Lightspeed Rescue--A Different Look

by stargazer 1017

A different look at how Lightspeed should have gone--from the beginning *Slightly altered Ep. 1 and Ep 2 now up!*

1. Episode 1: A New Mission

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue or any Power Rangers components. At this time, they belonged to Saban, but in the present, they belong to Disney.

Author's notes: This is my take on how Lightspeed Rescue should have been written. I mean, I love Carter as much as the next gal, but PRLR was way too much Carter-centered. Of course, there'll be a lot of Carter moments, but I hope to expand on the lives of all the characters as well. I know, I think I've taken on too many Power Ranger series--I mean, I've still gotta finish the Extreme Challenge, and I'm going to finish my original PR series. . .whew. It'll just take a bit of time to get around to all of them, I guess. Please be patient with me!
I warn you right now, when you read this fic, you might not get the next episode for awhile. I might update when I can, or when I feel like it. Most of the eps I'll be writing will have already featured on the show, but some facts will be my version of how it should've gone. Some episodes might be joined into one episode, to make it go faster. We'll see how this plays out.
As always, please R&R. I always love getting comments--and I'd love for you to leave your e-mail addy so I can get back to you if needed.

I'll also post teasers on the messageboard, so check there too. Check my bio for the link.

Lightspeed Rescue: A Different Look
Episode 1: A New Mission
By: stargazer_1017



"Yeah, I miss you too," the brown-haired young man said to the person the phone. "Things here? Slow. . ." Then he laughed. "You know I can't do that. . ."

"Hey Grayson!"

The brown-haired man snapped his head towards the voice. "You almost off the phone, Romeo? I'm waiting for some news here!" an African-American man about his age was standing a few feet away, with his arms crossed.

The brown-haired young man gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that, Russ. I'm getting off now, okay?" he yelled back to his friend. Russ rolled his eyes, but he had a smile on his face. "Listen," the man said into the phone, "I've gotta go. Russel's waiting for word if his wife went into labor."

"All right, Carter," the voice said on the other line. "Take care, now, and I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you too, Adrienne. Don't worry, I'm off duty in a couple of days. Then I'm coming home," Carter said, smiling over the phone. He said his farewell and got off the phone. Carter got up and walked to Russ, who had his eyebrow raised. Carter smiled sheepishly at his friend. "Sorry again about that," he apologized.

Russ nodded knowingly. "Is it hard on the girlfriend with you having this job?" he asked. Carter shrugged, taking a seat on a chair next to where Russ was standing. "Well, she's not too happy about me being a fireman, if that's what you're asking. Especially with that crazed arsonist running around Mariner Bay, Adrienne thinks I'm in a lot of danger," Carter admitted. He looked up at his friend. "Think she's got a point?"

Russel shrugged. "Well, my baby's worried about me everytime we put on our suits, but she understands my duties." He grinned. "Besides, she loves a man in uniform."

Carter smiled back. Adrienne loves that too, he thought inwardly. Just then, the phone rang and Russell stopped his conversation short and went running. Carter raised his eyebrows at the man as he watched him talk on the phone eagerly.

Carter heard a noise beside him and turned to see another fellow fireman, Trevor Williams. "Is that his wife?" Trevor asked Carter as he watched Russell on the phone. Carter shrugged. "I don't know yet."

Trevor shook his head and turned to Carter. "Better get to bed, Grayson. Heard about the arsonist?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he might strike at anytime. Might be in a couple of hours at midnight, or just before dawn, or during the day. Get some
rest."

Carter nodded. "Whatever the psycho's gonna do, we'll be ready for him," he said as he got up.

"Yeah, I hope he got the message loud and clear," Trevor replied.

***

Three men in protective clothing against the sun dragged themselves forward across the desert. The tallest of the three
groaned. "We have been wandering the desert for days," he said in Arabic. "There is nothing here."

"We mustn't give up now," another one said. "Surely, it is around here somewhere."

The taller man snorted. "A temple of treasure located deep in the desert. Who has heard of such a thing? This is a wild goose chase! That man who sold us the map is sending us to our deaths!"

The third man, who was walking ahead of the other two, turned around to insert his two cents into the conversation. "He
seemed foreign, didn't he? His accent was. . .like an American."

The second man shook his head and pushed himself to walk further. "We have made it this far. You are just being delirious
becuase we haven't had anything to drink for hours. Please, let us walk just a bit further. We will find the temple."

The third man laughed and then started coughing from his mouth being dry. "You are so foolish, Akmar. Why would such a temple be hidden this far into the desert?" He turned around again to face the two other men. "We are only walking into our deaths!" he said, walking backwards. "There is nothing--" his voice cut off suddenly when he stumbled backwards and disappeared.

The other two men looked at each other and then ran forward. They stopped just short of a huge hole in the ground. "Omar? Omar! Answer me!" Akmar yelled down. "Are you all right?" There still wasn't any response.

"We should go down to see if he's all right," the taller man said.

"Shall we climb down?" Akmar asked. He looked up and then froze. The tall man gazed upwards and gasped. They were suddenly surrounded by cement columns. "They were not here before," the tall man said.

"It doesn't matter," Akmar said, shaking the uneasiness from himself. "Tie the ropes to the closest column, and we shall climb down and retrieve Omar." The taller man did as he was told, and in five minutes, the two men reached underground. Omar was already sitting up, rubbing his head. "Omar! Are you all right?" the tall man asked as both he and Akmar ran towards their friend.

"Yes, yes," Omar said, as the two men helped him to his feet. He looked around. "Where are we?"

Akmar shook his head. "I don't know." He squinted his eyes and tried to take in their surroundings. "It's so dark I can't see a
thing," he murmured. He looked to his left and saw an unlit torch. He took it and asked, "Does someone have a match?"

Just as he asked the question, the torch blazed with fire. Akmar jumped and the hand holding the torch trembled. He turned to the other men, who just stared at him uncertainly. "The map. . .where does it say we are at?" he asked quietly.

Omar took the map out of his pocket. He studied it for a moment and then looked up. "We are here," he replied. The taller man leaned in to look at the map. "It's true," he confirmed. He looked around the area. All of a sudden, the hidden torches of the area lit up, making the underground as bright as the ground above them. The tall man's eyes widened when he spotted what they were looking for. "Over there," he pointed to his friends. He walked forward and placed his hands on a rectangular tomb. "This is it," he breathed.

Omar looked at the map. "Yes, it is," he replied. "Shall we open it?"

"Of course," the tall man scoffed. "I have been walking this desert for days. I will not leave this place without our promised riches." He pushed on the cover of the tomb, but it wouldn't budge. He turned to his friends. "Come on, now," he urged them. Omar and Akmar came forward and all three of the pushed the cover off together. When the cover crashed to the ground, they all leaned in to look inside. Akmar frowned. "There is nothing!" he exclaimed.

A blast of energy erupted from the tomb, knocking the three men down. "What is--" Omar started but he froze when colorful
patches of smoke arose from the tomb. They rose above the tomb and started escaping to the world above. The three men started screaming, not understanding what was happening. A gray-colored smoke engulfed them--and then everything went black.

***

A young, blonde-haired woman walked with confidence towards the meeting room. She took a deep breath and straightened
her uniform, which was a black skirt with a blue long-sleeved collared shirt, bearing the name D. Mitchell on the left side of her chest. She walked in through the door and immediately the man at the head of the desk acknowledged her presence by looking up. This man was her father, in charge of the Lightspeed Aquabase, located beneath the waters of Mariner Bay.

The young woman didn't show any signs of attatchment to the man and stayed professional. She stopped at the foot of the desk, right in front of her father and went into the military position of at-ease. "Captain, something's come up," she said, addressing her father.

Captain William Mitchell raised his head slightly, as if asking a question only the two could understand. When the woman nodded her head, Captain Mitchell turned to the other personnel at the desk.

"Everyone, you're dismissed," he ordered. Without question or hesitation, the personnel got up and walked out of the room.

The woman approached her father. She looked around the room, to make sure no one was there, and when she was certain no one was left in the room she said, "Father, they've escaped."

Captain Mitchell's face turned grim. "Are you sure?" he asked.

The woman nodded and her father turned around, heading out of the meeting room. "Sensors picked up their movement just a couple of minutes ago," the young woman reported. The Captain entered another room and walked straight to a safe located on the wall. After entering the combination code and opening the safe, he took out folders and presented them to his daughter. "Dana, it's time to bring them in."

***

A small plane streaked through the sky, aweing those on the ground. It's pilot, Joel Rawlings, smiled and took a deep breath in, admiring the air around him. There's nothing like flying a plane first thing in the morning, he thought to himself as he did a couple of tricks with his plane. After a few minutes more, he decided to finish the show and he landed on the airstrip.

After the plane came to a complete stop, he jumped out of the plane and ran towards the crowd of people who gathered to watch his show. "Please give a hand to the ace of the skies himself, our very own Sky Cowboy, Joel Rawlings!" the announcer yelled. The crowd burst into cheer and rushed towards the handsome African-American man, his flyers in their hand.

"Now, take it easy, take it easy," Joel said confidentally to the crowd. "I'm here all day for y'all," he said, grinning.

A little boy walked up to him with hopeful eyes and a shy smile. "Mr. Sky Cowboy, will you sign this please?" he asked bashfully.

Joel grinned down at the boy. "Anything," he said, bending down and taking the piece of paper from him. He scribbled his autograph on it and said, "And one favor, little man, call me Joel, okay?"

The boy grinned and nodded his head enthusiastically. Joel looked to his left, where a beautiful brown-haired girl handed him a paper with his picture on it. Joel smiled at her and signed his autograph on it. When the girl smiled at him appreciatively, Joel grinned and winked at her. "I love this job," he said, sighing happily. He looked around quickly. "Who's next?"

"Joel Rawlings?"

Joel looked up to see two men in black suits. Before he could say anything, the one on the right said, "You're coming with us." Both grabbed Joel's arms and led him away from the bewildered crowd. "Man, what are you doing?" Joel yelled, struggling against their hold.

"We need you to come with us," came the monotonous reply.

Joel glanced quickly at both of the men and then saw the black car that was waiting for them. A blonde-haired woman sat in the backseat. "What is going on here?" Joel demanded.

The young woman got out of the car. "I'm Dana Mitchell. You have been selected to come with us to participate in an important mission," she replied.

"Mission? What the heck is this, Men in Black?" he demanded as the two men let him go.

"Just come with us," Dana said, not revealing anymore. She opened the door to the backseat and stepped aside, waiting. Joel looked at her and then the two men. He sighed frustratedly. "Hey, if forcing me to chase aliens, you'll be hearing from my lawyer," he said as he got into the car. Dana rolled her eyes as she got in and took a seat next to him.

***

"Almost there."

Kelsey Winslow grinned as she looked up. She was scaling a mountain, just like she did when she needed to be alone and work herself out. An amateur athlete, Kelsey was anything but a novice in athletics. She blew air out of the corner of her mouth, trying to push a wavy lock of brown hair out of her eyes.

She reached down to her side and pulled out a clip. Then she reached up and attached it to another clip that was already
inserted into the rock. She pushed the rope through, and when she felt she was secured, she climbed up.

Spider-man's got nothing on me, she thought to herself with a smile as she was just a few feet from the top. She gritted her teeth and reached from the edge with her right hand. She tightened her grip on the rock and reached up with her left hand. Pulling herself up, she left her knees bent, ready to pull herself all the way onto the rock.

"Kelsey Winslow?"

Kelsey was startled by the voice, but remembered her training and didn't budge from the rock. She looked up at the voice and saw two neatly dressed men in black suits. She squinted up at them, the sunlight bright around the mountains. Frowning, she asked, "Who in the world are you?"

"We're here to recruit you on a mission."

Kelsey looked in the distance and saw a blonde-haired woman walking towards her. She reached down and extended her hand to her. "We need your help," she said. Kelsey didn't know what the heck she was talking about. "My help? With what?" Kelsey demanded, still on the edge of the cliff.

The woman shook her head. "I can't say here and now, but you'll have to come with us," she said, still leaving her hand extended. Kelsey reached up and grabbed her hand, allowing the woman to help her up. When Kelsey was on solid ground, she nodded uncertainly at the woman. The woman nodded back. "Good," she said and led the way to the black car parked a few feet away.

"Where shall we head now, Ms. Mitchell?" one of the men asked when they all got in the car.

"First head down to the flight pad near the marina, like where we brought Joel. Then we'll head down to Sea Life Park," she replied. Kelsey only raised her eyebrow at the information. What the heck is going on, she thought to herself as the car sped to its next destination.

***

"I hope you've all brought your umbrellas because you're gonna get wet!" the announcer over the speakers yelled. Just as he was speaking, a killer whale burst above the water, with a man standing on the top of it. As gravity pulled them back in, the man jumped off, both he and the killer whale causing a big splash of water to engulf the crowd nearest to the pool's edge.

The asian man who lept off the whale resurfaced. "Chad Lee, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer cheered, causing the audience to break in applause. Chad grinned at the audience and waved. The killer whale who had been his partner in crime swam up beside him. Chad smiled at her. "Good job, Dolly, good job," he congratulated her. Dolly just let Chad ride on her mouth.

They rode for awhile around the pool, then Chad broke contact, swimming away to get a treat for his friend. He reached the
deck and started to climb up to get a fish.

"Chad Lee?"

Chad looked up and saw two men in black suits. "Yes, I'm Chad Lee," he responded, frozen in his spot.

"You'll have to come with us," one said, no emotion in his voice.

"Is there something wrong?" Chad asked. He couldn't help but frown at the tone he was being spoken to.

"Nothing's wrong," the other one replied, his tone the same as the other man. "Just come with us." They both reached down to carry Chad out, but he moved away from the deck. "I'm fine," he responded. The two men looked at each other and back away slightly, allowing Chad to pull himself out.

Dolly suddenly came swimming up to them, as if wondering what was going on. Chad reached down and grabbed a couple of fishes from the bucket. He threw three into Dolly's mouth and reached down to give her a pat on the head. "I'll be back, Dolly," he said and after taking a look around the crowded area. When they walked out of the stadium, Chad said, "Can I at least change my clothes? I'd hate to catch a cold or something."

The two men looked at each other again. When one nodded, Chad turned around and lead them to the dressing rooms. Both men stayed outside while Chad went inside to change his clothes. After dressing in black pants, a white t-shirt with a blue over-shirt, he glanced outside the door. The two men were still waiting for him.

What could they want with me, Chad thought to himself. He had done nothing wrong. Then another thought crossed his mind.
Maybe they wanted to hurt him. They were pretty mysterious about their intentions to bring Chad where they were planning to.

Chad looked outside again and saw that the men were still standing there, oblivious to what their surroundings. Chad walked to the back of the dressing room and saw the alternate exit. He turned back again, to make sure that the two men weren't behind him, and he walked outside. When the door opened, it had hidden the person who stood behind it, but when it closed, the person was revealed.

"Chad?"

Chad jumped at the voice. He saw a blonde-haired girl about his age standing right next to the door. Suddenly he realized
who she was. "You're with those two men, aren't you?" he asked, backing away slowly.

The woman put her hands up. "Chad, I--we're not going to hurt you. But I do need your help. Mariner Bay needs your help."

"Mariner Bay? What are you talking about? How could the city need me?" Chad asked, still apprehensive.

The woman shook her head. "I can't tell you now." She gave him a slightly pleading look. "Please, just come with me."

Chad looked her over. She didn't seem to be someone who would hurt him. . .but still. . .

"Please. I promise, we won't hurt you," the woman said, as if reading his mind. Chad looked at her for a moment, and then he slowly nodded. The woman smiled slightly. "Good," she said, turning around and gesturing him to follow her. Chad sighed as he followed the woman. What did I get myself into? he wondered as he followed her to a black car in the parking lot.

***

"I need a ladder up on that side, and another one over there! Get moving!" Trevor was yelling out orders. The other men were running around, doing as he told and some also grabbed a hold of some hoses and started trying to put out the fire. Trevor turned and spotted Carter. "Grayson, I need--"

"I'm on it!" Carter said, rushing forward. He jumped onto one of the automated ladders, heading to the third floor of the three-story apartment building. "I need to get closer! Closer!" he called down to the operator. The operator nodded back and pushed the ladder farther up the building.

Trevor turned around and ran right into two men in black suits. "Excuse me, if you're just bystanders, I need you to stand over there," Trevor said. He was about to check on one of the ladders when one of the men asked, "Are you Carter Grayson?"

"Carter? He's up on the ladder," Trevor replied, pointing upwards. The two men looked up and saw a man leaping from the edge of the ladder into the building. "He's doing his job," Trevor told the men, "and now if you'll excuse me, I've got to do mine." With that, he walked off to check on the men who were trying to put the fire out from outside.

The two men walked calmly towards Dana, who was looking closely at the dossier folder. "Ms. Mitchell, he's in the building," one of them reported.

Dana looked up at the building and then turned to the men, and nodded. "I'll catch him when he's done," she replied. She looked down at the face on the dossier and then back up at the building.

Meanwhile, Carter went through every room checking for people trapped in the building. "Hello! Hello, is anyone here?" he called out. He saw a flash of bright red out of the corner of his left eye and dodged to the right. A piece of the ceiling had gone down and it was a matter of time before the whole ceiling would collapse.

Carter pushed himself even faster to get through the rooms. "Hello!" he called out again. Then he heard something. It was a faint noise, but it was definitely something. Carter pushed through a door and saw a little girl laying on the floor, coughing. He ran to her and put a blanket around her. The girl seemed fine, just a bit frightened. "I need you to do a favor, okay?" he asked her gently. When the girl nodded, he continued, "I need you to run out of here with me. Can you do that for
me?"

The girl nodded again and Carter smiled behind his mask. "Good." he led the way, holding onto the girl at his side to make sure she didn't faint or get left behind. As they were walking down the hallway back to the ladder, Carter saw another flash of bright red. He looked in the far end of the hallway--and froze. "What the. . ." It looked like a monster at the end of the hallway. Carter tried to focus his eyes on the image, but before he could get a better look, flames shot out at him and the girl.

"Look out!" Carter called out. Instinct took over him as he grabbed the girl and ran forward. Getting to the ladder was out of the question now. He ran through another room and gritted his teeth. There was a large window ahead of him.

"Get a catcher ready," he said into the transmitter on his helmet. Then holding the little girl tightly, Carter did the only thing he could--he jumped through the window.

***

Dana's eyes widened in concern as she watched Carter and a little girl crash through the window. Somehow, the fire crew had anticipated something like this and they were waiting on the bottom with a trampoline. Dana rushed forward, seeing that Carter needed help getting the girl stablized. She bent down and pushed Carter's arm away from the little girl and checked on her vital signs.

Carter frowned. "What are you--" he started but Dana cut him off. She kept her focus on the little girl but said, "I'm a paramedic. Don't worry, I'll take it from here." Carter was still uncertain about the situation, but he nodded and let the woman take over. "Thanks," he muttered, getting up and out of the way to let her take over.

"We need to get her to an ambulance!" Dana called to paramedics who were a few feet away. They immediately nodded to her and ran forward with a stretcher. Then Dana turned to looked at Carter, who had walked towards a firetruck. Dana turned back to the little girl. "You're going to be okay," she assured her. When the girl nodded, Dana got up and walked towards where Carter. Soot was all over the young man's face as he looked back up at the building. He's ready to go back in, Dana realized, watching his face.

She remembered seeing him around before. Usually when fires came up around the city, the paramedics would work closely with the firefighters. Dana was always awed with the way Carter worked. His tactics would usually be considered risky, but he always got the job done quickly and somehow safely. Dana didn't think he would recognize her though. He was always busy with his own duties. She surely appreciated the man's tactics and skill.

She walked forward and tentatively towards the handsome young man. Carter noticed her approaching and straightened. "I know this is a bad time," Dana said, "but I need you to come with me."

Carter frowned. "I can't just leave here," he said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Dana heard some movement behind her and saw the two men in black approach. They were about to move forward to seize Carter, but she held up her hands, stopping them in their tracks. Dana turned back to Carter. "I can't explain it now, but you have to trust me, because right now, Mariner Bay needs you."

"That's why I became a firefighter," Carter countered.

Dana nodded. "I know, but Mariner Bay needs you in another way," she replied. Carter was about to reply when Dana cut
him off. "I can't explain what I mean right here and now. Just please. . .come with me."

Carter couldn't explain why, but he felt he could trust her. He looked back up at the building, and then back at the woman. He glanced briefly at her nametag. "All right, Miss Mitchell," he responded. "I'll come with you."

***

Carter looked at the woman who bore the name "D. Mitchell" on the left side of her uniform. He had recognized her as a paramedic who had been on the same calls as firefighters, but he didn't realize it until now. He had a million questions running through his mind. Why was she here? What was the purpose of her bringing him to a undisclosed location? When the woman looked up at him and noticed him staring at her, Carter turned away and looked at the other occupants in the helicopter.

To his left was a nervous Asian man in blue. He was looking down at his entwined fingers. To the man's left was an African-American man with a green shirt and a brown vest. He seemed slightly aggitated. Carter looked across from him and saw Miss Mitchell, who's first name wasn't given to him yet. To her right was a short woman with a built frame. She was wearing a black spaghetti-strap shirt with yellow straps. Carter could tell she had a laid-back demeanor from the headphones around her neck.

Then Carter turned back to Miss Mitchell, who was watching the waters below. Carter turned in the direction she was looking in and saw a submarine on the water. He turned back to the blonde-haired girl and tried to strike up a conversation. "So tell me, we're going in that submarine, aren't we?" he asked.

She turned to him briefly and then back down to the submarine without an answer. The woman in the yellow got up and moved closer to the edge. "Excellent," she whispered with awe as she watched the submarine on the water. It seemed to be slowing down, and Carter felt anticipation build inside of him as the helicopter swung around and hovered right above the submarine.

A few minutes later, the five young people were being transported from the submarine to a location underwater. Dana held the dossiers of the four people who were standing beside her. The whole time, Carter had tried to strike up a conversation with her, but Dana refused to give any information until she was certain he was willing to do what her father had planned for him--for all of the four. It was no time to get attached--and Dana had learned in her early years the reason.

"We're here."

Dana looked up at the person who had just spoke and nodded to him. She turned to the other four. "Come on, let's go," she said, leading the way

"Charming, isn't she," she heard Joel mutter behind her and she resisted the urge to turn around and glare at him. They walked out through a side door of the submarine, built especially for enterance into the Aquabase.

As soon as she stepped onto the base, a voice sounded. "Base and authorized personnel have now entered Lightspeed Aquabase."

Carter looked up at the sound of the voice. His mouth was slightly opened at the site around him. There were computer consoles everywhere, with operators at almost every one of them. He turned his attention forward and followed Dana as she walked through doorways.

"Where are we?" Chad asked outloud to himself. Kelsey slapped him slighty on the arm. "I don't know," she said excitedly, "but it's cool, huh?" Chad just looked at her with a disbelieving look

Joel was walking further behind them with a scowl on his face. He looked to his right and saw a computer console with a bunch of buttons on them. His curiousity got the best of him and Joel reached forward to press a button. He quickly turned around to make sure no one was watching. When he was certain everyone was occupied, he pressed a couple of buttons. Alarms immediately sounded through the Aquabase. Joel felt panic enter him as he tried to correct his mistake by pressing the buttons again. Not working, Joel thought frantically as he tried to press the buttons again, this time in a backward sequence

A flash of blue to his left told him that someone caught him. He turned to see a glaring Dana Mitchell in his face. She glared at him for a couple more seconds and then reached over and pressed some buttons. All of a sudden, the alarms stopped sounding. Before Joel could respond, Dana grabbed his vest and pulled him forward.

"All right, all right! I'll be good," Joel protested as he was being pulled along. Dana turned back slightly to glance at him, and then she released her hold on him and walked ahead of Carter. They entered another door and were met by a man in in a black uniform with two stripes at his wrist.

Dana stopped near the door's enterance and Carter walked up past her and stopped. "Welcome to Lightspeed Aquabase," the man greeted them. "I'm Captain William Mitchell."

Carter now saw the chance to ask what this was all about, but before he could get the chance, Joel stopped him in his tracks and rushed forward. "What is this all about? You know, this is illegal--this is kidnapping!"

Captain Mitchell seemed slightly amused by the man's attitude. He shrugged. "I'm not forcing you to stay here. Actually, you're all free to go."

It was just the response Joel was waiting for. "See ya," Joel muttered and spun around to exit the room.

"That is, after you hear me out," Captain Mitchell added. Before Joel could reach the enterance, two other men in black suits held up their hands and stopped him from getting out. Joel groaned as Captain Mitchell smiled slightly. He gestured towards the seat around the table. "Please, take a seat," he offered.

Hesitantly, the four newcomers took a seat. Dana walked over to her father and stood at the far end of the table, awaiting further orders. Captain Mitchell walked in front of the four. "Three thousand years ago, evil was unleashed on the world. They brought disaster and evil and then one day, a sorcerer was able to entomb them in a faraway place and stop their reign of terror." He started pacing around the room. "But a couple of hours ago, nomads crossing the desert in the middle east accidentally unleashed them back into this world. Now they have come back here, to seek vengeance and reclaim their territory in hopes of ruling the world again.

"You have been chosen--a group of young, willing adults, each with your own special talents, to help us in stopping these monsters." As he spoke, Dana had come forward and laid the four dossiers on the table. She opened each one of them as her father spoke. "Lightspeed has developed weapons from techonology, that will help you in your quest to defeat the new evil that has arisen."

Kelsey raised her eyebrow, unbelievingly. "Let me get this straight. You made all of this, so that the four of us," she gestured to the four of them seated at the table, "can defeat a bunch of angry demons?"

Dana glanced at her father to watch his reaction. Captain Mitchell nodded. "Putting it mildly, yes," he replied.

Joel's patience was already running out. "I heard you out. . .and I think you're nuts," he said, rolling his eyes. He pushed back on his chair. "I'm out of here." He got up and was almost out the door when Carter suddenly called out, "Wait a sec."

Joel stopped in his tracks and turned around. "What?" he demanded.

Carter turned to Joel. "I saw something today."

Dana frowned. "What is it?" she asked, curious. Carter turned to look up at her. "At that burning apartment, there was something. . .something in the flames. . ." Carter thought back to the moment when he thought he had seen a monster. "It was--it was one of them, one of the monsters," he said, now certain of what he had seen earlier.

Dana turned to her father quickly. "Father--" she started but then stopped when alarms rang up. She quickly went to the monitoring screen, where a headset was. Her father had followed her to the screen and took the headset her daughter offered her. "What is it," Captain Mitchell demanded.

"The city's under attack, sir," the voice on the other end said.

"Bring it up on the monitor," Mitchell ordered. Suddenly, the screen was filled with images of buildings being blasted and people being trapped by the debris. Dana watched the horror and turned to the four people she had just brought in. She felt relief enter her when she saw the concerned expressions on their faces--even Joel's. She turned back to her father and nodded.

Captain Mitchell turned around to face the four, the silent question on his face. Carter was the first to stand up. "You can count me in, sir," he said, his face determined.

Kelsey stood up next. "Me too," she replied.

Chad also got up. "I want to help," he said.

Then it was silent for a moment. The three turned to Joel glanced at them uncertainly and then back at the screen. He straightened and said, "What do we do first?"

Captain Mitchell smiled at his daughter and then moved forward. He opened the briefcase on the table and faced its contents towards the four. "These are your rescue morphers," he informed them. "It's worn on your wrists."

Each took a morpher out of the case and placed it on their left wrists, as instructed. Dana watched the four with pride and looked down into the suitcase. She frowned when she noticed something. "Five?" she questioned her father.

Captain Mitchell smiled at his daughter. "You are the fifth," he said.

"Me?" Dana asked. When her father nodded, she gazed at him curiously. "For years, I've been training you," her father admitted. He revealed another dossier--one that Dana had not seen. In it was her own personal files and a picture of herself when she had first become a paramedic. "The position is yours--if, you want it."

Dana glanced down at the morpher. All those years. . .no wonder her father had insisted she take martial arts, training her to be a paramedic. . .Dana looked up at her father and the smiled. She took the fifth morpher and walked up to her new teammates, nodding at them encouragingly.

"Good," Captain Mitchell said. "We've got work to do."

"Right," Dana said and she faced the four other rangers. "Let's go, guys," she said. She turned around and ran towards the vehicle bay. On her way there, they passed by jackets hanging on their own racks. "These are your jackets," Dana said, gesturing to the jackets. "Grab one." When Dana herself followed her own instructions, they walked into the vehicle bay. A humvee was there waiting for them.

"Whoa," Kelsey breathed, looking the vehicle over.

Joel grinned. "Man, this is tight!" he exclaimed, running his hand along the vehicle.

Dana reached into her pocket and took out keys. "Carter," she called to the new leader. When Carter looked up, Dana passed him the keys. "You drive," she told him.

Carter caught the keys and nodded at her. They all got into the humvee and Dana gave the technicians a thumbs-up sign. They were lowered below, to a roadway. Carter drove on the roadway and saw that it led them from the Aquabase back into Mariner Bay. He drove only through a few streets before he saw the people trying to flee for their lives. Then he noticed it--the monster. He stopped the vehicle in its tracks and watched the monster's movements.Creatures that had weird heads were running around trying to hurt people.

Carter's eyes widened with surprised, as did the other rangers'. "Come on guys, let's help them," Carter said, giving the first order since becoming a ranger. "Right!" the other choroused. All, except Carter, got out, each running seperate ways to try and break up the attack.

Chad ran straight to the creatures who were attacking a mother and child. He jump-kicked the three who were surrounding them. When they landed on the ground, he motioned to the mother and child to go. "Get to safety!" he told them. The mother nodded and pulled her child along with her away from the horror. Chad turned back to the three creatures, who had suddenly gotten back on their feet. Chad jumped back as they attacked with weapons that appeared out of nowwhere. Suddenly, he was kicked from behind and landed on the ground.

Not too far away, Kelsey held up her hand to block an attack. She held up the other one to block another attack. They're everywhere, she thought frantically as she fought to keep up. Then she was knocked to the stairs behind her when two attacked at the same time. Kelsey grimaced when she hit the concrete. A gasp behind her made her turn around. She saw civilians standing there, frozen to the spot. "Come on, go! Now!" she yelled at them. Finally, they seemed to move. Kelsey turned back to the creatures who were still waiting for her to get up. She gritted her teeth and got back up.

Joel was having as much progress as Kelsey. He was not a skilled fighter, although he did have a couple of moves to show. But none of the moves was working, and he ended up landing flat on his back.

Dana kicked her way through some of the creatures, but wasn't being careful enough because soon two of the creatures had grabbed her arms, stopping her from moving. When she tried to break free, one kicked her in the stomach. Dana had to use all her strength just to stop from keeling over.

Carter had started the humvee again and was heading towards the monster in red. Just as he was a few feet away, the monster shot out beams that stopped Carter in his tracks. Carter whiplashed from the attack and was dizzy for a moment. When his vision cleared, the monster was right beside him. He had no time to react and the monster grabbed him on the shoulder and threw him outside of the vehicle.

Carter was thrown to a light pole, and he landed painfully on the ground. He grimaced as he looked up, trying to find the monster. Then he looked around for the other four rangers. They were nowhere to be seen. He slowly reached for the morpher on his wrist--and looked at it. There was a small button and he pressed it, hoping to get through to Captain Mitchell. "Sir, he's too strong for us," Carter said, keeping his eye on the monster as it moved away from him, satisified that Carter wasn't getting up to fight back.

"Rangers," came Mitchell's reply, "use your morphers."

Carter looked down at his morpher and nodded in response. The other four also understood the order and nodded. They ran away from their attackers for the moment and joined up with Carter, who had gotten up. "Hey you, with the hot temper," Carter called to the monster. When the monster turned around, Carter said, "You want to destroy the city? You've got to get through us first."

The monster smiled evilly. "Gladly," he said with no hesitation and moved towards the five.

"How are we exactly supposed to do this," Chad wondered as he raised his left arm.

"I saw one of the technicians demonstrate it once," Dana replied. She ran to the front of the formation the rangers had formed and clenched her fists. Then she brought her arms perpendicular to her chest, then brought out her arms so that her wrists were right over each other in an X-position, and then reached for her morpher, calling out, "Lightspeed Rescue!"

Carter watched as a flash of a pink sheild object thrust out from in front of her and slowly came back towards her. It's the same badge that was on Dana's left and right shoulder, he noticed as Dana was suddenly in the Pink Ranger's outfit. The Pink Ranger turned around to the others. "Try it out!" she encouraged them. Then she turned back to face the monster, in case it wanted to do anything while the others were trying to morph.

"Let's do this, guys," Carter said, trying to build encouragement in his team. The other three rangers nodded and followed his lead. They copied the move that Dana had just demonstrated and in separate flashes of light, they went through the morphing process.

Carter went through the morph first. A flash of red light shot out and burst out into the shape of the badge on his right and left arm. It was in a swirl of red and white and came forward towards him. Carter put his hands to the side and felt the object engulf him. When it passed him, he saw himself fully morphed in the Red Ranger's suit. A couple of seconds later, a visor shot down from his helmet, coving his face from view.

When they finished morphing, Chad held up his right arm and took a look at his new uniform. "Whoa, it actually worked!" he said increduously.

Kelsey had a more enthusiastic reaction to the morph. "This feels incredible!" she said, pumping her fists in the air.

"This is exactly what we need," Carter said. "Now, let's get to work!"

The rangers nodded. "Power Rangers, Rescue Ready," they responded together. The monster ran forward to charge them, but the team broke apart again. The pink, yellow, blue, and green rangers went off to finish their fights with the creatures with the bat-like faces, while the Red Ranger went to take on the monster himself.

Chad fought the creatures off with ease. With the new power morphing gave him, he felt confident in fighting the creatures. He downed four of them and looked around. The other rangers were doing much better than they did in the first encounter. Then Chad turned to Carter, who blasted the monster with his blaster, knocking the monster down.

"Let's help him," Dana called to Chad. Chad turned and saw that she was also watching their new leader. Chad nodded, and together they jumped in the air and landed next to Carter. Each took out their Rescue Blasters and fired it at the monster, again knocking him to the ground.

Kelsey and Joel ran up to the three and they watched the monster. When it looked like he was still going to fight, Carter called out, "Get your rescue blasters ready."

The monster started getting to his feet, slowly. Carter narrowed his eyes. "Ready?" The rangers took out the blasters located on their sides.

"Aim. . ."

"You haven't defeated me yet, Rangers," the monster growled at them.

"Fire!"

Five blasts shot out at the monster, and struck him down. With a groan of defeat, he fell back and blew up in a blaze of fire and energy.

"Lightspeed, power down," the rangers de-morphed. Just as quickly as they demorphed, civilians watching the fight rushed forward to congratulate the five heroes. They cheered and applauded for the five. Chad smiled, feeling comfort. It's almost like being at the park, he thought inwardly, except being an entertainer had a different outcome on the city than being a ranger. Then Chad's smile dropped when he noticed the hurt people lying not to far ahead of them. He nudged Carter and pointed to them. "What about those guys?" he asked.

Dana was already running to the hurt civilians. She bent down to check on a little boy who was hurt. She looked up briefly when she spotted firetrucks and ambulances pulling up and then looked back down. "Can you sit up?" she asked him.

The little boy shook his head. "My leg hurts," he said. Dana felt her heart swell for the little boy and she turned to the other rangers. "We've got to get these people to help," she yelled to them. Her teammates rushed forward without hesitation, and helped the firefighters and paramedics help the people to hospitals.

***

Just like out on the streets, the personnel of firefighters, paramedics, and police officers crowded around the five heroes as they walked into the Aquabase. All were modest about their victory--except for Joel, who was showing off to a couple of the young women crowding around. "Bring them on," he said confidently. "I'll show them the moves--" Suddenly he was stopped in his tracks as he bumped into Dana and Kelsey, who had also stopped in their tracks.

He looked forward and saw that Captain Mitchell was waiting for them, his face emotionless. "There is a time for celebration," he said, "but now isn't the time. You see now Diabolico knows you exists, and he'll be expecting you."

"But sir," Kelsey interrupted, "we just destroyed Diabolico." She turned to look at the other rangers uncertainly and turned back to the Captain. "Didn't we?"

Captain Mitchell shook his head. "No. That was just one of his many minions that he'll send after you. Think this battle was tough? Many of his monsters are even tougher."

Carter listened closely as their leader spoke. "You want to defeat him? You'll have to work harder," Captain Mitchell said. He turned to look at every personnel gathered. "We all do."

Dana nodded and went to the position of attention. She raised her right hand and saluted her father. The other personnel saw this moment and followed her. The other rangers glanced uncertainly at each other and followed pursuit.

"Dismissed!" Captain Mitchell called out and immediately, all the personnel dispersed and went off to their duties. Captain Mitchell nodded at the rangers and walked off.

Chad frowned in confusion. "Now what do we do," he asked. Dana turned to her four new teammates. "Well, as rangers, you'll all be staying here in the Aquabase."

"What?" Joel shrieked. "Stay here? Why the heck can't we stay in Mariner Bay in our own homes?" he demanded.

"It'll be easier when alerts come from the city if we're all together," Dana replied. "Now I know you all have lives, but they'll have to wait."

Carter nodded. He understood the reasoning. Then he remembered something--he couldn't believe it didn't come to mind until now. . ."Actually," he started and everyone turned to look at him, "I have someone at home."

"Wife?" Dana asked curtly. Carter almost frowned at her tone. It almost sounded like she was. . .jealous? No way, Carter thought. We had just met--why would Dana be jealous? Shaking his head, Carter said, "No, just a girlfriend. What's going to happen to her?"

Dana paused before saying, "No one will be allowed to stay here except for you four. It's rules," she said. In a more human tone, she added, "She'll have to stay at your house until you can get back."

Kelsey shrugged. "I've got nothing. I can just pack up and go," she replied easily. Dana smiled at her openess.

Joel had his eyes at the ceiling. "I guess I can put my flying career on hold--for now." Dana raised her eyebrow and then turned to the other two. "What about you guys? Do you need me to explain this to your employers?" she asked.

Chad and Carter shook their heads. Dana nodded. "All right. Let me show you to your quarters, and then you guys can get your things from aboveground and get settled in." She turned around and led the way to the quarters.

"Think we can do this?" Kelsey suddenly asked. "I mean, be rangers?"

Carter nodded confidentally. "I'm sure we can," he said. Dana turned around to face the four. "We can do it--we just need to stay as a team," she said. The other four looked at each other and then nodded. Dana smiled briefly at them, and then turned around and started walking again. We have to win, she thought silently.

Author's notes: You like? I know, it's way similar to the actual episode, but I added some moments in that'll make a difference to the rest of the series.
I might skip over some episodes, I might write them in. It all depends on how this plays out.
Please R&R guys--it'll let me know if I should keep going or not. I'd love to keep going though, and I most likely will. Should I make a "next time on. . ." deal? Let me know. Next episode is the introduction of the zords--with a bit of a twist, of course.