Ten Years Later

The city of Coral Harbour was an attractive city for many reasons. Under the leadership of the highly popular and innovative Mayor Daniels, the city had grown to not only be prosperous, but also a beautiful and appealing place to live. Being a man who had worked his way up to the halls of power from nothing, Mayor Daniels was not just seeking to keep the business leaders happy but truly did appreciate the contributions and the trials of the working people and had gone to great lengths to ensure that everyone in the city, from the movers and shakers right down to the people that kept the wheels of the city turning had a neighbourhood to live in that they could really be proud of.

Under the surface, there was another major development coming, one that was going to be formally announced any time within the next few months. Ever since that summit, Morph-X had been developed and was well on its way to becoming not just a viable option, but outright replacing the fossil fuels which were in major decline as more and more companies found their reserves starting to run dry. Although it would be some time before the world as a whole would accept Morph-X in place of the traditional solutions to the world's energy crisis, as the spiritual home of the development, being the site of the summit, Coral Harbour was selected to be the testing ground as it were for the new wave, letting other cities see what it could do for them before rolling it out wholesale. There were still major detractors, but on the whole, there was a wave of excitement in the city which would soon become the possible model of the future.

The five families that invested in the development of Morph-X technology were seeing what was considered a gamble paying off big time. If Coral Harbour took off, then they would be on the ground floor of the brand-new foundation of the energy industry. Everything required energy, whether it was homes, hospitals, vehicles or businesses, and as such, those five families stood on the precipice of being at the helm of the very foundation of the entire economy. They'd ploughed immense sums of money into the scheme, but it was coming close to finally paying off. Towers were being built to store Morph-X when it started being pumped right out of the Morphing Grid, and most notably of all, a brand-new organisation was being founded to oversee not only the production and refinement of Morph-X, but also the defence of it, Grid Battleforce.

The public at large knew soundbites from press releases, but were still largely ignorant as to the exact nature of the whole organisation. Applicants went through an intensive and extremely rigorous security check for even the most mundane positions. In his office, General Burke was looking over some files when his immediate subordinate, and the woman chosen to head up the most important day-to-day functions of Grid Battleforce, Commander Shaw, walked in. She saluted as she came in, but he didn't look up from his paperwork, just waving in an off-hand way, before gesturing to a chair.

"You know, by this point in my career I thought I'd be seeing less work, not more." He grumbled. "I swear, I served seven tours in my career and I think I'd rather face an active conflict zone than…than…red tape! Wouldn't you agree?" He swore loudly as he pressed down on a stapler, but got his finger.

"Stapling my fingers or getting shot at. Tough choice." She replied sarcastically. General Burke just took a tablet from her. "I've got the latest round of applications narrowed down. These are all the candidates that have passed all the basic background, fitness and aptitude tests."

"So, somewhere in here are our three superheroes eh?" He asked, giving the names a cursory glance. "Wait…this name…are you sure?"

He gave her a knowing smirk. Commander Shaw just shuffled a little uncomfortably.

"I presume you mean my son." She stated. "I think you'll find he matches and exceeds all the criteria…"

"Oh, I have absolutely no doubt he does. Little Ravi all grown up eh?" He asked. "I can still remember when he used to play with my Ben and Betty in the crèche."

"Which is why I'm sure you're delighted to know that they've also qualified." She told him.

"Outstanding!" He declared bombastically. "Can you just imagine if they ended up being our Rangers? My kids and your son?"

Commander Shaw just forced a smile as the thought did indeed run through her head. She liked Ben and Betty; she really did. Everyone liked them, but when it came to their performance…their enthusiasm often exceeded their abilities. She dreaded to imagine the thought of Ben and Betty with live weaponry, much less when her son's life might depend on them. She just nodded.

"It would be…quite something." She agreed. "The acceptances have already been sent out. By the time the Morph-X towers are in full production, they should have their very own Rangers to defend them."

"Then get cracking! I want to have our Rangers ready to present to the public as soon as possible!" He told her. "I want you to head up the Ranger division personally."

"Me?" She asked. "But…sir, my son is in that field. I am duty bound to point out that could be seen as a conflict of interests."

"Yes, it most certainly could." He agreed, stroking his chin. "If it was anyone else, I'd be concerned. But I know you well enough to know you'd never expect anything less of your son than you would of anyone that might have his life in his, or her, hands. I trust you'll find the right candidates."

"I appreciate your faith sir." She said, saluting. "I won't let you down."

With that, she turned and headed out of the office. She'd kind of hoped to get the assignment, she had been working her way up the ladder for many years, and being the official head of the Ranger Division would no doubt be a career highlight for her. Unfortunately, there was one thing she was also keenly aware of. Since she would be overseeing the project, there would be no way to avoid people taking notice of the fact her son was one of the candidates. Even though she would never show him any favouritism, since she knew first-hand how vital it was in a combat situation that everyone on a team was the very best candidate for the job, that wouldn't stop people from naturally questioning his inclusion. The only thing she could do was ensure that her manner was beyond reproach and that she was clear that her son was getting no special leeway with his assessments from her. She only hoped he'd understand if that meant she had to come down harder on him than some of the others.

A couple of weeks later, the official launch of the Ranger Programme was beginning, and the candidates were to report to Grid Battleforce for training and the assessment process. All of the potential candidates had already been put through extremely stringent entry tests, but after narrowing the field to 500 candidates, they were going to take six months to pick only three.

Candidates were arriving steadily, many being dropped off by their families since they would likely not get much time to see them during the selection process, during which they were assured they would be monitored at all times for any behaviour deemed unbecoming of a Ranger. One candidate arrived, stepping off a city bus, struggling with her bags as she stumbled off the last couple of steps and looked up at the base before her and smiled.

Zoey Reeves was a dreamer, but more than just a dreamer, she was the kind of person who would always chase her dreams. Some people were happy to sit and dream, but for her, she had learned early on that dreams didn't just come true for people in her world. If she wanted things to happen, she needed to make them happen!

While her family wasn't exactly poor and she never wanted for clean clothes or decent food growing up, they were no more able to afford to send her to college than they were to buy her a mansion on Mars! Her mom was Muriel Reeves, a reporter with a local news station, but while she was regularly on the television, she had yet to find that one "big break" story that would propel her into the big time. Most of the time she was consigned so soft news and celebrity tittle-tattle, which while it had an audience certainly wasn't going to get her an anchor's pay packet any time soon. Zoey had big dreams and ambitions, but life taught her early on that if she wanted them, she would have to work for them. She'd worked part-time since she was fourteen and was working full-time since sixteen. It took a whole extra year to graduate High School as a result, but in the end, she'd done it.

She'd applied for literally every grant and scholarship in existence, but even with how hard she worked, her grades were just slightly shy of what they were looking for and it was pretty hard to have an impressive list of extra-curricular activities when she had to find a way to fit forty hours of work a week in and around a full school schedule. She'd eventually looked to signing up to the military as a way to have her college diploma funded, but a strange thing she'd never heard of called Grid Battleforce was recommended to her. She didn't even know what the hell the 'Ranger Initiative' was at first, but when she heard word of a Special Forces unit equipped with high-tech weaponry light-years beyond the current generation, her goal was set. She would be a Ranger! Whatever the hell that was.

"Sorry!" She called out as someone rushed past her, almost knocking her down in their hurry to get into the building. She started to head in towards the building, completely in awe of what she was seeing. The Grid Battleforce headquarters was a million miles from the apartment building her mom could afford, and one of the benefits of the training was that for a while at least she would get accommodation on site. The sparkling glass and glittering floors were like some kind of museum or monument to her. She was almost at the door when she heard a roar of an engine and had to quickly double-step away as a motorcycle roared past her, skidding to a halt just outside the door. The rider pulled off his helmet and set up the bike on the kickstand, before snapping his fingers and gesturing to one of the staff.

"You, yeah, you, get over here!" He said, waving the guy over. He handed the employee his helmet and the keys to his motorcycle like he was handing over a cheap toy. He slipped some money into the guy's pocket. "Go park this somewhere out of the sun OK kid? Thanks!"

Zoey was so incensed as he walked away, apparently completely unaware that he had almost run her over that she couldn't even bring herself to say anything. He cruised through the front door where a guy was walking past with a stack of paperwork. He walked past, slapping the papers out of his hands.

"Think fast four-eyes!" He laughed as he walked past. Zoey just rolled her eyes as she headed inside, dumping her bags and starting to gather up the paperwork.

"ASSHOLE!" The other employee yelled, flipping the guy off behind his back as he walked away. He shook his head as he knelt down, finding someone already gathering the paperwork. "You don't need to do…"

His words tailed off as he looked up and saw her face. To say that Nate had led a sheltered life was an understatement. Ever since his discovery of Morph-X, he had worked to make its production a reality. His parents were now primarily focused on trying to get foreign interests started in it, leaving him in the de facto care of Grid Battleforce. Most people who weren't scientifically minded or pay much attention to the research publications really didn't know who Nate was. If they did, the guy that walked past him might have realised he'd just inadvertently targeted the man building most of the technology that would shape the world. Still, what it did mean was that Nate didn't really get to see much outside of Grid Battleforce.

The girl before him was one of the most incredible things he'd ever seen. He understood attraction, he'd heard all about it in stories and he'd studied the scientific nature of biological urges, but the girl before him just completely took his breath away.

"It's OK, that guy's a jerk." She responded, not even looking up at him as she gathered up the papers. "He almost turned me into a skid mark just before he did this."

"Uh…huh." Nate said in a slightly dreamy voice.

"Aw, shit, you've got to be kidding me!" She complained. Nate just looked at her confused. She gestured behind him. "He's at the sign-in desk. He's a cadet too?"

"Yeah, it looks like it." Nate responded in a despondent sigh. "Wait…too? You mean…you're here for the Ranger program?"

"Yeah, I am." She replied, finishing gathering up the papers and standing up. "But if that guy ends up in my team, I'm not so sure there won't be a friendly fire incident."

Nate started laughing uncontrollably. He only stopped when he saw the expression on her face, one that made him stop almost immediately. He had met girls before, but this was something new to him. The notion of instant attraction, even "love at first sight" seemed incredibly unlikely to him, but the way his brain just seemed to completely short-circuit with her made him start to reconsider his stance on that. He was now worrying she thought he was either a complete idiot or a lunatic.

"Yeah…funny." She said nervously. She extended a hand. "I'm Zoey!"

"Nate." He replied, shaking her hand enthusiastically.

"Nice to meet you Nate." She replied. "Um…I'm going to need that hand back now."

"I'm sorry?"

"My hand." She told him. "I need it to sign in."

"Oh…OH of course!" He responded as he released her, beginning to wonder when exactly his brain had turned into porridge.

"So…you work in the lab here?" She asked, noting his lab coat. Nate just smiled and nodded.

"You…could say that." He responded. He decided that now when she was probably wondering if he was even a remotely functioning human being was probably not the best time to tell her he was responsible for pretty much the whole thing.

"Then I guess I'll see you around." She replied.

"I think that's a safe bet." Nate replied.

"OK, I need to sign in." She told him. "I'll see you around Nate."

"Yeah, you will!" He called out as he waved her off, dropping his paperwork again. He just slapped himself in the forehead, thankful that she was already heading to the sign in desk and hadn't seen that.

Zoey went to the sign in desk, waiting in the queue for her turn. When she got to the front, she handed over her acceptance letter.

"Zoey Reeves." She greeted the desk attendant. The man looked through some envelopes, finding one with her name on it and handed it over.

"Alright, inside you'll find your code of conduct, your schedule, a map of the complex and the key to your dormitory." He told her.

"G14." She read aloud.

"That's ground floor, you're heading down that hall and keep to the right." He told her.

"Wait, did you say G14?" She heard someone behind her say. Zoey turned around to see another girl standing behind her.

"Yeah?" She asked tentatively.

"I guess that makes us roomies!" The other girl declared. "Here, let me help you with those!"

"I'm fine…"

"No, don't be silly, I've already moved in, I was just coming to see if I could figure out where the canteen is." She replied. "I'm Roxy by the way."

"Zoey." Zoey introduced herself. "Well, I'm glad that the number of people I've met here that are nice is double the number of assholes so far."

"Oh, right, I saw that." She sighed, looking to where the other guy was busy talking with some people, looking like he was directing his own legion of servants. "Yeah, Blaze has always been…something. Not entirely sure what he is, but definitely something."

"Oh, I could come up with a few names for him." Zoey muttered.

"Come on." Roxy told her, waving her on. "The dorm's just this way."

Roxy hefted one of Zoey's bags onto her shoulder and started to sway a little.

"Whoa, geez, you don't believe in packing light, do you?" Roxy asked her. "You know they provide us with uniforms, right?"

"Yeah, but…we're not going to be on duty all the time, right?" Zoey asked her. "Besides, I'm not planning on going home too often. I just want to get my head down and focus on this."

"Please don't tell me you're one of those driven, serious types that's too uptight to go out and have a little fun." Roxy responded. Zoey considered how to respond. The fact was that she wanted to save a little on travelling expenses. Even staying on the base, a travel pass would be a significant expense if she wanted to take more than a couple of trips back home a month.

"No, but…I've not really been away from home before." Zoey told her, which was semi-true…even if the reason was not being able to afford moving out of her mom's place. "This is the closest I've got to living on campus."

"Well, the base isn't too bad. There's some decent facilities and Riptide is only a short walk away." Roxy told her.

"Riptide?" Zoey asked her.

"Yeah, the local gym and juice place! I take some karate classes there. You should come some time." Roxy invited her as they headed down the corridor. "And hey, there's some appealing features in this place."

"Is that…is that an ice-cream machine?" Zoey asked as she saw Roxy pointing to a vending machine.

"It sure is. It doesn't even take cash." She told her.

"There's a free ice-cream vending machine on a military base?" Zoey asked, before shaking her head. "I was not expecting that."

"I can personally recommend the lemon." Roxy told her. "Come on, let's get this stuff put away. If we move, we can get good seats for induction."

Meanwhile, Nate was wandering the corridor, muttering to himself as he tried to re-organise his paperwork back into the order, he wanted it. He was grateful to Zoey for helping him pick it up, but it was now completely out of order and he wanted to get it back to the way it was. He almost walked into Commander Shaw as he concentrated more on the papers than where he was going.

"Nate, there you are, I was just looking for you." She stated. "Do you have the latest reports?"

"I'll get them to you as soon as I collate them properly." Nate complained. "I had a run-in with one of the recruits and they got messed up."

"Really?" She asked. "What happened?"

"Let's just say that there's one recruit I wouldn't trust with an unloaded cap pistol never mind multi-million-dollar weaponry." Nate grumbled. "Blaze!"

"Blaze?" She sighed, looking down and shaking her head. "For the love of God, please tell me you didn't cut him."

"No, no, General Burke made it VERY clear that selections are your call, not mine." Nate muttered. "But he's an obnoxious…do we really have to have him here?"

"Nate, you almost walked into me. Are you sure you didn't just…maybe…bump into him by mistake?" She asked.

"No, I most certainly did not!" He whined, before seeing her put her face in her hands. "Wait…are you making excuses for him?"

"Nate, you know I want your input but there's a little…we need to…Blaze…" She started to stammer. "Look, if he's really unsuitable we can get rid of him in the third or fourth round of cuts."

"Well, why not now?" Nate asked her.

"Nate, there's something…there are other factors at work here." She told him.

"What other factors?" Nate asked. "Why can't we get rid of him if he's…"

"Because it's Blaze Winchester." She told him. Nate's face fell.

"Winchester?" He asked. "As in…?"

"As in his father is shortly going to own approximately thirty percent of the planet's entire energy industry." She told him. "Including the building you're standing in and everything you're working with. We have to give his son a…certain leeway."

"So, we just ignore…"

"No, if he's unsuitable then he will be cut." She assured him. "My son may well be on that team, and if I have any reason to believe Blaze will put any team we put together at risk, then I will personally sign his discharge forms, but we have to at least make the appearance of…"

"In other words, he gets preferential treatment." Nate grumbled.

"I don't think you're in much of a position to talk about preferential treatment." She replied, taking the papers from him. "I've never worked in any other base that needed to put in an ice-cream machine within walking distance of the lab. I'll collate these, you just go to the lab."

"But…"

"Go to the lab! Do…whatever it is you do in there when you're in a mood that calms you down." She responded, before walking away. Nate just watched her go, before furrowing his brows.

"Who doesn't like ice-cream?" He asked, before shrugging and heading back to his lab.