Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Power Rangers Lost Galaxy by Heather Ray (free novel 24 TXT) 📖

"I'm begging you! Let me through!"

The hefty security guard glared at the desperate man before him. It was obvious he'd endured great effort to be there. His suit was wrinkled and disorderly, and he clutched a single suitcase in his hand. His face was flushed, and his black hair hung in disarray.

He certainly didn't look

like one of the exclusive candidates chosen to join Terra Venture's science team, but he did have the proper paperwork.

The security guard took his passport, and reviewed it while shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Skullovitch, but it's out of my hands. You're a Level Four officer. You should've been here two hours ago for final processing."

Skull nodded, swallowing hard. "I know that, but everything went wrong

this morning --"

"I can imagine," the guard sighed, "but I still can't help you."

"Can't you recall a shuttle?" Skull asked hopefully, "I mean, surely there must be some

way to get on Terra Venture."

The guard smirked. "For a Level Four officer? Not possible. Emergency recall is only available for Level One officers. But you're just an assistant to a low-level astronomer. You're not what we'd consider essential crew."

Skull scowled at the statement. That hurt.

The guard then glanced at Skull's bag once again. "Is your other luggage already on Terra Venture?"

Skull shook his head. "I left it all at home."

The guard shrugged. "Then you're not losing anything," he pointed out, "So just go home, Sir. You're not

getting on that station."

Skull gnashed his teeth, feeling the suicidal urge to pounce on the much larger, much stronger, probably-black-belt-in-karate guard. At least it would put him out of his misery. But even with nothing left to live for, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Instead, he turned away, clutching his suitcase until his knuckles grew white.

As he dejectedly slinked out of the airport, a caramel-haired woman moved passed him.

His moist gaze followed her as she hurried to a taxi. They widened, and for a brief instant a spark of life returned to his eyes.

But only for an instant.

"It can't be," he decided, shaking his head. He smirked at his own foolishness, and put the thought out of his mind.

What were the chances it was her

, anyway?

Kim fell upon the crisp sheets of the hotel room. She gazed at the white ceiling blankly, heaving a deep sigh.

But was the sigh sorrow... or relief?

She honestly didn't know. She couldn't decide whether losing Trevor Monroe was a blessing or a curse.

"I never loved him like he loved me," she reminded to herself, fingernails gently grazing her forehead, "I really screwed this whole thing up."

It was the matter she struggled with for years. She had met Trevor, then a law student, while training for the Pan Global Games of 1997. At first, she found herself captivated by his charm and sensitivity. Also, she was flattered by his constant attention, which her teammates had pointed out on numerous occasions.

He had the looks, the charm, the intelligence, the wit, and a bright future. And the way he smiled at her made Kimberly feel like she was the center of the universe.

She'd felt it was time to start over. Her ties to her life in Angel Grove were tenuous at best; conflicting schedules made it nearly impossible to even have a telephone conversation with her boyfriend, much less her other friends. As time passed, she grew more alienated from him. Her life was changing around her, and she decided to change along with it. Different life... different love.

So she gave this new romance a chance.

They dated for a while, but while she always would cherish Trevor as a friend... she couldn't marry him.

As odd as it sounded, she discovered that despite all his qualities, she couldn't bring herself to truly love him.

They were fundamentally too different. Her experiences as a Power Ranger and world-class athlete gave her a unique perspective on the world. She wanted to enjoy normalcy. Her life hadn't been normal in so long

, she'd almost forgotten what it was like.

Trevor, on the other hand, was driven. He wanted to make a difference. He wanted to be a hero in his own way.

Kim had her fill of that as the Pink Ranger. She'd been ready to leave it behind to join the Pan Global team, and finally, after the thrill of competition faded, she was through with high-stakes living altogether.

So when the opportunity arose, he leapt at the chance to join Terra Venture's world-class crew; and she firmly refused.

Exploring the galaxy just didn't appeal to her. She knew more about alien civilizations than the G.S.A., anyway. Also, considering how many times she had risked her own neck to preserve the Earth, she wasn't prepared to abandon it, and everything she had once fought to protect.

Her adventures had ended... and his had only begun.

In all honesty, it was the perfect way to finally end a stagnant relationship. They'd been "going steady" for two years, and twice he'd proposed, but they'd never been engaged. She couldn't bring herself to say yes. But he'd been so patient with her it was almost frustrating. They'd take time off from each other, only to meander back to one another after a month or so. It couldn't have been healthy for either of them.

She didn't want to hurt him. She kept hoping he'd become the love of her life, if she'd just hold on long enough.

The magic of their early relationship faded long ago, and the depth of emotion that would give her the feeling of permanence

never developed. If it were to happen, it would've happened already.

This was a blessing for both of them.

"He'll be fine," she assured herself, exhaling slowly, "He'll be the hero he always wanted to be. He'll help forge the first human colony."

She smiled. It was weak, but genuine, and it felt good. "And I get another chance to find my match. It's time to start all over again."

The idea was oddly refreshing.

"Gene, I can't believe this!" Edmund sighed, rolling his slate eyes, "Why were you wearing earmuffs

?"

"I told you... it was cold!" Skull groused. His frown had become plastic on his face, despite the fact that he carried his adorable two-year old niece Gretchen on his knee. "Angel Grove has been chilly all week, and the heat just doesn't work well in my apartment. I needed to get a decent night's sleep, so I figured I'd wear the earmuffs to help keep me warm. I didn't think I'd sleep through my alarm!"

Edmund sighed again, reading his brother's despondent expression. He'd never seen such defeat on the face of the youngest Skullovitch boy. "I should've called to make sure you were awake. Sorry I didn't have your back, Gene."

Skull shrugged, settling Gretchen on the carpet while leaning back into the loveseat.

"So now what're you going to do?" Edmund inquired, "If Bulk and Dr. Phenonemus are both gone, you're out of a job."

Skull cradled his forehead in his hand. "That's not even the biggest of my problems."

Edmund's eyes widened. "Gene...?"

"I'm homeless," Skull revealed sullenly, "My landlord already signed new tenants for my apartment. They move in next week. Al is giving me a break, letting me stay for a few days, but I absolutely must be out by Monday."

Edmund was silent, absorbing the news. "What are you going to do? Move in with Mom and Dad?"

Skull's deep frown killed that notion. "Not happening," he assured his brother, "I couldn't wait to move out after high school. I won't go back there!"

"Not even for a few months? Just until you're on your feet?"

Skull's stony face provided the answer. "I just can't go back there," he breathed, "Not after screwing up like this! How can I even look at them?"

He fell silent for a moment, tears building in his eyes. "They gave up on me years ago. They... they expected

me to fail. I can't prove them right."

Edmund gazed sadly at his stricken brother, who leaned so heavily into his seat he seemed to hope the soft cushion would simply swallow him whole. "Gene," he sighed, "you know you're always welcome with Lark and me in Orlando. But I warn you, it'll be tight. I still don't have the money for a house, yet."

Skull smiled wryly. "Still didn't get your big break, huh."

Edmund rolled his eyes. "No one wants to hear pitches from a nobody, so none of my series ideas have even been glanced at. And there's no way a rookie like me would get a shot working on one of the big Disney films. Sometimes I wish I took up web design instead of animation."

Skull shook his head. "Nah... it's great you followed your dream. I'd never have the guts for it." He fell silent, staring at his folded fingers before him. "Maybe I should've taken a chance somewhere along the line? Like... follow up on all those piano lessons I took all my life, or even look into Police Academy. But no... I let Bulkie do all my thinking and planning. And now I don't even have him

to guide me."

"Then maybe missing Terra Venture was a good thing."

Skull stared at his brother as if he were suddenly speaking Swahili.

"Seriously! Just think about it... now you've got a chance to explore who you

are. Follow your dreams, instead of clinging to Bulk. I know it's hard to say goodbye to a close friend and a way of life, but now you've got a fresh start. A second chance!"

Skull frowned skeptically, toying with the optimistic outlook his brother offered. He finally shrugged impotently.

"Thanks for the support, but it's not