Power Rangers Zeo - Venusian Encounters, Heather Ray [best ebook reader for chromebook .txt] 📗

really fit me."

"I see," Kim said quietly, "So have you been spending time with Tommy at all? You two are best friends."

"We are," Jason said, "but he's got his own life, and I've got mine. I keep myself busy with work and stuff, and soon, I'm off to college. Just gotta move forward."

"Well, before you say goodbye to your teen years, how about a little trip?"

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, looking at his friend.

"When was the last time you saw Trini and Zack?"

"Jeez, I haven't seen them since I left Geneva."

"How 'bout a trip? It'll be a reunion! The five of us had the greatest, strongest friendship in the world, and we've all lost touch. Its tragic, but we can at least try to get reacquainted."

A small smile crept onto Jason's face, but it quickly fell. "We can't. Not with Billy on Aquitar."

Kim blinked. "Billy's been back for almost a week!"

"What?!" Jason cried, "Why didn't anyone tell me? He didn't even call me!"

Kim touched Jason's arm, a serious expression on her face. "Billy's going through some tough times now. Aquitar was attacked by Divatox, and Cestria was killed."

Jason remained quiet for a moment. "How... how is he taking it?" Jason asked once he found his voice.

Kim shook her head. "I don't know. I haven't seen or heard from him since he got back to Earth. He's joined the Zeo team as the Silver Ranger, but I think he's just drowning his pain in his work."

"He's always been like that," Jason recalled.

"He really loved Cestria. It'll take alot for him to heal. If he can."

"Then a trip to Geneva will certainly be on the right track," Jason said, rising to his feet, "I'm for it! But let me check with my boss about getting the next couple days off. I'll meet you at Billy's house?"

"You got it," Kim said, standing up and hugging Jason again, "See you later, Jay."
Chapter Three

Billy Mitchell had been away from Earth for months. During that time, he acclimated himself to the climate and scenery of an underwater kingdom, filled with an incredibly advanced technology, and a very formal culture. While on Aquitar, he secretly yearned for the rolling hills and sunny skies of his home planet. He was never very comfortable anywhere near bodies of water, and living beneath a large ocean wasn't his idea of a perfect life. Still, no matter how much he missed Earth, he enjoyed his life on Aquitar. He was surrounded by peers who appreciated his talents and respected him as a person. Billy was a hero to them, even without the helmet. He was almost a legend.

But the fame and glory isn't what primarily moved him to live on the blue jewel billions of miles away from Earth. Something much simpler gave meaning to Billy's life. It filled a void that existed in the young man almost all his life. Ever since his mother died, Billy Mitchell had been afraid of losing those he loved. He became afraid to love, to open himself up to pain. Years after his mother's tragic death, Billy became a member of an exclusive group of friends. Sadly, that too didn't last forever, as the five members of the team went in their own directions. He tried to hold onto the friendship, staying in the town and trying to acclimate to the vast differences within the group, but he couldn't. He simply couldn't truly accept the second generation like he did the first. To the original group, he was a close friend. To the second group, he was more of a behind-the-scenes genius, who remained in the shadows of the Power Chamber. The hole in his heart grew as he slowly lost his friends. But one single person managed to fill that hole to the point of overflowing.

That person was Cestria of Filleus, a member of the royal class of Aquitar. She was a brilliant doctor and scientist, a respected councilmember, and cousin to the Blue Ranger, one of the heroes of the planet. She was bright and charming, innocent yet not naive. She was so learned, but she was ready to learn more. And she was willing to give her heart to Billy, a young man with drives so like her own. They were perfect for each other, with matched intellectual curiosity and quiet bravery. Together, they would have been the backbone to the Aquitian Ranger team, keeping a protective eye on the heroes, and insuring the prolonged existence of the Aquitian culture. They both worked for the betterment of society.

However, tragedy again destroyed Billy's aspirations for happiness. One insane villainess, one twisted plot, and one powerful spell, brought the untimely demise of Cestria. She died an unecessary death, just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She wasn't a target, nor did she sacrifice herself for her planet. She just happened to be in the room where a powerful torpedo struck, sending the young scientist crashing into the wall, where such damage was inflicted on her body that nothing could have been done. In a senseless tragedy so like the one that stole Rebecca Mitchell from her family, Cestria left this plane of existence. And once again, so much like the loss of his mother over a decade ago, Billy was absolutely crushed.

For the past week, ever since his return to Earth, Billy had remained in his bedroom. Back in his high school days, Billy didn't much like his bedroom. If he had something on his mind, he much prefered his garage laboratory to his room, where at least he would spend his time working out formulas, instead of brooding over problems that he couldn't fix. Even though his lab remains undisturbed in the garage, he didn't take solace in science. He feared it would remind him too much of the one he lost.

Instead, he remained in the quiet darkness of his room. The sunlight was shut out by blinds, and the windows were closed shut. Back on Aquitar, after Cestria's death, Cestro had taught him about the Aquitian rites regarding the death of a loved one. The ritual included a day long intensive grieving period, where the survivors would lock themselves in the darkness of their quarters, speaking to no one at all, and eating nothing. This time was used to concentrate on the lost loved one, to ponder the meaning of their life and the significance of their death. It was to bring to mind all the wonderful things the dead one brought to the world, and brood over how lonely life would be without that person. Billy had willingly taken part in the Aquitian ritual, despite his human heritage. And it certainly did help Billy get through the wave of pain that struck when he realized that he could have saved her. True, he managed to get past the blinding, irrational anguish that made him long for death. But the dull emotional void quickly took the place of the enraged sorrow. The void came later, when Billy realized that he would have to live out his entire life without her, the woman he was to share the rest of his life with.

This dreary realization brought with it a sea of depression, in which Billy is drowning. He refused to see anyone, or even leave his room. His family, who was informed of Billy's great loss, let Billy have his space, but this extended period of total grief had them all extremely worried. They didn't know at what point Billy's anhedonia crossed the line between normal grievance and clinical depression, warranting psychiatric attention.

Chapter Four

Kimberly stood by the driveway of the Mitchell residence for a few minutes. She continued to glance at her watch, and look down the street anxiously. She really wanted Jason to arrive, before she approached Billy. She knew about Cestria's death, but she didn't know how serious his sorrow was. She knew the trip to Geneva would cheer him up, but she still wanted some help to bring him around. It would be difficult to convince Billy to go on vacation.

Finally, a red jeep pulled into the empty driveway. Jason climbed out, and waved at Kim. Together, they began walking to the front door.

"So," said Jason, looking around, "I don't see your Pontiac around. How did you get here?"

"I walked," Kim answered, "I mother sold the car not long after I left Miami. I really don't have much use for it."

Jason looked surprised. "You walked all the way from downtown Angel Grove? That's almost ten miles!"

Kimberly shrugged. "I enjoyed it. Besides, its been awhile since I've walked around a town like this. Venus Island is substantially different, and even there, I tend to fly around."

"You always wanted to fly," Jason said with a grin, recalling their grade-school years, "I remember you saying that if you had one wish, it would be to have wings like a bird."

"My twelfth birthday party," Kim reminisced, "The wish I made after I blew out the candles. And after I told you what I wished for, Zack scolded me, saying that it would never come true now."

"And it did."

"Yeah," Kim said quietly, "I never really believed that wish would come true, but I always thought that if I really, really wanted it bad enough, chances are that it would happen in its own way. I figured that I'd get the chance to go hang-gliding, or something that simulated real flight. But I actually did get a pair of wings. And, now that I think of it, I remember you telling me your deepest wish on the same occasion..."

Jason nodded, glancing up at the sky. "Yeah, I wished for the opportunity to be a hero."

"And that happened too. You've helped keep Earth on the universal map, Jason."

Jason shrugged modestly. "Just doing my job, I guess. But its all a part of my past."

Kim squeezed Jason's arm. "But its still a part of you."

The pair reached the front door, and rang the doorbell. After over a minute, there was no answer.

"Maybe