Some Bumps in the Road
Xander Whitewater stepped out of the alleyway across the street from the Angel Grove Sports Complex, the immense gym where Kimberly Hart taught gymnastics. Several girls could be seen through one of the building's plate-glass windows, practicing their different routines. Xander realized this part of his mission might be aesthetically pleasing, if nothing else. A couple of the girls were rather cute, and all of them were wearing leotards. Not a bad way to start the day.
He tugged lightly on his flannel shirt to make it rest more comfortably across his shoulders, and started across the street. Kim saw him come through the door and rushed to meet him, her warmups making little swishing noises every time she moved her arms and legs. She didn't look happy. Not in the least.
"If you're here for what I think you are, you need to leave," Kim started. She had taken a confrontational stance only about six inches in front of him, and even though he was a full head or so taller than her she was looking fiercely up into his eyes, her lips resolutely pursed together.
"It's not up to me, you know that," he replied. "The Power chooses us, not the other way around. There must be a need for someone just like you."
Kimberly glanced around them, at their surroundings, at her students still diligently practicing. She stepped away from Xander and opened a door to an adjacent office, gesturing for him to enter ahead of her. Once they were both inside Kim locked the door. The office had windows big enough for them to easily see the budding young gymnasts, and Kimberly kept glancing out at them as she spoke, keeping careful watch.
"I told Jason not to do this. The Power Rangers… What you're becoming will consume your life. And once it does the only way to get rid of it is to pass it on to someone else."
Xander appeared confused. "Yeah, but we're supposed to be heroes. I thought that was a good thing, not some insidious evil."
"Yeah, Xander, it is. But it's addictive. And I'm not sure Jason is over the addiction. I knew if he took those Coins under his care he'd be tempted to use them, and I'm sure that if, God forbid, anything should happen to one of you, he'd do what he could to avenge you."
"Is that so wrong, Kim? It sounds kind of noble. Selfless, even."
"If I'm being selfish to want to keep him to myself, I'm sorry. But he promised me we could have a normal life. If he goes off fighting to save the world again, I could lose him."
It all came together in Xander's mind then. He could see Kim was barely holding it together. Her voice had begun to quaver, and when he looked close he noticed that her eyes were wet. She wasn't resentful of the Power. She was afraid for Jason and for the life she had with him.
"Don't worry, Kim," he said softly, looking into her eyes in an attempt to display his sincerity to her. "I'm the Red Ranger now. I'll make you both proud, I promise."
Kim turned away from him, facing the window and pretending to watch her students in earnest. He could barely hear her when she spoke again. "So, which one is it?"
Xander turned toward the window as well, respectfully ignoring Kim's discomfort as he focused on the girls in the leotards, extending his thoughts toward them. He was still figuring out the process, so it took him several moments, but soon he could see a soft aura of light around each of the girls. Most of them were ordinary, simple "white" light surrounding their bodies as they contorted and stretched and twisted like only a gymnast can. But there was one girl, effortlessly performing a set of moves on the balance beam, around whose body glowed a bright pink corona, the mark of an undiscovered Power Ranger.
Xander pointed to the girl on the beam. "That one, there."
Kim sighed and cursed a little under her breath.
"I knew it. Why did it have to be her?"
"Well, if you ask me, it stands to reason that a former Ranger would inspire similar values and strengths in the people around them."
"Yeah, I suppose it does." Kim was pinching the bridge of her nose now, her eyes squeezed shut, as though she were developing a migraine. "Look, I'll find a way to tell her, okay? Just… later. I'm still kind of processing all this."
Seeing her this way, Xander suddenly felt awkward. He couldn't imagine why Kimberly would be reacting so strongly toward all this, but he wanted to be respectful, especially since it was his mentor's girlfriend he was dealing with here. Finally, he nodded.
"Yeah, all right," he said. "We're all meeting at your house this afternoon to talk, so I guess she can meet us there."
Kim answered with a nod of her own, though she didn't turn around until she knew Xander was gone. She continued to watch her students through the window, lost in thought. She wanted to be happy that there was someone to take care of the new threat that was sure to arise as a result of Goldar's return to Earth, but she had a terrible feeling about the whole thing that just wouldn't go away. Trust your instincts, people always said…