I don't own Power Rangers or anything associated with it. It belongs to Buena Vista and whoever else owns it. This piece of literature is simply the work of a humble fan. Also, anything else that is mentioned in this fic and isn't mine it also belongs to its respective owner.
:::Author Notes:::
This will be set in the Zeo season if you can't guess by further reading…. The idea came for this story when I came upon all these PR fics that have people that practically worshiping the Rangers. So, me being my cynical self, I had a cruel idea. What if some girl from our world got stuck in the universe of the Power Rangers? One problem: She isn't a fan.
Anywhere But Here
Chapter One: Oh Hell No, I Am Not Here!
By: ThunderGod
Holly Timmons was a bitch. There were no other words to describe the tall blond girl, walking by the window of the bookshop. Green eyes followed Holly as she laughed at something the two girls beside her said. Bailey clenched the cup of hot cocoa in her hands tightly, anger bubbling deep in her gut. 'God, I can't stand that skanky slut,' she thought, lip curling in disgust. 'She thinks she rules the school'. Unconsciously, she clenched the cup even tighter as her temper flared.
"God dammit!" she cussed, as the Styrofoam cup folded in on itself, from her tight grip, spilling hot liquid all over her hands.
Bailey cussed loudly and blew on her smarted hands at the same time. Feeling eyes on her, she slowly looked up finding that every single person in the bookshop had stopped what they doing to stare. Their eyes were wide and their faces were fixed into expressions of surprise. Flicking back a lock of wavy, black hair she glared at the staring faces.
"Well!" she snapped. "There's nothing to see here! Move along now folks!"
Muttering swear words to herself, Bailey stalked to the women's restroom. An elderly woman stared at Bailey as she entered, cocoa dripping from her hands, and face stormy. Bailey's eyes narrowed and she leveled the woman with a look that said 'don't even ask'. The woman tutted to herself, glanced sideways at Bailey then hurried from the room. Rolling her eyes, Bailey went to the sink and ran water over her hands, sighing in relief as the cool water touched scalded skin.
"Stupid forking cocoa," she muttered, drying her hands underneath the air dryer. "What did they do, boil the forking water!"
Once her hands were dry, she went back to mirror to look herself over. Green eyes took in pale skin, thanks to her father's Germanic blood, that seemed even whiter in contrast to her curling black hair that fell to mid-back. Only reason her hair was even tamed, was because of hair goop. Without it, the phrase unleash the beast would apply solely to her scalp. Her outfit was a plain pair of blue jeans, a white top, and a blue zip up sweatshirt. White Nikes with blue swooshes completed the look. Applying a touch of lip liner, Bailey nodded at her reflection. Except for her lack of height, 5'3", Bailey thought she looked pretty good for a seventeen year old. A gasp left her mouth as music, being pumped from overhead speakers in the lobby, reached her ears. This was her favorite song!
"TELL THEM HOW I AM DEFYING GRAVITY!" she sang at the top of her lungs, kicking the bathroom door open. She threw up her arms, closed her eyes, and sung loudly. "SO IF YOU CARE TO FIND ME LOOK TO THE WESTERN SKY!"
"Miss, we are going to have to ask you to leave."
Bailey spun around at the sound of the voice. The manager, a tall balding man, glared down at her. 'Uh, oh,' she thought, swallowing. 'He looks kind of mad.' Making her eyes big and watery, Bailey stared at the man. Her lip stuck out in a childish pout for added effect.
"Please mister, I didn't mean it. Honest I didn't," she said, pleading in her most innocent tone. Seeing that didn't work she went for another avenue. Casting her eyes downward, Bailey sniffed pathetically. "It's been so hard these past few months. Ever since I've been diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome," she said dramatically, stretching it out slowly.
"Get out."
"Forking great!" muttered Bailey, staring at the door that just got closed in her face.
The December wind blew wildly, making her hair blow about in its currents. Swearing again, Bailey turned to walk down the sidewalk. She hadn't even got to buy the presents she was picking out for her friends. All the pedestrians walking along the city street steered clear away from the short girl with the murderous look stomping her way down the sidewalk. A permanent scowl marred her face as she glared at any who came near her. Today was really not her day. Suddenly, something bumped into her sending her stumbling a few steps away.
"Watch it you little bastard!" she yelled after the boy, who bumped into her, running down the sidewalk. Then something else crashed into her, knocking Bailey clear off the sidewalk and off the curb. A second boy with fair features mumbled an apology and ran off after the other boy.
"You forking scumbags!" Bailey screamed after the boys.
This day was just not going well for her no matter what. Bailey shook her head mumbling to herself about "fuckwad little kids" and how "parents needed to keep their rugrats on leashes". Bailey was so into contemplating ways to stop the procreation of more rugrats that she didn't see the blue Ford Escort come skidding around the corner. What she did notice however was the sound of screeching tires and loud yells of surprise. Bailey's head snapped up and she froze in mind numbing fear. Her eyes locked with the drivers and her last thought was 'Damn, I'm going to miss Smallville tonight.'
Death wasn't like people made it out to be. There was no white light, no trumpets blowing, no heavenly angels, there was simply nothing. Only a black suffocating darkness that went on as far as the eye could see. Bailey felt gypped. You hear all this stuff about a great afterlife and then what do you get, nothing but darkness. She thought about it and felt fear. What if this wasn't heaven but the other place. Panic filled her lungs and Bailey struggled against the enveloping darkness. Focusing with all her might she broke through and awoke.
"Holy shit!" she gasped snapping awake, eyes searching wildly around.
She groaned as sunlight rained down from above, making her squint her eyes from the sudden brightness. 'Where in the hell am I,' she thought staring around at unfamiliar buildings and street signs. Bailey froze as she sat there on the ground on the side of some unknown building. She had been kidnapped. That was the only logical explanation.
"Fourbucks must have drugged my cocoa," she scowled, remembering the rude manager kicking her out. Fourbucks was really Starbucks but she called it Fourbucks because of their expensive ass prices for drinks. "I read about stuff like this," she muttered to herself.
Quickly, Bailey lifted the hem of her shirt. She rubbed her smooth unmarked stomach, and sighed in relief. Her friends had told her tales about people who got drugged then hours later they wake up in a tub full of ice, with a gash in their side and missing their appendix or some other organ. Rising to her feet, she surveyed her surroundings. Her back was facing a large building and in front of her was a parking lot, with a perimeter of trees, then further on was a street with an occasional car driving down it. Hugging her arms around herself, Bailey walked around the building till she found the entrance. Cars were parked in front of the door, and teens around her age drifted in and out of the structure. Bailey hurried in, eyes taking in everything and everyone.
It certainly wasn't what she expected. A large majority of the room was devoted entirely for sparring. Plush mats covered the ground for safety. Off to the side was a balance beam then further in the back near the open windows were various exercise equipment. That was only half the room. The other half was some kind of open bar with stools pooled up against the counter and tables occupied the floor space. Teenagers, mostly over the age of fifteen, covered the place, keeping it alive with chatter and energy.
"Oh look ma, I went and stepped into a YMCA commercial," she muttered to herself.
Whoever thought of this place must be one rich bitch, she thought, walking toward the bar counter. Bailey slid onto a stool and immediately a large, heavy set man, with dark hair approached her from behind the bar. He smiled at her.
"First time here?" he asked.
Bailey gave him a confused look. "Yeah, how did you know? Do you have ESP or something?"
He shook his head, smiling. "No, my name's Ernie. I own the place, so I pretty much know everybody."
"Can you do me a favor, Ernie?" asked Bailey, almost pleading. "Can I use your phone? I really have to call my Dad."
He gave her a compassionate smile then went to the back to retrieve the phone. Bailey glanced around the place feeling a twang of familiarity. This place seemed almost familiar, as if she had been here before or seen it somehow before today. Ernie returned and handed her a bulky, gray cordless phone. She raised an eyebrow at the heavy cordless phone.
"That's kind of throwback, don't you think?" she questioned, taking the phone and quickly called her fathers work number.
Ernie frowned. "What's throwback?"
Bailey shook her head. "Never mind," she replied, dialing her father's cell number after getting no answer from his work. "Damn."
"What?" asked Ernie who had been watching her as she made her phone calls.
"None of the numbers are working," she replied, frowning. "Just forking great!"
"Would you like a smoothie then after awhile you can try again," offered Ernie.
Bailey shrugged then answered. "What's a smoothie?"
Ernie seemed to be in his element. He rose up, smiling broadly and began to chatter on about the greatness of his smoothies and how "people from all around love them". He went on for about three minutes never once answering her question. Bailey held up a hand making him come to a halt mid sentence.
"Okay, so their fun-tastic," she said, rolling her eyes. "BUT WHATS IN IT!"
"Just try it," he said pushing a red thick drink in front of her.
"What's in it?"
"I assure you it will be the best thing you have ever tasted."
"God dammit Ernie, you are getting on my forking nerves," she hissed between clenched teeth. "What the hells in it?"
"Just try it," he said taken aback. Then he smiled and leaned forward. "It's on the house."
Bailey grinned. "Well, since its freeee." She picked up the glass and sucked some of the liquid through the straw. It ran down her throat and she let out a loud moan of delight. A very loud moan. She sipped some more and her eyes slipped close as another involuntary moan escaped her. The more she sipped the louder Bailey's moans became. They weren't quiet groans, but more like the moans one would make during lovemaking. People stopped, frozen, and heads turned as everyone in the room focused on the origin of the sensual moans. Bailey finally finished the drink and she stared at Ernie with half closed eyes and a goofy grin on her face. Ernie took a shocked step back at seeing her glazed over expression.
"More," Bailey whispered in a deep voice. "More."
Twenty minutes later, five empty smoothie glasses cluttered the counter. Giving a quiet belch, Bailey smiled up at the astonished face of Ernie. She looked at the smoothies then at Ernie, a blush covered her face as she realized just how exactly she had devoured those drinks.
"I-I um…" began Ernie, stuttering."I guess you liked the smoothies."
Bailey nodded. "Damn skipping. Those things are addictive, I swear." She suddenly looked at Ernie with narrowed eyes. "They were free right?"
"I uh…"
"You said on the house," she reminded him, batting her eyes at him and smiling sweetly, too sweetly. "Where I come from that means free."
Bailey with all her attention focused on Ernie, she didn't notice seven teenagers glance at their wrist, then sprint from the room. Thirty minutes passed and Bailey sat staring forlornly at the bulky throwback phone. None of the numbers she tried seemed to connect. She tried every number from her memory, hell she even called Dominos and still nothing. Ernie had left her awhile ago, after asking "who she was going to call" to which she snapped replying, "Forking Ghostbusters".
Putting her hands in the pockets in her sweatshirt, Bailey decided to get some air. The place kept sticking a chord of familiarity within, that soon got on her nerves. The fresh air and the beaming sun felt good as she wandered alone. Bailey walked near the outskirts of a park that was a block or two away from Ernie's business whatever place. She crossed the grounds of the park to seat herself at a bench near a large, old oak tree. Mumbling to herself about how she would see her kidnappers in hell, Bailey glared at the grass.
"Stupid place, where in the hell am I anyway," she muttered, crossing her arms across her chest.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the ground nearby and she screamed bloody murder. "AAAHHHHHHHHH!"
From out of nowhere appeared a floating gear-edged circular portal which flew to the area near the impact point of the lightning strike. Inside the portal was a dark blue and purple star field. Simultaneously, lightning again struck the same spot and from the gear portal emerged a dozen, robotic humanoid creatures that had suits of bright silver with iridescent sparkles. Their heads were covered with gold face plates, displaying menacing expressions. From the lightning materialized a creature that looked like a bad cross of the Terminator robot and the Silver Surfer.
"I am Spark and King Mondo says you are the source of the continuum quantum flux our scanners detected. You have been ordered to return with me to the Machine Empire or die," said Spark in a deep voice.
Bailey's eyes widened. "No way am I going anywhere with you, Sparky."
Suddenly, six points of light descended from the sky landing to the side of Bailey. The particle like beams of light materialized into a set of six people she recognized instantly. Covered head to foot in a spandex like material were the Zeo Power Rangers, including the sixth teammate known as the Gold Ranger. Immediately, the Power Rangers lowered themselves into fighting stances, arms up, feet extended, ready for whatever the Cogs or Spark threw their way.
"You will have to get past us first, metal head!" commanded the Red Ranger.
Bailey opened her mouth, and then closed it, repeating the action several times. All words escaped her at the moment. There was nothing she could say. Real forking life Power Rangers were standing in front of her. 'This is impossible!' Her mind screamed, but it was actually real according to her eyes. 'Power Rangers aren't real. They're just a television show.'
Her heart thudded loudly in her throat as she watched the two forces clash together in a blur of rainbow colors, kicking and punching with enough force to crack solid concrete. Pointing like a maniac, Bailey stood in the same sport, mouth open and face shocked. It was all too much to take in at once. Her being 'kidnapped' then not getting in contact with her father and now Power Rangers were fighting right before her eyes... Her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted dead away, in the middle of the park while a battle was taking place not teen feet before her.
Bailey groaned as her eyes opened, blinking quickly to correct her blurred vision, she rubbed her sockets hard. She opened her eyes fully, coming face to face with Tommy Oliver, unmorphed, and wearing a concerned expression.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed, slapping Tommy.
"OW!" Tommy yowled, holding his cheek. "I'm guessing that you're fully awake."
Bailey clutched her chest, wondering if her heart was broken since it was beating so fast. Taking deep breathes she felt it slow and sighed softly. 'Good,' she thought. A broken hurt was one less thing she had to worry about now. Glaring at Tommy and the teens surrounding him, Bailey scuttled backwards like a crab, trying to clear some space between them. Quickly, she stood up glancing around the room she found herself in. 'God,' she thought. 'I remember this place. Too bad it got blown up that episode.' She took her eyes from the gathered teens to stare around the room she had only seen on TV.
The Power Chamber's floor plan resembled a half circle. Directly in front of them was a long blue tube. Behind the teens were tubes of light arranged like a galley showing the original weapons and uniforms of the Morphin Rangers. Rectangular monitors took up space along another side of the wall, the left one showed a map of the Earth, and the right one showed a map of the Power Chamber's main room. In the center of the room was a console, roughly six feet wide, with two identical consoles on either side.
Bailey turned her back to the teens to look at the medical table facing the rear wall. Turning back around, Bailey screamed again. Tommy was once again in her face.
Pushing him away roughly, she yelled at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You just don't sneak up on people like that! That's how people my age die of heart attacks, because of dumbasses like you!"
Tommy held up his hands in surrender. "We're not trying to hurt you. We only want to help."
"Ai yi yi!" said an odd voice. "Zordon, we need you here to explain."
Bailey glanced at the robot Alpha unit and the seven teens in the room shared looks of confusion as she merely nodded at the robot as if confirming something. From the big blue tub ahead of them a flash of white shot through it. In the lights wake was a giant, floating white face of an old man, distorted and pale, but easily recognizable. Staring up into those eyes that held knowledge beyond all, Bailey started to shake. 'No forking way,' she thought. 'This has to be a dream. It has to be!'
"Come on out, Ashton!" yelled Bailey suddenly, causing the teens to step back in fear. "I know you're here. I've watched Punk'd, I know how you play this." She then began to point to random objects in the room. "There's a camera right there, a camera right there, and a camera right there."
"I can assure you," boomed the deep, resonating voice of Zordon. "This is no prank."
Bailey gave him a frosty glare. "Then it must be a forking dream then! Last time I checked, shit like this doesn't happen in real life!"
Billy turned to Zordon after frowning at Bailey. "Is she the one that scanners picked up? She seems normal to me."
Zordon if he could nod would have. "Yes, Billy, she is the one. Her life-force is resonating on an entirely different frequency then any of your own. She is of an alternate dimension."
Bailey held up a hand. "Dimension? What do you mean? Last time I checked I wasn't on the set of Sliders! What's going on?"
Zordon stared down at her and if Bailey wasn't so pissed at how everything was going, she might have started squirming. "Hours ago, the scanners in this room picked up a flux in the very ley lines of reality, meaning that something that shouldn't be has appeared in the universe from another."
Bailey looked down and said softly, "Me."
"Yes," he continued. "Our scanners weren't the only one to pick up on the flux. An intergalactic evil known as the Machine Empire also picked up on it, also. Since they don't know the secrets of interdimensional travel, they immediately sought to capture you for study. Do you know how you got here…"
"Its Bailey," she supplied. "Bailey Masters and no, I don't know how the hell I got here. I don't care either. I just want to go home."
Zordon smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, I do not know of a way to get you home, but we will do everything in our power to find one. If I wasn't caught in this time warp, I could send you home, since I am an interdimensional being, but alas it isn't possible for me to leave."
Katherine smiled at Zordon then at Bailey, who sneered at her. Oh yeah, Bailey wasn't in a real good mood at the moment. "Don't worry, Zordon. I'm sure we'll think of something."
"Of course we will," said Tanya, from her spot next to Adam.
"We're Power Rangers," smiled Rocky widely. "We always find a way."
Bailey groaned. Holding a hand to her temple, she stared at them. "Please stop. You guys are giving me a toothache. This isn't a Saturday morning cartoon. Nothing in life is that simple."
"Bailey," said Zordon, staring down at her. "Since the Machine Empire will be searching for you. I think that it will be best if you stay here, in the Power Chamber, for now. This is the safest place for you to be. If you ever need to go out, please be sure to have the Rangers with you."
Bailey growled low in throat, as her green eyes turned ice cold. "Hell no, I might stay here, but there is no way in hell I'm getting babysitted!"
"Then don't think of it as babysitting," said Jason, his black tee shirt clinging tightly to his chest. "Think of it as active watching."
Bailey glared at him. "Hey you with the extra medium shirt, how about you drink a tall glass of shut the hell up!"
Tommy frowned at her. "Don't yell at him. We are the only friends you got here, so be nice."
"Friends," Bailey questioned. "You're not my fucking friends. And how can you guys protect me." She looked around at the gathered faces. "Tommy is 'Mister Brainwash' so what good is he. Adam is 'Token Asian Guy'. Rocky is 'ADHD'. Tanya is 'The New Girl' what does she know. Katherine is 'Miss I still Power Coins from Pink Ranger's' and I don't trust thieves. Jason is 'Jason' enough said. Billy is 'Powerless' and needs to stop glaring me before I slap the taste out of his mouth."
Seven angry faces stared at her.
Bailey stared right back. She was pissed off and seeing red. There was a 99.9 percent chance that they could beat her ass but she never thought straight when she was pissed and told what to do. Plus, if she had to be stuck in a world, why would it be this one. She had stopped watching Power Rangers as a true fan years ago. Sure she saw the occasional episode from currents seasons, but after 'Power Rangers in Space' and the death of Zordon, the show and its entire legacy quickly went to hell. Example, 'Power Rangers Ninja Storm' enough said there. Only vaguely could she recall bits from the series she had watched devoutly every Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. She knew when major events happened and their order, but smaller things like weapons, Zord names and their uses echoed hollow in her mind.
"You don't even know us," spat Jason. "How do you even know that?"
Bailey smiled evilly. A cruel thought made its way out of her mouth. "I'm psychic."
This came to me last week and I plan to continue with this if anyone is interested.