Gaby, Emma, Angela, Gunn, the sisters, Alcott, and TransGenics are mine.
Rated PG-13 : Strong sexuality; harsh language, moderate violence.
Eric sat at his desk, going over his usual last-minute paperwork. He regularly put in a long day, between his office at Bio-Lab and going out in the field with his troops, and this was no exception. At least hiring the new computer security person was out of the way. But after the interview and the meeting he had spent a few hours on an investigation downtown. It had been a long day, and now it was a relief to put down the last piece of paper and prepare to head home.
He closed his eyes for a moment and leaned back. These twelve-hour days were taking a toll; he felt suddenly tired, and his head hurt. A moment of dizziness came and went, taking the headache with it. He rubbed his eyes and blinked, thinking he must be more tired than he thought.
It occurred to him that, like Wes, he was depressed about today's anniversary of the other four Rangers' leaving. But he dismissed the thought almost immediately. They had certainly changed his life, and on some level he wished they could have stayed, especially for Wes's sake. But he had never been friends with them, hadn't even liked them until the last couple of weeks. And they certainly hadn't liked him.
No, it was Wes that was bothering him. He hadn't been himself for days. Normally he was easygoing, lighthearted, and generous almost to a fault, one of the nicest people Eric had ever known. He had a temper -- which Eric had been the target of more than once before they had become friendly -- but it never came out without a reason. Lately he had been preoccupied, depressed, and even irritable, as he had been at lunch. He must still miss Jen more than anyone had thought. With a sigh, Eric wondered what it felt like to love someone that much.
Who needs love, anyway. Look where it got Wes. He stood quickly, suddenly impatient to get out, and get home. After closing his office door, he strode through the quiet, empty corridors, absently noting lights still on in one of the laboratories. One of the scientists working late, probably Michael Zaskin. Normally Eric would have looked in and said hello, but tonight he didn't want to take the extra time. He didn't even want to take the time to change out of his Guardian uniform back to street clothes.
After a quick walk through the dark parking lot he approached his car, briefly remembering Wes's comment that he needed a new one. It might be a few years old, but it still ran okay. Still, it looked old -- a new car might be nice, and he could afford it.... As he fished in his pocket for his keys, a scream rang through the still, cold air.
Every nerve suddenly alert, Eric looked around. Another scream sent him running out of the parking lot, to the dark, quiet city street bordering it. He stopped, looking up and down. Then he saw them in the shadows under the trees lining the sidewalk, a woman surrounded by three men, their body language clearly showing her fear, and their intention to attack.
With a shout, Eric ran at them. Two of the men turned to face him, the third grabbed the woman. He stopped as his two opponents raised their hands, light glinting off the knives they were holding. They advanced on him, smiling confidently, separating to attack him from opposite directions. Eric waited for them to get close, and then spun into action, kicking the knife from one man, grabbing and twisting the other's wrist, making him drop his weapon with a scream of pain. As he forced the man to his knees, Eric sent another kick into the first man's gut, knocking him to the ground. An instant later he had his Guardian blaster out and aimed at the third man's head.
Number three let the woman go and took off, running as fast as he could. Eric fired, hitting him in the back, then shot the second man, who was climbing back to his feet. He pulled a pair of handcuffs from his equipment belt and swiftly pushed the one he was holding to the ground on his face, and cuffed him. With his hands free, he called for backup. Keeping his eye on the only conscious attacker, he went to check on the victim.
She was standing quietly under the trees, watching him approach, her face shadowed. He got the impression of dark hair and eyes, and a slender figure. She seemed remarkably calm, considering what she'd just gone through.
"You okay? Did they hurt you?" he asked.
"I'm all right. Just scared. You didn't kill them, did you?" Her voice was soft and low, and very attractive.
"Of course not. They're stunned. Just like on Star Trek."
That got a smile. "Good. I'd hate to think of anyone dying because of me."
"Wouldn't have been your fault. What were you doing walking around alone this time of night anyway?"
"Blaming the victim?" she asked, a hint of teasing in her tone.
He smiled. "Sorry. But it wasn't the smartest thing to do."
"I guess you're right. It won't happen again."
They turned as two Guardians appeared at a run from the parking lot. In a few minutes they had taken the muggers into custody. Eric decided to take care of the victim himself, ignoring the speculative looks he got from his men. He turned back to her as they left.
"I'll need your name and phone number. And then I'll take you home."
"My name's Angela. Angela Mudado." She gave him her number.
They had moved under a streetlight so he could see to write. Eric looked at her more closely. He saw a woman in her early twenties, average height, slim, with long, sleek, straight black hair. Her face was delicately pretty. Beautiful, even. For a moment it seemed familiar, but the impression passed as he felt a touch of headache again. He was surprised by how immediately and strongly he was attracted to her.
"Come on, I'll drive you home." He turned back toward his car.
"That's not necessary."
"You want to get mugged twice in one night? I said I'll take you home." He hadn't meant to sound sharp, and tried to soften the remark with a smile.
"I live only a few blocks away. Do you mind if we walk?"
"Okay." A leisurely walk instead of a quick ride, a few minutes longer in this woman's company. He didn't mind at all, even though he'd have to come back for his car.
"What's your name?" she asked as they walked out to the street.
"Eric Myers." He was vaguely pleased that she didn't seem to recognize him. He had been quite well known in Silver Hills a year ago, and had been trying to keep a low profile since then. But most people still knew who he was.
"You're a Silver Guardian."
"Yeah."
"A commander?"
"Yeah."
"And you're extremely talkative."
He smiled faintly. "Sorry. I guess I'm not very sociable."
She looked at him appraisingly. "Eric Myers. I've heard the name before. When those mutants were here, a year ago." She stopped and faced him, putting her hand on his arm. "You were one of the Rangers!"
"I was hoping you wouldn't recognize me."
"Why? Which one were you again? Red? Blue? Pink?"
He faced her with a scowl, then smiled reluctantly when he saw she was laughing at him. "I was the Quantum Ranger. And I still am. Which you probably knew."
"Why did you hope I wouldn't recognize you? Aren't you proud of what you did? You saved Silver Hills from all those mutants."
"I guess I'm proud of some of it. Not everything."
"What do you mean?"
He shrugged. "Sometimes I didn't get along with the other Rangers. Most of the time, in fact. Mostly my fault."
"Why? What did you have against them?"
He paused before answering, then said only, "I thought they had something against me."
"Why?"
"I stole their morpher, for one thing."
"Really? But you must have had a good reason."
"I wanted it. That seemed like enough of a reason at the time."
"But you helped them. They must have appreciated that."
"I guess they did. We ended up working together."
"And you saved the city. You're a hero."
He chuckled. "I didn't feel much like a hero. I was just trying to do my job, most of the time."
"As a Silver Guardian."
"Yes. Protecting Bio-Lab."
"Why do you think they attacked Bio-Lab so many times?"
He shrugged. "It's the biggest target in Silver Hills. I guess that's why."
She looked away for a moment, then smiled at him. "So what's it like?"
"You mean being a Ranger? It's... exciting. It makes me feel..." He stopped. How could he describe the feeling of morphing? The rush of power, the sensation of becoming more than what he had been created, of suddenly being stronger, tougher, better. "It feels like power, like nothing can hurt me," he said softly.
She looked down, her face hidden in shadow. But he had seen an expression he couldn't interpret, perhaps of envy, or maybe compassion.
"It sounds wonderful," she said. "Tell me more. Tell me about the mutants."
Eric hesitated. He was amazed he had said so much to this woman, and wanted to say more, in fact was glad of any reason to keep talking to her. But he realized they had been standing in front of a small apartment building for the last few minutes. Presumably she was home.
"It's a long story. And it's late," he said reluctantly.
"I haven't thanked you for saving me." She stepped closer, laid her hand on his shoulder, and went on tiptoe to kiss his cheek near the corner of his mouth, her lips lingering long enough for him to feel her breath, her body briefly leaning against his. It was a surprisingly intimate moment, sending a startling jolt of desire through him.
She was opening the door before he collected himself enough to say, "Can I call you sometime?"
"Of course." With a last smile she disappeared inside.
Eric was still thinking about her the next day, in fact he couldn't stop thinking about her. For the tenth time that morning he firmly put her face out of his mind, only to have it creep back in. God, this is ridiculous. I'm like a teenager with a crush. He got up from his desk. As long as he couldn't concentrate, he might as well check up on Wes. Anything to distract his thoughts.
"Feeling better today?" Eric leaned against the frame of the office door with a smile on his face, watching Wes look up at him.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Good. Just checking." Eric straightened.
"So, I heard you rescued a damsel in distress last night."
Eric frowned, slightly dismayed to find himself the subject of gossip. "Well, yeah. She was being mugged."
"And I heard she's very pretty."
"I guess."
"You took her phone number."
"Yeah."
"And you walked her home."
"Christ! Can't I do anything in private? If I sleep with this girl, are there gonna be pictures posted on the bulletin board?"
"I hope not. Not something I want to see." Wes smiled at him. "So is she nice?"
"I guess so. We talked for a few minutes."
"Are you going to see her again?"
"Maybe. How the hell should I know?"
"You know, it's like pulling teeth trying to get anything out of you," Wes commented with a grin.
Eric smiled back. "And that's the way I like it."
"So, are you going to call her?"
Eric sighed. "I don't know. She's probably not really interested."
Wes looked at him, stifling a laugh. "Why not? You're not that ugly. And you're the famous Quantum Ranger."
Eric shot him a disgusted look, but he had to smile a little. "It takes more than that to make a relationship. And I know I'm not the most likeable guy in the world."
"You have your own unique charm. And I didn't realize you're interested in a relationship. Wow." Eric frowned, impatient and slightly embarrassed. After a pause, Wes went on. "You should start dating someone. I've never even seen you with a woman."
"Women take time. And money. Besides, I could give you the same advice. You haven't had a date for a year."
Wes's face turned serious, and unhappy. "I just haven't met anyone I'm interested in," he said.
Eric stepped further into the office, wishing he knew the right words to help. "It's been a long time. You can't spend the rest of your life thinking about Jen. You've got to forget her."
He saw Wes's face suddenly flood with anger. "What the hell do you know about it?" he snapped. "I bet you've never loved anyone in your life. And I know no one's ever loved you." He looked remorseful a moment later. But it was too late. Wes had said something he must have known would hurt deeply.
"I can see you're still in a rotten mood," Eric growled. He turned to leave.
"I'm sorry..." he heard Wes say behind him. But he was out and slamming the door.
"There goes Eric," Emma said. "I guess we'll have to catch him later. He looks like he's angry about something anyway."
"Is he always like that?" Gaby asked.
"No. But often enough."
Gaby nodded. It was her first day, and just as much of an ordeal as she had expected. First, two hours spent in personnel, filling out forms, having her picture taken, talking to various people, none of whose names she remembered. Then being shown to her small, but thankfully private, office, where she spent another hour trying to find paper, pens, and other supplies, and getting a computer account set up. Then before she could start trying to familiarize herself with the Bio-Lab systems, Emma had knocked at her door, offering to show her around.
"You've met Wes, but we'll just say hello," Emma said. They walked up to the office Eric had just exited and knocked.
"Eric?" Wes's face fell when they opened the door. "Oh. Sorry. Thought you were someone else."
"Wes, you remember Gaby. I'm giving her the tour."
"Good. Welcome aboard. How do you like it so far?"
"Fine, so far. I haven't seen much yet."
"Well, let me know if you need anything." He smiled and walked around his desk to shake hands.
"Next," Emma said as they left, "Daryl Gunn. Technically, he's your immediate supervisor, but he's only been here a few weeks. That's why it was Wes and Eric who hired you. You're also expected to work directly with them."
In Gunn's office, Gaby shook hands with a tall, imposing black man. "Glad to meet you, Ms. Butler," he said with a smile. "I'm sure we'll enjoy working together. Welcome aboard."
"Thank you. I'm glad to be here."
Outside, Emma led her on a longer walk, through a few corridors' worth of offices until they were passing several laboratories. Gaby stopped to look in through the observation windows.
"Interested in science?" Emma asked.
"Yes, always have been. It's one of the reasons I applied for this job. It seemed like an interesting environment."
"It is. We have some very smart people working here, and some important research into genetics and biology going on."
Gaby smiled. "Sounds great. I like smart people."
"Then you'll love Dr. Zaskin. Come on, I'll introduce you."
A few minutes later, they had found him, a tall, thin, slightly anxious-looking man at work at a computer in one of the laboratories. Emma led her in. She had to step in front of him before he noticed them.
"Gaby, this is Dr. Zaskin. He runs most of the research here. Dr. Zaskin, Gabriella Butler."
He stood, wiped his hand on his pants in what looked like an automatic gesture, and stuck it out for her to shake. "Very glad to meet you. You're the new computer security person."
"Yes. Nice to meet you too."
Zaskin smiled. "Welcome aboard. I hope you'll like it here."
"I'm sure I will."
They headed deeper into the building, going back into office territory. "Next up is Robert Taylor, head of Administration and Support," Emma announced.
"Robert Taylor? I thought he was dead."
Emma grinned. "Not the movie star, the bureaucrat."
"Ah."
Why is everyone here so tall? Gaby thought as she shook hands with another tall, slender man, this one with glasses.
"Very good to meet you. Welcome aboard. Let me know if you need anything," he said. She gave the usual polite responses, and they were on their way again.
"Next, the big one," Emma said. "The boss."
"Alan Collins, right?"
"Right."
He was tall, too, taller than his son. So this is what a zillionaire looks like, Gaby thought as they shook hands.
"Good to meet you, Ms. Butler," he said. "I'm sure you'll be able to help us with our recent problems."
"I certainly hope so. That's what you hired me for."
He smiled. "Yes, it is. Welcome aboard."
As they walked back, Gaby muttered, half to herself, "If one more person says 'welcome aboard', I'm going to laugh in his face. What do they think this is, the Love Boat?"
"There's only Eric left. With the mood he seemed to be in, you'll be lucky to get a grunt."
"Oh boy, I can't wait."
Eric was in his office, looking like he was forcibly restraining impatience and irritation as they walked in.
"Eric, this is Gaby's first day," Emma said. "I'm sure you want to say hello."
He gave her a polite half smile and shook hands. "Hope you like it here. When can I get a progress report?"
"I've barely logged on my computer so far. I'll need a few days at least."
"Okay. As soon as you can. Sorry to cut this short, but I was about to leave." As they started out, he added, "Welcome aboard."
Gaby caught a glimpse of his face, looking up in surprise as they fled. They managed not to laugh until they were through the door.
The sun had set when Eric returned to his office. He'd spent most of the day examining a crime scene at one of their affiliates' stores. It was late now, and usually he enjoyed the quiet and the absence of other people. But tonight he found it oppressive and distracting. With a sigh he pushed his paperwork aside and got up to stare out of the single small window in his office. Even the darkness outside was suddenly depressing.
I'm getting as bad as Wes. And of course Wes was part of the problem, since their argument that morning he had felt the nagging fear that he was losing a friend. An overreaction, almost certainly, caused by his own insecurities. But it wasn't like he had friends to spare.
Then there was the girl last night. Angela. She was the first woman in a long time he had felt this seriously interested in. Wes had been right. No one had ever loved him. And at the age of twenty-nine, he couldn't think of anyone he had ever loved. Certainly not his parents. As for women, he'd felt infatuation a few times, lust frequently, even affection on rare occasions, but never anything more. Sometimes he thought there was something missing inside him that made him incapable of love. Better not to try. Better to save himself the trouble. Maybe.
He turned at the sound of a knock on the open door of his office. Wes stood there, looking uncertain and unhappy.
"I'm sorry. Again," he said.
"You seem to be saying that a lot lately." Eric smiled faintly.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Wes -- are you all right?"
Wes looked at him with a half-hearted smile. "Just tired. And a little down. I have a headache too. I'll be fine."
"Go home and get some rest."
"I'm going." He hesitated for a moment. "Are you angry?"
He sounded like a small child saying, 'Are you mad at me?' Eric sighed. "No, I'm not angry. Just -- concerned. That wasn't like you."
Wes smiled a little more cheerfully. "Don't worry about me. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see ya."
As he heard Wes's footsteps retreat down the hall, Eric felt marginally better. His eyes fell on his desk telephone. Maybe it was time to take a chance after all. She had seemed to like him. And he really should tell her that the muggers had confessed and taken a plea. With a deep breath, already anticipating hearing that soft voice, he reached for the phone.