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Bonus 1
Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Disney Entertainment and/or Saban Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not expect to make a profit. If I do, I promise to split it 50/50 with the Disney people. I swear, I do. All original characters are mine, and I do have permission to use them.
A/N: Jodie Stanton, Matthew, High Commander Nicole Reiner and Commander Stanton are all characters from Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, though some of them were lesser known than others. Jodie appears in episode 708, �The Blue Crush� and again in episode 725, �Blue to the test�. Matthew appears only once in the series, episode 705, �Homesick�
Take a sec to review too, I live for those.
Katherine and Hayley
Reefside, California 2008 AD
�Are you going to be okay here by yourself? Those things might come back,� TJ mentioned.
She nodded, smiling slightly. �I can take care of myself. The two of you go, and may the power protect you,� she said.
TJ helped Conner up, and the two of them headed out the front door. Kat walked over to the window, or rather what was left of it, watching as the two of them got into the Lightning Cruiser and drove away. Once they were gone, Kat headed into the kitchen, going through the box on the kitchen table and pulling out her zeoniers.
Katherine quickly headed over to the phone, picking it up phone and dialing.
�Hello? Hey, it�s me. I�m going to need a favor...�
�I had a feeling I might be hearing from you. What do you need?�
�I need a shuttle.�
�A shuttle? For what?�
�I know Tommy is going to meet the other rangers at the NASADA spaceport, and they�re going to go after whoever did this. I need to go, too.�
�Kat... I- don�t know if...�
�Hayley, whoever did this kidnapped Kimmy. I have to do this.�
�I�d love to help you, but what makes you think I have a shuttle just lying around?�
�I know you know someone who can give me access to a shuttle. Don�t you still have your connections in Lightspeed Rescue?�
�Yeah, they owe me big. I just talked to Mrs. Rawlings a while ago about working on some morphers. I suppose I could call in a favor from Captain Mitchell, but I don�t think they have shuttles capable of going where you need to go. If anything, you should talk to High Commander Renier from the Terra Venture project. I�m sure she�ll have something to get you where you�re going.�
�Okay, where do I find her?�
�She lives on Mirinoi now, but I know she�s here on Earth today visiting my father. We could talk to her, see if she can help.�
�Thanks Hayley. I�m on my way there.�
**
High Commander Nicole Renier was, to say the least, one of the most influential people in the world. She, along with a small group of others, were given credit for the original concept of Terra Venture, and for successfully executing that plan. It took over three years to build Terra Venture, another year to determine who would be allow to travel to the New World and who would remain on Earth, and then a year for them to travel from Earth to the New World. Through it all, High Commander Reiner was the official spokeswoman for the project.
Back on Earth, on the day that was proclaimed �Terra Venture Day�, High Commander Reiner was the guest of honor. There, she gave a speech about honor and sacrifice, about bravely moving mankind into the next step in human evolution. She appeared on several television programs talking about the success of the project; she�d written many books on the subject, and was voted in as president of the New World. To say she was important to the development of the future of mankind was an understatement, but to Hayley, she would always be Auntie Nicole.
Hayley and her younger sister, Jodie, grew up with her. Nicole Reiner and Hayley�s mother went to high school together. Later, she went on to work with her father at the Terra Venture project. As a child, Hayley remembered Auntie Nicole babysitting her. She credited her love of science to that time with her, as well. For years, she listened to her father and Reiner talk about �the project�, about how to get it off the ground, how to make things work. When Terra Venture officially launched, Hayley knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She went to her mother, asking to be allowed to go to MIT and pursue her love for science and technology. While there, she met Tommy Oliver, and the two of them became close friends. Hayley received several degrees while at MIT, and when she graduated, Reiner offered her a job on Terra Venture, but she respectfully declined. By then, Tommy had already discovered the dino gems, and Hayley knew he would need her help in order to access, contain and maintain the power.
Still, she did her best to keep in touch with Reiner as much as she could. It was rare that she was on Earth; maybe once or twice a year, but when she was, Hayley did her best to visit her.
�So, when was the last time you saw her?� Kat asked as they drove, breaking her train of thought.
�Huh? Oh, Auntie Nicole? I saw her about a year ago at a science convention in Stone Canyon. She was talking about Terra Venture and the differences between Earth and Mirinoi,� she said.
�Did you ever tell her about your little secret?�
�You mean about working on the morphers? No. I was sure if I did, she�d want to see my research and there would be a lot of questions about it that I�m not ready to answer. Some things should stay secret, but I suspect we�ll have to reveal a few secrets to get her to loan us a shuttle,� she said.
�You know I wouldn�t ask you for this if it wasn�t important, Hayley, but...�
�I understand, they took Kimmy. It�s important that you be there, I get that.�
They arrived at Hayley�s parents� house a few minutes later. Other than the fact that everything seemed a lot smaller than she recalled, the house was exactly the way she remembered it. Reiner�s car was in the driveway, which was encouraging. Hayley and Kat headed to the door, but Hayley paused at the flowerpot on the front porch, sticking her hand into the soil and pulling out a spare key, using it to open the door.
As soon as they walked in, they saw Reiner sitting on the couch, across from Hayley�s father.
�Dad?�
He looked up. �Hayley, this is a surprise. Come on in,� he said warmly.
She walked over to him, and they wrapped their arms around one another. Next, she turned to Reiner with a smile on her face. �Hello Auntie Nicole,� she sighed.
�You�ve grown up so much, Hayley,� she said.
The two of them hugged as well.
�Dad, Auntie, this is my friend Katherine. Kat, this is High Commander Nicole Reiner and my father, Commander Anthony Stanton,� she introduced.
�Very nice to meet you both,� Kat sighed.
�No need to be so formal, Hayley, we�re all friends here,� Reiner said.
�Actually...� She paused. �We�re here on business. We need your help.�
�My help? With what?�
�Have you been keeping up with the news? There have been several attacks in various cities all over the state, civilians are being kidnapped by robots,� Hayley brought up.
�I did hear something about that today,� her father added.
�Katherine�s daughter was one of the people who was kidnapped today,� she said.
�Oh God, I�m so sorry,� Reiner sighed.
�We have a good idea who it is, and we...� Hayley was cut short.
�If you know who it is, you need to go to the police and tell them.�
�The police aren�t going to be able to handle this; they won�t know what they�re getting into. We have reason to believe that all the kidnapped victims are no longer on Earth,� Katherine said.
�What?�
She sighed. �All the people who were kidnapped were either former rangers or immediate family of former rangers,� she said.
�Katherine, you�re a...�
She held up her wrist, revealing one of her zeoniers. �I was, a long time ago, but I have to find my daughter,� she said.
�So what do you want me to do?�
�I need access to a shuttle,� Katherine said.
�I sympathize with your situation, Katherine, but I can�t authorize use of a shuttle to anyone without going through the proper channels. It would take days, maybe even a week before I would be able to authorize it,� she said.
�We don�t have a week, Auntie Nicole. We need you to call your superiors and pull some strings right now. Its not just Kat�s daughter, but innocent people all over the state are being taken, we have to put a stop to this,� Hayley said.
�Hayley, you�re a ranger too?� her father asked.
�No, but some of my best friends are. I�ve been working with them since I graduated from MIT,� she said.
�Is that why you turned down my job offer?� Reiner asked.
�Yes. Please, you have to help us. Whoever did this could come back, and it could be a legitimate threat to the Earth; it�s imperative that we stop it before it gets out of hand,� she said.
�The soonest I could get you a shuttle is three days, but once you got it, where would you go? What would you do? You said you�re a former ranger, that implies you have no power now,� she brought up.
�I can handle that part,� Hayley said.
�I�m sorry, but...�
�Don�t you understand how important this is? If this isn�t stopped here and now, the entire planet could be in danger. We don�t have time to worry about protocols and regulations. Something has to be done now,� she said.
�That isn�t how it works, honey, there are channels we have to go through before we can even get access to a shuttle, and even then they�re going to want one hell of an explanation as to why we need it. Former ranger aside, if we can�t prove there is an immediate threat to the Earth, we still might not get it,� he said.
�Coming here was a mistake,� Kat sighed, turning towards the door.
�It wasn�t a mistake, there�s just a lot more to accessing a shuttle than you realize.�
She turned back around. �If we�re right, in less than 24 hours, all these superiors and all these �official channels� you have to go through will be scrambling for their lives, looking for someone, anyone that will be able to help them. Something is coming, something big, and if it isn�t stopped this planet and every other planet in the galaxy could be in danger. Something has to be done now!� Katherine insisted.
�I�d love to help you, but...�
�Yeah, it was a mistake coming here,� Hayley sighed as she and Katherine walked out of the room, heading for the door.
�I�m sorry, I didn�t mean to snap at your dad like that,� she sighed.
�No, you were right. This is too important for them to be worried about protocols. I only wish I could have done more to help,� she said as they headed over to the car.
�Hayley,� a voice called out.
The two of them turned around as she walked over to them. She was, at first glance, in her late teens to early twenties with long brown hair. She wore a red Terra Venture uniform and a pair of glasses.
�Jodie!� Hayley said, wrapping her arms around her. �Jodie, this is my friend Kat. Kat, this is my little sister Jodie,� she introduced.
�It�s a pleasure.�
�I couldn�t help but overhear you talking to daddy and Auntie Nicole. I�m sorry they won�t help you,� she said.
�They just don�t understand what�s coming.�
�I don�t have to understand what�s coming to know that if it�s anything like the rangers are used to dealing with, Earth doesn�t stand a chance. Come on, we need to get to the spaceport,� she said.
�Why? Dad said...�
�I know what dad said, but I�m going to give you a shuttle,� Jodie said.
**
�When Terra Venture officially launched a few years ago, I was only a junior officer. I worked my ass off while I was there, and I was the youngest officer in the entire project. Auntie Nicole made me her assistant a year later, and when she decided to officially live on the New World, I was named Commander and her official liaison on Earth. I have the official clearance to get you into the shuttle bay, but when we get there, we�re going to need help bi-passing the security lockouts on the shuttles themselves,� Jodie explained.
�I take it you have someone in mind.�
�My boyfriend Matthew works in the shuttle bay, and if anyone can hack into the system, it�s him,� she said.
�Are you talking about the same Matthew who stowed away on Terra venture when it launched?� Kat asked.
�You heard about that?�
�It was all over the news. He�d snuck onboard, and a few weeks into the trip decided he wanted to go home, so he hacked into the computer and tried to turn Terra Venture around,� she said.
�Yeah, that�s him.�
�I remember that, didn�t the rangers bring him home?� Hayley asked.
She nodded. �Yeah, and when he got back, he learned as much as he could about computers. We kept in touch via sub-space communications as much as we could, but we were young back then. We�ve been together on and off for the last six years, but we�ve been on since I decided to come back to Earth,� she told them.
�That gives a whole new meaning to long distant relationships,� she laughed.
�I�m not going to ask a lot of questions. I know that the ranger�s identities have to remain a secret, but I heard you mention you�re a former ranger. What do you expect to do against whatever it is you�re going after?� Jodie asked.
�Hayley will be able to re-energize my morpher for a short time. I won�t need it long, just long enough to find my daughter and my husband,� Kat told her.
�Your husband was kidnapped too?�
�No, he�s a ranger,� she said.
�Wow, you guys marry each other? I guess you�d have to; not very many people would be able to understand what you do. It makes sense that you�d all end up with each other.�
�You�d be surprised,� Hayley sighed.
They arrived as the spaceport, but as soon as they got up to the gate, a guard stopped them. �State your business,� he said.
Jodie leaned over Katherine, showing her badge. �Commander Stanton, I�m here to inspect shuttle seven,� she said.
The guard leaned up, getting a good look at the badge. �Of course Commander, I apologize for not recognizing you,� he said.
�Don�t worry about it. Listen, we�re going to be testing the systems, so if you hear an alarm go off, it�s more than likely a false alarm. If there is a real problem, you will be contacted. Understand?�
�Yes ma�am.�
The guard opened the gate, allowing them inside. They drove all the way to the shuttle bays, parking behind them. Jodie led them past several other guards who were on duty, eventually going into the shuttle bay itself. The shuttle bay appeared much bigger on the inside than it did from the outside, and there were eight shuttles, four on each side of the room.
�Amazing,� Kat sighed.
�These shuttles were meant to be used by government officials once Terra Venture eventually made it to the New World, but the plans were changed and most of the officials were on the maiden trip. These shuttles are used from traveling back and forth to the New World, importing and exporting supplies, medical equipment, that kinda thing,� Jodie explained.
Just then, Matthew walked over to them, wearing a gray and blue Terra Venture uniform, quickly leaning in and kissing Jodie on the cheek. �This is a surprise, what you are doing here, sweetie?� he asked.
�Matt, this is my sister Hayley and her friend Kat. Guys, this is my boyfriend Matt,� she introduced.
�It�s nice to meet you, we�ve heard a lot about you,� Hayley said.
�We�re going to need one of the shuttles.�
�Do you have your authorization code?�
�No, this is an unofficial mission. We�re not going to Mirinoi,� Jodie said.
�You know that�s against at least four different regulations and protocols. If we do this, we can both kiss our jobs here goodbye,� he mentioned.
�If I�m right about this, we�ll be doing our best to save the entire planet. If anything, we�ll be heroes,� she said.
�Where are you trying to go, if you don�t mind me asking?�
�I�m not sure yet, but I�m going to try to track my husband using the energy outfit in his morpher,� Kat said.
�Your husband is a ranger? Which one?�
�Mattie, we can�t answer a lot of questions. It�s important that they get where they need to go as soon as possible,� Jodie said.
�Oh, sorry,� he walked away, motioning for them to follow. �I just adjusted the thrusters in shuttle five. We�ve been experimenting on a way to get the shuttles back and forth from Earth to Mirinoi faster, and the new thrusters in place should cut the trip in half,� he explained.
�Great, we�ll take it.�
The four of them walked over to the shuttle, and Matthew input a code on the side, opening the shuttle doors. They stepped inside, and Matthew sat in front of the controls, inputting a series of numbers. �I�ve reset all the command pathways to default, so they won�t have any access codes to bother you. Just input your coordinates here and engage the engines, and this baby will get you where you need to go. The fuel cells are fully charged, and it has enough to get you to Mirinoi or back, but since you don�t know where you�re going, I can�t guarantee you�ll be able to make it back. There are reserve fuel cells in the back chamber, but it�s meant for short trips, so be careful,� he told them.
�You�re a life saver, Mattie,� Jodie said, kissing him gently on the lips.
�Thanks again for everything, both of you,� Katherine said.
�I�m going to open the hanger doors so you can leave, just be careful,� Jodie said, stepping off the shuttle with Matt.
�I can�t ask you to come with me, Hayley, it may be...�
�Dangerous? You�re as bad as Tommy. You need me for this. Besides, I have to recharge your morpher,� Hayley told her, sitting down in front of the controls.
Kat smiled, sitting in the opposite seat. �You know how to fly this thing?�
�I have an idea, let�s just hope we�ll be able to track Tommy�s signal,� she said.
�It will be; it has to.�
The doors to the hanger bay opened, and the shuttle slowly lifted off the ground, flying through the doors. Matt and Jodie watched as the ship took off, eventually disappearing into the sky.