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Hunter slowly regained consciousness, to the thrum of his head. "Ow, where are we?" Hunter asked as he looked at the strange space. It seemed like he was in a shimmering bubble about fifty or so feet across, holding a great darkness at bay. It was faintly illuminated, as if someone didn't like the darkness. Or wanted him to feel at home, somehow.
"Don't know," Cam's voice said from behind him, echoing in an eerie manner in this strange place. "We have oxygen... or seem to." Hunter turned slowly, trying to ignore the aches in various spots on his body. Cam was unmorphed, and somehow, he'd become unmorphed in civilian gear. Hunter turned to see if anyone else had become trapped in there with them, and soon spotted his younger brother, unconscious.
"Blake!" Hunter rushed to Blake's side, shaking him gently by the arm. "Blake!"
"Careful," Cam admonished, pulling Hunter's hand away from his brother's arm. "You don't want to make anything worse." He knelt by Blake's side, looking over him as if to diagnose the problem by sight.
"What's wrong with him?" Hunter asked his teammate in a panic. The monster hadn't hit them *that* hard, so what had happened to his little brother? "What happened? Why are we here?"
"I don't know, I don't know, and I don't know. Let me look at Blake." Cam's voice was firm and clear, and Hunter found himself leaning back in order to let Cam examine Blake.
Hunter watched Cam look over Blake by taking his pulse, gently touching areas in order to check for swelling. Hunter was trying not to be impatient, really he was. Blake wasn't even moving or making a single sound in response to Cam's examinations. Blake was.. was... breathing...
"Hunter, calm down, you're hyperventilating," Cam said, sparing a moment to touch Hunter's shoulder. Cam's voice was clear, but soothing. Cam was completely calm, with a tone that told Hunter he should be calm too. "Take a deep breath."
Hunter obeyed. First in gasps, then in slow, controlled breaths, just as Sensei Omino had taught him.
"That's better," Cam said, and returned his attention to Blake.
After a few long, excruciating minutes, Cam finished his exam. He touched behind Blake's ear gently. "Blake."
"Wha?" the Navy Ranger said, opening his eyes and looking around. He focused on Cam's shirt. "Cam, what are you *wearing*?"
"Never mind that," Cam said. Seeing Hunter's frantic look, he moved back to let the older Thunder reassure himself that Blake was all right, relatively speaking. At least he was better than he'd looked at first glance. "Careful, you might have a concussion."
He let Hunter examine Blake for a few minutes, and then the older Thunder leaned back, satisfied. "Where are we?" he asked, apparently eager to get his little brother to safety. Cam couldn't blame him.
"How should I know?" Cam asked, stretching in an attempt to soothe sore muscles. "We were attacked, we fell into this... thing."
A new voice startled them. "What are you doing here?" she asked. The three of them turned, Blake if vaguely, to the speaker. She was a young asian woman, with long, pink hair, dressed in some kind of sailor outfit, and she was sniffling. Her headgear reminded Hunter unpleasantly of Marah, if Marah had been a Sailor Scout with purple eyes that looked like an early rendering of Mickey Mouse.
"We don't know," Cam said matter-of-factly. "Can you help us?" He got up and strode forward.
"What kind of *idiot* can't get themselves out of a dimensional bubble?" She asked, her voice rising to the pitch of nails on a chalkboard.
"Us idiots," Hunter said, as if he didn't care what she thought. "Mind telling us how to get out?"
She sniffled again, took a long shuddering, then looked at them, chin raised. "If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you! Go away!" She brushed a tear away from her cheek, and abruptly disappeared.
"That was useful," Hunter said with a snort.
"Yeah, thanks for quoting Roundhouse at us, Sailor Kosh," Cam said in the direction of the now-disappeared figure.
"Huh?" Blake said, attempting to crane his head to look at Hunter. "I must have like, a major concussion, that was gibberish."
"I think it was Camese, li'l bro," Hunter said reassuringly, brushing Blake's bangs back. "I didn't understand it either."
Blake tried to sit up, apparently trying to move.
"No," Hunter said sternly. "Stay still."
"But," Blake tried to sit up, restless from trying to stay still.
"Hunter's right, Blake," Cam said, moving to his side-- the one not occupied by Hunter-- and restraining him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "You need to lie still until we can get you back to Ops."
"Great," Blake said, not too happy at having to stay still, judging from his expression. "So, what do we do next?"
"Well, us idiots will have to figure out how to get out of this bubble," Hunter said, nodding towards the space where the unhappy girl had stood. "While you stay still."
"Just don't go too far, okay?" Blake asked, the look in his eyes causing Hunter to lean nearer.
Hunter took his brother's hand. "Okay. Let your big brother take care of you."
Cam frowned, reaching into his pockets for something. He took out a PDA-sized piece of equipment.
"You got a tricorder or something, Cam?" Hunter asked, staring at the device.
Cam raised an eyebrow, as if Hunter had temporarily blinked out of existence and blinked back in again. "You watch Star Trek?"
"Dude, everyone knows Star Trek," Blake said impatiently.
"Oh," Cam said, in way that indicated he was still shocked. "Not quite, but it should tell us a little about what we're looking at. And maybe enough information for me to adapt one of your morphers to reach Ops."
"That possible?" Hunter asked, eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"Maybe not, but I'm not going to sit here and wait. You stay with Blake. I'll be back," Cam said and left.
Hunter frowned, he didn't like Cam being alone out there. Obviously, Blake really couldn't be left alone, but still...
"Bro," Blake said, fidgeting a little, "This is going to get really boring really fast."
Hunter chuckled, a smile spreading over his face. "Hansel and Gretel or The Frog Prince?"
"Bro, those are boring. How's your memory of Harry Potter?" Blake asked, batting his eyelashes at his older brother.
Hunter buried his face in his free hand.
At that moment, Cam came back, looking slightly happier than he'd been the whole time they'd been in the bubble. "It's not as bad as I thought, though I may or may not be able to rig something that can let us communicate with CyberCam at Ops."
"Can we help?" Blake asked, pleadingly, obviously still tired of lying still.
"Not very much," Cam admitted, after looking at the two for a moment. "Can I use your morpher?"
"Sure, dude," Blake said, taking it off and holding it uncertainly. "Better mine than either of yours."
"Yeah, we might need ours if Sailor Kosh comes back and gets antsy about her private space," Hunter said, moving between Blake and the space the girl had occupied.
A corner of Cam's mouth quirked up and he reached down to retrieve the morpher from Blake's hands. He looked at the morpher, examining it for a minute.
"What, dude?" Hunter asked, curiously.
"I like the name, all right?" Cam asked. He fished a toolkit out of someplace in his vest and opened Blake's morpher. Hunter felt a pang of nervousness as the guts of the morpher were revealed. "Have either of you ever seen Sailor Moon or Babylon 5?"
"Sensei wasn't big on TV," Hunter said, shifting to a more comfortable sitting position, and keeping his eyes firmly focused on his little brother.
"Maybe we should all watch them as a team bonding activity," Cam chuckled, his eyes dancing. "The Winds could use some Pop Culture education too."
Hunter's jaw dropped and he stared at Cam, hardly blinking. Blake moved his head up slightly to get a better view of Cam, as if he wasn't sure that was really who he was hearing.
"I'll cook," Cam volunteered, his voice chiding.
"I'll go for that," Blake joked, resting his head back. He grinned. "Just get me out of here and point me at the nearest TV."
"Maybe we can nab Cam's," Hunter joked back, brushing Blake's stubborn bangs back out of his eyes.
"You make me sound like your big brother or something," Cam said, giving the Thunders an odd look.
Hunter and Blake exchanged glances. And shrugged, sheepishly.
"Two big brothers wouldn't hurt," Blake offered with a grin.
"Great," Cam said, snappishly. "I didn't mean to have you take me literally." He shook his head. "Isn't one big brother enough for you, Blake?"
"You can be our middle brother, just for today," Hunter offered.
Cam looked up and blinked, as if doubting Hunter's sanity. "Why?"
Hunter shrugged. "I'm taller than you. That makes you the middle brother."
Cam shook his head at that. "Your logic does not resemble our Earth logic."
"Dude, does he look like Xander?" Blake asked, making abortive motions towards Cam.
Hunter pushed Blake back down, keeping his hand on his brother's chest. He turned to Cam. "Cam quoting Buffy, must be a sign of the apocalypse."
Cam rolled his eyes. His tone took on the sarcastic note they'd heard from him after he'd broken the brick none of the rest of them could. "Don't you think that's enough?"
"You have to be nice to me, I'm injured," Blake said, his voice soft, as if to underscore his weakness.
"Fine, but only 'til we get you back to ops," Cam said, very carefully mussing Blake's hair.
Blake turned to his other side and looked at his brother. "It might just be the concussion, but is Cam actually *humoring* me?"
"It appears that way, li'l bro," Hunter said, squeezing Blake's hand affectionately.
"Can you two find something to do other than razz me?" Cam asked irritably. "It's very distracting."
"But it's so much fun!" Hunter deadpanned. Then a wide grin spread across his face
"Do you want to get home, or do you want to have another encounter with her annoyedness?" Cam asked with a frown.
Hunter shrugged, as if the encounter with Sailor Kosh hadn't happened. "Hey, we're having *fun* for a moment. You know, that thing you do when you're not reprogramming Zords?"
"Reprogramming Zords is fun," Cam murmured, in the same annoyed tone as before. "Can you guys find something *quiet* to do? Please?"
Blake yawned loudly. "I could go for a nap."
"No!" Hunter and Cam said in unison. "Don't!"
"Not with a concussion," Cam reasoned gently. "Not for a couple hours, and then we'll need to wake you up every few hours."
"We'll have to keep him awake, even if we can't get out of here immediately," Hunter said, looking at Cam.
Blake sighed fitfully. "You're gonna end up poking me a lot aren't you?"
"If it works," Cam said, poking at the morpher's guts again.
"Great," Blake said testily.
Hunter rubbed his brother's shoulder. "Cam'll get us out of here," he said reassuringly.
"Or CyberCam will," Cam pointed out. "I'm sure that he and the others are trying everything in their power to find us."
"Forgot about him," Hunter said, looking down at Blake and nowhere near Cam.
"Yeah," Blake said, gingerly moving his arms to stretch them a bit. "It still creeps me out that it took seeing both of you to figure out he was an impostor."
Cam sighed, and shook his head. "It wasn't obvious that he wasn't me? What's it going to take, him or me getting a love life?" Cam's tone had gone from annoyed to exasperated.
"Yeah," the Thunders chorused, twin mischievous grins on their faces.
"Great," Cam huffed grumpily.
Hunter grinned, his tone goading. "So, prove to us that you have a life."
Cam rolled his eyes and glared at Hunter. "Do you want to get out of here before Sailor Kosh comes back, or what?"
"Sorry," Blake squeaked apologetically, sounding as if Cam's words hurt more than his head injury.
"Easy, bro, Cam's just trying to concentrate," Hunter said gently, squeezing Blake's hand again.
Cam put a comforting hand on Blake's shoulder. "You're OK. We'll get you home and get you something to eat."
"Home?" Hunter asked, his voice rising about an octave in surprise. He hoped he didn't look as unsettled as he felt.
"Ninja Ops, rather," Cam said, correcting himself. "Depending on Blake's condition, I may need you two to stay over for a couple days."
"Is Hunter OK?" Blake asked, trying to sit up and looking rather fuzzy, as if he couldn't quite focus.
"I'm fine," Hunter said, gently holding his brother against the ground, trying to prevent him from getting up.
"I just know better than to try to separate the two of you," Cam said, grinning.
"Good," Hunter said firmly. He looked over at Cam. "So... I keep an eye on Blake here, and you work?"
Cam nodded, returning to his probing of Blake's morpher. "I should. Blake, stay down."
Hunter and Blake started playing some bizarre game with their fingers. Cam supposed it had something to do with their childhood. He couldn't quite figure it out, but he had determined it couldn't hurt Blake. And it was quiet.
Cam set himself to work on modifying Blake's morpher. He was glad to have an extra screwdriver stashed in his jacket.
* * *
Shane leaned on Cam's console, not caring that Cam would normally have a hissyfit about it. At the moment, Cam wasn't there to notice.
Instead, his virtual duplicate, CyberCam, was typing away; a dizzying array of displays and readouts flashed up and then disappeared. Sensei was standing on the other side of CyberCam, leaning forward thoughtfully, as if he understood what was going on. Which may or may not have meant anything.
"Anything?" Tori asked anxiously, coming up behind them. She bit her lip as she waited for CyberCam's answer.
"Nothing," CyberCam said. "I'm looking, I'm looking, but they vanished. Poof! I'm not getting any readings. Nada." He shook his head in frustration.
Shane put a comforting arm around Tori's shoulders. "I don't like this," he said.
"I do not sense that it was because of Lothor's alien," Sensei said, gently, as if to calm Shane and the others. "Whatever caused this, I do not sense evil intent."
"Right," Shane said, turning back to the display again, trying to keep out of the way of CyberCam's display. "But keep looking."
"No, dude, I'm gonna give up and go to the beach," CyberCam said sarcastically, not looking away from the screen.
Dustin frowned at that. "Now isn't the time to go back to your old programming, dude."
CyberCam spared the console from his attention long enough to glare at Dustin.
"Well, the Cam sarcasm with the CyberCam lingo is whacked," Dustin said with a shrug, as if that explained his rather impolite remark.
"I believe this is what Cam meant by 'times of high emotional stress'," CyberCam said. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the computer.
"Great. Could you *please* just find Cam?" Shane asked.
"And Blake," Tori said, then added, "and Hunter," as an afterthought.
"I'm trying," CyberCam said impatiently.
"Dude, let's let him be," Dustin said, clapping each of his friends on a shoulder. "I'm sure that he's, like, trying. And, who knows, Cam'll get himself out of there."
Shane shook his head and started pacing.
* * *
Cam put down Blake's morpher and rubbed his eyes in frustration.
"You OK, bro?" Hunter asked, as Cam stretched and glared at the helpless morpher.
"I can detect that somebody *might* be trying to reach us, but I can't lock onto our usual frequency," Cam said, picking up the morpher again. "I think the nature of this bubble might be interfering."
"They're looking, that's good, right?" Blake asked, moving his head slightly to look at Cam's shoes.
"Depends on how you're feeling," Cam said, sitting down to look at Blake again. He'd switched back to 'medic' mode again. Blake quietly groaned.
"Don't ask," Blake said. "Just tell me when I can get up."
"Not anytime soon," Cam replied. "You lie back. I'll see if I can match the frequency."
"You sure you don't need a break, Cam?" Hunter asked, nudging in the direction of Blake's morpher. "You don't want to mess that up."
Cam sighed, putting the morpher back together again and putting it in a vest pocket. "You're right. And the others currently have more resources than we do; maybe they'll figure out how to get in touch."
Hunter nodded, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "Why don't we compare growing up at Ninja academies?" he asked.
Cam frowned, his eyes shooting daggers at Hunter.
"Hey, it's something to talk about, and maybe you can take a fresh look at our communications problem later," Hunter suggested with a shrug. "'Sides, we do have that in common."
Cam grinned ruefully. "I guess that's true," he said grudgingly.
"I know it's kind of a sore spot, since you couldn't train as Ninja at all... but how can Shane and the others understand growing up as the sensei's son? Or sons, in our case," Hunter said, cocking his head at his little brother.
"I don't know how you guys managed to train under Sensei Omino and still be his sons," Cam said as he pursed his lips. "There were times I got such weird comments just for being Dad's son I was very glad I wasn't also a student."
"Sensei Omino didn't brook anything like that," Blake explained. He attempted to get up, took one look at Hunter's glare, and settled back down again, grimacing.
"Yeah," Hunter added, to keep the discussion going. "You didn't say anything about the Sensei's kids. Real or adopted."
"No funny looks?" Cam said, indicating Hunter. After all, Blake could possibly pass, but Hunter? He'd seen a picture of Sensei Omino, once, and there was no way Hunter, who was tall, blonde, and lanky, could be his son. "And you're not his real sons?"
"*Our* parents are our real parents," Hunter explained.
"Sides," Blake said, "We weren't the first kids that he helped raise after their parents' deaths. We have an older sister too."
Cam raised an eyebrow at that.
"Her name's Leanne," Hunter said by way of explanation. "We don't know where she is."
"She wasn't at the Thunder Academy?" Cam asked, raising an eyebrow..
"She was studying in Nepal," Blake said, turning a little bit towards Cam. "We're trying to get in touch with her, but it's not like she left her phone number."
"And the only reason I have any way to contact her whatsoever is she forgot my regular address and used my Yahoo! account," Hunter added, glancing down at his brother. "Otherwise, her current e-mail address would be in the Thunder Academy's computer in Lothor's ship."
Cam nodded gravely. "I was lucky that, not being a Ninja, I didn't exist to Lothor's forces," he said. "Otherwise I'd be up in that ship too."
Hunter shuddered. "And then where would we be?"
Blake squeezed Hunter's hand.
"Without a sixth Ranger," Cam said simply. "Or maybe not even here, if I hadn't gone back to the past."
"I don't even want to think about that," Blake said, trying to move.
"Still bro," Hunter said, steadying him.
"I'm getting kinda stiff," Blake said, looking pleadingly at Hunter.
"Blake, stay still," Cam said. "Worry about moving around later. When I can get you under observation at Ops."
"Got any ideas on how to get more comfortable?" Blake asked, turning his pleading look at Cam
"Not much," Cam said. "Maybe I should get back to getting us back to Ops so I can put you on a bed. In the meantime...." He turned to Hunter. "Can I borrow your uniform jacket?"
Hunter looked startled, but quickly stripped down to his dark undershirt and handed the jacket to Cam. Cam folded it and placed it near Blake's head. "Stay still."
"Ok," Blake said, tensing up.
"Try to relax," Cam said softly, resting a hand on Blake's arm for a moment.
"Can I at least have a pillow?" Blake said, throwing Cam passable puppy dog eyes. "Before you don't hear us for half an hour?"
Cam rolled his eyes, a grin tugging at his lips. "What do you think the jacket's for? I need you to relax, let me do the moving, and above all, don't wiggle, you'll jostle yourself too much."
"Right," Blake said. He wrinkled his nose. "Ugh."
"Ugh?" Hunter asked, his tone lightly teasing. "Come on, bro, think of it as meditation practice."
"Right, by the end of this I'll have done mine for the *week*. Maybe the *month*," Blake whined.
"You don't like meditation practice?" Cam asked, startled.
"Blake? Sit still?" Hunter chuckled. Blake looked like he would have swatted him if not restrained.
"Ever try Tai Chi?" Cam asked. Blake looked at him funny, and relaxed in an unguarded moment. Cam used the opportunity to gently raise his head and slip the jacket under it.
"'Sides, your father's bigger on the meditation practice than Sensei Omino ever was," Hunter said, as if Cam had never spoken. He turned towards Blake. "How do you feel, bro?"
"I won't be running any marathons, but I want to get up and do something," Blake confessed.
Cam sighed, getting the morpher out again.. "I'll try to get us in contact with Ops."
"Poor Blake," Hunter said, looking at his brother, amused. "The one time he has to stay still and there's no TV around."
"If I could tell you to sit on him, I would," Cam said with a bit of levity in his voice. "In the meantime, you two will have to be on your best behavior."
"And look out for Sailor Kosh. Got it," Hunter said. He turned and smiled brightly at his brother. "Come on, Blake. Rock, Paper, Scissors?"
Blake groaned and weakly raised a fist.
* * *
"Dude, you didn't have to, like, get us tossed out of Ops," Dustin complained as the three of them walked together outside their secret headquarters. "It's, like, sprinkling!"
"Excuse me for not trusting CyberCam!" Shane snapped, glaring at his yellow teammate.
"All the more reason NOT to piss him off," Dustin said, rubbing his hands up and down his arms, as if cold. As if it ever got cold in California.
"Will you two chill? Sensei's still watching him. He's not gonna let CyberCam let anything happen to Bla-- *Cam*," Tori corrected herself vehemently. Last thing she needed was Shane or Dustin teasing her.
Her two teammates exchanged wan smiles. "I just don't trust CyberCam," Shane insisted.
"Do you know how to do frequency manipulation?" Tori asked rhetorically, spreading her arms out. "If you don't, then let CyberCam do his job. Cam can always reprogram him when he gets back."
"I just want to do... something," Shane said helplessly. He kicked at a loose rock.
"What can we do? It's not like we know anything about running Ops," Dustin said, running the toe of his boot along the ground.
"After this, I'm going to paste myself to Cam's shoulder so that I can do that," Shane said, vehemently, picking up a rock and tossing it into the distance. "Even if he k-destroys me for it."
"Good luck, Dude," Dustin said, his tone indicating he thought Shane would need it. Dustin shivered. "Let's find somewhere dry, I'm getting soaked."
"I second that," Tori said, heading towards the portal and her parked van.
* * *
"Half a second," Cam grumbled to nobody in particular. Blake's morpher had burst into what sounded vaguely like Cam's voice and then into a loud static until Cam had made an adjustment.
"What, bro?" Hunter asked, trying not to lean over Cam and block all of his light.
"Almost have it," Cam said, as if Hunter didn't exist. Or didn't matter.
"Good," Hunter said. He kept his eye out for the return of any visitors. After all, with Cam in full technogeek mode, and Blake helpless, somebody had to protect both of them. And right at the moment, that somebody was him.
Cam fiddled again, and the burst of static became louder.
Blake sighed, getting Hunter's attention. "Bro, can I move yet?"
"No," Cam and Hunter chorused, their voices extremely firm.
"Great, now I have two mother hens," Blake grumbled, scrubbing his face with his hands.
"I haven't adopted you," Cam said exasperatedly. "But I am...."
"The team medic. I know, I know," Blake said, frustration coloring his tone.
"You're gonna be fine," Cam said confidently. "I can see how bad the damage is once we get you to Ops, and see what we can do to prevent it. In the meantime..."
"Stay still," Blake said, in a voice that was both singsong and very annoyed.
"Right." Cam fiddled with the insides of Blake's morpher again. "I think I may have it this time." He fiddled with something else. "Cam for Ops."
Nothing happened. But at least there was no static.
Cam sighed, his shoulders sagging.
The morpher crackled to life. "...Cybercam... do... read?"
"Barely," Cam said, excitedly. "We're trapped in a dimensional bubble. As soon as communications stabilize I'll send you the data."
Blake nearly covered his ears as Cam's voice got louder by the word, as if he was trying to talk over traffic. Or a construction site.
"Locked ... signal. Teleport?" CyberCam's voice came through another burst of static.
"Negative. Let me try to clear up the signal," Cam said, making some adjustments to Blake's morpher.
"Copy that," CyberCam said. Hunter tried not to shake his head. Was Cam the only person who couldn't see how much he and his cyber double were alike?
"CyberCam, keep talking," Cam requested, poking something delicate-looking.
"Right. By the way, the other three Rangers... practicing in the rain. Correction: Were... in rain."
Cam made some more adjustments, closing the morpher with a flourish. "Why were they in the rain?"
"They were driving me nuts, dude. I had to kick them into Ninja Ops," CyberCam said, his voice coming through without any static. "I have a really clear lock now. Can I teleport you guys now?"
"You sure he's all right?" Hunter asked, indicating the voice on the other end.
"He's all right," Cam said, rolling his eyes at Hunter's paranoia. "Yes, please. Teleport."
The bubble dissipated around them and they found themselves in Ops, with Blake laying on the center table. The Winds stood in the doorway, and soon rushed towards them.
"Blake," Tori said, perching precariously on the edge of the table next to him.
"Gentle, he's hurt," Cam warned, his voice kind. His father jumped onto his shoulder.
"Can I get a pillow?" Blake asked hopefully. "A real pillow?"
Cam nodded sympathetically. "I'll get you one while I'm getting the medical scanner out."
"Thanks," Blake sighed with relief.
"You OK?" Tori asked, gently caressing his cheek.
"Just really stiff," Blake managed a weak smile.
"Cam doesn't want him getting up before he gets scanned," Hunter explained, hovering over his brother protectively. Even though he realized the Winds were no threat, Blake was still helpless.
"A wise precaution," Sensei said, hopping onto the table next to Blake.
"I'm just a little stiff," Blake protested, turning his head very slightly to look at the guinea pig form.
"Bro, just lay still," Hunter pleaded at him. "Unless you want Cam to be perverse and figure out how to bring Sailor Kosh into our universe or something like that."
Blake scrunched up his face. "I don't think he has to worry about that," Cam said, shuddering as he came in.
"Sailor Kosh?" Dustin asked, his face full of surprise. "Dude! Don't tell me Lothor's mixing up anime with Babylon 5."
"Long story," Cam said. He glared at Blake. "Blake, stay still before I find a way to *make* you stay still."
"Fine," Blake grumbled, not moving, precisely as instructed.
Cam ran the scanner along Blake, paying close attention to his head. "A mild concussion, and no injury to the neck... or the rest of the spinal chord."
"So why are you frowning?" Hunter asked, trying to hover over the readout.
"I want him to stay overnight," Cam said, not paying much attention to Hunter. "At least until I can make sure he's all right."
Blake sighed. "Anybody want to hear the opinion of the patient, here?" he asked.
"No," Cam said. "If it makes you feel better, you can sit up now, but I'd prefer it if you do so gently and lie back down in a few minutes. Ideally in the guest room so you don't have to get up too much. The table's not really comfortable anyway."
"You got that right," Blake said, a grin spreading across his face. "So that means I can get up and walk?"
"See how you do sitting up first," Cam said, putting the scanner away.
Blake gingerly got up, with leaning heavily against Hunter's proffered arm and using Tori's shoulder for balance. "See, I'm sitting up," he said.
Cam nodded indulgently, not saying anything.
Blake leaned against his brother for support. "Man, that's taking a lot of work."
Hunter just wrapped a protective arm around Blake, trying to hide his sudden contentment.
"That's why I want to keep you under observation," Cam said. He looked at the three other Rangers. "The three of you should go home. It's been a very long day, and I want Blake to rest. And eat."
Blake's eyes lit up at the suggestion of food.
"OK, bro, you rest," Dustin said, nearly slapping Blake on the arm... but deciding not to at the last minute.
"Take care, Blake," Tori said, squeezing his hand and smiling down at him.
Blake smiled over at Tori. "I will."
Dustin was halfway out the door. "See you later, dudes. Tor, you coming?"
Tori seemed not able to get out of there, but she eventually got up reluctantly and headed out.
Shane knelt next to them, looking at Cam. "Let us know if anything happens. Then teach one of us how to use the system!" He was out of there before Cam could reply.
"Why on Earth would he want that?" Cam mused, mystified. Shane was the last person he'd expect to be interested in Ops' system.
Hunter shrugged, busy concentrating on Blake. "Don't know."
Blake balanced himself, still looking unsteady. "Can I please get off this table?"
"Just a minute," Cam said gently, "then I'll help Hunter get you to your room."
"My room?" Blake echoed in surprise.
"I mean the guest room," Cam corrected absently.
"You aren't adopting us or anything, are you, Cam?" Hunter teased lightly.
"We're out of the bubble," Cam said matter-of-factly, "I don't have to be nice."
"Hey, it's nice of you to let us stay here while you make sure Blake's okay. Really appreciate that, bro," Hunter said. He shuddered inwardly. He didn't mind Ops... he'd seen the guest room once or twice... but he didn't want to move in. Moving in meant something, and he didn't think he was ready for that yet.
"Thanks for taking care of me," Blake added as Cam helped Hunter help Blake to his feet.
"Anytime," Cam said and started them walking-- gingerly-- towards the corridor and the guest room.
They walked slowly until they reached Ops' spare room, where Cam nudged the two brothers in the direction of the room's single bed. "Hunter, the couch is a hide-a-bed."
"Gotcha," Hunter said as they helped Blake onto the bed. Blake lay back on the bed, and Hunter couldn't help but notice the green comforter folded neatly at the feet of the bed. He figured it had to be an extra-long twin bed by the space Blake had at his feet.
"Blake, you'll have to stay awake for a while longer, but I'll fix dinner. Hunter, you keep him awake," Cam ordered.
"Bro, sure you're not tired yourself?" Hunter asked, seeing the crow's feet under Cam's eyes.
Cam glared at him from the top of his glasses. "No." He walked out of the room.
"Bro, I don't think he's in good shape either," Blake said, motioning after the retreating Cam.
"He looks worried," Hunter frowned, remembering Cam's expression. "Something about that scan has him freaked."
"Maybe it's a major concussion and I have to be kept up all night," Blake sighed. "Exactly what I need on top of the rest of today."
Hunter patted his shoulder gently. "You're gonna be OK. Cam's on the case."
"I know," Blake said. Then he looked at Hunter, panic in his eyes. "He's on the case? You don't think..."
"Nah, he'd have said something," Hunter said, trying to sound like the thought had occurred to him, but was nothing to worry about.
"When we get home, we gotta talk," Blake said. He didn't want to mention that the granola bars really hadn't helped. Not to Cam. Not with someone with enough authority to keep him here.
"Look, Cam speaks his mind. He'll say something," Hunter insisted. He tried to come off sounding as if he were the authority on all things Cam.
"That's what I'm worried about," Blake confessed, eyes narrowing. He didn't want to stay here. Sensei Omino would never forgive them.
"It'll be OK, dude," Hunter said, brushing Blake's renegade bangs out of his eyes, and gently patting his shoulder.
* * *
Cam came in around an hour later with a tray full of food. It was a giant stir fry, with every kind of chinese vegetable Hunter could think of, and some American ones like broccoli and carrots. There was also brown rice, milk, water, and a couple of juice boxes labeled rice dream.
"Can you both tolerate regular milk?" Cam asked, setting things out on the table.
"Yeah," Hunter said, restraining himself from just grabbing the food. That would give far too much away. "Sensei Omino can't, though."
"I'll remember that for future reference," Cam said, picking up a plate and starting to dish food on it. "Rice underneath or on the side?"
"Side," Hunter said. "Both of us."
"OK," Cam said. He dished large helpings of both rice and stir fry onto the plates, handing them to each of them.
"Thanks, bro," Blake said, accepting the plate eagerly.
Hunter grinned amicably. "Appreciate this."
"Drink all your milk," Cam said as he dished some for himself.
Hunter frowned as he dug in. It was clear Cam wanted to make sure they cleaned their plates. Not that he minded-- he was starving, and the granola bars they'd bought hadn't really helped. It did, however, worry him a little.
"Cam, did you make dinner for an army?" Blake asked, clearly shocked at the portion sizes. "I can't eat all this!"
"Well, you can always take some of the leftovers with you," Cam said with a mischievous smile.
"Can you make more?" Hunter asked hopefully. "This is *good*."
"I'll give you the recipe," Cam offered off-handledly.
"Thanks," Hunter said. They probably couldn't afford what went into it... but they weren't admitting that to Cam, either. As an afterthought, he added, "Not that either of us can cook, except in a microwave."
"I'll have to give you guys lessons," Cam grinned knowingly.
"Sounds good," Blake said, thinking they'd get to eat those lessons. He grinned back.
"So," Hunter said, "After dinner, what next? For Blake, I mean." He looked over at his little brother, a worried expression on his face.
"We can let him sleep a bit, but he has to be woken up every few hours," Cam said, with the same authority he gave for every medical problem.
Hunter nodded. "Extra-loud alarm," he said cryptically.
"Huh?" Cam asked, confused.
"We both sleep like the dead," Blake explained. "If the alarm isn't loud, we'll sleep right through it."
"Oh," Cam said, nonplussed. "Then I'll have to make sure Blake's woken up." He nodded toward the food. "You're not eating."
"I'm not feeling too well," Blake said, touching his stomach.
"You need to eat," Cam replied gently. "You're probably a little low on blood sugar. Eat, you'll feel better, I promise."
Blake nodded, and experimentally took another bite, chewing slowly. Hunter finished off his plate, then contemplated eating the plate.
"You want more, Hunter? There's plenty," Cam wheedled.
Hunter didn't need to be told twice, he took more stir fry and more rice.
"You'd think you hadn't eaten for a week," Blake teased.
"Big person. Big stomach," Hunter replied matter-of-factly. "I eat people out of house and home."
Cam smiled. "Try it, I dare you," he said, tone full of challenge.
"Okay," Hunter said, working on his second plateful. "It's not my fault this is so good."
"Or that your stomach's too big for words," Blake added, his tone teasing.
"He's a growing boy," Cam said, smiling at that. Or maybe some private joke. They were never too sure with Cam.
Blake chuckled. "I'll never catch up." He took another couple bites, gingerly, as if he was afraid most of it would be illusion.
"Bro, eat more," Hunter said, nudging Blake. He'd wanted to raid Cam's fridge before, but it was even better, having Cam-cooked food. And they didn't have to sneak it out in their uniforms. On the bad side, he had this bad suspicion that Cam knew that he'd had only a granola bar for breakfast that morning.
"I'm working on it," Blake said, after he'd swallowed a mouthful. "It's helping... I'm just.. maybe a little dizzy?"
"Drink some water, you're probably a bit dehydrated," Cam said, handing him the glass. "That bubble was dry."
"Thanks, bro," Blake said, drinking it slowly but eagerly. "I guess I am."
"Maybe I should have some too," Hunter said, reaching for a glass.
"Can't hurt," Cam said. "The water's good for dehydration, but be sure to drink your milk too."
"Yes, Sensei," Blake teased.
Cam rolled his eyes. "Not *yet*."
"He meant you were acting like Sensei Omino," Hunter explained.
"Oh," Cam said, nonplussed. "Anyway, the food and drinks should help... you must not have had much in the way of breakfast before we went into battle."
"Hazard of being a Ranger, dude," Hunter said carelessly.
"Got called away from the table," Blake said, looking directly at his food instead of at Cam or Hunter.
Cam frowned, and Hunter tried to cover. "Yeah, I guess food's not been on our minds the last few. You know, I think those aliens have a sixth sense for when you're trying to eat?" He grinned as he said that.
"Yeah, they're a pain," Cam said irritably. "I can't count the number of lunches I've had to throw back into the microwave."
Hunter nodded and devoured his lunch. He tried to be slow enough so Cam didn't guess that this was going to be the Big Meal of the Day. It was bad luck that he and Blake had run out of their store-brand breakfast cereal the day before payday.
Cam just smiled and brought up the impending release of the new Harry Potter book.
* * *
Blake had finally been allowed to doze. "So, what's *really* wrong with him?" Hunter asked, following Cam out of their room with the tray with the remains of their meal.
"He's concussed, got banged up," Cam said casually as he led Hunter to the kitchen.
"Cam, don't lie to me," Hunter said sternly.
"It's nothing a little TLC won't cure," Cam said gently, patting Hunter's shoulder.
Hunter sighed in relief. Cam didn't know. Hey may suspect, but he didn't know. "Thanks. I worry, y'know?"
"I know," Cam said, smiling disarmingly. "Do you want to come watch TV or borrow a book and stay with Blake?"
"I'll stay with Blake," Hunter said decisively, leaning on the wall of the kitchen. "Have fun. Knock when it's time to wake him up."
"OK, you like sci-fi? Fantasy?" Cam asked, starting to tick off genres on his fingers.
Hunter shrugged nonchalantly, grinning before starting to inch backwards towards the guest room.
"I'll find you something," Cam promised. "Let me know if Blake has any problems."
"Right," Hunter said. Like he wouldn't. Cam was the best person to be around Blake right now, and Hunter knew it.
* * *
"Blake, time to wake up," Hunter said, turning the radio up extra loud.
"Wha... huh...." Blake said. He blinked, then rubbed his eyes. "Bro, turn the jackhammer off."
"Right," Hunter said, obligingly turning off the radio. "Wanted to make sure you're all right. Last thing we need is you having a concussion *and* Cam figuring out about our breakfast. And our dinner last night."
"Lunch was awesome though," Blake said feelingly, a big grin on his face.
"Wait 'til you smell dinner," Hunter said, expression mirroring Blake's. "I feel sorry for Sensei, having to eat guinea pig chow with those awesome smells around here."
"Yeah," Blake agreed, heartily. "But till then, I'm gonna sleep, okay, bro?"
"You gotta stay up another couple minutes," Hunter said, sternly. "Cam said five was good."
"Great," Blake said. "He think he's my big brother, or something?"
"No, the team medic," Hunter corrected adamantly. "Middle brother, if anything. Big brother's my job."
"Dude, he's older," Blake pointed out reasonably. "Even if you are taller."
"I'm taller, so I get to decide family order here," Hunter said playfully. "He's shorter than I am, so he's the middle brother."
"I think he's right about your logic," Blake said simply, moving the pillow slightly.
Hunter shrugged, reaching out to help him. "I never said I was logical. I am hungry, though."
"When's dinner?" Blake asked, in an attempt to change the subject.
"Another half an hour, I think," Hunter said. He looked at the clock.
"Wake me up then?" Blake asked, lying back against the pillow, satisfied with the placement.
"Right," Hunter said, ruffling his brother's hair as Blake cozied up again.
"Stay close, OK?" Blake asked, trying not to close his eyes.
"Always, li'l bro. Always." Hunter avoided mussing Blake's hair, but kept a close eye on him.
* * *
"So, how are Blake and Hunter?" Shane asked the next day. He'd kept true to his promise to hang over Cam's shoulder.
Cam frowned, trying to decide how much to tell him.
"Well?" Shane prompted impatiently.
"Over the effects of the bubble universe," Cam said evasively.
"But...." Shane prompted, his frustration growing.
"I'm not required to tell you, Shane," Cam said, sternly. "In fact, when it comes to the team's medical condition, I think a degree of privacy..."
"It's my team," Shane reminded him. "Blake and Hunter are my teammates. And I worry. Besides, Dustin has something to say."
Dustin shuffled forward, clearly nervous. "Blake, like, left his English book at Storm Chargers," he said hesitantly.
"And?" Cam asked, his voice making it clear he didn't see what the big deal was.
"Well, when you'd said they'd gone home, I pulled their employment records to get their phone number and give them a call," Dustin said, shifting from foot to foot.
Cam read the body language like a book. "What's wrong, Dustin?" Cam asked, though he suspected he knew.
"It's... um... not that..." Dustin stammered, unable to bring himself to say what needed to be said.
Cam decided it was time to put the Yellow Ranger out of his misery. "Are they living in the bad part of town?" Cam asked gently.
"Yeah, dude." Dustin paused, looking at Cam with new respect. "Like, how'd you know?"
"I tracked them there shortly after they joined the team," Cam said tiredly. "They denied it and... I figured they'd ask for help on their own before it got too bad."
"And?" Shane asked. He leaned forward, as if to tap a key on Cam's keyboard.
"Let's just say if Hunter's as bad as Blake, it's gotten too bad," Cam said, sighing and moving Shane's hand away. "I gave them a highly nutritious few meals over the last day, and leftovers to take home. That should help, but..."
"They're not eating right?" Tori asked, her face full of worry.
"Based on what I saw, they've been probably living on granola bars and ramen," Cam said grimly. "It's time to get them out of there. We're not going to have a team if they pass out from malnutrition."
"What do we do?" Tori asked. "I mean, it's not like we can force them to eat properly."
"I don't think they can afford to eat properly," Cam said, turning his chair around, deep in thought. "I thought it was weird when they eschewed the plates when I took them to Sam's... but I forgot they were living on stock boys' pay."
"We need to find them someplace safe with really cheap rent," Shane said, standing up and shifting anxiously. He wasn't sure how to accomplish such a daunting task.
"Like the Ninja Ops Guest Room?" Dustin asked, looking pointedly at Shane. If he could see the solution, why couldn't the Red Ranger?
"That's what I was thinking," Cam acknowledged, with a pleased smile. "It'll allow me to monitor their diet and make sure that they stay healthy."
"Not to mention safe," Shane added as he settled back down, clearly relieved.
"There's a ton of old boxes at Storm Chargers we could use," Dustin suggested helpfully.
"Good," Cam said, a tone of finality to his voice. "We're getting them out of there. Now."
Three heads nodded in agreement.
The End