Disclaimer: The usual. Don't own anything you recognize.

KINGS AND VAGABONDS

By Etcetera Kit

Chapter Seventeen: Unbelieving III

"Conner, what's wrong?"

He snapped to attention at the sound of Kira's voice. Glancing down at his hands, he took in the paring knife and the half-chopped vegetables in front of him. He had been chopping them for that night's dinner before his mind drifted off into other places - his squad, Kira, the things from his past that he wanted to forget…

No one knew that Sky kept a journal. In fact, Conner was pretty sure that Sky didn't know that he knew about it. Of course, it was kind of obvious when Conner would venture to his room to talk to him and he would shove a notebook under his pillow. Few people outside the B-Squad knew that Bridge had to have a cup of coffee in the morning before he could function on the same plane of existence as the rest of them.

"Conner!"

He turned his gaze to Kira. She kept her hair straight these days - and it was pulled back into a simple bun. So much had changed since high school… it made him wonder what might have happened if he hadn't decided on the course of soccer for his life. His father had wanted him to go to college on the East Coast. He would have done it too - Ethan had been going to some college in Boston, so he wouldn't have been completely alone. But he had listened to Doctor O and Ethan and even Kira as they told him to play soccer, do what he loved.

It had brought him heartbreak and pain.

But what would he trade his life now for anything else?

No - he loved his daughters and he loved Kira. It scared him to admit that to himself, but he knew that was what he felt. It still wasn't right to burden her with things that had gone on in his life before - he didn't want to hurt her. He remembered the wide-eyed way she had left them after high school graduation and how her phone calls and e-mails became darker as she realized the real cruelty of the world. She retreated from it, as he had. Now, they were both here.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

He nodded, giving her a brave smile. "I'm fine."

"Being paranoid because the rest of your squad is elsewhere?"

"Sure," he agreed absently. His squad wasn't the reason for his absentminded drifting. He worried about them - and while Paris did know what she was doing, she tended to stay by herself, letting no one near her. No - there was so much that he wanted to tell Kira and he couldn't.

He took a deep breath. "Paris does a good job, but I'm just worried that Cruger is pushing them too hard, too fast and someone will get hurt. And it doesn't make any sense for him to do that now that the A-Squad is MIA and-"

Conner knew that he was rambling, but it covered up the churning of his mind. Whoever said wisdom came with age lied. He didn't feel any wiser or any more knowledgeable. If anything, he felt like he was floundering, like he should have the answers, but didn't. No one had the answers to Cruger's mind, except for Kat, but she didn't share her thoughts.

Kira took the paring knife from his hands and rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. He reveled in the simple embrace. "You really have grown up," she whispered against him.

It was on the tip of his tongue to say, 'I should think so,' but he kept it to himself. There were times when he thought Kira expected him to go back to the way that he had been during high school, but he couldn't - not even if he wanted to. He had been through entirely too much and, besides, his daughters were more important to him that anything in the world. He couldn't think only of himself when they were right behind him, reminding him that he was responsible for someone other than himself.

"It will be fine," she whispered. "Nothing will happen this weekend."

His thoughts went briefly to the girls, sleeping in their room. Nothing could be like it was back in high school. Nothing… his life had come to something, but he couldn't help thinking about what if something happened and all that he had came to nothing.

"Probably not," he agreed.

Conner felt himself tense as she pressed a light kiss to his cheek. Kira stepped away from him, her brow furrowed in worry. "Are you sure you're all right?" she asked.

"Kira, we can't," he whispered, stepping further away, widening the gap between them.

"We can't what?" She stepped toward him again, the frown in her expression deepening and becoming darker.

"You - me - we can't be together." He paused and took a shaky breath, the doubts and worries that had been plaguing him tumbling together. "Too much has happened."

Kira went from concerned to exasperated in one fluid motion. She stepped back, her hands on her hips. "Have you really been hurt that badly?"

"Yes." It came out in nothing more than a whisper. The memory of the divorce and his fall to poverty danced in front of his eyes - living in a mansion and being the greatest soccer player to ever hit America to living in a rat-infested apartment and wondering where his next meal was going to come from and when the eviction notice was coming. That was a time he desperately wanted to forget, but he couldn't and hadn't allowed himself to love Kira for fear that it would happen again. It was ridiculous and silly, but he still feared. Too much had happened.

"Then you don't know me at all." The words were flat and emotionless. Conner bit his tongue, trying not to think about how much that voice was the one that his ex-wife used to use with him all the time.

And she was gone.

He hadn't heard anything - not the slid of the door or even footsteps leaving.

Conner sighed and tried to tell himself that it was better this way. He had two daughters to take care of and a job to do, not to mention being responsible for four other Power Rangers - he didn't need any distractions.

Why, then, did it feel like his heart was shattering?

"No - I've got some off time two weeks from now. I'll be home then." There was a pause. "She is going to be in town that weekend? Maybe I can switch with someone…"

Syd smiled to herself as she listened to Sky's conversation with his father. He had planned to take some off time a while ago to go home, but it hadn't happened between Gruumm and the extra training. Now, he had decided to take some leave time in a few weeks. It was part of Conner's guilt-trip towards Cruger. Their commander was obviously feeling guilty, so he was making up for overworking them with leave time.

Her first encounter with Sky's father had been odd - it had been the Parent's Night the first year the three of them, herself, Sky and Bridge, had been together at the academy. A man with Asian features had asked her if she had seen Sky Tate. Her reply had been neutral, since she hadn't seen him. At the time, she had assumed he was a family friend of Sky's. Later, when Sky introduced the man as his father, she had almost fallen over. Eric Myers had been a mystery - he avoided Cruger and swiftly changed the subject when someone mentioned him. However, Sky didn't talk about that aspect of his father and she hadn't asked.

She shook her head and continued to brush her hair. The day had been nice, swimming and playing around the lake - even spending last night cuddled in Sky's arms. But now that she had time to think, certain things unsettled her. Thanks to Bridge, all of them knew that his or her biological parents had worked at SPD in 2001 and been involved in DNA experiments. It might mean nothing or it might mean everything. And their last names - the last check she had done with Paris revealed that none of them shared a last name with their adopted parents. It wasn't much, but it was another link in a slowly developing chain.

"I might be able to switch with Z - she wasn't planning on going anywhere for her weekend off." There was another pause. "All right. I'll see what I can do. Yeah - I love you too, Dad. Bye."

The cell phone clicked closed before Sky appeared in the bedroom that they were sharing for the weekend. There were more rooms in the cabin, but her aunt had the maid make up only two of them. She didn't mind sleeping in the same bed as Sky, but it made her crave more, wondering if he felt the same yearning. Friday afternoon she had been all set to wait a while longer before having sex with Sky, but now… It was Saturday night and she felt like her entire outlook on the situation had changed. She wished there was someone to talk to, someone female. But Z was still wrapped up in the euphoria that had come from last night with Bridge and Paris was on duty all weekend. She didn't want to get her sister in trouble for taking personal calls - and their adopted mother was out of the question.

Syd quickly pulled her hair into a ponytail as Sky sat down on the edge of the bed. He was wearing the long-sleeved blue shirt that he slept in along with the blue plaid pajama pants. Perhaps it was time to break the proverbial ice by asking an inane question.

"Do you always sleep in that?"

Sky looked momentarily startled by the question, before he shrugged. "I can't stand being cold," he added softly.

"Really?" she asked, surprised. Of all the people to be concerned about the temperature, she didn't think that Sky would be one of them. "Does Bridge know?" The last part was blurting out and she was a little embarrassed she asked. Of course Bridge probably knew all about that, just like he knew everything else about Sky.

"Does it matter?"

"No," she answered quickly. "I just thought that-"

"It doesn't matter," he repeated with emphasis.

Syd nodded, gazing at him. This was obviously a personal preference that he had and had nothing to do with nerves or temperament or things of that nature. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I don't want it to be Sunday," she whispered, changing the subject. "Sunday means work and I want more of this."

"More of what?"

"You and Bridge tipping a rowboat and forgetting that you could have stopped the whole thing with a shield," Syd replied, giggling at the memory. That morning, they had taken the rowboats out on the lake - guys in one boat and girls in the other. Bridge, being his normal, forgetful and ridiculous self, leaned over the edge too far and capsized the entire boat.

Sky scowled. She giggled and scooted over to him, sighing with content as he immediately wrapped an arm around her, holding her close. It amazed her that, while Sky was completely isolated from others, he never rejected the opportunity for human contact.

"I don't want to go back to SPD, because that means more unanswered questions," he whispered, his breath warm on her hair. "We don't have to be reminded of it here."

That was true. All of their parents having been SPD employees were almost too big of a coincidence to pass up, but nothing implicated SPD. If it was a coincidence, it was the world's biggest coincidence.

Sky shook his head. "Let's just get some sleep."

Syd nodded in reply and, in a few moments, the pair of them was under the covers in the darkened room. Sky's arm was around her and, for the first time in a long time, she felt content and secure.

"Something is wrong."

Bridge wasn't aware that he had spoken aloud until Z shifted against him, her dark eyes asking a question. He met her gaze, moving his arm from where he had it wrapped around her waist so that she could face him. Suddenly, sleeping in his own quarters, in his own bed at the academy was starting to seem like something completely foreign.

"Sky," he clarified. Her expression became less worried. Now that they had established that it wasn't Gruumm or mortal peril that was facing Sky…

She nodded. "Can you feel something?"

"Distress."

It was all he had to say. She could fill in what else was going on. Something had been festering - some problem, a dilemma that none of them could begin to unravel. Bridge had an idea that if had something to do with Syd and the ever present question facing most couples. Sky was slow to change, if he changed at all. Syd was the first girlfriend that Bridge could remember Sky having, unless he had a serious girlfriend when he and Dru had still been close friends. But he doubted that.

He got out of bed and pulled on some of his discarded clothes. Z grabbed his hand, now free of the gloves and squeezed gently. He gave her an unsure smile. Nothing was ever certain with Sky. Drama queen wasn't exactly the term to describe him - it was more along the lines of spaz-out-at-every-opportunity.

No one was in the upstairs hall. Bridge let out a long breath and padded down the stairs to the first level. It wasn't hard to find the Blue Ranger - he was sitting on the swing on the back porch, swaying ever so slightly with the night breeze. He slipped through the cracked open door and sat down next to Sky.

"Hey," he said softly.

Sky turned towards him, not surprised by his presence. "Hey," he responded, before turning back to the moonlit lake.

"Something wrong?" His long-time friend shrugged. "Is it about Syd?" Sky shrugged again. "Are we playing Twenty Questions?"

"You're down to seventeen questions."

Bridge snorted, then took in the wistful gaze on Sky's face. "What are you thinking about?" he whispered.

"I've just got an uneasy feeling - like something big is about to happen."

"Join the club," Bridge retorted with a smirk. "I think it's a little more straightforward than that."

"Like what?"

"Like you and Syd have both changed your minds about the whole 'we're going to wait' thing, but neither of you are brave enough to bring it back up."

Sky gave him a withering expression. "How the hell do you do that?"

"I'm telepathic, remember?" Bridge tapped his temple. "Just go back upstairs, since I'm pretty sure Syd is awake and you two can work something out."

Sky rolled his eyes as he stood up and went back into the cabin. "Night, Bridge," he called, disappearing into the darkness.

"Night," Bridge said softly. He waited for a moment, breathing in the cool, night air, listening to the sounds around him. He got up and went back to his bedroom - to where Z was waiting for him. It was weird to have a girlfriend at all, let alone someone he could call his lover, but it had happened. Z was sleeping when he entered. He quickly undressed and slipped into bed next to her.

"Fix the problem," she asked sleepily.

"More like gave him a push in the right direction."

"A push or a kick?"

He laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist. She rested her head on his chest, sighing contently. Did tomorrow really have to come?

Paris rested her cheek on the palm of her hand as she fought the urge to go back to sleep - not caring that she was officially on duty in the Command Center of the academy. Well, it had been her own fault that she had been up so late last night and it shouldn't have made a difference since she was used to pulling all-nighters. The only glitch had been that she allowed herself to sleep for the few hours she had instead of just staying up. Great.

With her right arm, she tapped at some of the controls, making the surveillance and warning screens minimized in the left corner of the screen. She typed in her access code and clicked on the archives link, bringing up the archives in the Command Center. Perhaps working on something she cared about would help.

"Morning!"

She glanced up at the entirely too cheerful voice. Boom had just wandered into the Command Center, looking like his normal, happy-go-lucky self. "Hey Boom," she replied absently. She liked Boom, but didn't associate with him much since a patrol officer didn't have much use for a guy who tested experimental equipment.

"I was going to get some coffee," Boom continued. "Want some?"

"Sure," she replied.

Boom left and it was quiet and devoid of like once more.

Paris sighed. There seemed to be little point in pouring over the archives anymore. Everything had hit a dead end - Blue Bay Harbor, the experiments in 2001, even their last names… But she couldn't extinguish the little flame of hope that told her somehow, something would yield results.

She jerked her head from her hand as an idea came to her. Bridge showed characteristics of being a Mirinite human rather than Earthling. If her theory that all six of them were connected somehow was correct, then starting with Bridge would be just as good as starting with any of them. The Green Ranger had to be at least part Mirinite, if not completely from Mirinoi. Perhaps… he had been born in 2003. What if he had been born on Mirinoi and not on Earth? Would Cruger have locked up files from Mirinoi?

Paris tapped a few controls on the panel, bringing up the search engine.

"Computer," she said in a clear voice. "Search Mirinoi population polls, birth certificates and media files for the name Bridge Carson - include complete first or last name matches if the full match doesn't come up."

The computer began to show a searching message. She held her breath, hoping that nothing else had been restricted from the public.

"This may take a few minutes since we have to connect to remote satellites," a neutral female voice that was the computer said. "Would you like to continue?"

"Yes," she replied quickly.

"Gathering information," the computer responded. A five minute countdown started on the screen. The seconds ticked by more slowly than they normally would have. Paris tapped her foot impatiently.

Three minutes… two minutes…

The alarm began to blare and the red flashing lights came on. Paris swore violently as she was forced to shut down the search and bring up the surveillance feed once more. Of course Gruumm would pick now to attack. She tapped the controls and brought up the traffic camera feed of one of Gruumm's bounty hunters robbing a bank. Shit…

She brought up the communication line that contacted Conner. It was the emergency page that would bring him straight to the Command Center. Another screen came up as the alarm continued to blare. One of Gruumm's robots was wreaking havoc downtown. Lovely - that meant she had to call the rangers back since it would take the entire Mega-Zord to bring down the robot. She would have to send out a patrol squad to take care of the robber.

Tapping more communication lines, she soon had an open line with Sky who sounded like he had been jolted from a sound sleep.

"What?" he asked, sounding grumpy. That was either a good thing or a bad thing. She made a mental note to grill Syd when she next got a chance.

"Big robot downtown," she said quickly. "Get dressed and I'll have Kat or Boom teleport you back here immediately."

"Huh?"

"Just do it!"

She shut down the communication line and began bringing up information on the robot, when Conner came barging into the Command Center. Paris began to fill him in on the situation, the search of the Mirinoi archives temporarily pushed out of her mind as she got involved in the job she was being paid to do.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter - AnnoyingGenius, Silver Warrior, Samurai-Nashie, Funky In Fishnet, MagCat, Nicki, aquarius12285, kris, garnetred, Christina Gomez, Anastasia Athene, BloomingViolets, Giannola and juzblue. You guys are awesome and, in many ways, keep this story going. Thanks to Kaidence Ledger for beta fishing this chapter. I also apologize for the delay in the update - went on an unplanned road trip... no excuse, I know. But once more, thanks to all who have reviewed, read and helped out with this piece!