Author Note: I do not own any of the characters involved in this story. Disney owns the Power Rangers, but they shouldn't because they won't release it on DVD. Any characters that seem new are new, and I do own them. Anything that is like another story you've read is purely coincidental. Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for any reviews and the like.
Centuries ago, after a lengthy battle against the United
Alliance Of Evil, a legendary interdimensional being known as Zordon
was lured and trapped in a time warp. With Zordon no longer being tied
to the physical world and the war over, he came to the city of Angel
Grove, to establish a command center in the event that the evil were to
be let into the world once more.
With the aid of his trusted assistant, Alpha 5, the noble master sought
out five extraordinary teenagers when the evil resurfaced, and gave
them the power to transform into a superhuman fighting force. For a
short time, the five fought off the hordes of evil, until a new evil came
in the form of one of their own. After nearly losing everything, the
prophecy was fulfilled, and the six teenagers made a nearly
unbeatable team. But soon, the evil would strip the powers of the
sixth, leaving the team to cope with their loss.
In time of great need, the young heroes could use their powers to call
upon colossal assault vehicals known as Zords. Together, their Zords
would defeat the evil. After having the sixth come back and lose his
powers for good at the hands of a newer, more powerful evil, coupled
with the loss of three of the teenagers, three new teenagers were
chosen to replace them, and the former who had lost his powers came
back with new, more astounding powers than before. But before long,
the teenagers lost everything again, and were in need of help.
Setting out to find the new, great power, the teenagers endured many
hardships as they became one with their new spirits, the power now
back in their hands. With the departure of one more teenager and a
new replacement, the power seemed intact for good. But unfortunatly,
the teenagers were reverted back to their childhoods, and set out to
find a new power to replace their old ones, which were once again
destroyed. Upon finding the new power and returning to their teenage
states, tragedy struck once more, as the command center exploded,
the teenagers at a safe distance away, while Alpha and Zordon
remained. While Zordon and Alpha were alive in the new chamber
below the ruins of the old command center and their new powers lived
on, the memory of their origins remained forever embedded in their
minds.
Many years later, after the first generation of teenagers had moved on
with their collective lives, new teenagers with new powers had taken
over the duty of protecting the universe, even without Zordon's help,
as he was captured by the evil forces and held prisoner against his will.
After much searching, the new teenagers found Zordon located in
space, and sought out to find him. But as they tried to do so, a huge
war broke out amongst all the good and evil forces all over the
planets. After the evil had nearly taken over the universe, the leader of
the new teenagers had no choice but to obey Zordon's orders; shatter
his energy tube, thus killing him. By doing so, the good energy from
his tube effectively killed all the evil in this universe, and purified those
evil spirits that had been human before, back to their human states.
The evil had been defeated once and for all. Or so originally thought.
Many years after the events of Zordon's death, Angel Grove is still
recovering from everything that ravaged the city over the course of all
those battles. But now, something terrible has gone wrong, and evil
has managed to resurface in Angel Grove all over again.
The identity of the teenagers has forever remained a
guarded secret. Today, that tradition continues on...
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Angel Grove, California. Present Time.
It's an unusually quiet day in the suburbs of Angel Grove. Perhaps it's because the weather is getting hotter, and all the beach bums are making a rush for the ocean and sand. Kids are out on the streets playing whiffle ball, kickball, hopscotch, four squares, freeze tag, the works, while the ice cream truck would come by every hour and a half to replenish the kids energy while they played away. Other than that though, everything was a thing of silence, peace and serenity. As we venture to one of the near deserted streets, Anderson Drive, the array and variety of houses is stunning in comparison to those on other streets in the area. All of the houses look well furnished, well polished, as if some bigwig was living in them. And while they all looked like they were of importance, the one that stood out of them all was the house numbered 280.
The house was rather mansion-like on the outside in terms of appearance. It had big, swinging metal gates at the front of the driveway, with a fountain in front, two gargoyles spouting water out of their mouths. The front lawn was the size of two football fields, and the house itself was the size of most sky scrapers. Venturing inside, however, it hardly gave off the impression it's outside did. Everything is as normal as can be inside. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy, nothing that screamed "arrogant rich boy", unless you consider the fact that the entire place was spotlessly clean. But you wouldn't know that it belonged to someone famous until you walked downstairs, where the real fun lied.
Everywhere you looked, all that could be seen was test tubes, beakers, racks, weird-looking chemicals, plastic goggles, large books, trays, all of it in relation to the fine art of science. And in the middle of it all stood a man with the ability to change it all. In his mind, the man had the will-power to make major economic changes with the snap of a finger. And that, he thought, was much, much better than what he used to do for a living.
In the middle of it all was the man known as Ed Tillman, a man with one of the best scientific minds this side of Einstein, if not better. And while Ed loved what he was doing, he still couldn't shake the feeling of what he had done in his previous years. The metallic silver staff he kept in a glass display case, tucked away in the corner of his lab, reminded him of what he once was, but not by choice. But Ed did his best to ignore it. Besides...
He was saving the world.
Ed Tillman: Now if I take this chemical over here and mix it together with this compound, I may be able to quicken the solution and make it more effective...Ah ha! This may be the one that I was looking for earlier! What was I thinking? Perhaps I wasn't thinking conciously at all, perhaps I was thinking in an unconcious state! Who knows! All I know is that this work is going to benefit the greater good! I love it!
As Ed continued to work on whatever it was he was working on, he made his way over to the refridgerator he had down in his lab, over to grab some dry ice. But as he reaches into the freezer to grab the ice, he comes across the staff in the case, staring at it with a tinge of disbelief in his eyes. He also happened to glance over two rather large jars that he kept next to the staff, one jar painted a shiny gold color, the other painted half skeleton white, half camoflauge. Ed blinked as the memories came back to him like a tidal wave out in the ocean located a few blocks away from his house. Sighing deeply, Ed shook his head as he bit his lip and looked down at his feet.
Ed Tillman: Oh, how I do sort of miss those days, living way up there, being who I was and being married to the only woman who ever understood me. And come to think of it, I do somewhat miss those two idiots constantly being at my beck and call. If I told them to jump off of a cliff without teleporting back to the Chamber of Command near the end of the fall, they would have done it. Those days, while a distant memory and something I'd like to not remember...they sure had their fun moments. It's a good thing I managed to find the staff and their ashes...just for "safe keeping." Lord knows what would happen if these artifacts fell into the wrong hands...
Angel Grove, California. City Limits. Present Time.
The sun is beating down on the outskirts of Angel Grove. The sand is filtering through the air, tumbleweeds are seen rolling along, and the air is hot. It looks like a normal desert on the outskirts of Angel Grove...but then again, knowing all of the history that lies at the feet of Angel Grove...nothing is normal. And then it happens.
A light in the sky appears, like a comet or a shooting star. It appears to be hurtling towards the desert, and it is. Suddenly, like an unknown grenade, the meteor-like object crashes into the ground, materializing on the sandy ground. But contrary to what was originally thought, this is no mere meteor. It's no mere space rock. It's a robot.
It's head is gold, shaped like an inflated hockey puck. His visor consists of red lights that blink when he would speak. His body is of metal and hard plastic components with gold shoulder pads, a red torso with a inverted lightning bolt symbol that would constantly be lighting up, along with many knobs and buttons that must of had some relation to it's internal systems. A disc drive can be seen on the back of the robot, and the rest of it's body, the legs and feet, are made up of gold, blue and red metal. As the robot stood up and gathered itself, it spoke out in the voice reminiscent of a five year old child.
This lost little robot was home.
Alpha 5: Aye-yi-yi-yi-yi! What a trip! I haven't traveled that fast in almost a millenia! Whatever though, it sure beats normal space travel...
Alpha 5, the robot and faithful assistant to the legendary wizard and interdimensional being, Zordon of Eltar, was back where he came so many years ago. Angel Grove. The ground he stood on was considered his second home, his first being the planet Edenoi, where he was created and constructed by King Lexian and his assistants. But ever since Zordon had taken him in as a little robot and subsequently moved to Earth to set up their operations, Alpha always had a soft spot for Angel Grove in his neurons. As Alpha walked around the mountain top, he looked a bit confused as to where he landed.
Alpha 5: Hmm...this should be the exact same spot where it once stood...ah ha! I think I've got it! This patch of sand and gravel...the patterns look like they used to! Now if I could just find where the outer south wall once stood...
Alpha walks around the sand patch, reaching out with his hands as if he was trying to grab something out of the air. After walking around in an oval for a few minutes, his head bumped into something hard, but nothing was there. Just air, more sand and a few rocks here and there. But Alpha knew he was onto something.
Alpha 5: Yes! I knew I still had it under the cloaking device I put in place during the huge war between Astronema and the Space Rangers...I just knew that it hadn't been touched since the last time I was here! And now, to uncloak it...
Alpha then steps a few feet back and snaps his fingers, a tracking device of sorts materializing into his glove. Alpha, with the glee of a thousand robots, clicked the large button in the middle of the device, and suddenly, the ground began to shake around him. Normally, the seismic rumblings going on right now would cause the citizens of Angel Grove to think that an earthquake is happening. That or some giant, 230 foot high monster was attacking the city again. But that wasn't the case this time. As the ground shook and rattled, Alpha stood in awe at what stood before him, even though he was the one that rebuilt it in the first place. The sight of the completed project was just a thing of beauty. Finally, the ground stopped shaking and whatever it was that was being uncloaked was finally revealed. Alpha couldn't of been more proud.
What stood before him was something thought to be long forgotten.
What stood before him was the Command Center.
Alpha 5: Well, time to go back to work...
Back to work indeed, Alpha.
280 Anderson Drive. Five minutes later.
Ed Tillman: Enough of dwelling on the past. I'm better than that! Besides, this new creation will benefit so many people, I might finally win that elusive Nobel Peace Prize! After getting rid of most pollution and cutting back on the death of the ozone layer, I'll be even more famous than I already am! And now, I must test this serum here to see if the counter-active particles in the concoction will function properly...
Ed then takes a beaker filled with some funky looking purple liquid and pours it into a sink filled with weird plants and vegetables. As he does so, the vegetables and plants look to be growing more and more healthy, rather than deteriorate like they used to whenever he tried this out. A smile creeps across Ed's lips as he watches them grow and prosper before his very eyes. As he goes to rinse out the beaker and dry it, he makes eye contact with the staff and the two jars. He stares at them for a few good moments before shaking his head and focussing on the task at hand. But after a few more moments of cleaning, he finds himself looking back at the objects that best define his past life. He can't get his eyes off of them.
Ed Tillman: I do wonder what it would be like to relive all of that. The power, the force, the woman of my dreams, and all the minions I could ever think of having work for me. It'd be a ride, that's for sure. I wonder if those two would be able to adapt to the new century and all, being that they've been in that state for so many years...I wonder if they'd be of any use to me. Who knows. But as much as I'd like to go back down that path, even for a little bit, I promised myself that I would never. But as for those two...I could use some help around here...why not.
Ed then places everything in his hands down on the table and walks over towards the corner in his laboratory, siezing the two jars in his hands and walking over towards an empty work bench and dropping the jars onto the table, opening them and looking inside at the ashes of what remains from his past. Snapping a pair of rubber gloves on and sliding some goggles over his eyes, Ed looks like he's ready to go to work.
Ed Tillman: If I do what I plan on doing, then it's gonna take quite a bit of time...I best get to work so that I can have these two back to life and helping me by the end of the week!
Ed then picks up a pair of tongs, some dry ice and an unknown liquid, and dives head first into his work.
Five hours later...
It's now the late afternoon, around 7:15 pacific time. After working nonstop for five hours straight, Ed finally puts down his goggles and takes his gloves off, staring at what lies in front of him on his work bench; two vials with a purple-ish violet colored liquid in them, and the two opened jars of ashes. Ed smiles devilishly as he takes a minute to catch his breath and admire his work.
Ed Tillman: I am the master of sciences! With this piece of work that rest before me, not only will it bring those two bumbling idiots back to life, but after being brought back into the realm of the living, those two will slowly begin to lose their less-than-favorable features...and they will become human, just like I am right now! And now, I must begin the...preperations...
Before Ed can begin the final part in his plan to bring his sidekicks back to life, he catches another longing glimpse of the metallic silver staff resting in it's glass display case, where the jars once rested. He stares at it as if he's expecting it to grow legs and arms and walk over to him. It's power is dead, but he just wonders what it would be like to be able to wield it once more. He looks down at the jars and sighs. He was being a bad boy today.
Ed Tillman: You know, now that I really think about it...I do really imagine what it'd be like to go through the metamorphosis once more. To feel my veins be filtered with powerful energies. To feel alive. Oh my, I'm being a bad little mad scientist today..I swear, I'll make a temporary potion, and the change will only last a few hours, I promise that to myself...Here we go, boys! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!
Once more, Ed begins to dive head first into his work, but this time, the work would be far more tragic and would end up with a result that would be catastrophic. But Ed wasn't able to tell the future. He was just too concerned with wanting to feel the rush of energy flow through his blood stream like a river. He didn't care about the repercussions.
He just wanted to feel alive again.
Five hours later...
cAfter working nonstop for another five hours straight, Ed wipes away some of the sweat on his forehead, peeking out at the night skies, the stars illuminating the pitch black ceiling, the moon far off in the distance. It was about midnight, so it was the dawn of a new day, so to speak. As Ed takes a deep breath, he picks up a few liquids in separate vials (not knowing that he picked up one that doesn't belong anywhere near the potion he intends to drink), and looks at them through loving, crazed eyes.
Ed Tillman: Boys, this is it. Just a few drops of each of you into the potion, let it settle for a minute or two, and then I'll be back to what I once was for a few hours. Hoo boy, this is going to be great!
As Ed begins to drop the liquids into the potion he is to drink, suddenly, out of nowhere, a small earthquake-like tremor shakes the foundation of everything on the ground, and Ed, not knowing what to do, tries to prevent the potion from falling onto the ground.
But he accidentally drops the one liquid into the potion that doesn't belong. Instead of being blue (which was good), the potion turned as black as the skies outside (which was bad). Something was about to happen. And it wasn't going to be anything that Ed expected it to be.
Ed Tillman: Hmm, that's rather odd, if I do say so myself. I don't think that the potion was supposed to be colored black. If anything, I thought it was supposed to be colored blue. Hm. And now the lightning, thunder and rain. Must be some indifferent weather patterns coming our way. Oh well, it won't bother me, I'll be doing something I shouldn't...I really am a bad little mad scientist, aren't I? Well...
Ed takes a quick glance at the two open jars and lifts the vial containing the potion into the air, as if it were a wine glass and he was giving a toast. He smiles as he puts the vial to his lips.
Ed Tillman: Here's to you, boys...
As the thunder and lightning continue to crash and illuminate the skies, and as the rain continues to pour down like tears from heaven, Ed takes a deep breath, and then knocks back the potion in one fell swoop. At first, nothing seemed to happen, which brought a frown to Ed's face. But suddenly, he felt a kick in his abdomen, as the potion made it's way down his esophagus and into his stomach walls. Something wasn't feeling right, Ed thought to himself. But for the time being, everything was still okay.
And then he felt his arms go numb. Wondering what the hell was happening, Ed tried reaching for the reversion potion, but his limp arms wouldn't respond to his mind and they just sat there as he frantically tried to reach for it. He felt a tingling go up his spine and into his head, and then he knew something wasn't right for sure. He felt his body spaz uncontrollably, as if he was going into an epileptic fit of sorts, a massive seizure.
As his body does this, Ed desperatly tries once more to reach for the reversion potion, but finally, his body stopped fighting the feeling that was coming on, and he collapsed and fell into an unconcious state, blood trickling out of his mouth, his eyes wide open and glazed over like a donut. Thunder and lightning continued to crash and thrash outside in Angel Grove. And for good reason.
The dark lord of all evil was back.
280 Anderson Drive. The next day.
The sun was beginning to rise over Angel Grove, California. Birds were chirping, families were beginning to make their morning commute to work, and kids were talking about the latest episode of South Park, or some other crazy animated show that was on television last night. On the surface, nothing seemed to be wrong in this part of Angel Grove. But that was just the surface. Beneath it, something was grumbling.
And it sure was hungry.
Ed Tillman: Auuurghhh, auuu...ughh...what...what happened to me...Auuuruugh...I feel so...different...like some sort of...energy is...filtering throughout my entire...body...auuuu...ohhhhhh...I need to...see if...anything has...happened...
Struggling to gain balance, Ed crawls across the floor and reaches up with his right hand, trying to find something to grab hold of. After searching for a few seconds, he manages to get a grip on the edge of one of his work benches. Mustering up any strength left within his body, he drags himself to his knees, where he's able to (with great struggle) get to his feet, shaking his head. Immidiately, he realizes that something is up. Normally he'd be able to feel his hair wave back and forth a little when shaking his head. He felt no such thing. And his voice sounded deeper, not to mention his breaths seemed effortless almost. His mouth and jaw felt nearly nonexistant, as if it were replaced by some steel plating instead. He felt powerful, first and foremost though. As Ed reached up to touch his hair, he felt no hair follicles. Instead, he felt something mushy, something that he was able to poke and squish with his finger. He felt a hot liquid run down his finger as he did so, and he quickly retracted his finger. Stumbling towards the mirror he had down in the lab, his eyes could have widened if he even had eyes anymore. He let out a deep bellowed scream.
His hair had been replaced by his bare brain. There was a silver, metal plated crown of sorts with a faceplate covering his face. His eyes were replaced with a crimson-tinted visor, and his mouth and jaw had been replaced with said steel plate. In the middle of the crown was a raised bar of sorts, a 'Z' at the very top of it. His entire body was muscular in the sense that he looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Metal plating surrounded his body, keeping the bare muscles intact and from falling apart. His hands were covered with the steel plating, his fingers the only part of them that weren't covered with it, but his fingertips were encased in a hard steel shell. Gone were his feet, replaced with steel and more muscle. Tubes, obviously representing his veins, surrounded the steel and pumped toxins into his system. Ed looked on in utmost horror at what he had become again.
No longer was he Ed Tillman, world renouned scientist.
He was now something that he wanted to forget about.
He was the emperor of all evil once more.
Lord Zedd...was back.
Ed Tillman: Oh, God...how...how did this...I feel so...wrong...I shouldn't...I can't...the reversion potion! I need to drink it! I can't stand feeling like this! This is horrible! I don't want this anymore! No!
His fear heightened with each deep breath taken, Ed spins around to begin his frantic search for the reversion potion to turn himself back to who he is, Ed Tillman. Noticing the orange liquid sitting by itself in one of the vials, he lunged forward for it, grabbed it with his cold, metal plated hand and nearly crushed the vial with the force of his grip. Knocking his head back and splashing the orange liquid over his visor and breathing vent, Ed had hoped to feel a reaction just as quickly as he did last night when the change originally occurred. But after downing the entire thing and waiting a good minute or two, Ed felt nothing but the same. He felt toxins and poisons filtering throughout him. But he felt no good going through his tubes. He felt no noteworthy change. He just felt status quo. And he felt another thing.
He felt like he was losing control. Part of him, however small it was, was fighting the change. But he was losing the fight. The toxins and poisons were rapidly filtering through the tubes and into his body. He was losing his grip on his sense of truthfulness and goodness within him...and it was quickly changing to that of indecency and pure evil.
And the sick thing of it all...he was beginning to like it.
Ed Tillman: No...no...it can't be...not like this! That tremor last night, I think I remember! Something must...have been dropped in the potion, something that...didn't belong...This...no...it's gaining control...I can feel it! I can't...no! No! It's stopping me! It's taking over my thoughts and my controls! No, I can't...can't let...take...control...
Ed then fell to his knees, his breaths deep, pounding his fists on the floor, his head buried in his hands. And instead of wondering what was happening to him and screaming...he began to chuckle. Sadistically. After chuckling like that for a few moments, the last remnants of Ed Tillman were wiped away when the orange liquid, the reversion potion, was seen leaking out of the holes in his breathing vent. The chuckling stopped. Now it was a full blown evil laughter.
The silver staff exploded out of the case it had been closed in, and gravitated towards Ed's outstretched hand. It glowed a blue hue, with white bolts of electricity slithering up and down the staff, illuminating the giant 'Z' on the top of it.
Ed Tillman was gone forever.
Lord Zedd, emperor of all evil...was here to stay.
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
London, England. Present Time. One Day After Resurrection.
There was a fair amount of fog today in London, but that was the norm as far as the residents in Oakwell Court went. Oakwell Court was a nice little community with people who generally seemed happy about life and what it threw at them. They always had smiles on their faces, always seemed to be in good spirits, and were always willing to lend a helping hand to those in the court whenever necessary. The same could be said about the first person we are focussing on here. For a female, she was rather tall, taller than most of the women she met and knew. Her long blonde hair, put together in a pony tail underneath her black fedora hat, swayed back and forth as the heels on her boots clicked on the cobblestone pathway towards her apartment. This woman's body emotions showed that of a woman who was just looking forward to getting back home and seeing the man and friends that she loved. But for now, this would do, getting to see London in person. As she began to untie the knot on her jacket, she checked her mailbox for any letters from her fiance back in the States, or anything else such as bills, etc. Nope, nothing today. Digging into her purse, the woman grabs her house key and sticks it into the keyhole, twisting the key to open the door, gently pushing it open as she steps inside and slowly closes it behind her.
Putting her purse down on her bed as she walked in, the woman also put her coat on a nearby chair. Sighing as she slumped down on the edge of the bed, this woman's day had been a busy affair.
Not that it was anything different to one Katherine Hilliard. She was quite used to being busy all of the time.
Katherine Hilliard: Oh my, what a day it was indeed. The sights here never get old. Ah, time to just rest up and begin packing for my trip home in two days. Tomorrow's the last day I have to admire everything before it's back to the sunny skies of California.
Kat's thick, heavy Australian accent was one of the things that made her all the more attractive and interesting to her friends and her fiance, not to mention that she was an easy going, calm woman as opposed to her predecessor. Ahh, her predecessor. She had fond memories of that gal.
Katherine Hilliard: Sure has been a long time since any of us have kept in touch with her. Wonder how she's doing. Wonder how my man's doing with the other guys back at the dojo. Whoo, I'm just glad to be back and being able to lie down on the bed here, today was extremely draining. Wait a tic, what's this here?
Sitting upright at the sight of something peculiar, Kat lifts herself off the bed, eyes fixated on something taped to the freezer door of the refridgerator. It was a coffee colored note with her name typed out in the middle in block lettering. Grabbing it off the door and opening it, Kat begins to read aloud the contents of the note.
Katherine Hilliard: "Dear Ms. Hilliard. Your presence is sincerely requested, along with your group of close friends, inside of the Angel Grove High School gymnasium and auditorium on June 22nd at 8:00 PCT, sharp. Tell nobody but your friends about this. Thank you for your compliance."
"What's this all about?", thought Kat. She hadn't seen this note when she first walked into the room, she was sure of it. But after a moment of letting it settle in, she thought to herself and then came to a conclusion, a grin emerging across her lips as she places the note on the table and begins to speak to...someone within her mind?
Katherine Hilliard: "Very cute, mate. I take it you and your two buddies are the reason I'm in possesion of this note, huh?"
Kat heard nothing but laughter from within her mind, but it wasn't her girlish giggle that we were used to hearing. It sounded deep and bellowing, like a man's laughter. She couldn't help but giggle a little bit as she listened to the man's hearty laugh echo within her mind, as she closes off the telepathic link to him and looked at the note once more, another smile on her lips as she rummaged through the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water, opening it and sipping it as she sat back down on the bed, lying flat on her back, holding the note up in the air as she scanned it.
Katherine Hilliard: Nope, it was them. It's harmless nature leads me to believe that this isn't any joke of any sort, and that it's serious. He probably got a good kick out of that, spooking me a bit with this note. Well mate, it takes a lot to spook me, considering what I've been through. But I wouldn't miss this for the world...whatever it is.
As Kat put the note down on a nearby dresser, she looked out the window at the skies, the sun bowing down behind the foggy clouds, it's pinkish rays causing specks of gold shadows to form on the floor. The grin on her face had dissapeared when she saw the pink in the skies. She was catching herself thinking of her old, old friend and their pasts together. A tiny teardrop forming on her eyelid, she wiped it away as she turned her attention to the ceiling, speaking to herself aloud as she stared at it.
Katherine Hilliard: I just hope that she's doing alright, where ever she is. It'd be nice to see her along with everyone else at this thing, if that's what the note is implying. Lord knows that you know who would love to be in the same room as her again. It's been quite a while and he's still taking it pretty hard. Hmm, oh well...I guess we'll just have to wait and see, now won't we, Kitty Kat?
She managed a simple smirk at calling herself by the nickname given to her by her fiance back home. Standing upright once more and grabbing the remote control to the TV, she flicked on the telly to catch up on the current events, her mind wavering only to think about this meeting on the 22nd of June.
"I wonder what it's all about?"
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Planet Of Aquitar. Present Time. Two Days After Resurrection.
The planet of Aquitar was rather silent these days. No major threats to the planet and the people inhibiting it had emerged, and any threat that did emerge was rather small and taken care of easily. The primarily water-based planet was easy going and the same way it had been for years on end. As the watery sun began to fade into the night, we see a beautiful three story house out in the middle of the plains here in Aquitar. Painted a pale shade of blue to match the planet's primary color, a light could be seen from the inside of one of the windows. Peeking inside, we see a beautiful female Aquitian, her short brown hair tucked behind her pointed ears and underneath her Aquitian skin, an armor-like skin of sorts that was colored gold with with purple accents. Dressed in a purple, black and gold blouse, she is seen carrying a small child in her arms, the child asleep and sucking on it's tiny thumb as the mother walked into the baby's room, laying him to sleep in his crib. As the mother smiled and silently made a note to herself about perhaps re-painting the crib, she turned off the lights and walked out of the room and down the hall towards the family chamber, as it was called. In it was basically everything you could ever ask for in a home. Fully stocked kitchen and cabinets, dinner table, and a communications room to keep in touch with everyone on Aquitar. And sitting at one of the radio tables was none other than this woman's husband, a tall man with short brown hair and thick glasses that hung from his shirt as he tweaked one of the radio's to get it to work properly. Feeling her gentle hand on his shoulder, the man stood up, his emerald green eyes giving the woman a sense of warmth she hadn't felt in a few days. Bending down to give her a big hug, Billy Cranston smiled as he held his wife, Cestria, in his large arms.
It was good to be home.
Billy Cranston: Hi honey. How are you doing? You seem to be happy to finally have me back home after those few days out in the field.
Cestria: I was worried that someone or something would come for you and disrupt you and the others from your work, or worse, cause some harm to you. You never know what to expect from this planet, my dear.
Billy Cranston: Well, with Delphine, Aurico, Corcus, Cestro and Tideus working out there in the field with me, I'm sure that if anything were to happen, those five would have taken care of it. They know how important this work is to me, hun.
Cestria: Oh I know, Billy. I just get worried sometimes because things can get...well, you know, out of hand. I don't want anything to happen to you that could jeopardize our family.
Billy Cranston: Cestria, you've got nothing to worry about. I think you sometimes forget about what I was and what I did back when I lived in Angel Grove. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. All my years there taught me to become a responsible and self aware human. But I appreciate your concern, love. I really do. But anyways, moving on...how's Titus doing? Is he asleep right now?
Cestria: Yes dear. I just laid our baby boy to sleep no more than five minutes ago. He was very sad that Daddy was gone for a few days, but he behaved himself well and was a good boy. He'll be glad to see that Daddy's back in one piece. Besides, how are those five doing anyways? I haven't heard from them lately.
Billy Cranston: Delphine is doing a good job of keeping them all on the alert, God forbid something terrible happens and they need to go back into action. She's a natural leader and a great one at that. She reminds me of two people back home in Angel Grove who were like that. Those two were great together. But that was years ago...but yeah, the rest of them are all doing fine. They send their regards to you and Titus.
Cestria: Ahh, glad to know. I was beginning to wonder if they'd ever say anything about me and our baby. But moving on, it's funny that you mention Angel Grove, because just yesterday morning when I was out here in the kitchen, I found a letter addressed to you, and it came from Angel Grove. It said something about a reunion of close friends and that your presence would greatly be appreciated there...
Billy Cranston: Really? Where's the note?
Cestria points to the counter top, where the creased and folded note laid, with Billy's name written across it. Unfolding it, Billy began to scan the note and it's written contents, a small smile beginning to creep across his pursed lips as he read it. Placing the note back down, he ran a hand through his hair and now had a big grin on his face as he walked back to his wife, who was going through some old papers at the kitchen table, happy with what he just read.
Cestria: Well, Billy, dear? What did the contents of the note fully reveal? Is there a problem back on Earth that you need to attend to?
Billy Cranston: Quite the contrary, my love. Quite the contrary. I'm not too positive as to the identity of who sent this note, but if my mind and heart are right, which they can be at an astronomically high rate sometimes, then what this note is talking about surely is something that's been a few years in the making.
Cestria: So I take it that nothing bad will be coming out of this note, and that you'll more than likely be heading home to Angel Grove for a spell, Billy?
Billy can't help but sheepishly grin as he looks out the window, at the watery sun that's fading behind the green hills off in the distance. Turning to face his wife, he leans in and gives her a kiss on the cheek, sitting down next to her afterwards, holding her hand in his own, a sincere look in his eyes.
Billy Cranston: Yes, Cestria. I'll stay here for a few more days and then head home to Angel Grove for whatever this note is saying will take place. It sounds harmless enough. And besides, I have a pretty good feeling as to who this note came from.
Cestria: Just be careful when you return to Angel Grove, dear. Living here on Aquitar for so long will surely cause you to become refamiliarized with the atmosphere of Earth all over again. You'll have to breathe without your gills when you are down there.
Billy reached up and touched his neck, running his fingers over the smooth, ripply gills that he had gained when he first married Cestria years ago. His neck felt a tickling sensation when he touched the gills, as if they were almost purring to him, telling Billy to stop touching them. He retracted his hand and proceeded to run it through his wife's hair in back, a warm smile on his face as he gazes into her crystal blue eyes.
Billy Cranston: You really do worry about me too much, sweetheart. I understand that I'll have to do without my gills down in Angel Grove, but I lived on Earth for so long, that it'll be an easy adjustment. I'm gonna be fine, Ces. I'll be gone for a few days and then I'll be back home before you know it.
Cestria: Alright, Billy. I know you'll be alright down there. It's just, I don't want Titus to grow up without a strong father figure in his life, you know? I don't want anything to happen to you down there in Angel Grove. You know how that place is a bullseye for monster attacks.
Billy Cranston: Well, judging from what I've heard from Delphine and them, Angel Grove hasn't been under attack for quite some time. The disaster levels have gone down, and the city is back to what it once was before...well, you know. Delphine has said that Angel Grove has been deemed safe.
Cestria: Oh thank goodness...I'm so glad to hear that. I don't want my amazing husband getting hurt down there...
Billy Cranston: Don't worry, Cestria...
The two stand up and embrace each other tightly in a hug. Cestria was hugging Billy so hard it was as if he would disappear before her very eyes! Both of them had a reassured look on their faces as Billy glanced at the note one last time, his wife still in his arms as he spoke out...
"Besides...what's the worst that could happen?"
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Stone Canyon, California. Present Time. Three Days After Resurrection.
Stone Canyon, California, was usually quiet all year round. As the city that was next to Angel Grove, it was the more peaceful of the two, though then again, knowing the history that Angel Grove has, it'd be hard not to be considered peaceful when you were next door to warzone central on a near daily basis. A small city, much like that of Angel Grove, it was indeed serene and a nice city to fall back on and live in. Wandering in the downtown section of Stone Canyon, we come across many apartment complexes above some of the stores, all of which look like that of the fairly well middle-class suburbia of living. Venturing inside, most of the doors to the apartments have "Please, do not disturb" signs on them, but one of the doors is open ever so slightly, so obviously the person or persons inside must not be doing anything of any importance. Peeking inside, we see a young man with curly black hair that reaches the back of his neck, barely dangling above is shoulders. He's of Asian descent, decked out in a black long sleeved shirt and black pants to boot, walking around his small kitchen as he puts some plates and glasses away. Peering even more into the room, we see a young woman sitting down on the couch near the television, talking on the phone to someone. She's of African descent, with her long black hair tied up in a bun to keep it out of the way. She was wearing a dark yellow cardigan that she had on her shoulders to keep her warm, and her sweatpants were a light shade of yellow too. These two friends had been living together for only three weeks, but their friendship...and relationship, for that matter...had been going strong for close to two and a half years. After finishing the dishes, the boy walked over to the girl and sat down next to her on the couch, exhausted and wanting a little rest before dinner time. The girl finished up her conversation on the phone and looked at her tired man, coyly smiling at him before curling up in a ball with his arm around her, resting her head on his broad chest.
Life was good for Tanya Sloan and Adam Park
Tanya Sloan: So, little frog of mine, how was your day?
Adam Park: Busy, yet uneventful. Interesting, yet boring. It was just...blah. One of those days, you know? I didn't know that grocery shopping and going to the laundromat could be all of those things at once. How was your day, girly?
Tanya Sloan: It was real good, real intriguing as well. Your probably wondering who I was talking to on the phone just now, huh?
Adam Park: Um...the landlord? Police? Martians? Tom Cruise? I didn't really catch your conversation with whoever it was, I was kinda busy trying to figure out how I was going to fit all the glasses we have in the cupboard. Who was it?
Tanya Sloan: It was someone from back home, Adam. An old friend of yours.
Adam Park: Uh, Tanya...I don't know if I ever told you, but I was raised here in Stone Canyon. Stone Canyon's my home, babe.
Tanya Sloan: Yes Adam, I'm well aware of the fact that you spent quite a bit of your childhood and early adolescence here in Stone Canyon. But it was someone from your other home, sweetie. Someone who's been wanting to see you for a long time.
The look in Tanya's eyes, coupled with Adam's eager look, told him that it was someone from his past, someone from his high school days. His own eyes widened with a bit of confusion and a bit of happiness, but he did a good job of masking the confusion in favor of the happiness.
Adam Park: Oh, no way...you can't be serious!
Tanya Sloan: Oh, dear Adam, but I am. That was exactly who you think it was. I don't know how he got a hold of our number, considering we only moved in a few weeks ago, but he called and wanted to tell you and I that something of importance is coming up on June 22nd. And he would love the two of us to be in attendance.
Adam Park: What else did he say? Did he say what this whole thing was about?! Come on, Tanya, spill the beans, I haven't seen or spoken to him in ages!
Tanya Sloan: Hold your horses there, froggy! The only things that he said to me were that he's expecting all eleven of us to be there and that to wear your favorite color. I won't have a problem with the color part, but uh, heh, I don't know about you, darling.
Adam Park: I don't have a decision to make. I'm sticking with my first color. My second color was alright, but it just didn't feel right following in...you know, his footsteps, considering how much he did when he wore it.
Tanya Sloan: Well that's good to know! We should start beginning our trip to Angel Grove, then. I want to surprise everyone there with how good we look.
Adam Park: Tanya, love...heh, we just moved in three weeks ago. Don't you think we should finish getting ourselves settled in here before we worry about how we're going to look when we show up at this thing?
Tanya Sloan: Oh Adam, chill out! Relax! At the rate we're going, we should be done getting our things in check within the next day or two. Then that'll give us plenty of time to make sure we're at our best when we arrive that night. And besides, I really want to look good for that one you were always telling me about. The one that I never met.
Adam Park: What one, Tanya? You haven't met three of them...
Tanya Sloan: The one with the letter, baby. I forget her name, but I remember barely meeting her when we came back from Muranthias.
Adam Park: Oh...
Adam's thoughts in the present were crushed all around him by the thought of that damn letter that he read all those years ago. Sure, it wasn't really that long ago, but to Adam, it felt like eons. He still felt remorse and guilt for being the one that read it to him, being the one that led to the heartbreak. He still hadn't forgiven himself for being the unlucky one that had to break the news to him. It ate at him a bit. He couldn't help but feel sorrow everytime the letter was brought up.
Tanya Sloan: What, is something wrong?
Adam Park: No, everything's fine. You already met her though. Remember?
Tanya Sloan: Adam, she nearly choked me to death and beat me up pretty good. Then she dissapeared just as quickly as she appeared. I wouldn't call that meeting someone in my book.
Adam Park: Oh, well, yeah. I'm sorry for that. But I don't think she's going to be there, Tanya. Nobody except for Goldie has really kept in touch with her from what I know, and even then, his contact with her was or still is scarce. I don't think you need to get yourself all dolled up for someone that might not show.
Tanya Sloan: With the group of friends we have and the bond we all share together...I'm expecting the unexpected. Now, what will it be for dinner tonight, Adam? Chinese food or Mexican food?
Adam Park: We had Chinese a few nights ago. Let's have some Mexican food. How's that sound to you?
Tanya Sloan: Ooh, adventerous, are we?
The two share a quick laugh and an embrace before Tanya got up to go dig through one of the kitchen drawers, trying to find the take out menu to the Mexican restaurant a few blocks away. As she did that, Adam turned his head and gazed out at the sunset through his window. Staring at it deeply, he sighed and turned his attention to the television, where the local news was on. He tried not to think about those two and their less than breathtaking split. He felt responsible in a way.
"For his and her sake...I hope they both show up...and I hope they can sort things out..."
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Eastern Africa. Present Time. Four Days After Resurrection.
The weather had been unbearably hot the past few days here in Eastern Africa. It hadn't rained in almost a week, and everyone was just sick and tired of the sweltering heatwaves and the humidity. The temperature would normally reach it's highest point, which was around 104 degrees Farenheit, during the afternoon, and at night, it's lowest average temperature was was about 80 degrees Farenheit. So either way you looked at it, it was hot, sweaty and sticky all day and all night. But living in this part of Africa, you came to expect such weather and learned to deal with it very quickly, or else you wouldn't last very long out on the reservations. The people that lived out here on the reservations came to grips with that and were barely affected by the heat. They didn't really care for it and wished that a heavy monsoon would sweep through and give some of the fields life, but they also knew that you couldn't get everything that you wished for. They were just thankful to be alive and thankful that their work out here was towards a good cause. The cause that they were doing all of this work for was to make sure that the reservations could be brought back to the good days they had experienced many years ago, and that at some point, all of the animals that lived on the reservations would be healthy and back to normal. As we get closer to one of the many small colonies located here on the reservations, we see many of the people scurrying around, trying to get their work done before sundown. Most of them are dressed in traditional African garb, but one girl stands out the most out of all of them. She's got her long braids tied together in pigtails, and she's wearing a familiar shade of yellow, a yellow that was as bright as the sun. As the small breeze brushed past the end of her dress, causing it to rub against her knees, she smiled as she whistled and sat down on a nearby rock, a look of satisfaction on her face.
Aisha Campbell's work here was finished.
Aisha Campbell: Alright, ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention? Thank you! First off, I just want to congratulate you on all of your hard work the past few days despite the less than favorable weather conditions. We're getting closer to reaching our goal with each passing day! If we keep it up, we'll have things back to normal, and all the animals will be allowed back into the wilderness. But my announcement is that I'm going to say that today's work was impressive, so I'm giving you all the rest of the day off. Enjoy your evening, guys and girls!
The group of people let out a cheer as Aisha pulls herself up to her feet and walks towards her tent, an unerasable smile on her face as she pushes open the flaps and walks inside to see if their's anything in there for her in the form of mail and whatnot. Slightly frowning when finding nothing, Aisha shrugs her shoulders and heads back out to walk over to the makeshift mess hall that they have set up to grab some water. As she entered the small building, she ran into her supervisor, her watcher. But this woman was much more than Aisha's supervisor. She was like a mother figure to Aisha, and she always had been ever since she decided to stay in Africa years back. She couldn't quite say or pronounce her entire name, but she knew that it started with the letter d, so she just called her Mama D. Mama D didn't mind being called that. Mama D looked happy to see Aisha, as evidenced by the big hug she gave her, before bringing her over to where she was sitting for a chat.
Aisha Campbell: Mama D, so good to see you again! How're you doing?
Mama D: Ahh young Aisha, my child, I'm doing just fine! And how is my favorite little worker doing herself?
Aisha Campbell: Just tired, Mama D. Today was very strainful and I'm just glad that we got today's work done quicker than normal. I gave everyone the rest of the day off to have to themselves. They deserve it, and by God, so do I.
Mama D: Like I've always said, hard work deserves to be recognized and those who work hard deserve to be rewarded. They really did a good job today with the animals. They're all chirping and roaring like they were never sick
Aisha Campbell: Yeah, tell me about it, I thought I was going to have a fit when one of the lions wouldn't cooperate with me and a few others. It took us two hours to groom and clean him!
Mama D: I saw you, looks like you were having a fun time over there!
Aisha Campbell: That's far from the truth, Mama D, and--...what's that? Is that an owl?
Just then, an owl came flying down through one of the windows and landed next to Aisha and Mama D. It cooed a few times as it turned it's head to look at Aisha, like it had something to say to her almost. Attatched to it's leg was a note. Mama D gently grabbed the owl's delicate leg and slid the note off of it. The owl then cooed once more and promptly flew out the window and back into the distance. As Aisha watched the owl fly away, Mama D unraveled the note and began to examine it, putting on her reading glasses to get a better look. She tugged on the back of Aisha's dress, wanting her to sit down, but Aisha was paying no attention. The owl looked familiar to her...
Mama D: Aisha, you may want to hear this.
Aisha Campbell: What's the note about, Mama D? Tell me, I'm trying to figure out where that owl came from and where it's flying back to...
Mama D: Alright, here goes..."Dear Aisha, it's me, your old friend whose name rhymes with Docco. Lame, I know, but whatever. June 22nd will be an important day for everyone back home. Everyone that we all grew close with, that is. We'd love it if you could make it. Hope to see you there, Aisha."
Aisha Campbell: Oh my gosh! Mama D, let me see that note! I need to read it!
As Mama D handed Aisha the note, Aisha began to examine it up and down, hoping that this wasn't some sick joke or mirage that was messing with her mind. It was hot enough to consider that, but the feel of the paper in her hand told her that it was all true. Her eyes lit up and the smile she had on before was bigger this time around. She let out a squeal of excitment as Mama D looked at her young apprentice with intrigued eyes.
Mama D: Young Aisha, are you feeling alright?
Aisha Campbell: Mama D, you have no idea how much this letter is making me happy right now! I'm going to get to go back home! Home to Angel Grove!
Mama D: Ahh, so you are wanting to go home. I figured as much by what the letter said. Well, my young apprentice, if that is how you feel, then I have no qualms with you wanting to go back home and see all of your old friends. We will do fine without you for however long it is you need to be there.
Aisha Campbell: Oh, Mama D, are you sure you'll be alright? I could always tell them that I can't make it due to my obligations here, they'd understand...
Mama D: No child, it is where you belong. Go. See all of your old friends. They must miss you dearly. We will be fine here.
Aisha Campbell: Thank you so much, Mama D! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Aisha then lunged forward and pulled Mama D into a fierce hug, gripping her tightly as Mama D did the same, lightly chuckling as Aisha pulled away and ran to her tent to begin the process of gathering her belongings, the smile on her face seemingly getting bigger as she kept thinking about it. She was getting to go home.
"I can't believe this! This is great! I'm going home!"
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Geneva, Switzerland. Present Time. Five Days After Resurrection.
The storms and rain had been raging on for days at a time here in Geneva. The weather reports had said that there was no end in sight, at least for the forseeable future, that is. Luckily though, no floods came about and nobody had to be evacuated to another part of the country, away from their homes and their families. But as the rain continued to pour down from the heavens like their was no tomorrow, the citizens of Geneva tried to pull out as many positives as they could from the string of depressing weather. They really had no choice but to do that, because it was either they find something to do with themselves until the weather finally cleared up, or they would end up driving themselves insane by being stuck inside the confines of their own homes every single day. So for the two people living in the nicest apartment building that they could afford on Livingston Way, their days consisted of writing letters back home, watching the news a lot, playing Blackjack and Solitare, reading a ton of books, playing old board games that they brought along with them, and sleeping. Yep, that's all that they did.
It's not like Zack Taylor and Trini Kwan had anything else to do during this stretch of horrid weather.
Zack Taylor: Hey Trini, what do you want to do today?
Trini Kwan: Ugh, we've done everything that there is to do around here while it's still raining out, Zack. There's nothing much left here for us to tackle, you know?
Zack Taylor: Well damn woman, I didn't know you felt that strongly about everything! Sue me for being a gentleman and asking!
Trini Kwan: Knock it off, Zack, I'm only messing with you. But seriously, I'm up for something, but what is there left to go out and see? What is there to do? We've basically seen everything and done everything here in Switzerland, Zack.
Zack Taylor: From the sound of it, your making yourself sound extremely homesick...am I right, or am I right?
Trini Kwan: You'd be right...
Zack Taylor: And the Zack-Man scores yet again! Woo, I'm good! I know you too well, Trini! Too well!!
Trini Kwan: Zack...seriously...
Trini looked out at the window and watched as the rain splashed and splotched up against the window, streaking and flooding down the glass and falling all the way down onto the pavement five floors below. She let out a deep, heavy sigh as she moved some of her long black hair out of the way, not noticing that Zack had sat down next to her at the table.
Zack Taylor: Trini, what's wrong? Tell the Zack-Man. I've been sensing over the past few days that you haven't been acting like your normal self. What's buggin' ya?
Trini Kwan: I just miss it all, Zack. I miss the sun, I miss the light breeze, I miss the ocean, I miss the beach, I miss Ernie's, I miss our friends...I miss Angel Grove as a whole, Zack. It's been ages since we left for here. Don't you think we should go back and see how everyone's doing?
Zack Taylor: That'd be a great idea, but how do we know that everyone's still even living there? For all we know, they could have all moved out of Angel Grove and could be scattered around the world. Going back to Angel Grove to find that nobody's there would be a waste of time, don't you think?
Trini Kwan: I just...I just have a feeling that the one person I know better than you is there. He has to be. He'd never leave Angel Grove.
Zack Taylor: Trini, come on. I know him just as well as you do, if not better. He was my best friend! He doesn't like being cooped up in the same place for more than a few years. Knowing him, he's probably gone and living in Germany or something...
Just then, a beeping noise is heard coming from the other side of the room. Wondering what was causing the beeping, Zack and Trini walk into the joint bedroom and look down on the dresser, where their cellphones resided. Zack's had just finished beeping, but the screen was lit up saying that he had one new text message. Picking it up and flipping it open, he saw that it was from an unknown number. Usually, he'd disregard something like that, but he was in a different mood today, so he opened the message and stared at it for a few seconds. He then dropped his phone and backed away a few inches, eyes wide with shock and his jaw dropped. He shook his head in disbelief as Trini gave him a questionable look, bending down to pick up the phone and read the message.
Trini Kwan: What is with you, Zack? Your acting like you were the first time we met--
Zack Taylor: Don't read it, Trini! You'll be in a state of shock like me!
Trini Kwan: Oh what, it's a little text message. What could be so bad about it? Let's see what it says..."Contrary to your beliefs, Zack, I still live here in Angel Grove..."
Trini gasped and nearly dropped the phone herself as she thought back to what Zack just said. How could this person know? Were they being watched? What was going on? All of these thoughts raced through her head as she forced herself to finish reading the rest of the message.
Trini Kwan: "I know that this may be a bit shocking to the both of you right now, especially you Zack, but I just needed to let you two that on June 22nd, we're all getting back together for a special gathering. I've already made travel arrangements for the two of you, and hotel arrangements here in Angel Grove as well. I fully expect to see you both there. It's been way too long. In a few moments, you'll be recieving your plane tickets. See you then."
Just then a knock could be heard on their door, and underneath the door they saw an envalope slide into their room, marked for one Zack Taylor and one Trini Kwan. The two of them simply couldn't believe this sudden turn of events. To say that they were both blown away was a gross understatement. It was if they were living in a dream world, almost. Putting the phone down on the dresser, Trini was visibly shaking and sat down on the edge of the bed, where Zack shuffled over to sit next to her. Putting his arm around her, Trini looked up into Zack's eyes, and he gave her a reassuring look. Couldn't get much wierder than this.
Zack Taylor: Well then, looks like we're goin' back home for good now, huh?
Trini Kwan: How though? How did he know everything? The last time I spoke to him, he never mentioned anything like this...
Zack Taylor: You know him, Trini. He must have picked it up during one of his last few missions and decided that it'd be best that he keep quiet about it. But you shouldn't worry about that. Worry about how weird it's gonna be when we step foot in Angel Grove again.
Trini Kwan: I...I...I guess your right, Zack. We should begin packing...still though, how--
Zack Taylor: Shhh. He'll explain it to us better in person than over the phone. Now come on, Trini, help me unload the suitcases and everything else.
And with that, the two of them began to tear their hotel apart, taking all of their belongings and clothing, among other trinkets, down and such and throwing them into their bags. It would be a long trip back to Angel Grove, and they had to make sure that they had every last thing from Switzerland. They would be going home. And they'd be staying there.
"I just hope that he hasn't changed completely...I hope he's the same person that I knew a long time ago..."
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Angel Grove, California. Present Time. That Same Day.
So, is that nearly everyone man?"
"Well, everyone except two. But he already knows, I've been talking to him about it for a year or so now. He didn't believe that it'd ever happen."
"So that leaves just one, huh?"
"Yeah...just one. And I think she's gonna be the only one that doesn't show up."
As the sun was barely beginning to shine through the windows of their three headed apartment above their dojo, Jason Lee Scott and Rocky DeSantos were ready to welcome a new day. It was Saturday, and luckily, they didn't have to open the dojo today to teach classes, as they decided that they needed a day off to get things ready for everyone's impending arrival. Rocky had just slipped a shirt on and was beginning to rummage through the refridgerator, looking to make himself a big breakfast to feed his infamously huge appetite, while Jason was sitting down at the kitchen table, looking over some papers in regards to his old friends, flipping through page after page until he came across his own information, checking to make sure everything was in check.
Rocky DeSantos: Why do you say that, Jase? What makes you think that she'll be the only one to decline?
Jason Lee Scott: I just have this feeling, man. The last time I spoke to her, which was months and months ago, she barely gave any recognition to that part of her life, only mentioning it in passing moments. It's like she's blocked out that part of her life.
Rocky DeSantos: I seriously doubt she did that, Jase. It was such a huge part of her life for so long, how could you possibly block something like that out? Did she mention you know who at all?
Jason Lee Scott: I brought him up, trying to see if she still had any remorse for what she had done, and she acted as if he didn't exist. It pissed me off, but hey, it's her life, I can't force her to go by what I believe in.
Rocky DeSantos: Man, that's unreal. What do you think her reaction will be like when she recieves the letter?
Jason Lee Scott: Wish I knew, man. She'll probably tear it up and throw it in the trash. She isn't the girl that I considered my little sister when we were in high school. She's completely changed. There's something missing in her, though. And I think I know what it is.
Rocky DeSantos: It has to do with him, doesn't it?
Jason sternly nodded his head in approval, as he momentarily glanced at a picture of his two friends, a picture of them when they were in high school together and madly in love. He then glanced back at Rocky and thought to himself, "How could two people who loved each other for so long just drift apart like this?", shaking his head and leaving his paperwork to walk to the balcony, where the sun was beginning to fully rise over Angel Grove. He looked out at the horizon, out towards the beaches, where he knew that his friend probably was right now, wandering around and thinking about what could have been. His attention was diverted back to Rocky when he spoke from the kitchen, caught off guard and forgetting the fact that their was another person in the room with him.
Rocky DeSantos: Where do you think he's at right now? I haven't seen him since last night when we closed up the dojo and all. You think he's alright?
Jason Lee Scott: Knowing him as well as I do and for as long as I have, he's at the beach, throwing seashells into the ocean and just thinking about stuff as he wanderes up and down the shoreline. And I'm pretty sure that he's thinking about her. And if I'm wrong in that assumption, then I'm guessing he's at the park. He always goes there when he needs his alone time.
Rocky DeSantos: Wow. Just wow. I still can't believe that it's been this long since they talked. I remember that day like no other, too. I wanted to kill someone or something. I nearly teleported to Florida, but luckily the gang talked me out of it. But jeez, it's been forever, you'd think that one of them would of at least attempted to speak to the other after what happened--
Jason Lee Scott: What happened on Muranthias, yeah, don't remind me. You don't know how hard I tried to get those two to get back with each other or at least see each other on a semi-regular basis during the trip back to Angel Grove from there. Do you know how long the trip was, Rocko?
Rocky DeSantos: Didn't it take you guys like, three days to get back?
Jason Lee Scott: Exactly. Three whole days spent trying to mend the bridge between those two. I'm lucky that they even talked to each other and were friendly with one another.
Rocky DeSantos: Then why wouldn't they want to get back together then if they were talking and getting along?
Jason Lee Scott: Well, he had Kat at the time and she was just up here with me because I bugged and bugged her to come up and see everyone. I didn't understand it, though. When I saw the look in his eyes when she turned evil with me, I just knew that he still loved her. And the look in her eyes when she helped him save me just told a story of lost love, you know? I just had this feeling that the two of them really missed one another and desperately wanted themselves back in their respective lives. But once me and her stepped into Red Lightning, they acted as if they had never loved each other and moved on. It was depressing to see. But I just know...
Rocky DeSantos: You just know that those two still love each other. Yeah, I get that feeling a lot too. There are times when I'm sleeping and I can hear him calling her name in his sleep. Then there are times when I see him going through old photos of him and her. Hell, I even saw him writing a poem about her. It's sad. He needs her a lot more than he says he does. Something's gotta be done, Jase. I can't stand seeing him like this.
Jason Lee Scott: I'm in the same boat as you, Rocko. I can almost sense that she needs him more too. But the last time I talked to her, she was real secretive about a lot of stuff. It's like she has some big burden on her shoulders that she doesn't want to bear with anyone else.
Rocky DeSantos: Well man, you just better send the letter and hope that you get a response or give up all hope that she'll come back and see everyone. I personally do hope that she shows though. She was the heartbeat of the group, the spirit almost. Having her around will definatly be a good thing...for everyone. Including him.
Jason Lee Scott: Well, here goes nothing. I hope this works.
Jason placed the sealed and wrapped letter down on a nearby coffee table, staring at it deeply as he did so. He then put his hands to his head and closed his eyes, focussing all of his thought and energy on the letter. A moment later, he opened his eyes and the letter was gone. He let out a sigh of relief as he took a seat next to Rocky, who by now was on his fourth bowl of Frosted Flakes, eager to know if it was good or not.
Rocky DeSantos: So is it sent, Jase?
Jason Lee Scott: It's sent, alright. She should be getting it sometime this afternoon, early evening at the latest. Now all we can do is wait, Rocko. And pray.
Rocky DeSantos: Pray for what?
ason Lee Scott: Pray that she remembers the good times that we all shared with each other. Pray that she remembers anything at all. Pray that she'll come home and be with us. Where ever she is, that she'll realize that it isn't where she belongs. Angel Grove is where she belongs.
Rocky DeSantos: And pray that if she does come, she comes with an open heart and is willing to talk things over with him and see if they can get back together again. They need it.
Jason Lee Scott: We all need it, Rocky.
Rocky finished up his latest bowl of Frosted Flakes and put the bowls he used in the sink, while Jason twirled a pencil around in his hands, his eyes fixated on the distant shoreline. Rocky came up behind him and put his hand on his shoulder and nodded his head. The two of them had a long day ahead of them if they wanted to get everything looking nice for everyone's arrival in a few days. It was June 16th. Most of them would be arriving in Angel Grove within the next few days and would surely come by to see what the fuss was all about. As Jason stood up and began to sweep the floor and wipe down the counter, he just kept muttering the same thing over and over to himself as he cleaned everything in the three headed appartment building up.
"We all need it..."
AN: And so, the end of chapter one. I know, this style of writing with the person's name in front of their spoken diologue is different and such, but I won't be keeping it in the forthcoming chapters. This chapter basically served as an introduction to the story, and yes, I left the two best rangers out in order to focus on them in the second chapter. THank you for reading and hope you all enjoy!