It had been a long time. Time didn't flow typically for him. It hadn't for quite some time. Instead, he had been trapped, just floating in this space.

Of course being trapped had given him a great deal of time to think and reflect. It had not been hard, just different. And he found himself going over the same thoughts, time and again. He considered how he had come here, but over time that memory began to fade. He remembered his friends, but they too faded. He tried to move, but he was stuck. He was never hungry or thirsty, never tired nor excited, not happy nor sad. He just was. It left him lost and confused in many ways. Through time, or what he felt like must be time, even those feelings began to fade. His ability to think, to focus, to be; all of it began to fade. He felt he was losing himself.

And he didn't even know if he hated it.

Then the crash came, followed by the light.

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Trini was on her way home from another great day with her friends at the Angel Grove Juice Bar. They had enjoyed hanging out while Rocky had been doing some lessons. They'd even had a chance to catch up with the new folks in town, Adam, Aisha, Jason. She hadn't been a ranger for quite some time, which felt strange, especially now that she was back in Angel Grove. Still, things felt right when she had hung out with everyone.

But it had been getting dark, so she had made her way home. She didn't want her parents to worry about her. Whenever she came home after dark, they were worried. It didn't matter that she was now 22 and had just graduated college. She was in town before heading off to Harvard Law School in the Fall, but her parents were still a bit overbearing in their own way. Of course it didn't matter. She still loved them and would do all she could to make them happy.

So here she was, strolling home. She was smiling and almost skipping on her way. She looked up at the sunset as she passed the park when a bright flash of light and a shock of the ground shaking took her breath. She heard a loud scream and gave away all other thoughts, tearing off through the park toward the noise.

As she arrived, she found a large crater. It had taken out an ancient oak tree which had stood on a hill. The hill itself had been inverted as whatever had landed had demolished it entirely. As Trini peered down into the gap, she saw something sitting at the bottom. She cast a quick glance around, searching for anyone who might see her, before sliding down into the crater herself. She had no idea what exactly she was doing, but she knew someone was in trouble and she needed to help.

As she reached the bottom, she found what appeared to be a smashed meteor. It was crumbling and still smoking from its location at the foot of the crater. Trini walked carefully around it, looking for anyone in trouble. Just as she was ready to give up, turning to begin climbing out of the crater again, she heard a groan. It was not at all what she had expected to hear down in the bottom of the giant crater with a smoking meteor and no other living beings. She turned back and watched in stunned silence as someone slithered out from beneath the rock. Trini gasped and rushed over.

"Are you alright?"

Whomever it was seemed stunned by seeing her. She was not sure exactly why, but her eyes met this guy's. He had hazel eyes, brunette hair, and a square chin. Trini couldn't tear her eyes away when she heard him gasp.

"Help me, please?" With that he collapsed and Trini rushed down to him, dragging him the rest of the way from under the boulder. She carefully slipped his arm over her shoulder and began dragging his unconscious form to the top of the crater.

As she reached the top, she had no idea why but knew the nearing sirens would mean bad news for this man. Instead, she hoisted him higher on her shoulders. He was a tall guy, and powerfully built. She wasn't sure she could carry him that far, but as she lifted him he seemed nearing weightless. She knew she didn't want to wait around for the sirens to see him, so instead she began to make her way back to her house. She did not care what happened when she got home, but knew this guy needed her help.

Upon her arrival, Trini was met by silence. The windows were all dark as she slunk in with her guest. Not knowing what else to do, she slipped upstairs into her room and dropped him on the bed. He slumped down and Trini, exhausted from the excitement, collapsed herself on the ground beside the bed. She slung her arm up and dragged a pillow of the bed before fading into sleeps embrace.

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Trinis woke the next morning lying on her own bed. She was unsure of what to make of that, knowing she had fallen asleep on the floor. When she suddenly remembered why she had given in to sleeping on her won floor, she felt confused. Why had she given up her bed to a complete stranger, why had she brought him home? More than that, why was she in bed with…

Wait, she was in the bed alone. Quickly swinging her arms around informed her that she was indeed alone. She let out a sigh as she sat up. In that instant, she realized she had just heard the water turn off in her bathroom. She held her breath as she waited. When she heard the door creak open, she looked up to see him enter. She found herself staring into the same hazel eyes which had mesmerized her before, though she still had no idea why. She smiled at him as he slipped in.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean ta wake ya."

"You didn't. I was wondering how I ended up on the bed."

"I woke up shortly after ya brought us here and moved you t'ere. Ya did not seem comfortable on d'e floor." He spoke in a strange, but comforting way. She recognized the accent as something from the British Isles…no, it was Irish. She'd know that accent anywhere. She smiled at him again.

"That's alright. Thank you. And I see you found the shower." Here she paused, noting that he the same clothes he had collapsed in but they seemed clean. It seemed incredibly strange and Trini had no idea how to react. Noting the look on her face and hoping to cut off any questions, he jumped in.

"Indeed I did, it felt nice after so long."

A silence fell between the two. Not sure what else to do and feeling his gaze burning into her, Trini stood and stretched. As she did, she noted she was still wearing last night's clothes. Well at least this man had not done anything, not that she expected him to. For some reason, she trusted him. She let out a small laugh at her thoughts, which seemed to catch his attention. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well this is all a bit strange, sorry. I'm Trini Kwan. And you are?" This seemed to befuddle him a bit. He looked lost for an instant before strolling over to take the hand she extended in his direction.

"Nice ta meet ya Trini Kwan. I'm….well, I don rightly know who I am if I'm being entirely honest." This concerned Trini and she jumped in to check his head.

"Oh no, are you alright? Did you hit your head? What happened?" He let out his own small laugh, and Trini felt a shiver run down her spine at that. She had said no more than a few words, and this guy was already messing with her head just by laughing. What the heck?

"No, lass, nothing like dat. I haven't known who I was for quite some time, actually. Not really sure when I forgot." Trini looked satisfied till she remembered the meteor.

"No, I don't think you are alright. You got hit by that giant meteor. I really should take you to the hospital." Another laugh from the Irishman.

"If twould make ya feel better, I'll go. But besides not rememberin who I am, I'm fine." Here he offered her another smile as she looked at his face. She hadn't been able to find any damage, but was concerned that he had no idea who he was. Trini wasn't sure what to do, but she knew she needed help. And since he didn't seem interested in visiting the doctor, she was going to turn to her friends instead.

"Ok, well let me get changed and we'll go find some people who can help." 'I hope' she added in her own thoughts.

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Half an hour later, Trini and the Irishman were out the door and on their way to the Juice Bar. She had texted her friends and they were going to meet her there. She hadn't really given them much, just that she needed help. As she entered, she saw the gang gathered at a table and slipped her arm into his to make sure he made it to the table as well. As she walked up, Kimberly noticed her arm in the guys and called her out on it.

"Owow, looking good Miss Kwan. Who is this tall drink of water you are showing off to all of us?"

Trini blushed, but the tall gentleman jumped in for her.

"Pleasure to meet ya all. Trini here has been so kind and I have heard you might be able ta help me out?" Kimberly's eyes opened wide when she heard the accent and was only stopped from doing anything sillier by Jason jumping up to shake the man's hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jason, this is Kimberly."

"Nice ta meet ya."

Introductions were made all the way around the entire table. The entire gang was there, ready to help Trini and this man with the problem. They listened while Trini told them about her meteor run in and finding him, then about talking and not knowing who he was. She left out the bits about falling sleep and waking up and everything. She was enjoying the calming presence this man offered. He seemed to fall in so easily with her friends. She smiled over as he was talking to Jason and Tommy about some fighting techniques. He was standing there in jeans, a white shirt, and a leather jacket. Trini had to admit the man was attractive and the accent certainly helped. She smiled when Kimberly pulled her aside.

"Ok, for real. Whats going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you show up with a hot foreign guy who has no idea who he is. More than that, every time he talks you smile. Trini Kwan does not do that." Trini put on a serious face.

"There is nothing going on Kimberly. It is like we said. Found him in that meteor hole and he has no idea who he is. I was hoping we could figure something out to help him." Kimberly let out a sigh.

"Fine, if you don't want to tell me, be that way. I thought we were friends but…" Kimberly included a fake sniffle for effect.

"Ugh, you are so dramatic. Fine, I took him home and dropped him on the bed. I fell asleep on the floor but woke up on the bed. Apparently he put me there and went to grab a shower. And those clothes, that is what he had on when I pulled him from the meteor. You could never guess, huh." As Trini let that sink in, she saw a smile creep over Kimberly's face.

"Same bed and the shower, huh?"

"KIMBERLY!"

"Relax, I'm joking. Ok, well let's go see what we can do."

As they turned back around, they saw that Jason, Tommy, and the Irishman had moved into the ring. Trini shook her head. Boys will be boys, but this seemed like a bad idea. Tommy and Jason were two of the toughest fighters she knew. She knew they wouldn't hurt the guy, but it still didn't sit right with her. Of course she stopped worrying when the Irishman stripped down his jacket. She could see his arms bulging from beneath his shirt and a well-defined chest. It brought a grin to her face seeing Tommy and Jason get ready to fight as well.

The sparring started off slowly. Jason and Tommy were trading off one at a time. They began circling with the Irishman not even really getting into a fighting stance as they circled him. And as the swings started coming, he merely sidestepped them, barely offering an defense. She could see Tommy and Jason getting frustrated and slowly going harder and harder until Jason did manage to land a punch on the guy's cheek. The Irishman grabbed the arm before it got away and performed a simple throw, sending Jason sliding across the floor. Jason flipped up onto his feet in no time, and offered a grin at Tommy.

"Looks like we might get an actual fight after all." Tommy grinned and took his turn. Tommy managed to land a blow into the Irishman's stomach before he received a trip and a heel to his own abs. At this point, the two decided to try a two on one team up, seeing the Irishman was good and knowing they would be less likely to hurt him if they went two on one. They both jumped in and began circling. Sensing what was coming, the Irishman stripped off his shirt and threw it over to his jacket. When he did, there was a collective gasp from all onlookers. Trini felt her own breath catch in her throat.

The Irishman had several massive scars dragged across his back and chest. He looked like he had been to hell and back. Those watching were all rangers and had their own scars, but the ones they saw on him offered a new perspective even to them. At the Gasp, the Irishman looked down and saw his own torso. With a bit of a gasp himself, he grabbed his clothes and ran, springing out the door before anyone could stop him.

So the ranger gang took off to follow him, not wanting him to get away. Sure he had caught them all off guard, but they knew scars were not something to be afraid of. Still, that did not stop the talk as they ran.

"Did you see that?"

"Oh my goodness."

"How did he survive all of that?"

The questions died as they saw him standing at the edge of the park, staring at something. The gang ran up to him, Trini being the fastest as she reached him. She put her hands on his shoulders.

"Are you alright?" He didn't turn around and then Trini noticed everyone else looking right past him. Sure enough, there in the middle of the park was a monster. It was an angry looking mix between a pig and a swan and was surrounded by creatures that none of them recognized. As they watched, Trini could have sworn she heard the Irishman mutter 'Speins' under his breath, but it faded in the wind like howling coming from the creatures.

Jumping into action, the current Zeo rangers jumped forth to fight. The rest of the gang helped initially, but soon were being overwhelmed by the creatures so they backed off as the Zeo rangers morphed.

Then the fight began in earnest. Trini and the rest, including the Irishman began escorting the civilians out of harm's way. Then they heard a scream. Trini turned to see the creatures surrounding the Zeo rangers who seemed to be floundering. She wanted to run and help, but she knew there was nothing she could do. She heard the others shouting for them all to run, so she turned to look for the Irishman. She didn't see him and assumed he had run to safety. Then she turned back as she heard a sound behind her.

Climbing up from the crater was a new ranger. But he was different. Whereas all the other rangers were one specific color with various colored gloves and masks, this ranger was entirely Black. And then entirely red. And then white. And he kept changing as he stalked down toward the creatures. And as he neared the Zeo rangers, the creatures quailed in fear, cringing back from him. Trini watched in awe, wondering what kind of ranger had ever had that kind of power.

The Ranger then raised his arm and said one word.

"Leave."

At this, the creatures and the monster all instantly teleported away, leaving just the rangers. The air was still and quiet when Zordon suddenly teleported every single one of them to the Control Center, including the new ranger.

"Rangers, welcome back. I'm glad you are safe." Alpha squeaked as they appeared.

"As am I." They heard Zordon's deep voice say from his energy tube. It brought a smile to Trini's face. She had missed them all and was glad she was being included on this. And then Zordon went on.

"But we must thank this new ranger for coming to help us. Welcome Ranger. Who are you?"

As Zordon said this, the new Ranger whose colors were still shifting stood stock still, staring at the being. He slowly raised his hands to his helmet and unlocked it so that he could remove it, ready to show his face.

When he lifted it, there was s gasp of shock from all the other rangers. Before them stood the Irishman. But he seemed much different than before. He was no longer calm and peaceful and fun as Trini had remembered from everything, but anger shown in his face. And the energy radiating from him was palpable. Feeling the pressure, she suddenly understood why the creatures had left. As she watched the Irishman raised his gloved hand to point a finger at Zordon. He seemed ready to say something, but all that came out was "You."

Everyone stood stock still, watching the room until they heard Zordon let out a breath.

"Hello Liam."

There was a collective gasp again from the crowd of rangers as they realized that Zordon knew this person. Then the room fell silent as Liam Screamed and threw his helmet down.

"NOOOO!" In a flash, he transported himself away. Trini tried to move to stop him, but he was gone too fast. And in that instant, all eyes turned to face Zordon with questioning eyes. Once more Zordon let out a sigh.

"Rangers, welcome back both old and new. I am glad you are here. That man who just left is going to need your help. He is going to need the support of good friends like you. And currently he doesn't trust me."

"Zordon, why not?" Trini spoke what everyone else was wondering. After a moment's pause, Zordon offered his tale.

"In the beginning of the fight against evil, I created the first rangers. They were granted power greater than any would imagine and they were meant to be my ultimate fight against evil, to make the universe safe. As a team, their power rivaled my own. But that came from pulling the ultimate fighters. It took power to reach through time and space and pull the 5 greatest fighters with the greatest hearts the universe would ever know. So they were pulled and they came. And I granted them with that power. They were the elemental rangers."

Zordon paused, seeing each ranger begin to process what he was saying. After a moment, he continued.

"Liam came from earth, actually Ireland from your own time. He had not only heart and abilities, but spirit. He became the leader of the Elemental rangers. He was faster, stronger, more adaptable than the others. As they grew in their power, it was not long before he was as strong even as me. But evil never gives in easily. With only myself and five rangers, we were spread thin traveling the universe we wanted to save. We moved throughout, seeking to change it for the better. But there was never enough. More and more we had to spread and fight separately. I went one way, Liam another, and the rest of the team in one final direction. That was our downfall."

Zordon paused. He wasn't sure he could continue. He was the age of ancients and had what many may call the power of a god. Liam had the same power and spirit, but not the age and wisdom for it. And that is what had made what came next so unbearable.

"When we received the call, both Liam and I rushed to find the other rangers. Or better should I say what was left of them. It broke my heart, but I controlled myself. Liam gave into the pain. He lost himself in his anger, his frustration. And when I tried to stop him, he lost it toward me. He called me out on giving us just enough power, but not enough. He called me out on not being there. He called it my fault, but deep down he was blaming himself. And the anger exploded. Liam went on and rampage, nearly destroying every last bit of evil. But he was playing with fire himself and came far too close to injuring others, innocent people. So I teamed up with the other ancients in order to dim his power. We paused it for a time, so we could get him. But that time was the wrong time. In our moment, Liam was captured. He was still too strong for the forces of evil to kill him, but they trapped him in a rock frozen in time. And he was launched into space. That was nearly 2 billion years ago, and Liam has been frozen since then, but unfortunately…"

Zordon trailed off. He was not sure the rest of the rangers could understand the pain of his next statement.

"…His mind was awake the entire time."

As the room stood in silence, Trini felt a tear run down her cheek. The pain from his wounds, the anger she had seen. She almost whispered what she said next.

"Zordon, what do we do?"