The blinding nausea of the teleportation faded as the world returned with wavering focus. Nicole blinked away the last spots from her vision and was greeted by the shimmering skyline of Minneapolis. It was a sight for sore eyes after nearly a week away. Had she missed the Sylan attack, or had Maraline’s absence stalled out the coming assault?
Questions to ask once they were somewhere safe. Given the woman now standing beside her, that meant few places on the surface. Nicole didn’t recognize the area they had arrived in, but it wasn’t hard to get her bearings by checking the skyline. Anoka would be to the north-west if she had it correct.
Maraline looked about, eyes first to the pitch black sky where not one star could pierce the light pollution, then her nose scrunched up as she took a deep breath. “I will never understand why your people insisted upon polluting the world like this.”
“Some people put profit over the welfare of the world,” Nicole said softly. “You know, when the Sylan first attacked, I had hoped it would at least unite the world in a singular purpose.”
“It did not,” Maraline said, a statement, but one that lacked understanding.
“Not at all. People still fear other humans they don’t understand, either through ignorance or pure intolerance. Look at Grace. Her family rejected her for being different. Such is the nature of humanity, we fear that we don’t understand.”
“And are unwilling to learn about those you do not,” Maraline said, grasping the other side of the coin. “You do not share this flaw.”
Nicole could only laugh. “Oh, I do. I think all of humanity has it in some form or other. You see, anyone who is prejudiced against people like myself or Becca? I will jump their asses at the first sign of their bigotry. I did it to Devon when he stuck his foot in his mouth, and looking back, I can admit I was heavy handed about it.”
“You don’t sound apologetic,” Maraline said.
A scoff was her answer. “Not really. Did I go overboard? Yeah. Was I wrong to do it? Not at all. Ideas like that need to be confronted and challenged, otherwise people think they are okay to spout whenever. It’s how intolerance gains footing and social acceptance.”
“It is also how one galvanizes others against them,” Maraline said. “As I tried to do with you.”
Nicole snorted. “So you did, and yet, I still tried to understand you.”
“Not at first,” Maraline said, though it was a bit teasing. “I still remember your little speech that first time we met after the faire. What was it you said again?” Maraline shifted her stance, and Nicole could only cover her face in embarrassment for what was about to come. “Send your armies and monsters. I’ll throw myself at them each and every time, until I can no longer do so.”
Maraline stumbled as Nicole shoved her away, laughing the entire time. As embarrassing as it was, it also humanized the Sylan in ways that few things could. Maraline was a person, that much was so clear, one with wants and fears, and she was putting her trust in Nicole to keep her safe.
“Come on,” Nicole said, ignoring her bemused friend. “We should get back to my place before someone realizes you’re the feared Sylan General.”
Maraline wiped a spot of moisture from her eye. “Something tells me they couldn’t imagine me laughing like this.”
“Probably not,” Nicole agreed, already reaching within for that now familiar sensation. Light that wasn’t washed over her and the Black Ranger stood once more. “Come on, princess, let’s get you somewhere less conspicuous.”
“You are not carrying me.”
Nicole shrugged. “Are your enhancements working now? Can you keep up with me?”
And there was the expected pout. “No.”
Her movements were barely a blur as she scooped Maraline up in her arms with an indignant squeak, then wiped the glare from her face as she burst into motion. The city blurred around them, and Nicole was surprised that Maraline hadn’t screamed like so many would during her search and rescue work.
The sights quickly turned familiar as she tore through the distance, and soon enough she was leaping over the Mississippi and into Anoka proper. The college stood as it always did, with a few students mulling about. None caught the blur of black against the void of the night sky as Nicole set feet on the rooftop of her dorm, silent as a rogue should be.
Maraline immediately squirmed to be free of her grasp, her own boots touching down with a rather loud crunch. Nicole let her transformation drop, the power bleeding away with her very breath. She hadn’t wanted to spend days within the bowels of the ship training, but she had to admit that learning to control her new power would prove useful enough in the days to come.
Checking the pouch at her side, Nicole retrieved the transponder within. The device still shone with light, signaling that it had indeed retained its own power despite the morph. Proof of The Progenitor’s knowledge of the Source and the tech that it powered. She was quick to return it to the pouch, the fabric lined with something that shielded it from giving off the energy.
That there were ways to track the energy shouldn’t have surprised her, it was no doubt how the Sylan knew to send their machines after Rangers. Putting that aside, Nicole made her way over to the rooftop access and reached into a shaded alcove that would normally go unnoticed. Inside was a single key that she had stashed to allow them quick access in the event they needed to hurry to an emergency.
“That is poor security,” Maraline said as she eyed the key.
Nicole just smiled as she unlocked the door. “Who do you think left it there? It’s not like many others are going to be landing on the roof and trying to gain entrance.”
“Fair point,” Maraline conceded as the door swung open. “How likely am I to be recognized?”
Taking a moment to look over the former General, Nicole nodded. “You’re far less put together than normal. No makeup, your clothes aren’t the elaborate dresses or armor you’re known for either. If anyone pays too close attention, I’ll come up with something to cover.”
Part of her hoped someone would ask, it would be all too easy to do so when Maraline currently looked like a girl who got wasted at the club and had only just started to sober up. Her dress was stained, if largely intact, and her makeup was long since washed off.
Hitting the halls, Nicole kept an eye out for anyone that might recognize her, but she found them blessedly deserted. That alone was strange as Blake usually threw grand parties unless classes were heavy in the morning. Given it was probably a weekday and she had been missing for a week, who knew what had changed in that time.
“You seem troubled,” Maraline said as she followed. “Is it not a good thing that others seem to be avoiding the halls?”
Nicole shook her head. “No, it’s a good thing, just a bit strange.”
Maraline hummed, but didn’t comment.
Nicole made it down the stairs and to the floor her dorm room was on. She’d never missed her own bed as much as she currently did, even if the conjured bed that The Progenitor had provided was beyond expectations. She could do without the ancient clothes that would look out of place even in a Renfaire. The black pants weren’t the worst, but the leather vest over the Sinclair Industries under armor was a bit much, and all of it was in her standard black. At least she was able to keep her boots.
Maraline’s own outfit was a royal blue dress that wasn’t far off from the one she’d worn when they first met. She always looked regal in such outfits, yet it was her battle regalia that stood out the most in Nicole’s mind. She hadn’t even fought the woman, but instead her mentor, and yet it still stuck in her memory.
Arriving at her dorm, Nicole cursed when she remembered leaving her keys in Grace’s car. She knocked on the door and waited, then knocked again. After several moments it became clear that Becca wasn’t at their shared dorm. Sighing, Nicole turned and made her way to Grace’s dorm. If nothing else her roommate should know something.
“That was your room?” Maraline asked as they hurried along.
Nicole grunted in agreement. “It was, but I left my key with Grace before that whole fight in the fields. I’m going to check her room next.”
The room was on the first floor, and on the opposite side of the building besides. This time she did see others, but aside from a curious glance, none of them really paid the pair any attention. That alone raised Nicole’s hackles, but she pressed on. She needed information, and all she could do was go from place to place until she found someone who might know something.
Approaching Sinclair was a last resort, but one she would consider if all else failed.
“I’m surprised you don’t dwell with her,” Maraline said.
Nicole sighed. “You’re not the only one. We’ve talked about it, but hadn’t made any definitive plans.”
The arrival at their room and knocking on the door stalled any response that Maraline might have had for her. The door didn’t open right away, but Nicole did hear shuffling inside which caused her shoulders to sag in relief. She hadn’t even realized how wound up she was in the face of the coming conversations. She was in full fight mode, ready for anything that came her way, even a certain Sylan Commander on the warpath.
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The door cracked open, and Nicole noted the chain still in place. It wasn’t the standard chain, but one which was far thicker and she had little doubt it was built to survive a good mule kick from some asshole jocks looking to make a scene. Blue eyes looked back and Nicole gave her best smile to the somewhat familiar girl on the other side.
“Hey Lisa, is Grace in?”
“Holy shit,” Lisa hissed, quickly shutting the door before the sound of chains clinking sounded, muffled by the shut door. Maraline seemed concerned but Nicole could only shrug as the door flew open. The short haired girl grabbed her arm and pulled her inside. Maraline followed with a bemused smirk as the door was shut behind them and the lock was clipped back into place. “Grace asked me to call her the moment you showed back up, but she seemed worried that it wouldn’t happen…”
“That tracks,” Nicole said with a sigh. “How much did she tell you?”
Lisa glanced at Maraline, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of the pale woman whose alien features were largely hidden by her hair at present, yet she was still recognizable if one knew her well enough.
“She showed me her watch when she got back with someone important,” Lisa said carefully, clearly nervous about saying too much around an unknown woman.
When Nicole sagged in relief, the lingering tension left Lisa as well. “Good, that means Sarah is safe. After that little disaster I wasn’t sure what might have happened.”
“You aren’t the only one that came looking for her,” Lisa said. “Some detectives claiming to be with the FBI asked about her a few days ago, not to mention the normal cops stopping by twice a day.”
Well, that was less than convenient, but hardly unexpected.
“I’m guessing her parents have been stirring up no small amount of shit then,” Nicole said with a resigned sigh as she leaned back against the wall. “How bad is it and have our faces hit the evening news?”
Lisa shook her head. “No. Someone named Sinclair apparently stepped in and helped keep things out of the news. Grace mentioned it last time she spoke to me.”
“Where is she?” Nicole asked, failing to keep her hammering heart under control.
Again Lisa glanced at Maraline first, then to the blades barely hidden under Nicole’s flared vest. “Those blades, they’re the ones Grace made for you?”
“They are,” Nicole confirmed.
“Then bring them to where she made them,” Lisa said, giving the only clue Nicole needed to know.
“Thanks,” Nicole said with a sigh. “Now I just need to figure out how the hell I’m getting over there…”
The forge was nearly an hour outside the city, which would be hell without a car. Sure, she could morph, but bringing Maraline with would make for an uncomfortable journey for them both, which meant she needed to get in touch with the team first and see if anyone was still in the city or if they had all gone to ground.
“Did she leave an emergency number with you?” Nicole asked.
Lisa bit her lip. “Not a number per-se, but she did mention that Green was in the city and had her phone with her.”
A shuddering breath escaped as Nicole said a silent prayer of thanks to anything listening that she wouldn’t need to run nearly fifty miles in one go. “Can I borrow your phone?”
Lisa blinked, then smacked her forehead as she hurried over to one of the kitchen cabinets, pulling a thing of oatmeal out before shoving her hand deep into it and removing an old flip phone from the grains.
“A burner,” Nicole said, her voice flat and lips tight.
A blush came to the sandy blonde’s face as she held it out. “Sorry, she kinda hid it there in a rush on her way out and it only just came back to me.”
“It’s fine,” Nicole lied. The stress of everything was wearing on her and it would take a moment for the relief to set in. No numbers were programmed into the phone, but she had made sure to memorize each belonging to her teammates. Kayla’s number was punched in and dialed.
She picked up on the first ring. “This better be important.”
Nicole couldn’t help it, she laughed. “Good to hear from you as well.”
“Oh shit, Nicole! You’re okay!”
“I’ve been better,” she admitted. “Took the long way back home but I made it.”
Kayla said something in the background before returning to the call. “I’m guessing you’re at the dorms, well, you need to leave. Cops have been crawling all over the place looking for you and Grace.”
“Got it,” Nicole said with a sigh. “Think you can swing by and pick me up somewhere?”
“Yeah, Colin’s little shop isn’t far, meet me there in about thirty,” Kayla said. “We’ll head straight for our little safe house after that.”
“Good,” Nicole said, tension fleeing from her before it returned tenfold. “Just don’t freak out, I’ve had a bit of an adventure and a long story to tell besides. Promise you’ll hear me out?”
Kayla laughed. “Careful. You might just convince me you and a certain general hooked up if you keep talking like that.”
Nicole froze even as her friend ended the call, leaving Nicole with a tension headache from hell that made her want to slam her head against the wall. Rather than do that, she handed the phone to Maraline.
“Hold onto that, just to be safe,” she said. “Last thing we need is for it to die when shit hits the fan.”
“Understood,” Maraline said, holding it close.
Right, she didn’t have pockets for it. “Thanks. Lisa, I’d suggest heading home if you can, better to make yourself scarce if the Feds are poking around.”
“Yeah, probably a good idea,” Lisa said with a pained sigh. “Just promise you’ll keep safe. This city wouldn’t be here without you.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Nicole said, pushing aside the mix of feelings she had at that statement. She considered asking about any attacks she missed, but held off. She could catch up with her team soon, so she could wait until then.
She was out the door a moment later, a Sylan General following on her heel. She hadn’t said anything through that exchange, yet Nicole could feel the questions just begging to be asked. Well, there would be many of those to go around in the coming hours, and Nicole wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower and crawl into bed.
Pity the universe seemed out to keep her from getting what she wanted as a rather familiar girl met her at the door. Their eyes locked and Nicole’s stomach dropped when the surprise shifted to actual recognition.
“Sorry,” Nicole said quickly, “we’re in a bit of a hurry.”
There wasn’t enough time in the day to be dealing with this, especially with a rogue Sylan clinging to her heel. Much as Nicole wanted to check in with the girl she’d helped, this really wasn’t the time for it.
Unfortunately, the young woman could really pull off the puppy dog eyes thing as she held her hands in front of her and looked bashful as all hell. “I just wanted to talk for a minute. Unless, oh, you’re busy busy, aren’t you?”
The girl actually recoiled back slightly as she jumped to that conclusion, yet it wasn’t wrong, just concerning that she knew Nicole was a Ranger.
“What do you mean?” Nicole asked, though her voice was resigned to dealing with this situation.
The woman blinked, then her eyes flicked towards Maraline and widened. “Oh, right. Um…”
Sighing, Nicole shook her head. “Let’s find somewhere out of the way then.”
Looking around, she started walking without checking to see if the woman was following. Nicole was trying to recall her name, but was drawing a blank. It was very possible that she hadn’t gotten a name through the whole situation. She spotted an empty study room and checked the door, finding it unlocked.
“Mara, can you watch the door for us?” Nicole asked. Maraline blinked, be it at the nickname or the request she wasn’t sure, then the Sylan nodded with a soft smile. Nicole gestured for the woman to step inside, then followed, shutting the door behind them. The woman flinched at the sound of the door closing.
“Sorry about the ominous nature of this,” Nicole said, flicking on the lights. “Also, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Brandi,” she said, her eyes looking anywhere but at Nicole. “It was my nickname long before I made it my legal name.”
Legal? Oh, right. Brandi had mentioned being trans, which would explain changing her name.
“You don’t have to share that information if you don’t want to,” Nicole said with a smile. “I’m an ally regardless.”
“I know,” Brandi whispered. “Your roommate is part of the local trans meetups, she spoke well of you the few times we got to talk.”
It was a bit of a surprise that Becca talked about her at those meetings, she didn’t really discuss them much during the times they spent together. Not that they saw much of each other since Nicole became a Ranger, and Rebecca’s ‘internship’ kept her away most nights.
“What did you need me for?” Nicole asked.
Brandi looked away, biting her lip. “It’s about the other day.”
“I heard about the shooting,” Nicole said.
There was no point in volunteering her identity to someone, even if it was barely a secret at this point. Nicole knew that making a scene like that in front of everyone was just asking for it to get out, especially after Grace morphed and stepped in, but that didn’t mean she was going to help it along further.
“Ugh, are we really going to play this game?” Brandi whined, her shoulders dropping. “Nicole, I know that was you that talked me down. The entire campus knows you’re the Black Ranger. The government might be deleting footage, but they can’t stop word of mouth.”
“Fuck,” Nicole said, slumping back against the wall. She’d been afraid that might happen, but she’d hoped that people hadn’t been paying close attention. “Guess I was pretty blatant about it.”
“You have the body of a goddess, people pay attention to you,” Brandi said with a soft smile. “Not to mention your girlfriend put on a light show in front of hundreds of witnesses.”
A loud groan was her only answer to that as she cupped her face and slid down the wall until she was seated on the floor. Like, Nicole knew her identity was flimsy, but she just had to be cavalier with it. It wasn’t her fault that watching cops standby and do nothing was a hot button in her life. Back in high school her bullies never feared repercussions, because they did whatever the hell they wanted regardless of witnesses and got away with it every time.
“If it makes you feel better,” Brandi said, laying a gentle hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “I’m very thankful you stepped in. You probably saved my life, and saved my reputation as well. That bastard wanted me dead for ‘tricking’ him, and his buddies were intent on making sure the cops gunned me down.”
Nicole snorted. “Like those pussies were about to go in while shots were still being fired. They were going to wait another half hour after that shot, then hope they found you dead of a self-inflicted.”
There was a beat of silence, then Brandi pulled Nicole into a hug before she spoke in a near whisper right next to Nicole’s ear. “I was minutes away from just that when you arrived. I was spiraling, and you pulled me out of it. So, thank you. You saved my life and I can never repay that.”
Grabbing the girl and returning the hug, Nicole allowed herself to cry. She’d paid it forward, saved someone from being killed by bullies. It wasn’t much, but she’d impacted a life positively, and that meant the world to the former victim.
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