Meet Sean Cassidy. He's just your normal everyday dude trying to live his life. He's been tapped for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and given fantastic powers to save the universe! No pressure, right?
Mighty Morphin Isekai Ranger
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Chapter 1
- Location
- PA
Mighty Morphin Isekai Ranger?
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."
- Lord of the Rings "The Fellowship of the Ring"
Chapter 1
The day started like any other. I got up, grabbed a shower, ate breakfast, and rushed out the door to school. It was the same thing I did every day since moving to Paradise Cove. It wasn't the most exciting place which suited me just fine. Don't get me wrong, I love a little excitement now and again, but it was nice here. My apartment was just a ten-minute motorcycle ride to Paradise Cove Technical School where I studied engineering. I was there on a scholarship which meant I needed to supplement my income with side jobs. There was some mild traffic with people headed to work, but it wasn't bad. This town had everything a person could want. I passed by the row of shops just across the street from Central Square. A couple of people waved to me. Mostly people I deliver to during my various side gigs. For a guy from the big city, the small-town life really called to me.
Which is why I was annoyed about suddenly driving through a green portal.
Early morning sun and blue skies gave way to green. Just unrelenting green light everywhere I looked. Luckily it wasn't an eye-searing color or this might've been painful. Oh and did I mention it was scary? You better believe it was scary! The light jean jacket I wore against the early morning chill felt inadequate. I couldn't tell if it was the space itself that was cold or a psychosomatic reaction. The only solid thing in this strange void was my motorcycle, a beat-up Indian I got as payment for a job, and my backpack. Everything else, including my stomach, felt loose and unstable. If I threw up here would it just float around or fall? I really hoped I didn't find out. Before my thoughts could start to spiral, something changed.
A spark of green light soars through the impossible space and stops before me. I have little time to react as it explodes with radiance forcing me to shield my eyes. When the light dies down I see a strange vision before me. I could tell she was a woman but that was about all. Her entire body was covered in a white uniform complete with a helmet. The helmet was slightly pointed at the top with what looked like a black mask over a silver face. More details were revealed as the light faded further. It wasn't uniformly white as it was over a black undersuit with dark gray pauldrons and armor portions. She wore a green cloak with a green sash held in place by a white and black belt. There was a stylized white bird or V on the belt buckle. The torso armor had a green diamond in the center with an inverted triangle over a smaller gray diamond inside.
"Sean Cassidy. You have been chosen," she spoke with a faint echo. There should have been an orchestral accompaniment swelling with grand purpose. As it is, in this place, it fell a little flat.
"Uh huh…Chosen to do what and by whom?" I'm absurdly proud of myself for remembering that it's whom not who before screeching internally that this isn't the time. There is this being of great power in front of me and I'm wearing a jean jacket, jeans, beaten-to-Hell sneakers, and a black t-shirt. Of course, there's also the simmering resentment that this ROB snatched me up without so much as a by-your-leave. However, I'm not suicidal, and so I don't let fly with a few choice words at my kidnapper.
"Our universe is in peril. An ancient evil is about to be released and we are powerless to stop it. I am one of those whose duty it is to guard the universe from harm," she said grandly which, again, is wasted on me.
"Why can't you do anything about it? If you're one of the ones who sealed this crap then can't you reseal it?" A trace of irritation finds its way into my voice despite my best efforts. Thankfully she doesn't seem offended. If anything she's nodding in agreement.
"Indeed, it is our duty, but unfortunately there is an anomaly blocking our sight. To compound matters we are not only the ones who sealed these evils, but we are the keys to their release as well. If we were to approach the seals in their current state of decay they would fail instantly," she manages to sound contrite. Her candor was weirdly refreshing.
"Now for the million-dollar question. Why me? There has to be somebody more qualified." Just because she's making sense doesn't mean I'm mollified.
"The anomaly is able to hide itself from those of our dimension. There is simply too much mystical background noise to distinguish one signal from the multitude of others. Since I was able to reach your dimension so easily it means the borders are already failing. If this being is not stopped here it may reach your world," she says with appropriate gravity. Someone must have given her a lot of lessons on public speaking.
"Okay…You're making sense…That still doesn't explain why you chose me. I'm not a warrior. I'm nobody…" I feel my nerves starting to act up. The urge to vomit intensifies, but I'm able to hold it back. Anger, an old friend, starts to burn away in my gut. I force it back down but it's hard. The darkness in my heart tries to force its way out, but I'm not that person anymore. Panic clashes with anger in a violent spiral. A gloved hand rests on my shoulder causing the unsettled feelings to drift away.
"You are not 'nobody.' You are Sean Cassidy. A young man who clawed his way out of the darkness to start a new life for himself. If there was another way I would gladly spare you this pain. However, your experience could prove invaluable in the coming days. The summoning had as much chance of calling a hero as it did a villain. What we received is a man," she said with conviction.
Despite my natural cynicism I wanted to believe her. I had to believe that my experiences were worth something. If this was a con then it was a good one. Except I couldn't see her as anything but sincere. Paradise Cove was my sanctuary after what happened. I wasn't ready to face it yet, even in my innermost thoughts, but it still colored my worldview.
"Well, uh, if I'm gonna do this…I kind of need something to help me…" I was blushing a little.
"Indeed you will…" She held out her hands and gathered sparks of shimmering energy into her palm. When the light faded there was a strange device. It looked like my smartphone. I checked my pocket. Yep. That was my smartphone in her hands, but it was fundamentally changed. The casing was now black with green and gold trim. In the center was the same emblem that was on her crest. She placed the glowing object in my hand.
"What is this?" I asked in wonder. I could feel the power radiating from it before the glow died. There was still something unusual about it, but I couldn't sense the power anymore.
"I merged your phone with broken remains of one the first Morphers. A prototype that was originally designed to tap into the Morphing Grid in antiquity. This once belonged to me in fact. I wish it was not so damaged, but I do believe you can help one another," she said gently.
"Morpher…" I repeated softly but it didn't take me long to realize what was going on. "Do you mean Power Rangers?" I stared at her in disbelief.
"Indeed, Proto Ranger. I have full faith that you will be able to unlock its true power in time. Our time together grows short. Before you leave there is one more thing…" she drew herself up regally. I knew the words by heart.
"May the Power protect you."
There would be many trials and tribulations in the coming days. Moments of terror and times of woe. I also knew, just as strongly, that there would be laughter and abiding affection amidst the tears. After all that is the nature of this universe. That as long as you have faith, and persevere, you can achieve miracles.
AN: My brain went to a fun little place during a conversation with @Metroidwave and this is the result. This isn't a Jumpchain, a Gamer fic, or anything too complicated…Unless you count the Power Rangers timeline.
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."
- Lord of the Rings "The Fellowship of the Ring"
Chapter 1
The day started like any other. I got up, grabbed a shower, ate breakfast, and rushed out the door to school. It was the same thing I did every day since moving to Paradise Cove. It wasn't the most exciting place which suited me just fine. Don't get me wrong, I love a little excitement now and again, but it was nice here. My apartment was just a ten-minute motorcycle ride to Paradise Cove Technical School where I studied engineering. I was there on a scholarship which meant I needed to supplement my income with side jobs. There was some mild traffic with people headed to work, but it wasn't bad. This town had everything a person could want. I passed by the row of shops just across the street from Central Square. A couple of people waved to me. Mostly people I deliver to during my various side gigs. For a guy from the big city, the small-town life really called to me.
Which is why I was annoyed about suddenly driving through a green portal.
Early morning sun and blue skies gave way to green. Just unrelenting green light everywhere I looked. Luckily it wasn't an eye-searing color or this might've been painful. Oh and did I mention it was scary? You better believe it was scary! The light jean jacket I wore against the early morning chill felt inadequate. I couldn't tell if it was the space itself that was cold or a psychosomatic reaction. The only solid thing in this strange void was my motorcycle, a beat-up Indian I got as payment for a job, and my backpack. Everything else, including my stomach, felt loose and unstable. If I threw up here would it just float around or fall? I really hoped I didn't find out. Before my thoughts could start to spiral, something changed.
A spark of green light soars through the impossible space and stops before me. I have little time to react as it explodes with radiance forcing me to shield my eyes. When the light dies down I see a strange vision before me. I could tell she was a woman but that was about all. Her entire body was covered in a white uniform complete with a helmet. The helmet was slightly pointed at the top with what looked like a black mask over a silver face. More details were revealed as the light faded further. It wasn't uniformly white as it was over a black undersuit with dark gray pauldrons and armor portions. She wore a green cloak with a green sash held in place by a white and black belt. There was a stylized white bird or V on the belt buckle. The torso armor had a green diamond in the center with an inverted triangle over a smaller gray diamond inside.
"Sean Cassidy. You have been chosen," she spoke with a faint echo. There should have been an orchestral accompaniment swelling with grand purpose. As it is, in this place, it fell a little flat.
"Uh huh…Chosen to do what and by whom?" I'm absurdly proud of myself for remembering that it's whom not who before screeching internally that this isn't the time. There is this being of great power in front of me and I'm wearing a jean jacket, jeans, beaten-to-Hell sneakers, and a black t-shirt. Of course, there's also the simmering resentment that this ROB snatched me up without so much as a by-your-leave. However, I'm not suicidal, and so I don't let fly with a few choice words at my kidnapper.
"Our universe is in peril. An ancient evil is about to be released and we are powerless to stop it. I am one of those whose duty it is to guard the universe from harm," she said grandly which, again, is wasted on me.
"Why can't you do anything about it? If you're one of the ones who sealed this crap then can't you reseal it?" A trace of irritation finds its way into my voice despite my best efforts. Thankfully she doesn't seem offended. If anything she's nodding in agreement.
"Indeed, it is our duty, but unfortunately there is an anomaly blocking our sight. To compound matters we are not only the ones who sealed these evils, but we are the keys to their release as well. If we were to approach the seals in their current state of decay they would fail instantly," she manages to sound contrite. Her candor was weirdly refreshing.
"Now for the million-dollar question. Why me? There has to be somebody more qualified." Just because she's making sense doesn't mean I'm mollified.
"The anomaly is able to hide itself from those of our dimension. There is simply too much mystical background noise to distinguish one signal from the multitude of others. Since I was able to reach your dimension so easily it means the borders are already failing. If this being is not stopped here it may reach your world," she says with appropriate gravity. Someone must have given her a lot of lessons on public speaking.
"Okay…You're making sense…That still doesn't explain why you chose me. I'm not a warrior. I'm nobody…" I feel my nerves starting to act up. The urge to vomit intensifies, but I'm able to hold it back. Anger, an old friend, starts to burn away in my gut. I force it back down but it's hard. The darkness in my heart tries to force its way out, but I'm not that person anymore. Panic clashes with anger in a violent spiral. A gloved hand rests on my shoulder causing the unsettled feelings to drift away.
"You are not 'nobody.' You are Sean Cassidy. A young man who clawed his way out of the darkness to start a new life for himself. If there was another way I would gladly spare you this pain. However, your experience could prove invaluable in the coming days. The summoning had as much chance of calling a hero as it did a villain. What we received is a man," she said with conviction.
Despite my natural cynicism I wanted to believe her. I had to believe that my experiences were worth something. If this was a con then it was a good one. Except I couldn't see her as anything but sincere. Paradise Cove was my sanctuary after what happened. I wasn't ready to face it yet, even in my innermost thoughts, but it still colored my worldview.
"Well, uh, if I'm gonna do this…I kind of need something to help me…" I was blushing a little.
"Indeed you will…" She held out her hands and gathered sparks of shimmering energy into her palm. When the light faded there was a strange device. It looked like my smartphone. I checked my pocket. Yep. That was my smartphone in her hands, but it was fundamentally changed. The casing was now black with green and gold trim. In the center was the same emblem that was on her crest. She placed the glowing object in my hand.
"What is this?" I asked in wonder. I could feel the power radiating from it before the glow died. There was still something unusual about it, but I couldn't sense the power anymore.
"I merged your phone with broken remains of one the first Morphers. A prototype that was originally designed to tap into the Morphing Grid in antiquity. This once belonged to me in fact. I wish it was not so damaged, but I do believe you can help one another," she said gently.
"Morpher…" I repeated softly but it didn't take me long to realize what was going on. "Do you mean Power Rangers?" I stared at her in disbelief.
"Indeed, Proto Ranger. I have full faith that you will be able to unlock its true power in time. Our time together grows short. Before you leave there is one more thing…" she drew herself up regally. I knew the words by heart.
"May the Power protect you."
There would be many trials and tribulations in the coming days. Moments of terror and times of woe. I also knew, just as strongly, that there would be laughter and abiding affection amidst the tears. After all that is the nature of this universe. That as long as you have faith, and persevere, you can achieve miracles.
AN: My brain went to a fun little place during a conversation with @Metroidwave and this is the result. This isn't a Jumpchain, a Gamer fic, or anything too complicated…Unless you count the Power Rangers timeline.
Chapter 2
- Location
- PA
Chapter 2
Can I just say that I absolutely love the universe's sense of humor? The bright flash of light was expected, but my starting location wasn't. I found myself standing in a garbage dump amidst piles of scrap and other refuse. The only good thing was that there didn't seem to be organic trash nearby. That isn't to say it smelled all that good, but it was passable. My smartphone's GPS couldn't even get a signal. Combined with alien magitechnology and it still has a normal GPS function? Insanity! I couldn't get a signal out here. Of course, the answer was obvious. This wasn't my Earth so it stood to reason there wouldn't be a signal.
"Blast it…" I fiddled with my phone absently before noticing a new app was installed. "DynaLink?" Just by saying the name it activated.
What appeared was something almost like my camera with more buttons. A green exclamation point highlighted one button. Since I couldn't think of anything else to do, I tapped it. The screen shifted to a green digital map of the area with a lot of dots to the north. One of the dots had a triangle over it that read 'Cyclopsus.' The other dots were listed as its parts. I remembered it as a powerful Zord used by the bad guys. Goldar piloted it and nearly wiped out the team. It could adapt to whatever tactics were used against it. That is until the Rangers continued switching styles so quickly it couldn't keep up.
"Wait a minute! Why is this here? Shouldn't Zordon or Alpha 5 claim the junk? Did they just leave this stuff lying around?" I wasn't sure how to feel about this. My childhood love of Power Rangers warred with the sheer disbelief that anyone could be so irresponsible. Another notification flashed across the screen. It read 'Available for scanning.'
I'm not gonna lie. Despite the Cyclopsus War Zord being evil, I really wanted to scoop it up for myself. The app helpfully explained that scanning the Zord would grant me powers associated with that generation. Which meant I could gain powers from Season 1 of Power Rangers. Not a bad deal. The app further explained that while it couldn't change a Zord's alignment, it would ensure it couldn't turn on me. After all some Zords had wills of their own while others were just machines.
"Might as well go scan the thing…" The idea of leaving it sitting out for anyone to find filled me with dread. It was irresponsible, reckless, and a really bad idea. I'm honestly surprised the evil space aliens didn't come back for it, but that's writers for you. They probably didn't think about the implications. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was written for kids after all.
Trying to ride my motorcycle through here would just get me a flat tire. That meant I had the joy of walking through the muck. It must have rained recently since the mud wasn't just wet, but gummy almost and the smell of rust permeated the air. I had a lot of not-so-fond memories of that smell which only put me more on edge. The urge to just leave and forget about this was strong, but my sense of duty (okay, my inner fanboy) was screaming at me to do this. Luckily I was already tensed up or I might have missed a chorus of glubbing sounds up ahead. They were trying to be quiet, but I think it was the sound of Putty Patrollers. The generic mooks the Rangers beat up by the dozen in every episode.
I cautiously peered around the corner of an old refrigerator. There up ahead, prowling around the junk heaps, was a Baker's Dozen of Putties. This must be sometime in Season 2 because these Putties had dark gray deformed faces, but silvery bodies with Lord Zed's iconic Z in the center of their chests. These guys were a lot more realistic as their mouths moved with each unusual utterance they made. Further up on the largest, most precarious, mountain of trash was a young woman around my age. She was dressed in a brown leather trenchcoat that clearly saw better days. Her black t-shirt looked old and tattered as did the jeans she wore. Even her boots looked beaten to hell and back. Long curly brown hair that hadn't seen a shower in days framed a thin face. Crap. Was she a homeless person trying to get junk to salvage?
The thought of jumping in against a group of real live evil space aliens was a bad one. I'm not a hero. These guys could really kill me. Except, there was someone else to consider. Yes, I could run and save myself, but she would be killed. I had to take this seriously and stop thinking about it like the TV show. Could I leave her to die and live with myself? I couldn't. Not even at my worst would I leave an innocent person to die. I wasn't always the best person, but damn it I can't look away and pretend this isn't my problem. Decision made I stepped out from behind the refrigerator and positioned myself so they could see me. The sun broke through the clouds as if shining a spotlight on where I stood.
"Hey clayheads! Leave that girl alone!" I shouted with all my might.
The Putties froze in confusion as they turned as one towards me. My adrenaline was starting to spike as they looked a hell of a lot more fearsome up close. Their simulated muscles looked imposing, but the worst was their glowing red eyes. Like pits of lava staring straight into my soul. On a scale of the worst choices in my life, this definitely rated an 8, but a 9 would've been letting the girl die without even trying. Except that the girl I wanted to save jolted as if shocked. She cried out as her foot slipped on the unsafe foothold and slid down the mountain. Then, as if the universe was laughing at me, she flipped forward and smacked her head on the ground. The girl lay still as the impact knocked her out.
"Fuck…" I whispered. My plan was to distract the Putties long enough for her to maybe make a break for it. That plan was shot to hell.
The monsters ignored her at least as they dropped into low stances with their arms raised threateningly. They started to approach with their peculiar side shuffling and hopping gait. With the poor special effects of the time it looked kind of goofy. This was the real thing that only served to highlight how inhuman they were. I'm not some combat savant or anything. My base style is in boxing but I learned a few things on the street. Whatever fit I threw it in and made it my own. The problem with my style is that it's made to fight humans who know to stop when it hurts. I tried executing a swift jab as a Putty rushed. It's head was knocked to the side, but it continued swinging its arm and clocked me in the temple. That had me seeing stars and opened up my sides to attack. It wasn't long before they were kicking and punching me in a circle.
Conservation of Ninjutsu was not in effect and I was getting my ass beat.
I fell on my back again as another blow caught me in the gut. My phone fell to the ground. As a last desperate Hail Mary I fumbled for the device, slick with mud and refuse, and tried to scan Cyclopsus. Maybe the Zord could even the odds? It was a little out of order for sure, but my concussed brain was out of good ideas. To add insult to injury my finger slipped right past it and pressed the power button. A burst of dubstep erupted from the phone as a black and white sphere of static surrounded me. The Putties were blown back, but I was only dimly aware. Bits of junk started to levitate before being swiftly absorbed into the sphere. I saw a motocross bike disappear as well along with what looked like jack.
[Naked System Engaged]
For the love of all that's holy and the Morphin Grid please don't let that be my call sign.
My clothes fizzed like static before being replaced by a black bodysuit. A harness made of black metal and lug nuts appeared over my shorts and across my torso. The gloves and boots were charcoal gray with a ring of black metal studded with lug nuts for highlights. I could feel the power suffuse me as the transformation continued. It broke me down, infused my very soul, and built me back up again. All of my injuries faded away as the helmet manifested over my head. It looked like a stripped down motocross helmet and facemask. Smoother and fitted more closely to my head than others. A pair of small headlights appeared above the black visor. The finishing touch was a black belt appearing on my waist. My phone flipped around and folded before becoming the buckle. It looked like the Season 1 Morpher just stripped down. In fact my whole outfit looked that way. By some nameless impulse I held up my hand and the jack slammed into my hand but changed. The weapon resembled a motorized jack that some Ork weaponized.
I didn't even wait for the sphere to drop before lunging for the nearest Putty. The evil monster recoiled in surprise as I drove the jack right into its solar plexus. With my other hand, I jerked the lever before sending the hapless minion into the junk heap with a titanic bang. Oh, but the hits didn't stop coming as I made sure to give its buddies some attention. My nasty looking toy swished through the air before spinning a Putty's head around like Play-Doh. I allowed myself to revel in the feeling of power. They wanted to kill me? Did they want to toy with me? However, I didn't forget the reason for this gift. I made sure to drive the fiendish creations away from the girl on the ground. Another impulse overtook me or was it an instinct? I let it take over as I used the weapon to herd the now horribly outmatched monsters in a straight line using brutal blows.
"Naked Hammer!" The belt cried out much to my chagrin. However, I couldn't argue with the result. A swell of power accompanied by the same dubstep sound built up in the weapon's engine. When I pulled the lever this time it took a firm jerk. It felt heavy, weighty with purpose. The jack punched forward with the authority and speed of a locomotive. All of the Putties were instantly pierced through and exploded.
This is usually where the Rangers say their catchphrase, but I decided to skip that and administer first-aid. The Ranger suit disappeared with the rev of an engine. Apparently my transformation's gotta be extra. From what I could recall of first-aid she didn't appear badly hurt. No soft spots on her scalp, no visible injuries, her pupils dilated properly. I let out a sigh of relief. If she didn't wake up on her own then I'd worry, but for now she was just unconscious. My phone vibrated to get my attention.
"Hmmm?" I checked my phone. A system message reported that Cyclopsus was ready to be scanned. Now I didn't know what to expect from scanning a Zord. How would this work? The phone took a picture of Cyclopsus' head where it was watching from under the pile.
Note to self: Make sure that whatever I scan isn't load bearing.
I had to quickly scoop up the girl and take off running. Cyclopsus and it's parts turned to dust leaving the pile unbalanced. The whole thing toppled over. Good news is that we got out of it safely. Better news my motorcycle survived. The bad news was that my backpack was gone. All I had left of my worldly possessions were the clothes on my back, my bike, and the morpher. Though when the girl curled up against my chest safe and sound, it was worth everything.
Of course, I should've remembered the universe I was in did like to throw curveballs. Five lights descended from the sky. Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, and Pink. The Power Rangers appeared ready for action. I can only imagine what they must be thinking. Some strange guy in muddy and ripped clothes holding a girl in tattered clothing while piles of junk continued to fall over. A bizarre tableau that wouldn't look out of place in a post apocalyptic movie. Their expressionless helmets turned to stare at me. Their postures screamed disbelief.
"It's just as weird from my position too," I assured them.
Yeah, this would take some explaining…
"Could we take her to a hospital before you interrogate me? She hit her head pretty hard…" I indicated the former victim.
Good thing Billy the Blue Ranger had a device he probably cobbled together from the scraps in his garage. He was probably more broken than Tony Stark in a cave with a box of scraps.
"Hmmm…These readings are strange. She has a connection to the Morphing Grid, but it's faint. There's something not quite right here…" He mumbled to himself.
"Is she okay?" Kimberly the Pink Ranger asked worriedly. Billy shook his head like a dog shaking off water.
"Huh? Oh, yes, she's just fine. In fact she should be waking up soon," he assured us.
"We're still gonna drop her off at the hospital, right? Unless your doohickey treats people too," Zach the Black Ranger said almost as if afraid of the answer. He knew his buddy's skill with technology. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it did a full medical treatment.
"Here, I can take her there while you talk to my friends," the Yellow Ranger, Trini stepped forward. That was the most polite way of saying 'You're not getting out of this' I ever heard. Since I knew their character, their moral character I mean, I had no trouble handing her over. Trini inclined her head before vanishing. Seeing her leave to get treatment took some of the tension out of me. The others noticed my reaction causing them to relax too.
And then there were five. I checked my phone just in case. My Ranger Form was currently out of juice. The only reason my phone was running was because of a secondary battery. If my transformation actually needed me to charge my phone I might scream.
If I was going to be stuck here then I might as well embrace the absurdity.
"Take me to your leader," I said with a faint smirk. The Red Ranger, Jason, facepalmed while Kimberly just shook her head. At least Billy and Zach seemed to enjoy it if their silent laughter was any indication.
"Okay. Is that all you've got?" Jason indicated my motorcycle.
"Yeah…Yeah that's it," I smiled wistfully. Would I ever see my home again? Who knows? The adrenaline crash was also making me feel a little depressed.
"It'll be okay…" Kimberly patted my arm gently. She didn't even know what hurt, but still wanted to make me feel better. That alone put a more genuine smile on my face. Kindness just because she cares. That's a treasure no one can buy.
Jason clapped me on the shoulder before assuming the iconic stance. Kimberly, Billy, and Zach all lined up in preparation. I didn't notice it at the time, but by some coincidence, I was at the end of the line. Soon we were swept up in the teleporter beam and on our way to the Command Center. This was truly the beginning of my journey.
AN: Yep this Episode was a two parter. Most of the chapters will be based on different episodes. Of course with a new guy hanging around it won't be quite the same. The first meeting with Zordon and Alpha 5 is next, but I thought this would be a good stopping point.
Can I just say that I absolutely love the universe's sense of humor? The bright flash of light was expected, but my starting location wasn't. I found myself standing in a garbage dump amidst piles of scrap and other refuse. The only good thing was that there didn't seem to be organic trash nearby. That isn't to say it smelled all that good, but it was passable. My smartphone's GPS couldn't even get a signal. Combined with alien magitechnology and it still has a normal GPS function? Insanity! I couldn't get a signal out here. Of course, the answer was obvious. This wasn't my Earth so it stood to reason there wouldn't be a signal.
"Blast it…" I fiddled with my phone absently before noticing a new app was installed. "DynaLink?" Just by saying the name it activated.
What appeared was something almost like my camera with more buttons. A green exclamation point highlighted one button. Since I couldn't think of anything else to do, I tapped it. The screen shifted to a green digital map of the area with a lot of dots to the north. One of the dots had a triangle over it that read 'Cyclopsus.' The other dots were listed as its parts. I remembered it as a powerful Zord used by the bad guys. Goldar piloted it and nearly wiped out the team. It could adapt to whatever tactics were used against it. That is until the Rangers continued switching styles so quickly it couldn't keep up.
"Wait a minute! Why is this here? Shouldn't Zordon or Alpha 5 claim the junk? Did they just leave this stuff lying around?" I wasn't sure how to feel about this. My childhood love of Power Rangers warred with the sheer disbelief that anyone could be so irresponsible. Another notification flashed across the screen. It read 'Available for scanning.'
I'm not gonna lie. Despite the Cyclopsus War Zord being evil, I really wanted to scoop it up for myself. The app helpfully explained that scanning the Zord would grant me powers associated with that generation. Which meant I could gain powers from Season 1 of Power Rangers. Not a bad deal. The app further explained that while it couldn't change a Zord's alignment, it would ensure it couldn't turn on me. After all some Zords had wills of their own while others were just machines.
"Might as well go scan the thing…" The idea of leaving it sitting out for anyone to find filled me with dread. It was irresponsible, reckless, and a really bad idea. I'm honestly surprised the evil space aliens didn't come back for it, but that's writers for you. They probably didn't think about the implications. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was written for kids after all.
Trying to ride my motorcycle through here would just get me a flat tire. That meant I had the joy of walking through the muck. It must have rained recently since the mud wasn't just wet, but gummy almost and the smell of rust permeated the air. I had a lot of not-so-fond memories of that smell which only put me more on edge. The urge to just leave and forget about this was strong, but my sense of duty (okay, my inner fanboy) was screaming at me to do this. Luckily I was already tensed up or I might have missed a chorus of glubbing sounds up ahead. They were trying to be quiet, but I think it was the sound of Putty Patrollers. The generic mooks the Rangers beat up by the dozen in every episode.
I cautiously peered around the corner of an old refrigerator. There up ahead, prowling around the junk heaps, was a Baker's Dozen of Putties. This must be sometime in Season 2 because these Putties had dark gray deformed faces, but silvery bodies with Lord Zed's iconic Z in the center of their chests. These guys were a lot more realistic as their mouths moved with each unusual utterance they made. Further up on the largest, most precarious, mountain of trash was a young woman around my age. She was dressed in a brown leather trenchcoat that clearly saw better days. Her black t-shirt looked old and tattered as did the jeans she wore. Even her boots looked beaten to hell and back. Long curly brown hair that hadn't seen a shower in days framed a thin face. Crap. Was she a homeless person trying to get junk to salvage?
The thought of jumping in against a group of real live evil space aliens was a bad one. I'm not a hero. These guys could really kill me. Except, there was someone else to consider. Yes, I could run and save myself, but she would be killed. I had to take this seriously and stop thinking about it like the TV show. Could I leave her to die and live with myself? I couldn't. Not even at my worst would I leave an innocent person to die. I wasn't always the best person, but damn it I can't look away and pretend this isn't my problem. Decision made I stepped out from behind the refrigerator and positioned myself so they could see me. The sun broke through the clouds as if shining a spotlight on where I stood.
"Hey clayheads! Leave that girl alone!" I shouted with all my might.
The Putties froze in confusion as they turned as one towards me. My adrenaline was starting to spike as they looked a hell of a lot more fearsome up close. Their simulated muscles looked imposing, but the worst was their glowing red eyes. Like pits of lava staring straight into my soul. On a scale of the worst choices in my life, this definitely rated an 8, but a 9 would've been letting the girl die without even trying. Except that the girl I wanted to save jolted as if shocked. She cried out as her foot slipped on the unsafe foothold and slid down the mountain. Then, as if the universe was laughing at me, she flipped forward and smacked her head on the ground. The girl lay still as the impact knocked her out.
"Fuck…" I whispered. My plan was to distract the Putties long enough for her to maybe make a break for it. That plan was shot to hell.
The monsters ignored her at least as they dropped into low stances with their arms raised threateningly. They started to approach with their peculiar side shuffling and hopping gait. With the poor special effects of the time it looked kind of goofy. This was the real thing that only served to highlight how inhuman they were. I'm not some combat savant or anything. My base style is in boxing but I learned a few things on the street. Whatever fit I threw it in and made it my own. The problem with my style is that it's made to fight humans who know to stop when it hurts. I tried executing a swift jab as a Putty rushed. It's head was knocked to the side, but it continued swinging its arm and clocked me in the temple. That had me seeing stars and opened up my sides to attack. It wasn't long before they were kicking and punching me in a circle.
Conservation of Ninjutsu was not in effect and I was getting my ass beat.
I fell on my back again as another blow caught me in the gut. My phone fell to the ground. As a last desperate Hail Mary I fumbled for the device, slick with mud and refuse, and tried to scan Cyclopsus. Maybe the Zord could even the odds? It was a little out of order for sure, but my concussed brain was out of good ideas. To add insult to injury my finger slipped right past it and pressed the power button. A burst of dubstep erupted from the phone as a black and white sphere of static surrounded me. The Putties were blown back, but I was only dimly aware. Bits of junk started to levitate before being swiftly absorbed into the sphere. I saw a motocross bike disappear as well along with what looked like jack.
[Naked System Engaged]
For the love of all that's holy and the Morphin Grid please don't let that be my call sign.
My clothes fizzed like static before being replaced by a black bodysuit. A harness made of black metal and lug nuts appeared over my shorts and across my torso. The gloves and boots were charcoal gray with a ring of black metal studded with lug nuts for highlights. I could feel the power suffuse me as the transformation continued. It broke me down, infused my very soul, and built me back up again. All of my injuries faded away as the helmet manifested over my head. It looked like a stripped down motocross helmet and facemask. Smoother and fitted more closely to my head than others. A pair of small headlights appeared above the black visor. The finishing touch was a black belt appearing on my waist. My phone flipped around and folded before becoming the buckle. It looked like the Season 1 Morpher just stripped down. In fact my whole outfit looked that way. By some nameless impulse I held up my hand and the jack slammed into my hand but changed. The weapon resembled a motorized jack that some Ork weaponized.
I didn't even wait for the sphere to drop before lunging for the nearest Putty. The evil monster recoiled in surprise as I drove the jack right into its solar plexus. With my other hand, I jerked the lever before sending the hapless minion into the junk heap with a titanic bang. Oh, but the hits didn't stop coming as I made sure to give its buddies some attention. My nasty looking toy swished through the air before spinning a Putty's head around like Play-Doh. I allowed myself to revel in the feeling of power. They wanted to kill me? Did they want to toy with me? However, I didn't forget the reason for this gift. I made sure to drive the fiendish creations away from the girl on the ground. Another impulse overtook me or was it an instinct? I let it take over as I used the weapon to herd the now horribly outmatched monsters in a straight line using brutal blows.
"Naked Hammer!" The belt cried out much to my chagrin. However, I couldn't argue with the result. A swell of power accompanied by the same dubstep sound built up in the weapon's engine. When I pulled the lever this time it took a firm jerk. It felt heavy, weighty with purpose. The jack punched forward with the authority and speed of a locomotive. All of the Putties were instantly pierced through and exploded.
This is usually where the Rangers say their catchphrase, but I decided to skip that and administer first-aid. The Ranger suit disappeared with the rev of an engine. Apparently my transformation's gotta be extra. From what I could recall of first-aid she didn't appear badly hurt. No soft spots on her scalp, no visible injuries, her pupils dilated properly. I let out a sigh of relief. If she didn't wake up on her own then I'd worry, but for now she was just unconscious. My phone vibrated to get my attention.
"Hmmm?" I checked my phone. A system message reported that Cyclopsus was ready to be scanned. Now I didn't know what to expect from scanning a Zord. How would this work? The phone took a picture of Cyclopsus' head where it was watching from under the pile.
Note to self: Make sure that whatever I scan isn't load bearing.
I had to quickly scoop up the girl and take off running. Cyclopsus and it's parts turned to dust leaving the pile unbalanced. The whole thing toppled over. Good news is that we got out of it safely. Better news my motorcycle survived. The bad news was that my backpack was gone. All I had left of my worldly possessions were the clothes on my back, my bike, and the morpher. Though when the girl curled up against my chest safe and sound, it was worth everything.
Of course, I should've remembered the universe I was in did like to throw curveballs. Five lights descended from the sky. Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, and Pink. The Power Rangers appeared ready for action. I can only imagine what they must be thinking. Some strange guy in muddy and ripped clothes holding a girl in tattered clothing while piles of junk continued to fall over. A bizarre tableau that wouldn't look out of place in a post apocalyptic movie. Their expressionless helmets turned to stare at me. Their postures screamed disbelief.
"It's just as weird from my position too," I assured them.
Yeah, this would take some explaining…
"Could we take her to a hospital before you interrogate me? She hit her head pretty hard…" I indicated the former victim.
Good thing Billy the Blue Ranger had a device he probably cobbled together from the scraps in his garage. He was probably more broken than Tony Stark in a cave with a box of scraps.
"Hmmm…These readings are strange. She has a connection to the Morphing Grid, but it's faint. There's something not quite right here…" He mumbled to himself.
"Is she okay?" Kimberly the Pink Ranger asked worriedly. Billy shook his head like a dog shaking off water.
"Huh? Oh, yes, she's just fine. In fact she should be waking up soon," he assured us.
"We're still gonna drop her off at the hospital, right? Unless your doohickey treats people too," Zach the Black Ranger said almost as if afraid of the answer. He knew his buddy's skill with technology. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it did a full medical treatment.
"Here, I can take her there while you talk to my friends," the Yellow Ranger, Trini stepped forward. That was the most polite way of saying 'You're not getting out of this' I ever heard. Since I knew their character, their moral character I mean, I had no trouble handing her over. Trini inclined her head before vanishing. Seeing her leave to get treatment took some of the tension out of me. The others noticed my reaction causing them to relax too.
And then there were five. I checked my phone just in case. My Ranger Form was currently out of juice. The only reason my phone was running was because of a secondary battery. If my transformation actually needed me to charge my phone I might scream.
If I was going to be stuck here then I might as well embrace the absurdity.
"Take me to your leader," I said with a faint smirk. The Red Ranger, Jason, facepalmed while Kimberly just shook her head. At least Billy and Zach seemed to enjoy it if their silent laughter was any indication.
"Okay. Is that all you've got?" Jason indicated my motorcycle.
"Yeah…Yeah that's it," I smiled wistfully. Would I ever see my home again? Who knows? The adrenaline crash was also making me feel a little depressed.
"It'll be okay…" Kimberly patted my arm gently. She didn't even know what hurt, but still wanted to make me feel better. That alone put a more genuine smile on my face. Kindness just because she cares. That's a treasure no one can buy.
Jason clapped me on the shoulder before assuming the iconic stance. Kimberly, Billy, and Zach all lined up in preparation. I didn't notice it at the time, but by some coincidence, I was at the end of the line. Soon we were swept up in the teleporter beam and on our way to the Command Center. This was truly the beginning of my journey.
AN: Yep this Episode was a two parter. Most of the chapters will be based on different episodes. Of course with a new guy hanging around it won't be quite the same. The first meeting with Zordon and Alpha 5 is next, but I thought this would be a good stopping point.
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Chapter 3
- Location
- PA
Chapter 3
The Command Center. The home base of the Power Rangers where Zordon, the Big Good of the setting, resides with his robot assistant Alpha 5. TV didn't do it justice. The set was just a bank of monitors on a round platform with the viewing globe on a pedestal. At the other end was a large glass tube that held Zordon's spirit. He was a big bald glowing blue head projection in a jar. Beyond that were just columns and black space with little lights like stars. Much to my surprise, the show captured a small fraction of the reality. It was actually much bigger and more robust on the inside. The darkness really did appear to contain stars and stretched on for what felt like miles. I was reminded of the Doctor's TARDIS. The outside didn't look nearly big enough to contain all this. Walking around was a familiar robot buddy. His head looked like a gold UFO saucer with red LED lights around the rim and a predominantly red body with gold trim and gold arms and legs. A glowing gold lightning bolt sat in the center of his chest.
"Ay, yi yi! We have a guest!" Alpha 5 said in his synthesized voice. He still sounded the same as the show which made my inner nerd geek out.
"Hey, Alpha. Yeah, we found this guy right where you said. Except I don't think he's a bad guy," Jason replied.
"He was holding an injured girl when we found him though. I hope she's alright…" Kimberly trailed off.
A yellow light descended and deposited Trini. Everyone turned to her for news.
"She's fine. They're admitting her under the name Jane Black. She didn't have any ID on her at all…" Trini finished sadly.
Once Trini said that Jane was fine, if still unconscious, I went back to prowling around. There was so much wonder and nostalgia clamoring for attention. The Rangers gave their report about what they found which wasn't much. They found Jane and myself but no sign of Cyclopsus or the Putties they detected. I wasn't sure how to explain what happened. Something told me I should hold off telling them how I got here. That's when a big blue head appeared and startled me out of my thoughts.
"Perhaps we should allow Mister Cassidy a chance to explain," Zordon spoke in a deep voice dripping with compassion and awesome. His gaze was kind with a fathomless wisdom and hope for a brighter future. I felt humbled by his understanding. It was like he could see right through me.
"Oh no no no this will never do…" Alpha took in my state of dress and pushed a button on the console. I kid you not a beam came down and left me not only cleaned, but my clothing repaired. It even hit my bike and gave it a nice polish. Magitech is bullshit.
"Why didn't anyone tell me we have a magic cleaning beam?" Kimberly whispered. The others were just as confused as her. Of all the things they've seen, I think this broke their suspension of disbelief the hardest.
"Uh, right…So…Maybe it would just be easier to tell you what I understand. Which isn't much mind you. I woke up in the junkyard with my cellphone, but it looked like someone merged it with some alien magitech," I was going to tell them the truth but fudge it a little. Zordon's knowing stare and tacit understanding made me feel slightly better about this.
"Do you mind?" Billy asked. I handed him my Proto Morpher (I refuse to call it the Naked Morpher) and watched him take it over to the console. Alpha joined him to help. Seriously, just how well did the Blue Ranger understand this stuff by now?
"My phone led me to the remains of Cyclopsus. I was there to scan it and hopefully figure out what the darn Morpher even did. That's when I saw a Baker's dozen of Putties. They had Jane trapped on the unstable junk pile. I couldn't just leave her there y'know? I just wanted to distract them so she could get away…But when I yelled I startled her and she fell…" I rubbed my arm self consciously. It was partly my fault for how she ended up like this. I still put some of the blame on the Putties, but it was my calling out that caused her to tumble.
"Hey man, you didn't know. Sometimes…Bad things happen to good people. She wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you. The only thing you can do is be better tomorrow.," Jason laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. He would know all about that, wouldn't he? I noticed the missing Green Ranger. This must be after Tommy lost his powers. His words helped a little, but I would definitely work on being better.
"I tried to scan Cyclopsus anyway. Maybe I could summon it, wake it up, or do something. The Putties beat me up so badly I figured anything was better than doing nothing. Except I hit the power button on my phone instead. Morphing healed all of my injuries and gave me the power to take them down. More importantly, I was able to protect Jane," I couldn't help smiling about that. An innocent person lived because of something I did. I could totally understand why the Rangers did what they did. It wasn't just protecting the Earth. They could see every single day the people they rescued.
"There's nothing like it in the world to save a life. To know that you made a difference," Zach unknowingly echoed my thoughts.
Billy and Alpha continued scanning my Morpher in the background. Suddenly I felt a peculiar sense of dread. Not like I was about to be attacked, but like something odd was about to happen. It all started with Billy straightening up with surprise radiating from his posture.
"Huh. It says here that your callsign is Na-" Billy started to say, but I quickly interrupted him with "Proto Ranger." He shook his head. "No, it says Na-"
"Proto Ranger," I reiterated. Billy's body language grew more flustered. Thankfully someone else stepped in before this devolved further. I didn't want to alienate Billy but I was really uncomfortable with my Ranger callsign.
"I believe Proto Ranger will suffice," Zordon interjected smoothly. "Thank you, Proto Ranger, for ensuring that Cyclopsus didn not fall into the hands of evil once more."
"Can you show us please?" Kimberly asked.
"It would help if we knew what you looked like," Trini explained.
"No problem. Unless the battery still needs charging…For some reason it needs to recharge between Morphs," I shrugged in confusion.
"Oh, we plugged it into the Command Center console. You might need to bring it back here for recharging," Alpha 5 helpfully said as he handed me back the Morpher.
"I might be able to come up with an adapter so we could recharge it from our Power Coins," Billy mused.
"Hey, before he shows us his Ranger form, we should introduce ourselves properly," Jason said.
I'm not gonna lie watching them power down was just as thrilling as seeing them transformed. They did look like their actors from the show just younger. The teens introduced themselves with handshakes and smiles. I felt warm inside like their kindness was filling me up. It's not that the people of Paradise Cove didn't welcome me, but I still felt like I was on the outside. Here and now I felt included in a way that I never knew before. It felt like I was right where I belonged.
"Okay. Time to introduce myself…" I held out my Morpher with a grin and pushed the power button.
[Data Acquired: MMPR Mode]
The familiar transformation took hold. Already it felt so good, so right, that I never wanted it to end. However, as the suit finished materializing something else happened. Lightweight armored plates appeared around me. Chest and back plates slammed into my torso as the black bands slid over to lock them in place. The lug nuts spun to secure them. It looked like the original Power Ranger suit just in dark gray and white. More armored plates locked into place on my upper arms, gloves, and boots. The finishing touch was when a stylized version of Cyclopsus' helmet screwed onto my helm. My MotoJack appeared in hand but even that changed. Cyclopsus' wrist blades were affixed to the engine like a pincer sword.
"Whoa…" I took in my changed appearance in wonder. This form felt even better defended and stronger than the first!
"That's so cool!" Zach exclaimed.
"So that's what the scan function does! It takes data from the closest souce of Morphological energy and adds it to the base! According to this your MMPR Mode is both stronger and better armored, but there's a catch. It appears to be slower than your base form by nearly twenty percent," Billy explained.
"I can get behind having more armor. I don't want a repeat of when the Putties were turning my flesh to Putty," I said half jokingly.
"Are you going to join us?" Trini asked hopefully.
"You couldn't pay me enough to stay away," I promised.
"That's good…" Kimberly smiled wistfully.
The collective mood of the teens dropped as they no doubt remembered their missing friend. They didn't know Tommy would return later as the White Ranger. I wasn't going to spoil that either. Who knows what would happen if the villains found out about the White Ranger ahead of time? No, for now, I would just keep this to myself.
"That you have chosen to aid others is a testament to your heart. Your assistance is most appreciated. Though we may stumble on the way there is always someone to lift us up. If we have the will to stand again," Zordon said solemnly.
We stood in silence, but it wasn't awkward. It was actually rather comforting. My Morph timed out after fifteen minutes which called to mind another issue. How could I improve the battery life? Billy and Alpha promised to work on it so I offered to help. I'm an engineer, well almost, and the thought of working on a real Morpher fascinates me. He even offered to let me stay at his house. His parents wouldn't mind as they were usually out of town and worried about him being home alone. Thankfully it wasn't like Willow from BtVS. Billy's folks were home more often and his neighbors looked in on him. Also, he was older than Willow was when her parents effectively abandoned their child. The other Rangers passed around the hat so to speak to help buy me some new stuff.
"Listen, I'll pay you back when I get some money. Though…uh…I don't think my identity is going to work in this dimension…" I trailed off doubtfully.
"Dimension!?" The teens exclaimed in eerie synchronization.
"Oh, yeah, about that…"
This was going to take even longer to explain. On the plus side Alpha 5 could totally hack into the US Government and whip me up a real ID in seconds. Zordon was profoundly disapproving of his L33T coding skillz, but admitted he couldn't think of a better solution. For just a moment I caught Zordon's face twitch. Did he know of a better solution? What was going on here? I didn't think Zordon had enough clout on Earth to do something like that. This was going to bug me. Unfortunately (or fortunately for Zordon's peace of mind) I was distracted by the girls wanting to take me shopping. Kimberly thought I needed a new wardrobe while Trini wanted to take me to the book store to get me caught up on this Earth's culture. Coincidentally that's where Billy wanted to take me, but for a more sciency reason. Jason and Zach invited themselves along to save me from a fashion conscious valley girl and two bookworms.
It was the best time I could remember having in years…
AN: Next chapter we're moving into canon territory. Get ready for things to change! Also I'm going to try to keep scenes with this many characters on screen to a minimum or at least limit the speaking parts. Not everyone is going to want to talk to Sean all the time.
The Command Center. The home base of the Power Rangers where Zordon, the Big Good of the setting, resides with his robot assistant Alpha 5. TV didn't do it justice. The set was just a bank of monitors on a round platform with the viewing globe on a pedestal. At the other end was a large glass tube that held Zordon's spirit. He was a big bald glowing blue head projection in a jar. Beyond that were just columns and black space with little lights like stars. Much to my surprise, the show captured a small fraction of the reality. It was actually much bigger and more robust on the inside. The darkness really did appear to contain stars and stretched on for what felt like miles. I was reminded of the Doctor's TARDIS. The outside didn't look nearly big enough to contain all this. Walking around was a familiar robot buddy. His head looked like a gold UFO saucer with red LED lights around the rim and a predominantly red body with gold trim and gold arms and legs. A glowing gold lightning bolt sat in the center of his chest.
"Ay, yi yi! We have a guest!" Alpha 5 said in his synthesized voice. He still sounded the same as the show which made my inner nerd geek out.
"Hey, Alpha. Yeah, we found this guy right where you said. Except I don't think he's a bad guy," Jason replied.
"He was holding an injured girl when we found him though. I hope she's alright…" Kimberly trailed off.
A yellow light descended and deposited Trini. Everyone turned to her for news.
"She's fine. They're admitting her under the name Jane Black. She didn't have any ID on her at all…" Trini finished sadly.
Once Trini said that Jane was fine, if still unconscious, I went back to prowling around. There was so much wonder and nostalgia clamoring for attention. The Rangers gave their report about what they found which wasn't much. They found Jane and myself but no sign of Cyclopsus or the Putties they detected. I wasn't sure how to explain what happened. Something told me I should hold off telling them how I got here. That's when a big blue head appeared and startled me out of my thoughts.
"Perhaps we should allow Mister Cassidy a chance to explain," Zordon spoke in a deep voice dripping with compassion and awesome. His gaze was kind with a fathomless wisdom and hope for a brighter future. I felt humbled by his understanding. It was like he could see right through me.
"Oh no no no this will never do…" Alpha took in my state of dress and pushed a button on the console. I kid you not a beam came down and left me not only cleaned, but my clothing repaired. It even hit my bike and gave it a nice polish. Magitech is bullshit.
"Why didn't anyone tell me we have a magic cleaning beam?" Kimberly whispered. The others were just as confused as her. Of all the things they've seen, I think this broke their suspension of disbelief the hardest.
"Uh, right…So…Maybe it would just be easier to tell you what I understand. Which isn't much mind you. I woke up in the junkyard with my cellphone, but it looked like someone merged it with some alien magitech," I was going to tell them the truth but fudge it a little. Zordon's knowing stare and tacit understanding made me feel slightly better about this.
"Do you mind?" Billy asked. I handed him my Proto Morpher (I refuse to call it the Naked Morpher) and watched him take it over to the console. Alpha joined him to help. Seriously, just how well did the Blue Ranger understand this stuff by now?
"My phone led me to the remains of Cyclopsus. I was there to scan it and hopefully figure out what the darn Morpher even did. That's when I saw a Baker's dozen of Putties. They had Jane trapped on the unstable junk pile. I couldn't just leave her there y'know? I just wanted to distract them so she could get away…But when I yelled I startled her and she fell…" I rubbed my arm self consciously. It was partly my fault for how she ended up like this. I still put some of the blame on the Putties, but it was my calling out that caused her to tumble.
"Hey man, you didn't know. Sometimes…Bad things happen to good people. She wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you. The only thing you can do is be better tomorrow.," Jason laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. He would know all about that, wouldn't he? I noticed the missing Green Ranger. This must be after Tommy lost his powers. His words helped a little, but I would definitely work on being better.
"I tried to scan Cyclopsus anyway. Maybe I could summon it, wake it up, or do something. The Putties beat me up so badly I figured anything was better than doing nothing. Except I hit the power button on my phone instead. Morphing healed all of my injuries and gave me the power to take them down. More importantly, I was able to protect Jane," I couldn't help smiling about that. An innocent person lived because of something I did. I could totally understand why the Rangers did what they did. It wasn't just protecting the Earth. They could see every single day the people they rescued.
"There's nothing like it in the world to save a life. To know that you made a difference," Zach unknowingly echoed my thoughts.
Billy and Alpha continued scanning my Morpher in the background. Suddenly I felt a peculiar sense of dread. Not like I was about to be attacked, but like something odd was about to happen. It all started with Billy straightening up with surprise radiating from his posture.
"Huh. It says here that your callsign is Na-" Billy started to say, but I quickly interrupted him with "Proto Ranger." He shook his head. "No, it says Na-"
"Proto Ranger," I reiterated. Billy's body language grew more flustered. Thankfully someone else stepped in before this devolved further. I didn't want to alienate Billy but I was really uncomfortable with my Ranger callsign.
"I believe Proto Ranger will suffice," Zordon interjected smoothly. "Thank you, Proto Ranger, for ensuring that Cyclopsus didn not fall into the hands of evil once more."
"Can you show us please?" Kimberly asked.
"It would help if we knew what you looked like," Trini explained.
"No problem. Unless the battery still needs charging…For some reason it needs to recharge between Morphs," I shrugged in confusion.
"Oh, we plugged it into the Command Center console. You might need to bring it back here for recharging," Alpha 5 helpfully said as he handed me back the Morpher.
"I might be able to come up with an adapter so we could recharge it from our Power Coins," Billy mused.
"Hey, before he shows us his Ranger form, we should introduce ourselves properly," Jason said.
I'm not gonna lie watching them power down was just as thrilling as seeing them transformed. They did look like their actors from the show just younger. The teens introduced themselves with handshakes and smiles. I felt warm inside like their kindness was filling me up. It's not that the people of Paradise Cove didn't welcome me, but I still felt like I was on the outside. Here and now I felt included in a way that I never knew before. It felt like I was right where I belonged.
"Okay. Time to introduce myself…" I held out my Morpher with a grin and pushed the power button.
[Data Acquired: MMPR Mode]
The familiar transformation took hold. Already it felt so good, so right, that I never wanted it to end. However, as the suit finished materializing something else happened. Lightweight armored plates appeared around me. Chest and back plates slammed into my torso as the black bands slid over to lock them in place. The lug nuts spun to secure them. It looked like the original Power Ranger suit just in dark gray and white. More armored plates locked into place on my upper arms, gloves, and boots. The finishing touch was when a stylized version of Cyclopsus' helmet screwed onto my helm. My MotoJack appeared in hand but even that changed. Cyclopsus' wrist blades were affixed to the engine like a pincer sword.
"Whoa…" I took in my changed appearance in wonder. This form felt even better defended and stronger than the first!
"That's so cool!" Zach exclaimed.
"So that's what the scan function does! It takes data from the closest souce of Morphological energy and adds it to the base! According to this your MMPR Mode is both stronger and better armored, but there's a catch. It appears to be slower than your base form by nearly twenty percent," Billy explained.
"I can get behind having more armor. I don't want a repeat of when the Putties were turning my flesh to Putty," I said half jokingly.
"Are you going to join us?" Trini asked hopefully.
"You couldn't pay me enough to stay away," I promised.
"That's good…" Kimberly smiled wistfully.
The collective mood of the teens dropped as they no doubt remembered their missing friend. They didn't know Tommy would return later as the White Ranger. I wasn't going to spoil that either. Who knows what would happen if the villains found out about the White Ranger ahead of time? No, for now, I would just keep this to myself.
"That you have chosen to aid others is a testament to your heart. Your assistance is most appreciated. Though we may stumble on the way there is always someone to lift us up. If we have the will to stand again," Zordon said solemnly.
We stood in silence, but it wasn't awkward. It was actually rather comforting. My Morph timed out after fifteen minutes which called to mind another issue. How could I improve the battery life? Billy and Alpha promised to work on it so I offered to help. I'm an engineer, well almost, and the thought of working on a real Morpher fascinates me. He even offered to let me stay at his house. His parents wouldn't mind as they were usually out of town and worried about him being home alone. Thankfully it wasn't like Willow from BtVS. Billy's folks were home more often and his neighbors looked in on him. Also, he was older than Willow was when her parents effectively abandoned their child. The other Rangers passed around the hat so to speak to help buy me some new stuff.
"Listen, I'll pay you back when I get some money. Though…uh…I don't think my identity is going to work in this dimension…" I trailed off doubtfully.
"Dimension!?" The teens exclaimed in eerie synchronization.
"Oh, yeah, about that…"
This was going to take even longer to explain. On the plus side Alpha 5 could totally hack into the US Government and whip me up a real ID in seconds. Zordon was profoundly disapproving of his L33T coding skillz, but admitted he couldn't think of a better solution. For just a moment I caught Zordon's face twitch. Did he know of a better solution? What was going on here? I didn't think Zordon had enough clout on Earth to do something like that. This was going to bug me. Unfortunately (or fortunately for Zordon's peace of mind) I was distracted by the girls wanting to take me shopping. Kimberly thought I needed a new wardrobe while Trini wanted to take me to the book store to get me caught up on this Earth's culture. Coincidentally that's where Billy wanted to take me, but for a more sciency reason. Jason and Zach invited themselves along to save me from a fashion conscious valley girl and two bookworms.
It was the best time I could remember having in years…
AN: Next chapter we're moving into canon territory. Get ready for things to change! Also I'm going to try to keep scenes with this many characters on screen to a minimum or at least limit the speaking parts. Not everyone is going to want to talk to Sean all the time.
Chapter 4
- Location
- PA
Chapter 4
The Cranston House was a nice enough place. Pale blue siding, white trim, a nice porch, and a single-car garage. The very model of middle-class suburbia. We rode in his beetle back from the Command Center but sent my motorcycle ahead with the teleporter. I don't want to digress too much, but I can't just gloss over one of the coolest things ever. Billy's Flying Car. Just imagine soaring through the sky in an old VW Beetle.
"Billy. I need you to promise me something," I said seriously. Billy glanced over from the driver's seat. Perfect 10 and 2 on the wheel and he didn't take his eyes off the "road." I can appreciate that in a guy flying a car.
"What is it?" He asked.
"If I ever stop thinking any of this is cool? Please, knock me out and get my head examined. I've been replaced by a pod person," I grin at him.
"Only if you do the same for me," Billy replied with a grin of his own.
"What if your parents are home? How would they react to a stranger staying at their place?" I asked. To his credit, Billy didn't instantly blow off my concerns.
"My parents usually call when they're coming home so that's one worry down. As for how they would react? I just can't picture them not letting you stay," Billy responded with a shrug.
"No sense looking for problems where there are none, right?" I laughed it off even if it didn't completely settle my anxiety. Judging by the set of his shoulders he wasn't buying my act.
"The reason I can't picture it is because they were the ones to teach me about charity. I believe the expression is 'walk the walk and talk the talk.' They weren't all talk and besides I already called them," Billy said.
"Right, phones exist," I facepalmed. This wasn't some cheesy sitcom and Billy wasn't an impulsive teenager. He was more methodical than that.
"Hey, asking questions is fine. How can we learn if we don't ask? I just ask more questions than most people," Billy smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Thanks, man," I grinned.
The rest of the ride passed in companionable silence. Even flying it took nearly fifteen minutes to get to his place. The Command Center was a good distance outside of Angel Grove. We unpacked all the stuff they bought for me and Billy showed me to my room. It had the same sort of impersonal, but still homey, look of a guest bedroom. I didn't expect the Hilton but this was better than the Hilton. This was a home. Even if I was only staying here for a short while, it still felt better than anywhere else I've been.
"The bathroom is right down the hall and my room is next to yours. When it's cleaning day just leave Mom and Dad's room to me, okay?" Billy smiled.
"No problem. Just let me know what I can do to help out around here. I'm pretty handy," I couldn't help bragging a little before remembering Billy is a modern Leonardo DaVinci.
"Sure thing! Oh, want to use my tools to check your motorcycle? We don't know what the dimensional travel might have done to it…" Billy trailed off muttering to himself.
"I didn't think of that…" I realized with a start.
The good news was that there was nothing structurally wrong with the Indian. The bad news was that the gas and oil were saturated with Morphing Grid energy to the point Billy thought we might have an IED. He wanted to call Alpha for a suggestion on what to do, but my phone had other ideas. I tried to scan it with the App and watched it vanish into thin air.
"Oh come on! Did you just eat my bike?" I barely resisted shaking the Morpher/Phone with an effort. Billy carefully pried it from my fingers.
"Let me see…Ah ha! It did scan your motorcycle but with just a tap…" Billy pointed the camera at where the bike stood. The Indian reappeared in a flash of gray light.
"That's good…I didn't want to lose it, you know? Glad I didn't totally overreact," I laughed self consciously. Trying to crush my phone in my fist was not rational. Thankfully, Billy didn't call me on it.
"It has a Morph function?" Billy tapped another button curiously. A streak of gray light shot from the camera lens and struck the motorcycle. There was a burst of dubstep and static like my own transformation. We both winced as the sound vibrated all the glass around us.
"Did you have to do that in the house?" I asked plaintively.
"Perhaps this wasn't the greatest idea…" He admitted sheepishly.
As the light died down it revealed that my bike did in fact morph. The basic shape hadn't changed, but the overall appearance was much more futuristic. Not descriptive enough? Tough, it's the best I've got. It looked like a motorcycle from a hundred years in the future at least. The armored portions were gunmetal gray over a pitch-black frame with chrome accents. No one would mistake this beast for my motorcycle. The saddlebag portion turned into octagonal boxes. Billy curiously tapped another button causing the boxes to pop open and reveal eight-barrel guns on both sides. The headlight starting to hum ominously. I managed to snatch the phone from him and deactivate the weapon systems.
"Sorry! Uh, so it has an automatic defense system and can drive itself to your location in either form. I'm not sure how the defense system would function in it's untransformed state…" Billy mused to himself.
"I'm just glad you didn't push the button to turn it into the Naked Cannon…Er…Proto Cannon. Like the whole bike turns into a shoulder mounted heavy gun," I eyed the specs with a faintly disturbed feeling. It was cool, no doubt about that, but it was really weird too.
"Can it be fired alone?" Billy asked.
"No. It says here I either need a mount or at least two other people," I said sadly. He patted me on the back comfortingly.
"That's what friends are for. To lighten the load and help you fire off high-grade ordinance," Billy said companionably. I must have looked as surprised as I felt because he turned red with embarrassment. "Zach brought over some movies when I wanted to study teenage behavior…"
"Nah man, it's cool. Thanks for looking out for me," I gave him a cuff on the shoulder. He didn't even budge. Seriously? How do bullies convince themselves to pick on him? Dude's better built than some of the guys on my old school wrestling team. Ah the joys of selective attention.
Billy still had the movies. Zach's idea to help his buddy understand teens was mindless action movies and teen comedies. He threw in a few classics like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Home Alone for good measure. We probably shouldn't have watched as many as we did, but it was fun even if we got to bed really late. Before I went to sleep, I decided to keep a record of what was happening. The phone provided a secure file to make keeping track of everything easier. It even had video and audio clips. For some reason, it was already recording. Did my mysterious benefactor set this up ahead of time? I can't be sure, but I don't think it was her.
The next morning came bright and early despite what I hoped. I was used to waking up early, I just didn't like it. Why can't morning come at a sensible time like sometime after noon? The usual morning routine was complicated by not remembering where I was. Billy called through the door to let me know breakfast was ready. No one should be that energetic at 5 am. I managed to make it downstairs after a quick shower. There was Billy at the table eating a balanced breakfast according to TV.
"Good morning, Sean," Billy said.
"Mornin', Billy…" I let out a yawn. He looked embarrassed.
"I kind of forgot if you asked me to wake you up or not. I usually get up early to practice with Trini. Later on Zach's meeting me at the Juice Bar to hang out with his cousin Curtis and Richie. If you want to go back to bed I'll understand…" He was babbling impressively and working himself into a panic. I held up a hand to forestall any more word vomit.
"That's cool. Mind if I come with you to practice? If Trini doesn't mind. Once I'm up it usually takes an act of God to get back to sleep," I replied. There that should have tied everything up in a neat bow.
Trini didn't mind if I came along. That was one less worry. The Putties showed me that my combat skills, while good for dealing with humans, weren't really up to snuff. A decent martial artist could knock my teeth down my throat. In this universe, if you didn't have some fighting chops you were just dead weight. We met up in the park with Kimberly who was also doing her morning gymnastics training. There were a lot of places a gymnast could practice if she wasn't picky. The only one missing was Zack.
"Zack trains with his students in the afternoon. We don't usually schedule too much in advance. It's mostly when our schedules line up," Trini explained.
"Trini's helping me with adapting my gymnastics to martial arts. I know there's already a style for it, but no one in Angel Grove practices Capoeira," Kimberly shrugged.
"There's nowhere nearby?" I asked. The teens shook their heads and shrugged. Right, I forgot this wasn't 2024 where martial arts was more mainstream.
"Hmmm…Oh! There is a dojo in Cross Worlds City with an instructor," Billy looked up from my phone. I did a doubletake as it seemed he managed to steal it again.
"I like you, Billy. Really I do. I just don't think we're at the stage in our relationship where we share Morphers," I remarked dryly and took it back. Billy sputtered denials while the others laughed.
"I-I didn't…!" Billy yelped.
"I think he's joking, Billy," Trini patted him on the arm comfortingly.
"Still…Cross Worlds City is only twenty minutes away…" Kimberly pulled us back on track.
"It's the most modern city on the West Coast outside of Promethea. Though Promethea is much younger…" Billy enthused.
This was about the time my brain came to a screeching halt without the benefit of an airbag. I thought Cross Worlds City sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it at the moment. Promethea didn't ring any bells at all. According to Billy the city of Promethea was an artificial island constructed in the seventies. The seventies! I knew technology here was different than back home, but that was impressive. What was throwing me off was that none of this was mentioned in the show at all. Trini was training us in Tai Chi to help find our center, but no sparring. Sparring was done at the Juice Bar where there was safety equipment. I still didn't have a solution to my quandary before we finished. There was some stuff on the internet, but for an in depth look I'd have to go to these places.
"We'll catch you guys later, okay?" Kimberly waved goodbye. She seemed a little down, but I didn't know her well enough to butt in.
"See you later, Sean!" Billy also waved as he left with her. That just left Trini and I.
"Do you want to come with me to the hospital? I was going to check on Jane Black," Trini said.
"Uh, sure. How do we justify asking about her?" I asked curiously.
"I was planning on visiting my Dad at work. Sometimes I volunteer on the weekends too," she explained.
Angel Grove General wasn't far from the hospital. The city planners thought the park would be a nicer sight for recovering patients than blank walls and concrete. I have a problem with hospitals. Some of my worst memories happened in these places. The sense of helplessness and impotent anger was something I was too familiar with. To distract myself I watched how Trini managed the staff. Everybody knew her here of course, but asking to see a random Jane Doe would be unusual. As it turns out Trini didn't drop her off as the Yellow Ranger, but in her civilian guise. She waited until we were out of earshot to explain.
"I thought it would be easier to see her if they knew it was me. Carrying her out of the alley was difficult though. I sometimes help with lifting patients, but she seemed heavier…" Trini shook her head.
"Could be just dense muscle or bones. Maybe both. That could explain why her head didn't split open," I guessed. She looked dissatisfied with the answer but let it go.
"Nurse Julie said that she's awake. She might remember you from yesterday," Trini said.
"Then she remembers me. She wasn't conscious to see me do you what to you know who," I quickly changed what I was about to say as we passed an orderly. Trini giggled.
"It takes some getting used to," she said sympathetically. Secret identities could be a real pain in the ass.
Jane Black had a nice corner room that had an excellent view of the park and the bay. I let Trini enter first while I hung back and observed. What I saw the other day didn't do her justice. She had primarily Asian features with some Caucasian thrown in for good measure. Her hair was naturally wavey and went to midback. I could see that despite how thin she appeared it wasn't unhealthy. Poor girl must not have been on the streets long. Jane turned to look at me and froze. Her eyes widened fractionally.
"And this is my friend, Sean," Trini introduced me.
"I dreamt about you…" She whispered. I think it was a whisper. Some people had naturally soft voices.
"You did, huh?" I inquired casually. Not casually enough as it turns out. Jane nodded firmly.
"Yeah, you were at the junkyard. I was there to get something…" Jane trailed off before shaking her head in annoyance. "It was really important but I can't remember why!" She clutched her head with an aggravated whine.
"Easy, easy…You don't need to force it. You did well to remember that much," Trini assured her. The look she leveled my way told me to fix this.
"I was at the junkyard yesterday when you fell off of one of the mounds. I tried to drive you here on my bike, but it ran out of gas. I managed to call Trini who picked us up our friend Billy's car," I said. Thankfully my Bluff check passed this time.
"I thought I saw monsters…That was why I thought it was a dream…Mean witches and tinmen with no hearts…" Jane laid back on the bed with a weary sigh.
"It's okay. Like Trini said you don't have to force it. Take your time, okay?" I assured her with a smile.
"We'll stop by to visit again. Promise," Trini said.
"That would be great guys…Thanks a lot for coming. I'm just so sleepy. The doctor said that's normal with head trauma," she said from the edge of sleep. I don't know why it was so important, but I patted her hand. Some lingering tension left her shoulders.
"What are you doing?" Trini asked quietly.
"Taking a picture of her. We can print it out and show it around. Somebody has to know her," I replied.
"She might be from out of town," she cautioned.
"Then we can check the surrounding area," I shrugged.
"Why is this so important to you?" Trini asked as we left the room. The temptation was there to try to shield myself and give a flippant answer. It didn't last long, but it was there.
"Because no one should be just a statistic," I replied.
Trini's gentle smile told me that I made the right call. Of course, the universe abhors tender moments. The familiar chime from Trini's communicator interrupted us. She quickly held up the silver watch on her wrist and pressed a button. I needed to get patched into their communicators, but that could wait for later.
"What is it?" Trini asked subvocally.
"Kimberly's been kidnapped! We're at the Command Center!" Zach reported.
What episode was that? It must have been just after Tommy lost his powers permanently. The answer came to me a minute later. Lord Zedd came up with the brilliant idea to make the Pink Ranger his Queen. Goldar was supposed to brainwash her with magic, but it didn't take. Kimberly pulled off the performance of a lifetime and pretended it worked. She used Rita Repulsa as an example of how a Dark Witch should act. I actually felt sorry for those guys. Sweet innocent Kimberly put them through Hell. That didn't mean I wasn't going to help rescue her. I just wasn't as panicked as I might have been. We found a closet to teleport to the Command Center. Somebody should have told Trini that dragging a dude into a closet could give a girl a reputation. I doubt anyone would say anything, but still.
"We can't reach Jason! The mountains are blocking the signal!" Alpha 5 declared as we arrived.
"Next project. Build a signal extender," I muttered. Billy and Trini nodded quickly in agreement.
"Rangers! Behold the Viewing Globe!" Zordon commanded.
Trini, Billy, Zach, and I turned to the Viewing Globe. Lord Zedd was playing a little game of divide and conquer. Zack's cousin Curtis and his buddy Richie were being chased around the park by Putties. He was making us choose between rushing off to rescue Kimberly or saving the innocent bystanders from harm.
"Aye yi yi yi yi! This is bad!" Alpha 5 fretted.
"Alright, I'm going to the park to help my cousin and Richie. Billy, Trini, and Sean can go rescue Kimberly. I'll morph if I have to so don't worry about me," Zack immediately made sure we knew who was in charge. I wasn't going to argue with him.
"Right/You got it/Okay!" We didn't hesitate. The clock was ticking.
My transformation was a bit out of place next to theirs. Weird thing to think about I know, but that's how it goes. Your mind wanders at the strangest times. Billy and Trini's was much simpler. Just a shimmering light in their respective color covering their bodies. Then the light parted starting with their helmet and finishing with the rest of the suit. I used MMPR Mode to start with. This was only my second time in combat so I needed the confidence the extra armor would provide. We appeared just outside of a cave on the outskirts of the city. Almost immediately Putties started pouring out of the mouth.
"Guys! I've got things out here. You go get Kimberly," I told them.
"There's too many of them to fight alone!" Trini protested.
"Too many for me to fight alone? Yeah, but I'm not alone," I grinned behind my helmet. Billy already knew what I was about to do. I tapped a button on my wrist device. In a burst of static, my Power Bike appeared and immediately opened fire with all weapons. The Putties' advance was checked immediately as vivid bolts of blue energy repeatedly hammered into them.
"Yes, he's got this," Billy nodded firmly.
The Yellow and Blue Rangers ran for the cave mouth while I stayed behind with the mooks. Some of the Putty Patrollers broke off to pursue them, but I wasn't letting them leave the party. My bike was causing mayhem as the AI kept the others busy.
"Let's do this!" I charged at the enemy.
The Putties knew I wasn't gonna let them go. I gave them a taste of the Cyclopsus Battle Blade. When opened it could act like a set of pincers or scissors. My first swing showed more enthusiasm than skill. Good thing they were bunched together. Sparks flew off of their chests as it hurled them back. The one in the center took it on the 'Z' and exploded immediately. I almost forgot why we were there in the first place. Demolishing Putties was strangely fun when they can't hurt me. The other Rangers made it out of the cave and stopped dead.
"Whoa! What's going on here?" Kimberly blurted out.
"It's a massacre…" Trini said in disbelief.
"I almost feel sorry for them," Billy remarked.
I took a look around at what they were talking about. Good thing no one could see me blushing under my helmet. There were a few Putties left running in terror from my Power Bike. Little fires dotted the landscape. I saw a stone running like wax from the heat. Pretty sure that's not a good sign. Some stones can melt, but I couldn't think of any off the top of my head. That was when the bike's headlight flashed once and vaporized the tenderized space aliens.
"Who wants to pretend that didn't happen?" I asked sheepishly. The communicators chirped saving us from an uncomfortable conversation.
"Rangers. Lord Zedd has created a new monster called Mirror Maniac. Jason is already en route," Zordon informed us. Looks like he was tied into my helmet. Then why wasn't my phone getting alerts?
"I had it set on silent…What the frick, Sean?" I groaned and fixed my phone.
The sad fact of the matter is that there were six Rangers, a bunch of mooks, and one Monster of the Week. Why is this sad? He thought he actually stood a chance. I stayed back to keep the Putties off of the core five while they dealt with him. Without his guards, the Mirror Maniac was a complete joke. The only thing he had was a laser from reflecting sunlight off of the mirror on his chest. He didn't even reflect beam weapons! Lord Zedd put an end to the beating by making his monster grow. Too bad it just made him a bigger target for abuse. They had the Thunder Megazord assembled and dicing him into sashimi before I could find the button to summon Cyclopsus.
"I need to run some drills. Is there a holochamber for training?" I asked half to myself.
"Indeed there is, Sean! The other Rangers use it for two hours a week usually to keep their skills fresh. Though with all the space alien attacks I am unsure it's needed," Alpha 5 noted with a sardonic tone to his synthesized voice.
"Yeah, I definitely need to be faster on the draw," I reply.
"Do not worry. You are taking the appropriate steps. Just one step at a time, okay?" Alpha said before signing off.
Damn. When was the last time I had a support network? It's been years and it wasn't this good. The Rangers were planning on visiting Ernie's Juice Bar. I told them I'd be there, but there was something I had to do first. The crater where Mirror Maniac stood wasn't too deep. Sitting in the center was a turquoise mirror like you would find at a carnival. I knew that in canon Richie found Kimberly's mirror and gave it back to her. Just because I knew someone else would do it doesn't mean I shouldn't. This was an important gift to her from Tommy. How many times did I rely on someone else to do what I knew needed to be done? I was a bystander in my own life. Hell, I ran away rather than deal with the situation myself. To be fair I just wasn't strong enough mentally or emotionally. This was my chance to change. Instead of just idolizing heroes I could join them. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, I could act.
I step off for the Juice Bar with a spring in my step. My newfound resolve burned brightly. It wouldn't be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.
AN: Longer chapter yes. I'm still figuring my way through this. How much do I adapt? How much do I leave out? Hope you enjoy!
The Cranston House was a nice enough place. Pale blue siding, white trim, a nice porch, and a single-car garage. The very model of middle-class suburbia. We rode in his beetle back from the Command Center but sent my motorcycle ahead with the teleporter. I don't want to digress too much, but I can't just gloss over one of the coolest things ever. Billy's Flying Car. Just imagine soaring through the sky in an old VW Beetle.
"Billy. I need you to promise me something," I said seriously. Billy glanced over from the driver's seat. Perfect 10 and 2 on the wheel and he didn't take his eyes off the "road." I can appreciate that in a guy flying a car.
"What is it?" He asked.
"If I ever stop thinking any of this is cool? Please, knock me out and get my head examined. I've been replaced by a pod person," I grin at him.
"Only if you do the same for me," Billy replied with a grin of his own.
"What if your parents are home? How would they react to a stranger staying at their place?" I asked. To his credit, Billy didn't instantly blow off my concerns.
"My parents usually call when they're coming home so that's one worry down. As for how they would react? I just can't picture them not letting you stay," Billy responded with a shrug.
"No sense looking for problems where there are none, right?" I laughed it off even if it didn't completely settle my anxiety. Judging by the set of his shoulders he wasn't buying my act.
"The reason I can't picture it is because they were the ones to teach me about charity. I believe the expression is 'walk the walk and talk the talk.' They weren't all talk and besides I already called them," Billy said.
"Right, phones exist," I facepalmed. This wasn't some cheesy sitcom and Billy wasn't an impulsive teenager. He was more methodical than that.
"Hey, asking questions is fine. How can we learn if we don't ask? I just ask more questions than most people," Billy smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Thanks, man," I grinned.
The rest of the ride passed in companionable silence. Even flying it took nearly fifteen minutes to get to his place. The Command Center was a good distance outside of Angel Grove. We unpacked all the stuff they bought for me and Billy showed me to my room. It had the same sort of impersonal, but still homey, look of a guest bedroom. I didn't expect the Hilton but this was better than the Hilton. This was a home. Even if I was only staying here for a short while, it still felt better than anywhere else I've been.
"The bathroom is right down the hall and my room is next to yours. When it's cleaning day just leave Mom and Dad's room to me, okay?" Billy smiled.
"No problem. Just let me know what I can do to help out around here. I'm pretty handy," I couldn't help bragging a little before remembering Billy is a modern Leonardo DaVinci.
"Sure thing! Oh, want to use my tools to check your motorcycle? We don't know what the dimensional travel might have done to it…" Billy trailed off muttering to himself.
"I didn't think of that…" I realized with a start.
The good news was that there was nothing structurally wrong with the Indian. The bad news was that the gas and oil were saturated with Morphing Grid energy to the point Billy thought we might have an IED. He wanted to call Alpha for a suggestion on what to do, but my phone had other ideas. I tried to scan it with the App and watched it vanish into thin air.
"Oh come on! Did you just eat my bike?" I barely resisted shaking the Morpher/Phone with an effort. Billy carefully pried it from my fingers.
"Let me see…Ah ha! It did scan your motorcycle but with just a tap…" Billy pointed the camera at where the bike stood. The Indian reappeared in a flash of gray light.
"That's good…I didn't want to lose it, you know? Glad I didn't totally overreact," I laughed self consciously. Trying to crush my phone in my fist was not rational. Thankfully, Billy didn't call me on it.
"It has a Morph function?" Billy tapped another button curiously. A streak of gray light shot from the camera lens and struck the motorcycle. There was a burst of dubstep and static like my own transformation. We both winced as the sound vibrated all the glass around us.
"Did you have to do that in the house?" I asked plaintively.
"Perhaps this wasn't the greatest idea…" He admitted sheepishly.
As the light died down it revealed that my bike did in fact morph. The basic shape hadn't changed, but the overall appearance was much more futuristic. Not descriptive enough? Tough, it's the best I've got. It looked like a motorcycle from a hundred years in the future at least. The armored portions were gunmetal gray over a pitch-black frame with chrome accents. No one would mistake this beast for my motorcycle. The saddlebag portion turned into octagonal boxes. Billy curiously tapped another button causing the boxes to pop open and reveal eight-barrel guns on both sides. The headlight starting to hum ominously. I managed to snatch the phone from him and deactivate the weapon systems.
"Sorry! Uh, so it has an automatic defense system and can drive itself to your location in either form. I'm not sure how the defense system would function in it's untransformed state…" Billy mused to himself.
"I'm just glad you didn't push the button to turn it into the Naked Cannon…Er…Proto Cannon. Like the whole bike turns into a shoulder mounted heavy gun," I eyed the specs with a faintly disturbed feeling. It was cool, no doubt about that, but it was really weird too.
"Can it be fired alone?" Billy asked.
"No. It says here I either need a mount or at least two other people," I said sadly. He patted me on the back comfortingly.
"That's what friends are for. To lighten the load and help you fire off high-grade ordinance," Billy said companionably. I must have looked as surprised as I felt because he turned red with embarrassment. "Zach brought over some movies when I wanted to study teenage behavior…"
"Nah man, it's cool. Thanks for looking out for me," I gave him a cuff on the shoulder. He didn't even budge. Seriously? How do bullies convince themselves to pick on him? Dude's better built than some of the guys on my old school wrestling team. Ah the joys of selective attention.
Billy still had the movies. Zach's idea to help his buddy understand teens was mindless action movies and teen comedies. He threw in a few classics like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Home Alone for good measure. We probably shouldn't have watched as many as we did, but it was fun even if we got to bed really late. Before I went to sleep, I decided to keep a record of what was happening. The phone provided a secure file to make keeping track of everything easier. It even had video and audio clips. For some reason, it was already recording. Did my mysterious benefactor set this up ahead of time? I can't be sure, but I don't think it was her.
The next morning came bright and early despite what I hoped. I was used to waking up early, I just didn't like it. Why can't morning come at a sensible time like sometime after noon? The usual morning routine was complicated by not remembering where I was. Billy called through the door to let me know breakfast was ready. No one should be that energetic at 5 am. I managed to make it downstairs after a quick shower. There was Billy at the table eating a balanced breakfast according to TV.
"Good morning, Sean," Billy said.
"Mornin', Billy…" I let out a yawn. He looked embarrassed.
"I kind of forgot if you asked me to wake you up or not. I usually get up early to practice with Trini. Later on Zach's meeting me at the Juice Bar to hang out with his cousin Curtis and Richie. If you want to go back to bed I'll understand…" He was babbling impressively and working himself into a panic. I held up a hand to forestall any more word vomit.
"That's cool. Mind if I come with you to practice? If Trini doesn't mind. Once I'm up it usually takes an act of God to get back to sleep," I replied. There that should have tied everything up in a neat bow.
Trini didn't mind if I came along. That was one less worry. The Putties showed me that my combat skills, while good for dealing with humans, weren't really up to snuff. A decent martial artist could knock my teeth down my throat. In this universe, if you didn't have some fighting chops you were just dead weight. We met up in the park with Kimberly who was also doing her morning gymnastics training. There were a lot of places a gymnast could practice if she wasn't picky. The only one missing was Zack.
"Zack trains with his students in the afternoon. We don't usually schedule too much in advance. It's mostly when our schedules line up," Trini explained.
"Trini's helping me with adapting my gymnastics to martial arts. I know there's already a style for it, but no one in Angel Grove practices Capoeira," Kimberly shrugged.
"There's nowhere nearby?" I asked. The teens shook their heads and shrugged. Right, I forgot this wasn't 2024 where martial arts was more mainstream.
"Hmmm…Oh! There is a dojo in Cross Worlds City with an instructor," Billy looked up from my phone. I did a doubletake as it seemed he managed to steal it again.
"I like you, Billy. Really I do. I just don't think we're at the stage in our relationship where we share Morphers," I remarked dryly and took it back. Billy sputtered denials while the others laughed.
"I-I didn't…!" Billy yelped.
"I think he's joking, Billy," Trini patted him on the arm comfortingly.
"Still…Cross Worlds City is only twenty minutes away…" Kimberly pulled us back on track.
"It's the most modern city on the West Coast outside of Promethea. Though Promethea is much younger…" Billy enthused.
This was about the time my brain came to a screeching halt without the benefit of an airbag. I thought Cross Worlds City sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it at the moment. Promethea didn't ring any bells at all. According to Billy the city of Promethea was an artificial island constructed in the seventies. The seventies! I knew technology here was different than back home, but that was impressive. What was throwing me off was that none of this was mentioned in the show at all. Trini was training us in Tai Chi to help find our center, but no sparring. Sparring was done at the Juice Bar where there was safety equipment. I still didn't have a solution to my quandary before we finished. There was some stuff on the internet, but for an in depth look I'd have to go to these places.
"We'll catch you guys later, okay?" Kimberly waved goodbye. She seemed a little down, but I didn't know her well enough to butt in.
"See you later, Sean!" Billy also waved as he left with her. That just left Trini and I.
"Do you want to come with me to the hospital? I was going to check on Jane Black," Trini said.
"Uh, sure. How do we justify asking about her?" I asked curiously.
"I was planning on visiting my Dad at work. Sometimes I volunteer on the weekends too," she explained.
Angel Grove General wasn't far from the hospital. The city planners thought the park would be a nicer sight for recovering patients than blank walls and concrete. I have a problem with hospitals. Some of my worst memories happened in these places. The sense of helplessness and impotent anger was something I was too familiar with. To distract myself I watched how Trini managed the staff. Everybody knew her here of course, but asking to see a random Jane Doe would be unusual. As it turns out Trini didn't drop her off as the Yellow Ranger, but in her civilian guise. She waited until we were out of earshot to explain.
"I thought it would be easier to see her if they knew it was me. Carrying her out of the alley was difficult though. I sometimes help with lifting patients, but she seemed heavier…" Trini shook her head.
"Could be just dense muscle or bones. Maybe both. That could explain why her head didn't split open," I guessed. She looked dissatisfied with the answer but let it go.
"Nurse Julie said that she's awake. She might remember you from yesterday," Trini said.
"Then she remembers me. She wasn't conscious to see me do you what to you know who," I quickly changed what I was about to say as we passed an orderly. Trini giggled.
"It takes some getting used to," she said sympathetically. Secret identities could be a real pain in the ass.
Jane Black had a nice corner room that had an excellent view of the park and the bay. I let Trini enter first while I hung back and observed. What I saw the other day didn't do her justice. She had primarily Asian features with some Caucasian thrown in for good measure. Her hair was naturally wavey and went to midback. I could see that despite how thin she appeared it wasn't unhealthy. Poor girl must not have been on the streets long. Jane turned to look at me and froze. Her eyes widened fractionally.
"And this is my friend, Sean," Trini introduced me.
"I dreamt about you…" She whispered. I think it was a whisper. Some people had naturally soft voices.
"You did, huh?" I inquired casually. Not casually enough as it turns out. Jane nodded firmly.
"Yeah, you were at the junkyard. I was there to get something…" Jane trailed off before shaking her head in annoyance. "It was really important but I can't remember why!" She clutched her head with an aggravated whine.
"Easy, easy…You don't need to force it. You did well to remember that much," Trini assured her. The look she leveled my way told me to fix this.
"I was at the junkyard yesterday when you fell off of one of the mounds. I tried to drive you here on my bike, but it ran out of gas. I managed to call Trini who picked us up our friend Billy's car," I said. Thankfully my Bluff check passed this time.
"I thought I saw monsters…That was why I thought it was a dream…Mean witches and tinmen with no hearts…" Jane laid back on the bed with a weary sigh.
"It's okay. Like Trini said you don't have to force it. Take your time, okay?" I assured her with a smile.
"We'll stop by to visit again. Promise," Trini said.
"That would be great guys…Thanks a lot for coming. I'm just so sleepy. The doctor said that's normal with head trauma," she said from the edge of sleep. I don't know why it was so important, but I patted her hand. Some lingering tension left her shoulders.
"What are you doing?" Trini asked quietly.
"Taking a picture of her. We can print it out and show it around. Somebody has to know her," I replied.
"She might be from out of town," she cautioned.
"Then we can check the surrounding area," I shrugged.
"Why is this so important to you?" Trini asked as we left the room. The temptation was there to try to shield myself and give a flippant answer. It didn't last long, but it was there.
"Because no one should be just a statistic," I replied.
Trini's gentle smile told me that I made the right call. Of course, the universe abhors tender moments. The familiar chime from Trini's communicator interrupted us. She quickly held up the silver watch on her wrist and pressed a button. I needed to get patched into their communicators, but that could wait for later.
"What is it?" Trini asked subvocally.
"Kimberly's been kidnapped! We're at the Command Center!" Zach reported.
What episode was that? It must have been just after Tommy lost his powers permanently. The answer came to me a minute later. Lord Zedd came up with the brilliant idea to make the Pink Ranger his Queen. Goldar was supposed to brainwash her with magic, but it didn't take. Kimberly pulled off the performance of a lifetime and pretended it worked. She used Rita Repulsa as an example of how a Dark Witch should act. I actually felt sorry for those guys. Sweet innocent Kimberly put them through Hell. That didn't mean I wasn't going to help rescue her. I just wasn't as panicked as I might have been. We found a closet to teleport to the Command Center. Somebody should have told Trini that dragging a dude into a closet could give a girl a reputation. I doubt anyone would say anything, but still.
"We can't reach Jason! The mountains are blocking the signal!" Alpha 5 declared as we arrived.
"Next project. Build a signal extender," I muttered. Billy and Trini nodded quickly in agreement.
"Rangers! Behold the Viewing Globe!" Zordon commanded.
Trini, Billy, Zach, and I turned to the Viewing Globe. Lord Zedd was playing a little game of divide and conquer. Zack's cousin Curtis and his buddy Richie were being chased around the park by Putties. He was making us choose between rushing off to rescue Kimberly or saving the innocent bystanders from harm.
"Aye yi yi yi yi! This is bad!" Alpha 5 fretted.
"Alright, I'm going to the park to help my cousin and Richie. Billy, Trini, and Sean can go rescue Kimberly. I'll morph if I have to so don't worry about me," Zack immediately made sure we knew who was in charge. I wasn't going to argue with him.
"Right/You got it/Okay!" We didn't hesitate. The clock was ticking.
My transformation was a bit out of place next to theirs. Weird thing to think about I know, but that's how it goes. Your mind wanders at the strangest times. Billy and Trini's was much simpler. Just a shimmering light in their respective color covering their bodies. Then the light parted starting with their helmet and finishing with the rest of the suit. I used MMPR Mode to start with. This was only my second time in combat so I needed the confidence the extra armor would provide. We appeared just outside of a cave on the outskirts of the city. Almost immediately Putties started pouring out of the mouth.
"Guys! I've got things out here. You go get Kimberly," I told them.
"There's too many of them to fight alone!" Trini protested.
"Too many for me to fight alone? Yeah, but I'm not alone," I grinned behind my helmet. Billy already knew what I was about to do. I tapped a button on my wrist device. In a burst of static, my Power Bike appeared and immediately opened fire with all weapons. The Putties' advance was checked immediately as vivid bolts of blue energy repeatedly hammered into them.
"Yes, he's got this," Billy nodded firmly.
The Yellow and Blue Rangers ran for the cave mouth while I stayed behind with the mooks. Some of the Putty Patrollers broke off to pursue them, but I wasn't letting them leave the party. My bike was causing mayhem as the AI kept the others busy.
"Let's do this!" I charged at the enemy.
The Putties knew I wasn't gonna let them go. I gave them a taste of the Cyclopsus Battle Blade. When opened it could act like a set of pincers or scissors. My first swing showed more enthusiasm than skill. Good thing they were bunched together. Sparks flew off of their chests as it hurled them back. The one in the center took it on the 'Z' and exploded immediately. I almost forgot why we were there in the first place. Demolishing Putties was strangely fun when they can't hurt me. The other Rangers made it out of the cave and stopped dead.
"Whoa! What's going on here?" Kimberly blurted out.
"It's a massacre…" Trini said in disbelief.
"I almost feel sorry for them," Billy remarked.
I took a look around at what they were talking about. Good thing no one could see me blushing under my helmet. There were a few Putties left running in terror from my Power Bike. Little fires dotted the landscape. I saw a stone running like wax from the heat. Pretty sure that's not a good sign. Some stones can melt, but I couldn't think of any off the top of my head. That was when the bike's headlight flashed once and vaporized the tenderized space aliens.
"Who wants to pretend that didn't happen?" I asked sheepishly. The communicators chirped saving us from an uncomfortable conversation.
"Rangers. Lord Zedd has created a new monster called Mirror Maniac. Jason is already en route," Zordon informed us. Looks like he was tied into my helmet. Then why wasn't my phone getting alerts?
"I had it set on silent…What the frick, Sean?" I groaned and fixed my phone.
The sad fact of the matter is that there were six Rangers, a bunch of mooks, and one Monster of the Week. Why is this sad? He thought he actually stood a chance. I stayed back to keep the Putties off of the core five while they dealt with him. Without his guards, the Mirror Maniac was a complete joke. The only thing he had was a laser from reflecting sunlight off of the mirror on his chest. He didn't even reflect beam weapons! Lord Zedd put an end to the beating by making his monster grow. Too bad it just made him a bigger target for abuse. They had the Thunder Megazord assembled and dicing him into sashimi before I could find the button to summon Cyclopsus.
"I need to run some drills. Is there a holochamber for training?" I asked half to myself.
"Indeed there is, Sean! The other Rangers use it for two hours a week usually to keep their skills fresh. Though with all the space alien attacks I am unsure it's needed," Alpha 5 noted with a sardonic tone to his synthesized voice.
"Yeah, I definitely need to be faster on the draw," I reply.
"Do not worry. You are taking the appropriate steps. Just one step at a time, okay?" Alpha said before signing off.
Damn. When was the last time I had a support network? It's been years and it wasn't this good. The Rangers were planning on visiting Ernie's Juice Bar. I told them I'd be there, but there was something I had to do first. The crater where Mirror Maniac stood wasn't too deep. Sitting in the center was a turquoise mirror like you would find at a carnival. I knew that in canon Richie found Kimberly's mirror and gave it back to her. Just because I knew someone else would do it doesn't mean I shouldn't. This was an important gift to her from Tommy. How many times did I rely on someone else to do what I knew needed to be done? I was a bystander in my own life. Hell, I ran away rather than deal with the situation myself. To be fair I just wasn't strong enough mentally or emotionally. This was my chance to change. Instead of just idolizing heroes I could join them. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, I could act.
I step off for the Juice Bar with a spring in my step. My newfound resolve burned brightly. It wouldn't be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.
AN: Longer chapter yes. I'm still figuring my way through this. How much do I adapt? How much do I leave out? Hope you enjoy!