Edward stood in the alley just out of sight of the two men. The one known as Raul was standing with one of the gang members under a dim lamp at the back of some club. The others were hidden at various points in the alley, waiting for the signal to attack.

Edward stood back waiting on the men. He had ditched his liquor soaked shirt several streets back on the off chance one of them men caught the sent of it. He realized he hadn't really decided what he'd do with the men once he'd stopped them. Since leaving Forks he'd kept up his families pledge not to feed on humans. He'd even spend the better part of the previous night hunting in the desert nearby, but being here in the alley he couldn't deny that a feast of desert rat paled in comparison to the scent of the Latino murderer.

There had been a time when he wouldn't hesitate to feed on the criminal minded. He'd used his ability to pick the perfect targets, justifying himself that he was ridding the world of something ugly, and evil. He also knew there was a lack of fulfillment in such ventures. Killing a murderer may have been a favor to humanity, but in the end it was only trading one evil for another.

No, he wouldn't feed on them, as much as they probably deserved it. But that being decided made his task harder. He hadn't come prepared to restrain them. He was fairly sure they were known criminals and turning them over to the proper authorities would assure them entrance into the criminal justice system, but could he hold back enough to only injure them? Surely he could, restraint was a specialty of his these days.

He once again reached out with his mind, accounting for the minds of the other three men waiting in hiding. He could hear their thoughts clearly, waiting on the signal to strike. But there was a fourth mind in the mix. Someone of a different mentality than the gang members. That mind was on watching them, but he couldn't make out the exact thoughts.

Who was that?

Before he could think about it anymore the signal came and the three men attacked. The alley was flooded with action. Edward hesitated only a second before storming the men. He was much faster than they were. He swooped in, taking them out one by one until he got to the leader. The man was alone in the alley and Edward approached him slowly. His friends were on the ground in various stages or disarray. The man's eyes grew wide as Edward came under the light. He knew he was a towering sight, his pale skin glowing under the yellow artificial light. He let out a soft growl and the man scampered back until he was pinned against the wall.

Edward could smell his fear. It was intoxicating. The scent immediately took him back to a time when it was good to be like this. Perhaps it would be different this time, to rid the world of one more lowlife. This man had been willing to take the life of another for no reason. Edward had a reason. He inhaled that scent once more. It could be different, he could taste human blood again.

There was a rush like wind then Edward was thrown into a wall. He rolled on his shoulder and saw he was on the other side of the alley, a good ten feet from where he'd been standing. The gang leader was still on the ground, unconscious now, but he wasn't alone. Standing over him was a large figure in a tight red bodysuit. The figure turned his way and Edward saw the visor of his helmet was shaped like a large black star. Edward starred at the helmet, as if willing the mind behind it to speak to him, but he heard nothing. It wasn't like with her, he could still feel an awareness of the mind behind the mask, he just couldn't read it.

The figure turned back to the gang leader and in one swift motion picked him up. He stood with the criminal cradled in his arms like a child and disappeared in a wash of red light.

What the hell was that?

*****

An hour later Tommy's head hit the pillow hard. His mind was still reeling from the events of the evening. He had been working with a local teacher at the dig site, trying to get more information on the history of the area they were investigating. What he hadn't know was that this Raul was involved in some extracurricular activities that didn't involve finding ancient civilizations.

He'd been surprised when his cell phone had rang while he was at the bar and it had been Raul begging for help. He said a monster was attacking him. Something instinctual had clicked inside him and Tommy had found a quiet place to morph and teleport to the scene.

What he saw wasn't exactly a monster, but it wasn't a human either. It wasn't until he was examining the gang member, who'd passed out from fright, that he recognized the man/creature as the same man he'd spilled his drink on in the bar just a few minutes earlier.

He remembered the look in the man's eyes, not evil or determined the way other monsters and sorcerers were. They more like desperate, piercing, as if he were trying to reach into his soul and control him.

A shudder ran through the former Power Ranger's body. Tommy had seen a lot of strange things in his days as a Power Ranger, but he'd never seen something like that. Was he some kind of alien, out on some vigilante revenge? Or was he something else entirely?

All Tommy knew was, he had to find out.

He reached for the cell phone and checked the time, midnight. It was only ten in Reefside, it was likely that Hailey was still up. He opened the phone to call her, then hesitated. He remembered she wasn't in Reefside this week. She'd gone to the computer conference at MIT. It was much later in Boston than it was here.

No matter, he thought replacing the phone on the night table. He could report to her in the morning. There wasn't any emergency about it, he didn't even know what he was looking for yet. As he turned off the light he saw the man's face again in his mind. He would find this mystery man if it took him the rest of his summer vacation. He was in Mexico all summer, he had plenty of time. No rush at all.

*****

I'm going to stop here because the next chapter gets a little dicey, plus I want to see what you all think? Please review, I'm really nervous about how this is going to go over with fans.

Oh, and for the Tanzetti fans do not worry, I'm still working on that series. The final chapters of Reborn have been written and Legacy is nearly complete. Don't forget, you can interact with me concerning any of my stories at the Caer Arianrhod forum. See my profile for details.

Thanks in advance to those who review. Happy reading!!