CHAPTER TWO

Carter turned up the stereo in the Rescue Rover as the open highway stretched out before him. His sandy colored hair blew in with the rush of the wind. He hadn't been this at ease in a long time. He realized the awkward irony of that, as this was one of the most important assignments he'd ever been given. Nevertheless, quiet times like these were hard to come by. Between his duties with the Mariner Bay Fire Department, as well as his on and off responsibilities to Lightspeed Rescue, Carter rarely had time for himself anymore.

But today was a good day for reflection, Carter knew, especially after yesterday.

He reached over to the passenger's seat, and pulled on a pair of dark sunglasses. He let a deep exhale escape through his nostrils. The previous day had been a day filled with revisits to lost memories, and a childhood that Carter often longed to forget. It was like that every year, and would probably always be that way.

Yesterday had been his Father's birthday.

Or rather, it would have been his birthday. If Carter's math wasn't off, he would have been fifty-seven. He smiled at the thought of his Father at middle age. When Carter had known him, he had always been so energetic, and so full of life. If he were alive today, he would probably still be the same bright smiling, tight hugging, joke cracking man that Carter remembered, with the exception of a few gray hairs.

Carter clenched his teeth, and tightened his grip on the wheel as his mind recessed into a place he never enjoyed going. Although it would never truly leave him. The smoldering heat against his skin, the flames dancing all around him, the smell of smoke and burning plaster itching at his nostrils. He remembered how he screamed as he saw his room and all his toys melting away. His Mother had screamed too, pounding on his bedroom door, pleading for her son to still be alive…

Carter and his Mother had survived the fire that night, thanks to the efforts of a heroic fireman. Yet despite the terrifying fire, it would be the words of another fireman speaking to Carter's mother that continued to haunt him to this day.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Grayson…but your husband…he didn't make it out."

A loud honk behind him jerked Carter back to the present. Looking down at the speedometer, he saw that he'd let the Rescue Rover slow to twenty miles per hour. He quickly stepped on the pedal.

His Father's birthday had always been a day for Carter and his Mother to get out old photos, and laugh at old memories. She would always tell him how proud he would be of him, of his job as a fireman, and even more so, of his responsibilities as the Red Lightspeed Power Ranger. Of all the lives he'd saved, all the sacrifices he'd made to fight for what he believed in, and to defend what was right.

Carter smiled, he only hoped she was right. Under the guidance of Captain William Mitchell, the very man who had saved he and his mother all those years ago, Carter had been appointed the leader of the Lightspeed Rangers. But it had been the efforts of the entire team combined that had saved the world from Queen Bansheera and her minions.

Since that time, the city of Mariner Bay had been a much safer, quieter place then it had been during Bansheera's reign of terror. Carter had resumed his duties with the Mariner Bay Fire Department, while still attempting to contribute what he could to Lightspeed Rescue. He would occasionally be assigned a "specialty mission", which would require Carter and the others to re harness their powers, and protect the city once more. And while these assignments usually paled in comparison to what the team used to face on a day-to-day basis, Carter had to admit, he never got tired of feeling that rush of adrenaline, as the power surged through him like electricity through an outlet.

As the Rover bounced over a pothole, Carter knew that this was no specialty mission he was on. In fact, it hadn't even come from Lightspeed. Carter had received a phone call at his home just last night. He had never met the man on the other end before, but knew all to well who he was. Carter never thought that he'd actually be speaking to him. That had only occurred in the occasional fantasy.

His voice had been soft and gentle, a comforting sound to hear, considering his legendary status. Yet he had sensed a rock hard core under the surface. Carter shuddered to think what he had sounded like to his foes. "You're presence is requested at the N.A.S.A.D.A. spaceport, just west of downtown Angel Grove." He had said, "Are you familiar with it?"

"Y-yes, yes I am." Carter had replied. He rolled his eyes as he remembered how nervous he must have sounded.

"Good, tomorrow then, at twelve noon sharp." Carter had started to say something, but he was cut off. "Also, there is something else I need you to do."

He checked his watch, almost nine o'clock. To some, getting up at six o'clock in the morning was next to impossible. To him, it was a daily routine. As a fireman, he had gotten used to early calls, as well as late calls. The thought that lives just like his Father's were on the line forced him to shake the cobwebs out of his head, and respond to the call of duty.

Yet even so, for a fireman, let alone a Red Ranger, getting up at six a.m. to pick up someone who didn't even know you were coming, seemed a bit indignant.

Carter mentally shrugged the thought off, realizing that dignity wasn't always the most important thing. Besides, if the urgent tone in the caller's voice was any indication, this was too serious to think about personal pride.

He pressed his foot on the break as he twisted the wheel slightly to the right, and turned off into the highway exit. Glancing up to his right, Carter saw what looked to be a welcome sign.

He chuckled to himself. What kind of a name was Turtle Cove for a city anyway?

---

"Look guys," Cole said. "I'm really not interested."

"Aw c'mon man," Max coaxed, patting him on the chest. "It'll be awesome, you'll love it!"

"Yeah," Alyssa added. "Just try it this once. We promise you won't get addicted."

"Please guys," Cole pleaded with them. "Don't do this to me."

"Cole," Danny said. "You're being really stupid, okay? There's nothing wrong with it!"

"You'll thank us later!" Max said.

Cole broke away from his friends, trying one more time to reason with them. "Listen, I just don't think it's for me, okay?"

Max shook his head. "Dude, you're crazy!"

"Yeah," Taylor commented. She opened the box in her arms, and set it on the table. "I mean, they're just donuts."

Cole turned away, crossing his heavily muscled arms, as Max's eyes lit up. His friends, and fellow Power Rangers seemed to attack the box. But Cole knew he was the smarter of the bunch. Since arriving into civilization from the deep jungles of the Amazon, he had promised himself that he would not allow the temptations of modern society to rob him of the values that the amazons had instilled within him.

Still, those donuts did look good…

"Mmm, I've got the urge to splurge!" said Max, the youngest of the group. His dark skinned hands were already blemished with frosting. Somewhere along the line, he'd let some of it get into his short, curly black hair. Cole repressed a smile. Though not to be taken lightly, Max did have a tendency to do things that were…well…cute.

Though he would have expected much more from Danny, whose body was arguably more muscled than Cole's. Of the same ethnicity as Max, with gentle eyes behind the round frames of his glasses, Danny never let being the biggest member of the team go to his head. For that, Cole respected him greatly.

Next to Danny, dwarfed by his sheer height and mass, was Alyssa. In many ways, Cole considered her to be the heart of the team. She was as sweet as the donuts she was eating, and possessed a heart of pure gold. Cole had come to love her as a sister.

But what Alyssa had in innocence and kindness, Taylor had in strength and determination. Though her blonde locks were beautiful and enticing, the fiery intensity in her eyes let any enemy know that the former Air Force pilot was not to be taken lightly.

And then there was himself, Cole, the Red Wild Force Power Ranger. Cole was a man who believed in destiny. Growing up as an orphan in the amazons, the natives had always told Cole that his fate would ultimately lie in the hands of the gods. It was a theory that to this day, Cole still believed. He often wondered about his own destiny. He hoped it had been fate that had brought him here, to Turtle Cove.  With the help of his new friends and fellow Rangers, Cole had discovered that his Mother and Father had allegedly been killed not long after his birth. But upon this discovery, Alyssa had offered him an intriguing thought. Cole was alive, regardless of who or what had tried to murder his Mother and Father. If he had survived the attack, then perhaps they had too.

Perhaps they, like him, were searching for a lost piece of their hearts…

Though the sleepless nights did continue even after Cole's emergence into civilization, he could take comfort in one thing. The Red Lion Orb, a small red gem which the natives found alongside him, was now being put to it's proper use. Using the Orb, Cole had been able to harness the powers of the Red Lion Power Ranger. Though it wasn't what he had set out to accomplish, Cole found that saving the lives of innocents brought upon a feeling of self gratification like no other. It was a feeling that helped eased the pain and frustration, and the burning question of if, and when.

Cole smiled as his friends gobbled up the remains of the donuts. He just hoped, that wherever his parents were, that he had made them proud.

"Aw man," Max said, licking his fingers. "That's a meal right there."

Taylor smiled at him. "I've got to hand it to you Cole, you've got will power."

Cole grinned back at her. "That's what nineteen years living off fruit and flame cooked meat will do for you." Cole's friends laughed, a sound he never tired of hearing. He reached under the picnic table they sat at, and retrieved a Basketball. "So, you guys ready to teach me how to play yet?"

Now Cole was laughing. He'd never seen four people grow nauseous simultaneously before.

"Excuse me, Cole Evans?"

At the sound of a strange voice, Cole turned to see a young man, presumably only a few years older than him. He wore a red and black jacket, with the words "Lightspeed Rescue" printed across the sleeve. His expression was cold, and all business. His sky blue eyes looked Cole over, as they sat perched above a freckled nose. The sun seemed to change his sandy colored hair to a shiny gold.

Though he'd never met this man before, Cole had learned to never resist meeting a new person. He started to extend his hand, smiling.

"Cole Evans, Red Wild Force Ranger?"

Cole's smile vanished, replaced by a defensive, yet curious frown.

"How do you know who I am?" Cole asked, trying not so sound too defensive. Who was this strange man? And how had he come to know Cole's most heavily guarded secret?

"I'm Carter Grayson, Lightspeed Rescue." He replied. He then held up his right wrist, showing Cole the device strapped to it. The markings matched those on his jacket.

"Red Ranger."

Cole's eyes widened. It was a morpher!

"I've been sent to recruit you for a very important mission. The fate of the entire Earth is at stake. We need your help."

"Mission?" Cole asked, puzzled. "What kind of a mission?"

"Who cares?" Max blurted out. "You guys heard the man! The fate of the Earth is at stake!" He pointed to a bright yellow humvee parked on the curb, which Cole hadn't noticed until that moment. "Those your wheels?"

Carter nodded.

"Okay then, let's go!" Max started for the humvee, but Carter placed his fingertips on the younger man's chest, stopping him in his tracks. "Sorry," he said. "But only Cole's presence is requested for this mission."

The Rangers all frowned in confusion. Cole looked at his teammates. He'd never fought alongside anyone else before, let alone on something as important as this. Or at least, as important as Carter was making it sound.

"Mr. Evans," Carter said. "I'm sorry to rush you, but unfortunately, time is a luxury we don't have. I'm going to have to ask that you come with me."

Cole's mind raced. He had no reason to trust this stranger, despite the fact that his claims seemed genuine. Though the fact that he knew his identity made him extremely uneasy. Aside from his teammates, and mentor Princess Shayla, only one individual knew of his status as the Red Ranger. That was the sinister Master Org, but he was gone now…defeated by Cole and the others.

Could Carter be some sort of Org leading Cole into a trap?

But then again, he'd said the fate of the entire Earth was at stake as well. Was the fate of the planet he'd sworn to protect worth the gamble? In his heart, Cole knew the answer, even as he asked the question. He nodded. "Okay."

The left side of Carter's mouth curled into a half smile. "Good, let's go then." He turned and started for his vehicle. Cole followed, turning to give a quick wave to his friends, whose eyes told him to be careful.

He stepped into the humvee, and pulled the door shut. "Your partners seem very nice." Carter commented.

Cole smiled. "Yeah, just be careful when they have donuts."