Hey, everyone! Iron Robin, here. I know I have a bajillion other stories that are all currently on hiatus, but when I get inspired, I have to write. And what can I say? I've loved Power Rangers for years. I even have an old work of fanfiction about the S.P.D. universe. Now I won't torture you by uploading that fanfiction because I wrote it when I was way younger than I am now, but I will tweak it exponentially, making it readable and, hopefully, enjoyable.

I make no promises when it comes to actually completing this story in a timely manner, so I'm giving you a fair warning. Spring semester's going to be a beast.

But without further ado! I don't own Power Rangers or S.P.D. or any of these characters except for Quinn, but here we go! Let me know what you think. Come on, don't be shy. ;)

Chapter 1

I've been living on the streets for as long as I can remember, moving from city to city whenever my heart desired. I never expected pity or sympathy, though that's what I received for the vast majority of my life. It's hard to look at a skinny, ragged eight-year-old girl without feeling sorry for her. I understand that, but I never asked for it, and as I grew older, I stopped getting those soft, teary-eyed looks. Instead, I had to brace myself for glares of disgust and even the occasional "Watch it, street rat!", but that's okay. The looks I got in my childhood always made me uncomfortable.

After all, the streets are my home. Why should people feel bad for me when I'm living the way I want to? Granted, when I was younger I occasionally allowed myself to dream about having a real house with a real family, but it didn't take long for me to realize that those dreams were nothing more than the fantasies of a lonely little girl.

So I learned to accept my subpar living conditions and I made the best of them. When I reached the age of thirteen people started to hire me for small tasks here and there. Sure, the salaries for those jobs were barely enough to live on, but I never complained. It wasn't my place to complain. I was too happy to have a little pocket money to whine anyway.

Throughout my earlier teen years I remained peppy and upbeat. The streets weren't so bad, especially when I finally settled in Newtech City, which was probably just about the safest city on planet Earth. With the Space Patrol Delta base being positioned in the vicinity, I felt as safe as could be. When I was younger I even toyed with the idea of becoming a Power Ranger one day.

The thought makes me laugh out loud, drawing the attention of a few passersby. I had been so lost in my thoughts that I had forgotten I was sitting on a street corner, hunched into myself to try and keep warm. My measly earnings from my job at Piggy's restaurant aren't enough to buy a fancy coat, so I was forced to settle for the threadbare piece of clothing I'm wearing now.

I still don't complain. At least that part of my childhood hasn't changed. But everything else has. I'm sure not that perky girl I used to be, and the thought of becoming a Power Ranger is hilarious enough to cause me to laugh again, though this time I merely emit a low chuckle and shake my head at myself. The Power Rangers are a joke. Sure, they protect the streets of Newtech City from alien threats, but that's the only thing they do for the very streets I, and many others, live in.

They even took the one source of comfort I used to have: Jack and Z. Everyone knew the two of them. They were like the celebrities of the alleyways. If you needed anything-food, water, coats-they had it. And they were always so full of life, offering a smile and an encouraging word to anyone who needed such things. I'm not even a year younger than them, but I looked up to them so much that it felt like betrayal-like I had lost everything I ever cared about-when they left to become Power Rangers.

I don't really want to think what my expression looks like right now, one of resentment and disappointment and sorrow. I don't necessarily hate the Power Rangers, but I'm not one to bend to their every word, either, unlike most people. This is why I generally keep my thoughts to myself. No one wants to hear my rantings.

Except Piggy, I think with a slight smile. It took me weeks to wear him down, but he eventually agreed to give me a part time job at his restaurant as long as I promised to do exactly what he told me to do and never asked questions. So far, I've held true to the bargain, though sometimes I wonder what kind of trouble he gets into with S.P.D. since he's always more than willing to join in on my raging frustrations about the Rangers.

Speaking of Piggy, I know it's time to start heading over to his restaurant. He hates it when I'm late, especially during rush hour. When I first began working for him, I hated it with a passion. It was gross and vile and every disgusting vocabulary word you can dream of. But true to my nature, I never complained, and eventually I came to grow used to the less than perfect conditions of Piggy's restaurant. I even strike up conversations with a few of his regulars from time to time, much to his chagrin. But I love some of his customers. They may be mostly lowlife criminals, but some of them are surprisingly easy to talk to, and they seem to enjoy my company as much as I enjoy theirs.

I shake off my distracting thoughts with a shiver, pushing myself to my feet while clamping my jaw shut to avoid chattering teeth. As soon as I save up enough money, I am definitely buying myself a new winter coat. I desperately miss the summer months. You would think that with all of its fancy technology, Newtech City could try and regulate its climate. Younger me would have wanted to suggest such an idea to S.P.D. as soon as she became a Ranger.

I shake my head at myself again, allowing the numbing coldness seeping into my body to take away all thoughts of the Power Rangers as I shuffle along the street towards Piggy's restaurant. I refuse to dwell on old childhood fantasies about the Rangers anymore. I refuse. And when I set my mind on something, I see it through to the bitter end. At least that part about my childhood hasn't changed, either, though younger me never classified anything as "bitter." She was too busy being a ridiculously happy orphan.

Resisting the urge to shake my head at myself again, I round a corner and pass through an alleyway, counting the steps I have left before making it to the area surrounding Piggy's place. It may be outdoors, but I'm looking forward to making it there since it at least provides some protection from the biting arctic winds. Piggy never lets something like questionable weather slow his business down, so neither do I.

I'm just beginning to calculate how many steps I have left when I'm suddenly crashed into from behind, the force sending me down onto my hands and knees. I let out a hiss of pain as the cold concrete bites into my bare hands, wishing I had the money for a pair of gloves as well.

"Watch it!" I snap as I push myself to my feet for the second time that day, ignoring the aching feeling slowly growing in my bruised knees. "Who do you think-"

I break off when I see who bumped into me. I may be tough as nails in some areas, but even I can't resist a pretty face. And the young man who knocked me off my feet could definitely be identified as "pretty."

"My sincerest apologies, miss!" he says, his warm brown eyes and wavy golden hair catching me off guard as much as his polite words. He reaches for me, dusting off and straightening my pathetic jacket as he asks, "Are you all right?"

He may be downright gorgeous, but I hate it when people touch me. Spending enough time on the streets will do that to a girl who's rather gorgeous herself, though I hate dwelling on the thought. I'd rather replace my deep red hair, emerald green eyes, and slim figure with the looks of a wart-covered witch if it kept people from noticing me.

"I'm fine," I answer, the biting tone in my voice remaining in place as I shove him away from me. "Watch where you're going next time."

He blinks once as if he's surprised at the ire in my tone, but thankfully, he doesn't try to touch me again. "I apologize again, madam. I didn't mean to run into you. Perhaps you would allow me to make it up to you at a later date?" he says, glancing over his shoulder as if he's in a hurry, which I suppose he is or he wouldn't have crashed into me like he did.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," I mumble, crossing my arms against my chest as I focus my gaze on the ground, refusing to meet the deepest brown eyes I've ever seen for fear of losing the protective walls I've put around my emotions.

I don't know how he reacts to my words other than him saying, "Then I'll return here in two hours' time to apologize further for my blatantly ill manners."

I open my mouth and look up to tell him that I hadn't been serious in my "yeah, sure, whatever," but he's already moving around me and down the alley, disappearing around the corner of a building.

Shaking my head for perhaps the tenth time that day, I tuck my coat around my waist as best as I can and start down the alley again, rubbing my stinging hands together to try and warm them, already racking my brain for anything to help soothe my aching knees.

"I saw her go this way, guys. Let's move!"

I freeze in my tracks at the painfully familiar voice, trying to ignore the sounds of many sets of boots approaching me, hoping they ignore me as well. But no such luck.

"Excuse me, but did you see a woman run through here?"

He's talking to me. I know he is. And there's no way around it, so I take a calming breath and turn to face the voice I recognized as Jack's. "No, I didn't. But I do see a traitor."

Jack reels back, and I don't know if it's because of recognition or if it's because of the fire in my voice. Maybe it's both. "Quinn?"

Before I can snap out a retort, Z pushes past Jack. Her expression is as surprised as his, though her lips quickly lift in an excited smile. "Quinn! Wow, it's been so long. How've you-"

"You can cut the chatter," I interrupt, keeping my barriers firmly in place. Emotions have no place here. At least not in front of a bunch of strangers who, judging by their uniforms, are the three other Power Rangers. "I'm kind of busy right now, and I didn't see any woman run through here, so you can get on with your investigation and leave me alone." Leave me alone like you did months ago.

One of the others, the green ranger, steps up and removes one of his gloves, waving his hand in front of me. "She's telling the truth."

I take a step back, my eyes widening slightly before I can stop them. What did he just do? Did he read my mind? And I thought people physically touching me was bad.

I'm considering turning and running like heck when Jack steps forward, his expression serious as he turns to the green ranger. "Of course she's telling the truth, Bridge. And next time, ask me before you read a person's aura."

I breathe out a small sigh of relief. I don't know what reading someone's aura means, but I didn't hear anything about mind reading in that sentence, and I'll take what reassurances I can get.

"And just how do you know she was telling the truth before Bridge confirmed it?" the blue ranger asks, and I can tell by his tone that he's been giving Jack a run for his money. The thought probably shouldn't make me feel as pleased as it does, but I'm still angry.

"Because we know her," Z puts in before Jack can speak. "This is Quinn. She's-"

"Not interested in getting involved in S.P.D. business," I interrupt again, refusing to have my life story told to a bunch of strangers. Sure, Jack and Z will probably tell them all about me later, but I would rather not be present when they do so.

"We don't really have time for this," the pink ranger says, looking up from where she's been fiddling with one of her blonde curls. "The longer we stand here, the more time we give that crook to get away."

"Right," Jack says, looking at me reluctantly before turning back to the others. "Sky and Syd? You circle back around. Try to cut off the criminal. Bridge, Z, and I will continue down this alley."

I can tell by the way he talks that he's the leader, and I must be right because his team nods and obeys his orders without question. Then again, his uniform does have hints of red, and everyone knows the red ranger is the one in charge. I almost forgot that little detail, but I try not to think about the Rangers much these days. Although by the looks of it, I'm not going to have that luxury anymore.

Before running off, the green ranger, Bridge, turns to me. "Hey, look, I'm sorry I scared you with the whole reading your aura thing. But if you don't mind me saying, you're really quite fascinating. I-"

"Bridge!" Z cuts him off, jerking her head in the direction Jack wanted her and Bridge to go. "We've got to move. Leave the poor girl alone."

I stiffen, resenting being called a "poor girl," but Bridge nods, apologizes to me again, and takes off down the alley after Jack, Z close on his heels. I don't know if I'm glad that they left without another word to me or if I wish they had stuck around longer.

After a moment of thought, I wrinkle my nose and think, I'm definitely glad.

Using my weird ability that, in part, allows me to always know what time it is, I let out a low growl and start moving in the direction I was going before the Power Rangers stopped me. I'm definitely late now. Piggy's not going to like that, and I really can't afford to have my pay docked any more this month.

Unfortunately, it seems more money is going to be subtracted from my already small pay, because I barely make it to the end of the alley when I'm once again stopped by the Power Rangers.

"You're certain you didn't see anyone run through here earlier," the blue ranger-Sky, I assume-demands, taking one too many steps too close to me.

I step back involuntarily, lifting my chin in silent defiance. Technically, I had seen someone run through, but the Rangers had asked about a woman, and the young man who had bumped into me was definitely not a woman. At least I hope he wasn't. You never can tell with aliens. Besides, I don't want to tell the Rangers anything. Why should I?

"What Sky means to say is," the pink ranger, Syd, intercedes, putting her arm out to stop Sky from coming any closer. Even though I'm not a fan of the Rangers, I'm grateful for that. "We lost the trail of the woman we were chasing and we were hoping you could tell us if you saw anything."

"I already told you I didn't see anyone," I say with a brief roll of my eyes. "Now would you please leave me alone? I have work to do."

"Well, maybe we could catch up later," Jack suggests, and I have to strengthen my walls to avoid reacting to the hope in his eyes. "After we catch this crook, I mean."

"Yeah, we should," Z agrees, and I have to thicken my barriers even further to ignore the eagerness in her smile. "I've missed…"

She trails off when Bridge starts beeping. Or when a device on his belt starts beeping that is. I want to ask what the machine does, but I'm almost afraid to judging by the frowns on all of the Rangers' faces.

"Quinn…" Jack starts, his voice suddenly wary. "What did you do?"

"What are you talking about?" I ask indignantly as Bridge steps toward me, pulling out the beeping device and waving it up and down my person. I resist the urge to shove him away, knowing how strict S.P.D. is. I don't want to be charged with assaulting an officer, though a sinking feeling in my gut makes me wonder if I'm about to be charged with much worse.

"Kat gave us this device to use if we couldn't catch the criminal," Bridge explains. He appears calm, but I can see a worried crease in between his eyebrows. "It should help us locate the item she stole."

I don't bother to ask who this "Kat" person is since I'm too busy trying to calm my whirling thoughts. I sincerely doubt Bridge's device would be beeping if it hadn't located the stolen item. And if it's beeping while it's near me…

I feel myself sway, shock numbing my brain even more than the cold does. "I didn't steal anything," I say quickly, feeling my breath starting to come a bit faster, causing white clouds of frosty air to appear in front of my mouth. "I swear. I've never stolen anything in my life."

While others who lived on the streets like I did were willing to steal this way and that, I had always refused to break the law. I wanted-and I still want-to earn what little bit I have, fair and square.

I stand stock still. The silence in the air is as thick as ice as Bridge finishes his investigation, letting out a none-too-reassuring sigh as he reaches into one of my coat's pockets and pulls out a small cube-shaped device. It's silver and sleek, but most of all, I've never seen it before.

"I don't know what that is," I insist, taking a step back from Bridge and the others, cringing slightly as they all take a step towards me. They're not going to let me get away. "You have to believe me. I don't even know how that got in my pocket in the first place!"

"You'll forgive us if we don't believe you," Sky says in an emotionless tone, pulling out a pair of handcuffs from his belt and slapping them on my wrists before I can do anything about it. "You're under arrest for stealing S.P.D. property and lying to its officers."

"I'm not lying!" I shout. Now Jack and Z are the ones cringing. "Guys, please."

I hate having to plead for mercy from my former friends, but I don't want to go to jail for something I didn't do. Heck, I don't want to go to jail at all.

"Jack?" Bridge questions, looking at me in such a way that I feel a surge of hope flash through me. Maybe he's on my side. "Do you want me to read her?"

I turn my gaze to Jack, begging him to say yes with my eyes, but he refuses to meet my gaze, and just like that, the brief feeling of hope inside me fizzles out.

"No," Jack answers, shaking his head as he turns to lead the others out of the alley and, undoubtedly, toward the S.P.D. base. "Let's take her in for questioning. Gently."

No one else says anything more as Sky carefully pulls me along with him, and I don't acknowledge the pitying looks I'm receiving from Bridge and Syd. All I see is the look of disappointment on Jack's face and the look of confusion on Z's.

All of a sudden, clarity settles over me, calming my mind. Earlier today, I wasn't sure how I felt about the Rangers, but now I decide to change my opinion about being neutral toward them. I can't forgive them for what they've done to my friends, how they've changed Jack and Z so drastically.

I hate the Power Rangers.