I've got to find a way to light you up again. Her damage was spiritual, yours is physical, but I think the principle must be the same. These shadows have to go."

"Okay, I'm game," said Jason. "How do we do... whoa, nice trick." Billy's body had begun to glow from the inside out. Jason began to feel some discomfort, coiling deep in his torso, dispersing out toward his extremities; Billy brightened.

Jason went to his knees with sudden pain. His chest clutched and squeezed, his heart thumping as though trying to break free of his ribcage. His throat burned, raw and rough. Pain radiated through his skull, threading into his brain, skewering his eyes, crawling coldly down his spine. Muscles contracted and popped, cramping and twisting him. Fire skittered through every nerve ending; every hair on his body stood on end. "Bill..." he gasped.

The glowing form glanced over at him. "It hurts, I know. Hang in there; I'll help soon."

Jason gritted his teeth, determined not to cry out; the pain upped a notch, and he went to the ground, writhing. "Can't...take...much...more...of this," he managed, then lost his battle and began to scream in agony. He was blinded by the pain, deafened by his own voice, crying out in utter torture as he convulsed and thrashed in the brightening light. Billy bent to him then, and Jason clawed the air, unseeing, trying to find a lifeline.

And as suddenly as it began, the pain subsided. Jason felt as though he was floating, wrapped in cotton, muffled from everything by the sudden cessation of suffering. He got up slowly and looked around for his friend, appalled at what he found. Billy was down on one knee, glowing nearly white-hot, but his face was etched in strain, and the lines of his body were taut, as though he struggled to lift something huge.

"Bill?" Jason reached for him, but Billy stopped him.

"Don't touch...or you'll get...it all...back," the blond man growled out between gasps.

"Have you... you've taken all my pain for me?" Jason was furious, and upset beyond belief.

"Hey...bro...glad...to do...it," Billy gave him the ghost of a grin, then bowed his head in concentration. Jason found himself surrounded by a loud humming, and he watched, aghast, as his oldest and, he realized, his best friend strained to get to his feet, growling in earnest this time.

Billy felt weight like he'd never felt before pressing down on him, crushing him; and he knew somehow that if he could just gain his feet...the strain was horrific, the pain worse, but the harder the weight of darkness pushed on him, the harder he pushed back. I am Sentinel, he thought, and the thought gave him strength. I have been the Blue Ranger, the Blue Ninjetti, Avatar of the Wolf. Jason's life is in my hands, and I shall not let him die. I am Sentinel, and I...WILL...NOT...BE...DEFEATED!

With a howl of triumph he stood, blazing too brightly for Jason to look; and then all went white, and they were back in the infirmary.

~*~

Taia stood outside the closet, examining the clothes little Alpha had brought. "Made to your measurements, and patterned after the styles of our female Rangers, though I think these colors should appeal to you better than pink or yellow," the little robot had happily babbled. He'd been delighted to help her comb the tangles out of her (finally!) freshly-shampooed hair, and had scurried off in search of adequate footwear. Taia had selected a white tank top and a pair of short denim cutoffs, braiding her hair and securing it with an elastic, when suddenly she felt as though something precious had been cut from her. Eyes wide, she ran to the communicator by her door.

~*~

A frantic cry of "Zordon!" caught Tommy's attention in the main chamber. He'd arrived at the Command Center only moments before, hoping to catch up on some work tuning up the Zords; ever since he'd taken Billy's place as point man in the Center, he'd wondered how Billy had managed to find time to do all he'd done.

Zordon materialized within the time warp, a worried look on his face. "Go ahead, Guardian."

Guardian? Tommy thought, surprised. Who's Guardian?

"Where is the infirmary? My link with Jason has been severed," the woman's voice sounded on the verge of panic.

"I will send someone to you. Is Billy all right?"

"I think so," she said, her voice shaking. "I can feel him, though I think he is unconscious, but Jason...hurry, Zordon, please!"

Tommy ran at top speed, following Zordon's instructions for finding the guest quarters. (Guest quarters? he thought. What kind of guests does a big white head in a tube have, anyway?) He skidded to a stop in front of an unfamiliar door just as it burst open.

"You're Tommy?" the dark-haired girl in front of him queried urgently. Not stopping to answer her, Tommy grabbed her hand, activating the transport command on his wrist communicator, and they materialized in the infirmary. The scene looked like something out of Tommy's nightmares; Billy and Jason lay unconscious on the floor with Billy's father trying frantically to drag Billy's dead weight to an examining bed.

"What has happened, P'tyr?" Zordon's familiar face materialized in the infirmary time warp.

"Billy was using his Sentinel energy to try to bring Jason back to full strength; he thought it might help him access his Paladin powers. It seemed to be going well enough, and then they both cried out as though in pain, and collapsed. Tommy, Taia, get Jason over to that bed," the older man snapped. The two complied, and Peter busied himself with a diagnostic shield.

"What the hell is going on here?" Tommy breathed. "Are they...?"

As if to forestall Tommy's horrifying fear, Billy stirred a little. Taia ran to him, grasping his hand tightly.

"William," she whispered. "Come back to me, please." Tommy gaped anew at the raw emotion in the beautiful stranger's delicate features as she focused on his old friend's face.

Billy spoke, his voice raw. "Always," he murmured huskily, pulling the girl's mouth to his for a fiery kiss. "Jason, is he...?" the blond man turned his attention to the other bed.

"I know not," the girl whispered. "I cannot feel him." Tears edged down her face; Billy sat up slowly, curling an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

The diagnostic readouts continued to slide lower; Peter cursed volubly. "Now you listen to me, young man," he began to berate the unconscious Jason. "I made your father a promise, and I intend to keep it, so your dying on me just now is out of the question, do you hear me?" His able fingers flew over the console. "NO! That is not an option! Billy, I need a hand here!"

His son was instantly by his side, assessing the readouts and compensating for them. Tommy began to shake; Jason was dying? How...what...? The girl he'd brought here was in despair; at least here was something he could do. Tommy crossed to her and gave her a hug. "He's strong, you'll see. Have faith in him."

She turned wide eyes to his, eyes as dark as Jason's own. "I just found him," she whispered. "I cannot lose him now."

Tommy had no idea what she meant, but he didn't care. "Tell him that, in your heart," he encouraged. "He'll hear you."

She stilled, her hand going to her mouth. "Yes, he will," she murmured, then closed her eyes and concentrated.

<Jason.>

No reply. Taia shuddered and went deeper, almost to the very edge of consciousness; then there was a faint flutter. <Jason?>

As though from far away, she heard a whisper of a reply. <Tai...I knew you'd be here for me.>

<You have to fight this, Jason. Come back to us. Please.>

<I can't...too much interference...>

<Be strong, brother. You can do this. You must.>

<They are fighting me. You have to let me go...>

Her entire body shook. <No! Please, Jason...I need you.>

Their link gained in strength for a moment. <Listen to me, Tai. Billy can't hear me. Tell him... to reboot... you have to... shut down... hurry... >

She hesitated uncertainly.

<Tai... help me...>

Her dark eyes snapped open; she spoke abruptly to the two men working frantically there. "Leave the console."

Peter stared at her in disbelief. "We can't, not now; he'll die!"

She looked at him, then at Billy. "He'll die if you don't stop. Let him go."

Billy paused, watching her; Peter continued frantically trying to compensate for Jason's failing life signs. "Don't listen to her; she can't possibly..." the older man gritted. "Billy, I'm losing him!" Billy turned back to the console and reached for it.

"I said STOP!" The timbre of her voice changed as liquid silver coalesced around her slender form, her hair unraveling itself from the braid and forming a living nimbus around her head. Peter Cranston flew into the air unceremoniously and hung there, struggling. Tommy jumped to his feet and took a battle stance; in the same instant, bronze coated Billy's body as he growled at the silvery form of the girl. Shaking off his astonishment, Tommy made a mental note to get information at the first opportunity.

"Put him down, Guardian." Billy all but snarled.

"I will not, Sentinel. I cannot. My brother's life hangs in the balance." At her words, the diagnostic shield registered at zero with a single, melancholy note.

The thing that had been Billy bared its teeth at the girl. "Not any more."

"Jason, nooooo..." moaned Peter; she gently placed him on the ground, but prevented him from touching the diagnostic shield controls.

"Stand down, Sentinel," the girl called Guardian commanded. "I have no wish to fight you."

Sentinel's voice was low, threatening. "You've just killed my oldest friend; lifebond or no, you will fight me, Guardian."

"No," she reverted to her earlier form. "I shall not. I meant what I said, Billy; I am yours, forever. I will not challenge you."

Tommy stepped forward warily. "Billy, take it easy. You don't want to hurt anyone here."

The bronze visage, so unnervingly like his friend, turned and regarded him, then just as suddenly it was gone, replaced by Billy's grief-stricken face. "Oh, God, Tommy...Jason's dead." They stared at each other in disbelieving silence.

A small bip from the diagnostic shield caught the attention of the entire room; as one, they turned to Jason's still body. Suddenly his chest rose in a great gasp, and Peter dashed forward to the console as Taia slipped unnoticed toward the door.

"He's alive! He's alive, and his readings are off the scale! By God, Billy, you did it!" Peter was shouting in his elation.

Billy blew out a sigh, heavy with relief, then shook his head. "It wasn't all me, Dad. Taia was right, and we almost...we were idiots for not listening to her. Tai, I'm so...oh, no."

The door to the infirmary closed behind her with a swish. Billy bit out an oath and ran to follow her, leaving Peter, Tommy, and Zordon alone with an unconscious Jason.

Tommy regarded the time warp. "Would this be an okay time for me to ask WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

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