Gem and Gemma gathered together with the Wild Force and Eric as they prepared to leave the Animarium for the last time. Eric stood behind Taylor, his arms wrapped around her gently, both of them smiling brightly. Everyone was grateful that Eric had survived the attacks and come back to her. Seeing her like this, it was obvious how miserable she must have been all the time they had been separated. Princess Shayla approached them, carrying a basket full of food.
"I packed you something for your journey home." She told them, handing it over. "Please remember to stay in touch."
"We'll definitely do that." Gemma told them with a huge grin. "Sarah will never believe we've actually been to the Animarium! All our favourite stories were of this place!"
"Well I'm glad I still have such enthusiastic fans." Alyssa replied with a small nod, stepping forward and taking Merrick's hand softly. He smiled a little as he felt her hand slip into his, turning back to them.
"Now, we just wanted to give you a little something to remember us by." He told them, gesturing to Max, who turned and headed into the temple at top speed.
"As if we could ever forget this place." Gem replied. Max arrived back, carrying a couple of articles of clothing, and handed the first to Cole, who smiled as he unfolded it, showing it to be a sleeveless just like the ones the Wild Force Rangers wore, though this one was a pale grey. Turning it around, Gemma shrieked as she saw the emblem on it, proclaiming her the Raging Tiger.
"We would like to proclaim you both honorary members of the Wild Force." He told her as she grabbed it, throwing it on over her uniform quickly in her excitement. Gem received one from Max in a pale yellow. Gemma suppressed a small laugh as she saw the emblem on the back, proclaiming him the Crowing Rooster. Obviously they were unaware that Gem's Zord was meant to be a hawk. Even the other RPM Rangers had dubbed it a flying chicken. "Welcome to the team."
"We're definitely honoured to be part of the team." Gemma responded. "Gem and I have something for you too."
Gem reached inside his jacket, pulling out a large roll of paper, handing it to Princess Shayla. They had spent some time the night before drawing a picture of the Wild Force, along with themselves for them. It was one of their usual childish efforts, a little roughly drawn. Only the colours used really marked out who the different Rangers were, though it still made her face light up as she appreciated the sentiment behind it.
"Oh this is just lovely!" She gasped. "I'll definitely keep this."
"Yeah, it's...um...wonderful." Merrick said diplomatically. Alyssa nudged him gently in the ribs.
"Anyway, we should really be going." Gem told them. "Keep us posted on how the cleanup is going."
"We definitely will." Cole assured her as they got onto the jet, waving as they went. Gem fired up the engines, lifting off as the Wild Force waved them off. As the jet disappeared over the horizon, they all went their separate ways, leaving Taylor and Eric alone once more. The Quantum Ranger turned her towards him, smiling at her warmly.
"You have some interesting friends there." He commented.
"This from the man whose best friends include a cat woman and a seven foot blue dog?" Taylor commented. "I'll have to take that as a compliment."
"I never said anything mean." He reminded her. "I just said they were interesting. I just wish I had gotten more chance to get to know them."
"I guess you'll just have to make do with me then." Taylor said with a slight shrug. "Will I do?"
"What do you think?" He asked her as he pulled her in, kissing her passionately.
In the APC, the guys were starting to get a little agitated. It had been just shy of a week since they had left Vegas, and they were all eager to get back to Corinth. As they got to the crest of a hill, Dillon got a wide grin on his face and gestured to the others in the back.
"Guys, here it is!" He called out, waving them forward. It was only a few miles away now, and shimmered a little in the heat as they approached. Flynn and Scott pushed their way into the seats up front, smiling broadly.
"Corinth City!" They called together.
"I guess letting this one behind the wheel for the last few hours has paid off after all." Flynn commented, patting the back of Dillon's chair. "So, it's a pretty clear stretch the last few miles. Does anyone want to try hitting the nitrous again?"
"Do it Dillon." Scott instructed him. Dillon activated the nitrous, at which the vehicle suddenly burst forward at incredible speed. They all held on as it raced forward, throwing up a massive dust cloud behind them. The distance started to close quickly. As they saw the gates approaching, Scott grabbed Dillon's shoulder.
"We're getting close. Slow it down." Scott instructed him. Dillon though got an evil grin on his face.
"You remember how you don't believe in downshifting?" He asked him in response.
"Dillon, that was different." Scott said in a panicked tone. "My car doesn't weigh six tons, it isn't racing towards a gate, and more importantly...I'm not at the wheel!"
"Don't you trust me?" Dillon asked him mischievously as Flynn got on the communicator to get the guards to open the gate.
"Dillon!" He shrieked.
"Come on, if you knew for sure it would be alright, it wouldn't be trust right?" Dillon asked him. With that, Scott looked back to the gate, feeling a sense of dread as he saw it beginning to open. The vehicle flew in through the gate, barely clearing it and skidded to a halt, throwing up dust into the street. Dillon killed the engine and grinned at him as Scott breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright Dillon, you've had your fun." Scott replied, taking the driver's seat from him. "If you don't mind, I'll roll into the Garage from here. Let's not wreck any more of the city that we have to alright?"
Dillon just laughed and sat back; relaxing and waiting for the moment he would once again get to hold his wife in his arms. It had been unfortunate timing that they had to leave only just after finding out that Summer was pregnant. He had now been gone just a little under a month, and had missed some of the first stages that she had to go through. He regretted not being there for her initial check-ups, but he hoped to make up for it during what time they had together. He knew that Chas had planned some kind of celebration, and he was determined to make her know how special she was to him.
Over in the Garage, Sam arrived, being shown in by one of the soldiers. Being seven months pregnant, she was now pretty big, and beginning to show a little discomfort whenever she had to go too far. She was helped onto the couch, where Tenaya met her, handing her a cushion for her lower back.
"I guess Sarah sent you the message that we're expecting the others back." Tenaya greeted her. "How are you feeling?"
"Well now that I don't have to work every day it's getting a bit easier getting around." She responded. "I've been getting tired all the time recently."
"Well I'd love to be able to tell you that's natural, but I don't really know." Tenaya told her. "Alex my pregnancy was over so quickly I don't know how much of my exhaustion was natural and how much of it was down to it only taking a few weeks."
Summer came in at the tail of this conversation, but didn't say a word. They all knew that she was nervous about her own pregnancy. The last thing she was overly fond of was thinking about what awaited her down the line. She sat down, pulling a pillow to her chest, hugging it.
"Is there any news?" Summer asked them. Sarah came bounding into the room with a skip in her step, throwing herself onto the couch with a box of Mr. Marshmallow sweets, popping one into her mouth.
"Gem and Gemma just sent a signal from the jet. They're on their way back. They should be here in a couple of hours." She told them happily. "The border guards just reported the APC arriving a few minutes ago. They should be arriving right about..."
At that, the main doors opened, and Scott, Flynn and Dillon came into the room. The girls rushed over to greet them, hugging them warmly. Flynn parted from Sam a little way.
"Lass, you look amazing!" He gasped, marvelling at her. She had noticeably grown quite a bit during the time he had been away. He caressed her stomach with his palm, smiling brightly. "How are you holding up?"
"We've really been missing you." She responded. "The baby hasn't stopped playing up since Sarah contacted me to tell me you were coming home."
"So I notice!" He laughed as he felt it kicking.
"Well I've been looking forward to getting back to my girl too." Scott replied, lifting Dr. K off the ground. Sarah laughed as she almost spilled her sweets on the floor. "If you guys don't mind, we have a few things we need to discuss in private."
With that, he took her from the room. Dillon was hugging Tenaya and Summer tightly at this point.
"I guess Alex is sleeping." He said to his sister. She nodded in response.
"Ziggy's just watching him." She informed him. "He's making up for lost time."
"Well that reminds me, I have a little lost time to make up for." He replied with a smile, looking deeply into Summer's eyes as he pulled her in. She smiled as he pulled her in, kissing her passionately. Tenaya just pointed over her shoulder.
"I think this is my queue to leave." She replied. "I'll just...yeah."
With that, she left Summer and Dillon alone in the room. Summer suddenly felt her nose crinkling, and pulled away sharply, her brows creasing as she looked to the floor.
"What have you been eating?" She asked him.
"We had burgers with onions a while ago." He informed her. "Summer..."
She clamped a hand over her mouth and sprinted from the room as quickly as she could, leaving him alone. He had hoped for something a little more romantic for his reunion with his wife after missing so long with her. However, following to check on her as she lost yet another meal, he couldn't help smiling.
Meanwhile, in another part of the base, Scott took Sarah into her room, setting her down on the bed, scattering her candy everywhere.
"The only thing I could think about was getting back for this ceremony." He told her as he caressed her face gently with his hand. "Listen, I don't know if this is what you want, it was just an idea I had, but I want to run something by you."
"Scott..."
"Sarah, I don't want to spend any longer apart than we have to." Scott told her. "Now, I know we've got a couple of days, so it gives you a little while to think, but...I was wondering if you would like to ask Dad to marry us on VV day."
"Scott..."
"We don't have to get up on stage and do it in front of the city or anything if you want to keep it private, but I really want us to consider this." He continued quickly, hoping to sell her on the idea. "Ziggy and Tenaya wanted to wait until we were done before they went ahead with their own wedding. You caught the bouquet last time..."
"That's just a silly superstition." She reprimanded him. "It doesn't matter if..."
"It matters to them." Scott told her. "I don't want to pressure you. If you don't want to do this now..."
"I can't do this now." She told him. "I'm sorry."
She saw that he was disappointed, and hated to see that in him. She reached out, taking his hand softly.
"Please, let me explain." She begged him. "For a long time, ever since I found out the truth about Alphabet Soup, I've been having a hard time sleeping. I've been having some pretty intense nightmares."
"Sarah, that's only natural." He told her. "You remember what Summer went through don't you?"
"It's always the same. I always fear that someday they'll come back for me." She told him. "The dreams are always the same. They come for me; they take me away and...They don't care who they have to hurt to get me."
"Sarah..."
"They kill you." She admitted. "In every one of these nightmares they kill you and take me away. They take me back and I end up all alone again!"
"Sarah, that will NEVER happen!" He assured her. "You've said it yourself, Alphabet Soup was destroyed. The only trace of them that exists is the Ranger Series technology, and you own all of it right here!"
"But that was before we found out about the Macha Group." She shrieked. "Alphabet Soup, the agents that worked for it were spread so much farther than we could ever have imagined. We don't know if there are agents left."
He sighed and took a computer disk out of his jacket. He was beginning to regret telling her that he had found some evidence of the Macha Group's existence in Vegas. This couldn't have done anything to allay her fears.
"The only guys we found were gophers in a factory." He told her. "This part of your life is over. There's no one coming for you, and even if there was, you know I'm not exactly that easy to kill."
He drew in, kissing her deeply before looking into her eyes, smiling.
"No one will ever take you from me." He assured her. "I promise you that."
"That's very comforting, but my mind cannot be at ease until I know for myself, until I can have absolute proof that Alphabet Soup and the Macha Group have been destroyed for good." She told him. "Until then, I'll never feel like I can be safe. I'll never feel like anyone I care about wouldn't be at risk."
She looked up to him regretfully.
"Until I know for certain who I am and where I came from, until I know no one will ever come after me, I can never put any family I may have in danger." She told him. "I can't marry you."
Scott realised that as much as this hurt, as much as he felt rejected by her telling him she would possibly never become his wife, he understood why she felt that way, and he knew how stubborn she was when she got her mind set on something. He couldn't possibly convince her that she was in just as much danger with him as her husband as she was on her own.
"Then I guess I'm just going to have to help convince you." He told her. "If checking this out, if finding the truth is what it takes, then I'll be with you every step of the way."
Gem and Gemma started to come into view of the city. Gemma got into the pilot's seat, switching off the autopilot as Gem got into the seat next to her.
"Corinth airspace control, this is the Gold and Silver Rangers coming in on final approach, requesting permission to enter Corinth city." He told them.
"Gem, this is Vasquez. You are clear for your approach to the hangar." She greeted him. "Welcome back Gold Ranger."
"Is there any word from the others?" He asked her. Vasquez smiled.
"The border guards called a while ago to inform us the ATV arrived. The others are back in the city." She informed him happily. "It looks like you're all going to be here for the VV day celebrations after all."
"That sounds awesome!" Gem yelled, forcing her to recoil a little. He obviously forgot she was wearing a headset. "Sorry, it'll just be good to get a chance to unwind a little after recent events."
"I'm sure everyone's planning to have a good time." Vasquez told him. "Gemma, Hicks asked me to tell you he ducked out early. He'll be waiting for you at the Garage."
"I'm really looking forward to that." She responded. "Anyway, we're just about to enter your airspace. We'll talk to you once we've landed. Over and out!"
"Over and Out Gemma." Vasquez replied, signing off the communications relay to allow her to concentrate on landing.
As Gemma flew over the last remaining miles before coming to Corinth, neither of them saw a small vehicle in the wastes approaching the city. It didn't register on any of their scanners either. It skidded to a halt at the top of a nearby ridge.
It was an all-terrain vehicle, covered in dust from its long journey. The door opened and the driver got out, quickly scrambling to the edge of a rocky outcrop.
He was around six foot eight tall, with shoulder-length, wild, black hair, and heavy facial hair, giving him the look of someone who had been travelling for some time. He was wearing heavy, dark leathers, his jacket hanging open a little, showing a heavy body armoured chest plate. A number of scars covered the right side of his face, narrowly missing his eye, and his skin was a little leathery from his long journey in the harsh sun. He pulled out a cigar, lighting it as he looked out over the city.
"I guess this is Corinth then." He commented as he flicked the match away, before pulling out a canteen. He unscrewed the cap, pulling out the cigar as he took a long swig, before putting the cap back on and put the flask back into his jacket. "It looks like I'm here."