Prologue: In Ashes

Dust chocked the air, making it hard to breath. Sunlight hazed through the floating dirt. And there, barely a shadow, but something so much more, was it.

The creature.

The savior.

A massive, robotic being that towered over the decimated town.

Tommy Oliver blinked up at the massive thing. It stood so still, he could almost imagine it were an immovable object rather than the war machine he's seen it be moment before.

The illusion was shattered when the titan shifted. Its head turned, looking over the growing crowd around it. The creature shifted its weight, and Tommy could almost imagine it looking confused. Or maybe overwhelmed. As if the hoard of people gawking up at it were something completely bizarre and alien to it.

And then it started dancing.

Not that Tommy could really call it dancing, but the movements it was making, what other name was there? Like some strange victory ritual, the mech rolled its hips in a parody of dance.

Then it stopped just as suddenly. Frozen for a moment, as if thinking to itself. Then the creature knelt before the massive crater it had risen from. With one long (so long) arm, it reached down into the hole. From it, the mech slowly pulled out a glowing green mass of crystals.

It cradled the crystals carefully against its chest, then turned and made it way out of the destroyed city. The tremble in the ground slowly faded as it left.

Then, there was silence.

That silence was slowly broken as the people of Angel Grove began to move, like coming out of a dream.

Tommy gasped a lungful of air, not realizing he'd been holding his breath. His hands were shaking. Really, his whole body was shaking. His legs felt like jelly, his chest full of rocks.

Fear perhaps, or excitement, he really didn't know.

Slowly, he began to move. Like a statue, coming back to life for its nightly stroll, he moved stiff limbs and began wandering aimlessly like so many other people.

A glint of green drew his attention, finally breaking through the haze Tommy found wrapping around his senses.

He knelt to get a closer look. Brushing away debris, a dirt covered stone was revealed. Carefully, with a reverence unusually but oddly called for, Tommy picked up the stone. Brushing away the dirt and grime with his thumb, the brilliant green of the stone was revealed. Its faceted surface reflected the sunlight in a way that reminded Tommy of… oh god.

He dropped the stone as if it burned him.

It was like that woman, the one who controlled the monsters, the one with the green armor and golden staff and-

shhhhh

Tommy's thoughts trailed off, a sudden calm overcoming his panic. It was just a rock, after all. It couldn't hurt him. Just a green rock, what were the odds it was in any way related to the woman and the horror that happened just minutes before?

(very good)

(it's fine)

Tommy picked up the stone once more. It felt smooth and warm in his hands. Felt… right almost, like it fit there. It wasn't evil. It was comforting.

A comfort like he remembered dimly from his mother, years ago before…

Tommy breathed deep through his nose. He was okay. Everything was okay. Movement pulled his attention from the stone (coin) and back to reality. People were coming.

Tommy jumped to his feet and hid the coin safely in his jean pocket.

It had to be protected.

What from, he didn't know.

But he knew it was important. Very, very important.

Tommy ran all the way home. Through the busted streets and collapsed houses he ran.

Angel Grove might have been a beautiful place, fifty years ago. With the ocean on one side and a range of mountains on the other, the lands was beautiful. But the economy had hit hard, a hurricane even harder. The seaside town never recovered.

From one ratty, rundown neighborhood to the next he ran, until he came to the rattiest and most rundown.

He ran through the old, familiar streets, now littered with debris and dazed people.

Right to the front door of a house whose white paint looked more grey than anything else and windows cracked and grimy.

He reached into his pocket and brought out a ring of keys. Choosing one on feel rather than sight (hundreds of times used, thousands) he put it in the lock and turned. The old door opened with a groan and he pushed his way inside, letting the old wood close behind him.

The wallpaper inside was peeling, the furniture old and discount bought. But it was home, the only one he could remember. The building held so many memories, some good, most not so much.

Tommy walked through the small entry, past the kitchen, the living room, his mother's bedroom, till he came to the last in the line.

The door was just as cracked and old as the rest, but behind it was his favorite place. The only place he ever felt safe.

Opening that door and stepping into that room, Tommy felt his shoulders relax, his breath come easier. The tension from the day left him. He let himself collapse onto his desk chair. It made a squeak of protest against his (rather slight) weight, but it was weak and halfhearted. The chair was easily as old as he was.

From his pocket, Tommy took out the coin. Carefully he placed it on his wooden desk (unstable, one leg shorted and held up by books). It sat there on the smooth wood, worn with age and hands, almost glowing in the evening light.

"What are you?" Tommy muttered to himself. He (carefully) pushed the coin aside. From a drawer, he pulled a lined notebook. He flipped past pages of math homework to a new sheet. Grabbed a pencil, and set it down on the page.

He began to draw. Tommy was by no means an artist. He could get by with something semi-realistic, but it was in no way a talent.

But he wanted to remember what he was today.

Needed to.

He drew out the golden monster. The five machines, and the massive one they formed together. The brightly colored warriors, armor so different than anything he'd ever seen before.

He paused for a moment, tugged on his tee-shirt and the fabric beneath in annoyance, before continuing the sketches.

So engrossed he was in the drawings, he didn't notice the sound of the front door opening. He only realized his mother was home until she called his name. His hated name.

"Trish?! Are you here?"

Tommy froze, pencil hovering over the unfinished sketch of one of the rock creatures. He swore under his breath, tossed the notebook to the desk and raced towards his closet. Jerked the door open, and searched through the piles of cloths for one specific thing. Tommy grabbed the sports bra, struggled out of the tee-shirt and the binder beneath, then wrestled the bra on.

He'd barely tugged on a tank top when his bedroom door opened and his mother stepped through.

"Trish, there you are. Why didn't you answer me?"

Tommy shrugged, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other. "Sorry mom. Just, got distracted I guess." He said gesturing towards the desk and the notebook.

His mom picked it up, flipping through the pages. "These are really good." She muttered.

Tommy felt the tiniest bit of pride swell in him.

His mom glanced up. "Are… are these the things that were downtown?" She asked (hesitant).

"Y-yeah. I, uh, I wanted to draw them, so I could remember what they looked like. I mean, we'll probably never see then again, right?" (liar)

His mom nodded. "Hopefully."

She set the book back down on the desk. Her eyes wandered, landing on the coin. Tommy's breath caught. "What's this?"

"It's nothing!" He said, darting forward and snatching the coin up. "S-sorry, it's just something I found earlier. I, uh, it's kinda fragile."

His mom looked at him oddly, but let it drop.

She stepped away, took a seat on his (plain, so plain) bed. "So, you were downtown then? When it happened I mean?"

Tommy shifted, awkward, before taking a seat in his desk chair. "Yeah, I was, uh, just handing out when that, that thing appeared."

"Well, I'm just glad you're alright." She smiled, trying to be comforting (how can you be comforting, when you deny him like this?).

"Yeah, me too."

She glanced at the notebook again. "So, you saw them? The creatures I mean?"

Of course his mom wouldn't be there. Her work was on the other side of town. He was surprised she got back home as fast as she did. She must have been really worried (that's a first).

"Yeah, I saw it. I was pretty close too." At her concerned look, he quickly amended. "Not too close though. Just enough to see them pretty good, ya know?'

She didn't look convinced, but didn't press. "What do you think they are?" She asked trying to start conversation. (oh, now she's trying to bond).

"I honestly don't know." He answered, shrugging.

"Everyone's talking about it. There's news reporters everywhere. I heard the government is sending in people. And the Red Cross is coming, or something like that."

Tommy shifted in his seat. "I really don't know what to think. It was just, like, two monster fighting for some reason. But they weren't the big one at first. Um, there were five, and then they just… joined up or something."

His mom's gaze wandered off, before landing on him again. "I'm really glad you're safe, Trish." She repeated.

Tommy hid a wince at the name, but offered a small smile anyway. "I'm glad you're safe too." His grin turned a bit teasing. "I mean, who's gonna pay the bills if you're gone?"

His mom laughed, mock punching his shoulder. Like old times, before everything got so complicated.

Her smile faded, then came back, strained, fake. "I gotta go. Make dinner and all that." She stood from his bed, gave him a quick hug, then left the room, leaving the door open a crack.

Tommy pushed the desk chair towards it, the old wheels squeaking on the worn hard wood. He pushed the door closed, his expression neutral, devoid.

That was the best talk he'd had with him mom in years. A talk that didn't end in yelling and tears and broken things.

Tommy leaned back in the chair, sighing through his nose. His eyes closed, a moment of darkness, before opening again. They turned to the coin in his hand, held so carefully.

He didn't know why he held it in such reverence. He just knew it was important.

Some small part of him wondered if it was a bad thing. It was squashed down by his curiosity and that nagging desire to protect it.

"What are you?" Tommy asked again. The coin lit up just the slightest.

It looked like it was laughing at him.

He knew, in that moment, things would never be the same.

A.N.

Okay, I got this little idea for a trans Tommy from something the cast said. Basically, they want the Green Ranger to be a girl. Three boys, three girls, that kinda thing.

I'm kinda on board with the idea, but then I came up with this little idea. Movies really need to show more trans individuals, and more sexual and gender orientations in general. We don't get enough representation.

I really, really love that Billy is autistic, and Trini is queer. They're really breaking boundaries, a lot more than Beauty and the Beast.

So, my personal head cannon is that Trini is questioning her sexual orientation, but decided that she's bi.

Tommy is female to male trans, and attracted to girls. (I'm actually thinking of a Trini/Tommy ship, though I'm not entirely sure on that yet.) I am very much open to advice on how to build his character, especially if any of you are trans yourself.

Story wise, I'm trying to build my own universe with its own lore. I'm of course taking from the original show, but it's been years since I've watched it, so a lot of what I use will be coming from the website and Wikipedia. I have a feeling this version of Tommy will be a bit different than other version, but I'm really going to try and stay true to the character. Again, any advice on how to write him (or any of them really) is greatly appreciated.

Chapter one will hopefully be coming out soon, maybe several days soon, I'm not sure yet. Keep tuned in for it.

Well, I guess all I can say is please review. You know you wanna. 😉