Impact of Power - Taylor

Author's Note: This is part of a series of vignettes focused on former power rangers and how they find what they accomplished under the helmet had bigger impacts than just saving the world. A community is set up where all the series will be archived, as well as JTrevizo's website.

Betaed by: Some combination of Shawn30, JTrevizo and Pink_Green_White_4ever.

Disclaimer: Do not own. Wish I did.

Summary: Being a Ranger is amazing, life changing, but it leaves scars. Taylor knows that. But scars can heal.

Taylor was back in her bird, hand on the throttle.

She loved the Eagle, felt home inside it, the warmth of the yellow surrounding her like a cocoon. But she never got over her first love, the mechanical precision of the fighter plane, her hands moving fluidly over the controls as she shot into the sky.

And now she was back. Her return was marked with a promotion and her very own squad. In a way, it filled a hole the former yellow ranger had papered over while protecting the Animarium after Cole came.

Sure, Taylor wasn't the most easy-going, cuddly person.

She was military trained, often harsh, stubborn and very by the book.

But she was also there first, dammit, and she had the background and the training and being shunted aside and put under the leadership of an untrained boy was more than galling. It was haunting.

Sometimes, she caught sight of her pale, slender fingers and wondered. She shook hands with Cole once, and, though her grip was firm, decisive, her digits vanished inside his large hand, just as his face spread in a smile that lit up all the way to his eyes.

She didn't have that. Not the size. Not the ease with which Cole let everyone see inside his very thoughts with every movement of his face. He wore his soul on his sleeve.

Taylor didn't. Couldn't. Didn't want to.

But she was home now and no one faulted her for that anymore. Gloved fingers briefly touched the insignia that marked her promotion before she continued her descent.

No one faulted her then for it either... did they?

In many ways she was the serious older sister, steady and reliable where Alissa was all heart and Cole was all instinct and Danny and Max were twinned spirit. The person she felt closest to, though they barely ever talked, was Merrick and she knew he silently understood her. Princess Shayla certainly didn't. But then Taylor was certainly no princess.

She sighed as she shut off her engine and climbed out of the cockpit.

"Are you Taylor Earhard?"

She turned to see a young boy, obviously just enlisted. "I am." She pulled off her helmet, blonde locks tumbling down her shoulders.

His eyes, grey like a cloudy sky, lit up as if the sun came out. "You are," he breathed out. "You're the best pilot on base. I'm Soren Wright. I'm on your squad."

Taylor looked him over silently, noting the standard issue fatigues and haircut, as well as his stance - borderline proper but something about it was nearly vibrational with excitement as if he was ready to spread his wings and take flight from the spot. She smiled. "It's good to have you, Wright."

"It's good to be here!" he responded quickly. "I knew I wanted to join the air force when I saw the Yellow Eagle in the sky for the first time and it's the biggest honor that I get to serve under you." He paused and saluted and, if his hand was just a bit shaky, Taylor wasn't going to call him on it.

Because what Soren Wright just handed her along with his admiration was something that she couldn't even put a name to. But it was worth everything.

She wasn't just a pilot in a fighter plane. Or a Ranger in her Eagle.

She was both. And more.