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The brand-new Zeo Rangers were sitting in the Juice Bar. Tonya ran a hand over the unfamiliar weight on her left wrist. "What is this called again?"
"A communicator," Adam said with a smile. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it.
"If you say so." She wrinkled her nose. "It itches," she complained mildly. "What does it do?"
Billy drew in a breath. The others braced themselves for the lecture. "Well, it--"
beep beep beep-beep beep beep
"--does that," he finished with a laugh, gesturing towards Tommy's wrist.
Tommy stood, automatically glancing around the Youth Center to see if anyone was paying attention. He headed for their "usual" morphing spot near the lockers. "Coming, Billy?"
Billy shook his head and smiled. "No, thanks. I want to watch this for once."
The others laughed and hurried off. Billy eased around the corner, looking for a good observation post--
And soon realized why even Bulk and Skull had never noticed the Power Rangers appearing in the Youth Center. Tommy, like Jason before him, had chosen well; someone standing in that corner could only be seen from behind (he could see Tommy checking the hallway), or from the door leading to Ernie's storeroom. He leaded in this doorway and nodded his head toward his friends in salute.
They grinned back. Then Tommy reached back his arms and snapped his wrists out on front of him.
"It's morphin' time!"
"Highly impressive," Billy murmured. Even Tommy's yell and the "Zeo Ranger" cries that followed went unnoticed, dissipating before they rounded the corner to the rest of the room.
In a flash, five teenagers became the Power Rangers Zeo; in another flash, they were gone. Billy heaved a half-wistful sigh and turned back towards his table.
His pensive mood was shattered, though, when he bumped into the large form next to him. "Ernie!" he gasped. "You--uh--" He looked over at the now-empty space across from him, and back at his old friend. "Uh..." he said again.
Ernie said nothing, just put a finger to his lips. After Billy stopped stammering, Ernie winked slowly at him, turned, and walked off.
As Billy watched him leave, he heard something. He listened more closely. Ernie was whistling the communicator's tune--a melody the man had probably heard a thousand times over the last four years. Of course...
Billy leaned against the doorframe and laughed helplessly. "I was right," he said with a grin. "Better than ever."