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Beginnings
Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. If I do, I promise to donate the money to one of those foundations that prevent animal cruelty. By the way, no animals were harmed in the production of this series... well, except that gerbil, but hes fine now. I swear.
A/N: This takes place a few months after Power Rangers Virtual Force. While its designed for you to be able to read it without reading the first one, it wouldn�t hurt to brush up on your history before checking this one out.
Reefside, California August, 2005 AD
�You sure you wanna do this?� she asked him.
Patrick stood across from her, no more than four feet away. The sun was beginning to set, but managed to shine through the trees, giving the appearance that the leaves themselves were glowing. There was a brick wind in the air, sending a slight chill down both of their spines, but both of them refused to move.
�I�ve been waiting months to do this,� he told her.
�Fine, lets go.�
�Okay, before we...� he was interrupted as she rushed at him with a kick. He managed to catch her foot and push her backwards. She did a flip, landing on her feet and going for a sweep. Patrick did a back flip of his own to avoid it, but while in mid air, she kicked him in the back, sending him tumbling over.
She punched downward at him, but he rolled out of the way, wrapping his legs around her ankles and tripping her. As she fell to the ground, Patrick got back to his feet, rushing at her with a spin kick. She ducked it, and as he spun around, kicked him in the back of the leg, forcing him down to one knee.
�You can always quit now while you�re ahead,� she taunted.
�I�m not done with you yet,� he warned, grabbing her and flipping her over his shoulder. She kicked up, hoping to catch him in the head, but he caught her foot, got back to his feet and spun her around. She flew a few feet, landing up against the metal gate.
�Wanna play hardball, do you?�
�I came to win,� he told her.
�Fine, have it your way,� she said, forming a small ball of energy in her hand, throwing it at him. He did a flip to avoid it, but as soon as he regained his footing, there was another one coming towards him. He ducked it, forcing the ball of energy to hit a tree behind him.
�You missed.�
�No, I didn�t,� she said.
Before he had a chance to make a move, there was a tree falling towards him. He extended his hands in front of him, and a bolt of lightning shot from the sky, splitting the tree in half, with a part of it on either side of him.
�Okay, my turn,� he said.
The sky began dark, and bolts of lightning began to come from the sky. She managed to avoid the first few, but the last one was much too close. She managed to form a shield of dark energy around her, but the lightning was enough to destroy it.
Patrick shot another bolt at her, but it was countered with a ball of dark matter, causing an explosion that knocked both of them backwards. Both fell to the ground, but got back to their feet, rushing at one another.
She went for a chop, but he caught her arm. She responded by dropping to her knees, using her free hand to grab his ankle and knock him off balance. Before he could get back to his feet, she shot a beam of dark energy from her eyes, catching him in the shoulder.
�That�s new,� she said cheerfully.
�You�re not the only one with tricks,� he admitted as his eyes lit up.
There was a gust of wind that snatched her off the ground, sending her spinning in the air. She tried to form a ball of energy, but the wind was too strong for her. Finally, his eyes stopped glowing, and she fell to the ground, falling hard in front of him.
He leaned down to help her up, but as she grabbed his hand, beams of energy shot from her eyes again, knocking him into the air and over the gate. He fell to the ground, holding his back in pain.
�I�m done playing with you,� she reached behind her back, pulling out her morpher. �LOG ON! VIRTUAL UPLOAD, RANGER MODE!!� she called out. There was a blinding flash of light as her black ranger uniform replaced her clothes.
�Oh, you wanna break out the hardware. Alright, if that�s the way you want it,� he said as he reached behind his back, grabbing his morpher. �LOG ON! VIRTUAL UPLOAD, RANGER MODE!!� he called out, quickly transforming into the green ranger.
Before either of them could make a move, her father walked over to them, stepping in-between them.
�What do you two think you�re doing?� he snapped.
�Training!� they said in unison.
He looked around, ensuring no one was looking. �You�re using your civilian powers in public, morphing in plain site. What part of secret identity didn�t you get? Your brother could have seen you� he asked them.
�Sorry daddy,� she sighed. �But I don�t see why I can�t just tell Marcus. I mean, hes...�
�Telling him your secret puts him risk. If your enemies were to find out you had a brother, he�d become a target. Jesus, you saw what happened to your mother when she found out. Is that really want you to do?� he asked.
�No sir,� she sighed, putting her head down slightly.
�Get in the house Jennifer, we�ll discuss this later,� he turned to Patrick. �And you, I expected more from you. Jennifer is only fourteen and...�
�Fifteen,� she corrected. �I know you haven�t been around a while, but you should still remember my birthday.�
�Fine, fifteen. She may not understand the importance of keeping your identities safe, but you should. Go home Patrick, I�ll deal with you another time,� he said.
�Yes Mr. Coulborne,� he sighed.
Jen stormed into her room, slamming the door behind herself. It had been months since she, Patrick and the other did what they had to do to save the world and trap Thoron in the demon dimension. Since then, a lot had changed for her. Having her father move back into the house was probably the most dramatic change in her life; having to get use to have him around again had proven to be a lot harder than she thought it would be.
She and her father were both rangers, giving them something they had in common, but he felt the need to be overprotective of her... sometimes much more than he needed to be. She�d proven herself to be responsible and capable of dealing with things on her own, and while she did recently celebrate her fifteenth birthday, he felt the need to treat her as if it was her fifth.
�POWER DOWN!� she said, quickly changing back to her civilian clothing, flopping down on the bed.
As soon as she did, her bedroom door opened. Before it could open all the way, she threw a ball of energy at it, just enough to close it back.
�Ever heard of knocking?� she snapped.
The door opened again, and her father walked in. �What have I told you about using your powers like that in public?� he asked.
�I was in the backyard dad, I was fine,� she told him.
�That isn�t the point. These powers aren�t to be played with. They�re not a toy and they shouldn�t be taken lightly. They were given to you so...� he was interrupted.
�They weren�t given to me, I got stuck with them. That damn vortex warped my DNA and now that damn chip on my neck makes sure my powers don�t kill me,� she told him.
�Watch your tone young lady! These powers are yours to help people, not to play in the backyard with your little boyfriend,� he paused, taking a deep breath. �I know it�s been a while since you were called to action, but that�s a good thing. Now that Ethan is gone on his internship, Hayley has been by herself working on the temporal enhancer. There are no forces of evil for you to fight right now, which means you shouldn�t be using your powers,� he walked over to her, taking her morpher. �And there�s no reason for you to be walking around with this all the time,� he told her.
Jen�s eyes lit up, and dark energy surrounded her morpher, allowing it to float back over to her. �I�m not a kid anymore dad, I can handle myself. My morpher stays with me at all times because you never know when I might need it,� she put her morpher. �Now, if you�ll excuse me. I have to get ready for bed. In case you forgot, I start school in the morning,� Jen informed him.
He looked at his watch. �We�ll discuss this again tomorrow when you get home,� he said, walking out the room and closing the door behind himself.
�You don�t have to go Ethan,� Hayley sighed as she stood in the doorway, watching him gather up the last of his belongings.
�Yes I do, this is the chance of a lifetime. I�ve read the theories that Dr. Fritz has, and it�s an honor to be working side by side with one of the most brilliant minds of our generation,� he said.
�Excuse me?� she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
�Present company excluded. This internship is a dream come true, I have to take it,� he told her.
�I understand, but...�
�You�ll be fine here without me. Besides, its not like I�m going to a peace conference in Switzerland or anything. I�ll keep my communicator with me just in case something happens,� he assured her.
�I was hoping we�d get the temporal enhancer working before you left. We�re the only chance the rangers have of ever getting home,� she mentioned.
Ethan sighed, walking over to her slowly. �Its been over five months now Hayley, there is no way Jake and the others could have survived in that demon dimension for that long. We have to accept the idea that...�
�I�m not willing to accept anything yet. Liz survived for months by herself and at half power. We have to find a way to save them,� she paused. �To save Jody,� she sighed.
�So, that�s what this is about.�
�Not completely, but...�
�I don�t know what you�re going through. I have no idea what it must be like to lose a sister, but she was lost even before Jake the others sacrificed themselves. Even if they were alive, I don�t think you�d like what came out of the vortex when you found her,� Ethan said.
�But I have to try.�
�How do you propose you do it? Send in more rangers? The first time we lost an entire team of rangers, Rick was nearly tortured to death and you lost your sister. The second time, four of the rangers were lost and the other two had to have chips stuck in their brains to keep them alive. Do you really want to try for a third time?� he asked her.
�No, I�m not going to risk anyone else�s life,� she sighed. �Its not right to trade one for another.�
�I�m sorry for your lose Hayley, I am. The rangers were like family to me, and I don�t like that they�re gone, but trying to save them will cause more problems than it will solve. What if Thoron was able to escape through the vortex when we try to reopen it? The risk is too great.�
�You�re right, I know.�
�I haven�t given up on locking onto them with a long ranger teleportation unit. I�ve been talking with Cam ever since he went back to Blue Bay Harbor, and we have some interesting theories about it. I won�t give up on them Hayley, but we can�t risk anyone else trying to go in,� he said.
�I know,� Hayley sighed.
Ethan quickly tossed his bag over his shoulder. �I�ll give you a call when I get there, okay?�
She nodded slightly. �Okay, be careful.�
�Careful? What�s the worst that could happen?� he asked.
�Um, the forces of evil could kidnap you again and try to force you to kill your friends,� she brought up.
He shrugged his shoulders. �Okay, I�ll be careful,� he promised her, walking out the room.
Hayley waited until Ethan was gone completely before she walked over to the opposite side of the room, setting up her video camera. Once it was in place, she turned it on, and then sat down in front of it. �If you�re watching this video, it means that my attempt to reopen the vortex and save the other rangers has failed....�
�I don�t know what else to do with that girl,� he snapped, slamming his fist down on the kitchen counter.
�Oh Anthony, she�s a big girl and capable of making her own decisions. It took a long time for me to see it, but she is,� she said.
�But she�s my daughter, I...�
�She�s my daughter too, and I�ve learned to trust her. She saved me, she saved you. She saved the world. I think she�s entitled to a little more freedom,� she said.
�I guess you�re right, but I...�
�I am right, trust me. She starts school tomorrow, but I�ve talked to the principal and special arrangements have been made for Jen. A special teacher is being brought in, someone who will understand her need to leave all of a sudden,� she paused. �If the need ever came up.�
�You�re taking this a lot better than I thought you would,� he said.
�What do you mean?�
�I just remember being trapped in that hell dimension, wondering if you�d ever be able to understand why I did what I did. When I finally did escape, I discover my daughter is a ranger and some creature possessed you. A lot as happened since I was away, but I�m determined that nothing will break up my family again,� he explained.
She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him. �I know you mean well Anthony, but our little girl isn�t a little girl anymore. She�ll be fine. Besides, its not like she�ll be alone. If something does happen, she�ll have help,� she assured him.
The sun had completely set, being replaced by the sun. The wind was getting stronger, and there was a chill in the air. A young woman walked towards her car, the only sound she heard were her heels hitting the pavement and her keys jingling in her hand.
She was a few inches away from her car when a man in a hood approached her. �Nice night, ain�t it?� he asked in a low, raspy voice.
�A little chilly for my taste,� she confessed.
Just then, she felt something pressing up against her back. It wasn�t a gun, she observed, it was something sharp. The man who originally approached her was standing in front of her, and based on the sounds she heard, there were at least two other people behind her. �Just have over your wallet and no one has to get hurt here,� one of the strangers said.
�You don�t wanna do this,� she sighed.
�Oh trust me lady, we do,� another one responded.
�Okay, have it your way,� she said, quickly spinning around. As she spun, she grabbed one of their arms and pushed it forward, sending it through the window of her car. Before he could react, kicked the second man, knocking him forward. The third man charged at her, but a chop to the throat slowed him down.
The first man regain his composure and rushed at her, but she side stepped him and gave him a leg trip, sending him down to the ground face first.
�I tried to warn you, but...� before she could finish her sentence, one of them pulled out a gun, aiming it at her and firing.
�WATCH OUT!!� a voice called out. It all happened so quickly, but when it was over, the man with the gun was running away, and there was another stranger on the ground covered in blood.
�Oh my God, are you okay?� she asked, rushing over to him.
�F-Funny, I was g-gonna ask you the same thing,� he mumbled.
At first glance, he was an older man, as indicated by the long facial hair. His clothes were dirty and torn, and he looked as though he hadn�t eaten a good meal in weeks.
�You took a bullet for me, you saved me,� she told him.
�Don�t worry about it, just...� a sharp pain rushed through him, stopping him from finishing his sentence.
�I have to get you to a hospital,� she told him. �My name is Alyssa. Alyssa Enrile. What�s yours?� she asked him.
�I don�t know,� he sighed.