Legal: I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, characters, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.
Rating: T – there will be some mild adult themes and language.
It was late afternoon, and the cafe was quiet following the lunch rush. Well, lunch RUSH would probably have been glorifying it. Amber Beach had a stretch of warm weather recently, far hotter than normal. The upshot was that most people were heading out of town, or going to the beach or the mountains, pretty much anywhere BUT the museum. No one really wanted to be shut up indoors when the sun was hitting record highs a good couple of months before it really turned to summer.
She looked around once more at the deserted dining room. If the lights and the music weren't on, it would be impossible to tell if the place was even open. Even at the height of lunch time, she had served a grand total of three customers. The upshot was...everyone was bored! They were so bored that after a quick game of rock, paper scissors to determine who was the unlucky one that had to stick around and man the cafe she was now on her own. Stupid Koda, how could she not have figured out that the only one he understood how to make was rock?
Koda had left the restaurant, telling them he was going out riding. He had learned to ride from a young kid named Peter he had saved in one of their battles. It was a good thing, it meant he now knew how to use his Raptor Cycle, but more than that, he found he really enjoyed it. Kendall had bought him a mountain bike that he loved riding whenever he wasn't needed at the museum. Riley was likely in the lab practicing. He pretty much always practiced any time he wasn't on shift. The kid was exhausting to be around. Between his studies under Kendall, and his shifts at the museum, he already had a pretty full schedule, and yet any time he had other than that, he was always out somewhere training.
Tyler and Chase had gone somewhere, Chase telling her that he was going to let Tyler earn some money to help pay off what he owed Kendall to repair the damage he had done to the museum's jeep. Chase had said that Moana, his friend at the junk shop was looking for a hand clearing up the shop and doing a stock take and was willing to pay for help. Remembering the cluttered tiny shop, and the mass of junk from her last visit, Shelby really didn't envy Tyler, but she knew if he didn't want to be broke for the next six months, he really couldn't afford to turn down anything that would help him pay off what he owed.
That left her, all alone, bored out of her mind. She had figured that she could kill some time, and finally set up the replacement phone she had bought after Koda had murdered her old one with a large stick in a panic. While it gave her time to read through the instruction manual of her new cell phone and enter in all her contacts, that had only killed off about an hour. Now, she was back to staring at the walls.
As Kendall was walking past, Shelby vaulted over the counter to run after her. She caught up to Kendall, grabbing her shoulder.
"Ms Morgan?" She asked. Kendall just turned around, looking somewhat annoyed. It was only then that Shelby noticed she was holding a phone, and was clearly taking a call.
"I'm on the phone." Kendall told her, going back to her conversation. "Sorry about that interruption, you were saying you wanted to book a private function? We don't normally...well that's a very generous donation...wait, what kind of function?"
Shelby just stood, patiently waiting as Kendall listened to the caller on the other end. She furrowed her brows in confusion.
"You want to book a wedding?" She asked in a slightly surprised tone. "In a dinosaur museum?"
She listened to the caller on the other end explaining something.
"Well, like I said, we don't normally do things like that so I really don't have anything prepared as far as a template goes, can you come into the museum?" She asked. She clicked her fingers, pointing to the check pad in Shelby's apron. Shelby handed her the pad and a pen. "Alright, I can make an appointment for you...Thursday afternoon? That way we can discuss what you'd like and discuss what we can do for you. How does 2PM sound? OK, that's great; I'll see you then Miss Moran."
With that, she hung up the phone. She tore off the note and handed Shelby back the pad.
"Did I hear you say someone wanted to book a wedding here?" Shelby asked her.
"Apparently her girlfriend has a thing for dragons and dinosaurs are the next best thing." Kendall replied, putting the note away. "What can I do for you Shelby?"
"I was just wondering, there's really nothing going on here, and it's such a great day out..."
"You want to close early?" Kendall asked.
"Well, you did say there was an area you wanted to check out as a possible lead for another fossil." She reminded her. "And the weather is pretty much ideal..."
"Shelby, I know you want to go on a dig, and I promise you that you will, but we can't just close the museum any time we feel like it." Kendall answered. "It's bad enough all the other staff quit when Scrapper attacked the museum. Do you think its easy running this place by myself when you all run off?"
"But there's no one here!" Shelby reiterated. "There hasn't been one customer in over two hours!"
"So what would you call that?" Kendall asked as she pointed to the counter. Shelby just groaned, seeing that a young woman had walked in while they were talking. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm not exactly a wedding planner, so I need to start thinking about what exactly goes into hosting a wedding."
With that, she headed back towards the lab. Shelby trudged back to the cafe, rounding the counter.
"Sorry about the wait." She said as she arrived.
"Oh...I was starting to wonder if you were open." The girl replied. She was a little shorter than Shelby, with shoulder-length blonde hair, held back by a couple of plaits she had made in her fringe, before tying them back behind her head. She was wearing a pale, aquamarine t-shirt, and black denims, and black, heeled boots. She smiled brightly as she saw Shelby.
"Yeah, the place is pretty dead today. It's usually a lot busier." Shelby answered. "Now, what can I get you?"
"Here's the thing, I'm actually kind of new in town." The girl said a little hesitantly. "I was looking for a job?"
"Oh...well...its Ms Morgan you'd need to speak to about that." Shelby said. "I could call her..."
"Maybe after lunch." She answered. "What's good on the menu?"
"Well, the biggest seller is the Bronto Burger." Shelby said checking out the menu. "But if you're looking for something a little lighter, I quite like the Pterodactyl club sandwich."
"That sounds great." She said with a smile. "I'm Christie by the way."
"Shelby" Shelby replied, shaking her hand. She inspected the girl thoughtfully for a moment. "I'll just go and get your order. Sit wherever you'd like, there's no shortage of tables."
"I'll be fine here." Christie assured her as she pulled up a stool. Shelby just went to prepare her order.
Over at Moana's shop, Tyler was struggling with a couple of heavy boxes, putting them down outside, finally able to catch his breath. When he got there, he saw Chase sitting on a deck chair, sipping a soda as he listened to some music.
"Don't strain yourself." Tyler teased him. Chase just shrugged.
"I'm only thinking of you mate." He told Tyler.
"Explain how you sitting on your ass helps me again?" Tyler asked.
"Well, if I help, then I'll be entitled to half the money Moana's paying us to do this for her." Chase explained as he placed his hands behind his head, leaning back casually. "And that would mean you'd have a lot less money to pay back Kendall, which would mean you'd have longer to wait until you paid her back."
"You know, the frightening thing is, that actually makes sense." Tyler chuckled as he carried on with his work. He picked up a ledger, marking down everything he pulled out of the store room. "It's no wonder she got behind on her inventory. Where'd she even get all this junk?"
"She's always been a bit of a hoarder." Chase told him. Tyler just furrowed his brows.
"I thought you only met her when you got your Energem." He stated. Chase shook his head.
"She lived near my street when I was growing up. She ran a shop just like this back home." Chase explained. "Everyone thought she was a whack job, but I thought some of the stuff was kinda creepy and cool. I used to check out her shop all the time as a kid. I even bought a few Maori artefacts."
"So that's where you got those creepy carvings in the apartment?" Tyler asked him. Chase just nodded. "So you got the Energem from her..."
"Before she left New Zealand." Chase told him. "I couldn't believe it when I saw her shop here. She told me she got a vision after she gave me the Energem that she needed to be here. Apparently she pretty much just packed up everything she owned and left the following day."
"Vision?" Tyler asked him. "Do you believe in any of that stuff?"
"Not really, but I do have to admit that she's seen and done some stuff I can't really explain." Chase told him. "Let's just say I'm not willing to rule it out."
"Do you think...maybe she might be able to see something about a person...if she had something of theirs?" Tyler asked, looking to his father's bracelet. Chase knew what he was thinking.
"I'm not sure how it works, but we can always ask when she gets back." He told him. "Anyway, get back to work, that stuff won't sort itself out."
"Tyler just went back to the task in hand; while Chase put his ear buds back in and settled down to enjoy the sun. Tyler didn't really believe in fortune tellers or spirits or all that kind of stuff, but after some of the things he had already seen, he knew there was a lot more to the universe than he originally believed. It wasn't a huge stretch of the imagination to believe that someone might have mental abilities he didn't understand in a world where the spirit of a dinosaur had bonded to him giving him incredible power. If nothing else, it wasn't as if he had anything to lose by giving it a shot. Would she be able to give him some idea where he might look next?
Up on Sledge's ship, Fury was doing his rounds, checking on the prisoners. Viviks were busy doling out their evening rations. These pitiful wretches knew better than to beg for any kind of mercy. It was an alien concept on this ship. He slammed his sword into the bars as some reached out for him, causing them to pull back inside their cells.
"Settle down!" He warned them as he made his way though. "Keep it up and you'll REALLY suffer!"
With that, he headed through a large, secure door into a deeper section of the ship, to the solitary confinement cells. General population was bad enough, but solitary confinement was reserved for those that were extended a whole new level of cruelty for a variety of reasons. More often than not, it was used as punishment for misbehaviour for the general population. There were very few who stayed in solitary for extended periods. Some prisoners though had powers so unique or so dangerous, that they needed the additional security of the solitary cells.
Fury made his way through the corridor, stopping by each of the occupied cells in turn, checking the viewing screen to see the prisoners inside. The other advantage of solitary was that it was easier to adapt a cell for an inmate that needed special arrangements. One of the cells housed a creature who could channel huge amounts of electrical energy, and so he was in a cell that was always filled to knee height with water.
He approached another cell, but he stopped still as he noticed something was off. The cell door was open ajar. He gripped his sword tightly as he approached.
He opened the door slowly with the tip of his sword, keeping clear of the door in case the inmate was waiting in ambush. He swung around into the cell, ready to fight, but found no sign of the prisoner.
As he made his way inside, all he could find was a huge, metal chair, covered in restraints designed to hold a prisoner completely immobile, unable to move an inch. There were even covers that would have enclosed the hands, preventing the prisoner using their fingers in case they somehow got hold of something to pick the locks. He picked up a helmet from the chair, a sensory isolation helmet that would completely block out any visual or auditory stimulus, rendering the unfortunate victim completely blind and deaf. This prisoner was so dangerous, that they had been kept unable to even see or hear.
He threw the helmet aside and ran to the bridge, finding Sledge sitting, looking completely bored and uninterested as Poisandra danced around, carrying her wedding folder, running off more ideas of the lavish wedding she was looking forward to.
"Ooh...and this place looks absolutely perfect for the ceremony! It's beautiful and sunny and has all these wonderful trees...we'll need to get rid of all the people though, I don't want any gate crashers." She told him, looking to Wrench. "How many people could possibly live in this Hawaii place anyway?"
"Master Sledge, one of your maximum security prisoners has escaped!" Fury yelled. Sledge got up from his throne.
"WHAT?" He yelled.
"I was doing the rounds of the solitary block. Cell 417 is empty!" He told him.
"417?" Sledge asked. "I want every inch of the ship searched! Everyone on high alert! That prisoner is so dangerous..."
"Oh, I know how dangerous she is." Poisandra said in a sweet little sing-song voice. "That's exactly why I released her."
"You did WHAT?" Sledge asked. "Do you remember what I went through to capture her the first time? She slaughtered dozens of my comrades! She sent an entire solar system into chaos...she almost destroyed a whole GALAXY!"
"Exactly, so just imagine all the fun chaos she can wreak among the Rangers." She told him. "We won't have to lift a finger, the Rangers will destroy themselves!"
"I like the way you think!" Sledge responded, scooping her up in his arms.
"Master Sledge, she released one of your most dangerous prisoners..."
"It's ingenious!" Sledge declared proudly. "Perhaps you should take notes Fury. You might just learn something."
Fury just stormed out of the bridge, growling as he went.
Back at the museum, Shelby delivered Christie's order, and rounded the corner of the counter, sitting with her.
"I've never seen you around before." Shelby stated. "When did you get into town?"
"I only got here a few days ago. I've not even had a chance to unpack." She admitted, taking a bite of her sandwich. "This seems like a really nice neighbourhood. I feel like I'm going to really like it here."
"Most people around here are pretty nice. I grew up here." Shelby answered. "So are you going to school here or...?"
"I graduated last summer." Christie told her. "I'm just looking for a job. I really need to get some money together."
"I know the feeling." Shelby said, rolling her eyes. "College is a little out of my price range at the moment."
"No WAY! I'm saving for college too!" Christie yelled. "I'm trying to get into culinary college!"
"Palaeontology!" Shelby said, gesturing to herself, smiling brightly. Christie returned the gesture as she leaned in to take some fries from her plate. Shelby saw a necklace slip out of her t-shirt, hanging down.
"Say, that's really nice." Shelby complimented her. "Can I see it?"
Christie let her take a closer look. It was a simple silver chain, with an engraved pendant in the end, housing a bright, aquamarine stone. Shelby just looked to it.
"Wow, this is really something. Where did you get it?" She asked.
"It was my moms; she gave it to me before she died." Christie told her. "When I'm wearing it, I feel her spirit...kind of like she's still with me you know?"
Just then, Kendall came back into the restaurant. Shelby just held up a hand.
"Hold that thought. Hey, Ms Morgan!" She called out. Kendall came over, seeing Shelby sitting with the customer. Shelby could see the way she was looking at her, and slipped off the stool. "Um...this is Christie, she was wondering if she could have a job here."
"Oh...right." Kendall answered, giving Shelby a little glare, before turning to Christie. "I don't really know if..."
"Ms Morgan, can I speak to you for a minute?" Shelby asked. Kendall excused herself as Shelby took her aside. "Ms Morgan, she's trying to get into culinary college, she's got to be good!"
"Shelby, you can't just go around offering jobs to anyone that walks in!" Kendall told her. "I'm the curator, I'm the one that hires the staff, and don't you think...?"
"I think that right now, you only have five staff members, and as you said yourself, we kind of need to keep running off." Shelby told her. "Come on Ms Morgan, give her a chance, I have a good feeling about her!"
"And that's SUCH a good recommendation." Kendall answered sarcastically. She just sighed. "Then again, I guess it would be good to have at least ONE employee that didn't run off every time the alarm went off."
"Come on Ms Morgan." Shelby said with a smile. Kendall just went back to Christie.
"Can you come in for an interview with a resume tomorrow morning?" Kendall asked her. Christie just nodded.
"Sure thing!" She answered.
"Well, I'm not promising anything...but we have lost a lot of staff recently so I guess we are hiring." Kendall told her. "I'll see you at 10 tomorrow morning."
"I'll be here!" She said excitedly. As Kendall left, Shelby just returned to her. "Thank you so much!"
"Yeah, I did what I could." Shelby told her. Christie noted her tone.
"You don't like each other much do you?" She asked. Shelby just shrugged.
"It's complicated." Shelby told her. "Ms Morgan's kind of...well...she really doesn't like taking suggestions from others. She likes to prove she can do things on her own."
"It sounds like she doesn't take you seriously." Christie commented.
"She's not so bad once you get to know her, but she is a little infuriating at times." Shelby told her. "I just wish she wouldn't look down on me all the time."
As she went into the back, Christie smiled and the gem on her necklace started glowing.
"Whatever you say." She said with a small laugh.