'Winter Warmth' (PRTF, Katie/Trip, #65, rated K)
Title: Winter Warmth
Fandom: Power Ranger Time Force
Characters: Katie/Trip
Prompt: Fight! (#27)
Rating: K
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary/Warnings: This one is pretty much exposition, sorry. D:
Word Count: 1,887
Author's Notes: No spoilers, no warnings
"Wakey wakey, Cadet."
His head was pounding, every muscle in his body ached... but somehow, Trip managed to open his eyes. His vision was blurry, so it took him awhile to recognize who was talking to him.
Once upon a time, she had worked for Cruger. Her unparalleled mission success record had earned her notice from the higher ups, but the mysterious deaths of civilians (and sometimes her teammates) on those missions had earned her Cruger's suspicion-- and when he found enough evidence to back that suspicion up, a jail sentence.
"... Morgana? I thought you were still in prison."
"Oh, you do remember me!" Morgana clapped her hands together in girlish delight. "I'd been so worried that you forgot me after the trial." Her eyes turned cold as she continued. "You know, the one where your testimony sent me away just because I wanted to have some fun on the job?"
"But why... how..."
"Let's just say Commander Grumm understands what a benefit I am to this team." Morgana flashed her teeth at him. "He even granted me my request of interrogating you."
Trip forced back the panic as he considered his situation. He was in a typical holding cell: one cot, no windows, and a door that couldn't be unlocked from the inside. However, not all was lost.
He didn't know too much about Grumm, but it was becoming clear that while he had no idea what he was doing. Anyone else with actual experience with this would have had a mind reader chip away at him. Morgana's skill only worked on other telepaths, and if she did to him what she was undoubtedly planning, he would be of no use to Grumm whosoever. And the fact that they were trying to strong arm an answer out of him was enough to convince him that they didn't know about Katie...
It was over for him. But maybe he could still save her.
"So, Cadet," Morgana sing-songed, "You know why you're here. Tell us where Cruger is, and you can go back to your old life. Grumm has told me to tell you that this is a personal promise."
"Even if I could tell you where he was, I wouldn't."
She hit him hard enough to send across the room. And while relief the last thing in the world Trip should have felt as she screamed, "Wrong answer!" and prepared to strike him again... but as long as her attention was fixed on breaking him, she wouldn't find out about Katie.
And that was the only thing he could hope for now.
--
Usually, when Katie had dreams, she'd forget about them as she got ready for her day. This morning was proving to be the exception to the rule.
Had the dream gotten to her that badly? Was the idea of Trip leaving her that unsettling?
Well, yeah.
Katie frowned at her reflection as she shrugged on her jacket. She still had a little time before work. She'd pay him a quick visit, just long enough to get rid of the uneasiness that had been eating at her since she'd woken up. Besides, Trip would undoubtedly want to know that she was finally over that stupid cold, and what better way than to greet him in person?
She probably didn't have to go down the stairs and through the hall that quickly, but oh well. "Trip?" When he didn't answer, she knocked again. "It's Katie." He didn't have work until this afternoon, and it wasn't like he went out a lot. On a whim, she tried the door...
And it was unlocked.
Okay, now I'm starting to get worried. After making sure the door was locked, Katie took a look around. "Trip?" Nothing seemed out of order-- unless you counted the fact that the person who lived here was missing.
It was about then that she noticed that Trip's laptop, which he usually kept on his coffee table, wasn't there. He only took that when he was planning to go out...
Katie's chest tightened as she let her hand rest on the table. "Where did you go?"
"... Didn't you tell him to go?"
"Well, yeah, but I don't think I was very convincing."
"I knew I should've gone instead of you-- anyways, let's get go him."
Judging from the sound of the voices, they weren't too far away-- and from the sound of the lock, they were going to be joining her very soon.
Katie didn't know who they were... but if they were breaking into an apartment, she was willing to bet that they weren't particularly friendly. So she did the sensible thing and hid behind the sofa while they picked the lock.
"It's pretty quiet. Maybe he went out?" A woman with short dark hair gave the living room a look over-- but thankfully, she missed the space behind the sofa.
"The whole reason Trip was able to escape notice this long was because he stayed put in his apartment." A young man followed her into the room. "If he's not here, it's because someone took him away."
Katie felt something inside of her twist. Whatever these two were part of... so was Trip. And they would have taken him away from her-- except someone else already had.
"Wait, hold on." This time the man was looking around. "I don't think we're the only ones here."
The woman gave him a worried glance. "Are you sure?"
"At this moment, no," he said as he began to tug off a glove. "But if you give me a couple more moments, I can find out--"
Whatever happened, she would be discovered. All she could do now was try to sneak out or try to fight her way out-- and as her fist collided with the man's jaw, Katie realized that she had chosen the latter.
"Bridge!" The woman grabbed the man as he stumbled back, which gave Katie enough time to go for the door--
Except the woman was standing in her way. "If you think I'm letting you run off after decking my friend--"
"No, Z, it's okay!" Bridge waved a hand at her while nursing his jaw with the other. "She's the one I was talking about!"
The woman (Z?) who was still holding him raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Trust me, I'm sure." He did his best to smile at Katie and the Z blocking the doorway. "You can get rid of your duplicate. She'll want to help us help her friend."
Katie could only gape as one Z faded away, leaving only the one who was guiding Bridge to the couch. "... Okay," she began carefully. "If helping you guys means I'll find Trip... then yeah, I'll do that. But you guys have a lot of explaining to do first."
"Not a problem!" For someone with a bruised jaw, Bridge was very cheerful. "It all started in 1947, when--"
"She wants us to explain how to help her friend, not B-squad's history." Judging from Z's tone, this wasn't the first time she had to cut him off. She gave Katie a sympathetic look. "I guess we should start with introductions. I'm Elizabeth Delgado, but everyone calls me Z." She motioned towards the man on the couch. "This weirdo is Bridge Carson." Bridge waved at her.
She still didn't trust them, but if they knew how to find Trip... "I'm Katie Walker."
Z nodded. "As for what we're part of... you know those movies about the top secret government organizations, with characters with powers straight out of the comic books who fight keep the world safe from unseen enemies?"
Katie gave her a wary glance. "Yeah..."
Z grinned lop-sidedly. "Well, we're not nearly as exciting or good-looking... but the idea is the same."
"Yep," Bridge said from his spot on his coach. "I can read auras; Z can make duplicates of herself, and Trip--"
"He's some sort of telepath, right?"
Bridge blinked at her. "How do you know?"
"... Just a guess."
"Trip's big thing was that he could locate people telepathically." Z stuffed her hands in her coat pockets. "He's an average mind reader, but he was the best B-squad had to offer when you needed to find someone in a crowd or a city. That's why Grumm wants him so bad--"
"Hold on." Katie held up a hand. "You haven't mentioned this Grumm guy yet."
"Well, technically now he's Commander Grumm," Bridge offered. "He was originally the one the government assigned to make sure B-squad didn't go mad with power, but unluckily for all of us he was mad with power, so he started taking over, and now he's trying to kill the real Commander so that he can't come back and re-take over--"
"Okay, I get it." Somehow, Katie managed a smile. "Thanks. But... I'm still not sure how I can help. Don't me wrong, I want to help more than anything, but--"
"After seeing Z work her duplicate mojo, you're not sure why we would need a civilian's help." She saw Bridge frown for the first time. "The reason Z and I came here was because we'd heard rumors that a former Cadet named Morgana had caught him... and if she has him, we're going to need someone he trusts to help us save him." He looked up at her, and despite everything, Katie felt her heart go out to him. "And you seem to be the only one who fits the bill."
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, we better go get him."
Bridge smiled at her again... and then a phone rang. "This is Delgado," Z said into her cell. "You did? Great. I'll be there in twenty." She turned her attention to Bridge. "Jack and Marika think they've found Cruger. I'm going to make sure they get in and out safe." Her hand hovered over the bruise. "Are you sure you're be okay?" She didn't try to hide the worry in her voice.
"Of course I will be. I'll have Katie and her right-hook to help out if I get in trouble." He glanced at Katie. "Where did you learn to hit like that? Some of our best operatives can't hit like that."
"I took a self-defense class before moving here," Katie admitted. "A girl can never be too careful, you know?"
"I think I need to sign up for that class." Bridge waved at Z as she left, presumably to meet up with this Jack and Marika. "Well, I hope you're in a mood for a road trip," he continued as they went out of the building and to his car. "Because you and I are going to B-squad's base."
"Where's that?"
"Wyoming."
... Okay, now she had to know. "Why is your base in Wyoming?"
Bridge held the car door open for her. "Would you believe a top secret government base that employed people with freak powers was in Wyoming?"
"You got me there." There was a part of Katie that realized that she was walking into something a lot bigger than she was, and that there was a good chance that she wouldn't be walking out... but if it meant getting Trip back, she was more than willing to do so.
Fandom: Power Ranger Time Force
Characters: Katie/Trip
Prompt: Fight! (#27)
Rating: K
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary/Warnings: This one is pretty much exposition, sorry. D:
Word Count: 1,887
Author's Notes: No spoilers, no warnings
"Wakey wakey, Cadet."
His head was pounding, every muscle in his body ached... but somehow, Trip managed to open his eyes. His vision was blurry, so it took him awhile to recognize who was talking to him.
Once upon a time, she had worked for Cruger. Her unparalleled mission success record had earned her notice from the higher ups, but the mysterious deaths of civilians (and sometimes her teammates) on those missions had earned her Cruger's suspicion-- and when he found enough evidence to back that suspicion up, a jail sentence.
"... Morgana? I thought you were still in prison."
"Oh, you do remember me!" Morgana clapped her hands together in girlish delight. "I'd been so worried that you forgot me after the trial." Her eyes turned cold as she continued. "You know, the one where your testimony sent me away just because I wanted to have some fun on the job?"
"But why... how..."
"Let's just say Commander Grumm understands what a benefit I am to this team." Morgana flashed her teeth at him. "He even granted me my request of interrogating you."
Trip forced back the panic as he considered his situation. He was in a typical holding cell: one cot, no windows, and a door that couldn't be unlocked from the inside. However, not all was lost.
He didn't know too much about Grumm, but it was becoming clear that while he had no idea what he was doing. Anyone else with actual experience with this would have had a mind reader chip away at him. Morgana's skill only worked on other telepaths, and if she did to him what she was undoubtedly planning, he would be of no use to Grumm whosoever. And the fact that they were trying to strong arm an answer out of him was enough to convince him that they didn't know about Katie...
It was over for him. But maybe he could still save her.
"So, Cadet," Morgana sing-songed, "You know why you're here. Tell us where Cruger is, and you can go back to your old life. Grumm has told me to tell you that this is a personal promise."
"Even if I could tell you where he was, I wouldn't."
She hit him hard enough to send across the room. And while relief the last thing in the world Trip should have felt as she screamed, "Wrong answer!" and prepared to strike him again... but as long as her attention was fixed on breaking him, she wouldn't find out about Katie.
And that was the only thing he could hope for now.
--
Usually, when Katie had dreams, she'd forget about them as she got ready for her day. This morning was proving to be the exception to the rule.
Had the dream gotten to her that badly? Was the idea of Trip leaving her that unsettling?
Well, yeah.
Katie frowned at her reflection as she shrugged on her jacket. She still had a little time before work. She'd pay him a quick visit, just long enough to get rid of the uneasiness that had been eating at her since she'd woken up. Besides, Trip would undoubtedly want to know that she was finally over that stupid cold, and what better way than to greet him in person?
She probably didn't have to go down the stairs and through the hall that quickly, but oh well. "Trip?" When he didn't answer, she knocked again. "It's Katie." He didn't have work until this afternoon, and it wasn't like he went out a lot. On a whim, she tried the door...
And it was unlocked.
Okay, now I'm starting to get worried. After making sure the door was locked, Katie took a look around. "Trip?" Nothing seemed out of order-- unless you counted the fact that the person who lived here was missing.
It was about then that she noticed that Trip's laptop, which he usually kept on his coffee table, wasn't there. He only took that when he was planning to go out...
Katie's chest tightened as she let her hand rest on the table. "Where did you go?"
"... Didn't you tell him to go?"
"Well, yeah, but I don't think I was very convincing."
"I knew I should've gone instead of you-- anyways, let's get go him."
Judging from the sound of the voices, they weren't too far away-- and from the sound of the lock, they were going to be joining her very soon.
Katie didn't know who they were... but if they were breaking into an apartment, she was willing to bet that they weren't particularly friendly. So she did the sensible thing and hid behind the sofa while they picked the lock.
"It's pretty quiet. Maybe he went out?" A woman with short dark hair gave the living room a look over-- but thankfully, she missed the space behind the sofa.
"The whole reason Trip was able to escape notice this long was because he stayed put in his apartment." A young man followed her into the room. "If he's not here, it's because someone took him away."
Katie felt something inside of her twist. Whatever these two were part of... so was Trip. And they would have taken him away from her-- except someone else already had.
"Wait, hold on." This time the man was looking around. "I don't think we're the only ones here."
The woman gave him a worried glance. "Are you sure?"
"At this moment, no," he said as he began to tug off a glove. "But if you give me a couple more moments, I can find out--"
Whatever happened, she would be discovered. All she could do now was try to sneak out or try to fight her way out-- and as her fist collided with the man's jaw, Katie realized that she had chosen the latter.
"Bridge!" The woman grabbed the man as he stumbled back, which gave Katie enough time to go for the door--
Except the woman was standing in her way. "If you think I'm letting you run off after decking my friend--"
"No, Z, it's okay!" Bridge waved a hand at her while nursing his jaw with the other. "She's the one I was talking about!"
The woman (Z?) who was still holding him raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Trust me, I'm sure." He did his best to smile at Katie and the Z blocking the doorway. "You can get rid of your duplicate. She'll want to help us help her friend."
Katie could only gape as one Z faded away, leaving only the one who was guiding Bridge to the couch. "... Okay," she began carefully. "If helping you guys means I'll find Trip... then yeah, I'll do that. But you guys have a lot of explaining to do first."
"Not a problem!" For someone with a bruised jaw, Bridge was very cheerful. "It all started in 1947, when--"
"She wants us to explain how to help her friend, not B-squad's history." Judging from Z's tone, this wasn't the first time she had to cut him off. She gave Katie a sympathetic look. "I guess we should start with introductions. I'm Elizabeth Delgado, but everyone calls me Z." She motioned towards the man on the couch. "This weirdo is Bridge Carson." Bridge waved at her.
She still didn't trust them, but if they knew how to find Trip... "I'm Katie Walker."
Z nodded. "As for what we're part of... you know those movies about the top secret government organizations, with characters with powers straight out of the comic books who fight keep the world safe from unseen enemies?"
Katie gave her a wary glance. "Yeah..."
Z grinned lop-sidedly. "Well, we're not nearly as exciting or good-looking... but the idea is the same."
"Yep," Bridge said from his spot on his coach. "I can read auras; Z can make duplicates of herself, and Trip--"
"He's some sort of telepath, right?"
Bridge blinked at her. "How do you know?"
"... Just a guess."
"Trip's big thing was that he could locate people telepathically." Z stuffed her hands in her coat pockets. "He's an average mind reader, but he was the best B-squad had to offer when you needed to find someone in a crowd or a city. That's why Grumm wants him so bad--"
"Hold on." Katie held up a hand. "You haven't mentioned this Grumm guy yet."
"Well, technically now he's Commander Grumm," Bridge offered. "He was originally the one the government assigned to make sure B-squad didn't go mad with power, but unluckily for all of us he was mad with power, so he started taking over, and now he's trying to kill the real Commander so that he can't come back and re-take over--"
"Okay, I get it." Somehow, Katie managed a smile. "Thanks. But... I'm still not sure how I can help. Don't me wrong, I want to help more than anything, but--"
"After seeing Z work her duplicate mojo, you're not sure why we would need a civilian's help." She saw Bridge frown for the first time. "The reason Z and I came here was because we'd heard rumors that a former Cadet named Morgana had caught him... and if she has him, we're going to need someone he trusts to help us save him." He looked up at her, and despite everything, Katie felt her heart go out to him. "And you seem to be the only one who fits the bill."
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, we better go get him."
Bridge smiled at her again... and then a phone rang. "This is Delgado," Z said into her cell. "You did? Great. I'll be there in twenty." She turned her attention to Bridge. "Jack and Marika think they've found Cruger. I'm going to make sure they get in and out safe." Her hand hovered over the bruise. "Are you sure you're be okay?" She didn't try to hide the worry in her voice.
"Of course I will be. I'll have Katie and her right-hook to help out if I get in trouble." He glanced at Katie. "Where did you learn to hit like that? Some of our best operatives can't hit like that."
"I took a self-defense class before moving here," Katie admitted. "A girl can never be too careful, you know?"
"I think I need to sign up for that class." Bridge waved at Z as she left, presumably to meet up with this Jack and Marika. "Well, I hope you're in a mood for a road trip," he continued as they went out of the building and to his car. "Because you and I are going to B-squad's base."
"Where's that?"
"Wyoming."
... Okay, now she had to know. "Why is your base in Wyoming?"
Bridge held the car door open for her. "Would you believe a top secret government base that employed people with freak powers was in Wyoming?"
"You got me there." There was a part of Katie that realized that she was walking into something a lot bigger than she was, and that there was a good chance that she wouldn't be walking out... but if it meant getting Trip back, she was more than willing to do so.