DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, technology or locations which appear in real Power Rangers continuity. They belong to Disney, Saban and whoever else owns the rights. This story begins at some point before "Wave Goodbye", a short while before Tommy becomes the Black Ranger.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've gotten some pretty decent reviews for this on other boards, so I figured I'd post it over here too. I apologize for the slowness of the beginning, but trust me, it will pick up soon enough. I hope you like it.

Chapter I

The harsh winds blew fiercely across the barren desert terrain. A lone, cloaked figure moved with purpose through the barrage, his head bent slightly to prevent errant grains of sand from getting into his eyes. He was moving with a singular purpose. To retrieve an item which would put the plans of his master into motion. An item which was buried somewhere in the desert which stretched before him as far as the eye could see.

From within the folds of his cloak, the figure withdrew a handheld scanning device about the size of a palm pilot. Lifting the protective cover, he waved it in a circular arc in front of him, searching for the energy signature of the item he needed to find. The device began to beep as he directed it northeasterly. A smug expression came over him, and he walked confidently in that direction, the beeping becoming louder and more frequent as he moved. He stopped when the constant beeping became one long flatline, indicating that he was directly atop the item emitting the energy signature.

Returning the device to its place inside the recesses of his cloak, he concentrated a portion of his power into the palm of his hand, pointed it downward and released it. He large geyser of sand erupted, temporarily obscuring his view. When it had settled, he could see a small rectangular chest, emblazoned with a symbol which stood out from the rest of the intricately detailed design. The sunlight, which glinted off the chest, reflected in his eyes, and he smirked as he reached down to retrieve it.

His master would be most pleased.

- PRG -

The bell rang just as I finished my lesson. I shut the open textbook in my hand and addressed my students.

"Alright, guys, that's all for today. I want you to pay close attention to the methods of carbon dating found in Chapter 6. They'll be on your test next week, and it'll be your last chance to pull up your mark before the exam. Have a good weekend." The students walked past me and out the door, saying goodbye as they passed. I watched them go, my peripheral vision registering that three had remained behind. Kira Ford, Ethan James and Conner McKnight. The newest generation of Power Rangers, defenders of the Earth. I motioned for them to come forward as I began putting my books into my briefcase.

"Any rumblings from Mesogog lately?" Conner asked. I shook my head and placed my briefcase on my desk.

"No, it's been quiet for the last few weeks, but that doesn't mean he's not up to something. Whenever the big bad goes into hiding, something big's going to go down. I would think you guys had seen enough movies to know that." The teens nodded at me, chuckling under their breaths at my joke. I smiled too, but the look I gave them let them know that I was serious. "I'm serious, guys, keep your guard up. In the meantime, you should all get to class. If Principal Randall gives you detention, you won't be able to do anything when Mesogog does attack." I reached down to retrieve my briefcase…

The pain came so suddenly that I didn't have time to prepare for it. I dropped to my knees in agony, clutching my sides. The others rushed forward to help me, but I shook them off. This was not something they could help me with. This was something internal, something that neither they nor I could control. My lungs constricted, making it difficult to breathe, the air coming in short wheezes. In my time as a Power Ranger, I had learned how to deal with the pain, to overcome it. A broken arm, cracked ribs, fractured tibia...I'd suffered nearly every injury you could think of during my tenure, both physical and psychological. My body was like a painter's canvas, covered with a virtual latticework of scars, some unnoticeable, most clearly visible. Luckily, my clothing usually served to cover up the majority of them. In fact, there was only one person who had seen the scars that weren't readily visible. Kimberly...

As I began to focus, slowing my breathing, concentrating on dealing with the pain, I found my thoughts drifting to her. I didn't think of her much these days, not since I got the thing that broke my heart all those years ago. The Letter…I always found it a little bit strange, that something that hurt me so much could be given a name that sounded so cold and unfeeling. I'd gotten over her long ago, but I know that there will always be a part of me that will be brokenhearted.

I had drawn my mind from the physical pain, only to re-open old emotional wounds. I tried to push myself to my feet, but my legs didn't have the strength to support me. Luckily, the others were there, and caught me before I fell to the floor once more. Through the corners of my eyes, I noticed the Dino Gems on each of their wrists begin to glow brightly. Mere moments later, the pain had completely subsided.

I gulped in air greedily, being supported by the others, steadying myself.

"Doctor O, are you alright?" Kira asked, her voice full of concern. I swallowed, and smiled weakly.

"I'm fine, Kira. Don't worry about me, get going." The teens looked at me for a few moments, before finally nodding and leaving the room. I sighed, and slumped down into my chair. What the hell just happened? I asked myself. There's no logical explanation--

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a familiar sound, felt a vibration coming from the inside of my jacket. I massaged my brow with my left hand, while reaching to retrieve my cell phone with my right. I withdrew it, opened it and brought it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Tommy you've got to get back to the lab. Now." The voice on the phone was Hayley's.

"What's going on, Hayley?"

"I don't know. That's the problem. Get back here now."

"I'm on my way." I turned off the phone, tapping it lightly against my chin. It was certainly odd. Hayley knew my lab almost as well as I did. My breath caught in my throat as I realized the severity of the situation. There was only one aspect of the lab that I hadn't shown to Hayley, or anyone else for that matter. I snatched my briefcase and rushed out of the classroom, practically tripping over my feet in the process. I spent a few minutes arranging to have a substitute teacher handle the rest of my classes, before full out running to my jeep, and taking off towards home, the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach slowly growing.

- PRG -

I walked into the lab with the sense of apprehension still resonating inside me. My footsteps echoed loudly through the room, catching the attention of Hayley, who had been sitting at one of the consoles, chewing absently at her fingernails. There was a loud wailing sound coming from somewhere in front of me, which I recognized at once. Hayley's eyes moved to the direction where I was approaching, and she practically leapt out of her seat when she saw me.

"I don't know what's going on, Tommy," she said quickly. "I was scanning the city, keeping an eye out for disturbances, when this siren began going off." She gestured in the direction of the siren, where a bright neon green light was flashing. I felt my hands ball into fists of their own volition, felt the sweat from my palm reacting to the skin of my fingertips.

"Leave," I said, in a tone barely audible. Hayley looked at me, the confusion evident on her features.

"What?" I swallowed the lump growing in my throat.

"Leave, Hayley. Now."

"Tommy, I don't under-"

"Hayley," I repeated, meeting her gaze. "This is something I have to take care of myself. Please, just go." Hayley bit her lip, looking at me strangely, but finally nodded and left. I sighed, running my fingers through my closely cropped black hair. I walked quickly over to a console at the far end of the room, and began typing furiously at the keyboard linked to it.

A map of a desert area appeared on the screen, and was quickly overlaid with a GPS tracking grid. I inputted a command to zoom in on a specific area of the map, grid J10. The map zoomed in, and where there should have been a beacon, there was nothing. My mouth went dry, and I reached into my pocket, withdrawing my cell phone with a shaky hand. I searched through my digital phone book, and dialed the number I needed when I found it. It rang three times before someone picked up.

"It's me. Get everyone together. Everyone. We've got problems."

- PRG -

tibia - the inner and larger of the two bones of the lower human leg, extending from the knee to the ankle; also known as the shinbone.