"Tell me what brought you to KO-35 in the first place," she invited, giving the camera a quick glance to make sure the field of view was positioned properly. "We certainly don't see visiting Rangers often."

"I came at the request of one of my teammates," Kyril said easily. "Saryn was concerned about Border security and asked me to accompany him on his trip."

"Did Saryn of Elisia have business on KO-35?"

"Personal business," Kyril agreed. "His wife knows most of the Kerovan Rangers quite well, as I'm sure you're aware. She came to visit friends."

"And Saryn came because she did?" Kristet inquired politely.

Kyril didn't miss her implication. He considered that question carefully before answering, "I'm sure Saryn also enjoyed the chance to see his friends and former teammates again. His primary concern, however, was his wife's health and safety, which is why he asked me to join them."

"Yes, you mentioned concerns about Border security. Are those concerns specific to KO-35?"

"Of course not," Kyril said smoothly. "The Border is dangerous: a military zone only recently reoccupied and still under siege on several fronts is no place for an unescorted ambassadorial shuttle. Our destination had nothing to do with our travel arrangements."

"So despite the danger, you still felt a personal mission was appropriate for a woman in uncertain health?"

Kyril gave her an odd look. "There's nothing uncertain about Cassie's health."

"She's eight months pregnant, isn't she?" Kristet shot a sideways glance at her notes. "As I understand it, she's been through one physical stress after another since her pregnancy began. It seems as though the last thing she or her children need is a journey through one of the most dangerous places in League territory simply to visit some friends."

"If you ever face the choice for yourself," Kyril replied, "I suppose you will be fortunate to have already made the decision."

Interesting that his speech echoed with Eltaran formality when he was answering her questions. He had no hint of an accent in casual conversation, and she wondered exactly what protocol dictated when discussing the history of a ghost. Not a starter question, certainly.

"You referred to Saryn as your teammate," she noted, switching tracks and indulging in some personal curiosity at the same time. "Not as your team leader?"

"You're correct," Kyril said with a small smile. "I did refer to him as my teammate."

He didn't fluster easily; she'd give him that. "Is that because Saryn is no longer the leader of the Elisian Rangers?" she asked, point blank.

"I'm not going to discuss internal politics with you," Kyril replied just as frankly.

"Is it a matter of politics, then?"

His expression didn't change. "I'm not going to discuss semantics, either."

No, not easily at all.

"Tell me about your continued presence here on KO-35, then," she suggested. "If the destination had nothing to do with your travel arrangements, then surely the trip back to Elisia is just as dangerous as the one that brought you here?"

"Saryn and Cassie were met by a Defense patrol at the edge of the Kerovan system," Kyril told her. "If a full patrol can't protect them, I fail to see what you expect a single zord to do in the event of an emergency."

She hadn't known they were being met by a Defense patrol, but she didn't tell him that. "Do you believe that you can be of more assistance here?"

Kyril thought about that for a moment. He wasn't at all self-conscious about his replies; he took the time he needed for what he had to say and he made no apology for it. It made him an excellent speaker, but at the same time a difficult person to startle information out of.

"I think that my absence from Elisia will not be detrimental to the team," he said at last. "As long as that is true, I am free to go anywhere I am welcome."

He cocked his head at her, and she opened her mouth to reassure him before she realized what he had done. She smiled just a little, acknowledging his reproof without responding to it. "We were certainly glad of your help today," she said instead. "I hope you're not staying because you expect another attack like this one."

"I, too, hope for no repetition of today's events," Kyril said smoothly. He didn't answer her unspoken question.

A clatter from the middle of the room made her look up, though she noticed that Kyril didn't turn until she did. Ashley was staring down at a stool that lay on its side on the floor. She held a plate in one hand and a tumbler in another, and she was looking at the offending piece of furniture as though it had just turned into something inexplicable.

"That," she announced to no one in particular, "was totally uncalled for."

Then she glanced in Kristet's direction and added, "Sorry." She didn't sound very apologetic, but then, Kristet still wasn't sure what had happened.

"I think there's a law that calls for it," Kerone said helpfully, setting her own plate down on the table and seating herself without making any move to help Ashley. "The law of gravity. It says that when you kick something, it falls."

"I didn't kick it," Ashley protested. The words sounded half-hearted at best, and she was still staring down at the overturned stool. "I just tried to pull it out from the table."

"With your foot," Kerone added.

"With my foot," Ashley agreed. "I think I'll eat standing up."

Kerone rolled her eyes, lifting her tumbler to her mouth. As she set the glass down, though, she gave an off-handed wave in the direction of the stool. It righted itself in a silent shower of violet sparkles, and Ashley dropped onto it as though she had expected no less.

"Thank you," the Yellow Ranger said belatedly, giving her teammate a tired smile. "Bending over never seemed like so much work."

It had been a long day for all of them, but Kristet hadn't realized they were just as exhausted as she was. No wonder Kyril was stonewalling her. She thought to ask if he would just postpone the interview, but then she heard Andros' voice in the hallway.

Time to make her escape. "I'd better go," she murmured, reaching for her camera and glancing around to make sure she hadn't set anything else down. "Thanks very much for your time, Ranger Kyril."

He gave her an amused look, but inclined his head gravely. "It was my pleasure. Thank you for your attention."

Would that everyone she interviewed was so polite!

She was getting to her feet as Andros strode into the holding bay, Zhane at his shoulder. His eye fell on her first--of course--and then went to the camera in her hands. Before he could say anything, though, the Silver Ranger spoke up.

"Cricket, turn that damn thing off." The words were belligerent, but his tone was nothing more than tired. "The whole world doesn't have to watch us eat dinner."

She tilted the camera down, dropping the receiver toward the floor. When she caught Andros' narrowed eyes, though, she sighed and switched the device off.

"Where do you think you're going?" Zhane wanted to know. He put out a hand and caught her arm, making her flinch as she tried to slip past him. "All the interesting people are here."

She hesitated, not sure what to make of that. "I was just going back to the surface," she said uncertainly.

"What, you're not hungry?" Zhane looked incredulous at the mere thought. "DECA's food may not be the best, but it's sure better than nothing. Don't tell her I said so," he added confidentially.

"Well, I..." Was he inviting her to join them? What was she supposed to say to that? What if he wasn't? "I just thought you'd want to--be alone, for a while."

"We are alone," Zhane said firmly. "Come on, after today the least we can do is feed you."

When she didn't protest, Zhane took her elbow and started to guide her across the bay. She shot a covert look in Andros' direction, but he had turned his back on them and was pulling out a stool next to Ashley. Ashley smiled briefly in her direction before being distracted by Andros, and Kerone too gave her a friendly wave.

Kyril was sitting at the end of the table, between Ashley and Kerone, and he appeared to be inspecting something on Kerone's plate. Behind him, arms folded and staring straight ahead, Ty was leaning against the platform in front of the jump tubes. He didn't say anything or look at anyone, but he had been like that since before she had arrived and no one else seemed to mind. So she did her best to ignore it.

"This is the synthetron," Zhane was telling her. "It looks like your garden variety tech-y food producer, but it's actually highly unpredictable and a little dangerous, depending on what you ask for. That's because DECA sometimes takes it over and 'modifies' it. No good ever comes from her self-improvement subroutines."

She managed a smile, aware that he was trying to make her more comfortable with his jokes. She couldn't help worrying, though--her husband hadn't heard a word from her since just after the attack, when she had called to let him know she was all right. She really should contact him now, especially since she didn't seem any closer to leaving than she had been then.

Not that she wanted to leave! But he was probably out of his mind with impatience, and she couldn't just call him in the middle of the Rangers. Neither could she leave the room, because she wasn't sure she'd have enough confidence to walk back in here without Zhane steering her around.

"And that's all there is to it," Zhane concluded cheerfully. He removed a plate from the synthetron and inspected it with mock-suspicion. "Wow, she's in a good mood tonight. You might be in luck after all."

"I need to call my husband," she blurted out.

So much for professionalism. Zhane gave her an odd look, and she wished she could erase those last few words and try again. Here she was, on the Rangers' battleship, surrounded by a team of teenage superheroes, joining them for dinner as though it was nothing out of the ordinary. And she needed to call her husband.

"Sure," Zhane said easily, smiling as though she hadn't just rebuffed every effort he made at hospitality. "Do you have a comm, or do you want to use the Megaship's?"

Wouldn't that be something... she could just imagine his reaction if she called from the Megaship, with the Ranger logo appearing in front of her transmission and the interior of a battleship in the background. Actually--no, she couldn't imagine it. Which was too bad.

"I have my own." She gave him her best combination of apologetic and grateful, hoping against hope that he would understand. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, and honestly dinner sounds really good right now--"

"Hey, you don't have to join us," Zhane said, holding up his free hand in a warding off gesture. "I just thought--"

"I want to," she said quickly. "I really want to join you; I just have to call my husband first. I'll just--can I just go out in the hallway for a moment?"

"Sure." He waved her off, heading toward the table to join the others. "Take as long as you need."

She swallowed, hoping desperately that she hadn't ruined whatever chance he had just tried to give her. It had been a horribly long day, and she was riding a roller coaster of adrenaline and emotion. Elation over the news briefs she'd been able to get out, horror as the true nature of the attack had become clear, disappointment that she wasn't getting everything she had hoped.

Was she doing beautifully or abominably? She couldn't tell anymore; it was just too much. Too much happening, too much threatening, too many people, too many things to remember. It was easily the longest day she'd ever had.

Slipping out into the hallway, she loosed the bracelet from her wrist and deactivated its auto-record function. It would still log her transmission, but the pan-surround recording interfered with the signal strength. And from orbit, with multiple satellite platforms disabled or destroyed by the battle, she suspected she was going to need all the signal strength she could get.

As soon as she turned off the camera in her bracelet, the cascade sequence activated one in her necklace. She tugged it free absently, letting the little device rest over top of her shirt.

"Where are you?"

She couldn't see his face, but she could picture it when he asked the first question she had expected. "I'm on the Megaship," she said, and she could hear the tired smile in her voice. "I'm going to eat something, and then I'll be home. I promise."

"You're on the Megaship," he repeated, as though trying to process that information. "You're on the Astro Megaship?"

"I've been interviewing anyone who'll go on the record. Are you watching the news?"

"Who isn't?" he retorted. "K-Wind is really talking you up. You should hear the things they're saying about you. You could be the next Power Ranger for all their praise."

A small, rueful smile was all she could manage. "It's not quite like that. I'm... let's just say I'm lucky to be here at all. Very lucky."

"How are you?" he asked, his tone softening immediately. There was a hint of humor when he suggested, "Long day at the office?"

"Don't I wish," she said with a sigh. But she didn't, not really. This was a dream come true... it was just that the full force of a dream coming true in the space of a few hours was a lot more than she had expected.

"Promise me you'll be home by tomorrow," he said, voice still gentle. He must be really worried.

"I promise," she repeated obediently.

"Remember where we live?" he teased.

She made a token effort at thinking back. She could usually keep a few days straight in her mind at once--easily enough to remember where she had come from in the morning and where she was going in the evening. But too much had happened today, or maybe she was just too tired.

"No," she said truthfully. "But I'll find you." It wouldn't be hard; her address was stored in every piece of equipment she owned.

"Good," he answered. "I'll be waiting."

And he would, she had no doubt. She couldn't remember how long he had waited in the past, or when he had first started waiting for her, or even what he was doing now that made it possible for him to wait. But he waited anyway, and she came home instead of going back to the institution, and she would never be able to tell him how much that was worth.

"I love you," she murmured, and she could feel his warmth and concern in the reply.

"I love you too."

It was worth everything to her.

The holding bay was disconcertingly silent when she poked her head in the doorway. No one was talking, just eating... although, as she watched, Ashley and Andros got into a brief silverware scuffle that seemed to involve his stealing food from her plate. She just watched, too tired to be surprised that Andros could do something so--childish.

She was sure she hadn't done anything to give away her presence, but when she looked around she saw Zhane looking back at her. He caught her eye and pointed, first at her, then at the synthetron, and finally at the empty seat beside him. The seat at the end of the table: between him and Andros. Wonderful.

On the other hand, she was deeply relieved that she hadn't offended him by interrupting him at the synthetron. She glanced over at Ty, but the Black Ranger hadn't moved from his position by the stairs. So she made her way over to the synthetron as quietly as she could, knowing only that she didn't want to be the one to break the silence.

The synthetron. She couldn't express how glad she was that it had a manual interface, because she hadn't been paying the slightest attention when Zhane explained it earlier. She wasn't good with anything she didn't use daily. There was a synthetron at work, but for the most part she avoided it. It was hard to remember the appropriate order for the buttons and impossible to memorize each system's different verbal cues.

After poking a few buttons almost at random, she worked out the input order for the first two commands. The last one she got on the first try, and it might have made her smile if it she didn't feel like everyone was watching her. She was *not* good with these things.

When she opened the door, though, something that looked edible was sitting inside, and that was really all she asked at this point. She turned tentatively, not sure she could face the walk over to the table, but at that moment Zhane nudged Kerone and snapped his fingers over her plate. He turned his closed hand over and opened it, apparently revealing something inside.

Kerone giggled, Ashley reached out to take whatever it was, and Kristet felt a little less conspicuous as she settled down at the only empty place at the table. Ashley smiled over at her, and at the other end of the table, Kyril nodded in acknowledgement. She meant to keep her mouth shut, but she couldn't help jumping when someone kicked her under the table.

Eyes wide and guileless, Zhane gave her a disarming look. "Sorry," he apologized. "That was meant for Andros."

She stared at him, and then it occurred to her to look at Andros. He was regarding Zhane with an expression of pointed exasperation, and for some reason Ashley laughed. "There's the Look," the Yellow Ranger kidded gently, nudging Andros' arm with her wrist. "I thought you'd forgotten how to do it."

"It's not something he learned," Zhane put in, winking at Kristet. "It's instinctive. I don't think it can be forgotten."

Andros didn't answer, but the annoyed look had faded from his face and he studied his food intently. "Defense mechanism," Zhane whispered loudly, leaning in Kristet's direction.

Andros lifted his head and looked Zhane straight in the eye. "Shut up," he said, very clearly but with no malice behind the words.

Zhane just smiled, and they stared at each other for a long moment. Whatever Zhane wouldn't say about sharing thoughts, there was something between them. Of course, telepathy wasn't the only explanation--everyone knew they had been involved, years ago. What were they to each other now?

"I'd just like to say," Ashley remarked idly, her tone muted and her gaze not directed at anyone in particular, "that it doesn't matter to me who eats and who doesn't." She glanced pointedly at Andros and Kyril's empty places. "But if you think I'm going to wait around after we're done, just so you can finish eating something you started late, you're so, so wrong."

"Bed," Zhane agreed, as though he had been listening to her all along. He was looking down at his plate now, and Andros was giving Ashley an amused look. "I'm going to have a long tour of my bed as soon as I finish eating, and the world can just save itself until I wake up."

With a sigh, Andros pushed himself to his feet. He took something else off of Ashley's plate, apparently to fortify himself for the long trip to the synthetron, and turned away. His eye caught Kristet's, very briefly, and she could have imagined it but she thought she saw the corner of his mouth quirk in acknowledgement.

"Sleeping sounds better and better the more you talk about it," Kerone said, with a sigh to echo Andros'.

Zhane gave her a horrified look. "Now I know I've been awake too long--I've started to hallucinate! Did you just say that you were thinking about sleeping?"

"No," Kerone said with a small smile. "I just said it sounded nice. Is there anything else you can overdramatize for me, while you're at it?"

"The nature of the universe," Zhane said promptly.

Kristet considered him with no little amount of surprise. He looked as tired as any of them, and yet he didn't seem to be slowing down. It wasn't as though he was trying to maintain a conversation... he let them all lapse in to silence when they wanted to, and he didn't insist that anyone respond to him. But when it came to speaking himself, he seemed irrepressible.

"What about the nature of the universe," Kerone said, her voice very calm and bordering on apathetic, "can you possibly overdramatize?"

Zhane looked very proud of himself. "It exists."

Kerone looked at him for a moment, then went back to her food without answering. Kyril, on the other hand, looked intrigued. "You believe that the existence of the universe is a dramatization?"

Zhane shrugged. "I don't know about you, but it makes my life easier to explain," he quipped.

Ashley murmured something about Kinwon as Andros returned, and the Red Ranger paused. "I already talked to Lethwin about the network," he said, almost as quietly.

Kerone was frowning ferociously at them. "No Council talk at the table," she warned.

Ashley looked up at stuck her tongue out at the other girl. Kerone's fingers glowed, and she tossed a puff of sparkles across the table. They fragmented and dissolved before they reached Ashley, like tossing sand into the wind, but her exasperation was clear.

"I wonder--" Kyril held out his hand, palm out, in Kerone's direction. "Would you do that again?"

She frowned again, but she threw sparkles at him without any other outward sign of protest. They broke over his outstretched hand and twinkled off into nothingness. Kerone just looked at him until he withdrew his hand.

"I thought magic didn't work on you," she said, when it didn't look like he would comment.

"It works," he replied cryptically. "When I concentrate."

"The cloaking effect?"

He nodded once.

Kristet had no idea what they were talking about, but she wasn't about to demand an explanation. This whole situation was surreal enough without forcing legends to react to her in some way. And on top of everything else, the food was very good. If she weren't so unbelievably tired, she would be wondering when she was going to wake up.

"How much of the planet's surface can DECA effectively monitor?"

"She can monitor the entire planet," Ashley answered. "If there's a quantron incursion anywhere on KO-35, she'll know about it instantly."

"And how is the Megaship's computer programmed to respond to those 'incursions'?" Kristet wanted to know.

"Her first priority is to alert us, of course. As soon as she's done that--or attempted to do it, if for some reason it's impossible--she either receives instructions from one of the Rangers or makes a judgement call based on the information available to her."

"A judgement call," Kristet repeated. "I'd like to come back to that, but first I should ask: did DECA alert you to the presence of quantrons on the ground today?"

"Before I answer that," Ashley said with a small smile, "I should explain that the quantrons don't have to be on the ground before DECA can detect them. She monitors atmospheric incursion as well as terrestrial, and typically she has access to all of the system sentries in addition to that. So she can actually see invaders coming before they enter the solar system."

"That advance warning didn't seem to do much good today," Kristet pointed out, watching Ashley's reaction carefully. She wasn't sure how far she could push, but it wasn't her job to ask the easy questions.

"No, it didn't." Ashley gave every appearance of sincere regret, no other expression evident on her face. "Unfortunately, DECA was offline for scheduled maintenance this morning and was unable to sound the alarm."

That was a rehearsed line if Kristet had ever heard one. "How often is that kind of maintenance scheduled?" she asked, hoping that hadn't sounded quite as sarcastic as she thought it had.

"Not often." Ashley didn't bat an eye at her tone. "Normally, of course, there's a backup system that allows the Megaship's scanners to continue supporting the system sentries in DECA's absence, but today even that wouldn't have done any good."

Kristet couldn't help but approve. Ashley had just, very subtly, pointed out that it wasn't just the Rangers' job to monitor the system. There were several other lines of defense that had also failed, and by tomorrow there would be militia and Council leaders lining up to find out why. In the meantime, she followed Ashley's prompt.

"Why not?" Kristet inquired obediently.

"Because most of today's velocifighters didn't pass the system sentries. There was no warning that they were coming until they were here, and by that time the entire planet was under siege."

"How could they not have passed the system sentries?" Kristet tried to call to mind any working knowledge of the sentry network and failed. They would need to start having pre-interview interviews if she was going to keep doing this.

"I won't be able to answer that until we've conferred with the Planetary Defense," Ashley said smoothly. It was impossible to tell whether she actually didn't know or was just refusing to say.

It was an impressive deflection, but Kristet couldn't avoid the obvious. "If there was no warning today, what's to keep this kind of attack from happening again?"

"If we could dictate the actions of evil," Ashley said ruefully, "this job would be a lot easier. And if I could instantly coordinate with everyone involved in defending this planet, I could answer that question now. But all I can tell you at the moment is that we'll do whatever we have to keep KO-35 safe. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, you'll know as much as we do about what that is."

Kristet nodded slightly, acknowledging not only the words but Ashley's desire to stop answering questions. "In the meantime," she said, hoping the Yellow Ranger understood that she was almost done, "would you care to elaborate on your comment about the ability of the Megaship's computer to 'judge' a situation?"

Ashley's shoulder twitched, apparently on the verge of a shrug when she caught herself. "DECA has more tactical expertise than the rest of us combined, not to mention thousands of hours in battle situations. I'd say she's pretty qualified to make strategic decisions."

"That's part of her programming, then?" Kristet pressed. "The ability to assess a battle situation and evaluate potential outcomes?"

Ashley frowned a little. "It's something she's qualified to do, yes. I don't know that much about her programming, but this is a battleship. I assume some of her basic programming included..." She trailed off, then suggested, "Battle leadership ability?"

She was definitely tired. That was the first time Ashley had hesitated on camera all day. "It sounds as though you consider DECA to be more than the sum of her programming," Kristet said carefully.

"Sure." Ashley gave her a bright smile, as though that was an easy one. "Aren't we all?"

Kristet couldn't help smiling back, but she had to point out, "There are people on both sides of the AI debate that would disagree with you."

"I'm not talking about AIs," Ashley countered. "Just DECA. She's self-aware and deserves to be recognized as her own person."

"What would you say to someone who asked you to prove that DECA is a sentient life form?" Kristet wondered aloud.

Ashley just stared at her, and Kristet immediately regretted asking. It wasn't topical, and she shouldn't have let her personal curiosity keep her from ending the interview. Ashley wasn't the only one whose adrenaline reserve was draining fast. The Yellow Ranger had gotten a faraway look that said she was considering the question, though, so Kristet let the silence stretch out.

Suddenly Ashley smiled, and for just a moment it looked just like Zhane's grin. "Prove that you are," she said impishly, and Kristet blinked.

"That's what I'd say," Ashley added, as though she might not have understood. "If someone asked me to prove that DECA is a sentient life form, I'd ask them to prove that they are first. It's not as easy as you'd think."

"Interesting answer," Kristet said automatically, but she was amused and she knew it showed. "Thanks for taking the time, Ranger Ashley."

"You're welcome," Ashley chirped, clearly revitalized by her inspiration. "Is that all?"

Kristet tilted the camera down at the floor, considering. "Off the record," she said at last, "did you mean what you said about 'this time tomorrow'?"

"About telling you what we're doing to prevent an attack?" Ashley wrinkled her nose, but she nodded immediately. "Yeah. Andros is meeting with Marsie first thing tomorrow morning. There should be some kind of revised defense in place by tomorrow night. We didn't think Dark Spectre would be able to shift so many velocifighters at once."

"Dark Spectre?" Kristet repeated, startled. She had a hard time keeping up with current events, but she was sure she would have heard that name recently if it was still important. Pretty sure, anyway...

Ashley made another face. This one looked more apologetic than anything. "Maybe you'd better go talk to Andros," she offered. "I don't know how much he and Marsie want to say right now."

"I'd rather talk to you," Kristet said wryly, and to her gratification, Ashley laughed.

"He's not so bad when he's tired," the Yellow Ranger promised. "Unlike the rest of us. He should be on the Bridge with Zhane... down the hall to your left."

Kristet thanked her, but Ashley's voice stopped her before she could reach the door. "You might want to turn off your camera first," she called. "He doesn't like them sneaking up on him."

It was easy to see why. She seemed to have some sort of Bad Timing curse when it came to the Red and Silver Rangers. She might not know what was between them, but at this rate she was going to find out whether they told her or not. She would probably walk in on them as they declared their everlasting love--or broke up for good. Who knew?

What was she supposed to do in this situation? This wasn't one that came up in journalism school, unfortunately. What to do when the Red Ranger was leaning, a breath away from his erstwhile boyfriend, arms braced to either side of the console and Zhane not looking too unhappy about being trapped. When the Silver Ranger was holding up said console with a deliberately casual posture, but a look in his eyes that could only be called seductive?

"I think you have something that belongs to me," Andros was telling his... friend? Boyfriend? Lover? Why did they never notice her until it was too late?

"Yeah?" Zhane was actually facing her, but he didn't seem to care about looking anywhere other than at Andros. "What's it worth to you?"

"You'd be surprised," Andros said softly. She hadn't thought they could get any closer, but never let it be said that there was something Andros couldn't do.

Zhane laughed at him. It wouldn't have been her first reaction to anything Andros said, and if she hadn't already been holding her breath she would have started now. "No," Zhane informed Andros anyway. "I don't think I would."

His gaze flicked over the Red Ranger's shoulder just as Andros leaned in to kiss him, and she saw him shift slightly. Zhane didn't push Andros away or try to avoid the kiss, but Andros pulled back instantly. He turned his head with a sigh, making no move to step away or even look over at her. "Hello, Cricket."

How did he know it was her? If it had been anyone but Andros, she would have pretended nothing had happened. But it was Andros, and she offered uncertainly, "Sorry to interrupt..."

Now he did look at her, turning sideways against the console beside Zhane. They were still hip to hip, not making more than the most token effort to acknowledge her presence. Andros held up his left hand, made a circle with his finger and a little "walk away" gesture. It would have been funny if he had been doing it to anyone else.

"I just have a few questions," she insisted, heartened by the fact that he had not forcibly thrown her out already.

Instead of snapping at her, Andros just sighed again. "I'm sure you do," he said, exchanging glances with Zhane.

Then, more conversationally, he added, "You should know that if I see myself kissing Zhane, on any newsnet anywhere, you won't have any more questions for me. Ever."

"Maybe you should be more careful about where you do it, then," she retorted before she thought. She closed her mouth abruptly and stared at him in consternation.

"Thanks a lot!" Zhane exclaimed, before Andros could make any kind of reply. "Do you know how long it's taken me to get him to loosen up this much? Why don't you just give him a complex while you're at it and save me the trouble!"

To her infinite surprise, this made Andros smile, and he actually shot her an amused look in the middle of Zhane's tirade. "He's had a long day," Andros said tolerantly, as though he were apologizing for the Silver Ranger's behavior. "You'll have to ignore him."

"Me!" Zhane could probably sound more indignant, but she wasn't sure how. He was practically sputtering. "I should be apologizing for you, you annoying, repressed... girl-lover!"

Completely contrary to her expectations, Andros burst out laughing. "Girl-lover!" he hooted. "You should talk--the biggest flirt on the planet! Is there anyone in Keyota you haven't hit on?"

Zhane just smirked at him. "I didn't know you knew what it meant to hit on someone!"

"I didn't know you knew what it meant to be repressed!" Andros shot back.

"I know you!" Zhane shouted.

"Ditto!" Andros declared.

She just stared at them, shocked into silence by their display.

It was Andros who noticed her expression first, and he chuckled. Finally relaxing enough to step away from Zhane, he leaned back against the console and gestured for her to go ahead. "What about those questions?" he prompted, sounding as friendly as she had ever heard him.

"I--" She gathered what she could of her composure and tried again. "I wanted to ask when you'll release what you know about the attack to the media."

He considered her for a moment. "What makes you think I know anything about the attack?" he asked at last.

She just looked at him, and to her surprise, he smiled.

"All right," Andros conceded. "Bad question. Marsie and I are going to meet tomorrow morning and try to figure out what we do know before either of us makes any kind of official statement. So... tomorrow afternoon. Is that good enough?"

Surprised to be asked, she nodded quickly. "Ashley mentioned that there wouldn't be any kind of 'revised' defense plan until tomorrow, either. Can I ask whether you're worried about attacks in the interim?"

Andros folded his arms. "Cricket, I worry about attacks every day. I didn't expect what happened today, obviously. But I don't think our odds tonight are any worse than they have been any other night."

She wasn't sure whether that was reassuring or frightening.

"What, I don't get any questions?" Zhane interrupted petulantly. "I feel excluded."

"You should feel lucky," Andros told him.

"Can I contact you with a story tomorrow?" Kristet asked, trying to ignore their banter. If she didn't know better, she'd think they were getting bored. "I know you want to see everything before it's made public..."

Andros and Zhane were looking at each other again, and she trailed off. "Give DECA your comm code before you leave," Andros said at last. "She'll recognize you and let you transmit whatever you want to her."

"I'm going to see if Kerone's made Marsie's deployments totally unrecognizable yet," Zhane remarked, apparently at random. He headed for the door, and Andros glanced from him to Kristet inquiringly. He clearly wanted to follow, but he was doing her the courtesy of waiting to see if she was done.

It had been bugging her all day. "Cricket?" she blurted out.

Andros grinned, but she thought there was a hint of apology in his voice. "It wasn't my idea," he told her, straightening up as he went to follow Zhane. "Coming?"

What could she say?

"I don't understand why you don't think it will work," a masculine voice was saying. "It's a solid fighter deployment."

"Of course it will work," Kerone said impatiently, paying no attention to the arrival of her teammates. She and Ashley were standing in front of the tactical board, with Kyril seated on the edge of the platform in front of the jump tubes.

"It will work because it would have worked before," Ashley argued. "This deployment doesn't do anything the last one wouldn't have done!"

"The last one didn't work," Kyril pointed out.

"It would have if we'd had the zords!" Kerone exclaimed. "The fighters aren't the problem!"

"When didn't you have your zords?" Kristet asked curiously.

Ashley and Kerone looked up at the same time, then glanced at each other guiltily. "Hi," Ashley said at last. "Did Andros answer your questions?"

Ty was gone. He had been sitting on the stairs that led to the jump tubes when she left, but now his absence was less conspicuous than his silent presence had been. She had the impression that he wasn't much for public speaking, but she hadn't expected him to be so cold.

Ashley sighed, getting her attention again. "Look," she said apologetically. "It's not that we don't trust you--"

"I don't," Andros remarked, out of nowhere.

"I do." Zhane's response sounded as indifferent as Andros'.

Ashley glared at both of them. "It's not that most of us don't trust you," she amended, her frown lingering on Andros before she glanced back at Kristet. "But it's been a long day, and I think maybe we should save the explanations until the morning."

"You want me to come back in the morning?" Kristet repeated.

Ashley looked as surprised as she felt. "Are you kidding? Do you know how much you've helped us today? We don't want you to leave!"

"But, you know," Zhane interjected with a wave of his hand. "Sleep, a life... those are important too."

"Not that we would know," Ashley reminded him.

"I'm just guessing," he agreed quickly.

She was smiling, and she couldn't keep it from spreading across her entire face. "What time should I be here?"

Ashley and Zhane both looked at Andros, who just shrugged. "As soon as you can. Call DECA when you get up; she'll let you know what's going on and where to go."

Puzzled, she had to say it. "I thought you didn't trust me."

"Zhane does," Andros said evasively. "That's enough for me."

Not for her. But sometimes, she did know enough to let it go. She just nodded, then held up her bracelet. "I need to give DECA my comm code?"

She saw Ashley look up as though expecting someone to say something, but Andros just held out his hand. "I'll do it."

"Where do you live?" Ashley was asking. "DECA can teleport you straight home."

She shifted a little, but the Yellow Ranger didn't seem to notice. "Could you just send me back to my hover? I really should pick it up anyway."

"Oh, it's safe enough at the hangar," Ashley said with a smile. "You can just leave it there until tomorrow if you want."

"I'd rather get it tonight," she said uncomfortably. "My husband might need it in the morning."

"I'm sorry." Ashley's reaction was instant and sincere. "I didn't realize you only had the one. Sure, I'll go with you to make sure you find it okay in the dark."

"You don't have to," Kristet began, but Ashley ignored her protest.

"Here you go," Andros said, appearing beside her with her bracelet a moment later. "DECA will get you caught up in the morning."

"Thank you," she said automatically.

He just nodded, but Zhane offered a smile and "good night", and both Kerone and Kyril followed suit. "Ready?" Ashley asked, taking a step closer.

"To teleport?" Kristet took a deep breath, then nodded. "I'm ready."

"DECA, send us both to the hangar please?"

Just like that the whole world went dark. It took her a moment to realize that she was outside the hangar bay--she had completely missed the transition between spaceship and outdoors, but now the night was cold and close all around her. She heard Ashley move beside her, and the Yellow Ranger murmured, "Should have brought a light."

There was a gentle thump, and then her voice asked, "Is this your hover? DECA couldn't have gotten us any closer without putting us inside."

She hadn't heard DECA speak the entire evening. That seemed strange, but then, maybe no one had asked her a direct question. Kristet couldn't remember now. Or maybe, like Ty, the Megaship's computer was just giving her the silent treatment. Either seemed equally likely.

Kristet ran her fingers over the outside of the hover, hitting the key trigger almost by accident. The front console lit up, and the glow reflected eerily on Ashley's face. The Yellow Ranger didn't say anything about the modified interior, just stepped back and watched Kristet climb inside.

"Thank you," Kristet said again, hearing the weariness in her tone. It was a good thing they were calling it a night now, because she wasn't sure how much longer her thoughts would stay coherent--let alone her sentences. "See you tomorrow?"

"See you!" Ashley agreed, sounding youthfully chipper despite the day and the hour. She even waved as the hover pulled away, and Kristet flashed her running lights in response.

The trip home was long and very hard, mostly because it was a losing battle to keep her eyes open. She was all right coming down out of the mountains, mostly because she had to pay far too much attention to where she was. But the moment the guide rails on the street locked on to her hover, she settled back in her seat and tried desperately not to fall asleep before she got where she was going.

There were lights spilling over with incandescence up and down the driveway, and she smiled to herself as she tried to get her body to cooperate. The door banged open before she could even get out, and Joreth's cane thumped down the stairs alongside his cast. He had hurt his leg doing... she drew a blank, but it would come back to her. She hoped.

"You put it on autopilot!" he accused, opening the door for her. "You must be exhausted! Do you like your new hover?"

She just stared up at him, unable to follow anything he had said. That wasn't unusual when he was under stress. She looked where he was pointing, though, and wondered if the hover already sitting in the driveway had anything to do with his question. She didn't remember getting a new hover. Which didn't necessarily mean that she hadn't, but she was fairly sure that she was sitting in the only hover she had ever owned.

She finally gave up and asked. "Should I recognize that?"

"No," he said, reaching into the hover with his free arm to help her out. "Someone from K-Wind dropped it off this afternoon. I guess they don't want you going to meet the Power Rangers in a family hover."

"I have to drive my hover," she insisted dumbly. She couldn't stop staring at it, even as he closed her door behind her and leaned up against it. His leg must hurt a lot. "If I try to learn another one I'll get the controls confused for the rest of my life!"

"I'll take your new one, then." He sounded almost cheerful. "Want me to bring your tea outside so you can keep staring at it?"

She transferred her gaze from the hover to him and then back again. "No," she mumbled, turning to him at last. "Thanks for staying up."

He slid one arm around her waist, limping noticeably as they headed toward the house. "Thanks for calling," he said, just as quietly. "You looked really good in those broadcasts, you know."

"Did I?" She forced a smile. "Was that today?"

"Technically it was yesterday," he admitted. "But I made tea. And I'm going to write a book."

"About what?" she wondered, holding the door for both of them.

His grin was triumphant. "Living with the Power Rangers' new public relations manager!"