Fic: Concepts of Reality (1/6)
Tori smiled at him, sand brushed over her forehead, hair blowing in the breeze. “The rabbits are good today,” she stated.
Blake nodded, knowing exactly what she meant whilst still disagreeing. “But the foxes are faster.”
“Let’s go surfing!” Dustin cried, grabbing the board next to Tori and running with it out to the water lapping at the sand. Tori ran after him, undoing the strap that tied her to the board as she did.
Blake watched from the beach as they splashed in the shallows. They disappeared. Blake frowned.
“Sorry,” an unfamiliar voice said from above him. “They had to go, otherwise you’d be too distracted.”
Blake looked up. A man stood above him, grinning at him. He sat next to him; Blake suddenly realized that the blanket had lengthened to accommodate the man.
“Girlfriend?” the man asked, nodding out to where the two figures had been previously.
Blake blushed slightly. “Tori? Ah, no.”
“Boyfriend?” the man persisted, acting as if it was a normal question.
Blake choked at the image of himself and Dustin together.
“That would be a no?” the man surmised.
“Yeah. That would be a no.”
“I’m so impolite.” The man held out a hand. “My name’s Adam.”
Blake shook hands. This dream was making less sense than usual. “Blake.”
The man…Adam…gave him a once over. “Let me guess…Blue Ranger?”
“Navy, actually,” Blake corrected.
“Of course.” Adam sat still for a moment longer. “And I’m still being impolite. I barged in on a dream, and haven’t told you who I am.”
“You did. You’re Adam.”
“That is my name. That’s not who I am.”
Blake frowned. “I don’t follow.”
“I was Earth’s second Black Ranger.” Adam pulled the black shirt away from his stomach to illustrate, then frowned himself. “I’m not exactly sure why I was sent to you specifically.”
“We don’t have a Black Ranger?” Blake offered. He wasn’t exactly sure what Adam meant, but the guy seemed relatively normal.
Adam laughed, though there was a faint undercurrent of something Blake couldn’t identify. “When you said you were Navy, I guessed something had gone.”
Blake blinked. “Wait a sec, you’re actually real?”
“I’m as real as you think I am. And you’re as real as I think you are.” Adam pulled a knee up to his chest. “This really is a dream. We’re both asleep right now.” He picked up a handful of sand, letting it fall through his fingers.
“So why are we here? And why did you interrupt the only time I can ogle Tori without her beating me up?”
Adam shrugged, brushing his hand against his khakis. “One of your teammates asked for guidance. The Powers That Be enlisted us to help you out.”
“But I didn’t ask,” Blake objected.
“They thought you needed a hand.”
“Nice of them.” Blake eyed Adam speculatively. “So what exactly am I supposed to be doing with you? Fighting, training?”
“We can if you want,” Adam offered. “Or you can ask me questions, about anything.” He was silent for a moment. “After Rangering for nearly five years straight you learn a lot.”
Blake swallowed. “Five years?” He didn’t want to face half a decade fighting Lothor’s goons. He didn’t want to face a bunch of freed ninjas five years down the road with battle scars and try to excuse five years of fighting for no progress.
Adam nodded, though not with any kind of joy. “Second-longest serving Ranger. Tommy’d be talking to another member of your team.”
Blake’s eyes were involuntarily drawn back to the shore. Adam noticed.
“Inter-Ranger relationships getting you down?” he asked nonchalantly.
“Is it that obvious?”