Legacy
by Gamine

Part Nine—Bending, Not Breaking

Tommy scanned the readouts in front of him. <There they are,> he said silently to his partner, whose forehead was creased in concentration.

<How many?> Aji shifted in her seat, smoothly altering their fighter's course to stay out of their enemy's scanning field.

<Three.>

<Okay. Worst case scenario we engage them one on one.>

Tommy's hazel eyes widened. <Aj, did you see the size of those things?> he asked, referring to the Citadel warships that lay in wait for the Rangers' pod. <We'd be about as much trouble as a mosquito.> He corrected himself at the look of confusion that crossed her face. <An insect on Earth. A particularly annoying one.>

She smiled. <Many insects carry venom, Tom. And I did say worst case. How much time left?>

<ETA fifteen seconds. We better suit up.> With a thought they summoned their shared power, white and black power flowing to cover them simultaneously. Aji spoke shortly into the commlink.

Behind the nearest of Xerya's moons in a slightly larger fighter, Deorth leaned forward in anticipation, nodding at the message that came across his comm. "Ready to lock on."

The space before them shimmered, the shadow of the pod beginning to take shape. The three warships moved in. Shadow glanced at Light. <Let's make this convincing, Sparky.>

<Ready when you are, Shad.>

They moved in unison, so smoothly in sync that they became two beings with a single mind, weaving shadows and light through the space around them. The ship under their control faded from view, dipping, swirling and weaving with them, cloaked in the invisibility that they created. Before them the pod solidified, then disappeared.

~*~

On the bridge of the lead warship, the operations comptroller blinked in surprise. "Sir?" he spoke respectfully to his commanding officer.

"What is it, Comptroller?"

"The target appears to have... vanished, sir."

The officer studied the viewscreen, stroking his chin. "So I see. Sensors?"

"Still reading the ship, sir, but the location appears to have changed, although..." The ops comptroller squinted back up at the screen. "Do you see that, sir?"

The officer studied the viewscreen. Where the pod had been was an area that seemed... rippled, distorted slightly. And surrounding that were five... no, six more areas that were similar. He frowned. "Theories, anyone?"

One of the helmsmen swiveled his chair around. "Cloaking technology?"

The officer's frown deepened. "Explain."

"It is possible, sir, that these humans have achieved some sort of cloaking technology which renders them invisible to our sensors, and nearly invisible to view."

"But the center ship shows up on our sensors."

The helmsman shrugged. "True enough, sir. But we also had visual confirmation, though briefly. Is it not feasible that the cloak on that ship has malfunctioned, enabling us to detect it, though not accurately?"

The officer pursed his lips. "Interesting theory, Helmsman. What is your view, Comptroller?"

The comptroller shook his head. "It is certainly a viable theory, sir."

"Hmm." The officer paced a few steps. "Expand your scans, Comptroller."

"Sir."

~*~

On the backside of the moon, Deorth's ship drifted quietly. Inside, he watched anxiously as a multicolored rainbow of light appeared in front of him, shadowy figures silhouetted within. When the figures had fully materialized, he spoke two brief words into the commlink.

"Got 'em."

Across space Light and Shadow nodded as one, shifting consciousness.

Adam leaned forward, his eyes on Deorth's readout screen. "Where are they?"

Deorth pointed to a fast moving speck, darting around the warships. "There, in that fighter. I've got a lock; I can 'port them out if they're discovered."

Zack nodded, looking over Adam's shoulder. "Let's hope you don't have to. Time to start the show."

~*~

"Sir, sensors read no life aboard the primary vessel," said the comptroller in frustration. "And I am unable to get an accurate reading on any other vessel. I am reading..." he shook his head in confusion, "one small fighter, moving fast in a random pattern. It appears to be completely unrelated to the areas in question. "

The officer narrowed his eyes. Someone was playing a very deep game here, but what exactly it was he was still uncertain. "Target the primary vessel."

The harried comptroller grimaced. "Sensors or visual, sir?"

The officer thought about that; damned if he knew. He decided to pass the decision along. "Helm?"

The helmsman swallowed audibly. "Visual?"

"Very well. Visually target the primary vessel."

As the comptroller obeyed, the pod suddenly reappeared in a burst of static, as though something had shorted out around it. "Which location is that?" barked the officer.

"Visual, sir," came the reply.

The officer smiled. "Excellent. Fire at will."

A deadly barrage erupted from the lead warship, slicing through the aft end of the pod, which cracked and silently exploded, scattering debris wide. With that the six other ripples in space spread wide, forming up two on each warship.

"Sir?" said the helmsman nervously.

"Yes, I see," said the officer thoughtfully. Retreat? Or stand against this unknown foe? It seemed So'Vran had not been adequately informed about the level of technology the humans had achieved; certainly the cloaking technology was unexpected, not to mention the decoy sensor reading. What else could they be hiding? And how would So'Vran react to the loss of one or possibly more of his newest warships, on the eve of his triumphant push outward to conquer known space?

A salvo of laser fire blasted from one of the shimmering areas opposing the lead warship, laser fire that had to have come from a cannon of impressive strength. "Evade!" cried the officer, but the helm was slow to answer, and the warship barely avoided a direct hit, the sudden lurch throwing the crew around like so many beans in a jar. The laser volley slid by, glinting in the viewscreen like the edge of a sword.

His decision was made. "Retreat, full retreat," shouted the officer, and his order was echoed to the other two warships. They followed his lead, twisting in space to return to the haven of the Citadel.

~*~

"They bought it," muttered Deorth with a grin. He thumbed the commlink. "Aji? Tommy?" Silence answered him, and Deorth uttered a succinct curse. "Aji, come in."

Trini shot him a worried glance. "They didn't take any damage, did they?"

"No, I don't think so. I think it's... come on, Aji, answer me!" No reply. "I think we'd better get over there." Deorth's fingers flew across the controls, and within moments they were pulling up along the smaller fighter. Nearby the pod hovered, undamaged.

"Man, that was one kickin' illusion," said Rocky admiringly. "For a second I thought the pod had gone up for real."

"I'm just glad So'Vran's goons believed it," said Kat with an affectionate arm around her boyfriend's shoulders.

Trini was leaning over Deorth's shoulder. "I'll go over," she was saying. "It flies like this one, right?"

He nodded. "About like this. Keep the comm open and I'll walk you through anything that throws you."

Trini gave him a quick nod and a grin; he pressed a few buttons and she faded in a column of red light. "Who's bringing in the pod?"

"I'll pilot, Rocky on ops," said Kat. "You sent over the coordinates?" Deorth smiled his confirmation and she looped her arm through Rocky's. "Then we'd better beat it in case those warships return for a closer look. See you down there." Two more columns of light, this time pink and blue, and the fighter was down to four occupants.

"Trini? Report, please," Deorth spoke into the comm.

~*~

She straightened, popping the commlink switch, eyeing the unconscious forms of Tommy and the unfamiliar redhead on the fighter floor. "Yeah. Everyone accounted for, but they're not in great shape. They must have overextended, as you thought."

Deorth's growl of irritation floated back through space at her. "I knew it. Aji has always been careless of her safety, but ever since her father... come on, let's get them home. Tai'll know what to do." With that the two fighters wheeled like birds of prey on the hunt and streaked toward Xerya.

~*~

"But it worked?" Taia asked Deorth, who was watching Trini, who was consulting with a medic.

"Hm? Yes, it worked beautifully. The warships had no idea what to make of their conflicting sensor readings versus what they could see, and in the end opted not to take the chance that there wasn't an army ready to destroy them." Deorth smiled apologetically at Taia. "Excuse me, I have to go see someone." Trini had finished her conversation with the medic and was turning to go. The blond soldier slipped after the lovely Red Ranger, leaving Taia shaking her dark head.

"Even in the midst of crisis..." she said softly to herself. With that in mind she began to look for Billy, who had spoken little since their confrontation with So'Vran.

She found him at the tactical station, going over attack strategies for the nth time. <Beloved?>

He answered her aloud. "What is it, Taia?"

"Your friends have arrived."

"Great." His tone was distinctly lacking in enthusiasm. "Anyone talked to Tommy yet?"

"No." Taia sighed. "Both he and Aji are still unconscious."

That caught his attention. "Unconscious? What happened?"

"Burnout. Remember what Father said?"

Billy finally focused on her face. "Yes, I remember..." He thought about the rest of that day too, the way he'd been greeted as a son by Iannos, how his own father had declared that Taia was his daughter too. And then the image of his father, clawing at his throat, the life spilling from him in a river of crimson... Billy looked at his love again, her dark eyes a lifeline as he drowned in fear and remembered anguish. Taia's expression reflected his sorrow; she knew exactly what he was thinking. "God, Tai... what am I going to do?"

She put her arms around him. "Whatever you choose, William, we will do it together."

~*~

They were nearly back at the cell; Kim's body tensed. Now or never. Now or never. It ran through her head like a litany, like a jingle from a catchy commercial. Like a bad 80's tune you can't get out of your head. So'Vran was insane, and far more powerful than she had dreamed. They wouldn't survive him. Their only chance was to take a chance.

Obviously they were less of a threat this time around, only two guards had been spared to escort Kim and the still-dazed Peter back to their cell. She touched his arm surreptitiously; he glanced down at her. Kim met his gaze frankly. Now or never, her brown eyes said. Now or never.

Astonishingly, he seemed to understand her, and gave her a curt nod. As they rounded the final corner before their cell came into view, Peter stumbled and fell heavily against the guard nearest him. Kim seized the opportunity and spun into a powerful kick that blew out the other guard's knee, sending him abruptly to the floor. Continuing momentum carried her around, and she grabbed his weapon away from him and bashed his jaw with it, knocking him out. Another fluid movement brought the muzzle of her weapon level with the head of the other guard, who immediately swallowed the yell he'd been preparing to give.

Peter wrested the other weapon free from the guard's nerveless hand, adjusted the setting, and shot him point-blank. Kim's jaw dropped. "Stun," he said tersely, showing her the setting.

She dodged around the corner and popped her head back. "All clear," she whispered, and Peter joined her, leaning against the wall as he used the keypad to open the cell door. Kim dragged the inert weight of the guards into the small room, grunting a little with the effort, and the two escapees looked at each other as the cell door swished shut.

"Which way?" Peter said, his voice still rough.

Kim looked around. "I don't know. Not back that way. What do you people use for secret escape routes? And please don't tell me we're going to dive into a trash disposal pit."

Peter grinned. "No, I have a better idea, Princess Leia."

"Oh?"

"Yep." At that his expression was all Billy, and Billy at his most mischievous. "Sewers."

Kim stared at him, then shook her head. "Today just keeps getting better and better," she muttered, slipping her shoulder under the older man's arm.

~*~

"This isn't so bad," whispered Kim, looking around the sewer. "I was imagining slogging knee-deep through bodily waste." Peter laughed softly, and she slanted him a look. "This is like when you tried to convince Billy and me that unplugging your alarm clock would stop time, you horrible man." She punched him lightly in the arm, and he grasped her fist and tucked it in the crook of his elbow.

"Just trying to lighten the atmosphere, sweetheart. Come on."

They'd surprised another pair of guards, which had doubled both their store of weaponry and their chances of being discovered sooner. Peter had a weapon slung over his back and a second tucked under his free arm; Kim carried both of hers over one shoulder like a pair of deadly pocketbooks.

Finding an access hatch had been no trouble, and they'd melted the lock to slag behind them. That last pair of guards had also been handily equipped with portable light sources, and these were now clipped to the fugitives' arms as they crept through the tunnel.

The tunnel was clean, metallic, round, with a stream of clear water sliding along its floor. "It's more of an aqueduct than a sewer," Peter went on. "Self-contained, too, unfortunately. Solid waste is incinerated, liquid waste recycled. No access or egress."

She stopped in her tracks. "So this is a good idea because...?"

He tugged her along. "Because So'Vran put this system into place too rapidly to have built it from scratch. About a century ago our forces mounted an attack from the functional sewers, an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate So'Vran. In response he instituted this self-contained system to ensure that we couldn't try again. But most of the tunnels used were preexisting, so what we need to find is some way to get over into the old system."

Kim nodded. "That'll be pretty heavily guarded, no?"

"In some fashion, probably. Alarm, I would think."

"Okay." She looked around again. "So what are we looking for?"

Peter shrugged. "Good question. A door, a seam in the wall, maybe just a visual anomaly. I don't know whether he'd bother to camouflage it from this side. Just look for anything out of the ordinary."

They walked in silence for long moments, alternating lefts and rights where the tunnels met or crossed in an attempt to avoid wandering in circles. In a swing to the left, Kim glanced right, and pressed her fingers into Peter's arm. "Hey."

He looked back over her shoulder, and nodded. "Yep." They hurried in the opposite direction and were confronted with a large, oval door with a huge spoked wheel in the center to control the locking mechanism. "Probably hasn't been opened in a hundred years," Peter muttered, closely examining the edges of the door. "Now, where are you, you little rat b... aha." He indicated with his light beam a small connection at the side of the door. "There's the alarm, Kim."

"Hm." She leaned close, squinting at it. "Can we bypass it, or do we just shoot it?"

Peter frowned, thinking. "Bypass if we can. It'll give us a little longer to run, but we'll be down one light." He consulted the power indicator on his own light, then hers. "Yours has more juice than mine, so I'll cannibalize mine for parts. Shine that over here, will you?"

It was an odd combination of forever and no time at all before Peter straightened and handed Kim back her light, scooting the leftover pieces of the other out of the way with his foot. "That ought to work, though I'm a little rusty on ancient electronics."

"We'll know soon enough." They each grasped a spoke of the wheel and pulled; it took all of their combined weight before the wheel budged creakily, the sound echoing through the tunnel behind them. Kim gritted her teeth and glanced up at Peter, who nodded, his blue eyes determined. They leaned against the wheel again; it protested, grinding rustily, metal squeaking against metal... and then all of a sudden it let go, spinning crazily, sending Kim hurtling into the middle of Peter's chest with a squeak of her own.

He put her down. "Remember when Zack convinced all of you to jump off the garage roof with an umbrella for a parachute? I barely caught you then, too."

She chuckled. "Trini and Billy wouldn't do it, Jason made it okay, and Zack broke his arm. I remember. But I'm a little bigger now."

Peter laughed. "Not by much." She glared at him, and he grinned. "Come on, Supergirl."

~*~

Jason looked up at the sound of the medbay door opening. "Father? Should you be up?"

Iannos limped slowly to his son's side, looking down at the pale face of the girl who lay unconscious on the biobed in front of them. "I am fine, Jason. Has she stirred?"

"A little. I think she's just sleeping now, though it's hard to tell." Jason stood, offering the chair to the older man. "Is this normal for burnout?"

"It would depend on the level of exhaustion, but it does not appear to be much different from that which Taia and I have suffered on occasion." He shrugged. "Though it is also true that these powers of Light and Shadow are unknown to me. How does Tommy fare?"

Jason folded his powerful arms across his chest. "Pretty much the same, they tell me. I should probably go and see for myself, but... "

Iannos offered him an understanding smile. "I was lifebound once myself, son."

"Yeah."

Aji moaned slightly, her green eyes opening in a pained squint. "Jason?"

Immediately he was by her side, grasping her hand securely. "Here, babe."

The comm beeped. "Tommy's awake, Jase," said Adam's voice.

Jason grinned. "Thought he might be. Thanks." The link beeped again, signaling the end of the message, and he looked down at Aji. "Do you guys do everything together? I could get jealous."

"How are you feeling, little one?" Iannos asked gently.

"Well enough, Pahpian, though my head pounds."

Iannos bent to kiss her gently on the cheek. "You haven't called me that since you were a small girl, Aji. It gladdens my heart to hear you say it again, all the more so since I am to be your father now."

Aji looked at him doubtfully. "Then you really don't object to the lifebond?"

He gave her a mock-stern look. "Of course not, little one. Why would I? You are yourself, and responsible for your actions alone. And your actions have never made me other than proud." Iannos looked at Jason. "I honor your Bloodsong, my son. I welcome this union."

Jason watched Aji as she registered the welcome she'd just been given, a slow but brilliant smile creeping over her face. "Thank you, Father," he said, slipping an arm around Aji's shoulders to steady her as she sat up.

"And you are truly my Pahpian now," she added, kissing Iannos on the cheek. Glancing up at Jason, Aji swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm well enough, Jason. It's time to act."

~*~

In a small conference room, Tommy paced incessantly. Trini watched him for about as long as she could stand, finally sighing in exasperation. "Tommy, sit or I am going to tackle you to the ground." He shot her a look from haunted hazel eyes, and she sighed again, more gently. "It's not your fault, Tom."

"Didn't you hear what happened?" he growled. "That maniac killed Mr. C! Killed him! And then brought him back, like it was nothing! I can't even imagine how that must have... what if he's done something to... oh, God, Trini, how can you say it's not my fault?"

Trini bit her lip. "It's as much mine as yours, then. I'm the one you trusted to keep things under control at home, and I'm the one who let them take her."

Deorth caught Rocky's eye, leaned against the wall and stretched out his feet. "It's my fault too."

"And mine," the blue Zeo Ranger added, sliding an arm around Kat's waist.

"Don't leave me out of this pity party," she chimed in.

"Yeah, I want to beat on myself too," Tanya threw in her two cents.

"Who says you guys get to have all the fun?" Adam wanted to know.

"Basically, what we're saying here is you're both full of it," Zack wrapped it up. "There's only one person to blame for all this, and that's So'Vran. Now unless one of you is hiding a thousand year old secret life, I suggest you let it go."

"Easy enough to say," Tommy muttered.

Zack's dark eyes were sympathetic. "Look, bro, I never said it was easy. And I do understand where you're coming from. But you're not exactly setting yourself up to be effective, hanging on to this guilt. Let's get her back first, and you can set fire to yourself or something later."

There was a long pause, during which Jason and Aji came in. Tommy squared his shoulders, his mantle as leader too ingrained to ignore. "Right. So let's figure out a way to get them back."

"Bill not here?" Jason asked.

"He'll be along," Adam supplied. "He and Taia are hashing out some numbers, trying to figure out exactly what we have to work with after the last attack on the base." He shook his head, pulling his wife against his side. "I think he needs something concrete to do, you know?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded sadly. "I know what you mean."

As if in answer to their train of thought, Billy and Taia entered the room. The young scientist sat in the corner of the room, his expression preoccupied, while Taia called up a vidscreen monitor.

"Okay," she began, her usually gentle demeanor replaced by that of a seasoned warrior. "We had some warning before the attack, so most of our ships got out. I've got teams working on arming the last of our hoverskids and runabouts so we'll have a full squad of small, maneuverable fighting craft as well as the seven warships we have left. The trick is going to be getting them close enough to do any real damage. If there were a way to get them actually into the Citadel..." with that she broke off and looked at Tommy and Aji.

Aji nodded. "We can conceal them, at least from visual detection."

"A whole squadron?" Jason expostulated. "You'll burn out again!"

"Maybe," Aji inclined her head. "Your point?"

Zack put a hand on his friend's arm before Jason could explode. "The point, Aji, is that nobody's expendable. It's okay, man," he added to a still-fuming Jason. "We'll just factor it in."

"Already done," interjected Billy from the corner, startling them. "I've been doing some thinking, and I think our best shot at getting Dad and Kim back would be right before the first wave of attack." There was a series of slow nods around the tale as each Ranger took that in. "It seems to me our main problem lies in that we don't know exactly where in the Citadel they're being held. If there were a way to locate them, I'm pretty sure Tom and Aji could get in and out clean."

Aji sat straight up, a look of surprised discovery on her face. "Tom!"

He shot out of the seat Trini had coerced him into. "My God, you think?"

"What? What is it?" Everyone leaned forward excitedly.

Aji spoke up. "The Watcher said Tommy was lifebound to Kim. I know they're human, but he carries Xeryan power now, so what if... "

Rocky was the first to get it. "...he can detect Kim psychically, because they're bound? It's like when I pick up the phone to call Kat and she's already there, calling me!"

Jason turned to Tommy. "Can you, bro?"

Tommy's hazel eyes were dark with determination. "I'm sure as hell going to try."

~*~

Kim gasped, stopping short. Peter bumped into her from behind. "What is it?" he asked in concern.

"It's... he... for a second I felt as though Tommy were here." Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm an idiot."

"No, you're not." He folded his arms around her for a quick hug. "And maybe he is."

"Maybe." The single word broke on a sob, and they continued in silence for a while. Kim sighed, wrenching her mind to the present, and something struck her. "Mr. C.?"

"Mmm?"

"We're not making any noise."

He nodded absently. "Good. Stealth mode."

"No, I mean, back there... " she waved her arm vaguely behind them, "...you could hear our footsteps, at least. Here, though, we're not making a sound... and is the ground a little squishy? Like walking on... I don't know... cotton, or something?"

Peter froze in place. "Kim, stop." He directed the light to the floor of the tunnel, which was covered in a thick layer of a shimmery, gossamer substance. With a nervous flick he shot a beam of light down the tunnel.

Ahead, in the gloom, a dozen or so black, fathomless eyes caught the glint of the light.

Peter swallowed. "Oh, no."

~*~

Peter breathed a long string of curses, his attention riveted by whatever was lurking beyond the circle of their light, its many eyes glinting softly. Kim looked at him uncertainly. "That..." She cleared her throat and started again. "That sounds sort of not so good."

One of the eyes blinked, and the darkness... shifted. Four long shadows detached from the whole and slid slowly toward them, dragging the enormous bulk of the spiderlike creature behind. The sound of its chitinous skin scraping against the walls and ceiling of the tunnel was a harsh whisper in the padded silence they'd been drawn into, and as it came into the light it blinked, each slightly protruding eye working independently of the others, like a chameleon's. It filled the tunnel completely, its forelegs drawn up against its sides. Its head was covered with rusty black velvety hair, striped in orange; gleaming, lethal mandibles twitched below, a viscous fluid drooling from them as though in delicious anticipation.

"Oh. My. God. What in hell is that thing?" Kim whispered, her throat suddenly dry. She flinched backwards, and one of the impossibly long legs flicked toward her, close enough that she could make out the thick black hairs curving into hooks all along its length. It chittered at her, several fathomless eyes blinking, hitching its hulking body forward.

"Don't... move..." hissed Peter through gritted teeth. "It's called a grat'lest; it is attracted to the thrill of the chase. You move, it moves faster."

"Great." Kim was instantly motionless, her chocolate eyes darting between the monstrous nightmare and her best friend's father.

His fingers flexed slowly toward the weapon over his shoulder; in response the massive head of the arachnid twisted in his direction, its jagged mandibles widening, the smaller maxillae within thrumming in expectation. Peter froze, and they waited, measuring each other. The creature looked back at Kim, then at Peter.

"What's it doing?" Kim whispered, her lips barely moving.

"Trying to decide which of us is easier prey," he replied out of the corner of his mouth. "You're significantly smaller, so I have a feeling it'll choose..."

A leg shot out toward Kim, impossibly fast, nearly a blur, but she only had time to suck in a breath to scream before Peter squeezed off a deadly barrage, burning a large, dripping, steaming hole straight through the grat'lest. It staggered a bit, surprised beyond its own demise, the hooks of one leg stuck in Kim's suit; then thudded to the ground with a sigh.

He grasped her arm, pulling her free of the leg, and hurried her toward the corpse. "Come on!"

"Wait! What are you... " Kim drew back as Peter began to climb the hulk, his feet squelching in the muck of the spider's remains. "No. No way."

"Kim!" Peter shook his head and reached for her arm, pulling her into the creature's body, now a mass of sticky gunk. His voice was urgent. "We've got to go, now, before they realize she's dead and come out to feed on the corpse."

"What are you talking about? Before who realizes who's d...ungh!" Kim slipped in the slimy muck, landing on her hands and knees abruptly. "No, no... oh my God, gross! So gross..." moaned Kim as she picked her way through the grat'lest's translucent yellowish innards, still warm and pulsing. Gobs dripped onto her hair and shoulders, and she shrieked, then subsided into fierce mutterings as she got awkwardly to her feet. "Oh, God. I HATE this planet. I hate intergalactic megalomaniacs who drag people across the universe against their will for no discernible reason. I really, really hate spiders, especially this one. I hate not having had a shower for days. I HATE Tommy for being dead and I am beginning to hate YOU for dragging me through this and getting me all covered in smelly spider spleen!" One of the weapons dropped deep into a pile of gunk with a sticky plop. "And I am not picking that up."

"Look, this is the only way out of here. Grat'lest don't nest deep, so we can't be far from the surface. But they do feed on the body of theì " Peter stopped and stared at the tunnel beyond, stumbling slightly as he absently pulled Kim free from the morass of yellow-green goo.

Kim wiped a wad of snot-colored glop from her face and looked at him. He was gazing at the wall, which was... moving. "Oh, God, not another one," she wailed.

He glanced back at her, his face grim. "Not exactly." A six-inch long leg cut through the heaving gossamer. "Maybe another thousand. Run!"

The egg sac burst, scattering lean and hungry grat'lest young far and wide. Most of them swarmed over the corpse of their mother, screeching and chittering eagerly, devouring her, obliterating her from sight; the rest skittered over floor and walls toward Peter and Kim. There was no breath to scream as they sprinted, shooting what they could, which wasn't much. Kim's remaining weapon jammed, and she chucked it at the seething mob of spiders in disgust. Peter had a weapon in each hand, squeezing off shot after shot like a middle-aged action hero, killing a few with each controlled burst, which their brethren would stop to snack on before coming inexorably toward the scent of food.

Kim rounded a corner and roared in frustrated fury. "NO!" There was the opening, there was the outside world, barred by a metal grate. She wrapped her fingers around the heavy bars and peered out, pressing her nose in between; they were high in the air, up the side of a cliff, perhaps, and they were absolutely, unequivocally, trapped. "NO, NO, NO!!!" She pounded her fists against the grate, turning to Peter with wide, wild eyes. He ran to her, wrapping his arms around her to hold her close, turning her head into his chest so she wouldn't see the creatures come. The chittering came nearer, the black swarm flooded closer. Peter closed his eyes and waited.

A voice rang out. "Move back!" Stunned, Peter spun Kim away from the grate as a large, solid, hammer-shaped shadow crashed through it; two figures hovered in the air outside, one dark, the other gleaming. The bright one raised both hands toward the impending swarm and brilliant power pulsed from her hands, burning the front third of the creatures to ash as the others scattered. The dark one reached for Kim, who turned to face him, her face white, her hands shaking.

"T-tommy?" Then her eyes rolled back in her head as she fell forward in a dead faint.

"Damn," he muttered as he scooped her up. "That's the second time she's done that. You got Mr. C., Sparky?"

The white figure reached out to grasp a speechless Peter firmly around the waist, pulling him effortlessly into the air. "Ready to go, Tom. Where's our ride?"

A hoverskid buzzed up. "Geez Louise, I'm right here," muttered Zack. "Some of us don't travel faster than a speeding bullet, you know. Buckle up, Mr. C." He did a classic double take, his handsome face wrinkling in distaste. "Aw, man, what the hell sneezed on you? And what is that nasty smell?" He shook his head in disgust. "You guys are gonna mess up my upholstery something fierce. Thank God I got the top down."

"Zack?" Peter's voice came out a squeak. "What... how did you... Tommy? Is that really you?"

The dark armor of Shadow drained away, leaving a smiling Tommy. "It's me, Mr. C. Aji and I are fine, but it's a long story, and we've got to get you home before Billy explodes."

~*~

"Kim? Kim!" Tommy wiped the gook from her face with a damp cloth, and she stirred slightly. He smiled; God, even covered in gooey spider snot she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. What a complete idiot he'd been, letting her go. Her eyelids fluttered. Tommy chuckled softly, remembering the last time she'd fainted from surprise at seeing him with new powers. "Come on, Beautiful. Time to wake up." She opened her eyes then, staring at him in disbelief.

"I don't believe it. Is it... is it really you?"

Did she remember that was the same thing she'd said the other time? He remembered, every second of every moment he'd been with her. Tommy grinned, playing out the scene. "In the flesh." He held out his arms for the hug he expected.

Caramel eyes narrowed; a small but powerful fist came out of nowhere, clipping him neatly across the jaw, sending him sprawling backward onto the floor of the hoverskid. Zack snorted, trying not to laugh; Aji hid a smile behind her hand. Tommy sent them a dirty look, rubbing his jaw. He looked back at Kim, who was sitting up, fire in those big eyes. "What was that for?"

"You're alive!"

"Yeah." Tommy sat on the seat next to her. "You got a problem with that?" She was sniffing, fighting tears. Damn, he hated when she cried. "Kim, honey, what's wrong?"

"It's... I... oh, Tommy, I grieved for you! Hearing you were dead just about killed me! And then I get grabbed by a bunch of goons and dragged across the galaxy, and Mr. C. almost dies, and we had to crawl through a b-big sp-sp-spider, and there were a million l-little ones that were g-going to eat us, and you show up to save the day and ask m-me wh-what's wr-wr-wrong?" She broke down then, and he pulled her to his chest, disregarding the smelly ooze that clung to her.

"Shh..." He nuzzled her hair, ignoring Zack's groan of disgust as it stuck to his face, glued there by green glop. "It's okay, love. We're together now, like we're supposed to be." She looked up at him questioningly. "I love you, Kim. More than I ever thought I could." With that he kissed her.

Her lips were warm, and soft, and yielding, and Tommy began to drown in them like he always did... and then with a small thump in the middle of his chest she shoved him away, clearly irate again.

"Wait just a second, buster. You love me?"

He nodded, confused. Wasn't she supposed to be happy about this? "Yeah, I do."

"Uh huh." Kim was practically snarling. "And when you showed up to rescue us, were you by any chance sporting a new power? Something dark... like Shadow, perhaps?"

"Uh oh," said Peter.

Tommy glanced at him, still perplexed, then returned his attention to Kim. "Uh... yeah."

This time he didn't even see her fist coming, but there he was, on his butt with a very sore jaw. "I'm YOUR biggest weakness?" Kim hollered. "You think maybe you might have told ME before blabbing it to some intergalactic terrorist, you big, dumb... Shadow, my ass! Geez, Oliver, you don't write, you don't call, you leave me high and dry in Florida for YEARS thinking I've lost the great love of my life!"

He sorted through that, seizing on the most salient point. "I'm the great love of your life?"

She bared her teeth at him. "Don't go there, Oliver, if you hope to live to the end of this ride. I want a shower, I want a decent meal, and I do NOT want to talk to you." With that she folded her arms and went stony silent.

He looked helplessly at Aji, who winced and shook her head. Zack raised his eyebrows and pushed the throttle to the max; Peter offered him a sympathetic smile. "She's been through a lot, son," he said quietly. "Don't push her."

~*~

"Hey, here they come," cried Rocky, who had been eagerly scanning the docking bay ever since word had come that the rescue was a success. Everyone gathered around, Billy at the front, his blue eyes anxious, as the hoverskid pulled smoothly to a stop.

"Dad! Thank God," he grabbed his father in a hard bear hug, pulling back slightly a moment later, his nose wrinkling. "Ugh! What is that all over you?"

"Grat'lest innards, if I'm not mistaken," said Taia, making a face as she hugged him too. "I'm glad to see you alive and well, if not exactly pristine. Come, the medics want a chance at you." They led him toward the medbay, Billy supporting his father as they walked.

The others surged forward to greet Kim, who clambered out of the hoverskid, slipping slightly. She glared at all and sundry. "Yeah, yeah, hi. Shower. Now. And I don't want to talk to anybody until after." Trini opened her mouth; Kim glared her into silence, holding up a hand. "Uh uh. Later." Trini shut her mouth with a snap and pointed in the general direction of quarters. "Good." The petite, slimy woman stalked off, Trini hurrying behind.

Aji rounded on Tommy. "Of all the hamhanded, idiotic buffoonery that had to be the worst! It's no wonder you haven't got a life!"

He glared at her. "What?"

She mimicked him, hands on hips. " 'Hi, I'm not dead, I love you even though we haven't seen each other in years and by the way you're here because of me.' Honestly, Tom."

Kat stared. "Oh, he did not."

Aji folded her arms. "He absolutely did."

Jason winced. "Smooth, bro."

Tommy growled. "Anybody else want to weigh in on my love life?"

"Or lack thereof," piped up Rocky.

Trini came back from showing Kim the shower. "Geez, Tom, what did you do?"

"Why does everyone assume this is my fault?"

In answer they just looked at him. Tommy rolled his eyes.

Aji got in his face. "Go after her." He shook his head. Her green eyes narrowed. "You are not giving up again, Tommy."

"You heard her. She hates me."

"Oh, that's it." Without preamble Aji hauled off and punched him, and once again Tommy met the floor in an abrupt introduction.

He snarled as he got up. "That's getting fairly old, Aj."

She curled her hands into fists. "You want to make something out of it?"

"Hey now." Jason stepped between them. "Just calm down, both of you."

Aji shook her head. "You don't get it, Jason. Tommy and I... we're inside each other. He feels what I do, sort of, and vice versa. The thing about Kim is... in a way I love her too. And I am NOT going to let him throw everything away. Again."

Jason looked at his friend. "How about it, Tom?"

He looked uncertainly at the group watching him avidly. "So you all think I'm being an idiot?" There was a general murmur of assent. "And you think I should go after her?" Another murmur, more emphatic. "Okay. I'll talk to her later."

Aji spun him around by the shoulders and shoved him toward the quarters. "No. Now."

"But she's in the shower!"

This time eight voices answered him as one. "AND??"

Tommy thought about the possibilities, and a slow grin spread across his face. "Okay then." And he went, accompanied by applause.

~*~

A baleful brown eye peered from the shower in Trini's lavatory. "Oh, this better be good."

Tommy swallowed. It never failed. He'd faced down countless monsters, but one tiny woman could bring him to his knees. "Sorry, Kim, but I need to talk, and you need to listen. At least this way you won't run off."

"I thought I said... "

He cut her off. "Yeah, you said. And I heard you. But you're always the one saying things, making pronouncements, like 'I don't love you that way anymore'. And it's my turn now. Finally."

There was a long silence. "So talk."

Where to start? Clearly, with the most important thing. "Kim, I love you, I always have. I always will, no matter what. I've learned that, at least." Tommy sighed. "You have to know I would never have wanted you to come to any harm. When So'Vran grabbed you I... " his voice failed for some reason, and he cleared his throat. "I felt like I was going to come apart at the seams, just like I did on Muranthias, when you and Jase were captured by Divatox. But Kat and I were dating back then, and you didn't seem as though you wanted anything to do with me, so I figured you were happy and I let it go. I was stupid. In the end I hurt Kat anyway, neglecting her the same way I did you. But you know the difference?" He sighed again, leaning against the washroom wall. "With you I always knew I was screwing up. I felt guilty about it, but I figured you'd forgive me. Aji says I was just waiting to see how far you'd let me push, and she's probably right. But with Kat... I did care about her, but somehow I never really realized I was neglecting her until it was too late. I just pushed her away, and felt bad after, but it wasn't the same." He fisted his hands. "Nothing's been the same, Kim. Nothing ever will be, unless you let me love you the way I want to. The way I should have done from the start. I was scared, Kim. But I'm not scared anymore."

He counted his heartbeats before she spoke. There were ten. A wet head poked out from the shower. "Liar."

Tommy looked at her. God, he loved her so. "Yeah, okay. I am scared. Scared to death that you won't love me again."

He couldn't read her expression. "Funny word, again. That would imply that there was a time when I had stopped."

There was a huge, burning lump in his throat that he had to speak around, and his voice came out strangled. "Kim?"

"Oh, Tommy. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken everything out on you. Losing you all those years ago, dealing with your death, finding you alive after all... it's been rough."

"It never should have happened, Kim."

"I know, but it's over. Maybe we should just make sure it doesn't happen again." She stepped from the shower, holding out her arms. Tommy shook his head, dizzy as all his blood raced south. "Come here."

He opened his mouth to speak and decided there were better things he could do with it. Less than a heartbeat later he was across the small room, holding the warm, clean, dripping, slippery love of his life and his mind disconnected when she found the opening to his suit and used it. "This time forever, Kim," he managed to say coherently before things got totally out of hand.

She smiled. "It was always forever, Tommy." And then things got totally out of hand.

~*~

Later there was a brief period of quiet in Trini's bedroom, punctuated only by the rustle of sheets or an occasional gentle sigh of happiness.

The commlink buzzed. "Tom?"

A fist slammed down on it. "No."

A few minutes passed, and it beeped again, this time a different voice. "Hey, Tommy..."

"I said no."

There was another pause. *Beeep.* A third voice. "Tom!"

"The next person who interrupts me is going to be killed."

"But is everything all right? Did you talk to Kim?"

This time the answering voice was female, low and purring. "Everything's... ummm... fine. We'll get back to you in an hour or so, 'kay?"

The answer was directed at someone on the other end. "Oh, oops. Maybe we should have just asked Aji..."

Tommy looked down at Kim, laughing softly, stroking the soft skin of her back. "So where were we?"

She curled her arms around his neck. "Right about here."

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