Before we begin, I need to thank all you patient readers for the love and interest you're giving the story. A slew of problems have plauged me, on top of courses and job-hunting.
Which is why we are once again opening the board to/ pleding for co-writers so as to get this story updated and rolling sooner rather than later, because apparently the universe has some desire for it to take foreve
Enough rambling; read and enjoy.
Power
Peter looked over the list of supplies he needed for what he hoped would become his science fair convention project. Scratch that, his and Kimberly's project. He was still getting used to that.
He had spent all of Sunday scouring the junk yard and pawn shops, jotting down notes as tehy came to him and walking around liek a chicken with his head cut off. The fair was a week away, and with no planned crime-fighting, he'd have more than enough time to get everything done. However, since he couldn't use his web-shooters to get around, instead relying on a map, this kind of made him revert to rhe anxious boy he had been prior to the spider-bite.
He'd already found enough wires and framework to patch something together...
"Hey there, Parker!"
Peter turned to see Zack sitting on a hill with a bemused look on his face.
"Shopping for science fair parts?"
Surprised by the answer in how close it was, Peter nodded.
"I know a few spots in the yard that might have what you're looking for."
"...Really?"
Peter kept his distance; he'd been duped like this before in elementary and junior high school; something he'd like to forget.
"Oh relax. I'm not going to do anything to ya." Zack assured our hero. "I'm on my way there for some parts, saw you running around and figured...hey, might as well. Look, gimme 10 minutes of your time. If you ain't satisfied, you can up and go. Cool?"
Peter decided to put a little trust in Zack and followed him. Sure enough, he did find a great deal of spare bits; some great insulators, a Geiger counter in decent shape and a few converters.
"...Thanks for this." Peter said. "And...Sorry for, ya know..."
Zack shrugged it off.
"I wasn't the nicest guy to you..." He mused before shooting Peter a sympathetic look. "They git you bad, didn't tehy?"
Peter rose an eyebrow.
"The bullies, i mean." Zack clarified, a sense of shame in his form. "For you to know how to dodge so well, not trusting folks trying to help out..."
An uncomfortable silence overcame the two boys.
"Yeah." Peter said. "And so do you."
Zack smirked
"It that obvious?"
"Not to most." Peter assured him. "But you and me? We're more alike then you think."
And soon, that statement would be so true.
"Hey, what are you even needing all the pieces for?"
"That..." Peter declared with a smile. "...is classified."
Zack's eyes went wide before he chuckled.
"Really?"
"Really, really."
"Not even a hint?"
Peter decided he'd had enough fun.
"Honestly, Kim hasn't even okayed what I've got in mind...But if you really want to know, come and check out the fair on Friday."
Zack smiled again.
"Then you better make it worth staying school for then."
Peter smiled back, and the two shook hands.
"So, about Kim..." Zack mused as they began to walk out of the junkyard. Peter already kmowing where this conversation was going, rolled his eyes as Zack continued:
"I already got dibs on Trin, so go for.."
"She doesn't like guys." Peter cut him off. "Trini I mean. Accoridng to Billy, anyways"
A silence fell over the room at that revelation, before Zack, rtying to look cool about it all, asked:
"And how does he know?"
Peter shrugged, indifferent to the whole thing.
"Maybe us brainiacs spend so much time sitting alone in the cafeteria that we can pick up on things like that. Well, I still got a few parts to buy." Peter mused, enjoying his victory over Zack. "Tahnks again for everything, I'll see you tomorrow."
Zack just stood there in shock for a few more minutes before remembering what he had popped into the store for.
PR-SM
Peter relished his little victory over Zack, daydreams of doing the same with Flash filling his head.
'That'd be the day.' Peter mused. 'That'd be my second birthday or Christmas.'
He realized he had kind of done that, so he edited the daydreams so that Flash was quiet for a whole darn day.
'Oh, forget my day...that'd be my music! No more 'P#### Parker.'
Our web-slinging hero was so into his thoughts he failed to notice
"Hey moron, why don't you watch where you're...! Pete?"
That voice seemed familiar...
"Trini?"
The two teens, sprawled on the floor, realized their situation and leapt to their feet in embrassment. Peter helped Trini gather up the few things taht had dropped out of her backpack as she handed him back a frame-piece.
"Sorry about that!" Peter assured her weakly. "I was just..."
"Doing some shopping for the fair, I take it?" She guessed, an amused grin on her face as she spied all teh junk Peter was carrying. "Looks like you got enough to bulid just about anything with all that gear. Kimberly helping out on that?"
Peter chuckled weakly
"Not...exactly. I have an idea and wanted to get started... Haven't seen or heard from her all day, not used to the town layout and only have a week so I want to get started and now I realize I'm rambling."
Trini chuckled before spying someplace.
"Hey, if you're not too busy with all that, you want to grab a coffee? I was going for a 3:00 pick-me up..."
PR SM
And so, here they were, grabbing a cup of coffee together and just chatting about life in general.
"Must be nice." Peter smiled weakly after his company finished a story about how her younger brother had gotten into a collection of her's and done something to it. "You having a little brother..."
"He's a pain in the butt" Trini corrected him. "But...Can't deny it, I love that little pain. You an only kid?"
"In the whole meaning of the world." Peter mused as he took out his phone. "Just me and my Aunt now."
Trini whistled at the sight of May Parker
"Yeah, she gets that a lot." Peter sighed as he took a sip indignantly.
"What happened to your...?" Trini started before stopping herself. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to; I'm sorry, it just...
"No problem." Peter waved it off. "My folks died in a plane crash when I was a baby, and my..."
He paused. Suddenly it hurt to even think about Uncle Ben. Pushing away those happy, beloved memories, Peter took a big sip of coffee.
"Sorry."
"Don't be." Trini assured him. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
They sat in silence for a while before Peter broke it
"What were you doing out about?"
"Just needed some air and to get away from my family." Trini confessed. "They have my whle life planned out in their eyes, and it gets so suffocating sometimes, ya know?"
Peter smiled weakly and nodded. His smile grew when he saw Trini smiling at him warmly.
"You know, you're the first guy I can talk to without worrying about him flirting with me." She said. "Thanks for that."
Peter's face broke into a blush and he chuckled weakly.
"Well, living with my aunt?" He mused. "You pick up a thing or two. Plus, i just got over..."
Oh boy.
He'd been dreading this.
Liz Allen finally entered his thoughts in full: their talks, their dances, the almosts...
"She was lucky."
Trini's comment brought Peter out of his funk.
"Whoever she...or he, was." She clarified. "Whatever happened, they're missing out on something great with you."
Peter's whole mood brightened immensely.
"You really think so?"
Trini nodded.
"You're smart, can make people laugh, you care about people and you have big dreams and goals. But, i can also tell that you're willing to put aside things for others to." She chuckled. "And I barley know you. If more guys were like you, I might be more inclined to accept dates."
The two teens chuckled as tehy clunked their mugs together and finished their coffees. Trini glanced at her phone.
"I better start heading back. Nice to talk with you, Peter."
"You too Trini." Peter replied when he saw it was getting close to dinnertime. "Hey, um...you need company?"
Trini gave Peter a surprised look before smiling knowingly.
"Is Peter Parker worried about little old me?" She teased.
"Just trying to be a gentleman about all this." Peter teased back with a bow. "So?"
Trini smirked.
"Rain check, nerd-o." She smiled. "Some other time.
Peter nodded in understanding and the two went their seperate ways; Trini back home and Peter to the Scotts residence.
PR-SM
"I was beginning to worry about you, little roos." Tony said on Skype that night afetr a dinner which Jason had been absent from. "Need a ring-bearer and all."
Peter chuckled at Mr. Stark's words before realizing he was serious.
"Is this line secure?"
Peter nodded, shifting the camera enough to show it was dark in the living room.
"You got an update?" Tony asked, not in the mood for beating around the bush.
"On the energy or it's source, no." Peter confessed. "But, on the subject of my project for the science fair..."
"Not giving you any tips." tony bluntly added as a bell rang.
"I'm not asking for any." Peter assured him. "Well, maybe asking for an...okay?"
Tony rose a brow in interest.
"Go on...but make it snappy, we ordered in and i refuse to eat room-level warm pizza."
Peter took a deep breath, straightened his form and explained the situation:
"I'm thinking of creating a make-shift battery powered with the energy in the caves. If not that, it'll just turn air into power."
Tony's brow remained in place.
"It's just..." Peter began to ramble. "I got stuck with this cheerleader as my partner, so i have to dumb it down, but I still want to impress the judges and do something that hasn't been done before, then i realized you have the Arc reactor and hold the patent on it and i don't want any troub...!"
'Peter." Tony finally cut him off.
The man formerly known as 'Iron Man' and or the 'Merchant of death' smiled.
"Go for it and knock 'em dead."
Peter's eyes widened and glistened at the words of his mentor.
"Don't actually knock anyone dead, please." Tony added suddenly. "Seriously. Don't. Karen, I'm looking at you."
The AI didn't respond
"Keep safe, Peter." Tony smiled as he ended the chat.
The boy then yawned and looked at the designs he had drawn up just before he got another call.
"Hey Aunt May!" Peter beamed
"Hey, kiddo!" His aunt smiled. "Keeping busy, i take it? How's Angel's Grove?"
"Not too bad; a;ready made a couple of friends."
"Any cute girls?" May teased, delighting in seeing her nephew blush.
"Well, there is one..." Peter admitted, "But's she more into girls."
May's teasing smile softened, but not too much.
"So, you talked with the principal, huh?" Peter mused. "left quite an impact on him."
"Darn right I did!" May frowned. "The only flies you;d ever hurt were supercriminals, and all you did was dodge anyways. That moron...!"
Peter let his aunt rant for a good half hour before anothe yawn escaped him.
"I'll let you go now." May realized. "BUT CALL ME TOMORROW, BUSTER! GOT IT!"
"Yes, Aunt May." Peter weakly smiled. "I love you."
"I love you too."
PR SM
That night, the lives of Jason, Billy, Kimberly, Trini and Zack were forever changed, while Peter Parker started building the framework of his science project.
The next day would mark the beginning of a new phrase in the six teenagers' lives; one of action, suspense, intrigue...and in some cases, romance.
To be continued...
LAST filler chapter. Everything from here on out is the events of the movie and (depending on how the co-creator and fans feel) maybe even more. Speaking of which; confession time: I HAVE YET TO SEE THE POWER RANGERS MOVIE IN FULL! That's right, was writing this by the skin off my teeth and basic plot understanding, but that all changes next chapter.
And not to worry, dear shippers of Peter and Trini; true couple moments are incoming and suggestions for such are welcomed.
Once again, we thank all you loyal readers and fans and welcome co-writing as as to get the ball rolling and allow this story to be updated more often...as well as enable me to keep up my job-hunting and other fics. Simply PM me if you're interested.
Read and review, would ye kindly?