AN: I apologize to the readers for the long break, but events in life didn't permit me the time to sit down to write, let alone plan out the next few chapters. I will update this as time allows, so, apologies in advance if and when this takes another while to be updated. I made the choice to return to college back in Fall 2018 and am currently working towards a Bachelor's Degree in Comics/Sequential Art and Video Game Art, in addition to writing my own comic.
I have been keeping up with the reviews and messages and thank you all for the love being shown to this despite the long break. In terms to a few suggestions, for the most part I will be sticking as close as possible to the canon storyline of MMPR with the exception of some tweaking in order to compensate for Nix's inclusion. I do still have plans for this and have notes written on how to continue the story, just again, time allowing for me to sit down and write the next chapters.
Disclaimer: Power Rangers belongs to Saban. I own nothing other than Phoenix and the concept of her powers.
"It's really good seeing you again, man." Jason said as he put a hand on Tommy's shoulder as they sat at the bar of the Youth Center.
"Yeah, it's been great seeing you guys again." Tommy replied, giving his friend a wide smile as he looked around the space. "Man, I've missed this place."
"So, does this mean you're coming back?" Zack asked as he turned in his stool to face Tommy.
"No…I'm…uh…heading back tonight." Tommy answered looking down at his watch. "My uncle should be here in a few hours."
"But, Tommy, you just came back." Trini replied as leaned back in her stool to look over at him past Zack.
"I know…" he replied, kneading his hands together. "I just really wanted to see you all today. I'm really proud of you guys." He looked around at the three who were seated with him.
"Hey, bro, you're still one of us. Powers or no powers." Said Jason as he gave Tommy's shoulder a light squeeze before dropping his hand to his side.
"Yeah, and we all miss you." Trini added as she reached over to place a hand over Tommy's. "Kim especially."
"Come on, man. Why don't you come on back?" asked Zack, giving him a light tap against his chest.
Tommy sighed dejectedly. "I'm just not there yet." He replied, once again kneading his hands together and looking to his three friends, "Sorry guys."
Trini slid off her stool to walk over to Tommy, putting am arm across his back in a gentle hug. "We understand, just don't take too long, okay?"
He gave the girl in yellow an appreciative smile. "Sure."
"Does Kim know you're heading back tonight?" Jason asked, leaning on his forearms on top of the bar, his cup between his hands.
"I don't think so." Tommy answered, a sudden nervousness crossing his features. "I haven't seen her since the ceremony."
"Now would be a good time to tell her." Jason stated as the three looked over at him. Jason gestured his head over his shoulder in the direction of the gym's entrance. They turned in the direction of Jason's gaze to see Kim and Nix walk in from the women's' locker room, heading in their direction at the bar. Kim was dressed in a pair of pink shorts and a floral top, while Nix was dressed in black jeans and a cropped orange tank.
Kim skipped up the steps of the juice bar, a wide smile on her face as she dropped her gym bag next to Jason's feet and flung her arms around Tommy's neck to hug him.
"Hi, Tommy!" Kim gushed gleefully.
"Hey, beautiful." Tommy replied, a grin on his face to match Kim's. Jason, Zack, and Trini exchanged happy glances with each other at the display of affection between the two.
"I missed you." Km said as they untangled from each other.
"I missed you too." He returned before his eyes landing on Nix. He gave the unfamiliar young woman a friendly smile as he nodded to her. "And who is this?"
"Oh!" Kim exclaimed at her realization. "Nix, this is Tommy. Tommy, this is Phoenix."
"Nice to finally meet you. I'm Tommy Oliver." Tommy said as Nix gripped his hand firmly, accepting his handshake in greeting. "The guys told me about you, well, mainly Kim." Tommy's grin widened as he shifted his gaze to the pink-clad woman beside him, giving her wink.
"Nice to finally meet you, as well." Nix replied before breaking the handshake. A look of recognition registered on her face as she made the connection of Tommy being the "friend" Kim had talked about the previous night. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Oh." Tommy said, his brows rising in response. "All good, I hope." He commented with a smile.
"Of course." Nix returned the expression. "They are all very fond of you."
"Where's Billy?" asked Kim as she examined the entirety of the juice bar, unable to spot any sight of their blue-clad friend.
"At the Command Center." Trini replied in a low voice. "He was here earlier, but Alpha contacted him for help on running tests on the Zords."
"Really?" asked Nix. "Then I think I'll go lend him a hand."
"I'm sure he'd appreciate the help." Trini replied, provoking a grin from Nix.
Nix gave a small shrug. "It'd give me a chance to return the favor after all the help they have given me."
"We get it." Jason replied, putting a hand on Nix's shoulder. "We'll see you later".
"Thanks." She said giving the six rangers a wave before she turned her attention to Tommy. "I apologize for leaving so suddenly, but it was nice meeting you, Tommy."
"Hey, don't worry about it. Nice meeting you too, Nix." He replied as she gave the group one last wave before going out the entryway near the bar.
"She seems pretty nice." Tommy commented as Nix disappeared around the corner.
"Yeah, she's cool." Said Zack turning his stool fully around to face the group. "She's still getting use to things, but she's adjusted pretty well."
"Uh…is she a ranger?" asked Tommy, looking around to each member.
"No." Jason answered. "Her powers don't allow her to be one." He saw Tommy silently nod his head in understanding as he took in the information.
"Hey bro, Zack and I should get to training, and I'm sure you and Kim want to catch up." Jason added as he stood up from his stool "We'll leave you two to it." He gestured with his head to Trini and Zack over to the gym floor, both nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, we'll catch you guys later." Zack said, clapping Tommy on the back before he Trini followed Jason down to the gym floor.
Kim turned to Tommy after watching their friends excuse themselves. "I'm so glad you're here, Tommy! Hey, why don't you come over for dinner tonight? It'll give you and Phoenix a chance to get to know each other." She tapped Tommy lightly on the arm, unable to contain her excitement and happiness.
Tommy sat down on the edge of his stool, pulling Kim to sit down next to him. "I'd love to, Kim…but…uh…I can't."
Kim's brow furrowed together. "Is something wrong?"
"No…it's just…uh…" Tommy reached over to her, taking one of Kim's hands in his. "I'm…heading back to uncle's place tonight."
"Oh." Was all Kim said as she raised her brows a fraction in surprise. The happiness that had appeared on her face mere moments ago faded away at his news, being replaced by a pout.
Her eyes dropped to their linked hands. "I had a feeling you weren't coming back yet, but I thought you'd be in town for at least a few more days."
Tommy felt his heart tighten at the disappointment that came into Kim's eyes. "I'm sorry, Kim."
"I know, Tommy." She replied, looking back up at him. "I understand, but you will come back eventually, right?"
He looked down at their joined hands thinking over her words. "Uh…yeah…I will. I just can't say when yet."
Kim nodded her head, remaining silent. Tommy brought his eyes back up to her, giving her hand a light squeeze. "Hey, we still have a few hours before I have to go. Why don't we go take a walk in the park like we used to and talk?"
Kim gave a small smile at his suggestion. "Sure." They slid off their seats and walked to the bar entryway, leaving the juice bar hand-in-hand.
"Billy, I am commencing the maintenance and diagnostic scan on the Tyrannosaurus Zord." Came Alpha's mechanical voice from the other end of an earpiece Billy wore as he stood behind a computer console in the Zord Bay of the Command Center.
Nix re-materialized in the entrance of the Zord Bay, having stopped in the main chamber first to see if Billy was there before Alpha had informed her of his current whereabouts.
"Roger that, Alpha." Billy spoke into mic of his earpiece as his fingers flew over the controls. "Commencing full diagnostic and maintenance analysis of the Pterodactyl Zord."
"Hi, Billy." came Nix's voice in a soft tone as to not startle him.
Billy pivoted from his position to look behind him at the source of the familiar voice. A smile formed on his face at the sight of her. "Hey, Nix. What are you doing here? I thought you'd be at the Youth Center with the others."
"I was." She replied, coming up to stand beside him. "Kim introduced me to Tommy, but then Trini said you were here with Alpha working on the Zords, and I thought…"
"Thought what?" Billy asked, sticking his hands into the pockets of his suspenders.
"That, maybe, you could use an assistant?" Nix asked, folding her hands behind her back as she bit her lower lip.
Billy blinked at the role reversal between them. Up until now, it had been him volunteering his time to aid to her. He blinked a few for times before a nervous smile formed across his face, "Uh…sure, having assistance would certainly expedite the work we've been doing."
Nix's grin widened at his acceptance. "So, what exactly are we doing?" she asked as she turned her eyes down to the screen of the terminal he was working on.
Billy turned back to the computer. The progress bar of the scans he was running on the Pterodactyl displayed seventy-five percent complete and detailed the images of the mechanical blueprints of the zord. "Right now, we're waiting for the diagnostic and maintenance scans to complete on the Pterodactyl and Tyrannosaurus. The zords took some vexatious blows during the encounter with Cyclopsis, so Alpha and I are checking to see if they took any internal damage."
He heard a click in his ear as Alpha's voice once more came through his earpiece. "Billy, the read-out of the scans of the Tyrannosaurs is coming to you now. It looks like one of the hydraulics to the central hatch is malfunctioning."
"Got it, Alpha. The report is coming out now. I'll take a look at it, then Nix and I will check it out." Billy replied into the radio as he picked up the print-out. He shifted over a bit to press down on the small, rectangular cut out on top of the control console. A small display of radio headsets rose up out of the compartment. He picked up one of the earpieces, then turned to show it to Phoenix.
"So we can keep in contact with each other and Alpha while we work." He explained as he turned it on and tuned it into the frequency he and Alpha were using before handing it over to Nix.
Picking it up out of Billy's hands, Nix fixed the radio onto her ear. "Can you hear me?"
Billy smiled at her testing the radio. "You're good." The computer beeped, signaling the scan on Kim's zord completed. He stepped up to the terminal as the report printed out, picking up the paper and reading it over. "The locking mechanism on the Pterodactyl that keeps the head in place in Megazord mode is malfunctioning, other than that, looks like most of the damage to the zords is mainly cosmetic."
"Which one do you recommend we approach first?" Nix asked as she looked over the read-out in Billy's hands.
"Well…" he began, turning his head to look at her behind him. His head jerked back slightly at how close Phoenix was standing to him. Her chin brushed across the tip of his left shoulder, her face close enough for him to see the golden flecks in her eyes against the amber color of her irises. She turned her head to look at him when he didn't continue his sentence.
"Billy?" A pleasant tingle flew through him at hearing Nix say his name that he hadn't felt before. Suddenly, he was very aware of the scent she wore. It was floral, but not sweet like the one he was accustomed to Kim wearing or fresh like Trini's. It was warm, which suited her appearance.
"Billy…" Nix said again, an amused smile forming on her face at his sense of distraction as she gently nudged him.
"Uh…" Billy blinked, finally snapping out of the trance Nix's proximity had put him under. "Sorry, Nix. What were we discussing?"
Nix's amused grin widened as she stifled an amused chuckle at him, the sound seeming somewhat musical to him. "I asked which zord should we approach first in terms of the repairs? The Pterodactyl or Tyrannosaurus?"
"Right…of course." Billy blinked, giving his attention back to the reports he held. "According to the scans, the damage to the Pterodactyl is the minor, but we won't know until we inspect them."
"Then shall we head over to Kim's zord?" Nix asked as she looked up to observe the colossal machines currently housed between catwalks and towering scaffolding.
"To examine the extent of the damage on both zords, it'll be faster and more efficient if we split up." Billy handed her the print-out of the Pterodactyl while he held onto the one for the Tyrannosaurus. "You take Kim's, I'll take Jason's. Radio me and Alpha if you find anything."
They climbed the stairs on the catwalks, Billy taking to lead as Nix followed behind him. He took to the right, leading to the ranger leader's zord as Nix continued forward to the Pink Ranger's.
