What Hastens to be Done (PR RPM)
Jan. 18th, 2012 07:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
estiroseThis story was posted on AO3, and then I realized I really needed to work on it. So, here it is for the moment while I pull it from AO3. It's a darker take on "Dreamt-of Call" (and the beginning is an alternate take on "Elephant in the Room").
The man was trying to pick the lock. Doctor K would have normally summoned the military, but she had chosen not to. There was something in the man's demeanor that said that he was a testing candidate, and therefore she was going to test him.
She let him unlock the door and slip inside, tensely watching him. He showed no awareness of being watched, though he did glance around, careful not to make a noise. She'd already opened the doors to where the uniforms are, hoping he'd get close.
He didn't disappoint, and neither did the uniform. Her view of the room showed the Green uniform was pulsing softly. He walked towards it as hypnotized, as her other three Rangers had, and she expected that he would trigger the morpher recognition sequence shortly.
The morpher landing on his foot seemed to draw him out of his reverie, and he looked around wildly. She keyed the door closed before he had a chance to leave, trapping him in the room. Like the others, he had no choice in the matter, and the sooner he recognized that, the better. He wouldn't be allowed to leave until he bonded with his morpher.
"Stay where you are," she ordered. "Put on the morpher."
"Huh? What?" He looked around. "Um. I really don't think-"
"You will not leave this room until your bonding," she stated flatly. She'd had to do the same thing with Ranger Yellow - the woman had not wanted to bond - and she was fortunate that the elder Truman could order his son to bond with his morpher. With Ranger Blue, she'd gotten lucky that he was one of the first test subjects in Corinth.
Few people seemed willing to bond with the morphers, given there was a good chance they'd die, their bodies altered until they could no longer live. Everybody knew that the morphers had the side effects, and nobody seemed willing to risk being a Morpher's choice.
Unfortunately for them, the Morphers had chosen. Even if they never fought a Grinder, they'd eventually die. And even if they never answered the call, they'd die too.
"I'm really sorry, put me in jail, don't make me bond! I'm a confidence man, not a fighter." The man had his hands in front of him.
"Your lack of fighting ability doesn't matter," she informed him. "The morpher has chosen, and you must bond."
"I'm happy to get others in here, if you want, but I don't wanna-"
"It doesn't matter. The morpher has chosen. You can either bond by choice, or I can paralyze you and force the bond." She'd had to do with Ranger Yellow, though Yellow had eventually come around.
And even before that, as upset as the others had been, they'd at least seen the value of preserving their own lives. Plus, they'd eventually settled into being Rangers.
There was a look in the man's eyes and he straightened. "Then you're gonna have to paralyze me, because I'm not putting that thing on."
She sighed. "As you wish." She aimed a paralyzing dart into the back of the man's neck; it would deliver a powerful enough agent, even if it might take a while.
Watching him struggle, she was glad there was nothing currently breakable in there. She isolated him just in case while he tried to resist the agent.
But finally, he succumbed to it. It had taken longer than she expected.
She directed her servos to the spot where the morpher had fallen, and had them pick it up and take it to where her newest Ranger lay. The servo pressed it to his wrist, letting it form straps, and then activating the bonding sequence.
Doctor K knew he'd be upset, but it didn't matter. He'd come around as the others had, and save the world.
It wasn't as if he had any choice.
* * *
As soon as the three of them were in the Garage, Doctor K's screen lit up. While Summer understood the doctor's desire to keep Corinth alive even if it meant sacrificing the three of them, she rarely liked dealing with him. "Rangers," the screen said, "We have a new Ranger Green."
Summer wondered what had happened; usually the doctor didn't test people unless the Rangers and some military personnel were there; that's how it had been for her. She'd been brought in for testing and upon finding the morpher responded to her, Doctor K had ordered her to bond.
She'd refused. Told Doctor K that she would rather spend her life in prison than bond. She knew, like the rest of the population, that the Rangers used devices that could save the world, but would kill them in the process. And that the morphers took to some people more than others.
That's when Doctor K had taken things into his own hands, paralyzed her, and forced the bond. Sure, the Rangers got excellent medical care, were the priority when it came to medical matters. But it didn't mean that their suits and powers weren't going to eventually tear them apart.
Of course, the morpher would have killed her anyway for not responding to the call, but she hadn't learned that until after she joined the team. Sometimes Summer wondered if she didn't prefer to have never been discovered. Then again, as much as Summer didn't like her situation, there was a city to save. They were humanity's saviors, after all, and while she didn't like Doctor K, she would save the world even if it killed her.
"What did we miss?" Scott asked.
"The young man in question decided to attempt to force his way in; I facilitated his arrival, as I detected certain characteristics in his demeanor that indicated he might be a successful candidate."
"In other words," Flynn said, "You caught a burglar."
"I believe that he was using otherwise criminal skills in order to answer his morpher," Doctor K corrected. "It is of no matter; he is now a Ranger and he will be undergoing training."
Scott sighed. "Where is he?"
"Inside the training room. He resisted bonding."
In other words, he was like her, not Flynn or Scott. She remembered the aftermath of her own bonding, the power trying to attune itself on top of the sickening feelings caused by the paralyzing agent and what Doctor K had done.
"Let's go and meet him, then." He'd need support, she knew. He would probably be somewhat out of it for the rest of the day and probably into the next.
Doctor K opened the doors wordlessly and Summer hurried in. There was a young man, barely out of his teens - if that - huddled on the floor. She was surprised he wasn't rocking back and forth. "Hi," she said.
He glanced up. "Hi. Um."
"I'm Summer." Introducing herself was silly; he had to know who she was. But it might give him a little bit of normality in the whole thing, get him back on balance.
"Ziggy." He seemed to remember his manners, holding one hand out to shake.
"Hi, Ziggy. Pleased to meet you." She shook his hand. "This is Flynn, and Scott. How are you feeling?"
"Queasy." He managed a watery smile. "Um, I didn't just dream this whole thing, did I?"
"'Fraid not," she offered. "You're a Ranger like the rest of us. Want a hand up?"
"Don't know if I'm up to getting up yet," he said. "But thanks."
"I'll get him some food, it'll help," Flynn said. He headed towards the kitchen area.
Summer sat down next to him. "Breathe. It'll pass. Most of it, anyway." She wasn't going to lie to him about his new, deadly responsibility.
"I told the voice I didn't know how to fight," Ziggy said. "I should have run."
She saw the pain in his eyes, and was sure it reflected her own. She didn't know if she could tell him that it wouldn't have done him any good; there would probably have been a manhunt for him, even if he had managed to get out of the Garage. Doctor K would have subdued him before he reached the outside door.
Maybe Doctor K was a good person, but she wished he wasn't so determined to secure his Rangers by any means possible. And not bonding was almost as bad as bonding; he could have been brought in for any number of reasons once Doctor K recognized him as an unbonded Ranger, including being a danger to himself.
"I don't think you had a choice," Summer told him. "Doctor K wouldn't let an unbonded Ranger go. He'll do anything he can to force the bond."
Ziggy looked down at the morpher on his wrist. "I feel sick."
Summer wondered if he meant figuratively or literally. "Physically?"
"Kinda." Summer saw Scott move to get a trash can. Just in case.
When he returned, Scott said, "Look, I know it wasn't your choice. But we'll be here to support you."
Flynn was back too, with a soft granola bar. "Yeah. We'll do what we can to make it easier."
"Why me?" Ziggy asked plaintively. "I'm a confidence guy! I pick pockets! I can't fight!"
"The morpher chose you for a reason." Doctor K's voice was cold. "While I am unsure as to the reason, I doubt that it made an unwise choice."
Ziggy seemed to shiver, not taking the granola bar. Summer hoped he wouldn't try to starve himself. For all Doctor K was cold, he was fanatical about the health of his Rangers, trying to stave off the destruction the morphers brought and making sure that they stayed in shape. She'd never tried it, but she could well-imagine Doctor K's reaction. It would probably make what he did to force Ziggy's bond pale in comparison.
"Eat, man," Flynn said. "Summer felt better after eating afterwards, too."
The young man looked askance at her. "I didn't put it on by choice either," she said. "Doctor K did the same thing to me that he did to you."
"I should have ignored what I felt and stayed far away from this place," Ziggy moaned.
"Dunno if it would have made a difference," Flynn said. "Summer had the same urge, so did Scott. That's how Doctor K found 'em, even if they didn't make it in themselves like you did."
"And you had made repeated visits to the outside of this building," Doctor K said. "Despite your age, you would have been identified and brought in eventually."
Ziggy had been doomed from the start, they all knew it. "Age?" Scott asked.
"Ziggy Grover is a legal minor," Doctor K explained. "He is presently sixteen. Despite this, the needs of this city override that."
Scott winced. Like her, like Flynn, he felt that minors were there to be protected, not be put into battle. "He should be in school," he said, maybe hoping Doctor K would reconsider.
"Indeed. He seems to have dropped out. However, you do have a good point. I shall inform myself as to the nearest high school curriculum and make sure he recieves an education."
"It's going to kill me," Ziggy moaned. "Do you have to put me in school?"
"I am currently attempting to correct the morphers so they do not kill their users," Doctor K informed him. "Therefore, I will assume that you will live to need a high school education. And you will be receiving computer-aided instruction, as you will not be able to attend even the nearest school."
Ziggy just groaned. Summer hoped it was just the reaction from the drug talking. "You'd better eat," she said. "It will help, believe me."
He took the granola bar, unwrapping it with shaky hands. "What did I do to deserve this?" he asked.
"We don't know," Scott said, "But you're not alone."
Summer enveloped the teenager with a hug. "No, you're not alone. Not at all."
* * *
Ziggy scowled at the equation. It gave him something normal to do.
In the two weeks since he'd broken into Ranger HQ - boy, was he regretting following his impulses - Doctor K had set him up with a laptop, learning software, and a set of textbooks.
And a diet, and tons of training. He couldn't say he was thrilled about the whole thing. Knowing the morpher would have killed him if he hadn't answered the call didn't mean that he was happy about having to defend the last of humanity and being potentially killed by said morpher.
At least Doctor K was trying to keep them from dying that way, and Ziggy was almost getting used to tests every two or three days, at least of the medical kind. Considering that Doctor K had forced him to bond, he might even be willing to forgive the scientist for it, because he, like the others, agreed that Doctor K might have been doing it to keep them from dying. At least that way.
Which didn't mean any of them wanted to be Rangers, at least like this. The others would have probably accepted the morphers regardless. He was more sensible, but even he had to admit it wasn't so bad.
Of course, he could have done without being paralyzed and forced to bond. And he kind of hated being forced to submit to testing and training and having to be available all the time, no matter what. But he liked the others, and he was even beginning to tolerate Doctor K.
"Computer giving you a hard time?" Flynn asked casually.
"This equation is," Ziggy said, turning the laptop so his colleague could see it. He was sure it was easy, but it had been a long time since he'd tried to do any kind of algebra. Doctor K had said he was smart for his age and really needed to just catch up with things. "I swear, Doctor K is sadistic. In more ways than one. Sometimes I just don't wanna do homework, you know? Especially since I'm probably not going to live to apply it."
"ZIggy, lad, there's stuff that nobody of us wants to do." Flynn was grinning. "Sometimes I think that if Doctor K had just asked, there'd be plenty of people who were willing to take these morphers on. As it was, even I got upset at him, early on."
"'Bout what?" Ziggy asked. He had to wonder how someone got Flynn ticked off.
"I didn't want to be poked and prodded. That was the early days, of course, and of course Doctor K was trying to get the whole thing going and figure out why only certain people were being called. So, I went on a hunger strike."
Ziggy's eyes widened. "What happened?"
"Well, let's just say that Doctor K wasn't too happy about it. You can probably guess what he did - 'twasn't too much fun to spend time practically face down on the floor while he had a servo run me an IV. That paralyzing agent that he uses is nasty stuff, as you and Summer found out."
Wincing at that, Ziggy was glad he'd never really protested in any significant way. You didn't piss powerful people off, he knew that. He wished he'd remembered that before he'd ended up on the floor bonded to his morpher, but things happened. He enjoyed the food, the others weren't bad company, he was on the right side of the law, and of course, no matter how much he complained, it wasn't a bad life. Sure, he didn't want to do homework, not seeing the point if he wasn't going to live, but he wasn't not going to do it. He knew better than to push.
"Ouch," he said, simply. "Yeah, I don't think I'll try that." Even if all that might happen was that Doctor K grounded him.
"Good idea. Now, let's look at that equation, shall we?"
Ziggy looked at him, then cracked a smile. Maybe things weren't so bad after all.
And an AU to this AU can be found here.
The man was trying to pick the lock. Doctor K would have normally summoned the military, but she had chosen not to. There was something in the man's demeanor that said that he was a testing candidate, and therefore she was going to test him.
She let him unlock the door and slip inside, tensely watching him. He showed no awareness of being watched, though he did glance around, careful not to make a noise. She'd already opened the doors to where the uniforms are, hoping he'd get close.
He didn't disappoint, and neither did the uniform. Her view of the room showed the Green uniform was pulsing softly. He walked towards it as hypnotized, as her other three Rangers had, and she expected that he would trigger the morpher recognition sequence shortly.
The morpher landing on his foot seemed to draw him out of his reverie, and he looked around wildly. She keyed the door closed before he had a chance to leave, trapping him in the room. Like the others, he had no choice in the matter, and the sooner he recognized that, the better. He wouldn't be allowed to leave until he bonded with his morpher.
"Stay where you are," she ordered. "Put on the morpher."
"Huh? What?" He looked around. "Um. I really don't think-"
"You will not leave this room until your bonding," she stated flatly. She'd had to do the same thing with Ranger Yellow - the woman had not wanted to bond - and she was fortunate that the elder Truman could order his son to bond with his morpher. With Ranger Blue, she'd gotten lucky that he was one of the first test subjects in Corinth.
Few people seemed willing to bond with the morphers, given there was a good chance they'd die, their bodies altered until they could no longer live. Everybody knew that the morphers had the side effects, and nobody seemed willing to risk being a Morpher's choice.
Unfortunately for them, the Morphers had chosen. Even if they never fought a Grinder, they'd eventually die. And even if they never answered the call, they'd die too.
"I'm really sorry, put me in jail, don't make me bond! I'm a confidence man, not a fighter." The man had his hands in front of him.
"Your lack of fighting ability doesn't matter," she informed him. "The morpher has chosen, and you must bond."
"I'm happy to get others in here, if you want, but I don't wanna-"
"It doesn't matter. The morpher has chosen. You can either bond by choice, or I can paralyze you and force the bond." She'd had to do with Ranger Yellow, though Yellow had eventually come around.
And even before that, as upset as the others had been, they'd at least seen the value of preserving their own lives. Plus, they'd eventually settled into being Rangers.
There was a look in the man's eyes and he straightened. "Then you're gonna have to paralyze me, because I'm not putting that thing on."
She sighed. "As you wish." She aimed a paralyzing dart into the back of the man's neck; it would deliver a powerful enough agent, even if it might take a while.
Watching him struggle, she was glad there was nothing currently breakable in there. She isolated him just in case while he tried to resist the agent.
But finally, he succumbed to it. It had taken longer than she expected.
She directed her servos to the spot where the morpher had fallen, and had them pick it up and take it to where her newest Ranger lay. The servo pressed it to his wrist, letting it form straps, and then activating the bonding sequence.
Doctor K knew he'd be upset, but it didn't matter. He'd come around as the others had, and save the world.
It wasn't as if he had any choice.
* * *
As soon as the three of them were in the Garage, Doctor K's screen lit up. While Summer understood the doctor's desire to keep Corinth alive even if it meant sacrificing the three of them, she rarely liked dealing with him. "Rangers," the screen said, "We have a new Ranger Green."
Summer wondered what had happened; usually the doctor didn't test people unless the Rangers and some military personnel were there; that's how it had been for her. She'd been brought in for testing and upon finding the morpher responded to her, Doctor K had ordered her to bond.
She'd refused. Told Doctor K that she would rather spend her life in prison than bond. She knew, like the rest of the population, that the Rangers used devices that could save the world, but would kill them in the process. And that the morphers took to some people more than others.
That's when Doctor K had taken things into his own hands, paralyzed her, and forced the bond. Sure, the Rangers got excellent medical care, were the priority when it came to medical matters. But it didn't mean that their suits and powers weren't going to eventually tear them apart.
Of course, the morpher would have killed her anyway for not responding to the call, but she hadn't learned that until after she joined the team. Sometimes Summer wondered if she didn't prefer to have never been discovered. Then again, as much as Summer didn't like her situation, there was a city to save. They were humanity's saviors, after all, and while she didn't like Doctor K, she would save the world even if it killed her.
"What did we miss?" Scott asked.
"The young man in question decided to attempt to force his way in; I facilitated his arrival, as I detected certain characteristics in his demeanor that indicated he might be a successful candidate."
"In other words," Flynn said, "You caught a burglar."
"I believe that he was using otherwise criminal skills in order to answer his morpher," Doctor K corrected. "It is of no matter; he is now a Ranger and he will be undergoing training."
Scott sighed. "Where is he?"
"Inside the training room. He resisted bonding."
In other words, he was like her, not Flynn or Scott. She remembered the aftermath of her own bonding, the power trying to attune itself on top of the sickening feelings caused by the paralyzing agent and what Doctor K had done.
"Let's go and meet him, then." He'd need support, she knew. He would probably be somewhat out of it for the rest of the day and probably into the next.
Doctor K opened the doors wordlessly and Summer hurried in. There was a young man, barely out of his teens - if that - huddled on the floor. She was surprised he wasn't rocking back and forth. "Hi," she said.
He glanced up. "Hi. Um."
"I'm Summer." Introducing herself was silly; he had to know who she was. But it might give him a little bit of normality in the whole thing, get him back on balance.
"Ziggy." He seemed to remember his manners, holding one hand out to shake.
"Hi, Ziggy. Pleased to meet you." She shook his hand. "This is Flynn, and Scott. How are you feeling?"
"Queasy." He managed a watery smile. "Um, I didn't just dream this whole thing, did I?"
"'Fraid not," she offered. "You're a Ranger like the rest of us. Want a hand up?"
"Don't know if I'm up to getting up yet," he said. "But thanks."
"I'll get him some food, it'll help," Flynn said. He headed towards the kitchen area.
Summer sat down next to him. "Breathe. It'll pass. Most of it, anyway." She wasn't going to lie to him about his new, deadly responsibility.
"I told the voice I didn't know how to fight," Ziggy said. "I should have run."
She saw the pain in his eyes, and was sure it reflected her own. She didn't know if she could tell him that it wouldn't have done him any good; there would probably have been a manhunt for him, even if he had managed to get out of the Garage. Doctor K would have subdued him before he reached the outside door.
Maybe Doctor K was a good person, but she wished he wasn't so determined to secure his Rangers by any means possible. And not bonding was almost as bad as bonding; he could have been brought in for any number of reasons once Doctor K recognized him as an unbonded Ranger, including being a danger to himself.
"I don't think you had a choice," Summer told him. "Doctor K wouldn't let an unbonded Ranger go. He'll do anything he can to force the bond."
Ziggy looked down at the morpher on his wrist. "I feel sick."
Summer wondered if he meant figuratively or literally. "Physically?"
"Kinda." Summer saw Scott move to get a trash can. Just in case.
When he returned, Scott said, "Look, I know it wasn't your choice. But we'll be here to support you."
Flynn was back too, with a soft granola bar. "Yeah. We'll do what we can to make it easier."
"Why me?" Ziggy asked plaintively. "I'm a confidence guy! I pick pockets! I can't fight!"
"The morpher chose you for a reason." Doctor K's voice was cold. "While I am unsure as to the reason, I doubt that it made an unwise choice."
Ziggy seemed to shiver, not taking the granola bar. Summer hoped he wouldn't try to starve himself. For all Doctor K was cold, he was fanatical about the health of his Rangers, trying to stave off the destruction the morphers brought and making sure that they stayed in shape. She'd never tried it, but she could well-imagine Doctor K's reaction. It would probably make what he did to force Ziggy's bond pale in comparison.
"Eat, man," Flynn said. "Summer felt better after eating afterwards, too."
The young man looked askance at her. "I didn't put it on by choice either," she said. "Doctor K did the same thing to me that he did to you."
"I should have ignored what I felt and stayed far away from this place," Ziggy moaned.
"Dunno if it would have made a difference," Flynn said. "Summer had the same urge, so did Scott. That's how Doctor K found 'em, even if they didn't make it in themselves like you did."
"And you had made repeated visits to the outside of this building," Doctor K said. "Despite your age, you would have been identified and brought in eventually."
Ziggy had been doomed from the start, they all knew it. "Age?" Scott asked.
"Ziggy Grover is a legal minor," Doctor K explained. "He is presently sixteen. Despite this, the needs of this city override that."
Scott winced. Like her, like Flynn, he felt that minors were there to be protected, not be put into battle. "He should be in school," he said, maybe hoping Doctor K would reconsider.
"Indeed. He seems to have dropped out. However, you do have a good point. I shall inform myself as to the nearest high school curriculum and make sure he recieves an education."
"It's going to kill me," Ziggy moaned. "Do you have to put me in school?"
"I am currently attempting to correct the morphers so they do not kill their users," Doctor K informed him. "Therefore, I will assume that you will live to need a high school education. And you will be receiving computer-aided instruction, as you will not be able to attend even the nearest school."
Ziggy just groaned. Summer hoped it was just the reaction from the drug talking. "You'd better eat," she said. "It will help, believe me."
He took the granola bar, unwrapping it with shaky hands. "What did I do to deserve this?" he asked.
"We don't know," Scott said, "But you're not alone."
Summer enveloped the teenager with a hug. "No, you're not alone. Not at all."
* * *
Ziggy scowled at the equation. It gave him something normal to do.
In the two weeks since he'd broken into Ranger HQ - boy, was he regretting following his impulses - Doctor K had set him up with a laptop, learning software, and a set of textbooks.
And a diet, and tons of training. He couldn't say he was thrilled about the whole thing. Knowing the morpher would have killed him if he hadn't answered the call didn't mean that he was happy about having to defend the last of humanity and being potentially killed by said morpher.
At least Doctor K was trying to keep them from dying that way, and Ziggy was almost getting used to tests every two or three days, at least of the medical kind. Considering that Doctor K had forced him to bond, he might even be willing to forgive the scientist for it, because he, like the others, agreed that Doctor K might have been doing it to keep them from dying. At least that way.
Which didn't mean any of them wanted to be Rangers, at least like this. The others would have probably accepted the morphers regardless. He was more sensible, but even he had to admit it wasn't so bad.
Of course, he could have done without being paralyzed and forced to bond. And he kind of hated being forced to submit to testing and training and having to be available all the time, no matter what. But he liked the others, and he was even beginning to tolerate Doctor K.
"Computer giving you a hard time?" Flynn asked casually.
"This equation is," Ziggy said, turning the laptop so his colleague could see it. He was sure it was easy, but it had been a long time since he'd tried to do any kind of algebra. Doctor K had said he was smart for his age and really needed to just catch up with things. "I swear, Doctor K is sadistic. In more ways than one. Sometimes I just don't wanna do homework, you know? Especially since I'm probably not going to live to apply it."
"ZIggy, lad, there's stuff that nobody of us wants to do." Flynn was grinning. "Sometimes I think that if Doctor K had just asked, there'd be plenty of people who were willing to take these morphers on. As it was, even I got upset at him, early on."
"'Bout what?" Ziggy asked. He had to wonder how someone got Flynn ticked off.
"I didn't want to be poked and prodded. That was the early days, of course, and of course Doctor K was trying to get the whole thing going and figure out why only certain people were being called. So, I went on a hunger strike."
Ziggy's eyes widened. "What happened?"
"Well, let's just say that Doctor K wasn't too happy about it. You can probably guess what he did - 'twasn't too much fun to spend time practically face down on the floor while he had a servo run me an IV. That paralyzing agent that he uses is nasty stuff, as you and Summer found out."
Wincing at that, Ziggy was glad he'd never really protested in any significant way. You didn't piss powerful people off, he knew that. He wished he'd remembered that before he'd ended up on the floor bonded to his morpher, but things happened. He enjoyed the food, the others weren't bad company, he was on the right side of the law, and of course, no matter how much he complained, it wasn't a bad life. Sure, he didn't want to do homework, not seeing the point if he wasn't going to live, but he wasn't not going to do it. He knew better than to push.
"Ouch," he said, simply. "Yeah, I don't think I'll try that." Even if all that might happen was that Doctor K grounded him.
"Good idea. Now, let's look at that equation, shall we?"
Ziggy looked at him, then cracked a smile. Maybe things weren't so bad after all.
And an AU to this AU can be found here.
