Within the hour, the Rangers had assembled in the new Central Command building. Colonel Truman had sent most of the soldiers away, reasoning that until they knew what was coming, it was best to limit how many knew about the approaching vehicles to avoid a panic. Since it was less than a week since they had finally gotten rid of Venjix, it would hardly be comforting to know that unidentified vehicles were making their way to Corinth.
Gemma was drumming her fingers on the table nervously as she awaited the beginning of the briefing. Hicks was still sitting in the corner of the room, considering his new position. The Colonel still hoped he would accept the offer to replace him, and had kept him in on the briefing for that reason. Similarly, Vasquez was also still in the room, looking completely lost. It didn't take a lot of insight to feel the tension in the room. It was clear that everyone was terrified.
"What do we know for sure?" Scott asked to begin the meeting. Dr. K pulled out a hand set, lowering the lights in the room as a holographic projection lit up the centre of the room, showing a three dimensional image of the solar system.
"The space craft heading this way entered our solar system a little under an hour ago." She informed them. "At its current velocity it will enter Earth's atmosphere within the next two hours."
"What is it?" Scott asked her. "Can we tell anything about it?"
"I did a size comparison as it passed Pluto to get an idea how large a vessel we're talking about." Dr. K continued. "It is easily the size of a small city."
"Do we know where it came from?" Scott asked her.
"Our scans do not extend far enough to tell that." She replied a little apologetically. "All I know for sure is it isn't from this solar system."
"So all we know is its big and it's coming this way!" Dillon snapped in frustration. "Am I the only one missing my Zord right around now?"
"Given the timing of its journey, and the rotation of the Earth, it should make touchdown at Corinth." Dr. K confirmed. "It will be here."
"The vehicle coming across the land is moving at an incredible speed." Gem added, reminding them of the other vehicle. "It will arrive at the city's Western border within the hour."
"I don't believe in coincidences. I think it's best to presume the two events are linked." Scott replied.
"You think they're coming to intercept it?" Summer asked him.
"Either that or meet with it." Scott replied. "The point is, it'll be arriving before the ship, so at least we have time to figure out what they want."
"So what's the plan?" Dillon asked him. Scott sighed and shook his head.
"Guys, until we know what this is, we have to tread carefully." Scott told them. "We have to presume that their motives might be aggressive."
"So we meet them in costume?" Dillon asked him.
"We just go to meet them." Scott corrected him. "But stay sharp and be ready for action."
He checked his watch, synchronising it with the countdown to when the first vehicle would arrive.
"Everyone take a minute to get ready. Meet back here in 15 minutes to move out." He instructed them. "Stay frosty guys."
With that, they all split off, making their own preparations. Ziggy flipped out his cell phone to call Tenaya, while Gem, Gemma and Dr. K went back to the main console to continue their analysis, hoping that they could ascertain something new about their source.
Scott was pulled aside by his father. The Colonel looked at him a little uneasily.
"I'm sorry son." He said gently. "I know you were looking forward..."
"I never wanted to rejoin Eagle Squadron." Scott sighed gently. "I just wanted all of this to be over."
"I know what it's like son." Colonel Truman assured him. "I know sometimes family...loved ones take a back seat in times of war. God knows I know..."
"I just...haven't had a chance to..." He stammered, trying to gather his thoughts. He watched Dr. K working, once again shutting herself into the single-minded routine that at one time he had admired about her, but now hurt him, reminding him of the horror of her life under Alphabet Soup. "I wanted this to be over for her too. To give her a normal life..."
"That's what we always want for those we love." Colonel Truman assured him. Scott noticed Summer and Dillon talking, standing close to each other, touching each other tenderly, and comforting each other in their time of crisis. "Flynn and Sam have moved in together. Summer and Dillon are doing the same. Ziggy..."
"The less said about that family the better." Scott said with a small laugh. "It's a scary thought what that household will be like."
"It doesn't seem fair does it?" Colonel Truman asked him. "You don't have the same."
"I have tried to talk her into believing things can be different." Scott informed him. "I tried to ask her to marry me."
"I take it that didn't go too well." Colonel Truman responded. Scott shook his head.
"We kind of got interrupted." He continued. "Before that though, I had a feeling she was trying to avoid the issue."
"She is complicated." Colonel Truman agreed. Scott watched as Dillon left the room, leaving Summer standing, her arms crossed, staring into space. "Summer was too, but she got through it."
"Summer wasn't..."
"You know what she went through. It might not have been the same, but the point is valid." Colonel Truman told his younger son, tapping his arm gently. "Don't give up on her. I'm confident it'll work out for you both."
Ziggy hung up the phone, smiling as he did so, coming over to Summer.
"Tenaya just got Alex off to sleep." He informed her. "I think he's inherited my ability to sleep through just about anything."
"He is lucky." Summer agreed. "You really are lucky to have him."
"I know you've taken a shine to him." Ziggy commented. "I saw what you've been like since you moved to the orphanage. All those kids around? It's been cute to watch."
"I haven't been that bad have I?" Summer asked him. "I like kids but..."
"Summer, sometimes the kids got tired and bored of the games before you did." He interrupted her with a small laugh. "Most people have trouble keeping up with them."
"I guess I have been a little bit of a scary aunt." She replied.
"I think you bypassed scary aunt about five exits back." Ziggy commented. "Have you and Dillon ever discussed...you know...?"
"Not seriously." Summer cut him off. "I wasn't exactly able to risk going on maternity leave while Venjix was around, and it isn't like we've had a lot of time to discuss that lately."
"Whoa, I only asked." He replied defensively. "I guess I was just wondering if you'd given any thought to joining the parent club."
"Ziggy, now really isn't the time to discuss it!" She snapped a little harshly. "In case you haven't noticed, we've just been called back into action..."
"Sorry I asked." Ziggy conceded. "I guess I didn't think about what it's like for you and Dillon."
"It's alright, I just...I guess I was kind of looking forward to retirement. A normal life you know?" She asked him. "It looks like my life's on the back burner again."
With that, she walked away, leaving Ziggy feeling a little bad about bringing up the subject. He had gotten the feeling that Summer was a little jealous of him and Tenaya before. Tenaya wasn't on the team, was never required in the field, and so her pregnancy had never taken anything away from the team. Summer on the other hand was now being pulled back into active duty. He wasn't sure if she wanted kids at this point in her life, but he was sure that she did at some point. The difference was, right now it wasn't even an option. She didn't have a choice in the matter, and that had to hurt.
"Guys, it's time." Scott told them. "Dad, can we borrow the Go-Onger?"
"Just as long as Flynn doesn't drive." He groaned, handing the keys to Dillon. "The last time I lent him the Go-Onger he ended up having to replace it."
"Alright guys, let's mount up!" Scott ordered them. "It's time to see who's coming to visit."
By the time the Rangers arrived on the outskirts of the city, the timer showed only about ten minutes until the land vehicle arrived. Scott and the others all dismounted, standing by the Go-Onger, waiting for the arrival.
"I see it." Flynn told them, looking through a set of binoculars. "It's just over that dune, and closing fast."
"Right guys, remember. Nobody make a move unless we have to." Scott instructed them, taking out his morpher. "The weapons should make the point without us needing to draw them."
The Rangers morphed as the vehicle came closer, by now visible, at least partly to the naked eye.
Dillon's hand strayed to his Nitro Blaster, hovering over the handle. He wanted to be ready in case an attack came, but he remembered what Scott had told him. While they were understandably jumpy, they didn't want to jump to conclusions. The vehicle finally approached close enough for them to see and skidded to a halt.
It was a large, heavily armoured transport vehicle, covered in dust and scorch marks. The side panel closest to them opened.
"Don't shoot, we mean you no harm." A female voice announced. The Rangers watched as a woman stepped out, holding her hands in the air so they could see she was not armed.
She was a little older than the Rangers, possibly in her late twenties or early thirties, with long brown hair which extended past her shoulders. She was wearing a grey uniform, slightly similar to the Corinth military uniform, though it was trimmed in red, and the letters SPD on the breast. She was followed by a man, slightly taller than her, similarly dressed, though his uniform was trimmed in blue. His hair was a little too long, and brown, though losing the battle to grey steadily. His beard and moustache blended into his hair.
"My name is Charisma. I'm with SPD Earth." She informed them. "This is my colleague Colin."
"What's SPD?" Flynn asked her. "Where did you come from?"
"New Tech." Colin answered. His accent was thick, and Scottish, though unlike Flynn's, his was from closer to Glasgow than the East Coast. "We managed to hold a bastion there."
The Rangers all looked around each other, a little surprised to hear this. There had been rumours since before the Dome went up, but now they had confirmation. Now they knew at least one other city had survived. There were other humans in the world.
"We should probably discuss this somewhere a little quieter." Charisma suggested. "Our blasters are attached to our belts and so are our morphers. You can take them as a sign of good faith that we mean you no harm."
"Morphers?" Summer asked her. "You're Power Rangers?"
"Like we said, maybe we should discuss this elsewhere." Charisma told them. "We understand your suspicions. We'll subject ourselves to any scans and tests you want to satisfy you we're on the level, but we have important business to discuss."
Scott looked around the Rangers, before finally making his decision. They hadn't made any moves, but the authorities had been concentrating on the needs of the city. No significant progress had been made to ensure that nothing of Venjix's forces was left in the wastes.
"Flynn, take their weapons. Gemma, scan them." He instructed his team mates. Flynn made his way over to them.
"Sorry to do this to a fellow countryman." Flynn said apologetically, taking Colin's weapons. "I never knew there was another Scottish Ranger."
"Unfortunately I was in one of the teams whose identities never became public knowledge." Colin replied.
Later, back at the Central Command building, Charisma and Colin were taken into the main room and shown to seats. The Rangers all took seats around a large, central table, keeping their eyes on the new arrivals, trying to assess them.
"Alright, so you said you're Rangers." Scott began, addressing Charisma. "I'm going to go with tradition and presume you're the leader."
"I'm the field leader. My commanding officer, Commander Cruger is back in New Tech." She informed them. "He sent Colin and me out here to act as envoys."
"Envoys?" Dillon asked her. "What like messengers?"
"Something like that." Charisma told him. "We're with SPD. It stands for Space Patrol Delta. Before the Venjix attacks, we were setting up in secret under sanction of the US Government."
"What for?" Ziggy asked. She looked at him and smiled.
"We were to become a new interstellar law enforcement agency." She told them. "We were planning to go public with that, and the knowledge of the existence of extraterrestrial life, but Venjix attacked before we could. We've been defending New Tech since then."
"Extraterrestrial life?" Scott asked her. He looked to the others, a little worried. It didn't take a brain surgeon to realise that these strangers arriving just before the ship was no coincidence. "There is..."
"We know about the ship." Colin interrupted him. "We were sent to meet it."
"Just two of you?" Dillon asked a little sceptically. "What's going on?"
"Since Venjix was destroyed, communications have come back up, and we've been able to reach further than we were before." Charisma explained as they continued with their story. "We've gotten distress signals from all over the world. It seems a lot more people have survived the war than we initially believed."
"They're also in dire need of help." Colin continued. "It seems remnants of Venjix's forces still exist, even though he is gone. There are also reports of other threats throughout the world. If we're going to reclaim the planet, to rebuild it, then we need help. As soon as interstellar communications were possible, we made a phone call."
"So this thing that's coming is friendly?" Scott asked them. Charisma nodded.
"Like I said, we were here to act as envoys, to ensure the landing takes place with as little panic as possible." She told him. "Since you know about it, I'm sure you know it's not exactly a small ship."
"They're bringing food, tools, building materials, heavy construction materials and labour." Colin told them. "They're here to help rebuild the city."
"So let me get this straight. Just a week after the invasion that destroyed most of the city, your brilliant idea it to fly a ship the size of a city directly over the city?" Dr. K asked them. "Didn't you think this would cause a panic?"
"That's why we came, to try and limit the problem." Charisma told them. "The ship needs to land as close to the city as possible. One of its functions is to act as an extension to the city. Many amenities and accommodation units are already built within it. Once it lands, it's staying."
"We only have half an hour to prepare for the landing." Scott told them. "Hicks, put out a call to the entire military. Order a curfew. Get everyone off the streets. End work for the day and get everyone inside but for God's sake don't tell them why. The last thing we need is a riot."
He turned back to them.
"So I guess we should probably thank you." Scott said gently. "I might have questioned the wisdom of this plan, but I can't say we don't need the help."
"We're planning to co-ordinate our efforts." Charisma told him. "There are a whole lot of people out there that will need help. Once we secure Corinth and New Tech, we're planning to go out and search for them."
"We'll help you in any way we can." Scott assured her. Dr. K seemed to shift a little uneasily in her seat as he said this. "If we're going to take back the world, we'll need to do it together."
Scott turned back to his team apologetically, well aware what he was asking of them. They had all been looking forward to making plans and getting on with their lives.
"I won't expect you all to do this, and I won't think any less of you if you want to leave." He told them. "But I know what I'm doing. I'm keeping my morpher."
Ziggy stood up.
"This morpher gave me the life I have now, and everything I've done has been to provide my family with a better world to live in." He replied. "I'll stay on the team and do anything I can."
"Sam isn't going to like this, but I'm in." Flynn interjected. Colin smiled at him.
"I knew I could count on a fellow Scot." He commented.
"We're..."
"...in." Gem and Gemma chipped in.
"I guess I'm in too." Dillon added. "What would you all do without me?"
Scott looked over to Summer, who was just staring at the table, not saying a word.
"Summer?" He asked her. She didn't answer. Dillon reached across tapping her arm to rouse her attention.
"Summer?" He repeated. She eventually looked up, realising everyone was staring at her. She nodded her head.
"Alright guys, I know what a sacrifice this is, but I have to thank all of you." He told them as he sat back down. Dr. K got up and left the room. Scott was about to follow her, but Charisma held up a hand.
"It's alright, I'll go." She told him. "I have a feeling I know what the problem is."
She followed her outside, finding the young doctor sitting on the pavement outside. Charisma sat next to her.
"You don't like me much do you?" Charisma asked her.
"I don't think whether or not I like you is relevant." Dr. K replied coldly. Charisma just sighed.
"SPD backs up data from all its member worlds on every outpost it has." Charisma informed her. "I know all about Alphabet Soup."
"You were so busy working for the Government that enslaved me for my entire life that you didn't even notice Venjix's corruption?" Dr. K asked her. "So much for defending us from the threats of the universe, you failed to save us from a threat from your own Government!"
"As I understand it, you released the virus." Charisma told her. "I also know why."
"I guess the Government keeps track of its own mistakes." Dr. K grumbled. Charisma shook her head.
"I don't expect you to believe me, but I can tell you that Alphabet Soup was nothing to do with the Government." She told Dr. K. "I'll show you the files when we get a chance. It'll prove everything."
"You just want..."
"I don't honestly care if you believe me or not, but it's true." Charisma interrupted her. "Alphabet Soup was run by a private corporation called the Macha Group. They mainly sold weapons to the US Government. SPD had gotten wind of its activities and was investigating it when Venjix attacked. We planned to take them down."
"Why would the US Government take down one of its chief weapons manufacturers?" Dr. K asked her. "It doesn't make sense."
"There are some crimes we will never tolerate." She replied. "I have something to offer you. I don't expect it to make you trust us right away, but I hope it helps."
With that, she pulled out a file disc. She then leaned in and whispered something in Dr. K's ear. The young woman looked up at her.
"That's your real name." Charisma informed her. "If you'll excuse me, we have to get ready to greet the ship."
"I still don't like you." Dr. K called after her. Charisma smiled.
"After believing that the Government I worked for kept you prisoner for your entire life, I'm not surprised you don't trust them or me." Charisma responded. "I just hope I can change your mind."
With that, she went inside, leaving Dr. K alone. She pondered the disk, wondering what, if any truth there was in what Charisma had said. Was it possible her life had been taken away for no reason other than profit? Was it possible that after all her years of wishing for it, this stranger, who she had no reason to trust had quite literally just handed her life back to her, given her the truth behind who she really was?
She put the disk away, watching as the Rangers and their new allies made their way out to the Go-Onger. Scott got into the cab, driving away to the edge of the city. Dr. K just got up and headed inside, completely at a loss as to what she should believe. Normally answers came so easily to her. Not now though. At this time, while the disk was right in her pocket, the answers to all her fears had never seemed so far away.