Doctor Oliver smiled as he entered his kitchen and found Anabel sitting alongside the table. She had several folders, papers, pamphlets, her laptop, a notebook, and pencil case all sprawled across the surface. "Enough space?" he asked, leaning against the counter beside his fridge.
"Actually, no," said Anabel, looking up from the document she was filling in. "Your table is surprisingly smaller than I expected."
"What are you doing?"
"College applications."
"I thought you were going to Scotland for college?" Doctor Oliver asked.
"I have applied," said Anabel. "But, I need safety schools in case I don't get in. Mum was supposed to have finished her campaign by now, and we were scheduled to check out USC this weekend."
Doctor Oliver nodded. He could remember his own process. He had applied to several schools before getting a placement at Caltech, where he had met Hayley; after which she had moved on to MIT and he had got a job with Anton Mercer.
"What other schools have you applied for?" Doctor Oliver asked.
"USC, Boston University, Caltech…" Anabel said, glancing up.
Doctor Oliver smiled softly as he met her gaze. "I'm not surprised seeing as Caltech caters for all," he said.
"Was it your safety school or did you actually intend on going there?"
Doctor Oliver shrugged. "My school counsellor suggested Caltech when I expressed an interest in Palaeontology," he answered.
"Cool," said Anabel, turning back to her applications. The one she was currently filling in was for USC Annenberg.
"What's your essay on?"
Anabel shrugged. "Most of these applications don't need essays," she answered. "Some just want my GPA and SAT scores. Obviously, I haven't sat my SAT's yet, but my transcripts are being sent over this weekend."
"Have you had to write an essay yet?"
"Yep. I wrote it on how Social Media and Communication is an important part of people's lives, and the repercussions of what could happen if it were lost or taken away," said Anabel.
Doctor Oliver folded his arms. "Do you ever do anything not complicated?" he asked.
"Where's the fun in that?" Anabel asked, grinning. "Why? What did you do your essay on?"
"Didn't need one for Caltech."
"What about your other choices?"
Doctor Oliver shrugged.
Anabel sat back in her seat. "So, wait, Caltech was your only choice and you got in?" she asked. "That's impressive."
Doctor Oliver chuckled. "I'm actually quite surprised you're applying for more than one, to be fair," he admitted. "I figure your transcripts, GPA, and extracurricular activities would speak for themselves on how determined you are. You should get the school you want with no problems."
"Better to be safe than sorry," said Anabel. She turned to her phone as it buzzed on the table. "On that note, I got to go. Cheer practice."
Doctor Oliver straightened as she packed away her things, swiftly depositing several applications back into their folders and piling them on top of one another on the tables edge.
"Call me if anything changes downstairs," said Anabel, packing away her laptop, notebook, and pens.
"Will do," said Doctor Oliver. "Good luck."
Anabel smiled, picked up the folders and headed for the door. "See you later, Dr. O," she called.
~X~
Has practice started to wind down, Anabel approached the bench, while Shauna called for the whole team to gather around.
"Just a quick reminder that we have the Salt Lake City qualifying championship in two weeks," said Shauna. "I have been waiting for the schedule to come in with our times and places. We're fourth in the rankings, just under South LA High."
"That's where Sophie now cheers," said Laura. "How are we beneath them?"
"They've been practising non-stop since the start of term," said Patrick, another spotter. "My brother attends that school. He said the cheer squad's coach is determined to show everyone how perfect his girls' are."
Shauna nodded. "But we're better, right?" she asked.
"Yes!" the team chorused.
Shauna grinned. "If we stand a chance of qualifying this year then we need to up our game," she said. "So, practice again tomorrow. Go on, get out of here!"
The team split and Shauna turned to Anabel.
"You sure you can do it this year?" Shauna asked.
Anabel nodded. "What, because my ex-best friend is the captain of the rival team, you think it's going to be a problem?" she asked.
"I just want to know you're going to be safe, Anabel," said Shauna. "I don't want you to underestimate how far Sophie will go to get what she wants. I mean, sleeping with your boyfriend is one thing, but -"
"I'll be fine, Shauna," said Anabel, reassuringly. "Sophie may be a bitch, but she's not a fool. She's not going to do something that could be seen by the judges and get her, and her team, disqualified. Besides, I'll have the others. They were there for me the night of the After Party, they'll be there for me now."
Shauna nodded and placed a hand on Anabel's shoulder. "If you're sure," she said.
"I am," said Anabel. She reached into her backpack and pulled out her phone as it rung, Kira's name lighting up the screen. "I got to take this. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Have a good one, Anabel," said Shauna. She turned and strode of the pitch, leaving Anabel to answer her phone.
"Kira, everything okay?" Anabel asked. She frowned when Kira didn't answer and rechecked her phone, sighing when she saw that her friend had hung up.
Hitting redial, Anabel shook her head as the phone went to voicemail. It couldn't have been super important.
~X~
"What do you guys think of this one?" Ethan asked. "She's single. Attractive both inside and out, believes she was Cleopatra in another life and likes to paint portraits of snakes."
Anabel raised an eyebrow as she stepped off the stairs leading from Doctor Oliver's kitchen. "I'm afraid to ask," she said, slipping her backpack from her shoulders.
"He's looking for his dream girl," said Conner. "That description sounds like a match made in heaven."
"Well, I know one thing," said Anabel. "If she is on a dating site and not single, then she has some serious explaining to do."
"Sounds historically accurate, too," Doctor Oliver agreed.
Anabel grinned as Ethan rolled his eyes and went back to his search, leaving Anabel to look around the base. She noticed Hayley and Doctor Oliver standing at one of the smaller computers, while Conner knelt beside some device in the centre of the room.
"What's going on?" Anabel asked.
"We're still trying to figure out how to get the new assault vehicle working," said Hayley. "The guys just delivered the component I need, but I'm having trouble connecting it to the computers and transferring the necessary files over."
Anabel puckered her lips and nodded; her brow furrowed. "I'm going to pretend that I know what you just said," she smiled.
"Sorry. The data from the computer and the component aren't syncing up," said Hayley. "That's basically the layman's terms."
Anabel nodded, still not fully comprehending what had been said. "Yeah, sure, okay," she said.
Hayley chuckled. "I'm just going to let the system run it's troubleshoot to see if it can find the problem," she said. "I'll check it when I get back from the Café."
"Thanks, Hayley," said Doctor Oliver.
"Speaking of checking in," said Anabel. "Has anyone spoken to Kira today? She called me at the end of practice, but I was talking with Shauna. When I called her back it went straight to voicemail."
"She called when we were coming back from the warehouse," said Conner. "I couldn't get to my phone in time, but she had hung up on Ethan, too."
Anabel glanced at Ethan. "Did you call her back?" she asked.
"She was on the phone," said Ethan. "I'm guessing to you."
"You don't think she's in trouble, do you?" Anabel asked, glancing from Conner, to Ethan, and then to Doctor Oliver. "I mean, she'd use the Dino Coms if she was, right?"
Doctor Oliver nodded.
"Can't we run a search for her?" Anabel asked. "I mean, I'm guessing you can track these things?"
"I can," said Doctor Oliver.
"Please?" Anabel pleaded. "I just need to know she's okay."
Doctor Oliver hesitated. He only used the search function with the Dino Gems if the team were in immediate danger, but the pleading looking Anabel's eyes caused him to sigh.
"Alright," said Doctor Oliver. "I'll run a quick search." He retook his seat at the mainframe, spinning around to face the big computers, and half-glancing to his left as Anabel claimed the other unoccupied chair. "How was practice?"
Anabel shrugged. "We made it into the Salt Lake City qualifying rounds," she said. "They're happening in two weeks."
"So, you're not going to be here?" Doctor Oliver asked.
Anabel shook her head.
"How long you going to be gone?"
"Friday to Sunday," said Anabel, glancing at Doctor Oliver. "Why, going to miss me?"
Doctor Oliver chuckled. "I have got used to having you around," he said.
Anabel smiled. "You can survive two days without me," she said. "Besides, you'll still have the others."
"Will Circe be going with you?"
"Yep. I will continue to have Circe as long as Zeltrax continues to be a problem," Anabel said. "But, I enjoy having her around."
"Good. I'm glad you have someone around to keep you safe when…" Doctor Oliver cut off as the mainframe beeped, showing Kira's location to be somewhere in Reefside.
Anabel studied the surroundings areas. "That's the music house," she said, recognising the name of the building Kira's location was pinging from. "I didn't know she was meeting with a music producer today. Did you?"
Doctor Oliver shook his head.
"I hope everything's going okay for her," said Anabel. She sat back in her chair, hugging her knees to her chest as Doctor Oliver cleared the screens. "By the way, thanks."
"For what?" Doctor Oliver asked.
Anabel shrugged. "I just figured you were about to say that you're glad I have Circe around to protect me when you can't be," she said. "Unless I read those signals wrong?"
"No, you didn't," said Doctor Oliver. "You know, it's scary how you're able to read my mind. You sure your Dino Gem hasn't gifted you with three abilities?"
"You're the Dino expert," said Anabel, laughing. "You tell me?"
Doctor Oliver shook his head as the smaller computer, the one Hayley had left running, started to beep loudly. He spun around in his chair and leaned forward, examining the screen more closely. "Seems the trouble-shooter worked," he said, "the system has found its problem."
"I'll call Hayley," said Conner, standing up and fishing his phone from his pocket. He left the lab through the tunnels, leaving Ethan, Anabel, and Doctor Oliver behind.
Spinning away from the mainframe, Anabel leaned forward, dropping her feet to the floor, and spying Ethan's computer screen from over his shoulder. "Dreamgirl23," she read aloud, startling Ethan enough to make him jump.
Ethan quickly hid his computer screen. "Hey, ever hear of privacy?" he asked.
"What? Unless you're doing something you shouldn't, which I would be incredibly surprised if you were, why don't you want me to see?" Anabel asked. "Afraid I'll find out you have a secret bad boy side? Ooh! Maybe your sexual preferences include BDSM or roleplay…" she laughed as Ethan turned beet red.
"Shut up," Ethan muttered, shuffling away, and hiding his screen from her.
Anabel sniggered.
"What's so funny?" Conner asked, returning.
"Ethan has a kinky side," said Anabel, smirking at the glare Ethan was shooting her. "Not sure what category he falls under yet, but I have a feeling he has a thing for roleplay."
Ethan groaned as Conner chuckled at his expense. "Just because you two are more open about your experimentalism," he said. "Doesn't mean we all are."
"Oh, come on, Ethan," Anabel teased. "We all experiment at some point in our lives."
"Have you even kissed a girl?" Conner asked.
"Or a boy," Anabel said, quickly. "Don't exclude the sexualities, Con."
Conner shrugged apologetically and turned to Ethan, who was sliding so far down in his seat that he was almost invisible behind his computer screen.
"I'm going to take that as a no," said Anabel. "You know what, Ethe, if you had wanted to know what it was like to actually kiss someone, you should've just asked."
"What?!" Ethan gasped, sitting up straight, and staring, bug-eyed at Anabel. "You're not - You're not serious?"
Anabel shrugged. "Why not? At least if you practice with a friend you'll know what to do when you get an actual girlfriend and/or boyfriend," she said. "How do you think I knew what to do when I got with Conner?"
"Who did you practice with?"
"I regret it now," said Anabel. "But I practised with my then-best friend Sophie Grace."
Conner shifted uncomfortably.
Ethan furrowed his brow. "So, you like boys and girls?" he asked, curiously.
"No," said Anabel. "I'm not bisexual, but I am not above practising with a girl." She shrugged, aware of the looks she was receiving from, not only Ethan, but Conner and Doctor Oliver, too.
"I…I think I'm good," said Ethan, awkwardly. "Thanks for the offer, though."
Anabel lifted one shoulder as she tilted her head towards it, and then straightened up. "Your choice," she said. "The offer won't be there forever. Speaking of experiments, and since we're rehashing the past," she turned to Conner, her eyes glittering with amusement. "Remember the handcuffs?"
Conner choked, his face turning bright red as he stared at Anabel with wide eyes.
"Handcuffs?" Ethan echoed. "You let him -?"
"Oh no," said Anabel, grinning. "I'm not submissive."
Ethan turned to stare at Conner. "SHE TIED YOU UP?!" he screeched.
Conner groaned. "Someone change the subject, please," he pleaded.
Anabel grinned and spun away again.
~X~
When Hayley returned from the Café, Doctor Oliver explained the situation with the computer to her, and she set to work transferring all the data over to the compound. Halfway through the transfer, Kira arrived, much to the relief of Anabel.
"Kira!" Conner gasped, as Kira hurried down the steps from the kitchen. "You should check in every once in a while."
"I tried," said Kira. She shook her head. "Never mind. Look, I need you guys to watch something and give me your honest opinions. Can you do that?"
The others shared looks and nodded.
"Great. Hayley, can you play this for me?" Kira handed over a CD disc.
"Sure," said Hayley, sliding the CD into the computer tower.
Anabel cringed as techno-dance music played from the speakers, and a goth version of Kira, complete with dark hair styled in a Mohawk appeared on the screens.
"Looking back, I don't regret, one single day…"
As the music video ended, an awkward silence filled the base.
"Alright, tell me the truth," said Kira, nervously.
"Well…" Ethan started.
"It's…" Hayley trailed off.
"Um…" said Anabel, awkwardly.
"What?" Kira asked. "Is someone going to tell me what they really thing?"
"I will," said Conner, nodding.
"Conner!" the others warned.
Kira shook her head. "No, let him talk," she said.
"Well, I just think it's… not you," Conner admitted.
Kira sighed. "I knew it." she murmured.
"Is this why you were at Tone Records today?" Anabel asked. "I had Doctor O track your morpher because I was worried about you."
Kira nodded. "Yeah. He said he could sign me, and I believed him," she replied.
"You know you're supposed to take an agent to these types of places?" Anabel asked. "A record producer is not an agent."
"I know," Kira sighed. "But, he seemed legit. I checked his website and everything. A lot of famous artists come from him."
Anabel nodded. "Yeah, but none of them are worldwide famous," she said. "I mean, I can't list even one person that I listen to that was produced by Tone Records."
Kira's shoulders sagged. "What was I thinking?" she whined.
Taking pity on her friend, Anabel wound an arm around Kira's shoulder and squeezed.
The mainframe beeped and Ethan released the breath he had been holding. "Oh, thank god," he sighed. "I never thought I would be happy to hear that sound."
The four screens melted together to form one big screen, upon which a serpent-like motor creature slithered out of the sky.
"What the hell?" Anabel asked.
"Either something escaped from the air show, or we're in trouble," said Conner.
"Zeltrax!" Doctor Oliver breathed. He turned to his students. "You guys manage it. I'm going to try and help Hayley get our new weapon powered up."
The four teens nodded and pulled back.
"Ready?" Conner asked.
"Ready!"
"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"
~X~
Anabel shivered as the motorised version of, what she could only guess, was a centipede, reared up onto it's back wheels and slithered back and forth. It's whole body was covered in scuffled leather, while horns stuck out from its head at odd angles.
"If normal centipedes looked like that, I'd move to Alaska," said Ethan.
"Alaska has creepy crawlies too, Ethan," said Anabel. "But, I agree with your sentiments."
Kira whipped her head around as the creature fell forward, landing on its front six wheels with a bounce and then rammed at them from the side. It's back end slithered under the foot of the Megazord, and with an almighty tug, the team flopped backwards with a crash.
"That was harsh!" Kira grumbled.
Anabel groaned and clung to her podium. "Can't we just step on it?" she asked.
"It's going to take a very bit boot to step on that," said Conner.
"Speaking of, where did it go?" Ethan asked, looking around.
Anabel furrowed her brow and scanned the area but found nothing. "Oh, great!" she whined. "Now what do we do?"
"Guys, this thing is still in the area," said Doctor Oliver over the comms. "We have to intercept it before it comes into the city."
Conner looked around at the others. "We're not going to find it from here," he said. "Let's regroup."
"Maybe it went back to Zeltrax's ship?" Kira offered.
"Well, Zeltrax went that way," said Ethan, pointing in the direction of the rock quarry.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Anabel asked. She ejected herself from the cockpit and sent her compy back to the Brachio storage. The others followed her, landing on their feet amongst the trees, and then running off towards the centre of the quarry.
Doctor Oliver looked around at them as they joined him.
"What do we do, Doctor O?" Conner asked, noticing Zeltrax's ship heading straight for them.
"You'll have to fight him the best you can," said Doctor Oliver, raising his morpher. "Brachio!"
The lumbering long-necked dinosaur appeared on the edge of the trees. It roared and pushed through, carving a path through the foliage.
"We beat Zeltrax's airship before," said Anabel.
Kira nodded. "Yeah, and back then it was our first time as Rangers," she said. "We've only gotten stronger and better since then."
Ethan nodded in agreement.
A high-pitched cry ripped through the air, as the centipede returned, attacking the Brachiozord and causing it to tip over. It's shelled back still protecting the Zords inside.
"No!" the Rangers cried, unanimously.
As Zeltrax's airship flew overhead, it cast a shadow over the team. Doctor Oliver looked up and turned, following the trajectory. "He's trying to get away!" he said.
"Doctor Oliver!" Anabel called, watching as her teacher took off after Zeltrax.
"I think it's time you went Triassic, Conner," said Kira, grabbing Anabel's arm and preventing her from chasing after their mentor.
Conner nodded and called on his shield.
"He'll be fine," said Kira, reassuringly, turning Anabel away from where Zeltrax and Doctor Oliver had disappeared. "We have to deal with this thing."
Anabel sighed and turned away. She looked up at the Centipede, and nodded, falling into step beside Kira. "Ready," she said, encircling her Dino claw on her chest.
Taking a deep breath, Anabel, Kira, and Ethan called on their power and channelled it into the Triassic Shield. Within seconds, they each demorphed and Conner stepped forward, powered up to the max.
"I'm coming up there!" said Conner, walking away from his friends. He looked up at the centipede and jumped but was batted out of the sky like a fly.
Ethan gasped.
"Okay, new plan," said Conner, reaching for his Thundermax blaster. "Fire!"
Several means of energy hit the underside of the centipede. It reared back and wriggled, screeching in agony, before firing off its own blasts.
Conner raised the shield and a loud, roar rumbled through the quarry.
"Huh?" Anabel gasped, looking around. She nudged Kira and Ethan, pointing into the distance where a large, red creature in the distance.
"Whoa," Ethan breathed.
"It's amazing!" said Kira.
As Conner was lifted into the air and deposited into the cockpit of the new Triassic Mega Rover, Anabel, Kira, and Ethan shared giddy looks. There was no way they could lose now.
With another satisfying victory in the bag, Conner returned to his friends only to find them sharing worried looks, while Anabel stood at their rear, staring at the skies; her hands clenched into fists at her side.
"What is it?" Conner asked, looking from Ethan to Kira. "What's the matter with Anabel?"
"It's Doctor Oliver," said Ethan. "He's not back yet."
"Back? From where?" Conner asked.
Kira nodded at the skies to where the Airship had returned and was currently just hovering. She then glanced at Anabel. "He's going to be okay," she repeated, squeezing the Green Ranger's shoulder.
"Yeah? Then why isn't he back yet," said Anabel.
"He will," said Kira. She glanced at Conner and Ethan, her eyes shifting as she nodded at Anabel.
Ethan was the first to react. "Yeah, Kira's right, Doctor O is a Ranger legend, remember? He'll be okay," he said, reassuringly. "Right, Conner?"
Conner sighed. He'd have been lying if he said he didn't care that Anabel was moving on without him, even though she had told him, while under the influence was a space rock, that there was no chance of them getting back together, he still held out hope that there was a chance. But, the fact that she was moving on with their teacher, hurt him more than anything else.
"Conner!" Ethan hissed, nudging him.
"He'll be oka -" Conner cut off as the airship exploded.
"NO!" Anabel cried, staggering forward. She felt arms wrap themselves around her and someone pulled her back into their chest, their chin resting on her shoulders as they hugged her from behind.
Blonde hair caught her peripheral vision, and Kira's soft, soothing voice echoed in Anabel's hear. "It's okay. Maybe he got out," the singer said, softly.
Anabel clutched at Kira's hands. Her heart beat a mile a minute in her chest, has her breath came in sharp gasps, and tears blurred her vision.
Bits of the airship were falling from the sky, trailing black smoke in their wake. But Doctor Oliver was nowhere to be found.
"He can't just be gone!" said Conner, angrily kicking a small stone. It sailed through the air and clattered against a boulder.
"He's not," said Ethan, grinning. "Look!" He nodded at the silhouette approaching through the descending smoke. As it cleared, it showed Doctor Oliver. He was clutching his arm and staggering across the quarry, but he was very much alive.
Anabel let out the breath she had been trying to catch and threw herself across the quarry. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around Doctor Oliver, pressing her face into his chest, the smooth fabric of his suit brushing against her cheek.
"What about Zeltrax?" Ethan asked.
"Zeltrax is gone," Doctor Oliver replied. He looked down at Anabel as she pulled back, her eyes wet with tears. He smiled and reached out, brushing aside a stray tear from her face.
"If Zeltrax is gone," Anabel repeated. "Then that means my mom -?"
Doctor Oliver nodded. "She can come home," he said.
Anabel beamed and hugged him again.
~X~
The next afternoon, Anabel raced through the house as the doorbell rang. She slid on the tiled floor in her socks and collided with the wooden door as it opened from the outside. "Careful!" she said, rubbing her nose as Conner looked sheepish.
"Sorry. What were you doing behind there, anyway"? Conner asked.
"I was trying to answer it," said Anabel. "I slipped."
Conner looked down at the fuzzy socks and shook his head with a chuckle. "You're the only person I know that can wear fuzzy socks when it 95 degrees outside," he said.
Anabel shrugged and looked passed Conner. "Hey," she said, grinning at Kira and the others. "You bring your guitar?"
Kira held up her guitar case. "You sure your mother doesn't mind us doing this?" she asked. "You just got her back. Don't you want to spend time with her?"
"We spent all night together," said Anabel. "Besides, she's got a meeting at the office today. So, I'm home alone. Come on in, I got everything set up out the back."
As they all filed into the house, Anabel led them through the dining hall, into the open floored kitchen, and through the double glass doors leading to the back garden. A long veranda with a submerged pool faced them, with sun loungers running along the edge, and a garden bar stood to their left.
"Woah," said Ethan, looking around.
"Bar's fully stocked, and the pool has just been cleaned," said Anabel. "Knock yourselves out." She turned to Kira. "I sent out an E-invite to a few friends and agents who can't wait to hear you play and sing. After today, everyone will be talking about you."
Kira beamed. "Anabel, I wish there was something I could say," she said, shaking her head.
"I don't need you to say anything," said Anabel, shaking her head. "I just need to see you smile."
"Well, I haven't stopped doing that since your message this morning."
Anabel grinned and wound an arm around Kira's shoulders. "Perfect! So, you have full run of this place," she said. "If you need to change clothes there is a walk-in wardrobe in one of the rooms, just let me know and I'll take you there. I'll get the sound system all set up in a sec, and Trent said he has his video camera."
Kira nodded.
"I have a camera recording from up there," said Anabel, pointing to a window high above them, "but Trent's will be closer up and therefore more personal. Plus, Devin said he is bringing his video camera, too. We'll get you from all angles."
"I can't thank you enough," said Kira.
Anabel squeezed her friend. "Just remember me when you're famous," she said.
Kira smiled and hugged Anabel back.
As Kira wandered away, Ethan sidled up to Anabel. "Hey, I hope you don't mind, I invited someone along," he said.
"You brought a date?" Anabel shrieked.
Ethan groaned. "Yes, I brought a date," he said, regretting his decision to say anything. He only had because he felt it common decency to tell Anabel he had given her address out to a stranger.
Reigning in her excitement, Anabel smiled and waved Ethan off. "It's fine," she said. "Just, do I get to meet them when she, or he, gets here?"
"It's she," said Ethan.
"Okay. So, how you going to recognise them?"
"She's wearing a pink hat and a matching jacket," said Ethan, excitedly.
Anabel paused, her eyes shifting to the pool as her mind wandered. "Um, that's great, Ethan," she said, reaching into her pocket for her phone. "Just a sec, I got to check something."
Ethan nodded and Anabel wandered away, pulling up her messages. She opened the first one and checked the image that Cassidy had sent her.
C: What do you think of this outfit?
Anabel bit back a laugh as she looked up from the image and over to where Ethan was standing, talking with Conner. "Oh boy," she muttered.
Ethan's date was Cassidy Cornell.