Sorry for the wait, some things got in the way and I couldn't find time nor inspiration to write. Please review!

Chapter 12

"Are you angry with me?" Pamela asked Summer during breakfast. When she had gone to bed last night, the Yellow Ranger had already been asleep, and Pamela wanted to make sure things were okay between them. Her first fight as a ranger was still floating in her mind, and now there was no turning back, so she needed to be on good terms with all of her teammates. Dillon and Ziggy were no trouble, but she didn't feel fully comfortable around Scott and Flynn yet. Pamela had seen the way they both looked at her when she unmorphed. There was anger, shock, and disappointment. Summer had had the same look, which made Pamela feel a bit hurt.

Had she made the right call? Was being a Power Ranger her true path? What if she couldn't do it? What if someone died because of her? What if she...

"I'm not." Summer replied, shaking her head. "But can you fight? I mean... do you have any experience?"

"Not much. I took three self-defense classes a while ago because of some friends who dragged me into it. But I did pretty okay yesterday, didn't I? And so did Ziggy."

"I didn't see you, but I'm sure you did..." Summer gave her a sympathetic look. Does she feel sorry for me? She keeps looking at me with concern in her eyes. "Listen, it's nothing personal, okay? But now that you're bonded to the pink morpher, we need you to be at your best. I could teach you martial arts."

"Really? That'd be great... thank you." Pamela bit her lip and glanced away.

They both continued to eat alone in silence. Car noises could be heard from downstairs. Pamela wondered what the others were doing, and stared at her morpher. She was now the Ranger Operator Series Pink, as Dr. K called her. She knew the doctor didn't approve of her being a ranger, but there was nothing she could do to change that now. She didn't regret saving Ziggy, but the doubts about this new life wouldn't go away.

Pamela and Summer stared at each other in confusion when the noises from downstairs wouldn't stop. What the hell were the others doing?

"Ranger Series Black, please report to the Ranger room." Dr. K's voice startled Pamela.

"I don't think he's going to hear that." The Pink Ranger muttered.

"We should go see what's going on with him and the others." Summer said, standing up.

"Alright." Pamela followed her towards the room where the vehicles were.

Scott and Dillon were in their respective cars, having some sort of contest. Pamela suddenly felt embarrassed because she was afraid of driving and didn't know how. I hope they don't laugh at me when they find out...

"What's with all the noise?" Summer asked them.

"Just trying to make a point." Scott replied.

"Keep trying." Dillon retorted.

"Dr. K is calling you, Dillon." Pamela shot him a glance. When he looked at her, she felt her cheeks grow warm. Damn it. He's too pretty for his own good. When Summer touched her arm, she remembered herself and they both went back to finish their breakfast.

"Dr. K is probably going to want you to train soon. Do you want to start the lessons today?"

"Sure. Sounds good." Pamela looked at her unpainted nails. It was incredible how she could gain bits of courage and confidence, only for them to disappear as quickly as they appeared.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Oh, great. Summer was giving that look, again.

"I just can't help but feel like you're treating me like I'm made of glass. Scott and Flynn... are they okay with this? Because they clearly are not okay with me." Pamela didn't want to snap at her, but this was all happening too fast. What if I'm not strong enough?

"They're okay with you!" The blonde assured her. "They're just... surprised, that's all."

"You guys probably didn't expect to have three ex-cons on your team, uh?" Pamela shrugged.

Summer chuckled. "Well, no one is perfect. Dillon is a pretty impressive fighter. I'm sure you and Ziggy will do right by the team."

"Were you ladies talking about me?" Pamela and Summer turned their heads in sync at the sound of that voice.

"Don't flatter yourself, Ziggy." Summer smiled. "We were talking about the other guys too."

"But I'm your favorite, right? Pamela?" His eyes moved towards the brunette.

"Of course you are." She gave him a small smile. Ziggy grinned, and Pamela didn't miss the mischievous look Summer gave her.

"Do you girls want to play some pool?" The Green Ranger asked.

"Sure." Summer replied immediately. She grabbed Pamela by the arm, not giving her a chance to respond. "Let's go."

Pamela was terrible at pool. The first and last time she played was at a bar she and Alex had snuck in three months ago. Alex tried to teach her, but then she got distracted by the bartender, and ended up getting so drunk that she couldn't even walk. Pamela had to carry her outside, so she could throw up in a dumpster. She eventually had to call Harriet to come pick them up, and their friend ended up giving them a long lecture about the dangers of sneaking into bars while underage, but Alex fell asleep in the middle of it. Pamela laughed fondly at the memory, and wondered what her friends would think of her now.

"Your turn, Pam." Ziggy handed her the cue stick, and when she looked back at him, his smile fell. "What's wrong?"

It was then when she realized that there was a tear streaming down her right face, and she dried it with her thumb. "I'm fine." A lie. "I'm sorry, I just don't feel like playing right now. Rain check?" She walked away quickly, without sparing him or Summer a look. On her way back to her room, she ended up crashing into someone. "Sorry!"

It was Dillon. Perfect. His hair was a mess, and he looked severely annoyed.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to get to my room." Pamela looked at the floor, trying to hold back any more tears.

"It's fine. I was going to get something from the fridge. You okay?" She knew that if she met his eyes, she'd probably burst into tears, so she just nodded silently and walked away from him.

Once she was in the room, she sobbed uncontrollably. She wanted to call Robin, to be with her. I'll never be as strong as she is...

A knock on the door caused her to gasp, and she looked at her ruined shirt. "Pamela, we have to go!" It was Summer's voice.

"In a second!" Pamela took off her shirt, and looked for another one in the closet. There was a pink one, so she grabbed it and put it on. I guess this is my color now.

She opened the door, and found Summer holding a leather jacket, just like the one she had, but with pink details instead of yellow. "This is yours. Put it on, we have a mission." Pamela did as she asked, and they both headed towards the vehicles.

Summer took off on her motorcycle, and Ziggy jumped into Flynn's hummer. Pamela looked around, not knowing how she was supposed to leave. Her eyes met Dillon's.

"Why aren't you in your car?"

"It's not working right now."

"Hey, you two!" Scott's voice interrupted them. "Need a ride?"

Dillon got in the passenger seat, while Pamela sat in the back. "Thank you." She told Scott.

"No problem." The Red Ranger replied. When he started driving, Pamela regretted not wearing the seat belt.

"Dude! I thought Dillon drove like a maniac, but you are way worse!" Pamela blurted out. Scott laughed and Dillon looked as frightened as she was. When they finally arrived at the scene, Pamela covered her eyes in annoyance. "Fucking grinders!"

"You can curse them later, let's go!" Scott said. He and Dillon got out of the car, and Pamela followed them. Summer, Ziggy and Flynn were already fighting. Summer and Flynn moved gracefully, but Ziggy looked as if he were dancing with the grinders rather than fighting them. Focus, Pamela, focus...

One grinder grabbed her from behind, so she kicked it with her elbow, and turned around to punch another. Three more came after her, and she tried to kick one with her right leg, but she tripped and when she tried to get up, the other two pushed her right back on the floor. Furious, she grabbed one of them by the leg, and threw it towards the others. She noticed that Scott, Summer and Flynn were already morphed, using their weapons to destroy the grinders. Ziggy was still struggling in a corner, so she ran off to help him.

"You okay?"

"I'll be better once this is over! How about we morph?"

"Sounds good to me!" Preparing their morphers, they shouted in unison, "RPM, GET IN GEAR!"

"I still can't believe this!" Pamela shouted, throwing punches at the grinders. "I'm a superhero!"

"I know, right?" Ziggy said, kicking a dumpster towards a grinder. Pamela went towards him, and they both picked up another dumpster and threw it towards the rest of the grinders.

"Nice job!" Ziggy exclaimed, and they high-fived. "Oh, look, Dillon's fighting Tenaya!" Pamela turned around to look, and there they were. Dillon was morphed, fighting the robot girl. Pamela wanted to go help him, but more grinders appeared in front of her and Ziggy.

"Damn it! These things don't give up!" She tried to evade them, but it was difficult. Ziggy was also trying his best, and Pamela was grateful for him. She caught sight of Dillon again, who was now laying on the floor, about to be attacked by Tenaya. "We have to help him!" She motioned to Ziggy.

"You go, I'll take care of these grinders!" He assured her. Pamela remained motionless for a moment, not knowing if it was wise to leave him alone. A loud noise brought her back, and she realized that Scott, Summer and Flynn used their combined weapons to get rid of Tenaya. Looks like he didn't need our help after all. She sighed, and helped Ziggy defeat the few grinders that were left. She felt a lot more powerful while she was morphed, but her fighting skills were still clumsy and impractical. Maybe letting Summer help me is actually a good idea...

Once they were all unmorphed, they headed back to the garage. Dr. K questioned Dillon about his ability to use his suit shield, and ordered him to do more training. Pamela watched their exchange, and noticed that Dillon was growing angry at the computer screen. She couldn't blame him; it was hard to take orders from someone without knowing what they looked like. She still supported the theory that Dr. K could be a woman, but it was hard to be completely sure.

"You see, it's not the suit I have a problem with. It's you." He sure is bold...

"Dillon, you're out of line." Scott said. Pamela wanted to stay of this argument, but her mouth opened against her will.

"Is he, though?" Her eyes moved from Scott to Dillon, who seemed shocked that she had spoken.

"What are you trying to say, Pamela?" Scott wondered.

"Nothing. Just that we don't even know what this Dr. K looks like, that's all."

"Exactly." Dillon nodded. "It could be anyone broadcasting from anywhere."

"Rangers Black and Pink, I assure you no one wants to destroy the Venjix virus more than me."

"Then try testing the invincibility shield yourself." Dillon spat, storming out of the room.

Pamela looked at her fellow rangers, and pursed her lips. Screw it. "I'll go talk to him." She ran towards Dillon, who was heading towards his room.

"Hey, wait." She called after him.

"What is it?" He looked both frustrated and tired, and she hoped talking to him would soothe him.

"Listen, I think you have a point about Dr. K. But I also think you need to learn to use the shield... to help out the team, you know?"

Dillon sighed, and looked a bit calmer now. "Yeah, I know. But I don't know if I trust Dr. K."

"Then trust the others. They seem to have faith in this Dr. K." It seemed hypocritical of her to demand him to trust the rest of the team, when she barely trusted them herself. She had just met them after all.

"Do you trust them?" Dillon asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Pamela bit her lip, shutting her eyes for a second. "Honestly? I don't know. But this team is all I have right now. The only friends I ever had could be either dead or miles away from here. I guess I just need to believe in something, even if my brain is telling me not to."

Dillon's eyes bored into hers. Pamela turned scarlet, and glanced up to the floor. Since when do I get nervous around pretty boys?

"Alright." He said. Pamela met his gaze once again, and waited for him to say something else, but he didn't. "I'm going to check on the others." She murmured, and headed back towards the ranger room.

Scott and Flynn were in the middle of a debate, while Summer and Ziggy spoke with Dr. K. Pamela looked at each one of them, hugging herself. I might as well try to get along with all of them. But I don't know if I'm ready for new friends. They hadn't noticed her presence, so she left the room and went straight to her bed. She wanted to escape her thoughts once again.

The next day, Summer wasn't in the room when Pamela woke up. The Pink Ranger went to the fridge to grab something to eat, and noticed that Flynn was in the kitchen making smoothies. "Morning." He greeted her.

"Hey." She gave him a smile.

"You want one?" The Blue Ranger asked.

"Sure! Thank you." Flynn handed her an orange smoothie, with a white straw and a pink cocktail umbrella. "It fits." She said, pointing at the umbrella, and then at herself.

"Aye." He flashed her a quick smile, and they began drinking in silence. When it looked like he was about to say something, the alarms sounded. They both ran towards the computers to meet up with the others. There was a man on the screen, which Pamela supposed it was Scott's father, Colonel Truman.

"Rangers, we have multiple Venjix targets approaching fast." Pamela looked around the room, and noticed that Dillon was missing.

"Where's Dillon?" She asked.

"I don't know." Scott replied. "Go find him." Pamela nodded and ran upstairs towards his room, nearly bumping into the Black Ranger.

"I'm sorry." She said quickly. "But we have to go!" Loud screams could be heard from downstairs, and Pamela raised her brows in confusion. Dillon immediately jumped towards where the sounds were coming from, and Pamela's jaw dropped at his energy. When she looked down, she noticed that Summer, Ziggy and Flynn were hitting Scott with cue sticks. What the hell is happening?

"Rangers, I am picking up signs of an intruder." Dr. K's serial killer voice informed them. Pamela ran downstairs to help, and realized there was a robotic hand running around Scott's body.

"Stop hitting him!" Pamela yelled. "Wait for the thing to leave him alone!" The hand eventually landed on the floor, and when Pamela started chasing it, the others morphed. She was about to do the same, when the hand jumped towards her wrist and took her morpher. "Oh, come on!"

"I'm just taking what should have been mine all along!" A voice suddenly said.

"Is that Tenaya?" Ziggy asked, holding his weapon.

"We can't hit the hand while it's holding the morpher!" Flynn protested.

"Just don't let it get away!" Summer exclaimed.

Pamela felt useless at the moment. If I don't do something soon, the others are going to think even less of me. She went to pick up the laser torch, and sighed at her own recklessness. I don't know what else to do. "EVERYBODY LOOK OUT!" The rangers ran to cover themselves, but Dillon used his invincibility shield to protect them. The hand jumped, throwing the morph across the room. Pamela dropped the torch, looking around for the morph.

"I got it!" Summer picked it up in her hands, nodding at Pamela. The corners of her mouth lifted, and she grabbed the morpher, putting it back safely on her wrist.

"I'm sorr-"

"Rangers, the Venjix targets are almost here. You're going to need your zords."

"Got it!" Scott said. "Pamela, it's time for you to morph!"

"Right. RPM, GET IN GEAR!" They all headed outside, and she, Dillon and Ziggy watched as the others combined their zords to fight the attack bot. But Venjix was also sending attacks from the air, which caused serious damage towards the megazord.

"Doc!" Dillon called. "We need some firepower here. You think I can handle my zord?"

"It has a steering wheel, so you should be able to drive it, right?"

"Now we're talking!"

"Wait!" Pamela clapped her hands. "Do I have to drive a zord as well?"

"Of course." Dr. K replied. "Or would you rather stay behind and miss the fight?"

I don't even know how to drive a car... how am I supposed to drive a zord? She kept that information to herself, looking at her Black and Green teammates, as well as the ones who were still struggling in the battlefield. "Of course not. Let's do this!"

"Yeah!" Dillon and Ziggy exclaimed. They called in their zords, and Pamela's heart beat with excitement. Her zord was a giant pink turtle, and she laughed at how ridiculous that was.

"We're in!" They announced in unison.

"How do I drive this thing?" She heard Ziggy yell.

"So I'm not the only one who has no idea what do to! Good to know!" She gritted her teeth, moving the wheel and trying to imitate a driver. "Fast and Furious ain't got nothing on me!"

"Good one!" Ziggy laughed, using his zord's tail to destroy some grinders that were coming at them, while Dillon fired at the ones in the air. Pamela looked around the pink cockpit, and wondered if Strawberry Shortcake designed it. She pressed a button on her right, and her zord began to fire shots at the attack bot.

"I don't know what I'm doing! Oh my God, oh my God!"

"Take it easy, Pamela!" Dillon said. "Let's help her out, Ziggy!"

"Yeah!"

Ziggy and Dillon attacked the attack bot as well, and the rest of the rangers took back control on their megazord.

"Lateral controls restored!" Summer announced. They armed their weapon and used it against the attack bot. "Power Rangers RPM! Super Saber!" The robot was destroyed, and Pamela closed her eyes. What a way to start the day...

Jumping out of the zord was even scarier than getting in, so she closed her eyes and opened them once she was on the floor. She demorphed alongside the others, and they headed back towards the garage.

"Now, I'm proud of you boys. And lass." Flynn said once they were inside, patting Ziggy's shoulders. "You did good!"

"Watch the hair!" Ziggy warned him, smiling widely.

Pamela couldn't help but smile too. "I'm just sorry about the whole laser torch thing. I just didn't know how else to get the morpher back. We're lucky that Dillon was able to use his shield." She said, glancing at the Black Ranger. He smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Doc K, I... I owe you an apology." Dillon told the computer screen.

"No. I owe all of you something." All the computer screens turned black, and the door to the ranger room opened by itself. Pamela looked at her teammates, and wondered if this was the moment where Dr. K was going to come out and kill them all.

When they entered the room, another room opened, and there was gas coming out of it.

"Okay, this is scary as fuck!" Pamela wanted to hide, but curiosity was getting the best of her. Who the hell is Dr. K? Scott stepped inside the room, but the chair that was there was empty.

"Hello, rangers." Pamela let out a scream, and turned around to see who had spoken. The others did the same, and she couldn't help but bark a laugh.

"I'm Dr. K" There she was. A girl that looked no older than 15, with short black hair and dressed in a white lab coat.

"What? You thought I'd be taller?" Finally, the Jigsaw voice was gone, and Pamela stared at the doctor with a winning smile.

"Ha! I knew it! I knew Dr. K could be a woman! And I was right!" She blurted out. The others just stared at the doctor, paying no mind to what she was saying.

Next time: Pamela trains with Summer and Dr. K, and Ziggy gets a visit from the mob.