The Falcon & the Frog: Wind on the Mountain

Summary: Set in the F&FII-verse, and AU where, after a kick in the butt from Kim, Tommy and Adam enter into a relationship that lasts a lifetime. However, this story is about their "Little Brother."

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. Just playing in somebody else's sandbox.

Chapter 9: It's Like That Disney Song

Within twenty-four hours Shane had his answers. All of the Academies with the exception of the Moon Academy would participate in Recovery, but Sensei Inaba had offered the support of her ninja. It wasn't surprising the Moon Ninja weren't going to directly participate, as they were a monastic order and therefore no one really noticed they were gone, so they had little to rebuild after a year away other than their un-tended gardens.

For the first couple days Shane seemed to swing between focused and businesslike. Businesslike while meeting with Trini, who had arrived to handle the more detailed aspects of the plans, or the Senior Teachers the various Sensei had assigned to represent their Academies. Near panic that he was going to fail miserably the rest of the time. Justin quickly became an expert as managing the Wind Master's somewhat volatile moods . . . especially given that those moods could occasionally stir up small tornadoes.

Justin was in the midst of re-assuring his boyfriend between sessions when his phone made a long unheard six-tone chime. His face instantly went ashen as he pulled his phone out.

Shane was suddenly calm and focused, "Justin? Babe, what is it?"

"That's the sound our communicators used to make . . . it's an emergency signal now," Justin responded as a he looked at his phone, his color paling even further. Trini rushed out into the hallway.

"Justin?," her voice and expression laden with concern.

The two Rangers' eyes met and Justin nodded. He quickly kissed Shane who said, "Go."

Justin bolted for the entrance and the moment he was through the door, "Shift into Turbo! Mountain Blaster Turbo Power!" There was a brilliant blue flash and then a blue blur.

Shane looked at the veteran Ranger, "Trini?" Still feeling odd that he was on a first name basis with one of the first ever Rangers.

"Tommy . . . I think Justin told you about him?" Shane nodded and Trini continued, obviously trying to maintain control of her emotions, "He got a doctorate in Paleontology a few years back, focusing on dinosaur genetics. He was working on a post-doctoral project on a small, private island . . . twenty minutes ago there was a series of massive explosions on the island. Lightspeed is investigating, they called for Justin and Storm Blaster."

Shane turned towards the exit himself, "Oh my god, I have to . . ."

Trini grabbed his arm and stopped him, "Shane. Tommy has been a friend since we were in high school, as has his partner. I want nothing more to be out there looking for Tommy or to be at Adam's side, but there is work for us to do here." Shane seemed uncertain and so she continued, "I know those instincts that are driving you right now. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger isn't just an indication that you are part of a unique club, it's a reminder to all of us that once we've worn those uniforms, fought those battles, that drive, that instinct never goes away. But being a Ranger isn't just about morphing, fighting monsters, and piloting Zords. It's about being a hero on the small scale, like you and I are doing right now."

Shane centered himself and relaxed his muscles. "Right. What's next on the agenda?"

Trini smiled, "Well, unless you noticed something I didn't, we appear to have buy-in on the overall plan," Shane shook his head no, "so now we just need to guide the representatives through the process of identifying any specific or unique needs for their Academies."

"Alright," Shane replied, squaring his shoulders, "let's get to it."

Justin didn't return until the next morning. He showed up at Shane's apartment just after dawn, letting himself in, stripping, and collapsing into the bed, where he immediately slid into a deep sleep. Shane had awoken as he entered and allowed him to collapse, wrapping a blanket around his boyfriend. He knew from experience that Justin would be out for a while.

The search for this Tommy had been intensive, and according to the updates Shane got through Trini, Justin had spent nearly the entire time morphed. While Rangers generally required less sleep than a normal person because of the regenerative effects of the Power, morphing and staying morphed did put a fair amount of stress on the body. It was why an active Ranger diet was in the eight to ten thousand calorie range. Justin would be dead to the world until at least late morning.

Shane just sat up in his bed . . . well, the mattress on the floor that served as his bed . . . watching Justin sleep. After the first time they had made use of the bed Justin had joked about the standard bachelor lack of a real bed. Shane had defended himself, declaring his sleeping arrangements "traditionally ninja." That had lead to a verbal sparring match, which turned physical, which turned into . . . Shane's head, heart, and things much lower became very warm at that memory. Shane reined his hormones in, as his boyfriend's current coma-like state left few options for dealing with them otherwise. Searching for a less stimulating line of thinking, Shane realized with something of a start that after finally leaving Lightspeed's infirmary, Justin's instinct had been to come here, not his father's house. Shane felt a whole different kind of warmth run through him and he curled himself around Justin and fell into a very contented sleep.

It was nearly noon when Justin forced his eyes open. He was partly surprised to find himself in Shane's bed. By the time they found Tommy and gotten him under Dana's care Justin had spent nearly eight solid hours morphed. He vaguely remembered trudging back to Storm Blaster and telling him to take him home. Now, there was always a chance the sentient machine was editorializing with his interpretation of home, but in this case Justin didn't think so. Communication with Storm Blaster wasn't primarily verbal. Yes, words helped form the concept for the driver, but Blaster was primarily empathic, reading intent rather than interpreting speech. Justin rolled over and shielded his eyes from the light with his arm, while muttering to himself, "Which means I'm in deep." He surprised himself a bit as he realized he was okay with that concept.

Justin sat up, feeling a bit of ache in his muscles and a hollowness in his core. "Oh yeah, spent way too much time morphed," Justin chided himself. Even though Kelsey had essentially force fed him a locker's worth of nutritional bars before anyone would let him leave, his body was telling him he was at a severe calorie deficit. Shane didn't appear to be home as Justin rose and walked across the loft to the kitchen space. There was a note on the counter that read, "Had to head to the Academy to send off the reps. There's food in the fridge. -S." Justin smiled and checked the fridge . . . the normally sparse device was packed. Justin proceeded to gorge.

A glorious California summer Saturday two weeks later found Justin driving Storm Blaster with Shane, Cam, and Hunter as passengers with Tori following in her van with Blake and Dustin. Justin couldn't help but smirk, as the Ninja Rangers became obviously more excited as they neared their destination. Even normally stoic Cam was having a hard time containing himself. Noticing that, Justin was glad he had jokingly declared "homo car/hetero car," because Justin was sure that Dustin was nearly jumping out of his skin and he wasn't entirely sure that Blaster wouldn't have ejected him.

The pulled off the interstate at the edge of town. There was a more direct route to their destination, but Justin couldn't resist pointing out a landmark. "And here we are guys, welcome to Angel Grove," Justin said, gesturing to the large sign flanking the road. A sign which read, "The Chamber of Commerce Welcomes You to ANGEL GROVE – Home of the ORIGINAL Power Rangers."

Hunter snorted, "Original Power Rangers? Like we're copycats or something?"

Justin laughed, "Well, we are kind of the town's only real claim to fame." Hunter shrugged, seeming mollified.

They drove through town, Justin giving a bit of a tour as they drove, mainly focusing on the years he lived here and things about the town. From what he could see through the rearview, Dustin was apparently doing the same . . . although likely just focusing on Ranger events. They came to the other end of town and drove up to a huge gated home. Justin realized that his passengers had become suddenly very quiet.

Justin looked at the three men and found them all staring somewhat slack-jawed at the gates and the house beyond. "Um, guys?" he broached.

Cam found his voice first, "It's bigger than the Academy."

Justin smirked, "Well, it has to be, since it's not just a home. This is also the headquarters for Billy's company Azure Lupine."

All three men asked, "Really?"

"Yeah," Justin continued. "Since they mostly do high-level R&D, some of it being based on the alien technology and science Billy has picked up, he found it easier security wise to just have one site. It's kind of set up like the White House, about a third of the house is living space, the rest is labs and offices, especially underground. And, the grounds provide some nice privacy for days like today. The walls generate an EM interference field. Drones literally drop out of the sky if they try to fly over."

Cam nearly started salivating at that comment. Hunter's hand went to his boyfriend's thigh, "Socialization first, then tech." Cam half glared, half pouted, prompting everyone to be laughing as they came to a stop next to a large stone and metal pillar featuring the logo of a howling blue wolf's head and a recessed screen.

Justin looked back at Hunter, "Well, the EM defenses made him drool, but this bit may seem a bit passé after Cyber-Cam."

Before Justin could continue, the screen lit up and a slightly mechanical, but warm . . . and somewhat indignant sounding . . . voice said, "While Cyber-Cam is an impressive AI, especially given the limited resources Master Wantanabe was working with, I am superior in nearly every way."

Justin chuckled, "Hello Beta."

"Hello Justin. Or, should I officially say Welcome Doctor Stewart?"

Justin grimaced, "Yeah, not really used to the title yet, and I still have a few more months before I start here officially."

"Of course. And today is a social day, so Justin it is, as usual. And the Power traces I am detecting confirm that Shane, Hunter, and Cam are with you, and the vehicle behind Storm Blaster are Tori, Blake, and Dustin. Although . . . should Dustin's adrenal levels be so high?"

"Yeah, that's pretty normal for him," Shane interjected.

Justin jumped in with, "And everyone," he gestured to the screen, "this is Beta. They're an AI Billy developed based on Alpha's base code, able to manifest either like this, through one of several autonomous bodies, or as a holographic interface. They help Billy . . ."

Beta interjected, "Not die. By forgetting to eat. Or sleep. Or by blowing himself up. Or into another dimension. Basically, I assist Kat keeping her husband alive."

Hunter leaned forward, "Oh hey, maybe you can help me upgrade Cyber-Cam for . . ." He was cut off as Cam wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's head.

Through his laughter, Justin said, "Talk about it later. Hey Beta, can we get in now?"

"Of course. Enjoy your day. I'll see you inside," Beta responded and then opened the gates.

The group drove in and parked. Once they were out of the car Dustin was forced to do a calming exercise before they went around the house to the back yard. Once there, they were greeted by a sea of people, each one wearing a particular color. The gathered Ranger's looked at the newcomers . . . and the Ninjas all stopped breathing.