Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al
I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.
Marcy drove through the streets of Angel Grove, riding well above the speed limit. Her hands were clenched tight against the handlebars, the hard rubber of the grips already chaffing her ungloved hands. She kept riding, the wind whipping past her helmet creating a high pitched whine in her head that made thinking difficult.
She was grateful for that because she didn't want to think. If she started thinking she'd start feeling and if she started feeling she feel him. The rush of power and heat as his lips touched hers. That jolt of energy, of hidden strength and magic that resided somewhere inside him. She'd never felt that in a human before. In ten years on this planet she'd never come across a being that displayed power like that. Supernatural power, something beyond everyday strength and fortitude. Something beyond this world…
She'd known he was different from the first moment she'd seen him. He had a presence, something about him that made her more aware of him. He was what humans sometimes called an "old soul," a person who conveyed a wisdom and knowledge from another time, another existence. And when her fingers had brushed his as he handed over the money for his book she'd felt, even in that brief moment of contact, a jolt of power that was like nothing she'd felt since her own family back on Calydne. She hadn't seen anything specific, no images like she sometimes did, but she felt it, the weight of too many battles fought, of the secrets carried, the camaraderie and friendship forged on the battlefield and carried through life. And blue. The color blue was very important, but she didn't know why.
At first she thought it was a fluke. Maybe he was a soldier, or a cop and just looked young for his age. Maybe he was something else. But then she'd met Rocky. When she'd shook his hand there was no more question. Rocky was different as well, not as battle hardened as Billy, but a warrior all the same.
And Tommy. Good Lord, Tommy had enough power to kill her with that handshake, were he aware of how to properly use it. He was the leader, that she knew automatically, though she would have guessed it anyway given he was not only Billy's teacher, but Billy automatically deferred the conversation to him the second he'd arrived.
There was something else about Tommy. He was transcendent. He was the bearer of multiple sources of magic, not just the one he carried now. There were others in his past, and many many more in his future.
Marcy took a turn off the main road and hit the dirt path with a little too much force, blowing up rocks and debris around her as the bike shifted over the rough terrain. She eased up on the throttle until she felt the bike grip the ground again and kept going.
It was a long way to her destination, but she'd come prepared. She'd filled her gas tank before taking off this morning, anticipating taking a joyride later in the day. Of course, her plans had included having a passenger on the back of the bike, his strong arms wrapped around her waist, chest leaning close against her back…
She shook the thought from her head and the bike wobbled causing her to have to adjust her speed and balance again.
Seventeen. He's only seventeen!
It wasn't right. It wasn't right for the soul of such a tortured warrior be encased in that young a body. It wasn't right he'd seen things and felt things not meant for ordinary life before even reaching the age of adulthood. It wasn't right that when he'd touched her she felt a flutter in her stomach and when he kissed her she became hot with desire worthy of a classic romance novel.
Seventeen.
The bike crested the hill it had been climbing and came out on a wide ridge. There was a large boulder formation at the edge of the cliff. Marcy brought the bike to a stop and parked it near the base of the rock. She climbed off and threw off her helmet. She was so near tears now she could barely see as she walked around the cliff to a spot just before the ridge dropped off into valley below. She placed her hand on the rock and closed her eyes, concentrating on the door. The entrance to the cave that only she knew of. It was a simple spell, one that required very little power and within second the rock wall seemed to melt and flow in waved of brown and yellow reflected from the sunlight. She stepped into the waves and came through on the other side, into a vast round chamber. It was dark on the inside, the rock walls illuminated only by the glow of the six colored crystals embedded at intervals into it's walls.
Normally when she came here to seek advice she would stand in the middle of the chamber and call to the spirits with her questions. But today she had a different goal in mind. She crossed the chamber quickly and put her hand over the white crystal.
Jayden, she thought, reaching out with her mind. Come to me. I need you.
He'd never come before. She had spoken with the spirits of nearly every Tanzetti warrior that had ever carried one of the seven sacred jewels. It wasn't really them, just an imprint of their spirit, left behind after their death, kept safe inside the crystal, so that each warrior could seek out the wisdom of past generations at any time. They always came when called, and sometimes when not called, but needed all the same. But not Jayden. But then, she'd never called him before.
In the past she had been grateful that he didn't come to her with the others. If she could see his spirit, here at will, it would be like he was still alive, still with her, and she would never have been able to move on. Not that she'd moved on all that well. Sure, she'd dated other men, even had a few serious relationships, but they always ended the same way, badly. In fact, she'd wondered just what it was that made her so attracted to Billy. She was always a bit forward with men she liked, but Billy was different. It was too easy to talk to him, to flirt with him. It wasn't normal. Earth men were just too stubborn, and disrespectful, and aggressive. Or maybe it was just her.
Jayden, please come.
Nothing happened.
She closed her eyes tight and tried to remember. Remember the way he looked at her, the way it felt when he kissed her softly. His gentle touch on her skin when he pulled her close and told her he loved her. It had only been ten years, that wasn't so long. She knew the words, the details were etched in her memory forever, but she couldn't see it. Every time she pictured him in front of her, pictured him kissing her, holding her it wasn't his face she saw, it was Billy's.
And that was the real reason she was here. From the moment she'd first seen Billy he'd been nearly all she could think about. When she'd re-entered the store, after showing him the car, she'd expected to forget him, and possibly never see him again, despite her invitation to show her his achievements with his own car. But she didn't forget him. She was still thinking about him, about what his connection to magic and power could be, when suddenly he was there again, asking her if she'd like to come to his house and see the car for herself. And she had been so flustered and surprised she'd said yes without thinking. When he wrote his address and phone number on a sheet of paper for her she felt like she was in a daze.
All morning she'd been debating whether or not to actually show up. Her logical mind said it was a bad idea, he was a magic warrior, there was no telling what she could be exposing herself to. Suppose he was some evil force that had somehow discovered her presence and was tricking her.
But I would have seen that, she argued. That is my power after all.
But something still told her to be cautious, and now she knew why. He was too young, by more than one standard. Her legal age here was twenty-one, almost four years older than him. But she wasn't twenty-one, she older, a lot older. Tanzetti lived long lives, and Calydne people lived long compared to humans. Because of that, age wasn't as much of a factor in relationships as it was here. Jaden had been nearly ten years older than her, and it had made no difference.
But here it was different, and she knew it. The problem was, why didn't she see it. When she'd touched him she'd seen wisdom, and maturity, and that led her to believe him much older.
So what do I do now? she asked the spirit of the white crystal. She reached out for Jaden once more. What do I do about him?
Nothing happened. She felt nothing from the magic stone, no presence at all.
Please, she begged with her mind. Just this once, please come.
Then, somewhere distant, an answer came, not in a voice exactly, but there was a feeling, a deep reaching magic and a final answer.
No.
"No!" she screamed out loud. "Why are you doing this to me?!"
She fell to her knees in front of the white crystal. "Why?!"
She was crying now, supporting herself on her hands and knees, the tears flowing freely. "What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?"
The cave answered her with silence. But there was something else there, something inside her that rose out when the tears and the screams were gone. It wasn't an answer, but it was a revelation.