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 – May be some mild adult themes, including violence and language.
A few weeks had passed since the Rangers' last battle with Evox. Things in the city and indeed the world were starting to look bright and hopeful for the first time in a long time. The news stories in the papers and on the television now were not about the Rangers rushing off to battle the latest robot Evox had sent to destroy them and instead was focused more on the good things happening in the city and indeed the world.
Since the introduction of Morph-X, things in the city were running better than ever. People who used to be worried about the impact of abandoning the tried and tested resources of coal and oil that they had been using for years were finding that Morph-X, instead of destroying their way of life, had actually improved it. Jobs that were related to the energy industry such as gas stations transitioned pretty smoothly over to using Morph-X instead. All the towers needing to be built and maintained required staff to do so, even all the side industries that had always relied on those workers and their wages such as shops, cafes, restaurants and suchlike were doing a roaring trade now that people were in gainful employment.
The air was now cleaner than it had ever been, and even traffic congestion was at an all-time low thanks to the introduction of stations where people could rent Morph-X bikes for a few dollars a week to get around meaning many that lived and worked in some of the busiest areas of the city often left the car at home altogether for much of the week. People had money, they had a clean city they could be proud of, and the eye of the world was firmly on Coral Harbour as leading the world. Life was good.
Mayor Daniels had been re-elected easily by a landslide. He was all but unopposed, with many of his opponents pulling out long before the ballot took place, and the only contender that remained losing by a landslide. Mayor Daniels himself was now spending a lot of time travelling to other cities all over the world to extol the benefits of Morph-X and convince them to establish tower networks of their own, brokering deals for teams to go out to build the towers and train people to man them. But most of all, things had been very quiet for the Rangers. Something that not everyone was especially happy about!
Devon was positively retching, struggling to keep down his lunch as he worked furiously with a plunger in one of the many bathrooms in Grid Battleforce. In order to keep their identities secret, the Rangers had jobs on the base, listed as their primary employment. Like many Special Forces units, they were only seconded to the Ranger duty when needed, and spent the rest of their time in their "real" jobs. Zoey was now in charge of the laundry; Ravi was a Physical Training officer, while Devon had the wonderful duty of being a Janitor! A role that he'd quickly found out wasn't just a token job to explain why he was on the base, but one that Commander Shaw actually expected him to fulfil.
"Oh man, this freaking reeks!" Devon complained as he tried to unblock the toilet, finally breaking it up enough to flush the offending 'present' away. He reached to his cart to get a toilet brush and some bleach to clean up afterwards. "Ten more minutes and I'd have been adding to it. Some dude seriously needs to lay off on the protein!"
Just then, his cell phone rang. He answered it, smiling as he heard the voice on the other end.
"Kon'nichiwa!" Blaze greeted him cheerfully.
"Blaze, how's it going?" Devon asked him. He and Blaze had finally managed to straighten out many of their differences. Since Devon had destroyed his avatar, freeing the real Blaze once more, Blaze had been working to create a new life for himself. He had little interest in following in his father's footsteps into the family business, and had appointed someone to run it in his stead in a way he was happy with. Many of the other shareholders were still trying to sue to have Blaze removed over it. Right now, Blaze was pursuing his passions, having left Grid Battleforce in order to follow his true passion, Karate. "How's Japan?"
"A bit of a blow out sadly. Turns out there's been an outbreak, they won't let us out of the airport. We had to turn back."
"Man, that sucks." Devon said sympathetically.
"Hey, no one can help these things. All you can do is be responsible and try not to make it worse and get anyone else sick, right?" Blaze replied. "Still, it does mean we get to be back a little early for the holidays. I'm actually at the airport now."
"You're back in the city?" Devon asked him.
"Yeah, you want to meet up at the Rip Tide for a workout?" Blaze asked him. "I still have a bunch of energy. I was really hyped for that tournament."
"Well, I think I can help you burn off some of that extra energy!" Devon commented. "Right after I burn these clothes and shower in bleach."
"Bathrooms again?" Blaze asked, sucking his teeth.
"You know it." Devon grumbled. "I'll be there in a couple of hours."
"Cool, catch you there!" Blaze answered as he hung up. Devon put his phone away and went back to scrubbing the toilet.
In another area of the city, Ravi and Roxy pulled up outside a large mansion. Ravi had known that Roxy came from money, but she was always pretty relaxed and non-committal about how MUCH money she came from. As a person, Roxy was always most comfortable and enjoyed hanging around the park or the gym with her friends, and she'd always loved sharing the cramped dorm room with Zoey. However, when they got there, Ravi was pretty bowled over by how huge the place was. It looked like something from a history book, more of a castle than a house. They had driven through the gate at least half a mile before they got to the front door.
"This is...nice." Ravi said uncomfortably, wondering if his shirt was a little underdressed. His military background meant he always took a pride in his appearance, but right now his pants and blue silk shirt felt a little more 'night club' than 'stately home'.
"Stop fidgeting, you look fine." She assured him.
"Are you sure they'll be alright with me being here across the holidays?" He asked her. Objectively speaking they'd been together for quite a while. Around the one-year mark, but he'd never been to meet her family yet. However, when it came time for making plans for the holidays, Roxy had been quick to insist that Ravi spend them with her.
One of the few major casualties of the war with Evox was Ravi's relationship with his mother. She'd had no option but to tell him that the reason he'd been forced to choose between Grid Battleforce and Roxy, the dreaded rule 34C was all down to her. It hadn't escaped anyone's notice that Ravi was her son, and accusations of nepotism plagued him all through the selection process.
He'd been so miserable that in a misguided attempt to spare him all the taunts and pressure he was putting himself under daily to prove he deserved his place on the team, she had tried to force the issue. She had hoped when faced with the choice between true love, something that could make him happy for a lifetime and a job he may only hold for a few years he would choose Roxy over Grid Battleforce. While Roxy had now resigned, getting a job with her aunt's company, Ravi was bound to his term of service and been refused a discharge meaning he needed to stay at GB for at least two more years. He had accepted that, but he still hadn't forgiven his mother, and now their relationship was so strained, he only spoke to her as a direct function of his job.
"Ravi, you'll be fine, trust me!" Roxy said, swiping his hands away as he kept trying to smooth out his shirt to get rid of wrinkles and imperfections that only existed in his own imagination. "Just calm down, they're only..."
"Roxanne! Darling!" A woman announced cheerfully running out of the house to greet them. She was wearing a designer, knee-length dress, red with some silver embroidery. Her hair was kind of swept back some of it hanging over her left shoulder, the rest hanging all the way down to the small of her back. He guessed between the resemblance and the fact she called Roxy 'Roxanne' that this was her mother. She hugged Roxy warmly, kissing her quickly on each cheek. "You're looking lovely! That's good to see. I heard that sister of mine can be a real slave-driver."
"No, Aunt Regina's actually been pretty good with me." Roxy assured her. "Mom, I'd like you to meet Ravi."
"Ravi, absolutely delightful to meet you!" She greeted him, shaking his hand. "My, he is big, isn't he big?"
"Absolutely huge!" A booming voice said as another person came out. This was a man, with a bald head and kind of a styled moustache and beard. He was wearing a thick, woollen sweater and canvas pants. "Not surprising though, eh? Military man I hear! Tremendous! I always have the utmost respect for our armed forces. My brother is something of a military man. Well, sort of a cop...military cop? Whatever! So, what are you? Captain? Lieutenant?"
"Um...just a Private actually." Ravi said slightly self-consciously. One of the downsides to being a Ranger in secret was that there was no room for promotion for them. They were paid enough to live on, and Ravi and Zoey still lived on the base meaning that they didn't have much in the way of expenses, but that still meant that on paper at least, none of them had or could advance beyond entry-level jobs. "I'm a physical training officer."
The silence felt awkward. Ravi wondered if they had to be wondering why Roxy had hitched herself up to a glorified army gym teacher. But he needn't have worried. Mr Collins just shook his hand firmly.
"Well, someone has to make sure our boys can march all that distance and carry all that kit, right?" He asked. "No shame in real work, no shame at all! I drove many of my own trucks until a few years ago. There comes a time you're just not a young man and need to back off things a little, but if it's good enough for my boys to feed their families, it's good enough for me, right?"
"I guess so." Ravi said as he hefted his bag. "Thanks for letting me stay. Do you mind if I take care of my luggage?"
"Absolutely! Just put your bag up in Roxanne's room then join us in the parlour. My brother and sister are already here. They're just as eager to meet you!" Mr Collins answered. Ravi just blinked.
"In...um..."
"Oh, we're all adults. This is the modern era." He said with the kind of nonchalance that Ravi really didn't know how to take. "Roxanne, show him where to go will you?"
"With pleasure, dad." She said, kissing him on the cheek, before leading Ravi into the house. He just shook his head.
"They're um...they're...a lot aren't they?" He asked.
"Yeah." Roxy sighed. "I really wish they'd stop calling me 'Roxanne'."
As she ran up the stairs, Ravi just sighed.
"Not exactly what I was talking about." He whispered.
In another part of the city, Zoey was at her mother's apartment. Although she lived in the GB headquarters, she did want to go home for the holidays. Her mom was only on the other side of the city meaning that she could spare the expense to commute for the last few days until she was on holiday.
She shielded the flame on the end of a long, wax taper with her hand as she lifted it up, taking it to the next candle on the Menorah, lighting it up. She smiled as she flicked the taper, putting out the flame.
"Just remember, it's my turn next!" Her older brother Eli called from across the room. Eli had returned from Ocean Bluff for the holidays. He was taking some time to 'find himself' after leaving his motorcycle club. He'd found some kind of retreat or something that he would be very tight-lipped about, only describing it as 'very Zen'. In his brief stays in prison, he'd found he enjoyed Kung Fu and meditation, and he'd gone to find some peace, something that fortunately it seemed he had since there'd been no reports of arrest warrants since he had gone.
"No, it's Mike's turn." Muriel pointed out.
"Mike's not here!" Eli protested.
"He will be soon enough; he just needs to get here from University." Muriel reminded him. "You know what the trains can be like, especially at this time of year!"
Zoey just smiled. As much as her family drove her crazy at times, she did feel it deeply when they were all separated. Life had taken them all on their own paths and to different places. Mike had been working hard at University now for a couple of years, and Eli had spent a long time on the road with his club, but they did try to get back together for the holiday.
Zoey's phone buzzed and she looked at it, seeing it was a message from Nate. She just looked around, making sure her mom and Eli were still arguing over some silly detail to do with the holiday before opening the message.
"Thinking of you." Was all it said. She loved that he did that. It wasn't much, but he always made sure to message her a few times each day. They'd managed so far to keep the fact they were dating under wraps. Presuming one could really call stolen moments around the base dating. They were well aware of the rules that said Rangers couldn't be in relationships with each other, but when they had finally admitted what they meant to each other, they had decided it was worth the risk. She just typed a quick message back, sending it.
"Another message?" Eli asked her.
"Yeah, it's um..." Zoey mumbled, trying to think of a good line. "It's just something about my course. Really boring, just..."
"Boring?" Muriel shrieked. "What could possibly be boring about that? My daughter the genius, going and working on a degree!"
This was true. Zoey had taken the job at Grid Battleforce initially to pay for a college degree. She had finally managed to start a course since the final battle with Evox, a science degree that she could work on around her shifts in the laundry. Grid Battleforce had one of the best-equipped labs on the planet, so it was as good a place as any for her to learn.
"You hear that, Eli? Now two of my children are academics!" She teased him. Eli just groaned.
"University of life, remember?" Eli responded. Just then, the door opened and another guy came in. "Oh, speak of the devil and he appears. How's it going Wonderboy?"
"Not too bad." Mike replied as he dumped his bags at the door. "So, I hear you're a monk or something now?"
"Not a monk! I just study at a temple!" Eli corrected him. "In fact, I'm seriously considering a road trip soon with some of the people I met. Maybe even starting my own club."
"Eli, have you not had enough trouble with your last gang!" Muriel shrieked.
"Not a gang, a club!" Eli insisted. "It's not my fault the last club lost its way. If I start it, I can run it how I want!"
"Can we not do this now?" Zoey asked, gesturing her brother in. "Come on, bring it in bro!"
With that, they all came together, hugging tightly. This was something Zoey always missed dreadfully. Her family had never been traditional, and they'd had things pretty rough. Her dad had walked out when her mom fell pregnant with her, and it had just been them for as long as she knew. Eli had his troubles after coming back from the military and Mike was always away at some college or away on some dig or other, but this was what she always loved. The few times they were all together.
Over at the Riptide Gym, Devon had finally finished his shift at Grid Battleforce and had come to meet Blaze. After an intense workout, they decided to end things with a bout of friendly sparring.
It was amazing to think that it wasn't even a year since Blaze had almost threatened to dash Devon's head open with a club on the very mats they were now sparring on. Blaze had come to terms with some of the worst aspects of himself and was working on improving himself as a person. Devon was only too glad to have a new training partner.
The others in the gym were all watching them in between their snacks, drinks and their own workouts. Blaze was a multiple time Karate World Champion in his weight class, and Devon was incredibly gifted in his own right. They were largely ignorant of the others watching, concentrating on their bout, but they were certainly putting on quite the show.
As Blaze finally found an opening, sweeping Devon's legs out from under him with his bo staff, there was a round of applause. Devon accepted Blaze's hand helping him up.
"You got me that time!" Devon chuckled. "I'm glad your avatar didn't think of that move."
"Yeah, things would have been pretty different if he did." Blaze agreed with a smile. "But I'm glad you won when it counts...and that I'm kicking your ass all the rest of the time!"
"Oh, it's like that is it?" Devon laughed. Blaze just sighed.
"You sure you don't mind me staying over the holidays?" Blaze asked. "I'm getting used to the house being so empty, but right now..."
"No, we're all good dude." Devon told him. "I'll be glad of the company. Dad's barely in the country, never mind the house these days."
"Speaking of..." Blaze said as he pointed up at the TV in the corner. They both stopped to watch as Mayor Daniels was seen meeting with an official at the Eiffel Tower.
"And in his ongoing commitment to rolling out the benefits of Morph-X to the rest of the world, Mayor Daniels is finalising a deal for the city to begin work on their very own network of towers."
"Morph-X has revolutionised my city, and made it stronger, cleaner, and better than it's ever been!" Mayor Daniels began his statement on camera. "It is my privilege and pleasure to see others benefit from what hopefully will be accepted worldwide as an end to the scourges of pollution, and the world energy crisis."
"It's really happening." Blaze said, putting his arm around Devon.
"It sucks that he'll be away across the holidays," Devon sighed, "but he's doing a good thing. Anyway, you want to go another round?"
"To kick your ass again? Sure, why not?" Blaze responded. "I've got a couple of minutes to spare!"
With that, they both bounded back out onto the mats, taking up their positions. Blaze twirled his bo staff, before beckoning Devon forward.