Chapter Text
Lucy is about to fail this class. She’s smart, and she knows it, but that doesn’t help her much if she doesn’t hear a single word the teacher says in class. She can’t concentrate at school though, because she sits right next to the window, on the second row from the board. That means if she looks to her left, she gets lost in thought looking out the window. If she looks right, she gets distracted by the biggest pair of dimples she’s ever seen. If she looks to the front, she gets to stare at the teacher’s pet, a girl with short, brown hair and the muscles of a surfer, and if she looks to the back, the teacher yells at her. Oh, and if the teacher yells at her, both the girl with dimples and the surfer turn to stare at her.
Oh well. Who needs biology anyways.
~*~
Lack of interest in the subject aside, Lucy did need to pass biology, so she decided she would go get some donuts for breakfast, and then spend all saturday morning studying, and if she had to she could review her notes on sunday to make sure she was caught up with the subject.
However, that plan went out the window the moment she opened the front door, donut box in hand, and heard the screaming.
“-even was the point?! If you’re just gonna leave?”
“I do not have to explain myself to-”
“Oh, no, of course you don’t, you never-”
“Do not speak to me in that tone young lady-”
“Why the fuck not? You’re leaving again! After making Lucy and I move halfway across the country again- ”
“My work is very important-”
“If you’re gonna keep moving around for work every five minutes , at least let the two of us stick to one place instead of uprooting our lives every-”
Lucy sighed as she crept up the stairs unnoticed. She shut the door of her bedroom behind her, but that still didn’t muffle the sounds of her sister and her father fighting. It never did, the Lanes had strong lungs on them, and they’d all had a lot of practice since Lucy’s mom died a few years back.
Lucy sat at her desk by the window and opened her books. She picked up her pen and-
“Oh now I’m being irrational? You are being irrational!”
“Say whatever you want, I leave tomorrow at 0500 hours and that. Is. Final.”
Lucy sighed again, and then rolled her eyes when she heard the front door slam shut. Lois had probably just stormed out, and wouldn’t be back until she was sure she wouldn't run into their father, even if she had to stay at a Walmart or a park until the sun came up and she knew he would be gone (General Lane had made damn sure both his daughters could keep themselves safe years ago, so Lucy wasn't really worried). It was not the first time this happened. After an outburst like that, all three Lanes would want to avoid more conflict, so they’d keep their distance from each other. The General would finish packing and be gone in the morning without checking on either of his daughters, and when he eventually came back they would all pretend nothing ever happened. Then he’d either leave again or tell them to start packing, and the cycle would begin all over again.
Figuring she might as well keep up with the tradition, Lucy stuffed the last half donut in her mouth, grabbed her headphones from the bed, and looked to her room’s door, before deciding to just exit through the window. She made sure not to slam it behind her so she wouldn't make noise or break the weird tiger mural on the glass. She rather liked that thing.
Figuring she wasn’t doing that bad in biology yet, she decided to take a long walk to the abandoned mine and worry about her homework on sunday. Just because she was used to the screaming matches didn't mean she enjoyed them. Having one of them right before her father left again though - and only a month after they had moved into the new place - made this one feel particularly bad.
As she walked, Lucy started hoping she wouldn't run into anyone else at the mine. In the single month she had lived in Angel Grove she had already become a regular presence there, and even though being in there was technically trespassing, she was far from the only one.
One of the most regular trespassers was an asian looking hot guy who Lucy had seen at the school exactly once. He usually stayed out of her way and explored the abandoned train cars. More often than not, he would be joined by the girl with dimples from her biology class. The fact that they seemed so close surprised her a little, since she knew that the girl- Sawyer? Lucy was almost sure her name was Sawyer- had been the new kid in town for two, almost three weeks until Lucy had shown up to take the title.
Still, from what Lucy had heard, the two of them were always looking for jobs they could do to get some extra cash here and there, so it made sense they had bonded while doing that.
The other regular presence at the mine was that quiet kid from her english class. She was pretty confident his name was Billy. He always showed up with a large toolbox and disappeared somewhere around the mountain to do who-knows-what. He always said hello when he saw Lucy, and she had seen him wave at the train boy and Sawyer. At school he seemed to keep more to himself, except for the small group of friends he sat with at lunch, or when he was with that surfer girl- Danvers, the teachers called her- and the both of them got into long conversations about science that Lucy couldn't make heads or tails of.
Heading to her favorite spot overlooking the valley, Lucy sees train boy lying on top of one of the cars, a bonfire nearby for warmth, but Sawyer is nowhere to be seen. Neither is Billy.
Once there Lucy places her headphones on her ears, hits play, and starts warming up. As she goes through pose after pose, she starts to relax. Yoga used to be something she did with her mom, and even all this time later, it helps her calm down. She got so into it she didn't notice as hours went by, and the sun began to set.
What she did notice was when an explosion rocked the mine so loud she heard it through her metal music, and so hard it knocked her to the ground. As she slid her headphones down to her neck and decided to go investigate, she had no idea how much her life was about to change
~*~
Lucy woke up in her bed, remembered getting in a van that tried to outrun a train, panicked, and promptly broke her bedframe. She scrambled off the bed, ran to the bathroom, and broke the door off its hinges trying to slam it shut.
Well then.
She took a few deep breaths, forced herself to relax a little, and managed to take a shower and eat a bowl of cereal without breaking anything else. She checked her phone for the time and found it had run out of battery. After plugging it in she saw it was 10 am. On Monday.
Shit, she never did her biology homework after all.
Fine, since she was already late for class, she decided to take a page out of train boy’s- Zack, his name was Zack- book and just skip school altogether. She went to the garage to find her dad's toolbox and fixed the bathroom door before Lois could see it. Then she rearranged her bedsheets to cover the broken bed. Deciding to see if she could find out anything else about whatever it was that had happened yesterday- er, saturday - she packed up a bag with some snacks, an extra jacket and flashlight, and her empty water bottle as preparation for going back to the mine. While she was doing that, she felt something in her jeans pocket, and pulled out the weird yellow coin she had found the night bef- on saturday. She really needed to remember that.
Not wanting to lose it, she put the coin in a shoebox she kept under her bed with some of the stuff she didn't want to lose track of every time she moved. Then she slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed downstairs. She headed for the kitchen to refill her water bottle and froze when she saw a yellow glint on the counter.
Hadn't she just…?
She went back upstairs and knelt down to check under the bed. The coin was gone. When she put the box back in its place and sat back, she almost jumped out of her skin. There the coin was again, eye level with her, just innocently sitting on the bed as if she had left it there. Huh. Seemed like the coin liked to startle her.
The little shit.
Fine, she supposed if the thing was gonna keep following her, she might as well just keep it in her pocket.
After making sure her water bottle was filled, Lucy locked the front door behind her and took off back towards the mine, telling herself over and over that she was ready for whatever she was gonna find there this time.
~*~
Lucy wasn't ready. She wasn't ready for four teens she didn't even know to chase her at impossible speeds up a mountain. She wasn't ready for Kimberly Freaking Hart to tell her she was /thirsty/ and to fall for it.
Literally.
Off a cliff.
She wasn't ready to start glowing yellow, follow the other teens under a psychics-defying wall of water, find some sort of ancient cave, and she sure as hell wasn't ready for them to suddenly find themselves trapped inside what she was increasingly sure was a spaceship.
She wasn't ready for all the lights on the spaceship to turn off except for those marking the way into the very center of it.
When the other four teens trapped with her ignored all common sense and followed the lights, she still wasn't ready for much, but had a bit more of a resigned mindset. That still didn't stop her from jumping when the door shut itself behind them, and a giant face popped up from the wall and started talking to them. She listened to everything he said about them being Power Rangers and having 11 days to defeat some Rita chick, and protecting some mythical crystal that supposedly sustained all life on earth.
When they still refused to help -or even to believe him, really- he somehow submerged them all in a hallucination where said Rita managed to win and killed everyone on the planet.
By this point, Lucy had had enough.
“Hey you, with the face! If we’re the Power Rangers, and this is our ship, if I walk through that door right now, will it open for me?”
“Yes, of course”
She exchanged a look with Kim, and they ran out. They were soon joined by Billy and Zack, with Jason catching up a few minutes later. He looked surprised to see them all there.
“You all waited. Even you.” They all turned to Lucy “Who… exactly are you?”
“Really? Now you’re gonna ask me who I am?”
Zack leaned forward “Look, her name is Lilly.”
“ Lucy. ”
“She’s new at school. Transferred in last week” Kim turned to look at her, as if asking for confirmation “We have english together, right?”
“I’ve been at Angel Grove for over a month now, we have biology together. Good talk” Kim may not be as distracting as Danvers and Sawyer, but Lucy had definitely noticed her. Letting out an offended sigh that was only half for show, Lucy got up, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and turned to leave before Jason’s voice stopped her.
“Wait, look-”
~*~
After Jason’s pep-talk, they all left the cave and went their separate ways. Despite still being pretty freaked out, Lucy kept what happened from her sister when they had dinner together, and her father when he called that night.
The next morning, she headed to school like normal, doing her best to avoid the other four. She still didn’t know if she was going to show back up at the ship at the time Jason had told them he would, and she didn’t want them to try to convince her. By fifth period she had been doing pretty well at keeping to herself, so she decided to skip biology altogether.
Her grades could handle it. Definitely.
She hid in the bathroom, scrolling on her phone until the bell announced her next class for the day. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked out, only to stop in her tracks when she saw Billy and Danvers walking her way. She ducked right back into the bathroom, and cursed to herself when they stopped right in front of the door. They didn't seem to have seen her, since they didn't even stop their conversation.
“-rearranging the wiring should get rid of the problem.”
“Yeah, but if you do that don’t forget to alter the casing so it can handle the extra power.”
“Right, of course. Thanks Alex!”
“No problem Billy. Hey do you want me to swing by tonight? We could work on it for a bit and I could even drive you to the mine later if you want.”
“Oh, uh, thanks Alex! But uh, I can't today.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“I have to go meet someone later. So I won’t be going to the mine today. Not at all! But wait, it’s tuesday. Isn't it Movie Night with your sister?”
“Normally, yeah. But she left yesterday on a- eh - a holiday with her cousin. Yeah. It’s uh, a religion thing for them. They'll be gone all month to his fo- his winter home. So now I got nothing to do all week.”
Lucy scoffed. They were both terrible liars. She didn't know what Danvers was lying about, but she was doing a pretty bad job of it. She didn't get a chance to wonder what she could be hiding before a new voice joined the conversation outside the door.
“So all those big assignments we have for the week are “nothing”? Wow Danvers, way to make the rest of us look bad.”
“Maggie! Um, I didn't mean it like that, you're not stupid. Not that I'm calling everyone else stupid! Who’s stupid? No one’s stupid, plus you’re so smart! I mean, not that I’ve noticed you're smart, that would be creepy, I just-”
Lucy had a hand pressed against her mouth, trying her hardest not to laugh. Thankfully, Billy stepped in to save Danvers from putting her foot even further into her mouth.
“What Alex is trying to say is that, she and I already finished all those assignments in saturday detention”
“Really? And what were the two students all the teachers love doing in saturday detention? It wouldn't have anything to do with that explosive lunchbox from last month would it? The one that destroyed three lockers?”
Now this was interesting. Lucy hadn't heard that story yet. She rolled her eyes when both nerds outside immediately started sputtering again.
“Wha- explosive? No, of course not.”
“Lunchboxes don't explode!”
“Yeah or, or lockers, that would be ridiculous!”
“Ridiculous, yes! And dangerous. This is a school you know, of course we wouldn't bring anything dangerous to it!”
“Yeah, no, cause we’re responsible!”
“Very responsible. The most responsible.”
Lucy facepalmed. It was a good thing that neither of those two was keeping any world-altering secrets. Er, okay, it was good that at least Danvers had nothing to hide. Lucy hoped the other three “Rangers” were a bit better at playing innocent.
“Anyways we have to go. I don't know about Billy, but I have to get to AP chemistry, and you're gonna be late for english if you don’t head out now since you have to cross over half the building.”
“...You don't know Billy's schedule, but you know what class I have next and where?”
Lucy was laughing into her hand again, trying her best to muffle the sound.
“Alex always pays attention to the people she cares about and- are you okay Alex? You’re all red.”
“Is that the bell? ByeBillybyeMaggiegottagoseeya!”
“I didn't hear the bell…”
“It didn't ring, Billy.” Sawyer also sounded like she was suppressing laughter.
“Huh. She's fast. Well, bell or not, I do have to go. Bye Maggie!”
“See you Billy!”
Hearing Billy’s footsteps leaving, Lucy figured she could get out of the bathroom now. Except, right as she was raising her hand towards the door, it swung open, and Sawyer walked in. Both girls stopped walking and stared at each other.
“Lane, right? From biology?” Well, at least someone noticed her on that classroom.
“Yeah. Sawyer?”
“It’s Maggie”
“Lucy”
“Are you okay?”
“I- what? Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“You skipped school yesterday, and today you've been looking around yourself like you’re expecting to be jumped, and you missed biology. Again.” Okay. Maybe someone noticed her a little too much.
“Have you been following me or something?”
“Nah, I'm just really good at detecting this kind of stuff.”
“I thought Danvers was the stalker.”
Maggie blushed a little. “Alex is not that bad.”
“Uh-huh.”
“So? Why skip biology?”
“Just felt like it I guess.”
“Felt like failing the class?”
“I’m not doing that bad.”
“Sure you’re not, you just haven’t turned in any homework in… how long? Since you got here?”
“Weren't you the one telling Danvers off for making others look bad just five minutes ago?”
“I'm not trying to make you look bad. I actually hoped I could help you.”
“Help me by… calling me out?”
Maggie sighs. “No. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to study with us.”
Lucy raised an eyebrow “Who is ‘us’?”
“Alex has been helping her little sister catch up on a few subjects. Since I'm also new here and my last school had a different program, the three of us have been studying together. I can ask Alex if you can come too.”
“Would she even know who I am? I seem to be pretty invisible lately.”
“She literally told her sister last week that the quiet girl with the yellow beanie seemed to be having trouble with the bio teacher and she kinda hoped she could help you. I’m sure she won't mind that I invited you.” Apparently there was another hot girl who noticed her in that class. Two out of three wasn’t that bad.
“And the sister?”
“Kara? She's out of town, but even if she wasn’t, that girl is like a human puppy. She loves meeting new people.”
“Fine… I'll consider it.” Bull. Getting a chance to catch up on the subject she was failing, helped by the two hottest girls in her class? There was nothing to consider. “When and where do you meet?”
Maggie smiled and said something. Lucy's eyes immediately went to her cheek. Dimple.
“Lane!”
Lucy shook her head “Sorry, what?”
Maggie’s eyes twinkled and she looked like she was trying not to laugh again.
“I said that we meet at the Krispy Kreme every weekday at 7, see you there?”
“Uh-”
Maggie’s smile grew wider at Lucy's stuttering. Double dimple!
“ Uh , yeah. Yeah, I'll see you guys there every day I can.” Lucy forced herself to look up at Maggie's eyes. “I'm still helping my sister unpack, so I may not be there on time all that much” Lucy congratulated herself on lying better than Alex and Billy. She still hadn't decided if she would turn up at the ship after school, but figured it was better to have an excuse ready either way.
“Got it. See you around Lane.”
“Yeah- yeah. Bye.” Lucy fled the bathroom.
~*~
The last bell for the day rang, and Lucy was still debating whether she should show back up at the ship like Jason had asked them or not. Then she leaned back against a row of lockers and accidentally dented one. After quickly looking around to make sure no one had seen her, Lucy opened the dented locker to see whose stuff she’d just broken.
“Siobhan Smythe huh? I know that name… the cheerleader? Got in a scandal about a photograph the week before I moved here.”
Now unconcerned, she turned to leave. Once outside, she started heading for the mine. As amusing as it could be to indirectly get back at the girl who’d been making Kim’s life a living hell lately, she really needed to get control of her strength. She wanted to understand what had really happened to her, and there was only one place to do that.
~*~
The first thing Zordon told them were the three rules to being a Power Ranger. Never to use their powers for personal gain, never to escalate a fight unless their enemy forced them to, and to never reveal their identity, ever. Then, Zordon told them to try to “morph”. It… did not go well. Zordon had them try to “connect” to each other and the Grid, but after a few tries, told them they would have to train without armor.
“Follow the lights. They will take you to the Pit”
“That does not sound ominous at all. ” Lucy couldn’t help but comment, even as they all walked out the door and started following the lit up walls until they got to a cave they hadn’t seen before.
“This is the Pit. It is equipped with highly advanced training technology, designed to replicate dozens of different enemies so you can learn how to fight them. As you attempt to take them down, I will give you instructions on how to improve your form and accuracy. I have been able to access this planet’s ‘internet’, and adapted several martial arts styles for your different sizes and builds. I shall tell you how to perform them, and you will learn to overcome your opponents.”
Lucy looked up at the ceiling incredulously. Thankfully, she wasn’t the only one who saw a problem with this method.
“Uh, Zordon? Is there any other way you could teach us? Something more visual? Or more tactile?”
“I’m afraid not, Billy. There used to be an android assistant in this ship that could have helped. He is the one that sealed my essence into the ship, saving me, and then figured out a way to wake me without the use of the Power Coins. Unfortunately, he could not endure the passage of time for the last 65 million years. He broke down a long, long time ago.”
“Well, maybe I could fix him!”
“I'm afraid erosion and corrosion have long left his remains unsalvageable. But worry not! I may not be able to give visual demonstrations, but you shall get plenty of tactile experience. You will not be training only with each other.”
Some rocks on the floor started glowing. Then they started rolling closer to each other. The rock piles gathered in four separate spots and kept growing, until they resembled four rock monsters taller than all of them.
“These creatures before you are a simulation of Rita’s army. They’re called putties. You must get through them, to get to her.”
“Hold the fuck up.”
Everyone turned at Lucy
“Are you saying that your bright solution for us to learn how to fight well enough to save the world and not get killed in less than two weeks is to basically throw giant, sentient rocks at us and dictate fighting forms?”
“What’s wrong Lane? Are you scared? Come on, they’re just holograms, they can’t hurt us.”
Zack changed his mind faster than it took him to get thrown into a wall by one of them. Lucy laughed while he got up and unsteadily dusted himself off.
Zordon let them go at it one by one for a few minutes, yelling instructions here and there while first Jason, then Zack, then Billy got beat up. Then he told them to pair off, Jason partnered up with Billy, and told Zack to train with Kim. Lucy leant on the wall and drawled at Jason “Is it because I’m short?”
“Uh, no, of course not. I just… want you to see us go at it a few times first. Okay?”
Lucy raised an eyebrow at him. “Uh-huh. Sure.”
As she watched them get into fighting stances and start clumsily trying to hit each other, she picked up a rock from the ground, and gave it an experimental squeeze. The rock turned to dust in her hand. She grinned to herself, and started casually walking towards the putties while keeping an eye on her “teammates”.
When she was just a few feet away, she took off running, leaped up, planted a foot on the knee the first of the putties, and used it to propel herself higher up and into kicking range of the second puttie’s head, which she kicked right off. On her way down, she grabbed the arm of putty number two and used her momentum to flip it into number three, breaking both of them. Then, she turned right in time to block a hit from number one. She dodged two more hits, before seeing an opening to walk right up to him and deliver three swift punches to its chest area. The putty broke down and turned into dust. When it settled, she looked up to see the astounded looks in the faces of her new team. Even Zordon had finally shut up. Lucy smirked.
“Alright, here’s how this is gonna work-”