I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I assure you, I've been incredibly busy. I'll try update more often, but I make no guarantees. And I know I haven't mentioned this before, but your reviews are greatly appreciated and analyzed. I've tried to take all I can from them, but sometimes it's just not my style. Really thanks for the reviews, and please give me more.
Disclaimer: If you think I own power rangers, then you're on the wrong site.
Hayley wasn't a hundred percent sure of why she had come, this mission had nothing to do with her, but somehow she knew that she needed to go to space. Even though she was going to space, she was still excited about going ton Angel Grove, the birthplace of ranger technology. There was something about this city that brought about a sense of wonder in her.
It was now the third day since Tommy had spoken to Andros. They would be leaving that night. When they arrived, they had found both Jason and Zack, as they wanted her to call them, waiting to greet them. They had spent the remainder of the night getting some rest at Jason's house.
Currently, they were on a tour of Angel Grove through the rangers' eyes, which meant almost all of the significant locations located throughout the surprisingly large city. They had already visited Angel Grove High, and the old Juice Bar. Now they were on the way to the Command Center, or the wreckage of what had once been the Command Center.
Just as they were leaving the Juice Bar, they ran into Adam, who was on his way to the Power Rangers Day carnival to see his pregnant/famous wife Cassie. After the run-in with Adam, an impromptu meeting was held. It was quickly decided that they would split up; Conner, Kira, Tori, and Zack went to the carnival while Billy volunteered to take Cam and herself to the wreckage of the old Command Center.
Billy probably could have teleported them all there, but had opted instead to drive them there in his old 'Rad Bug'. "I'm not exactly sure how much power is left for teleportation, so I better conserve what I can," he explained. Although old, and pitiful looking, the rad bug still contained enough speed to take them there and back.
Although she had met Billy only three days ago, she was still in awe of the man that sat beside her. Here was a man who had survived severe tragedy and trauma, and had somehow managed to become a better person. Perhaps that is what she found attractive about him. She had a soft spot for guys who appeared to have massive amounts of trauma in their lives. It also didn't hurt that he was so intelligent.
Even though she had created the morphers for her own team of rangers, she felt dwarfed by his impressive accomplishments. He'd created various gadgets and machines that had furthered the ranger cause. He had created morphers, and several sets of zords for multiple teams while somehow managing to become one of the oldest and most successful rangers in history. It also didn't hurt that she thought that he was very attractive.
It amazed her. She hadn't felt as attracted to anyone like this since she had first dated Tommy. 'My God,' she thought, 'that feels like an eternity ago.' When they had met, it had not been under the greatest circumstances. When she had gotten up that morning, she hadn't known or suspected that she would meet the man that would change her life.
It had been a few weeks since any monsters had attacked the Earth, which in turn meant that nobody had seen a power ranger for the same amount of time. She would later learn of TJ, Cassie, Ashley, and Carlos' struggle, going from Turbo to Space Rangers. But at the time, she hadn't given it much thought either way. That day had been her first day of college. She had enrolled as an English Major at UCLA, and had just finished her first day of class when she got a call from her mother, saying that something had happened to her father, and she had better hurry to the hospital right away.
When she got to the hospital, she found her mother in near hysterics and being dragged from the O.R. Doctors and nurses rushed passed her as she observed the scene. Even to her medically untrained eyes, Hayley saw that there would be no way to save him. Suddenly the sound of the heart monitor started beeping in her ears. It didn't take her long to realize that the rhythm was starting to slow. And after a few more moments, the monitor flat lined.
She stood there for a moment, rooted to the spot, frozen in that very moment. As the reality of the situation sank in, she ran. She had no idea where she was going; all that she wanted to do was to escape the situation. She ran and ran, past memories, people, and her past.
When she finally managed to stop, she found herself in a darkly lit room with one occupant, a young man who appeared to be having troubling dreams, as he tossed and turned in his unconscious state. She studied his features for a moment, and noticed that beneath the long, dark brown hair was the face of one of the most attractive men that she had ever seen.
Suddenly his eyes snapped open, and she involuntarily took a step back. For a moment his eyes remained unfocused. As soon as his eyes regained their focus, he appeared to concentrate intently as his brow furrowed deeply. Then suddenly, as if sensing her presence, his eyes found her. For that one heart stopping moment, she stood, transfixed by his gaze, nearly forgetting the purpose behind this unexpected visit.
After what felt like hours, but was in reality only a heartbeat, he angrily barked, "what are you doing here?" Shocked as she was, she immediately had a sarcastic retort in mind, but then she looked into his eyes and immediately shut her mouth. She shivered in fear, as she saw the pain etched in his eyes. But that wasn't what scared her.
She had seen darkness; darkness so deep that she felt like ice had stabbed her heart, making the loss of her father feel small in perspective. 'Maybe I should go; he makes me feel awful.' She slowly started to back towards the door as he gave a small sigh, then looked up at her again. "Wait, I'm sorry," he said. Gathering her courage, she looked into his eyes once more, and was in for another shock. For instead of the dark look he had given her, was a look of genuine concern and friendliness.
She let a small smile appear, to show her appreciation of his apology and said, "No, that's okay. I'm sorry to bother you," while continuing her way towards the door. "Hey," he said, "wait, maybe I can help." This time she almost decided to stay, but quickly dismissed the thought of trying to help him, while needing help herself. "I don't think anyone can."
As she finally left the strange room, and its even stranger occupant, she finally began to wonder what could have caused her father's death. Gathering her courage she rejoined the rest of her grieving family as they began the inquiry of her father's passing. Since her mother was in no condition to answer any questions, it was left to Hayley answer any of the questions the doctors or the police had. After a few hours, Hayley left the hospital with her mother, not any closer to discovering the circumstances behind her father's mysterious death.
A week later she received the coronary report. Apparently there had been a large amount of energy coursing through her father's body at the time of death. They had surmised that he had been struck by lightning. Oddly enough, she really didn't believe the theory, but it did seem to ease her mother's mind.
Trusting her instincts, Hayley began hacking her way through the police system. It didn't take her long to find the report on her father's death. It took her a little bit longer to find the security camera that had witnessed her father's death. Hayley watched the footage and saw nothing at first but a bolt of lightning. Still not satisfied with the explanation, she began a thorough analysis of the weather patterns for that day. Just as she had remembered, not a cloud in the sky. Running through the footage again, Hayley caught something that she had not seen before. Enlarging and enhancing the shot, she began to see two red eyes, simply floating above her father's body. But in the next frame they were gone. After a frustrating day, she gave up. Figuring that she was probably being paranoid.
That same week, Hayley had decided to follow in her father's footsteps, and go to MIT. Although the year had officially started, she had very little problem securing a position due to her father's achievement and status at the school. She went to school ready to work. Finding little or no time to enjoy herself. She quickly graduated and pursued a Masters Degree.
One day while studying in her room, her roommate burst in, begging her to double date with her. Grudgingly Hayley accepted, on the grounds that she would be left alone for the rest of the year. The day of the date arrived and Hayley found herself more nervous than she had expected. Her roommate's date arrived at the room and picked them up, telling them that her date would meet them at the restaurant. It took another hour after they had arrived for her date to show up.
Hayley was shocked. It was him, the man from the hospital. When he finally saw who his date was, he didn't seem too surprised. "I'm Tommy," he simply said. "Hayley," she replied. "I know," he said unexpectedly, "I was beginning to wonder if you were avoiding me on purpose," he said. She regarded him curiously, "what do you mean…" she stopped as she saw that his mind was no longer focused on the conversation. Following his line of sight, she saw him looking at a television, watching a news report about the new team of power rangers.
"They really are something, aren't they?" she asked him, thinking that they might have found something of common interest. She was about to ask repeat the question when she noticed that he had a white knuckled grip on the table. "Are you okay?" she asked. Tommy shook himself from his revelry, and regarded her curiously. "What do you mean?" She was about to respond when she noticed that her roommate and her date had left.
"Wow," Tommy said, "they must think that we really hit it off," he joked. After that the date went pretty well. They had a lot in common, and she found that he was somebody who had spent a lot of time studying the power rangers. As he was walking her home, their conversation shifted to their career plans after they received their Masters. "Actually, I've been getting calls from the Silicone Valley to…" she stopped as she noticed that Tommy was looking at her. "Is there something wrong Tommy?" she asked, afraid that she had bored her date. "No," he quickly said, as they continued on their way.
When they got to her door they stopped. "Tommy, I had fun." He nodded in agreement, "yeah, me too." He looked away shyly, "um Hayley, do you think we could do this again sometime?" Doing a mental cabbage patch (I wonder if anybody even knows what I'm talking about) she only nodded her head. "Yeah, I think we should," she said. Once again she noticed him looking at her. "Tommy, are you sure you're alri…" she trailed off as she saw him move closer to her. Just as their lips were about to meet his cell phone went off.
Smiling sheepishly he quickly answered it, "Yeah." She could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation. "T-mm-, thnd Serpent, -e –ave t- c-ll th-m n." She saw his expression change, from confusion to determination. "Okay," he said, "do it. And thanks Andr…" he almost unnoticeably shifted his eyes to her, then continued, "and stuff. See you soon." He said as he turned off his phone, slightly revealing something metallic attached to his wrist.
He quickly turned to her with an apologetic look on his face. "Um, I'm sorry Hayley, I have to go. Something really important came up." Hayley regarded him curiously with a grin, "it's okay, you don't need my permission." Thanks Hayley, I'll see you when I get back."
Smiling at his antics, she watched as he sprinted off. Humming to herself, she went in and went straight back to work. But she couldn't focus though; it wasn't like her to be this smitten with anyone. She even found herself wondering what her next date would bring. Shaking her head in exasperation, she decided to turn in early. As sleep began to ease its way to her mind, she began to wonder at the mysterious errand that had interrupted perhaps their first kiss. 'He'll probably tell me when he gets back,' she thought to herself. Secure in that thought, she quickly fell asleep.
