Chapter 1

INT HÁLÀ CITY - Greenhouse 4 - Night

Slow pan through the greenhouse. Various plants are flourishing on racks and in trays under carefully positioned sunlights. Some are fruiting, some in flower, some only seedlings, but all are obviously cared for.

Caption: Hálà City, Pacific Ocean, 2040

Camera focuses on a hanging tomato plant. The tomatoes are red and ripe. The camera focuses on one particular tomato.

A HAND reaches into frame, out of focus, touches the tomato lightly.

The camera refocuses on the HAND, then, behind it -

MEREDITH

Broad faced, broad shouldered, dark hair and eyes, honeyed Australian accent. Smiling fondly at the plant as his fingers skim over the tomatoes. He knows what he's doing, movements quick and assured.

MEREDITH

Are you narrating again, CARLY?

Camera shakes to indicate head shaking 'no'.

"Are you sure? Because you're holding your hands up like a camera. But you don't have a camera."

Carly sighed, boosting herself up to sit on the counter he was working on. "The one flaw in my otherwise brilliant master plan."

He pushed a couple of pots aside to make room for her. "Apart from the flaw that that counter is filthy, and you're going to stain your clothes."

"I'm coming from a lesson with one of the guest lecturers, these clothes are going in the incinerator anyway." She tilted her head to study the plant. "They're coming along."

"Pasta and tomato sauce later this week. Did you at least narrate nice things about me?"

"No. Why would I do that? You might get a swelled head."

"Because you narrated nice things about me, inside your head, where I can't possibly tell."

"Exactly." She watched him for a minute more. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. How are you feeling? Who was the guest?"

"Sensei Stewart."

"That shouldn't have been so bad. He's usually pretty ok. At least, he has been since he's been sure we weren't going to take his record."

"I guess he was in a bad mood today. How are you feeling?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "I told you -"

"I know." Carly nodded, swinging her legs. "It's probably just an asteroid. They usually are."

"Probably. We shouldn't really be worried."

"Khotsu will tell us if it's anything else."

"They will."

"And we've been training for ten years. If it is the Kimered, we can fight back."

"We can."

Carly studied him, eyes narrowed. "You're not worried."

"No."

"You already believe all that."

He concentrated on the last of the tomato plants. "Yes."

"Then why did you let me say it all?"

Meredith looked at her, smiling ruefully. "You're wearing your ring backwards."

She looked down at her hand in surprise. "I'm what?" Her ring's band was visible on the outside of her little finger; turning her hand over, she saw the stone, nestled neatly at the base of her finger.

"You're wearing it backwards, so you can fiddle with the Crystal," Meredith said, matter-of-fact. "You do it when you're nervous."

"No I - do I?"

"Yes. You always have. You didn't know?"

"No…" She rubbed her thumb over the rose quartz thoughtfully. The movement certainly felt familiar.

"The very first time I met you, you were messing with it. I was sure you knew about it. We all do it."

"I've never noticed the others do it either! You see? This is why you're the leader."

He smiled a little, turning away to wash his hands. "Exactly. That's why I get the big bucks. Whatever bucks are. To be fair to you, though, it's not like you're looking for the same movement in all of us. Me playing with mine looks pretty different from Clive playing with his."

"But you noticed."

"Well. That's my job, isn't it."

She hopped off the table, brushing absently at her pants. "Are you done here? Ran's been baking."

"Oh? What is it this time?"

"Japanese something or other cookies. She says they're very healthy."

"Best not to disappoint her, then. Let's go."

Meredith and Carly took their time. The house they'd recently moved into was near the centre of the city, as far from the piers as possible; Captain had made it a condition of their moving in together, out of the dorms. Ran's family were nearby, but Meredith was fairly sure all the rest of the neighbours were actually not-very undercover security. He mostly ignored them.

Carly kept twisting her ring around. He was sorry about that; he hadn't meant to make her feel self-conscious about it, but he'd genuinely thought she knew. Maybe he wasn't being fair, though. It was much easier for her to do it unconsciously than for him to.

Clive was working on some kind of box in the front yard. Carly continued inside; Meredith crouched beside Clive, watching. "What's this one, Clive?"

"It's a television," Clive told him, busy trying to pry the back off.

"It can't be a television, look how big it is. Look how deep it is!"

"No, this is really what they used to look like."

"What did they need all that space for?"

The back came off; Clive rocked backwards with it and Meredith steadied him for a moment, helping him set it aside. They both peered into the back of the television at the mess of wires, cogs and other parts Meredith didn't have a hope of identifying.

"That's what they needed it for, Mere," Clive said reverently. "Look at that."

"Is it going to be able to pick anything up? Didn't the programs used to travel through a wire?"

"They did. And it won't. But that's not the point."

"What's the point, then?"

Clive grinned at him, eyes bright. "The point is in making something that used to be beautiful, beautiful again, Mere."

"Oh, I see. How foolish of me, thinking that the point of fixing a television is to use it as television."

Clive grinned, turning back to his work. Meredith pushed back to his feet. "Apparently Ran baked. Want me to bring you one?"

"Just leave it in the kitchen," he said, voice muffled as he climbed almost inside the cabinet. Meredith left him to it, heading inside.

The others were gathered in the kitchen. He automatically went to wash his hands again; Ran was always strict when she baked, and she wouldn't believe he'd washed unless she saw him do it. "Afternoon, Ran. Maria."

"I hear we're getting tomatoes soon," Ran said cheerfully. "Need any help picking them?"

"No," he said quickly, spinning to look at her. "No, I can manage."

She smiled. "If you're sure, Lord."

"Not my name," he said with a sigh. He didn't expect it to sink in, it never did for either of them, but they always seemed disappointed when he didn't point it out.

"Last time you helped to pick we ended up with blueberry paste," Maria reminded Ran, filching a cookie while she wasn't looking. "McKay likes his plants whole and in one piece."

"The blueberry plants were perfect," Ran defended herself.

"Sorry. He likes his plant produce in one piece."

"I just really hate the rations," Meredith said, drying his hands. "Fresh fruit is much nicer."

"We all know you just like feeling clever because you've managed to grow something," Carly told him.

"The machines do most of it. It's not really proper gardening."

"Shame there's no real green spots here in Hálà," Maria said with a sigh, filching another cookie.

"There's curry powder in that one," Ran told her. "It's just the price we pay for being top of the class."

"Having curry powder in things?"

"Lack of green spaces. They built this whole place for us, but they couldn't put in any green spaces."

"There are green spaces," Meredith protested. He reached for one of the cookies, pausing for Ran's nod before biting into it.

"Those are trees in pots. They're not proper green spaces."

"Get used to it," Maria advised her. "If this really is the escape pod coming at us, we'll be moving to Khotsu, and there really aren't any green spaces up there."

"At least I'll have my own bathroom," Ran pointed out.

"I keep offering to switch," Meredith said, not really expecting them to even listen.

"And live in a boy's bedroom? Besides, you share your bathroom with Clive. That's even worse than sharing with Maria."

"I'll swap with you," Carly suggested.

Ran eyed her, shared a look with Maria, and shook her head. "You keep yours, Carly. Maria and I don't mind."

"I do love these conversations," Meredith said loudly. "Also these cookies. Might be your best yet, Ran."

"Oh, good. I was afraid I'd put too much seaweed in, but if you like it…"

Meredith froze for just a second before taking another bite. "If'goo," he assured her. Compared to some of the things she'd tried…

Ran grinned at him, turning to chat to Maria. He finished his cookie and got a drink. Honestly, there was no strange taste, but once he knew what was in it…

His WrisTech beeped. Everyone in the room froze, staring at it.

Meredith flicked his wrist to activate it. "Captain?"

"We have no update," Captain said, obviously aware that the others were listening. "But I do need to talk to you, Meredith. Can you come in, please?"

"Yes sir, I'm on my way." He smiled around at the others, flicking his WrisTech off again. "I'll see you guys in a bit. Save me some cookies, Ran."

"Want someone to go with you?" Maria asked.

"No. It's probably about the next guest lecturer, since Carly seems to have gone off Sensei Stewart. Don't worry."

He headed out before they could argue, waved goodbye to Clive, and pretended not to notice the two random neighbours who fell into step about half a block behind him. He headed for the centre of Hálà and the Captain's office.

Captain was dealing with some of the endless paperwork his position generated, but he set it aside when Meredith arrived. "You're alone?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"The others were busy with their own things. You said you didn't have news, so I didn't want to disturb them." Meredith had fallen into the not-quite parade rest he usually used when they were alone.

"I see." He signed another piece of paperwork before setting the pile aside. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Couldn't say, Captain."

"Really? No idea at all? No thoughts on why I might have called you in here to talk to me today?"

Meredith was looking fixedly over his shoulder. "No, Captain."

"Let me spell it out for you, then." He sorted through his paperwork until he found the sheet he wanted. "You recognise this?"

Meredith glanced at it. "It's a response test."

"It's your response test. Do you notice anything about it?"

"Captain…"

"Your responses, to the crystal intended to power your transformation, are sitting about halfway between baseline and the rest of your team."

"I know they -"

"I've respected your decision not to tell your team this," Captain went on, "because there was reason to believe you might catch up to them; evidence from other Rangers suggests that that can happen. We're running out of time now, though."

Meredith met his gaze. "It's an asteroid."

Captain shook his head slowly. "It's not an asteroid."

"Khotsu has picked up dozens of objects in the last few years. They've always been asteroids."

"It's not an asteroid. It's extrasolar, it's mostly hollow, and the sonar returns say it's metal. We're sending a probe, but the assumption at the moment is that the Kimered are on the way."

"That's the kind of thing my team needs to know about, Captain!" Meredith leaned on the desk, glaring at him. "Why would you keep that from us?"

"The probe will return the results within the next few hours. If this turns out not to be the Kimered, your team will not have been worried. If it is them, we still have more than two days before they're in range of Earth."

"How do we know what their range is?"

"We have extrapolated it from the data we were given." Captain leaned back in his chair, studying Meredith. "You've strayed from the topic."

"What topic is that?"

"The topic is your low responses to the Crystal."

Meredith straightened up as his hand went to his pocket, but he didn't actually reach inside. "Unless you plan to promote the Red from Team Two, Captain…"

"That's not currently in the plan, but I'm not ruling it out." Captain leaned forward, holding his gaze. "Convince me."

"Captain…" Meredith sighed, eyes closing briefly. "All the lecturers we've had, all the old Rangers who have been our Senseis, they have all said the same thing. Trust your instincts. Believe in yourself. The Power will help you if you allow it to. I have always known, always, that my purpose is to protect other people. It's what I was made for. The only thing I've ever wanted to do. The Crystal does respond to me, and it will allow me to help people. I have never doubted that."

"There are very few people in the world with that kind of self-belief, Meredith. What if you fail?"

"The Power won't let that happen, Captain." He clearly believed it, eyes shining as he spoke.

Captain sighed. "There was no stronger response when we ran testing for your group. It wasn't until we tested again for Team Two that we even realised a stronger response was possible. I don't want to replace you. Your team works well together. But if I need to, Meredith, I will. Earth's safety comes before anything else."

"I swore the oath, Captain." Meredith sounded vaguely insulted. "If it comes to it, I'll stand down. But it won't happen."

Captain steepled his fingers. "Do you want to be a Power Ranger, Meredith?"

"What have I just been -"

He cut him off with a firm hand movement. "No. Do you want to be a Power Ranger."

"I want to help people -"

"Do you want to be a Power Ranger."

There was a long, long silence. Captain kept eye contact with Meredith, ignoring the rapid change in facial expression.

"It's not...what I imagined myself doing," Meredith said finally, folding his arms. "But it is the best way to help people. And I am good at it."

"You are," Captain agreed. "Top of just about all your classes, always engaged, always willing to go the extra mile. Your team love you...and you hate it all."

"I don't hate it." Meredith had pulled back, remote. Captain grimaced mentally; he'd pushed too hard. "I don't even dislike it. I'm grateful for the chance to help people like this."

Captain nodded briskly. "Very well. We expect confirmation from the probe in the next few hours. Tomorrow morning, I'll call your team in. At that point, either you'll tell them the truth or I will. I will be taking their reactions into account when deciding who our Red Ranger will be."

"Team Two's Red is four years younger than me," Meredith murmured.

"So is your Blue. Sensei Stewart would tell you that doesn't have to be a problem. So would Sensei Shiba; half his team were older than him."

Meredith very clearly discarded several answers to that. "Is that all, sir?"

"That's it for now. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes, sir. Thank you." He turned on his heel and strode out.

Captain watched him go. Meredith's hand dropped to his pocket again, but he still didn't reach into it. Any of the others would have been holding their Crystal by now.

He sighed, turning back to his paperwork. There was plenty to do before the probe's results came through.