"What did your family say?" asked Dana as the girls packed their bags in their quarters whilst Carter, Chad and Joel waited for them in the lounge area.

Kelsey turned to face Dana and Georgina, "What are you crazy?" she replied, "Everyone said that to me since I was a kid," they laughed at that response. "I would always answer, you have no idea," she stood up and sat between Chad and Joel, "I mean, it is such a rush hanging a thousand feet off a cliff," she grinned widely.

"Well, check this out," said Joel, standing up, "When I was eight, all I wanted more than anything was to fly like a bird," he placed his hands on his hips, "so I built myself a set of wings, jumped out of my second-floor window."

Carter laughed and placed Joel's cowboy hat on his head, "Well, that's not crazy," he said, "That's stupid!" he picked up his bag, and they all began to walk out of the girl's bedroom.

"Well," said Dana, looking to the red ranger, "What about you, Carter? Did you always want to be a fireman?"

Chad, Kelsey, Joel, and Georgina felt their focus turn to him, "No," he said, "not really, well, not until one night when uh…" his voice trailed off.

"When what?" Georgina jumped onto his shoulders.

Carter grabbed her legs quickly, trying to stop her from falling to the floor, "Uh," he smiled, "nothing."

"Oh, come on," they all complained.

Captain Mitchell's voice came over the tannoy system, "Rangers to the training ground," he said, "double time!"

"Duty calls," Carter grinned widely, safely placing Georgina's feet back onto the floor, and they all began to run to the rescue rover.

~0~

They formed a single line, and Carter exclaimed, "Attention! Present arms!"

"Is everyone ready?" asked Captain Mitchell as he retrieved his stopwatch from his pocket. Without delay, he declared, "Go!"

The rangers dashed to their assigned training stations.

~0~

Georgina stood on the training mat, doing her best to block Coulson's attacks; her training was slightly different because she couldn't do anything too strenuous. He had assigned her to do their regular morning drills, but this time, she had to defeat him under a specific time limit.

Captain Mitchell and the technician walked over to the training area, and he watched the time on his stopwatch as Dana, Kelsey, Chad, and Joel stood behind them, "Time," called Georgina as she managed to flip Coulson onto his back when he wasn't paying attention.

"A minute thirty," smiled Captain Mitchell, "Not bad, Georgina…" he said, "You may need to help Phil up, though," he nodded over to Coulson, who was groaning.

Georgina gasped, "Oh my god," she said, "I'm so sorry," she yelped as, before she knew it, he held her hand and pulled her down so she fell against his chest. "Not cool, Phil!"

"Remember what May said," he smirked, "Never underestimate your opponent," he warned her as he jumped up to his feet and reached out his hand; she took it and pulled her up. "How did you guys do?"

Chad nodded, "That mud course is brutal," he complained.

"Now you know how I feel," nodded Georgina as they walked over to Carter's training area. They watched as Carter jumped over the railing and stood to attention.

"Time," he called.

Captain Mitchell stopped the stopwatch, "Fifty-two seconds," he said, thoroughly impressed.

"What? Really?" Even Coulson had to double back and check the stopwatch, walking with Captain Mitchell towards the building to double-check the targets. He watched as Georgina jumped into Carter's arms, and he swung her around; a broad smile formed across his lips. Seeing her finally happy and having fun with her friends made a nice change.

Georgina giggled as Carter set her down, "Well done," she said.

"Best time so far, huh?" he began to hi-five everyone.

"Maria will be pissed if she knew someone beat her time," nodded Georgina.

Carter grinned as Dana passed him a water bottle, "Carter?" Captain Mitchell called him over as they all stood by the rescue rover.

"Yes sir," he saluted as Captain Mitchell and Coulson leant against the railings.

Captain Mitchell looked to the other rangers, "You may have had the fastest time," he began, turning to face Carter, "but you got the lowest score."

"The lowest? I… don't understand?"

"You have to take the time to use this," the captain pointed to his head, "Before you ever pick up a blaster."

Carter frowned, "but sir," he said. "I hit every target."

"Which means nothing," argued Captain Mitchell, "you didn't think everything through. Sometimes, the obvious choice is the wrong choice," he walked over to the technicians, telling them to pack up.

Coulson stood straight, "Sorry, Carter," patting his shoulder as he walked down the stairs towards the rangers, "Come on, let's get back to base."

"What did he do wrong?" asked Georgina as she followed her supervising officer.

Coulson stopped walking as soon as they were far enough from the rangers, "Carter didn't look around his surroundings," he began to explain, "he had hit a canister filled with flammable liquid," he watched as she widened her eyes, "he could've sent the whole building up in flames."

"Shit," she murmured, looking down to the ground as she noticed the rangers entering the rescue vehicle. "That's not good."

"No, it's not," he sighed and ordered, "Now go before they leave you. Do not tell Carter what I just told you…"

Georgina shook her head, "But Phil…"

"He needs to learn what he did wrong on his own," he answered, "if you give him any help, then Captain Mitchell's lesson would be all for nothing."

"Fine," she gave in and ran back to the rescue rover, jumping into the back next to Chad and Joel.

Chad looked at Georgina, "What was that all about?" he asked, watching her put on her seatbelt.

"Nothing," she shrugged it off. "Are we going back to the base or what?"

~0~

Upon returning to the aqua base, the six rangers excited the rescue rover and leisurely returned to their quarters. To lighten the mood, Kelsey said, "Hey, you know what? We never even asked Georgina what she wanted to be when she grew up?"

Joel nodded in agreement, "Yeah, did you always dream of being a secret agent?"

Georgina grinned and replied, "Not exactly," with a chuckle. "That is what they had planned for me."

"What do you mean?" Chad asked; this time, he was intrigued.

Georgina explained, "When I was eight, Fury and Captain Mitchell found me in the desert while searching for the demon's tomb."

"Do they know why you were alone in the desert?" Kelsey asked.

They paused in their stroll, and Georgina lowered her head, "I don't remember," she admitted. "Fury took me to the Triskelion, and Howard Stark took me in, but when they died in that car accident," a touch of sadness crept in her voice, "Lightspeed took me in until I was old enough to decide to train at the academy."

Kelsey backtracked, saying, "Wait, does this mean you know Tony Stark?"

Rolling her eyes, Georgina replied, "Yes, it does. And before you ask, the only contact we have with each other is during Christmas," she added, "and even then, it's through his assistant, Pepper. She sends me his card and gift, which I'm sure she buys for him."

"If you ever want to visit Tony whilst you are in California, I know where he lives," said Kelsey, "I can come with you."

Georgina furrowed her brow, considering the offer. "I might take you up on that," she said, linking arms with Kelsey, "but you will have to spill the beans on how you know Tony."

"We may have to save that story for later," Carter interrupted, the ground beneath them trembling.

They all glanced upward. "What was that?" Kelsey asked, bracing herself against the walls to maintain her balance.

"Could it be an earthquake?" Georgina speculated, scanning the corridors where other crew members clung to whatever they could.

Carter shook his head, "This isn't your run-of-the-mill earthquake," he said just as alarms blared. "Let's move, team!" he ordered, dashing back toward the cargo hold.

The remaining rangers exchanged glances, "he's still sore about failing his training," Chad observed.

"He'll bounce back," Georgina assured them. "Give him some time. But for now, let's get to the cargo hold before he blows a fuse." They all nodded in agreement and hurried down the corridor.

~0~

They ran to the narrow corridor and grabbed their jackets that hung on the hooks before rushing out to the rescue rover, "Are you ready, guys?"

"Always," Joel replied, a hint of enthusiasm in his voice. "But when do I get to drive this thing?"

Georgina and Kelsey turned to him, sharing amused glances. "Not until we drive it first," they said in unison. They then looked to Carter, who didn't respond but instead focused on getting them to the scene as fast as the speed limit could allow.

~0~

"I'll destroy Mariner Bay with an earthquake," the woman dressed like a sinister silver bat declared, pointing her sword at the batlings.

As they descended the stairs, Carter said, "Not if we can help it!"

"Well, well, if it isn't the Power Rangers," she said, placing a hand against her chest, "I am Vypra. I'm glad we've finally met—so I can destroy you!" With a swift motion, she directed her sword at them, "Batlings! Attack!"

Georgina prepared to confront the batlings, swiftly kicking them back. She surveyed the underground car park and saw Carter locked in combat with Vypra, "We need to help Carter," she said, punching at an approaching batling.

"I don't see how we can do that when they keep appearing out of nowhere," Joel remarked.

Dana scanned the area where she had last seen Carter, "Where did they go?"

"I don't like this," replied Georgina, as she roundhouse kicked another Batling, "I'm going to find him," once free, she darted up the stairs to the upper levels, catching a glimpse of Carter backing Vypra against a wall. Beneath a blanket, she noticed a canister filled with flammable liquid. "Carter, no!"

Vypra spotted the Purple Ranger and grinned, "Take this!" Her sword ignited, setting the floor around them ablaze. She smiled in victory as she vanished.

"Where'd she go?" Carter asked as Georgina rushed to pull him away from the flames. Suddenly, a dreadful creaking noise emanated from above. The two rangers looked up to see the ceiling was collapsing.

"No," Carter exclaimed, "The ceiling is coming down," he turned to Georgina, "We have to help them!"

Georgina struggled to swallow; her mouth was dry as cement, "No," she replied. "I'll go and help them; you extinguish the fire."

"We don't have enough time," Carter argued back.

'Listen to Georgina, Carter,' Coulson's voice came through the comm link.

Captain Mitchell concurred, 'Put out the fire first,' they watched the footage to see Georgina rushing to guide as many civilians as possible towards the fire exit.

"I have to get these people out of here before it's too late."

'Just do it!' Captain Mitchell yelled.

Carter gave in and quickly turned around, using his blaster to extinguish the fire, "It's going to be okay," he heard the redhead say as she rushed to a woman who was trying to shield her son from the crumbling ceiling, "I'll get you out of here."

"Georgina! You need to get them out of here," cried Carter as he watched the roof give way, but it was too late. She couldn't get to both of them in time. He helplessly watched as some of the rubble struck Georgina, causing her to de-morph upon impact. The boy fell to the floor with her, losing grip on his toy helicopter, which shattered upon hitting the ground. "Oh no! What have I done?"

The boy's mother approached the demorphed Ranger and her son, "Say something," she begged, assisting her son as he began to stir. "Say something."

"Gina!" Dana exclaimed as she rushed up the stairs, seeing Georgina's arm still wrapped tightly around the boy, "What happened?" She looked up to Carter as she knelt down.

Joel gently picked up the boy as he slowly regained consciousness, "Don't worry, Ma'am," he reassured her. "We'll take care of him."

"They both tried to save him," the mother muttered, still in shock as she watched Dana check the purple ranger's pulse. "She had pushed me out the way just in the nick of time."

Dana pressed a hand against Georgina's arm and checked for any sign of breathing, "She's still breathing," she said, "She'll be okay."

"Carter," Chad and Kelsey called out as the red ranger clenched his fists in frustration and stormed off.

Coulson's panicked voice came through the comms link, "Is Georgina okay?"

Dana sighed in relief, "The rubble just knocked her out," she sat on her knees as the ambulance crew approached, "We'll meet you at the hospital, Coulson."

~0~

Coulson paced back and forth alongside Georgina's hospital bed as the nurse completed her final observations. Fortunately, the Ranger suit had shielded her from the worst of the rubble; it had merely knocked her unconscious. "That was reckless," he scolded, the frustration was evident in his voice. "Incredibly reckless and thoughtless!"

"You would've done the same," she murmured, offering a faint smile to the nurse who had just finished checking her blood pressure before leaving the room. "I couldn't let Carter fight Vypra on his own."

"You are training to become a specialist," Coulson argued, "Isolation is their speciality."

Georgina raised her eyebrow, a hint of defiance in her gaze, "Maybe I'm just tired of being friendless. Did you ever consider that?"

"You don't have to put yourself in harm's way just to make friends," Coulson snapped.

"I kind of do," she gave him a sly smile, "It's part of my new job description."

Coulson glared at her, "Don't be coy with me."

"Hey," Dana knocked; they looked up in surprise as Dana, Chad, Kelsey, and Joel piled into the hospital room. "We've come to see how you are?"

Georgina grinned, "Hey," she greeted, and Dana walked over to Coulson's side. "Apart from feeling like several pieces of rubble just hit me, I'm fine."

"Several pieces of rubble did hit you," Chad pointed out, his smile fading as Coulson glared at the blue ranger.

"Where's Carter?" Georgina asked as she scanned the line of rangers, trying to see if he was with them.

They all exchanged glances, "We haven't seen him since the accident."

"That wasn't an accident," she corrected Kelsey, "Vypra noticed the canister of flammable liquid and set the carpark on fire," she sat up in her bed. "It wasn't Carter's fault."

Coulson turned to her, "I told you to let him learn from Captain Mitchell's lesson," he snapped, "not to go in all guns blazing."

"As you said," she argued, "I'm training to be a specialist. I tried my best to spot all the risks and stop them from happening," she watched the others awkwardly smile in response. "You guys don't have to wait for me," she said. "The Doctor is just going to fetch my discharge paperwork, then I'll head back to the base."

Coulson smiled at the rangers, "I'll take her back home."

"See you back at base," they all smiled; Joel walked over and patted her arm before quickly running after the rangers.

"Do you think there is something between Coulson and Gina?" Kelsey asked as Joel finally joined them. "I know he is meant to be her handler, but he seems overprotective of her."

Chad shrugged, "I didn't notice…"

"To be fair, you wouldn't even be able to spot if someone was flirting with you, Chad," Joel remarked, patting his shoulder.

"Fair point," he murmured. They all stopped as their morphers beeped, and Miss Fairweather's voice came over the comm link and stated that Vypra was back at the carpark. "We are on our way."

~0~

Coulson slowly walked down the hospital corridor with Georgina after the Doctor had officially discharged her. They were approaching the main corridor when she saw the Red Ranger slip into the boy's room.

"Go," said Coulson, "I'll pay for the car parking and meet you at the front with Lola."

"I'm so sorry," she heard Carter murmur as she walked to the room. "If I had just gotten to you in time."

She leaned against the door and gently tapped on it, "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," Carter turned, smiling as he saw her. "How are you? Are you alright?"

"Just a few bruises and broken bones," she shrugged it off with a smirk. "I'm kidding about the broken bones. Do you think Coulson would let me walk out of this hospital if I had?" she sat in the free chair beside him, "How is he?"

Carter shrugged, "I've not been able to find a Doctor to ask," he said, "his mother has gone to get some food whilst I watch over him."

"It wasn't your fault," she said, gently nudging him with her elbow, "Vypra saw the canister and took advantage of the situation."

"I know," he sniffed, "Captain Mitchell explained it to me," he noticed her look of surprise, "I went back to the carpark to find out what I did wrong," he backtracked, "What I could've done differently."

Georgina sighed, "Did you know that the academy trains us specialists to be the solution?" She asked, "They teach us to plan out every scenario and have a backup plan for that backup plan, but there are times we can't even predict what will happen," she watched as Carter studied her closely, "Like today. I didn't know I couldn't get to him in time; I had mostly let my adrenaline take over," she huffed. "I am trying to say that we can't plan every scenario and expect a specific outcome."

"I get that," said Carter, turning to face the boy, "where are the other rangers?"

"They had to leave," she answered, "Vypra is back at the carpark. I presume to pick up where she left off?"

Carter quickly stood up, "Do you mind if you stay with him?" He asked, "I promised the mother I would be here until she returns, but the others…"

"They need you," she agreed, "as long as you tell Coulson that I'm staying here for the time being, he's gone to pay for the car parking charge and bring Lola out front."

"I will," nodded Carter, "Thanks Gina," he quickly ran out of the hospital room.

Georgina nodded, "Anytime."

~0~

After defeating Vypra's demon, Carter rushed back to the boy's hospital room, tightly gripping the present he had brought for him on his way there. "Oh no," his smile faded as he realised the bed was empty.

"Carter?" He spun around to hear Georgina's voice behind him to see her standing with the boy, holding tightly onto her hand. "Someone wanted to stay to see you."

As he studied the boy, Carter dropped to his knees, "You're okay?"

"Thanks to you," he grinned widely, "Someday when I grow up, I'm going to be just like you," the two rangers smiled in relief.

Georgina chuckled, "That's not a bad idea," she commented, noticing Coulson walking down the corridor with Captain Mitchell.

"Oh," Carter realised he still had the present in his hand, "I've got you this!"

The boy took it from his hands, "Thanks," he shook the present to figure out what was inside when Carter gently gathered into his arms and lifted him into his arms.

"You got it from here?" She asked, placing a hand on Carter's shoulder.

Carter nodded, "I got him," he grinned, "Thank you, Gina, I owe you one."

"You owe me several," she pointed out and began to walk over to Coulson and Captain Mitchell, "Can we go home now? I'm starving; the hospital food was a pile of shite…"

Coulson chuckled, "I thought you liked Jello?"

"I do," she said, "but they didn't even have my favourite one in stock."

"The outrage," declared Captain Mitchell, "We need to launch a full investigation."

Georgina glared at him, "Don't make fun of me," she said, "it was an actual crisis."