Of Pasts and Destinies
[I do not own Power Rangers RPM or the characters only the plot is mine]
It had been three months since it was revealed that Ziggy Grover was the new Ranger Green operator. Summer, Scott and Flynn and Doctor K were less than thrilled.
It was fair in most respects since the young man was the furthest thing from the ideal candidate. However there was little to be done about it now since the morpher bond was permanent the only to possibly reset it was if its current operator died and Ziggy didn't like to think about that possibility.
The only one who didn't have a real problem with this development was the Operator Series: Black aka Dillon. It had been only weeks since the team found out the truth of his bad reputation, his actions had honorable intentions behind them however it had soured the trust he had been trying to build between himself and his would be teammates.
Ziggy would often hideout on the roof when the others were mad at him or needed time to think about his problems, half of his troubles with the team were caused by his dishonesty and lack of trust, all the secrets including one he wasn't too sure why he kept it a secret.
Ziggy Grover had magic, and powerful magic at that; so much so that Ziggy himself was terrified of what its full extent could do.
Ziggy liked to think of himself as a man of honor and worthy of trust but of course is life growing up in the Scorpion Cartel had taught him to be cautious about whom he trusted.
Ziggy's eyes took on a look of determination. He climbed back through the window he had come through and slipped back into his room. He could do it, he could let down his guard here, and he was home.
Ranger Green exited his room and walked out onto the catwalk. He peered down and observed his friends for moment. Peering down over the garage he saw the team going about their usual activities.
Scott was playing against Summer in a game pool, you would've thought the man would've learned by now.
Flynn was tending to his truck, Dillon was brooding on the couch and Doctor K was huddled in her lab working on some kind project.
Ziggy began to leisurely stroll across the catwalk and down the stairs while whistling the tune to "This little Light of Mine"
The first to catch sight of him was Dillon who arched his eyebrow wondering after the informal berating Ziggy had gotten from Scott for accidentally scratching his car the morning prior how the kid could be so cheery again.
Ziggy approached Ranger Red; he took a moment to compose himself.
"Scott?" Ziggy called in attempt to gain the team leader's attention.
"What do you want Ziggy?" Scott snapped still not too pleased with their youngest member.
"I wanted to apologize for scratching your ride…I feel kind of bad about it so I thought I would do something to make up for it…I can fix it in a jiff if you want?" Ziggy offered with shrugged.
Scott released an incredulous huff; he knew Ziggy had no technical skills.
"No, I think my car has had enough abuse." Scott snarled coldly. "Now buzz off, I have had just about enough of you for the moment."
Ziggy flinched back before responding.
"Now while I admit I am at fault for scratching your car but I fail to see anything else I've done to deserve a response like that?" Scott whirled around and glared hard.
"How about the fact that you're a lying, thieving con artist! How can I not be a little upset when I cannot trust a member of my team?" Ranger Red seethed as Summer tried to sooth him.
Ziggy understood now Scott was still pissed about the whole gangster/cartel thing, that he hadn't come clean to them and it bit them in the ass.
Dillon was watching from his position on the couch. Ziggy was trying to apologize and Scott was just being an ass, while not unusual, Ziggy rarely apologizes for anything he does but here the former Cartel member had swallowed his pride and was owning up to what he did and even offered to fix it despite his lack mechanical skills.
Now after the exchange he assumed Ziggy would slink away utterly defeated but that was not what happened.
The Green Ranger's eyes turned hard as anger lit in them.
"You're right I have been the exact definition of dishonest but what you fail to see is that I, Ronan Grover am attempting to fix that!" Ziggy growled angrily.
It must've been truly rare for Ziggy to be angry because even Scott in his ire noticed the venom in Ranger Green's voice.
Summer stepped up to the two.
"Scott, I know you're upset at Ziggy but try to hear him out, I think he really is trying here."
Ziggy took a breath to compose himself.
"Scott allow me to show you why I don't need mechanical know-how to fix that scratch."
Ziggy walked over to Scott's red sports car and raised a hand over the scratched quarter-panel.
"Adfer i darddiad" Ziggy intoned.
What happened next made everyone gawk. Ranger Green's hand was surrounding in a purple orb of light. He then pressed it down onto the scratch and within seconds it was gone, as if it never happened.
"How on Earth?" Scott inquired breathlessly inspecting his car to insure it was truly gone.
Ziggy smirked with mischief.
"Simple…magic!"
At last Dillon makes his way over.
"Okay let me see if I got this…one you somehow have magic and two…your name is Ronan?"
Ziggy blushed and nodded.
"Ronan was my birth name, Ziggy was name my brother gave me before the Venjix attack…I'm very tough to pin down as you know and one of the most basic evasive maneuvers is the zigzag."Ronan Grover explained hoping the team was smart enough see where it was going.
Dillon picked up on it immediately.
"Zigzag…Ziggy; it's simple but fits you perfectly."
Flynn then brought the first point since Ranger Black brought up the second.
"So how is it you have magic lad…I thought magic didn't exist?"
Ziggy laughed and decided to open up despite his instincts telling him to lie.
"Oh magic has always existed, think of it as living breathing force without a will, if no one is around to use it as modern technology made it unnecessary so it went dormant…until Venjix made it necessary."
Scott snapped out of his shock and was still skeptical.
"I sense your disbelief fearless leader so let me give you a more extravagant display." Ziggy stated enthusiastically as his eyes glowed a dark molten gold.
"Glanhau'r Cegin!"
His hands emitted a pearly blue light this time sending wispy tendrils of energy flowing toward the kitchen. Then the most bizarre thing, the sink full of dishes began to wash themselves and Ziggy sat at the kitchen bar opened a comic book that Flynn had left on the counter and began flipping through the pages.
In mere moments the entire garage was cleaning itself; windows polishing, tools dancing across the workbenches in the garage going to their proper places.
Ziggy using his magic, commanded the now cleaned and dried silverware to parade across the counter as if it were circus parade.
He made the forks do double front flips before landing in the drawer; the spoons jumped and performed a corkscrew while the knives did an elegant pirouette.
Within twenty minutes Ziggy had cleaned the entire garage without moving from his place at the bar. Scott was utterly floored; Flynn and Summer were mesmerized by the sparkling spectacle.
For the final hoorah Ziggy made the pearl blue tendrils coil together before exploding quite spectacularly with a wide array light blues, whites and purples.
Ranger Green then stood made a graceful bow. Summer and Flynn exchanged looks before clapping; Scott chuckled a bit before clapping too.
Dillon walked up and ruffled the younger man's hair affectionately.
"Full of surprises aren't you Zig."
The team dispersed; Flynn went to train with Dillon, Summer went to speak to Doctor K for a bit. During the Ziggy's magical performance Scott came to realize that he hadn't been the most approachable when it came to Ziggy.
He had insulted the younger man when he first became the Green Ranger. While Flynn and Summer had their share of the blame, Scott had been the harshest out of the three.
It came to him then, he wanted to trust Ziggy but hadn't really attempted to give the boy a reason to trust him. There was apparently more to the chatty youth then met the eye and it spoke volumes about Ziggy's character that he came up to Scott and attempted to own up to his mistake and make amends, it showed that Ranger Green at the very least had integrity.
Scott came to a decision right then, if he wanted to trust him and therefore earn Ziggy's trust in return he needed to get to know the crazy pain in the ear and maybe come to understand the boy.
Scott took a huge leap of faith.
"Ronan?" Ranger Red inquired testing the waters as he wasn't sure if Ziggy actually liked his first name.
Ziggy gave a start before smiling brightly.
"Yes Scott, something else I can help you with?"
The Red Ranger smirked.
"Why don't we go for a drive, I've realized that trust is a two-person dance and if I want to be able to trust you…you have to be able to trust me."
Ziggy contemplated Scott's comment and nodded because it was true.
"Okay."
It only takes twelve minutes or so before Scott and Ziggy are tearing around Corinth in Scott's BMW. Apparently Ranger Red liked going fast as much as Ranger Black. Up to this point there had been a tense silence in the car which was quite unusual since Ziggy was in the car. Scott decided to break the silence himself.
"So I take it your life in the orphanage and with the Cartels is only half of the story."
Ziggy sighed sadly and nodded. Scott wanted to try to build a relationship with Ziggy and he knew it so once again he forced himself to be honest, knowing a man like Scott Truman would appreciate a straight answer.
"Believe it or not I was a normal kid before age twelve or so; a home, I'm from Gloucester, Massachusetts by the way…I had parents and a younger brother, I went to school…dreaming of being in the film and television industry."
Scott processed this before responding.
"Have you told Dillon any of this, I know you're closer to Dillon than most?"
Ziggy shook his head.
"I wanted to, but never seemed to be a good time…I hate lying, I really do but those lies kept me alive…they were a survival mechanism."
Scott noticed the sorrow in his companion's eyes, it seemed for the first time since he'd met Ziggy the man was being 100 percent genuine, he was letting Scott see his more vulnerable side.
"I was eleven or twelve when Venjix launched its initial attack and was separated from my parents and younger brother…who later on were discovered among the first of Venjix's victims at least in North America…I was brought here to Corinth where I ended up in Martha's orphanage, I spent about three years before running away…I just never felt that I fit there, not that I didn't appreciate Martha's kindness but she was the only good thing about that place."
Ziggy paused his anecdote to take a breath.
"I wasn't physically abused or anything but I was emotionally abused, considering I had a full life before Venjix and many of the adults aside from Martha would say nasty things when they thought I was out of earshot…it may have also to do with that was around that age my magic fully manifested itself…they saw me as a freak."
Scott's eyes widened he hadn't thought that Ziggy's life had been that tumultuous.
"It was around fourteen or fifteen I fell in with Fresno Bob and his Scorpion Cartel, they specialized in trafficking contraband goods…and you know the rest."
Scott took a few minutes while cruising with Ziggy to assimilate what the Green Ranger had told him.
After about thirty minutes Scott and Ziggy return to the garage. When Ziggy stepped out of Scott's BMW it shocked everyone.
"I hope you didn't crush his spirit Scott." Dillon growled it was no secret that Dillon was very protective of Ziggy.
"No, just thought I'd take time to actually get to know him; maybe earn his trust."
Summer took on a proud expression, Scott had matured a little.
Ziggy bounced over to Dillon.
"Hey you and I have another thing in common!" He stated to Dillon who was kind of taken aback by Ziggy's over the top cheerfulness.
Ranger Black then chuckled at the younger man's exuberance.
"What's that?" Dillon questioned humoring the Green Ranger.
"We both have missing siblings…also I have something I want to tell you Dillon; I consider you my first real friend since coming to Corinth, throughout my life friends were only that until they got what they wanted from me and then would leave me high and dry." Ziggy explained with a smile.
"I realize now that I don't have to hide behind my humor; that I can trust people…I'm still cautious about it but I am trying to change."
Dillon just stared for a few moments. He knew Ziggy just gave him a huge compliment, his "friends" before only used Ziggy and then abandoned him when he outlived his usefulness.
It was clear Ronan "Ziggy" Grover had been abused multiple times and so he was very cautious about whom he trusted and now it was understandable.
"A man should always be cautious with who he trusts." Dillon said before adding, "You can freaking idiot sometimes and a pain in the ear but you're not just my first true friend Zig, you're my…best friend."
It wasn't often that Ranger Black showed any real emotion but there was now respect shining in those dark eyes.
"In light of that, let me regale you with a tale about myself, a true tale in fact to build trust with you and the rest of our team why don't I tell you guys about one of the many misadventures of Ronan and Carl Grover!" Ranger Green called out dramatically."With magic visuals to help."
Ziggy scampered down to the living room.
"Ranger Green, you are aware that magic is a figment of juvenile imagination." Came Doctor K's cold clipped tones.
Ziggy glared at the Ranger Room door.
"Am I a figment of your imagination?" Ziggy snarled offended.
"There are times where I wish it, yes." Ziggy flinched back a little, hurt flashing across his eyes.
"You guys really wonder why I have trust issues…that right there prime candidate number one."
They all nodded.
"That was just cold Doc, even for you." Dillon said coolly. "What were you going to share with us Ziggy?"
Ranger Black turned back to his younger friend who took a deep breath and nodded.
"This anecdote if one of many memories I have of my brother, this one I believe is about the time we dyed the gym teacher's hair purple!" Ziggy's eyes flashed gold and with a wave of his hand toward the television.
The rangers all sat down and gave Ronan their undivided attention.
Ziggy began his story. The television screen flickered to life and began playing images as Ziggy spoke.
[Cue flashback] – Bold text is the flashback
Ziggy's POV:
I was about eight years old at this time about two years before Venjix attacked.
(Summer cooed when she saw little eight-year-old Ziggy on the screen)
It was in late May, a few weeks before the schools let out for the summer, we were having are yearly Field Day Event which the entire town of Gloucester could attend.
Each Grade at East Gloucester Elementary school was each in charge of one activity.
The Kindergarteners were in charge of the bean bag toss, the first graders were in charge of the water balloon competition.
The Second Graders were in charge of the lemonade stands and other refreshment stand, supplied by the school kitchens and PTO members.
I was in Third Grade at this time so my class had in my opinion the hardest yet most fun activity, known only as the Maze.
(Scott, Flynn and Dillon are mildly impressed by the intricate cardboard maze the kids had come up with)
The Fourth Graders were in charge of the Tug of War and Sack Race since they were older they could handle two tasks while the Fifth Graders, the oldest students in the school had the Ring Toss and 100-Meter Relay Race.
Ziggy paused for breath. "Ziggy you were really adorable at that age!" Summer cooed making Ziggy turn red. Scott clapped him on the back while Dillon and Flynn chuckled.
Anyway, depending on how many activities students completed you'd get extra credit on your final report card which for me wasn't necessary since school work wasn't that difficult for me, tests and exams on the other hand were a different problem.
I had a hard time with pressure and anxiety so it's not that I didn't know the stuff I just choked.
My little brother Carl, my god did I adore him; despite what many think I am brave I protected him from the Fourth and Fifth Graders.
A picture of Carl Grover appeared on the screen. In appearance Carl was similar to Ziggy but his face was a bit rounder but not by much. They were both on the slender side. Carl had dark chocolate brown hair with piercing blue eyes and a light dusting of freckles which actually flattered his form like whipped cream and a cherry on top of a delicious sundae.
"He looks a lot like you mate." Flynn said making the others role they're eyes.
"They are siblings Series Blue so similar physical characteristics are to be expected." Doctor K stated with an exasperated tone.
Carl wasn't well liked by the gym teacher as my brother and I are polar opposites, he was good at any sport or physical activity he tried He also knew a lot about sports in general and often made the gym teacher look stupid by comparison. He played baseball, soccer and basketball to name a few, where as I was good and anything remotely artistic. Drawing, painting, sculpting and acting especially; I played Neville Longbottom when my class did a live adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Scott laughed outright.
"You know I can totally see you playing his part." Ranger Red said through bouts of laughter.
"It's a Remeberall, when it glows red it means you've forgotten something?" Summer quoted from the first Harry Potter movie with a decent imitation of Hermoine Granger.
"Uh-oh it's glowing it means you've forgotten something." Flynn stated with his accent making a decent mimicry of Seamus Finnegan.
Ziggy then proved his acting chops
"Problem is…I don't know what I've forgotten." Ziggy said in an almost flawless imitation of Neville Longbottom, clipped English tone and all which had all but Dillon and Doctor K laughing.
Doctor K was too uptight to laugh like that and Dillon simply didn't remember anything.
Ziggy got back to his story.
Carl had managed to complete the 100-meter relay race but Mr. Baldy, that's what we called him; didn't count it on purpose as a way get back at Carl. So I followed him into the bathroom later on and used what little magic I had access to back then to turn his hair purple. He tried to catch me but as I said it's hard to pin me down and when I told Carl and my friends that I dyed his hair and managed to get out alive they started calling me Ziggy played off of the word zigzag to show my evasivness…huh."
Ziggy's story came to an end with a thoughtful expression before he gasped and looked at Dillon as if he had just noticed he was there.
Dillon arched an eyebrow in question. "What, do I have something on my face?"
Ronan quickly shook his head.
"No, Dillon the person who gave me my nickname…was you!" Dillon stared at him for a moment before what Ziggy said sunk in.
He had given him that name; he was the first person to call him Ziggy.
When he did realize he looked at Ziggy and remembered the connection he felt toward the younger ranger when he first met him out in the desert, in fact now that he thought about it he also recalled that when head told Ziggy that he couldn't remember his name but that he knew it started with a D.
Ziggy had said he looked like a Dillon but now that he reanalyzed that short memory he realized Ronan hadn't said "a Dillon",he said…
"You look like Dillon." Ranger Black said and then looked back at Ziggy whose eyes were now glistening with tears.
"Dillon we aren't best friends because of what's happened recently…it's because we were best friends in the past, when we were children…how did I not put it together until now…I'm sorry Dillon…I-I"
He was cut off when Dillon pulled him into a hug.
"Shut up for once Ronan, truly I don't care how long it took you to remember, to have some piece of my life here in front of me is more than enough for me."
[Okay this is an idea I came up with while walking around one day. First a few notes]
1. I don't know if Scott's Car is actually a BMW but it looks like one to me
2. If you want a better idea of what Carl Grover looks like think of Chandler Riggs from TWD
I have grand plans for this story I plan on making it no longer than 15 chapters, a problem I have is I don't finish stories I start either because I loose interest or life gets in the way to a point I forget about it, so this story I plan to finish.
If you liked what you read, feel free to favorite or if you'd be so kind leave a review, I love getting feedback it lets me know you liked it gives me fuel to continue. Constructive Criticism accepted just be kind is all I ask.