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Z’s walking through the halls of the academy, just exploring. There’s so many places she hasn’t been, even after being a ranger for this long.
She passes by an office, and the man inside it looks up.
And he just kind of… stares at her.
Z freezes. People staring at you is rarely a good thing. Especially a cop.
And he tilts his head.
“You’re… the yellow ranger, right?” He asks, and Z nods.
“That’s me. My name’s Z.” She says.
“Huh. Interesting name.”
“Oh, it’s a nickname. I just don’t like going by my real name.”
And there’s no way she’s telling her legal name to a guy she just met who was staring at her weirdly like that.
“Well, Z, I’m Milo Sanchez.” He says, getting up to shake her hand. “…Have we met before? You just look so familiar.”
“I don’t think so.” She responds.
“It must be Deja Vu. So, what are you doing down here?”
“I’m just looking around, you know? The academy’s so big, I feel like I could take an entire lifetime and still not know everything about it.”
Milo laughs.
“Trust me. I’ve been here since the base was opened, and I
still
don’t know every place here. I was here before the academy.”
“Huh, you’ve been here a long time. Were you ever a ranger?”
Milo bristles a little at that. Damn it.
“No. I almost was, but…”
“Got passed up?” She starts. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Milo responds. “I’m over it. So, Z, are you doing anything later?”
“Assuming Gruumm doesn’t attack, then no. Why?”
“I just finished up my paperwork, why don’t I show you around the lower floors? The places that you rangers never get to see.”
Z laughs. Damn it, too friendly.
“I’d like that.” She says.
“Great.” He responds.
~
When Lina steps through the doors of the new S.P.D. Earth Base, she’s surprised by how high-tech it is.
She’s greeted by a receptionist, and the moment she mentions her name, she’s whisked away to another area and is let inside.
The door slams shut behind her, and Lina has the strange feeling of being trapped.
But all she can do is walk forward, and so she does.
There are gadgets and gizmos of all kinds, and then eventually she reaches a central chamber of some kind where a woman is sitting on a desk as another one scratches something down on a chalkboard.
A man who’s standing near the chalkboard seems to notice her, and he immediately flashes her a bright, charming smile.
“You must be Lina Sanchez.” He says, and the woman at the chalkboard turns around to see her.
Her eyes are sharp. She’s being sized up, she can tell.
“
You’re
our Health and Human Performance expert? How old are you?”
“23…” she says, and the woman’s eyes narrow.
“23? They sent us a child.”
“Peggy, be nice.” The woman on the desk says. “Sorry about her. I’m Charlotte Kensington, doctor of Mechanical Metallurgy. The mean one over there is Margarita Wilson, but you can call her Peggy. She’s our geneticist. That’s our Molecular Biosciences guy, Luke Landors, and…”
A man flips down from the ceiling, and Lina flinches back.
“Henry!” Peggy snaps.
“Eh? What did I do?” He asks. “Hi, I’m Henry Carson. Doctor of Psychology.”
Lina opens her mouth to respond, but—
“I’m back!” A voice says, from behind Lina, and she spins around to see a redheaded girl walk in. “Oh, is this Lina? Hi, I’m Reno Swanson! I’m a physicist! Here, I’m sorry I didn’t get here before you! I went out to get some pastries to welcome you!”
Lina just kind of… opens and closes her mouth like a fish, and Luke laughs.
“Sorry, we’re all kind of a crazy bunch here. So, how’d you get recruited?”
“Uh… my husband, he’s one of the potential Ranger recruits…” Lina mutters, and Peggy rolls her eyes.
“Great, a nepotism hire. Do you even have a doctorate?”
“A-almost!” Lina starts. “My thesis presentation is in three months!”
That seems to shut Peggy up, because she looks at her, stunned.
“You’re 23 and only three months away from a doctorate?” She questions.
“Wow!” Charlotte laughs. “You must be a real genius!”
“Yeah, no kidding. I’m 30, and I just got my doctorate last year.” Luke chimes in.
Reno throws her arm around Lina’s shoulder and hands her a cream puff.
“Come on. You should have some before Charlotte eats them all.”
“Hey!” Charlotte snaps back, but she still reaches into the box and pulls out a cream puff.
Peggy rolls her eyes and goes back to the chalkboard, but she doesn’t complain when Charlotte hands her a cream puff.
“She’s not as bad as she seems, she’s just prickly.” Reno whispers. “Come on, I’ll show you around and then maybe you can help us with this problem we’re working on.”
“Thank you.” Lina responds, and Luke stretches out.
“Mind if I tag along? I think if I think about this any longer, my brain’s going to fry.”
“No problem!” Reno laughs. “Now, come on, Lina!”
~
“So, Z, what’s it like being a ranger? Is it all the action and adventure we see?” Milo asks, and Z laughs. He’s really not that bad, as far as cops go.
“Yeah, but also a lot of paperwork. Lucky for me, Jack’s the Red Ranger, so he gets most of it.”
“Jack?” He asks, and Z turns to him.
“Jack Landors.”
“Landors, huh?” He asks. “He wouldn’t happen to be related to Luke Landors, would he?”
Z freezes.
“You knew Jack’s dad?”
Milo groans.
“You could say that.”
Z laughs.
“Well, he’s Jack’s dad, so I think I can guess.”
“Oh, yeah. Absolutely. That charming smile of his made him think he could get away with anything.”
“Hah! Got that from his dad, huh?”
“Definitely!” Milo laughs back. “God, I hated dealing with him. He would flirt with my wife, you know?”
Z turns to him, but honestly she’s not surprised.
“…Yeah, that sounds like Jack. He’s…”
“A bit of a playboy, huh? Just like his father.”
“Yeah. Though, I don’t think Jack would try to flirt with a married woman.” Z responds. “I guess we all surpass our parents in some ways.”
Z trails off. She wishes she knew more about her own parents.
She wants to ask this man about her parents, but she doesn’t even know their names.
She pulls her Z necklace out of her shirt and fiddles with it, and she keeps hearing stories about the lower floors of S.P.D.
And then Milo sighs.
“Lina loved it down here.”
“Lina?” Z asks, and Milo sighs again.
“My wife. She died. Twenty years ago.”
“…I’m sorry.” Z says, and Milo shakes his head.
“It’s been a long time, and I still miss her every day. She was… beautiful. A scientist. You have her to thank for those morphers of yours.”
Z looks up at Milo.
“What? She worked on the Morpher project?”
“Yeah. She did. I’m so glad that was declassified, everyone should know how amazing Lina was.”
Z tilts her head.
“Can you… tell me about her?” She asks. Maybe if he explains about the Morpher project, she’ll hear her surname. And then she could learn a little more about her parents.
And Milo smiles.
“Sure. Let me think…”
~
Lina’s… so exhausted. It’s rewarding work, but doing this on top of getting her doctorate is starting to take its toll.
It’s only been three weeks, she’ll get used to it soon.
But when Lina walks in, she notices Peggy spinning her hair around her finger and looking very stressed.
“What’s wrong?” She asks. “Did you get stuck?”
“No, it’s just…” Peggy starts, but then an
incredibly
handsome man walks through the door and she freezes.
“Oh, this must be Lina.” He says. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Schuyler Tate. I’m supposed to be the Red Ranger.”
“Ah, yes. I am Lina Sanchez.” She responds.
A woman walks in behind him, and she rolls her eyes.
“Remember, she’s married.” She sighs, and the man looks at her incredulously.
“I
am
capable of not flirting with someone, Ash.” He sighs. “This is Ashlynn Marshall. She’s supposed to be the Blue Ranger.”
“You can call me Ash.” She chimes in. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.” Lina responds, and Ash smiles at her.
“There’s no need to be nervous. We’re all friends here.”
“I see…” Lina whispers. “I just… err…”
Schuyler waves her off.
“Don’t worry about it. You can take your time.”
Lina sighs in relief and nods at him, and Luke walks over and places something in her hand.
“Here. A snack will calm you down.” He says, and Lina realizes she’s now holding a granola bar.
Hah… Luke is always so kind to her.
She pops it open and eats it, and it gives her so much energy and the day is so exciting with measuring up and checking out their Red and Blue Rangers that she loses track of time.
It’s so late by the time they’re done for the night, and Milo has already left.
Lina sighs.
But then Luke gently taps her shoulder and holds up his car keys.
“Want me to drive you home?”
“Oh, no. You don’t have to do that. I can call a taxi.” She tries, but Luke shakes his head.
“Come on, Lina. Why waste your money?” He asks.
Lina thinks for a second, but… she trusts Luke.
“Alright. I’ll take you up on that.” She starts.
Luke gives her that same charming smile and leads her to the car, even opening the door for her.
She slips into his car, and Lina quickly buckles in as he hops into the driver’s side.
“So, you don’t know how to drive?” He asks, and Lina laughs.
“No, I do, I just don’t have a car. Milo likes to drive me around, and a second car is so expensive anyway.”
Luke raises an eyebrow.
“I get that it’s expensive, but… wouldn’t a second car be useful? Especially for days like this?”
“I mean, probably, but it’s fine.” Lina says. “I’ll just get a taxi if it happens again.”
“No, don’t worry about it. I can take you home whenever you need it.” Luke responds. “But… you know, how did you and Milo meet, anyway? He’s a lot older than you.”
“Oh, well, I’m not just any 23 year old.” Lina laughs, and Luke’s eyes narrow slightly.
“That’s true, but… you’re still 23. That’s a little young to be married.”
“Not really.” Lina responds. “And I know he’s 32, but it’s not a big deal. We’re… soulmates.”
Luke mutters something to himself before speaking to Lina again.
“Soulmates, huh?” He starts. “Well, if you’re happy.”
“I am.” Lina says, but Luke doesn’t look convinced as they turn down onto Lina’s street.
They pull up in front of her house, and Luke parks and brushes his fingers against the rosary hanging from his front mirror.
“Call me if you need anything, okay?” He asks, and Lina nods.
“You’re so overprotective, you know that?” She laughs, and Luke smiles at her.
“I can’t help it. Charlotte always tells me I act like an overprotective big brother.”
“She’s right, but… it’s sweet. My brother used to treat me like that.”
“Oh? What happened to him?”
Lina shrugs.
“I haven’t talked to him in years. He… didn’t exactly approve of me marrying a man nine years older than me.”
Luke gives her a frown.
“Have you considered calling him up again?” He asks, and Lina shakes her head.
“No. He said that he would never support my marriage, and Milo told me that it was either him or my brother.”
“…He said he’d never support your marriage, but he never gave you that ultimatum.” Luke mutters, but before he can say much more, Milo stalks out and knocks on Lina’s window.
Lina quickly rolls it down, and Milo glares at Luke.
“What are you doing here?” He asks, and Luke shrugs.
“She needed a ride home since you left without her. I just thought I’d offer.”
Milo glares at him and practically drags Lina out of the car without another word, and Lina feels the nerves build up in her chest.
“He’s just a friend.” Lina tries, and Milo glares at her.
“A friend. Sure.” He sighs, messing with her hair, and Lina shuts her eyes.
~
Z crosses her arms.
Milo… he
knew
Jack’s dad. His wife worked on the Morpher project.
But the stories he tells about his wife barely include any other women, and she already knows that Margarita Wilson is Sky’s mom.
It… aches. She wants to know more about her mother.
She has two things from her. One is her Z necklace, something she’s had ever since she can remember.
And the second… is a
rosary.
Jack had explained it once, it was to Saint Rita. The patron saint of impossible cases.
Her mother… was she religious?
Who
was
she? What was her name?
She’s about to open her mouth again, but her morpher goes off and she flips it open.
“Delgado.” She starts, and Syd’s voice flows through.
“Z, remember what you promised me~”
Z sighs.
“I forgot. I’ll be right up.”
“Don’t worry! Just get up here.”
Z flips her morpher closed and turns to Milo, and he tosses her an amused glance.
“Your friend?” He asks, and Z shakes her head and laughs.
“She’s my roommate. I lost a bet to her, so now I need to be her dress-up doll for a bit.”
Milo laughs back.
“Oh, really? That must suck. Good luck.”
“Thanks.” Z responds.
She waves goodbye to Milo after exchanging their regular phone numbers and heads back up to the suite to see Syd with a tube of lipstick and a bright yellow dress.
Sky’s pretending to be focused on his book, but Z can see that stupid smirk on his face.
“What’s so funny?” She snaps, and Sky shuts his book and gives her the most condescending smirk.
“God can’t help you now, Z.” He just says, and Z glares at him.
Syd laughs and drags her into their suite, handing her the dress and walking out the door.
Z groans as she slips it on and walks out the door, and Sky
bursts
out laughing the moment he sees her.
“Shut it!” Syd snaps, but that makes Sky laugh even harder.
“She… she looks like a cake!”
Syd rolls her eyes and drags her back inside.
“We’ll show him.” She says, pulling out some eyeliner and lipstick, and Z can’t help but sigh.
~
Lina doesn’t really know what to expect when Charlotte drags her, Reno, and Peggy to the mall to do some shopping.
“Seriously?” Peggy sighs, and Charlotte just winks at her.
“Come on, this is for you!”
“I have better things to do than spend hours doing my hair.” Peggy responds. “And so do you.”
“Oh, come on! Looking pretty makes you feel good! Right, Lina?”
Lina tilts her head slightly.
“Well, hm… I guess I never really thought about it.” She sighs.
“Haven’t you ever dressed up for a night out, at least?” Reno asks.
“Well, yeah, but the last time I did that was the night I met my husband.” Lina responds, before laughing. “Milo always gets jealous when I go out all dressed up.”
Charlotte, Reno, and Peggy all share a glance, and Peggy sighs and walks over to the racks.
“I guess this one… isn’t terrible.” She sighs, pulling out a blue dress.
Charlotte squeals and pulls it off the rack immediately, before walking over and thumbing a short yellow dress.
“I think Lina would look pretty in this one!” She purrs, pulling it out and pushing it into her hands. “Go on, try it on! You too, Peggy!”
Reno chuckles as she looks through the racks, and she pulls out a white dress after a few seconds.
“I’ll try this one on. Come on, girls. The fitting rooms are this way.”
Reno leads them across the store and to the fitting rooms, and Lina slips into the dress and realizes what Charlotte means.
Oh… it does feel nice to get all dressed up.
She slips out of the fitting room, and Charlotte squeals.
“Oh my god! Lina, you look
so
pretty! You have to buy it!”
Lina chuckles, but then she looks at the price and flinches.
“Uh…” She mutters. “I… think that’s a little expensive…”
“Oh, don’t worry about that! I’ll pay!” Charlotte says, flashing a black card.
Peggy rolls her eyes as she walks out of the fitting room, crossing her arms.
“Really, Charlotte? You’ll offend her.”
Charlotte sighs.
“You’re not a part of this conversation, Peggy. And anyway, why aren’t you in your dress?”
“I look fucking ridiculous.” She fires back. “No way I’m coming out in that. Those kinds of dresses are for little girls.”
“Hey, I have tons of dresses like that!” Charlotte snaps, and Peggy puts her hand on her hip.
“I rest my case.”
“Girls, girls!” Reno says, leaping out of the fitting room in her dress. “Calm down.”
She tilts her head towards Lina, and Peggy takes a deep breath.
“…You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Charlotte turns to Lina and links their arms, pulling the tag off the dress and dragging her to the cashier.
“She’s wearing it out.” Charlotte laughs, and she slams her card in front of the cashier.
She doesn’t even flinch, just takes it and runs it through, and Charlotte spins Lina around.
“Charlotte, I…” Lina starts, but Charlotte shakes her head.
“It’s no worry. Money doesn’t matter to me, my friends are more important. If you ever need anything, just let me know. You know, a dress, some makeup, a new apartment—”
Peggy and Reno practically tackle her and drag her back to the racks, and after Charlotte picks out a dress and pays for Reno and Peggy’s dresses despite Peggy’s protests and Reno’s redirects, they all walk out fully dressed and Peggy looks like she’s about to murder Charlotte.
“I
told
you that I—” She starts, and Charlotte shushes her.
“Just trust the process.” She says, and then everyone hops in her car and drives to her
massive
house, where she grabs a curling iron.
Lina flinches back slightly when Charlotte brings it over to her, and Charlotte’s eyes widen slightly and she immediately switches over to Peggy. Peggy grumbles aggressively, but agrees after Reno whispers to her.
Charlotte quickly does her hair into waves, and Peggy’s eyes widen when she sees herself in the mirror.
“Oh…” She starts, and Charlotte cheers.
“See? Now, why don’t we send a picture to that handsome Red Ran—”
“Go to hell!” Peggy cuts her off, and Charlotte laughs before walking over to Lina and redoing her ponytail so it’s a little tighter and throwing it over her shoulder.
“See? You’re a princess too now.” She teases.
And when Lina looks in the mirror, she…
She actually feels beautiful.
It’s been a long time since she’s felt that wa—
“What’s that?” Reno asks, pointing to her shoulder. “Did you hurt yourself?”
Lina flinches back. Did she not cover it well enough?
No… it looks like some of the makeup must have rubbed off when she put the dress on. And she used so much setting spray too…
“I fell over.” Lina tries, and Peggy, Reno, and Charlotte share another look.
Oh, no…
~
After Syd drags Z out, Sky laughs even harder while Bridge tosses her two thumbs up.
“You’re gay, your opinion doesn’t count!” Syd snaps, and Sky just keeps laughing.
“Syd, what did you do to her?! She looks like a clown!”
“Better a clown than to have a face like yours and a name like Schuyler.” Z fires back, and Sky shuts his mouth and glares at her.
Jack walks in after his patrol, looks at Z, and just looks… deeply confused.
“…You lose a bet or something?”
“Is it that obvious?” Z sighs, and Jack chuckles before clapping her on the back.
“Okay, you’ve punished her enough.” He starts. “Come on, Z owes me a movie night.”
Z sighs in relief as Syd lets go of her arm and Jack pulls her into her room and grabs a makeup wipe and tosses it at her.
She immediately wipes all the shit that Syd caked on her face off, and Jack unzips the back of her dress before walking out the door and letting her change.
When she walks out, Jack’s just sitting around with popcorn and a movie queued up.
He looks exhausted, but the moment he spots Z, he flashes her a smile.
“There you are! Get over here, girl!”
Jack immediately scoots over, and Z laughs and flops down next to him as Syd crosses her arms.
“You know, you were thirty minutes late! What took you so long?!” She snaps, and Z shrugs.
“I was exploring the lower floors and ran into this guy.”
“Huh? A guy?” Jack responds.
“Milo Sanchez, he said his name was.” Z starts, and Sky looks up from his book.
“Milo Sanchez… where have I heard that name before?” He asks.
“Huh, well, he did know your dad.” Z starts. “He was passed up to be a ranger, apparently.”
Sky’s eyes suddenly flash with recognition.
“Oh, right. He was almost the yellow ranger, but Un— I mean, Jamie beat him out.”
“Huh, well, Jamie does have an eidetic memory or something, right?” Jack asks, and Sky glares at him.
“Photographic, not eidetic. They're different things, Jack.”
Jack raises his hands in surrender.
“Okay, jeez. Calm down. But it makes sense that Z’s new friend got passed up.”
Sky lowers his book and starts to think.
“Actually… I think Ash wanted him over Jamie. Something about how Jamie was an abrasive bastard and couldn’t talk to people.”
“Oh, so that’s who taught you how to be a bitch.” Jack teases, and Sky glares at him even harder.
“Shut up, would you?”
But Z just looks at Sky confusedly.
“Then why did Jamie win out?” She asks, and Sky shakes his head.
“My dad never liked Sanchez. He just got a bad feeling.”
“A bad feeling? A real bad feeling, or the bad feeling you got when you saw Sophie’s wires?” Z teases, and Sky suddenly hits her with a glare that’s so cold that it would freeze anyone who wasn’t on B-Squad.
“Never— never say that about my dad again. I might be a prick— and I’m not that much of a prick— but my dad was the nicest guy on the planet.”
His grip on his book tightens, and Z shrugs.
“Look, I know you worship your dad, but people make mistakes. Hell, it might not even have
been
a mistake. They could have both been qualified. But a ‘bad feeling’ is a really weird reason to go against your second.”
“Yeah, how would you feel if I went against you just because I was having a vague bad feeling and didn’t explain?” Jack chimes in, and Sky tosses his book down and stalks into his room, as Bridge bolts in behind him.
And Jack just shrugs.
“He’s upset that we might be right.” He starts. “He’s gonna get over it. Let’s just watch the movie.”
~
When Lina stumbles through the base doors, Schuyler immediately rushes over to her.
“Lina!” He gasps, and Lina shakes her head.
“Don’t worry. I’m alright.”
“You don’t look alright…” He mutters. “Did something happen to you?”
“I just fell down the stairs.” Lina starts, and Schuyler’s eyes flare with recognition, and he pulls Lina aside into another room.
“There are no cameras in here.” He says.
“What?” Lina asks.
And he steps forward.
She flinches back, and Schuyler just looks at her with sad eyes.
“…I knew it. I’ve
fallen down the stairs
too.” He mutters.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Lina starts, and Schuyler shrugs his jacket off and extends his arms out to Lina.
“I think you do.” He says, and Lina notices that his wrists and parts of his arms are littered with marks.
They almost look like…
burns.
“There are more on my back, but I’d rather not take my shirt off in front of you.” He laughs, but it comes out as… rather sad. “My dad… he would put out his cigarettes on my arms when I acted up. And he’d use his belt to hit me. I used to beg him for mercy, but when I got older, I just took it. I’d blame myself for making him angry. When I was fifteen, my mom ran off and left me with him. I… I turned eighteen a few days before the police academy entrance exam, I wanted to join up and help people so badly, and I needed to get out of there. I hadn’t even graduated high school yet, I faked being sick to take it and lied that I’d already had my diploma because I was eligible to graduate early. If everything went right, three days after I graduated I’d be the hell out of there. But I didn’t make it in the first time. I hurt myself during the physical exam. But… I met Ash, and when I had to get out of there before I actually graduated, she took me in. Told me that if I had no one else in my corner, I had her.”
Lina shakes her head.
“That’s terrible, but you have the wrong idea. Milo… he’d never.”
Schuyler shakes his head.
“Sure. You fell down the stairs. That’s why you’re stumbling in like you’re blacked out and why you’d come into work like that. You knew we were already suspecting that he did something, and you didn’t want to prove us right.
Lina shakes her head again, but Schuyler just looks her dead in the eye.
“I know how hard it is to admit this. I’ve never told
anyone
that isn’t Ash. You don’t have to trust me, you don’t even have to believe me, but… just know that I get it. And if you need help, ever… I’m here.”
Lina’s grip on her arms gets tighter, and she feels the familiar pain of her bruises getting more intense.
“…I just wished you had chosen him for your Yellow Ranger.” She mutters, and Schuyler flinches back as she turns around and walks out of the room.
~
When Z wakes up, she notices Kat curled up on the other couch, her ears twitching.
Jack’s still asleep on her shoulder, but the moment she starts to shift, he practically launches awake and clearly notices Kat too.
“What’s she doing here?” He whispers, and Z shrugs.
“She was here when I woke up.”
Jack stretches out a little and gets to his feet, grabbing the pink blanket that someone threw on them for some reason and putting it aside before helping Z to her feet.
“Is it just me, or does something feel off?” Z mutters, and Jack nods.
“Definitely. I’m gonna find Sky and Bridge.”
“Good idea, I’ll get Syd.”
Jack walks off, and Z walks into her room to see Syd sitting on her bed.
“Hey, Syd, did something happen? Something feels off.” She starts, and Syd looks up.
And Z suddenly flinches back.
“You’re not…” She mutters, and the woman walks off of Syd’s bed.
“I’m sorry.” She starts. “I’m Charlotte Drew, Syd’s mom. You’re… Z Delgado, right?”
Z nods, and Charlotte gently reaches out to touch her face.
“My god… you look just like her.” She whispers.
“Just like who?” Z asks, and Charlotte sucks in a breath.
“Just like your mother.”
Z’s eyes widen.
“You… you knew my mom?”
“Yes. I worked with her on the Morpher project. I was still Charlotte Kensington back then.”
Charlotte’s eyes drift down to Z’s necklace, and she shuts her eyes.
“…This isn’t how I wanted to meet you again.” She whispers. “This really isn’t.”
“Again?” Z starts. “What the hell’s going on?”
~
Lina’s stumbling across the streets.
It’s so tough, but she clutches her stomach. She… she needs to survive. Just a little longer.
She finally sees the door, and she pounds on it as hard as she can, collapsing on the ground.
Please… please have heard…
And then the door swings open.
“Lina!” Charlotte gasps, and Lina looks up at her through a swollen eye.
“Charlotte… please…” She groans, and Charlotte immediately scoops her up and pulls her inside, locking the door behind them.
“Lina, what happened to you?” She asks, and Lina looks at her.
“What do you think?” She chuckles.
Charlotte shakes her head.
“Lina…” She sighs.
Lina takes a breath…
And she says what she needs to.
“I’m leaving him.” She whispers. “I have to.”
“What? You really are?” Charlotte gasps.
And then Lina pulls something out of her pocket and shows it to Charlotte.
A pregnancy test.
Two lines.
“I won’t let him hurt my baby.” She gasps, and Charlotte grabs her wrist.
“And I won’t let him hurt either of you ever again.”
~
Charlotte doesn’t respond, just walking out the door, and Sky crosses his arms and Bridge is a little further from him than he usually is.
“What the hell’s going on?” She hisses, and Sky averts his eyes.
“I just… I was talking to Ash, and—”
“You called your aunt to win an argument.” Z cuts him off, and Sky winces slightly, but he gives up
way
too easily.
“Yeah. But that’s not the point. My dad’s ’bad feeling,’ it was… I don’t know what, she wouldn’t explain, but she told me that I needed to make sure you didn’t go anywhere near him again and then Kat ran in here. Then Syd’s mom showed up, and…”
“So did I.” Dr. Wilson starts, and Sky puts his head in his hands.
“And… who I’m assuming is Bridge’s dad is in a handstand over there.” He mutters, before pulling his head back up. “Along with Ash and everyone else. Something’s actually wrong here.”
Kat pushes past Sky, gently taking Z’s hand.
“Tell me, did you tell him what Z was short for or your last name?”
“What?” Z asks. “I don’t think so, but what does that matter?”
Kat lets out a relieved sigh.
“…Good. Milo doesn’t know that.” She whispers.
“Kat, what the fuck is going on?” Z asks. “Syd’s mom was in our room, and…”
“I’m sorry, you must be really stressed.” The man in the corner says, flipping out of his handstand. “It’s complicated, just please don’t go near him again.”
“Coward.” Dr. Wilson hisses.
“Peggy…” Kat starts, and Dr. Wilson’s eyes narrow.
“She deserves to know.”
“Know
what?!
Tell me, goddamn it!” Z gasps, and Dr. Wilson puts a hand on her hip and turns to her.
“Milo Sanchez killed your mother.”
Charlotte flinches again, and Z reels back.
“What?”
“…Are you going to explain, or—” The man that’s definitely Bridge’s dad says, and Dr. Wilson cuts him off.
“Shut up, Henry.”
Jack, out of nowhere, rushes over to Z and throws an arm over her shoulder, glaring at Dr. Wilson.
“Explain.” He snaps, and Dr. Wilson crosses her arms.
“You really are Luke’s son. You have that same fiercely protective streak.”
“Don’t talk about my father right now!” Jack snaps, and Jamie looks up from the corner.
“Lina Sanchez.” He starts.
“That’s… Milo’s wife.” Z responds, and Jamie nods.
“Her maiden name was
Delgado.
”
Z’s mouth drops open, and Sam floats over to her.
“Huh? But that’s Z’s last name!” He gasps, and Jack flinches.
“Wait, so he’s Z’s—?!”
“Quiet!” Dr. Wilson hisses. “He doesn’t know that!”
“My dad… isn’t dead?” Z whispers. “He doesn’t even know I exist?”
“He knows you exist. He doesn’t know you’re his daughter.” Charlotte starts. “Peggy… she…”
“I lied about your parentage to him. He’s an idiot, it wasn’t hard.” Dr. Wilson cuts her off.
“But… you all knew I existed? And you… you let me grow up on the streets?” Z starts, and Charlotte tears up.
“I… I didn’t want to.” She gasps. “I swear, I didn’t want to!”
“Charlotte, calm down!” Dr. Wilson snaps. “There wasn’t any other choice. I’m sorry.”
“Do you still have that rosary?” Henry chimes in. “The one from your mother?”
Z turns to Jack, and he slips it out of his pocket.
“You mean this one?”
Henry sighs.
“…Yeah. She had it on her when she died.”
Bridge suddenly lights up.
“Wait, she had it when she died! I can—”
He slips his glove off and reaches for it, and Henry rushes over.
“Bridge, don’t—!”
But he's too late, Bridge makes contact with it and collapses, and Sky immediately bolts over and helps him to his feet.
His dad pulls his gloves off and gently touches Bridge’s forehead, and Bridge takes a breath and his eyes fly open.
“You okay?” Sky asks, and Bridge grabs his hand and takes a breath. “…I’ll take that as a no.”
“Bridge…” Syd sighs, and Bridge finally seems to get stable enough to talk.
“…I’ve seen people’s last thoughts before, but…” Bridge starts, and Henry gently takes his hand and he sighs in relief. “…Thanks, Dad.”
“How bad was it?” Jack asks, and Bridge shakes his head.
“You don’t… you don’t want to know. Was that man Milo Sanchez?”
“Yes.” Henry responds. “That rosary contains a powerful psychic imprint of Lina’s last moments. And what happens after…”
Henry and Charlotte share a glance, and Ash and her team all seem to tense up.
“Again, you’re all cowards.” Dr. Wilson snaps. “I’ll tell it.”
“No…” Charlotte chimes in. “No, let me. She… she trusted me.”
~
When Charlotte knocks on the door with a bag of treats, she’s surprised by the lack of answer.
Lina… she was scared. Something was wrong.
She’s too damn worried.
“Sorry, Lina…” She mutters, using her spare key to get inside, and she drops the bag.
Her eyes are wide, and she slowly approaches Lina. She’s laid out on the ground…
Oh god, oh
god!
She pulls her phone out of her bag and quickly dials the first number she can think of.
The morpher project’s over. They’re not supposed to contact each other aside from emergencies.
But if anything counts as an emergency, this sure as hell does.
“Hello?”
Schuyler’s groggy voice rings out.
“This better be fucking important, we just got Sky to sleep…”
Peggy’s voice cuts in, and Charlotte’s breath catches in her throat.
“Lina’s apartment.” Charlotte whispers. “Now. Get everyone. It’s an emergency.”
Schuyler suddenly sounds more alert, and there’s the sound of rustling as he gets to his feet and drags Peggy out of bed.
“We’ll be right there.”
He starts.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just get over here!” She snaps.
It’s only ten minutes until Schuyler bursts in, and his eyes widen as he sees Lina on the ground.
Ash is barely a step behind him, and she pulls her Morpher to her face, but Schuyler shakes his head.
“She’s gone. No use calling for a bus.” He starts. “Charlotte, what happened? Where’s Z?”
“A-At my house.” Charlotte gasps. “Lina… she told me to take her. She was so scared. I should have gone after her, I should have—!”
“There’s no use blaming yourself.” Ash cuts her off. “Jamie and Addi are pulling the security footage, and—”
“We’re too late!” Jamie snaps, rushing up behind Ash.
“Someone with an S.P.D. Badge pulled the footage and the records for Lina’s apartment!” Addi gasps, and Schuyler’s face suddenly turns stormy.
Sage runs in with Peggy, Henry, Luke, and Reno, and he quickly flinches back at seeing Lina’s body.
Luke rushes ahead, kneeling down next to her, and he shuts his eyes and gasps.
“…What…?”
Jamie gently moves Lina’s arm, and Charlotte realizes that she’s still clutching the rosary that Luke gave her.
“…Rita, protect her.” Luke gasps, and Jamie hands Henry the rosary.
Henry pulls off his gloves and touches it, and he collapses and Reno just barely catches him.
He groans and grabs Reno’s hand before catching his breath.
“Milo. It was Milo.” He says. “There has to be some evidence, we—”
“There’s nothing. Absolutely nothing!” Jamie snaps. “Asshole was too damn smart! He hid all the evidence!”
“So what’s his next move?!” Schuyler snaps.
Jamie groans, but he closes his eyes.
…And then he opens them with a start.
“He… he pulled the records for Lina’s apartment.” He starts. “Charlotte, you’ve been paying for it, right?!”
“Yes, why?!” Charlotte responds, and Jamie’s eyes widen.
“We need to get to your house.
Now.
The records, they would show that Lina had a daughter. And if you’re paying for the apartment, that’s the first place he’d look for her.”
Charlotte gasps, and Addi pulls out her car keys.
“Let forensics take care of Lina, I’ll drive!”
They all throw themselves into Addi’s car, barely able to cram themselves in, but she throws it into drive and floors it all the way to Charlotte’s house and the rangers leap out.
“Stay here, we’ll go in first.” Schuyler says, holding his hand up, and after a beat Sage kicks the door down and rushes in, Schuyler and Ash barely a step behind and Addi and Jamie rushing in after.
Charlotte hears a chorus of “Clear!” getting fainter and fainter, and her poor sitter rushes out crying.
“C-Charlotte, I—” She hiccups, and Peggy glares at her.
“Look at me. You were never here tonight.” She starts. “You were just at home, and you never saw the children.”
“What?” The sitter gasps, and Charlotte shakes her head.
“I’m so sorry about this. Just go home, I’ll pay you double, and I’m begging you, never mention you were here.”
The sitter’s still shaking, but she nods and rushes to her car.
They stand there until a top window opens up and Jamie motions for everyone to come inside, and they all rush up to Syd’s room.
She and Z are still alright, thank god…
“Where’s your husband?” Schuyler asks, and Charlotte shakes her head.
“On a business trip. It was just me and the sitter.”
Jamie sighs in relief.
“One less variable. We’ve got to get Z out of here, she can never come back.”
“What?!” Charlotte gasps. “B-but where’s she going to go?! I can take care of her, Lina—!”
“Lina wanted her daughter to be
safe
!” Peggy snaps. “Milo will find her if she stays here, Charlotte. He’ll find her if she stays with
any
of us.”
“Not any.” Luke cuts in. “I’m going on a mission trip. We’ll be off-world for a few years. My wife’s already been there with our son. I was going to join them, but after Lina ran away, she went ahead and gave birth there. I can take Z with me, raise her as my own. She’ll never have to know her father, and we’ll be so far away that he’ll never be able to track her down.”
Charlotte shudders.
“When… when do you leave?” She breathes.
“Tomorrow morning.” Luke responds.
“How are you going to get her out of the country?” Peggy asks. “She needs documents, and if her real passport pings Milo will be able to track it.”
“I can fly them out.” Ash starts. “Official S.P.D. business. We’ll hide Z in the hold until we’re past the scanners.”
Schuyler nods at her.
“Do it, but keep the ticket. It’ll confuse him to hell and back. You guys should ge—”
Suddenly there’s someone pounding at her door, and Jamie peeks out the window and immediately pulls back.
“He’s here.” He mutters, and Schuyler pulls out his blaster.
“Addi, come with me.” He says, before turning to Charlotte. “Come on, we have to answer the door. Try to get rid of him.”
Charlotte gulps, but she nods and leads Schuyler and Addi down the stairs.
He bangs on the door even harder, and Schuyler and Addi share a glance.
They make it down to the foyer, and Schuyler and Addi hide behind the arch leading into the room.
And Charlotte opens the door.
“Where is she?” Milo growls.
“W-Where’s who?” Charlotte responds.
“You know damn well who I’m talking about! Elizabeth, where is she?!”
“Elizabeth? I don’t know any Elizabeth.” Charlotte starts. “…Wait, do you mean Peggy’s sister? Eliza Wilson? She died in a car accident a few months ago, didn’t she?”
“Let me in.” He starts, and Charlotte freezes.
“M-my husband isn’t home, don’t you think that’s quite impro—” She starts, but Milo physically shoves her aside, and she barely grabs an iron wall adornment on the way down and transforms her fist.
She’s about to hit him, but Schuyler walks out from behind the walls and gives him his familiar, charming smile.
“Milo, is that you?” He laughs. “What are you doing here?”
Milo flinches back and glares at Schuyler.
“You…” He groans, and Schuyler tilts his head.
“You alright?” He asks.
“What are you doing here?” He snaps, and Schuyler laughs.
“Charlotte invited me over. I needed a break.”
“Oh, so you left your little boy at home?” Milo starts, and Schuyler’s eyes sharpen.
“No, of course not. Ash is taking care of him.” He starts.
“Really? She’s not here with you? I thought you guys were joined at the hip.” Milo snaps, and Schuyler’s hand curls into a fist.
“No.” He purrs in that familiar, charming tone. “She said I needed a day off from dealing with the baby and told me to go. What would I do without her, huh?”
“Cut the crap, Schuyler. You guys weren’t supposed to contact each other after the Morpher project.” Milo fires back. “You wouldn’t be here unless Charlotte begged for your help. Where is she?”
“She?” Schuyler starts, and then suddenly a baby starts crying and Charlotte’s heart stops.
“Her!” Milo says, stomping past him, but suddenly
Peggy
appears.
Holding a
pink
bundle of blankets.
“Charlotte, I’m so sorry.” She starts. “I accidentally woke Syd up!”
Charlotte runs over and takes Syd from her, and Syd immediately seems to calm down when she’s in her mother’s arms.
“N-no worries!” Charlotte stutters, and Milo’s eyes narrow at Peggy.
“So, that was Charlotte’s daughter. Where’s mine?” He snaps, and Peggy looks… confused.
“
Your
daughter?” She asks, and Milo grabs her by the collar.
Schuyler raises his fist, and Peggy motions at him to
stop
.
“Yes, my daughter! I know Lina was pregnant when she left, where’s Elizabeth?!” Milo gasps, and Peggy tilts her head.
“Oh, Elizabeth?” Peggy starts. “You mean
Lina’s
daughter. She looks just like her father, you know that?”
“Where is she?” He snaps again, pulling Peggy to his face, but she keeps her cool.
“With her father. On a mission trip.” She says, and Milo tosses her against the wall.
“Peggy!” Schuyler gasps, running over to her, and Milo glares at both of them.
“Bullshit!
I’m
her father!”
“Elizabeth’s?” Peggy starts. “No way in hell. She’s as dark as her father. Practically a mini Luke.”
That gets Milo to freeze.
“…You’re lying. Lina would never cheat on me.”
“She left you, didn’t she?” Peggy chuckles.
Milo rushes upstairs, and Charlotte and Addi bolt after him.
He throws the door open, and someone in a dark cloak is about to leap out the window, but Milo grabs them and pulls them down.
The hood falls off, and it’s…
“Goddamn it!” Reno snaps. “Ugh, what was that for?!”
And she… doesn’t have Z.
“See?” Peggy snaps. “I told you, she’s
off the planet with her father!”
“What was she doing trying to leave then?!” Milo snaps, and Reno groans.
“I saw you coming and didn’t want to get in the middle of this. I didn’t want to be here when you learn that Lina slept with Luke.”
Peggy sighs.
“Look, I won’t press charges. Just leave.”
Milo still looks pissed, but even after stomping around the room, he can’t find Z.
“That bastard really stole my wife, huh?” He starts, and Peggy shrugs.
“I mean it’s not that hard to keep a woman.” She laughs. “You just have to treat her right.”
Milo growls and approaches her, but she puts up a force field and pushes him back.
“Now we’re even. Get the hell out.” She purrs, and Milo glares at her and stomps out.
And the moment the bottom door slams, she sighs in relief and collapses.
“This is why I married you.” Schuyler laughs, helping her up. “Where’s everyone else?”
“I teleported them down to the car.” Reno starts. “Ash, Jamie, Sage, Henry, and Luke are headed for the airport. Then Ash is going to fly Luke and Z to wherever they’re going, and Jamie’s going to fake the S.P.D. records. Sage is coming along just in case they need another officer.”
“Why’s Henry going with them?” Charlotte asks, and Reno shrugs.
“Emotional support.”
Charlotte shakes her head.
“How did you come up with this so fast?”
“Three-card monte. The only way it works is if you make the queen of hearts disappear, and Reno’s the only one who can do that.” Peggy purrs.
“Yay! We did it!” Addi cheers.
Everyone else seems happy, but…
But Charlotte can’t help but be upset.
She trusts Luke, but Lina begged
her
to keep Z safe.
When she’s old enough… hopefully, Luke will tell her about her mother.
And Charlotte holds the selfish hope that he’ll tell Z about her too. That she loved her as if she was her own daughter.
And Reno just holds her in a warm hug.
“She’ll be fine. Lina’s watching over her.” She whispers. “And she’s probably so happy that you managed to keep her daughter safe.”
Charlotte laughs softly, but…
Oh, she misses Lina. So much.
She misses her smile, her laugh, her friendship.
“Lina…” She starts, and tears finally start to run down her face.
And she looks up, and Reno’s crying too.
“I know.” She starts. “I know.”
Peggy’s frozen heart seems to be melting, and as the high vanishes, Addi starts to tear up too.
Even Schuyler’s crying. Charlotte doesn’t think she’s ever seen him cry out of sadness.
“That man… he didn’t deserve your spark, Lina. I hope you’re happy now, wherever you are.” He mutters.
~
Z’s… stunned.
“You told him that my dad was… Luke Landors?” She starts, and Jack flinches.
“Landors? Wait, you said he mentioned his son, was—?!”
“That’s you, Jack.” Henry chimes in. “Something happened on that mission trip, all of Jack’s documents were destroyed because he was born there and all the fake documents that Luke had made for Z were destroyed too, so the only thing they had to go off was that you were humans and they sent you to Newtech City.”
“We tried to find you, but you both know how much of a mess the foster system is.” Charlotte starts. “And you didn’t have any papers, so they assumed you weren’t related because you look nothing alike and Z looks nothing like Luke. I think they found Z’s real documents, which mention that Lina’s her mother, but her father isn’t on them. So they didn’t notify Milo, thank god.”
“How do you know so much about her? Weren’t you not supposed to contact each other?” Sky cuts in, and Dr. Wilson shakes her head.
“Lina went to Charlotte after she got pregnant. We weren’t supposed to contact each other, but this constituted an emergency.”
“I took care of your mother. I held her hand when she was giving birth.” She starts, and then she lets out a sad chuckle. “You know, you were making clones in her belly. She gave birth to you three times.”
And Charlotte points to Z’s necklace.
“I gave you that. And Luke gave Lina that rosary.”
Jack sighs.
“…Saint Rita wasn’t just the patroness of impossible causes. She was also the patroness of battered women.”
“Exactly.” Dr. Wilson chimes in. “Luke
loved
Lina, but not in that way. If he had lived a little longer, he would have raised you as much as he could. Honestly, it’s a miracle that you two somehow found each other after all that.”
“We ended up at the same foster home when we were ten.” Jack chimes in. “Must have been my dad watching over us.”
“Yeah.” Charlotte laughs. “I think… he’s probably looking down on you and smiling now.”
“Wait, but if he killed Z’s mom, then what the hell’s he still doing working for S.P.D?” Sky cuts in. “We have the judgment scanners now, don’t we?”
Kat just… sighs.
“I know I said my scanners don’t make mistakes, but that’s not completely true. There’s a way to get around them. If the culprit knows they can’t be caught and they don’t feel any remorse, their body doesn’t react in the way the judgement scanners expect. It reads them as innocent. And while we
know
it was him because Bridge and Henry both saw that psychic imprint, that’s not admissible in court.”
“…So you need a confession.” Jack mutters, and he squeezes Z’s shoulder.
“If we could get that, don’t you think we would have by now?” Jamie snaps.
“But now it’s not just you guys. We’re here too.” Z starts. “And I’m not letting the bastard who killed my mom get away.”
“It’s easy to say that, but what’s your idea?” Dr. Wilson starts.
And something seems to click in Sky’s head, and his eyes widen.
“…God, living with Bridge must be doing a number on me. I had what’s either the stupidest or best idea to take this guy down.”
“What?” Z asks, and Sky turns to his dad’s team.
“Hey, do you remember—”
“I remember everything.” Jamie cuts him off, and Sky rolls his eyes.
“I know, I wasn’t referring to you. Do the
rest
of you remember that movie that we watched when I was a kid? The Hindi one that Addi wanted to watch?”
“The one about the guy who got reincarnated and wanted to get revenge on his killer?” Ash chimes in.
And Jamie and Dr. Wilson share a glance.
“…And they found a doppelgänger of the woman he killed in order to make him think he was being haunted.” Dr. Wilson starts.
“Exactly. How much does Z look like her mother?” Sky asks, and Jamie approaches her.
“…It’s uncanny. Down to the eye shape.” He mutters. “If you put your hair in a ponytail and throw it over your shoulder, you could convince anyone you were Lina.”
“Wait, wait!” Charlotte cuts them off. “That’s going to put her back in danger!”
“He doesn’t know that Z’s Lina’s daughter. As far as he knows, she looks like Luke.” Dr. Wilson chimes in.
“And I’m an adult now.” Z adds. “I’m… I was an orphan because of this man. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I was
lucky
to grow up on the streets. She sacrificed everything to protect me, and now I’m going to go all-in to prove it wasn’t in vain. I’m going to avenge my mother.”
And Charlotte just… looks at her. Almost like she’s looking at a ghost.
“…You really are your mother’s daughter.” She whispers. “I have Lina’s favorite dress back at my house. I’m pretty sure it should fit you. Let’s make that bastard pay for everything he did to her.”
Z takes a breath, and Jack’s arm drops off her shoulder.
“Let’s take him down.” He starts, and Ash walks over to them.
“You know, your parents would be so proud of you two.” She starts, and her eyes drift over to Sky.
“What about his dad?” Jack starts, and Ash chuckles.
“…He’d be so glad to see that his little ranger grew up to be just like him. Come on, let’s get this plan hammered out.”
~
It’s almost time. She’s almost there.
She’s running through the snow again, holding a little bundle in her arms and rushing to Charlotte’s house.
She pounds on her door, and Charlotte throws it open instantly.
“Lina?” She gasps. “What’s wrong?”
“Take her.” She says, handing over the bundle. “Promise me you’ll keep her safe, no matter what happens.”
Charlotte immediately takes Z out of her arms, but she looks at Lina, stunned.
“What’s wrong? Lina—”
“Promise me!” She snaps, and Charlotte steps back.
“I promise.” She says. “…Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
Lina shakes her head. She knows Charlotte, she’ll try to help. She needs to do this alone.
And Charlotte just gives her a sad smile.
“…You know, you’ve really grown since we first met.” She whispers.
Lina smiles at her.
“You’re right. I’m not scared little Lina Sanchez anymore. I’m Lina Delgado, and I’ll protect my daughter.”
Charlotte nods at her, and Lina runs in the other direction. She needs to get back before Milo gets there.
She thumbs the rosary in her pocket and mentally recites prayers before running through the door and locking it, throwing Z’s crib into the back of the closet.
And then she hears a pounding on her door, and she thinks of Z as she holds onto the rosary.
“I ask for nothing.” She whispers, approaching the door. “I ask for nothing except for my daughter to grow up happy.”
And she throws the door open.
~
Z’s breath is catching in her throat.
She looks like herself, but also not.
There’s a picture of Lina— her
mother—
on Syd’s phone in front of her, and Z can’t believe how much she looks like her.
She’s traded out her Z necklace for that rosary, slipped in the dress pocket.
“You’re so pretty…” Syd whispers, and Z kind of agrees with her, but…
But it’s like she’s not looking at her own face.
Which is perfect for this, but is
really
jarring.
Syd leads her out of their room, and Charlotte drops the glass of water she was holding.
“…For a second, I almost thought you were Lina.” Dr. Wilson starts.
“Yeah, it’s like she’s risen from the grave.” Henry chimes in.
“You don’t carry yourself the same way, though.” Jamie cuts them off. “You need to make him believe you’re Lina.”
“Wait, no.” Charlotte finally chimes in. “This
is
how Lina carried herself. In the last years of her life, she was…
proud
and
strong
. Nothing like the shy little girl she was when we first met her.”
Z can’t help but smile at that. She’s… like her mother.
Even Dr. Wilson cracks a smile, but it quickly disappears.
“Now, remember. Don’t say a word. Just pass by him and lead him into an area with cameras.” She starts. “If I’m right, he’ll follow you, and
then
you confront him.”
“He will. I know he will.” Jamie adds.
“Are you ready for this?” Addi chimes in, and Z nods.
“I am.”
Sam floats into her other pocket, and Jack walks over to her and starts leading her to the elevator.
“Remember, if he comes at you, I’ll be right there.” He starts.
“Trust me, you’ll know if I’m in trouble. You always do.” She laughs.
The joke seems to get Jack to relax a little, and she steps into the elevator and heads down to the lower floors, slipping a hand in her pocket to gently pat Sam and make sure he doesn’t freak out.
She’s on the floor where Milo’s office is, and she steps out gently. Sam floats above her head, out of sight, but she can still hear him twinkling.
She tries to remember how Syd told her to walk. Ethereal, slow steps. Head up. Don’t walk, try to float, whatever that means.
And she steps past Milo’s office, and he looks up at her.
There’s that gaze.
She keeps walking, and Milo scrambles out of his chair, so Z picks up the pace. There should be an empty area up ahead, and there’s a camera there.
She hits the wall, and Milo approaches behind her.
“…Lina?” He gasps, and Z spins on her heel.
“Milo.” She purrs, in an airy tone.
“You… but… you’re dead!” He sputters, and Z tilts her head slightly.
“I am, aren’t I? So why would I be here?”
He stumbles back slightly, and Z just smiles at him.
Now, phase two.
Sky walks past him, and Milo bumps into him as he’s backing away.
“Hey!” Sky snaps, and Milo turns to him in even more horror.
“Schuyler?” He gasps, and Sky’s eyes narrow slightly.
“Uh, no? I think you have me confused for someone else. Are you okay? You look a little freaked out.”
Milo points at Z, and it’s clearly taking everything in Sky not to laugh.
“What? There’s nothing there. Are you feeling alright? Maybe we should go to the infirmary.”
The rest of this floor is clear, so now they’re ready for phase three.
Milo takes off running, and Z takes off behind him.
“Why am I here, Milo?!” She snaps. “Explain it to me! I’m dead, aren’t I?!”
His heart must be beating out of his chest. It’s perfect.
“Leave me alone, Lina! You’re not real!” Milo snaps, and Z pushes herself to the limit to run after him.
“Then why are you running?! Why are you scared of me?!”
Milo freezes, and he turns on his heel.
“Scared of you?” He scoffs, like that word specifically ticked him off. “I’m not..”
“Really? You’re not?” Z responds.
“Yeah. Because I just realized,
Hell sent you back here for more.
”
He steps over to Z, and she steps back.
“You really are still scared. You think you have any power here, Lina? Devil or not, you’ll never beat me.” He hisses, approaching Z, and she sees Sky diving into an office out of the corner of her eye.
Z sucks in a breath and glares at Milo as hard as she can.
And Milo just
laughs,
so Z steps forward.
“Your stubborn pride.” She whispers. “It’s always been your downfall.”
And she steps forward.
“I am scared. But I’ll admit that. And I’ll make sure that you never sleep again, you
bastard.
I’ll keep coming, and coming, and coming…”
Milo glances around and Z watches Sky pull himself further into the office so he’s completely out of sight.
“Where’s the camera?” He laughs, and Z steps forward again.
“No cameras.” She whispers.
“Then what’s that in your pocket?” He responds. “Eh, ‘Lina?’”
Here’s the trump card.
She slips the rosary out of her pocket, and Milo suddenly freezes in fear.
She crosses her hands in front of her face, clutching the beads, and looks Milo dead in the eye.
She can almost feel warm hands over hers, and Milo wipes his brow.
“What do you want, Lina?!” He gasps.
“I’ve come to settle a score.” Z says simply, and she approaches him again.
“Okay!” He blubbers. “Okay, I’m sorry!”
“Sorry for
what
?”
Milo looks around again, and he lowers his voice.
“I’m sorry for killing you, Lina. Please, have mercy.”
And Sky steps out of the office.
“We’ve got it.” He smirks, and Milo freezes.
“You… you can see her?”
“I could always see her.” Sky laughs. “Right, Z?”
Z smirks and pulls her hair out of the side ponytail, shaking it out, and she watches Milo’s face drop.
“You’re… Z?” He asks, and Z puts a hand on her hip.
“Elizabeth.” She starts, and Milo’s eyes widen. “
Elizabeth Delgado.
”
He gets this… angry look in his eye, and he lunges at Z, but she kicks him in the stomach.
“And that’s assaulting an officer
on top of
murder.” Sky starts, pulling his handcuffs off his belt and handing them to Z. “Here. It’s only fair.”
Z cuffs his hands behind his back, and Sky starts to read him his rights as Jack runs in and practically tackles Z in a hug.
“Z, you scared the hell out of me!” Jack starts, clutching her as tightly as possible.
“Yeah, yeah.” Z laughs, hugging him back. “Sorry about that.”
Sam floats down and turns back into his Omega Ranger form, also hugging Z tightly.
“You were so awesome! I got scared, but you kept your cool!” He laughs, and Z gently puts a hand on his head.
“Don’t worry.” She laughs. “I’ve always got it.”
“Ugh… but how can you be Elizabeth?” Milo groans. “Lina…”
“Never slept with Luke.” Dr. Wilson cuts him off. “He wasn’t a cradle-robber like you. I just said she was Luke’s daughter so you’d stop looking for her.”
“…Lying bitch!” Milo snaps, and Sky pulls him back.
“God, I hope Dad’s watching me drag you in.” Sky laughs, and Milo looks him up and down.
“Oh, that face. You’re little Sky, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, and I’m doing what Dad couldn’t.” Sky responds, pulling Milo into the elevator and dragging him up to a holding cell.
And Charlotte bursts past everyone else and joins the hug with Jack, Sam, and Z.
“Oh, they all must be smiling down on you!” She laughs. “God, if only they could see you now!”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Okay after last time I realized that I should give a summary of the OCs and there are six more this time so, OC description speedrun!Morpher ProjectDr. Luke Landors, PhD, Molecular Biosciences. 30 years old at the start of the Morpher Project. Jack’s dad. Very Catholic, but not in a bad way. He was really kindhearted, and mostly went on mission trips specifically to do humanitarian work. He was the oldest one on the Morpher project, so he kind of took on a big brother role to everyone else. He was going to switch to full-time missionary work afterwards for a few years and then come home with Jack and Z when they were a little older and maybe go back to science, but that was way in the future and he didn’t even get the chance to really plan everything out when he died.Dr. Charlotte Kensington/Drew, PhD, Mechanical Metallurgy. 27 at the time of the Morpher Project. Syd’s mom. Honestly, she’s pretty similar to Syd, but Charlotte is extremely kindhearted a lot faster. She’s a bundle of energy and has a huge heart, plus is extremely smart. She and Henry were absolute *best friends*. She switched to teaching after the Morpher Project, and was going to be a professor, but she realized that she loved kids and she has family money and a rich husband so decided to be a 6th grade science teacher.Dr. Margarita “Peggy” Wilson/Tate, PhD, Genetics. 28 at the time of the Morpher Project. Sky’s mom. Sky is a stubborn bitch because of her genes specifically. Before her husband’s death, she was still… like that, but she was a lot less actively angry at all times. She was pretty stern, but always got roped into everyone else’s schemes. Mostly Charlotte’s. After the Morpher Project, she stayed in science and became a highly respected Genetics professor at Newtech University. Her students hate her but she is also the best genetics professor at the university so.Dr. Lina Sanchez/Delgado, PhD, Health and Human Performance. 23 at the time of the Morpher Project. Z’s mom. She was quiet and shy when she first joined the Morpher Project, but turned into an absolute fireball as the years went by. She never stopped being a sweetheart, but she grew to be a strong and proud woman once she left Milo. She wanted to be an example to her daughter, everything she could be. After the project, she didn’t end up doing much because Milo decided this genius girl would be better served as a housewife, and after she ran off she was too busy taking care of Z and Charlotte paid all the bills because she loved her. But all she ever wanted was to help people, and she was considering going into physical therapy after Z was a little older.Dr. Henry Carson, PsyD, 27 at the time of the Morpher Project. Bridge’s dad. Henry is a spectacular weirdo. Bridge is absolutely his father’s son, there’s no two ways about it. He met his wife while she was doing some kind of experiment and almost fell off the Golden Gate Bridge while doing it, and that’s where Bridge got his name. He made up a secret handshake with Charlotte and they still both know it. He went into therapy afterwards, and his patients will swear that he knows what they’re thinking and can help them better than anyone. Because he does. Turns out being psychic really helps with being a therapist.Dr. Reno Swanson, PhD, Physics, 26 at the time of the Morpher Project. Sam’s mom. Reno might have been one of the youngest members of the project, but she had a lot of younger siblings so she always felt a little older. She’s great at giving advice, and has this infectious energy that makes her a great duo with Charlotte. Especially at annoying the hell out of Peggy. She did always want kids, but never had the time to find a husband so she had Sam through a sperm donor. That sperm donor may have been Schuyler, Luke, or Henry, Sam’s life is a real life Mamma Mia situation and he doesn’t know it and Sky, Jack, and Bridge don’t know that he might be one of their younger half brother. She stayed in physics, doing research at Newtech University until she died.The first team of RangersSchuyler Tate Sr, S.P.D. Red Ranger, 26 at the time of the Morpher Project. Sky’s dad. He was really charming, sweet, and a bit of a flirt but he respected women so damn much. I didn’t explain this last time because this fic was already in the works, but he was abused by his father as a child and he’s spent his life making sure he doesn’t get angry and ends up like him, and became a cop to help protect people. He was aiming for Special Victims before joining SPD and becoming a Ranger. He was the greatest SPD Red of all time just because all he wanted was to help people, and he was such a good dad to Sky because he wanted to make sure he wasn’t his father.Ashlynn “Ash” Marshall, S.P.D. Blue Ranger, 27 at the time of the Morpher Project. She was Schuyler’s best friend, almost like his sister. They met while applying for the police academy and had been friends ever since, and when Schuyler got the Red Ranger position his first thought was that Ash had to be his blue. She was supposed to be Sky’s godmother, but she lost it in a bet. Addi bet that she could get Schuyler from across the city before Peggy gave birth, and she somehow did and so Ash is not actually Sky’s godmother. She became a firefighter after retiring from S.P.D, she wanted to keep helping people even though she couldn’t bear to keep being a ranger after Schuyler died.Sage, S.P.D. Green Ranger, 28 at the time of the Morpher Project. He’s just a guy, very quiet. He doesn’t talk, but the longer you get to know him the more you can understand him. He’s a pretty big guy, but he’s a massive sweetheart underneath his tough exterior. Baby Sky used to love hanging around him because he was always kind and would let Sky climb on him with zero hesitation. He’s a big literature nerd and became a librarian after he retired from S.P.D, because it’s a job where his quiet nature works in his favor and he can share his love for reading with more people.Jamie Adams, S.P.D. Yellow Ranger, 26 at the time of the Morpher Project. He’s whip-smart, and he has a photographic memory. He can be quite abrasive, but he has a good heart. Sky might have learned a bit about how to be a massive bitch from him. He hates kids unless they’re Sky, he thought everyone was a little insane about how excited they were for Sky to be born and then he held him for the first time and decided that every single kid sucked except Sky. After retiring from S.P.D, he… kind of developed a drinking habit in an attempt to forget how vivid Schuyler’s death was in his mind, but his memory wouldn’t vanish and he just kept killing his liver. He got his doctorate out of spite for Peggy and now teaches classes twice a week at Newtech University in order to have enough money to fund that habit. Peggy hates him, but he works in the English department so they haven’t crossed paths in seven years and Jamie is praying to keep it that way.Addison “Addi” Brooks, S.P.D. Pink Ranger, 26 at the time of the Morpher Project. Addi’s an undercover specialist, she loves acting of all kinds and was one of the greatest undercover operatives in S.P.D. History. She’s Sky’s godmother because of that bet, and while she is absolutely insane, there’s honestly no one Schuyler would trust more with his son except his wife and Ash. After retiring from S.P.D, she tried to go into an acting career and hoped her skills would transfer over. One problem: She can’t act unless she’s lying to people. It’s so easy for her when she’s going undercover in a mafia ring, but she can’t act on stage.