The Reluctant Ranger Chapter 10 - Cooldown

Nicole took a seat on the back of one of the engine cabs, the higher ground offering some comfort in the sea of chaos around them.  She couldn’t take her helmet off to drink anything, not without risking her identity.  That small fact alone bothered her, not that she was actually thirsty beyond what she normally would be. 

She hadn’t felt a lick of heat, even from the worst of the flames.  It was almost disconcerting at times just how protective the Ranger suits could be.  She’d known they could take punishment far beyond anything that humanity had come up with, but it was still startling to actually experience. 

All that power, and humanity was still losing ground to the invaders. 

There were maybe three hundred Rangers worldwide, at last estimate.  Of those, maybe two hundred actively tried to fight the invaders.  Some were like the Fire Rescue team that Carlos hailed from, helping humanity in other ways.  Others would use the power to carve out their own kingdoms.  Several countries around the world had fallen to rogue Ranger teams.  Funny enough, the invaders didn’t even target those, probably because they were doing the job for them. 

It was all so damn pointless.  Humanity wasn’t going to win, they would lose and whatever goal the invaders had would be fulfilled.  Hold the line, that was all they could do until the duty claimed them. 

A shuddering breath escaped her, knowing this was to be her own fate.  So much better than she could have ever dared hope for, but the expectations were now higher.  She couldn’t just pick a nice summer day to go out peacefully while watching the sky and listening to her favorite music.  No, she would die in battle, likely screaming in agony as blades carve her up alive. 

The automatons didn’t treat humans like feeling beings, they carved through them like they were just as unthinking and unfeeling as they were.  It was always brutally efficient, the slaughter that followed in the machine’s wake.  Many so-called experts had examined attacks on the news, spouting their apparent findings.

All rubbish. 

If the Sylan wanted to destroy humanity, it would take them five minutes and moderate resources at best.  Russia had proven why that method wasn’t being taken, they had launched their full nuclear might against the invaders.  Only three missiles made it into the air, only one actually managed to strike a target. 

An entire continent irradiated, all to destroy one measly squadron of stunt fighters. 

It was considered the biggest blunder of the One Day War, the first Ranger team emerged not long after and the invasion forces pulled back to observe, to test.  Nicole suspected that the invaders were well acquainted with the Ranger transformations, enough to give them immediate pause.  It supported the theory that their last target had created the tech and some survivor had found a way to pass it along to a planet that wasn’t as beaten down, that might still have a chance. 

Pity humans were such poor fits for great power. 

Carlos was off in the distance, his helmet now off as he conversed with someone who looked important.  Grace wasn’t far, almost as if she was keeping an eye on her while also giving her some space.  Nicole wasn’t sure if that was sweet of her, or some form of condescending.  She didn’t really care either.  It was nice to have someone in her life that cared that wasn’t obligated to do so. 

Rebecca was practically a sister to her, best friends for years.  She cared, and Nicole knew that, but it didn’t help her own issues.  Colin was Becca’s boyfriend, and she only really knew him because he worked at one of her favorite shops.  She had no surviving family, and everyone hated her all through school. 

Grace continuing to just hang out with her, indulge her in some of the sillier ideas that came to mind?  It was nice, and almost gave her hope for the future.  She didn’t want to open up again, to get attached to someone who would just toss her aside and spit on her.  Each time she’d tried to make friends in school, they turned on her.  She knew it was her bullies, that they had arranged it in some way. 

It didn’t stop it from hurting.

She still learned to stop trusting new people.

Nicole wanted to believe that Grace was different, but she couldn’t let herself open up.  She couldn’t put herself out there again, only to be hurt.  Her body was ugly, only reinforced by the Ranger transformation reshaping her muscles back to their most grotesque.  Only the weight of responsibility kept her from ending it that very night.

She sighed, looking up to the sky.  The smoke was mostly petering out, but still marred the otherwise pristine blue.  Her thoughts were bleak far too often, but what else did she really have?  She had her team, and that would have to be enough to last for the remainder of her days, however short they ended up being.

At least she found something she could do while they weren’t punching robots in the streets.  Helping rescue people in emergencies was fulfilling in many ways, it gave her a sense of purpose.  Nothing strong enough to keep her darker thoughts at bay, but it was better than what she had been doing. 

Arguing on the internet wasn’t good for anyone.

Fuck it, she wanted something to drink.  Nicole hopped off the engine with a deftness that no mortal should possess, and landed on the tip of a single foot without a sound, as if gravity didn’t exist for her.  She knew how to do all of that from her time as a gymnast, but it was all enhanced with the reflexes being a Ranger brought with it. 

She made her way to one of the makeshift tents and found a cooler loaded down with iced bottles of soda, sports drinks, and plain water.  She grabbed a water and stepped off, looking for a place with a bit of privacy she might use.  Grace came over a moment later, grabbing a drink of her own and seemed to realize the same conundrum that was currently plaguing her ability to drink. 

No way in hell she was just going to remove her helmet with so many people around, which meant they needed someplace not as easily noticed.  Stupid as it was, the partially burned out building was probably their best bet at the moment. 

“Second or third floor?” she asked, gesturing to the still smoldering high rise.  

The fire ended up spreading up three more floors and down another two before it was contained.  She had reported the bodies she saw on her way through, but the true extent of death probably wouldn’t be known for days to come. 

Grace’s head tilted up a bit before she shrugged.  “Third.  Makes it less likely someone gets lucky and sees our faces.”

Nodding, Nicole crossed the street, then jumped almost straight up, angling herself just enough to land in one of the broken windows.  The fire hadn’t spread that low, but they still broke a bunch of the windows and soaked the floor thoroughly to ensure the fire had a harder time spreading. 

Grace landed beside her a moment later and they quickly found a break room that didn’t have outside windows.  The seats were mostly dry too, which didn’t really matter aside from the odd squishing feel they had when sat in.  These mostly lacked that squicky feeling when Nicole flopped down on one of them, then peeled her helmet off. 

Her hair shook free, and she took a deep breath of unfiltered air.

A red helmet followed, being rested on an empty chair before Grace too flopped into a seat and popped the lid on her bottled lemon drink and took a long pull from it.  Nicole found herself staring as she gulped, her short ponytail matted to her skin by sweat that hadn’t come from the heat.  She could just barely make out the muscles in her neck flexing as she gulped the whole bottle down. 

She was gorgeous, everything that Nicole wasn’t. 

Nicole turned away before Grace could notice her creepy staring and drank her own water just as quickly.  The cold was harsh, but refreshing, after the events of the last few hours.  A welcome reprieve now that the work they could really contribute with was done.  They weren’t trained for the rest, but Nicole knew she wanted to learn more. 

She already planned to attend future classes at the station, maybe even join up as Nicole rather than the Black Ranger, though that might be a bit too obvious.  Maybe Grace would even join her, their less than subtle secret the pride of the station.  It was a nice thought, one she didn’t know if she could follow through on, but it still brought a ghost of a smile to her face. 

“Thinking happy thoughts?” Grace asked. 

Nicole looked aside, catching her friend very much staring at her, a far less subtle grin on her own face as she watched.  Crushing the now empty bottle and tossing it aside into a trash can half filled with water, Nicole leaned back with a sigh. 

“Just thinking about how it felt to just help people,” she said, dodging part of the question. 

“Yeah, that was pretty fucking great,” Grace said in agreement.  “Was it that much of a rush last night too?” 

She nodded, this time letting herself show her emotions as a grin spread.  “Fuck yeah it was.  Maybe more so, when I took that flying leap.  That was the most alive I’ve ever felt.” 

Nicole wanted to feel it again too. 

“Oh no,” Grace said, though there was no actual worry in her voice.  “You’re becoming an adrenaline junkie.  Heaven help you.” 

Nicole rolled her eyes, trying to not think about her choice of phrase there.  She knew nothing would come of it, that nobody would want her, and especially not someone as awesome as Grace.  She was the very definition of her name, no way she would be interested in girls at all, let alone some hulked out girl that would put most bodybuilders to shame.

“Maybe I should take up base jumping,” she mused instead, tossing out the first insane thought she could come up with.  “Then again, pretty sure I could jump off this building and land just fine after that earlier stunt…” 

“Probably,” Grace said.  “Uh, maybe wingsuit jumping?” 

Nicole chuckled, recalling some of those near miss videos that popped up on social media sometimes.  It certainly looked insane, but doing so while morphed would probably take half the thrill out of it, especially with her shade form allowing her to phase through obstacles. 

“I’ll stick to fires for now,” she finally said.  “That hasn’t lost its rush just yet.” 

“I’d certainly hope not,” Carlos said, joining them.  “Sorry if I interrupted anything, but we’re wrapping up down below and some people wanted to thank you before the bulk of responders cleared out.” 

Nicole looked away, the heat rising on her cheeks at the thought that someone might actually want to meet her, or even thank her for what she had done.  It was still very much a new concept, one she wasn’t familiar with in the slightest.  Even at the peak of her competition years, when she had a shot at nationals, she never got any proper attention for it. 

Grace chuckled, reaching for her helmet.  “Positive appreciation, that’s something I’m not used to.  Gonna be weird as hell.” 

Nicole turned, her eyes narrowing a bit.  Who the hell wouldn’t appreciate Grace?  More importantly, where were they so she could smack them for being idiots? 

“It shouldn’t take long,” Carlos said.  “Just a few higher ups with the police and fire side of things, maybe the Mayor if he can make it through traffic, which I doubt he will manage, so no worries there.” 

Helmet back on, Nicole found herself thankful for that one.  She’d actually voted for the guy, and liked what he was doing in general.  That would have been awkward as all hell if she actually had to shake his hand and listen to him thank her. 

Carlos walked back to the broken window, the pair following behind him.  He glanced over the edge, taking a brief moment to survey the area before hopping out.  Nicole hurried over, her fellow Ranger right beside her.  She looked over and found him already walking back towards the tents, plenty of room for them to do the same. 

“You know, it’s kinda funny,” Grace said, looking down where he had landed. 

“What’s that,” she asked. 

Grace chuckled, stepping up to the ledge before she turned back, her helmet framed by the setting sun.  “Before this whole Ranger thing?  I was terrified of heights.” 

The Red Ranger then fell backwards, dropping with the pull of gravity.  Nicole watched her fall, completely unconcerned, then at the last moment Grace twisted, and landed on her feet like a damn cat.  She couldn’t help but laugh, a slight manic lilt to it as she shook her head at the display. 

“Like hell I’m the only junkie among us,” Nicole said, then jumped out the window herself, a smile on her face and every intention to survive the fall.