The Reluctant Ranger

Adrift. 

That was a good word for how Nicole felt ever since her parents were killed.  She couldn’t even claim a desire for vengeance because even if they were killed during an incursion, it had been human hands that ended their lives.  The Sylan were just the excuse that the real monsters used to justify their crimes. 

Despite becoming a Ranger, her new responsibilities had done little to give Nicole a concrete reason to continue.  All it really did was give her a way to bow out honorably and with purpose.  Dying in the line of duty had a good ring to it, just another fallen Ranger in the grand scheme of a war they were fated to lose.

She had a feeling she wouldn’t be the last either. 

The automatons were lethal, there was no doubt about that, but those had yet to kill a Ranger in true combat.  It was the mutants that often came with them that posed the real danger, and her team had it easy so far.  The creature they had fought wasn’t particularly strong, and went down to some basic teamwork that was put together on the fly. 

She already dreaded the next attack and the escalation it would no doubt bring.  There were a bunch of theories on the net about why the Sylans chose their targets but few made sense.  It wasn’t like the invaders were some force of nature from another dimension, or mindless monsters.  They were of a  spacefaring race, which meant they had to be intelligent. 

The Rangers were little more than a roadblock to blind conquest.  If that first team hadn’t emerged and drew the invader’s ire the world would have been lost.  Now she was a part of that ongoing war.  A warrior on the front lines.

So, she found herself wandering the streets late at night, just trying to get some fresh air and hopefully wear herself out enough to actually get some sleep that wasn’t drug induced.  She’d sworn off all sleep aids, and for good reason.  Absently, her fingers brushed the semicolon tattoo on her wrist, then she broke out into a jog. 

Nicole once used running as a way to escape her problems, letting the world fade into a blur as her feet carried her wherever they might.  She tried to ignore the memories of how she used to hope for a mugging gone wrong, or how she still wanted a mugger to try and see what it got them.

She’d even tried free running a few years back, but a near miss had spooked her parents enough to put a stop to it.  If not for general apathy she might have taken it back up following their passing rather than simply continue her daily jogs through the bad parts of town.

Things were different following her selection as a Ranger.  Her body practically vibrated with raw power, her feet felt lighter, her steps surer than ever before.  Thankfully there weren’t many on the streets to witness her bout of superhuman footwork as she practically flew across the sidewalk.

It almost made her itch to get back onto the gymnastic mats and see what she could do with the power she now wielded.  Not that she would, there were too many memories associated with her former passion.  She willed herself to move faster, and she did.  Blocks blurred as she ran, following the curving path of the Mississippi.

There were almost no stars in the night sky, the city lights drowning out the sight of the Milky Way.  There was one star that stood out, always hanging near the moon in the sky, and sometimes it was even visible during the day.  The Sylan battlecruiser, the source of the invasion forces that she was now charged with fighting. 

She wasn’t sure how long she had been running, or even quite where she was, the sign said she was still on Mississippi Blvd, but that road ran an almost absurdly long distance.  She couldn’t remember passing the dam, but given her current speed, she might just have.  That she was back into the residential areas meant she probably was well beyond it and nearing the end of the road, something she had never managed on any other attempt. 

Nicole emerged from the treeline, wondering how long until she would turn around and head back towards the college when she turned a corner only to look up at a massive plume of smoke that engulfed the night sky ahead of her.  It wasn’t close, not for a normal person on foot, but she wasn’t normal now was she?  She pressed both buttons on her watch and was engulfed in a flash of not-light and suddenly her former speed was as if she had been standing still. 

She must have crossed a mile in mere moments and soon she stood just outside of the Riverside Apartments, two of which were currently ablaze.  Fire crews were just arriving, and it seemed they weren’t the only thing on fire either, a warehouse just behind them was also ablaze, and the source of most of the smoke. 

Her first instinct was to clear the way for the professionals, but she wasn’t a bystander, she was a fucking Ranger.  Gritting her teeth in determination, Nicole hurried over to one of the firefighters that seemed to be directing things. 

“Where do you need me?” she demanded. 

The man blinked, be it in surprise or disbelief she wasn’t sure. 

“Uh, we haven’t cleared either building, but some people have evacuated, try asking them if there’s still people inside, I imagine your suit is a bit more protective than ours.” 

Nicole nodded, not wanting to waste more time on small talk and hurried over to where people had congregated in the parking lot away from the emergency vehicles.  One person was being held back, screaming hysterically. 

“My son is missing!” she screamed. 

Nicole froze for a single beat of her heart, a chill running down her spine at the visceral terror those words held.  That woman was about to lose her entire world, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.  Well, she certainly could do something. 

“Which apartment?” Nicole asked, projecting her voice as she did. 

The woman turned, tears streaking down her face as she practically threw those holding her back off of her and lunged right at Nicole, gripping her frantically.  She practically screeched the number, and wasn’t letting go.  Reaching for that feeling she’d barely figured out in the park, Nicole phased out of her grip, the woman stumbled before she looked about in frantic confusion for the now concealed Ranger.  Not wanting to torture the frantic mother, Nicole only took a few steps back before turning visible once more. 

Then she was a blur, bursting through the indicated door only for a blast of flames to wash over her as the draft added an inordinate amount of fuel to the fire.  Not her smartest move, and now the entire living room was fully engulfed.  Right, find the kid first, worry about how to do this shit better later.

It wasn’t big, not by any stretch, and only three doors led off from the main living room and kitchen space.  The first was open, and led to a bathroom.  The tub was clear, so she phased through the wall, entering the next room without risking any draft from her high speed movement.  Okay, parent’s room based on everything she could see. 

Phasing once more, she crossed the hall and entered the kid’s room.  She immediately heard coughing coming from under the bed, which had small bits of flame catching on the blanket.  She slid down, falling prone even as flames licked at her suit, the heat barely registering through the protective material.  The kid was there, having crawled under his bed for safety.  He must have woken up after the flames reached his room.  Nicole couldn’t help the stab at her heart at seeing just how young the kid was.  He probably wasn’t even old enough to attend school.  How had his mother not gone to get him when the alarms went off? 

Whatever, those would be questions for the proper authorities.

“Hey kid,” she said, smiling before she realized he wouldn’t be able to see it.  “How about I get you out of here before the literal roof comes down on us?” 

He stared, wide eyed at Nicole, unmoving, not even breathing.  Then he grinned.  Sighing in relief that he hadn’t just croaked in front of her, she stood, grabbed the edge of the bed, and lifted it up.  It was practically weightless to her enhanced strength, and she easily tossed it aside.  The kid was scooped up under her arm and she reached back with her free hand, forming a cluster of her throwing knives before using them to decimate the window. 

“Hang on,” she said, stepping forward as she shifted so he was cradled in both arms.  Nicole took a brief moment to feel the twinge of fear that came with being up so high, then before she could second guess herself, she jumped.  Wind rushed past as she dropped from the third floor window down to the walkway.  She made sure her legs took the brunt of it, though the kid still let out a startled yelp before he started to cough and giggle at the same time.  People were still holding the mother back, so she reoriented the young boy to sit on her shoulder and walked him over to the waiting group.  “He’s fine, maybe some smoke inhalation.  Make sure the EMTs get a look at him.” 

The mother barely heard her, clutching the boy tight as she sobbed incoherently.  One of the others that had been holding the woman back smiled at her, patting Nicole’s shoulder.  She wanted to stay, but there were likely others in need of help, or pets still trapped that she might be able to help.  The firefighters now had water on the worst of the blaze and more trucks were arriving along with the first of the ambulances. 

She returned to where those in charge of the response seemed to be, and they had several suiting up with masks preparing.  They all took one look at her, then at each other before a different person stepped forward from before. 

“Hell of a showing,” the man said.  “Name’s Grayson.  I’m the chief over in Maple Grove.” 

“Nic—” Nicole started only to clamp her jaw shut, her cheeks warming under her helm.  “Uh, pretend you didn’t hear that.” 

Chief Grayson laughed, poking at his covered ear with thick gloved fingers.  “Hear what?  You stay in this line of business long enough and that’s the first thing to go with how loud shit can be.” 

Nicole couldn’t help but smile, hoping that her slip up wouldn’t get repeated.  Something told her that she could trust him to keep the secret.  “Where do you need me?”

At that question, Grayson shifted his hand to rub the back of his helmet.  “We have limited confirmation of who is and isn’t accounted for.  How able are you to perform recon in the worst of the blaze?” 

“Uh, honestly not sure,” she admitted.  “Still getting used to things and these powers didn’t exactly come with a manual.” 

He chuckled at the lame joke, which was sort of nice of him, she supposed.  “Well, no time like the present,” Grayson said, then turned to the inferno.  “Start in there, and if it’s too much come back and let me know, I’ll shuffle people around to make due.” 

“You got it,” she said, returning her focus back to the blaze.  

Not letting the instinctive fear hold her back, Nicole rushed towards the hellfire and reached out with her senses.  The shadows welcomed her as she let herself shift while in motion, phasing through the closest door without losing her momentum.  She would need to practice more with the limits of that ability, but for now it was far too useful to ignore.  It was time to do some good that wasn’t just breaking machines with her fists, and honestly, this almost felt more fulfilling in some way. 

 

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Ever so carefully, Nicole eased the door open to her dorm.  The temptation to just phase into her room certainly existed, but she didn’t want to chance someone on campus seeing her and doing the basic arithmetic that would follow.  Instead, she was sneaking back in like she was returning from a particularly embarrassing one night stand, which was far more innocuous when college students were involved. 

She probably saw others doing exactly that at least once a week.

Three more people, and twelve pets were pulled out of the fire after that first kid, and she thanked her lucky stars that she hadn’t been the one to discover the first body, or the second.  An elderly couple had died in bed together, seemingly sound asleep.  There was no way to know if they’d died of the smoke or if something else had ended their time on earth.  Everyone had sort of paused for a moment upon their discovery, and it wasn’t the last of the grim finds. 

Nicole wouldn’t soon forget the sight of a scorched dog, wrapped protectively around her puppies even as her flesh charred.  The mother didn’t make it, nor did one of the three nursing pups.  She’d needed a moment after getting them out to collect herself.  By then it felt like half the city’s fire crews were on the scene and the burden on her to scour every corner was relieved.   

It was sobering, to see so many normal people working to help others, to be reminded how powerless they were in the face of something beyond them.  Yet, they never gave up, didn’t stop until they were sure that everyone was accounted for.  People were tenacious like that, and she felt a bit of pride at being right there with them through all of it. 

Fighting fires wasn’t punching faceless machines, or repelling an invasion, but she’d enjoyed it.  It was something fulfilling, and a very different sort of thrill to what she got while she was out acting as a Ranger.  Despite the depressing sights, the disturbing finds, she wanted more of it.  The sight of that little boy smiling when he realized everything was going to be okay would forever remain seared into her memory.  Chief Grayson had said he worked in Maple Grove, which wasn’t too far from Anoka, maybe he could help her volunteer for more search and rescue work with his department. 

No wonder the Fire Rescue Rangers always seemed so upbeat in interviews, they were always out there, they left the fights to the other teams, and instead focused on helping the people that needed them.  Maybe there was something to that, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to explore those feelings more. 

Maybe she could even bring Grace next time. 

The door carefully clicked shut, Nicole thought she was home free, then the lights all came on at once.  She turned, fists up, ready for whatever ambush was waiting for her within the walls of her own home.  She’d almost expected the strange woman from the Renaissance Faire to be sitting on her couch, so the sight of Becca holding her phone with a scowl on her face was a welcome sight. 

For all of three seconds. 

Nicole swallowed, then tried to force a smile.  “Hey Becca, you’re up early.” 

“And you were out late,” she countered frostily as she stood up and walked over.  “Never mind that you smell like you’ve been smoking something unsavory.” 

Oh shit, she could smell the fire?  So much for the Ranger suit blocking that stuff from getting into her clothes, or something else was at fault there, because she waited till she was halfway back to the dorms before dropping the transformation. 

Then, Rebecca cracked, a muffled giggle-snort followed and she was then laughing.  “Oh shit, your face.  Seriously, you know I can’t smell shit since the plague, lighten up.” 

Some of the tension bled out of Nicole, but not all of it.  She knew Becca well enough to know that there was still another shoe to drop.  She crossed her arms, waiting for Becca to calm down.  It took longer than she would have liked. 

“You done?” Nicole asked once the laughing was settled back into snickering.  “It wasn’t that funny of a joke.” 

“No,” Rebecca said, pausing to take a breath, “it was funny because you looked like I just caught you in bed with a cute girl.  So, spill.” 

Nicole blinked, not having expected that.  Worse, her thoughts immediately turned to Grace’s smiling face and she felt heat creeping up her cheeks.  Nicole tried several times to give voice to her denial, but it came out choked, taking far more attempts than she would have liked and only served to damn her further before she finally got some words out.

“I just went for a jog, that’s all.” 

“To this mysterious girl’s dorm no doubt,” Rebecca teased.  “Seriously Nikki, lighten up.  I’m not one to chastise you for sneaking out to see someone.  Hell, I wasn’t even planning to stop by, but I needed a few things and got a bit worried when you weren’t here.  Usually you message me when you’re stepping out.” 

Nicole blushed, looking away.  “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to be in tonight, so I didn’t…” 

“Nikki, it’s okay,” Becca said, her words soft and gentle.  “Like I said, I’m just giving you shit.  I don’t really care why you might have been out so long as it doesn’t result in our dorm getting wrecked.  Have fun, be safe about it, and all is well.” 

That only made her face burn, despite having felt none of it the entire time she was practically dancing through the blaze to find more victims.  More so, she wanted to open up to Rebecca, tell her about being a Ranger and her new team.  The only thing that stopped her was the very real fear that it might out other members of her team if she did so. 

She wouldn’t ask her to keep secrets from Colin, she couldn’t do that to her best friend.  Messaging Grace would help, as would setting up another meetup at the diner, she kinda missed the place.  Cementing those plans, Nicole pulled Rebecca into a hug and buried her face in her shoulder to hide the rising heat on her face. 

“What did I do to deserve a friend like you?” 

A huff of air escaped Becca as she returned the hug.  “Dummy, you didn’t do a damn thing.  I’m your friend because I chose to be.  You’re worth it all on your own, no qualifiers necessary.” 

Nicole’s eyes burned as she tried to bury her face deeper, to hide the tears that she couldn’t stop.  If Rebecca was upset about the growing patch of moisture on her shirt, she didn’t give voice to those complaints, and for that Nicole was grateful. 

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