Hicks was busy overseeing the last of the evacuation, while Vasquez stood dutifully by his side. They were working well as a team, just as Colonel Truman had always believed they would. Neither of them noticed that he wasn't actually doing anything, just sitting, watching them work, oblivious to the fact they were doing a marvellous job.
The Colonel had always intended to retire some day, and he was certain he had made the right choice in his lieutenants he had chosen to replace him. One of the mottos he always lived by was that those who sought power were rarely the ones that should get it. They had never desired promotion, afraid of the consequences of failure. It was that fear that had always kept him sharp, and ensured he always considered the options before going ahead with a difficult task. He was sure they would do well.
Chas was on the phone, talking to one of his many contacts. Despite the evacuation, they knew it was unlikely no one would notice a giant flying city coming down from orbit. Chas was already preparing a press statement for when the inevitable questions started to fly.
Dr. K meanwhile, had all but stopped working. She was still running scans, trying to update the odds of a safe landing for the immense ship. The thing that had played on her mind was a small icon in the corner of the screen. It was a link to the CD ROM drive. She had put the disk Charisma had given her into the computer, but she still hadn't found the courage to open it.
She had been told that this disk contained everything that was taken from her. It contained her real identity, from the moment she was born. The true reason she was chosen to be taken from her family. Most of all, it would let her know her purpose. Why she existed at all.
Checking her scan once more, she realised it hadn't shifted even slightly from her projection. 99.999 per cent chance of successful landing. Looking to the timer, she saw that there were now only 15 minutes until the ship arrived in their atmosphere. Checking to make sure that no one was watching her, already feeling guilty about satisfying her personal curiosity instead of keeping her mind on the task in hand, she clicked on the link.
Out in the wastes, the Rangers and their new allies waited for the first signs of the coming ship. Charisma was sitting in the cab of the Go-Onger, discussing something with Scott, while the others all waited outside. Summer was sitting a little way off, staring into space, while Dillon sat nearby. He had tried to put an arm around her, to comfort her, but she had rejected it. Ziggy wished there was something he could do to help. Summer had never been afraid to uphold her responsibilities, but he had a feeling that she was keen to get rid of them. She merely stayed out of a sense of duty. He wished he could find some way to ease her, but right now there was nothing he could do to help. If Dillon couldn't comfort her, then what chance did he have?
Flynn approached Colin, who was sitting with a flask, sipping something gently. The hint of steam coming over the lip of the container let him know it was hot.
"What's in the flask?" Flynn asked him. Colin just smiled, gesturing for the younger Scotsman to sit with him.
"It's oxtail soup." Colin informed him, offering him the flask. Flynn accepted it, grateful for the gesture. He noticed the ring on his finger. "Who's the lucky lady?"
"Her name's Sam. We got married a few weeks ago." Flynn informed him, thinking about her fondly. He handed him a picture.
"She's beautiful." Colin told him with a smile. "Any discussion about kids?"
"The discussion was pretty much one sentence." Flynn told him. "I'm pregnant."
"One of those ones eh?" Colin asked him. "It was a bit more round about for us."
"You mean you and Charisma...?" Colin showed him his own wedding ring. "It's been about ten years give or take. We have one boy, Callum."
"Let me guess, it was the accent." Flynn asked him. Colin chuckled and shook his head.
"Actually I questioned her, annoyed her and pissed her off. I won her the old fashioned, slightly difficult way." Colin told him. "I almost died for her a couple of times while we were part of the Vegas team. All things considered, I wish the accent had more of an effect."
"Not long now." Flynn sighed, thinking about the times he'd already had as a Ranger, and the times he was sure to have ahead. "If it breaks the mood, did you ever...mess with your team?"
"All the time." Colin chuckled. "Half the kids at school told me I spoke really good English!"
"They don't realise it's our first language, do they?" Flynn chuckled. "I had Ziggy convinced for about a month that a haggis..."
"...is an animal..."
"...with one long leg and one short leg..."
"...that runs around the hills in the highlands!" Colin concluded as they both laughed. "It was fun messing with them."
"I guess we can't make fun of the Yanks too much." Flynn remarked. "We did both end up married to Yanks."
"I guess that's true." Colin replied. "Of course the missus would kill me if she knew I was making fun of her."
"Well that's another thing we have in common." Flynn sighed. "Are all Scotsmen whipped when it comes to their relationships?"
"Only if they know what's good for them." Colin replied. "Heads up, here comes the aid workers."
Just then, an ominous rumble came from overhead. Dark clouds started to form, and the sky was tinged with red. A large, ominous shape descended from the heavens a couple of miles out from the city, in a slow moving arc heading their way. It was an impressive light show, but a terrifying thing to behold. The Rangers were now grateful the citizens were confined to their homes. Seeing this was something that cast fear over the stoutest of hearts.
"It's just coming through the atmosphere." Charisma assured them as it started to descend. By now everyone could feel the wind picking up as the vehicle descended into view. It was something of a crescent-moon shaped craft, made of a hard-wearing white metal, which was stained with debris and scorch marks. It flew over the city, casting an ominous shadow as it went.
In the orphanage, Tenaya was watching the kids with Bob while Helen started to prepare the late night meal. Ziggy had already called to explain what was happening, so they were keeping the kids away from the windows to keep them calm while the Rangers worked to bring in their new allies.
As Helen was preparing ingredients, she looked out, smiling as she watched her future daughter-in-law with the kids. While she would have understood if she concentrated on Alex, she was happy that she was making an effort, and appeared to be almost equally responsive to the other kids. She had accepted that part of being with Ziggy was accepting that the kids were his family as much as his parents and Alex. She was more than happy to talk to the kids, answer questions, show them her engagement ring when they kept pestering her about the upcoming wedding and diplomatically avoiding tear fests when the subject came to who could and would be doing what at the ceremony.
She muttered something under her breath that she would certainly put the kids in time out for as she realised that in her haste to put the dinner together she had forgotten how to make the garlic bread. Stooping down to the trash can, she opened the lid, opening it and beginning to search around for a wrapper to get the oven times.
As she pulled it out, something else was caught up in it. She disentangled it, and almost dropped it in shock as she realised what it was.
"Tenaya, can you come in here for a minute please?" She called through.
"Sure." She answered as she set Alex down in the play pen. She was only too comfortable to leave him with Bob, and his 'brothers and sisters'. She came through to the kitchen, finding Helen waiting for her. "So do you need a hand...?"
"Tenaya, sit down for a minute please." Helen began. Tenaya could sense that she had something she wanted to say, and it was likely something serious. She sat down slowly, looking up at her curiously. "Listen, I know the living arrangements haven't been the easiest lately..."
"Helen, I keep telling you, I don't mind the house being so crowded." Tenaya interrupted her. "I know it's a little hard at times, but I love it here."
Helen just let out a sigh and shook her head gently, beginning to walk around.
"I know it isn't easy and you don't have as much privacy as you'd like." She continued. "I'm not naive, I'm happy that you and Ziggy are so happy together, but I have all the kids to consider."
"The kids?" Tenaya asked her, a little confused. "What about the kids? Have we done something wrong?"
"Oh no, no not at all dear, don't ever think that!" Helen said soothingly, coming over to her and resting her hands on Tenaya's shoulders, stroking them gently. "I'm just asking you to remember that there are a lot of kids in here with little concept of privacy and none of the doors have locks."
"I'm sorry, I don't follow." Tenaya replied. Helen placed a used pregnancy test on the table in front of her.
"I'm just asking you to be mindful of the fact that kids are curious and be a little more subtle." Helen told her.
"Helen..."
"I doubt you planned this did you?" Helen asked her. "Does Ziggy know?"
"Helen..."
"It's alright..."
"Helen!" Tenaya said a little more forcefully to get her attention. Tenaya held it up. "This isn't mine."
"It's...not yours?" Helen asked, becoming a little embarrassed. "Are you sure?"
"Do you really need me to go into details?" Tenaya asked her a little sarcastically. "It isn't mine. Even if we were...thinking about that, I promise you, I respect your house and your rules too much."
"So if it isn't yours..." Helen's words tailed off, as she and Tenaya locked eyes, looking a little surprised as they figured out who it belonged to.
Outside the city, the temperature rose rapidly in the cold night as it hovered only a little way past the city, the inside curve at the rear of the craft appeared to match Corinth's circumference almost perfectly. As the ship descended, the RPM Rangers watched in awe. The structure seemed to be almost half the size of Corinth, extending its Northern zone by several square miles.
"Back in the mid nineties NASADA set up a space colony called Terra Venture and sent it on a mission to find a new world to evacuate humanity to should the world ever descend beyond repair." Charisma informed them. "They found it in Mirinoi. The SPD branch on that planet built this and one sister ship to aid Corinth and New Tech."
"Say hello to Terra Venture II." Colin added as the ship slowly descended, finally coming to rest comfortably at the edge of the city, and the coolant system activated, bringing the hull down to a safe temperature in minutes. "Now the newest extension of Corinth City."
The shields started to come down, revealing a ready-built city inside. As the shields finally completely disappeared, there was one man waiting inside to greet them.
He was wearing a long, black coat, with a badge indicating his rank, though his uniform was unfamiliar. His other lapel held a badge, also bearing the letters SPD. He was about the same size as Dillon, and had thick black hair. He was carrying a bottle of what appeared to be champagne. He approached Scott slowly, a smile crossing his lips.
"Charisma MacDougall I presume." He began, extending a hand and shaking hers. "How's Cruger?"
"He's a little busy over in New Tech. That's why he sent me." Charisma answered. "It's an honour to meet you Commander Corbett."
"The pleasure is mutual." He replied, before moving to Scott. "I take it you're the one running the show here. I'm Commander Mike Corbett, SPD Mirinoi."
"I'm Scott Truman, RPM Red Ranger." He introduced himself. "This is my team, Flynn, Summer, Ziggy and Dillon."
"It's a pleasure." He assured them. He was about to present the bottle to Scott, who held up a hand to stop him.
"I'm just here for the rendezvous; Mayor Winchester runs things in Corinth." Scott corrected him. "We have a vehicle here to take you to the Command Centre."
"Show the way!" Mike replied, making his way with them towards the Go-Onger. "We have a lot to discuss."
Back at the orphanage, Tenaya and Helen were sitting alone in the kitchen, still trying to digest what they had found out. Tenaya checked the test again.
"It's positive alright." She sighed.
"If she only just took a test, then it's unlikely..."
"I really don't need the mental image." Tenaya cut her off. "The walls in here aren't that thick, and I can tell you, they respect your rules the same as me and Ziggy."
"It would take at least a month for her to get any symptoms she'd notice and take a test." Helen interjected. "That means it happened before..."
"Before the final battle." Tenaya replied with a slow shake of the head. "She was always so careful. She didn't want to take any risks..."
"Mistakes can be made." Helen reminded her, casting her eyes towards the door where Alex and the other kids were still playing.
"That's a cheap shot." Tenaya said, a little smile crossing her face at the comment. "I guess you're right though."
"That just leaves one question." Helen said, taking the test from her. "Does Dillon know?"
Just then, the door opened and Bob poked his head around the door.
"Helen, unless you want some serious tears before bedtime, I'd suggest you hurry up with dinner." He told them. "Joey's already starting to chew some of the toys to see if any of them are edible."
"Tell them all to come in." Ms. Foster replied with a smile, putting the test away where none of the kids would find it. "Tenaya, would you give me a hand serving?"
"Sure." She replied, making her way to the sink behind her. After washing their hands, they went to the cooker to begin serving. As Tenaya started ladling pasta out into bowls, she could only think of one thing. What was Summer thinking?
Over at the Central Command building, Mike was escorted into the main room, where Chas, Colonel Truman, Hicks and Vasquez were waiting. Chas stepped forward, shaking Mike's hand.
"Chas Winchester, Mayor of Corinth City." He introduced himself.
"Mike Corbett, commander of SPD Mirinoi." He replied. He handed over the bottle. "This is just a small token..."
"I appreciate it." Chas assured him. "Vasquez, would you mind finding some gl..."
"I'll do it." Colonel Truman interjected, and left before anyone could object. He didn't want Vasquez to slide back into her habit of taking menial tasks. If she was going to accept her new position, it was best that she grew used to being around the big events.
"So, I take it you're the one we have to thank for all this aid." Chas replied.
"We're just sorry we couldn't get it out sooner." Mike replied, taking a seat by the conference table. "We only managed to get the call through recently. We had some idea of what was happening, but there was no way we could risk bringing ships in while Venjix was blocking our signals."
"We understand completely. We're just grateful you could bring this now." Chas replied. "The citizens in temporary accommodation will be grateful."
"Our construction crews can begin work in the morning." Mike informed them. "I'd advise your own crews to stand down."
"Surely having both crews on it would only..."
"Our crews are Thesonians." Mike interrupted him. "I think they might take some getting used to for your citizens so soon after the invasions."
"You brought aliens in to rebuild the city?" Dillon asked him.
"Thesonians are arguably the best artisans and builders in existence." Mike informed him. "The average Thesonian is easily capable of lifting and carrying three tons. With a human construction crew, the complete re-build would take months. With a Thesonian crew, the city will be back to normal within the next three to four weeks."
"I guess that makes sense." Chas replied. "Hicks, hand out the order. The construction crews are to give full control of the rebuild to the Thesonians. They can concentrate their efforts on other essential tasks."
"I'm on it." Hicks responded.
"I have SPD officers here to help with the military's duties." Mike continued. He turned to Hicks. "I have no desire to overstep my boundaries; the security of the city will be under your jurisdiction. I'll instruct my officers to report directly to you."
Hicks was about to correct him, but looked around, noticing the Colonel still hadn't returned with the glasses. He felt his jaw clenching as he noticed this. He was only just beginning to realise he was trying to force him to accept such tasks so he would prove to himself he was up to replacing him as Colonel.
"Now that we've made the introductions, we should probably be heading back to New Tech." Charisma told them. "Our own team needs us."
"There's a crew rebuilding New Tech, and another rebuilding Corinth." Mike told them. "With that in mind, it will free up your teams to the task of searching for more colonies."
"If we work together, we can finally bring this world back." Chas told them as the Colonel arrived back, beginning to pour glasses and hand them out. He held his glass up, proposing a toast. "To the New World!"
"To the New World!" They all chorused back. After clinking glasses and exchanging pleasantries as they had a drink, Scott suddenly noticed Dr. K was not among them.
He searched around, noticing her by a console in the corner. He came over to her, putting his arm around her, setting a glass down next to her.
"I thought you'd want to..." His words tailed off as he noticed a tear rolling down her face. He wiped it away with his thumb. "What's wrong?"
She just pointed to the screen. He looked up, seeing a copy of a birth certificate on the screen.
"Sarah Marie Jackson?" He asked.
"According to this, the conspiracy theorists were right that the Government kept a genetic database. They took a sample from children when they gave them their shots in infancy since the late nineties." Dr. K explained. "Charisma gave me this. This is my birth certificate."
"That's your real name?" Scott asked her, smiling a little. He kissed her cheek. "That's nothing to feel bad about..."
"Alphabet Soup was not a government agency as I was originally led to believe." She interrupted him, scrolling through the files. "It was part of a private business called the Macha Group. They were under investigation until the attacks. SPD were going to bring them down."
"Then they..."
"Their records show I was taken on the 17th May." Dr. K continued. "Three days before, 100,000 dollars was paid into my parent's bank account by the Macha Group."
"Dr. K..."
"I wasn't kidnapped. I was sold." Dr. K whimpered as Scott held her tightly. "My parents sold me!"