Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to Disney/Haim Saban
The city was quiet, still recovering from the ferocious monster attack of the previous week. Much the debris had already been cleared and even now, plans were being drawn up for the reconstruction. There had been the announcement of an impending wedding, of a well known and respected reporter to his PR girlfriend.
And in an underground chamber unknown to everyone but the seven people currently in it, Dayton stood and observed his young charges. They looked well, rested and happy.
Marissa was sitting on the bright yellow cushion beside James, who was sprawled on a black one. She was dressed in a brown top, over which a yellow sweater had been shrugged on. Her dark curls were in a ponytail that hung over her shoulder and her bright hazel eyes were alive with laughter. James, in contrast, was dressed all in black, from his dark hooded sweatshirt to his skater shoes. His equally dark hair was spiked away from a strong face and dark eyes grinned in a tanned face. He was of New Zealand descent and had the broad shouldered, broad chest build.
Jeanie sat just above James's head and now and then amused herself by pressing down on the gelled spikes. Her red hair was pulled into a tight braid, her bright, bright beyond blue eyes shone behind fashionable glasses. She was dressed in sneakers, three-quarter jeans and a pink top that showed off her shoulders.
Beside her, in a green short sleeved shirt over an off-white long sleeved t-shirt, sat Trevor. His dark hair was un-styled and fell messily into his almond shaped dark eyes, hidden, like Jeanie's, behind a pair of fashionable glasses. He seemed to be zoning out, but his eyes were sharp with intelligence.
A little way off, as they usually were, were David and Eva. David was an Asian descendant, like Trevor, but his hair was a shock of near white blond. It waved about his face and his eyes, a dark shocking contrast to his hair, watched with a look that would have been distant if not for the warmth behind them. He was dressed in a red t-shirt and jeans, with a dark jacket on the floor beside him. The pretty brunette sitting crossed legged on a sky blue cushion on his other side was dressed in a t-shirt of the same colour as the cushion, with bold black writing that declared her a free spirit. Her jeans rode low on her hips and her sharp green eyes slid constantly to Dayton, as if making sure he was still there.
Which, he supposed, was a normal reaction when one had been dead just last week.
"Rangers." As expected, the six teens immediately turned to look at him. Trevor shifted and the long sleeve of his shirt moved, revealing the silver bracelet he always wore.
They all wore similar bracelets, each with patterns in their signature colour. The bracelets, when needed, transformed into their morphers which, in turn, transformed them into the multicoloured heroes of legend. The Power Rangers.
This current generation of Power Rangers drew their power from the spirits of so-called mythical creatures that had once roamed the world. David was the noble Red Dragon, Eva the gentle hearted Blue Griffin. Trevor took power from the imperturbable Green Centaur while Jeanie took hers from the fiercely independent Pink Unicorn. James had the spirit of the strong willed Black Minotaur behind him and Marissa was the wild Phoenix.
They each, he thought, suited the Spirits that had chosen them perfectly. David with his cool head, natural leadership skills and unbreakable moral code. Eva with her deceptively sharp tongue, her warm heart and her ability to help everyone through most anything. Trevor with his measuring gaze, his calculating mind, his gift to analyse any situation in a split moment. Jeanie with her straight forwardness, her fierce loyalty to all close to her, her tough attitude she used to hide the softness within. James with his impetuousness, his eagerness to fight, his strong unwavering need to defend those who couldn't defend themselves. And Ris, with her warm accepting heart, her deceptively easy nature and the battle worn warrior that hid itself when not needed.
Yes, they all suited their Life Spirits to the letter.
"Dayton?" Jeanie asked when he didn't speak. "What's up?"
Jay rolled his eyes. "We all know what's up." He wiggled deeper into the soft cushion, smirked at their mentor. "He wants to do the post-battle analysis. A little late, I think. Like a week late," Jay shrugged, spread his hands. "But hey, his choice."
In answer, Jeanie bopped him on his head. "Why don't you let Dayton answer the question?"
"So answer it Dayton," David said with a grin. "Before Jay does, again."
"All right Rangers." Dayton had to smile as well. "What James said is right; I do wish to talk of the events that transpired last week. However," he added, "I do not wish to do – what is it? – a 'post-battle analysis'. I think there are some questions you wish answered."
"More than some," Trev said in a dry voice. "But who wants to start?"
Ris raised her hand and Jeanie rolled her eyes at her. "It's not school, Ris. You don't have to put your hand up."
"I know that," the brunette replied. "I just didn't want to ask a question at the same time as someone else."
"There's logic in that," Eva commented.
"What is your question, Marissa?" Dayton asked in an attempt to direct the conversation back to topic.
"What? Oh yeah," she flashed a quick grin. "Why wait a week to hold this not-post-battle analysis?"
"I can answer that," David drawled.
"Please. Do." Jeanie said wryly.
David glanced at Dayton, who inclined his head, giving the red ranger the stage. "Think about everything we went through Ris," David said, sitting up so he could look at Ris properly. "We saw Dayton die, went to only God – and Trev – knows where –"
"Actually," Trev lifted a finger, "I had no idea where I took us so, technically, only God knows where we were."
"We'll deal with that later," Jeanie said, waving a dismissive hand.
"Can I continue?" David asked, raising his eyebrows.
Eva's smile was quick and mischievous. "If you must."
He bopped her head in reply. "Thank you. What I'm pretty much saying is that we went through hell and back again – twice over. So if we'd done this thing right after, d'you really think we'd have been able to even process anything?"
"But why a week?" Ris insisted. "Why so long?"
"Hey?" Jay asked, tugging at her hair. "Aren't we allowed to a little vacation time?"
"I think what Jay said sums it all up." Jeanie said with a grin.
"Next question." Trev added.
"My turn then," Jeanie decided. "What the hell happened to me?"
Everyone looked at her. "What do you mean?" Dayton asked.
"What happened to me?" She asked. "How'd I get out of that bubble thing Pleance had us in? I mean, we tried everything; kicking, punching, everything and we couldn't get out of it. So how did I?"
Eva started to speak, but closed her mouth. Dayton inclined his head towards her. "No. Please."
She smiled. "Thanks, Dayton." Then she looked at Jeanie. "It's called Metaphase."
Jeanie blinked at her. "Beta-what?"
"Not beta," Eva said with a laugh. "Metaphase. It means you can pass through solid things, or you can make solid things pass through you."
Jay's brows furrowed. "Isn't that pretty much the same thing?"
"Not really," Eva explained. "Passing through solid things is changing the state of your body. However, passing solid things through you is changing the state of the object coming towards you. It's way harder to do the latter."
"Cool," Jay said with a grin. "You're like Kitty."
"Who?" Ris asked.
"Kitty? In X-Men?"
"Hold up," Jeanie blurted out, eyes still on Eva. "How do you know that? Don't you have to touch me to do that?"
"Well…" Eva grinned. "Truth be told, I think my power's getting stronger. Or something like that. I dunno. Now I can tell what's happening or what's happened to you guys."
"Just us?" David asked. "No one else?"
She shrugged. "Nope. Just you guys. I reckon it's because I'm so close to you guys."
Dayton nodded. "Correct Eva. On both your answers."
"Teacher's pet," Jeanie muttered under her breath.
A small cushion winged out, hit Jeanie on her temple. The others burst out laughing while Jeanie just grinned gamely and tucked the cushion under her arm. "How long have you wanted to say that to someone other than yourself?" Ris wondered aloud.
"Shut up Ris."
She just laughed in reply. "My turn," she announced.
"Again?" Trev asked in a dry voice.
She reached out, hit him lightly on his leg. "What happened to me?"
"Hey," Jeanie complained in a good natured voice. "Copy cat."
Ris's reply was to stick her tongue out at the red head. "Oh so mature," Jeanie said, rolling her eyes.
"Please," Dayton held up a hand before it could become worse, though it rarely did. "Marissa, in answer to your question; nothing happened to you."
"Oh yeah?" She raised her eyebrows. "So why did I – according to Jay – die?"
"Jay!" David glared at his cousin, who held up his hands.
"She gave me puppy-dog eyes! No one can resist her puppy-dog eyes!"
"Point," Jeanie commented.
"Rangers!" Dayton resisted the urge to rub his temples, where he could feel a headache brewing. Sometimes, he could not help but wonder if asking teenagers to be Rangers was the best thing. But most times, he thought, watching Jay smile up at Jeanie and David just sigh and shake his head, a rueful smile tugging at his lips, he was sure he'd made the perfect choice.
"Marissa, you did not die," Dayton said, attempting to – once more – steer the conversation back to topic. "When you resurrected me, you used up much of your energy. Since it is the first time you have resurrected someone – and as I had been dead a while and so, used up more energy than usual – you slipped into that coma-like state. The more you resurrect, or heal someone, the more used to the energy drain you will become and the less likely you will be to pass out."
"So her healing power is just a by-product to her resurrection power?" David asked.
"No," Dayton corrected. "Her healing power is the build-up to her resurrection power. The first step to bringing someone back is healing what had forced them to leave."
"That makes sense," Jeanie decided.
"What doesn't," Trev said in carefully modulated tones that everyone knew meant he was about to say something important, "is why you backed away."
"Me?" Dayton asked.
"You." Slanted dark eyes bore into his. "Why'd you back away Dayton? You had Pleance down. He was weak. Perfect opportunity to end him – end all of this. We're saved, earth is saved, yadda yadda. So why didn't you?"
The chamber was suddenly filled with silence so tense, Eva actually hunched her shoulders to try shift the weight of it. Dayton didn't seem to be looking at them, didn't seem to be looking at anything. His gaze had turned inward, as if to something none of them could see.
Or, Jeanie thought, to a time none of them knew about.
"Dayton?" Ris asked gently.
"I have regrets," he said in a distant voice. "I am only human – for that I am millenias old. I have many regrets."
"So you regret not killing Pleance?" Jeanie asked.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath. "No."
A/N: I'm so so so (a thousand times so) sorry for the HUGELY long delay in updating my series. Truth be told, this story went through many reincarnations. I hope you'll bear with me as I tie up a few loose ends from the episodes six and seven.
And, oh, yes, more shockers await...
