Amulets and Morphers

By Cloudy Head

Second chapter we get into the Power Rangers. Just wanted to give you readers a little intro to the boys. Don't worry; you'll be learning a lot more about them later on. And as you read this chapter keep this in mind please: this story will NOT be a romance. The slight attraction works into the plot later on, so this is just setting it up. Have fun!

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Chapter Two

"Don't tell me what to believe, 'cause you won't be there..."–Three Doors Down

Katie sighed in contentment as the sun's rays warmed her body. Wiggling her toes, she giggled as the sand trickled through them. This was defiantly a well-deserved break.

Hearing a sigh from the beach chair beside her, she raised her sunglasses to her forehead and turned to Jen who was sitting beside her. Jen was clearly relaxed and enjoying herself.

Katie giggled and poked Jen in the arm. "Look like Miss all-work-and-no-play is enjoying the beach!"

Jen imitated Katie in placing her sunglasses on her forehead to look at her darker skinned friend. "You guys were right. We did need a break, even if just for an afternoon. Even I can't work all the time."

Katie gasped in mock surprise. "Jen admitting work isn't everything!? What would Alex say?"

Jen got an amused look on her face. "Oh I bet he'd say something like this," she paused a moment to take a deep breath and clear her throat then her whole demeanor changed in an impersonation of Alex, "Jen, I'm ashamed. I can't stand people who don't work twenty four seven. Sleep? Food? These are just distractions from work! And the beach! That is a sin!" The two girls burst out laughing, both knowing Alex wouldn't say that but it was funny to imagine.

As the two female Time Force Power Rangers basked in the sun and made fun of their commander, the three male Rangers were enjoying some authentic beach sports. Wes was teaching Trip how to play beach volleyball, while Lucas surfed the waves. Katie meant to join Lucas in a bit, but at the moment, she was quite content to sit here, basking in the sun and watching Trip and Wes make idiots of themselves.

Katie paused laughing long enough to take a deep breath. In that moment, she happened to notice that the beach ball that Wes and Trip had been throwing around was now lying abandoned in the sand next to Lucas' surfboard. Looking around, she asked the still laughing Jen, "Where did the boys go?"

Her question was answered before the question even finished coming out of her mouth. The three male rangers came up behind Jen and picked her up, chair and all. Jen immediately stopped laughing and started shouting at the boys furiously. Katie could only laugh at the scene before her. "What are you doing!? Put me down right now!! This is not funny!" A horror stricken look came over Jen's face as she realized where the boys were taking her.

Wes grinned upward at her. "You said you weren't going to go in the water at all. Now you can't go the beach without getting in the surf!"

"So we decided to force the issue and make you go in!" Lucas had a wicked grin on his face as he bore Jen's weight with Wes and Trip.

"Put me down now!" Jen was thrashing about in the chair and Trip tried his best to hold her legs and steady her in the chair, which rested on Wes and Lucas's shoulders.

When the three had waded far enough in, Trip went behind them and unceremoniously tipped the chair foreword and Jen went splashing in to the ocean. The boys then waded back to the shore and waited for Jen to come up. When she did, her hair was all matted to her face and one could almost see the steam coming from her ears. The three boys laughed at her, joining Katie who had been laughing the entire time.

Jen slowly rose to her feet and just as slowly, removed the hair from her face. Then without warning, she charged after the three boys, who suddenly looked terrified and turned and fled, Jen hot on their heels. Katie only laughed harder.

In fact, Katie was laughing so hard that she didn't notice someone standing over her.

"Friends of yours?"

The yellow ranger looked up to see a man standing where Jen's chair had been, an amused smile framed by creative facial hair on his tanned face. The man was about the same age as the rangers, maybe a little older, and his blonde tipped black haired head would have come up to maybe Katie's shoulder had she been standing. Katie also couldn't help but notice all the tattoos that adorned the man's arms, chest and back.  Black sunglasses hid eyes that must have reflected the amused smile on his face. Katie couldn't help but think he was attractive. She'd ways liked the rebellious type.

Afraid he'd catch her staring and think it rude; Katie turned her attention back to scene in front of her. Trip had fallen in the sand, but Lucas pulled him up before the charging Jen could descend on him. She couldn't help but snort with laughter again. "Yep, their my friends. Always causing a scene."

The man laughed and sat in the sand beside her. "I know the feeling. My friends are known to make scenes where ever they go." He raised his sunglasses to his forehead, revealing dark brown eyes. "Name's AJ."

Katie smiled and took the hand he offered in a handshake. "My name's Katie. You live here in Silver Hills?"

Nah," said AJ as he replaced his sunglasses and shook his head. "Here on vacation with the before mentioned friends. How about you?"

Katie had to bite down her instant reaction to say no. She didn't want to explain to this man that she was from 1000 years in the future. "Yeah, me and my friends have an odd jobs business in town. What do you do for a living AJ?"

AJ seemed to clam up for a minute, as if debating with himself for an answer. "I'm a singer in a group called the Backstreet Boys." He seemed to cringe for some reason after stating this.

The name of the group didn't ring any bells with Katie, but then again, Jen had kept them to busy to really pay any attention to the music or fashions of the 21st century. "I'm sorry I've never heard of you."

This seemed to take a large load of AJ and he smiled. "Well I guess that's a good thing. Most of the time when I tell girls that, they want to know where Nick is. " Katie had no clue what this meant so she just smiled. All was well since AJ seemed to want to change the subject anyway. "You know, I did have a purpose for coming over here…"

"Oh really?" asked Katie, wondering what he could have possibly have wanted to say to her. "And what would that be, besides to know if I was with those idiots who are still making a scene?" What Katie said was true for now Lucas, Trip and Wes were trying to keep Lucas' surfboard between them and Jen. Jen now had an evil smile on her face. Well at least she seems to be enjoying herself, thought Katie.

"I wanted to know if maybe you and I could go get something to eat tomorrow. You seem to know the town so maybe you could show me around."

Katie looked from her friends to AJ, eyes wide. A date was the last thing he had expected to ask for. "Yes!" Katie said before she really thought about it. "I'd love to." Sure, she really didn't know the town that well, but she could always asked Wes about it tonight. If Jen didn't kill him before tonight and if task master Jen would even let her go tomorrow.

AJ smiled." That will be great! 1 o'clock okay?"

Katie nodded, but before she could respond, she heard her name being called by four voices. Looking to her friends, she saw them looking down the beach, in the direction from which people were now fleeing. A mutant was coming down the beach, flanked by Cyclobots. Katie snarled inwardly. Figures her happy moment would be ruined by one of Ransik's cronies.

"What is that?" AJ had followed her gaze and was staring at the mutant. Katie bit her lip. She couldn't let AJ find out she was a Power Ranger, but she needed to help her friends.

"AJ, go find your friends and get out of here!  I need to go help mine!" The two of them stood quickly and ran a couple steps, Katie toward her friends and to Katie's relief, AJ in the opposite direction from the mutant. But after a few steps AJ stopped and turned back to her.

"Where tomorrow?" Katie couldn't believe he wanted to stop now and ask this question, let she was touched he wanted to see her so badly.

Coming up with the only restaurant name in Silver Hills that she knew, she replied, "The Silver Café."

AJ nodded then sprinted away down the beach, leaving Katie free to join her friends. "Who was that?" asked Wes as Katie joined them.

"Someone who just asked me out on a date."

"We don't have time to talk about dates. We better morph to take care of this thing! " Shouted Jen.

The five Time Force Rangers stood in formation and shouted as one, "TIME FOR TIME FORCE!"

As they transformed, Katie couldn't help but hope AJ had gotten away okay. But as soon as the transformation was complete, the Yellow Ranger had work to do and began fighting the Cyclobots who had suddenly swarmed her and the other rangers.

What the Yellow Ranger and the other rangers didn't notice as they morphed and began to fight was that about couple hundred yards down the beach, five more transformations occurred and five more fighters prepared to enter the battle.