Author: Jadelyn Ja Lee
Story: Inheritance
Pairings: Sky/OC (Aimee), Bridge/Z, Jack/Syd, Tommy/Kat Manx
Disclaimer: I own no one.
Summery: Sequel to Through Her Eyes. 20 years after Gruumm's defeat, a new generation rises to face an enemy from within…
Author Notes: I couldn't find my outline and so I re-wrote it. Even though I only faintly remember what I wrote out before, I think this outline is mucho better. It's a little bit more…involved. (grins).
Rita Repulsa: I hate it when I have to pack in a hurry. I always feel like I'm forgetting something.
By seven the next morning, Piper has stabilized though hadn't woken up. Sydney was still working on figuring out what had happened with no success. Piper was healthy; there were no toxins, poisons, or any other chemicals in her body that could cause harm. In fact, if it weren't for the fact she was in a coma, Sydney would have said she was in better health than the majority of the planet.
Despite this knowledge, Sydney ordered all tests be done twice more. Then she, Aimee, and Kat began the arduous task or researching the symptoms…of which there were very few. Luckily, with everything had happened, Lt. Tierra Myles had officially declared Piper innocent in the attack on Nikki and agreed with Sky and Tommy that someone was after, not the pink ranger, but Piper. Now, they had just to figure out who. Lt. Commander Myles had been ordered to remain on Earth until the mystery was solved.
Meanwhile, B Squad were taking their anger out in daily training; maintaince had been forced to replace two punching bags after B Squad had gotten their hands on them. C squad was still on alert and the remaining members of the Quintet were being forced to endure classes where everyone kept asking about Piper.
Sydney just knew she was going to end up fixing whichever four unfortunate cadets were partnered with Eli, Alycia, Ella, and Claudia at Hand to Hand that afternoon.
"Okay, this is odd." Piper muttered to herself as she slowly sat up to find herself in a lush jungle. The last thing she remembered was feeling like she was suffocating then….waking up here.
"Where ever here is." She mumbled as she gingerly stood. Once on her feet, she looked around more intently while mentally taking stock of her current health. With the exception with a small buzzing in the back of her head, she felt fine. Better than fine, in fact. She felt at peace, at home.
"I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore, Toto." She muttered to herself, seeing the walls of vines, trees, and….she blinked. A woman in a green bikini?
"Hello child." The woman approached, smiling gently when Piper went into a fighting stance.
"Who are you?" she asked, feeling something like recognition. The woman raised an eyebrow.
"If you think on it, you'll know who I am." The woman replied, leaning easily against her staff. Piper slowly went out of her fighting stance as a name came to her, as well as stories she had been told as a child.
"You're Dulcea, the woman who tripped Granddad when his head became too big for his body." She grinned. The Master Warrior laughed and nodded.
"Yes, I am." She acknowledged. Piper frowned.
"Okay, question? How did I get on Phaedos? I could've swore I was on Earth a minute ago." She asked, watching the woman curiously. Dulcea smiled.
"You're still on earth. Physically at least." She explained. Piper tilted her head.
"If I'm physically still on Earth then….I'm here mentally?" she asked. Dulcea nodded. Piper slowly nodded.
"Okay, so I'll pinch myself and wake up." She decided, going to do just that. Dulcea's gentle laugh stopped her.
"I'm afraid its not that easy, child. You're here astrally and will continue to remain here until your training is complete." She explained, gently sitting onto a stump Piper hadn't noticed before. Piper frowned, anger seeping into her eyes.
"You're going to keep me here against my will?" she demanded. Dulcea shook her head.
"Not I, but Hemera. It was through her that your power will come and it is through her decision that your training must commence." She explained. Piper's eyes flashed.
"Okay, where's this Hemera so I can kick her ass?" She asked. Dulcea laughed again, causing Piper to bristle.
"I'm afraid she hasn't an ass to kick. Hemera has passed from even the Astral Plane." She smiled gently at the angry teen. Piper growled in annoyance.
"So how is she keeping me here?" she demanded. Dulcea smiled.
"Hemera's power works in many ways." Was her answer. Piper scowled.
"Look, I'd love to stay, but I kinda have to get going. Sorry. It was nice meeting you." She waved and began walking away. Back in the clearing, Dulcea shook her head as a white falcon flew over. Dulcea looked at it.
"You're grandchild is just as stubborn as you." She murmured to it. The falcon gave her a reproachful look and Dulcea smiled.
"No, Swiftwing, both Aimee and Piper get their stubbornness from you and Tommy. Don't even attempt to deny it because you know it's true."
"Sydney!" Sky called out in panic from Piper's room. Sydney shot Jack a look before running inside. She blinked. Everything seemed fine.
"Sky, whats wrong?" She demanded, looking at the computers. Sky pointed to Piper's left arm where a thin line of blood had pooled. Sydney gaped for a second before pushing her former teammate out of the way. Snapping on gloves, she gently lifted Piper's arm and inspected the wound. She frowned.
"It looks like a scratch. How'd that happen?" She muttered.
"It just appeared." Sky spoke up, her eyes filled with worry. Sydney sighed and grabbed a bandage. Once the scratch was taken care of, she looked at Sky.
"I'm putting her under constant physical supervision. If this happens again, call me." She ordered before leaving to find one of the medical cadets. Sky sat back down, gently grabbing Piper's limp hand in his own. He looked at his daughters face, pale but peaceful. He could feel the tears forming behind his eyes and didn't move when a single tear fell down his cheek.
"Piper…."
"Okay, I give." Piper announced as she walked back into the clearing roughly an hour later. Her uniform was soaked, her right arm was torn and slightly bloodied from where a branch has scratched it, and she knew she was very likely to get lost. She had absolutely horrible sense of direction; she'd decided to return to the clearing ten minutes after leaving and it'd taken her fifty minutes to actually get back. Dulcea looked up from speaking with a man in shadows.
"Oh?" Dulcea asked with a raised eyebrow. Piper scowled at her before plopping onto the stump Dulcea had been on before.
"I'm not leaving anytime soon, am I?" she asked resignedly. Dulcea and the mystery man smiled. Piper barley noticed, she could have sworn she had just heard her dad's voice.
"You did. When someone who you love is speaking to you with great emotion, you'll hear them. Eventually, you'll be able to look in on them and keep track of what they're doing." The man explained. Piper eyed him, he looked familiar but she knew she'd never met him before.
"No, you haven't. At least, not physically, I've been dead for nearly forty years." He explained. Piper's brow furrowed. How had he…?
"I can hear your thoughts, you're projecting very loudly sweetie." He told her before she could ask. Piper's eyebrows shot up.
"One, don't call me sweetie. Two, stop answering my questions before I ask them." She told him irritably. Dulcea chuckled.
"You're definitely Tommy's granddaughter." She smiled. Piper grinned.
"You got that right lady!" she agreed. The man laughed.
"Oh, I don't know. Vanessa and Michael always said I had a 'special personality.'" He chuckled. Piper frowned.
"You know grandma and grandpa?" she asked, surprised, a feeling of expectancy starting in her stomach. The man smiled and finally stepped into the light. At the sight of him, her heart stopped.
"You're dead." She blurted out in shock. He laughed again.
"Physically, yes. But that doesn't mean I don't live on in the astral plane." Troy Tate, late red ranger and father of Sky Tate, told her. She stared at him, seeing the familiar face she'd only ever seen in her dad and grandparents photos.
"Dad's gonna kill me." She murmured suddenly. Troy looked startled and Dulcea hid a laugh.
"Why is Schuyler going to kill you?" he asked, worriedly. She gave him a look.
"Cause the one thing he wants most in the world has always been to see you again." She told him. His eyes softened.
"He has. Every day of his life when he looks in the mirror. I'll never die, not so long as he lives."
"Bridge, I don't know. It's very odd. The scratch appeared from nowhere but according to the scan I did on it, there was wood in the wound." Sydney explained to her friend as she watched Sky through the Plexiglas. They remained silent as Eli, Ella, Alycia, and Claudia walked into the room. Sky finally looked up. Neither former ranger could hear what was said but Sky got up and left. Sydney smiled when the four cadets arranged themselves in chairs around her, Eli taking the seat Sky had vacated. Her smiled widened when Eli gently grabbed Piper's hand.
"Once she wakes up, I'm having a very long talk with that girl about how oblivious she is." The former pink ranger mumbled. Bridge laughed softly in agreement. His laughter stopped suddenly, however, when Ella raised a hand to her mouth in shock. Without a word, he hurried inside.
"Eleanora, what's wrong?" He asked gently, Sydney looking at the machines again. Ella's eyes were wide as saucers as she looked down at Piper's body.
"She's not there." She whispered. Bridge's frowned a minute before the meaning of her words hit him. With a worried expression, he quickly tugged off his glove and waved it over Piper's prone form. What he saw made his stomach drop.
Piper may have been there physically but aura wise, she was blank; her spirit was not in her body.
After getting over the shock of seeing her grandfather for the first time ever, Piper had started questioning Dulcea. The Master Warrior kept sweeping the questions away, however, as she led the way to where her training would take place.
Finally, on the top of a great pile of boulders, Piper stopped. Dulcea paused and turned around.
"Piper, come. We must get to the ruins before sundown." She instructed her. Piper shook her head.
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me whats going on. Why am I here, why do you have to train me?" She demanded, not budging. Troy looked at her.
"Because you're the Champion."
End Notes: I decided to upload this chapter now instead of Tuesday cause I'm a very impatient person. Hope you enjoyed!
general-joseph-dickson: "…Nikki does feel concern…" There's a reason for that…
Tierra: I would love to be VBF's! And you have the same rank as Sky. Sorry. (grins)
Thanks to the real vampire and Lauren for the reviews!
Happy Valentines Day, everyone!