Power Rangers Nexus

Chapter 1: The Arrival

Alarms blared throughout the ship, signifying the presence of an intruder. Diskette beeped in alarm, spinning in midair on her miniature hover-jets. She shot down the hall towards the bridge, the doors opening automatically in front of her and closing in her wake.

Among the control panels and readouts of the bridge sat a single, pulsating sphere, and from this sphere emanated a deep, mellow voice.

"Diskette, please contact one of the Rangers. Any one will do."

"Yes, Zord-1." Diskette floated over to the communications console, and, extending an arm of sorts, began to type away at it.

"Is something wrong? The alarms-"

"Merely an automatic function. There is a matter to which we must attend, but nothing terribly dangerous."

Diskette brought up a readout of the current time. It was 4:17 AM. Only two or three Rangers were likely to be awake, and only one would have nothing better to do. She hit the Send key.

A series of six familiar notes rang out, followed by a surprised sounding "Hello?"

"Jareth, could you report to the bridge, please? We may have a problem."

Moments later, a shaft of golden light flew down from the ceiling, materializing into a young man about six feet tall, with long, dark hair and piercing green eyes.

"What's the problem, Zord-1?" he asked.

"There is an intruder aboard the ship, Gold Ranger," the sentient computer program intoned.

"Why not just teleport it off?"

"It is not that simple. This intruder has found himself here by accident, rather than by his own free will. Furthermore, he is a Ranger."

Jareth nodded, then did a double-take. "Beg pardon?"

"He is a Ranger. A remarkable Ranger at that."

"Not one of ours, then. All right, I'll see if I can find him, and bring him up to talk to you."

"I have already spoken to him, and explained the situation," The computer informed him. "He is prepared to come peacefully. I simply wish you to lead him here."

"Couldn't you have had Diskette do that?"

"I could, but I believe it would be more comforting to have a fellow human with whom he could talk. Remember, he is displaced, lost not in space or time, but in the dimensional continuum, which is infinitely more complex."

Jareth took a moment to mentally detangle what he'd just been told.

"All right. I'll go get him then. What's his name?"

"You will find him in one of the storage chambers on deck 37," Zord-1 said. "His name is Tommy Oliver."

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"So you don't have a leader?" Tommy asked, incredulous, as Jareth keyed in his order on the food dispenser in the ship's lounge.

"Nope," Jareth replied, accepting a soda from the slot in the bottom of the machine. "You want something? All you have to do is type it in."

Tommy walked up and started typing.

"No. We don't have a leader," Jareth continued. "We basically just blow things up. It was harder back when Zedd-"

"Zedd? He's still around here?"

Jareth looked at him curiously. "Yeah. You know Zedd? Anyway, back when he actually thought up complicated plans, then things were trickier. But lately, it's like he's not even trying. We just blow up what he sends and go home."

"So what kind of Zords do you pilot?"

"Depends on the situation," Jareth answered. "We've got a couple different sets, each one designed for a certain environment. On land, we usually use our Dinozords." Jareth twisted his wrist, and his Power Morpher appeared in a flash of golden light. It looked just like the morphers Tommy remembered, except that Jareth's Power Coin was embossed with the head of a Lion. "They're the strongest we've got. But if, say, the enemy is magic-resistant, and we've run into a few, then we use our Turbo Powers."

"Turbo Powers?" Tommy flicked his own wrists, and a morpher appeared that resembled a gear shift attached to an ignition.

"Yeah, that's it," Jareth said, taking another swig of soda. "Only the standard five get those, though."

"Standard five?"

"Green, Pink, Blue, Yellow, Red. Which are you?"

"Red."

"Thought so. It's all you're wearing. Yeah, the rest of us don't get Turbozords. We had to strip our old Zeo zords for the parts to build them, and there just wasn't enough to cover zords for twelve."

"But the Turbo Powers shouldn't…Twelve? Your team has twelve Rangers?"

"Yep. I know, it seems like a lot. But usually, only about half of us show up for any given battle. What shouldn't the Turbo Powers do now?"

"What? Oh. They shouldn't work against a magic-resistor," Tommy protested. "They're magical. I mean, they draw power from the Zeo Crystal, right?"

"Yes. But it's not the source that counts, it's the application. Or something. I'm not really sure," Jareth confessed. "Zord-1 handles all the details."

"Doesn't that make Zord-1 your leader?"

"No. He's a computer. He does what he's told. Well. Within certain parameters."

"What parameters?"

"Well, his first priority is to safeguard the Power. The weapons, the Zords, all that...he protects it, acts as its Guardian. His second priority is to do what we tell him. So if we told him to fry a city, he'd do it, but if we told him to fry one of our own Zords, he wouldn't."

"That is an oversimplification," Zord-1's voice intoned from the wall.

Tommy jumped, surprised.

Jareth laughed. "He's the ship's computer. He sees everything that goes on onboard, and has speakers everywhere. You get used to it."

"That's dangerous, though. What if one of you were placed under a spell or something, and told him to-"

"It's happened before. Our Black Ranger was possessed once, and told Zord-1 to destroy most of California. Zord-1 saw right through her, and refused to do it. Takes a lot to put one over on Zord-1."

Tommy nodded thoughtfully. The computer clearly wasn't a mindless machine. Then he double-taked. "Her?"

"Your Black Ranger's a guy?"

Tommy nodded. "Well…we don't actually have one at the moment. But whenever we've had a Black, it's always been male."

"Ours is a girl. Electra. You'll meet her." Jareth tossed his empty soda can at a square metal panel set into the wall. The panel opened like a laundry chute, catching the can, then slid closed.

"And then," Jareth continued, "We've got another set of Zords specifically designed for going out into space. Lolli…she's our resident tech-head…is still working the bugs out of those. Lots of fun, but if you get blown up out in space, you're pretty much screwed. You could drift forever before Zord-1 managed to get a lock on your location and send someone after you. Too far for teleportation, see. He can only handle teleportation planetside. Or rather, he can teleport you TO just about anywhere, it's getting you back that's tricky." Jareth considered for a moment. "Of course, I guess if you had another Zord that could handle space, you could just call it to come and get you. That should work."

"Interesting. Where do you keep them all? Zord Holding Bay? Turbo Garage?"

"Good question. I never thought to ask. Zord-1?"

"The Zords are stored in the Zord Deployment Bay," the wall replied. "It is on deck 42. Perhaps you would like a tour?"

Tommy shrugged. "Sure."

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Zord-1's directions led them to an elevator, the brushed steel doors of which opened as they approached. Jareth entered, followed by Tommy. The elevator lurched, then began to descend.

"In a moment, the lights will go out. They will be out for approximately three seconds. Please do not be alarmed."

Sure enough, the elevator was plunged into darkness. The lighting flickered, then returned. Shortly afterwards, the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, allowing the two to step out.

Before them stood an array of massive, gleaming metal creations. The majority of them were shaped like animals, while others resembled enormous cars or trucks. The two humans felt like gnats.

"I keep forgetting how big they are."

"They never seem as big when you're morphed," Jareth agreed. "Probably because you can jump right over them."

"How big must this ship be to hold them all like this?"

Jareth frowned. "Good question. I've seen the Oasis--"

"The what?"

"This ship. It's called the Oasis. I've seen it from the outside. It's about the size of an aircraft carrier. There's no way these all fit inside."

"Then...how?"

"Molecular compression," Zord-1's voice intoned from above.

"Molecular compression? You mean they shrunk?"

"Indeed. While in storage, the Zords are compressed to between three and twelve inches in height."

"They look full size to me," Tommy said.

"That is because you, too, have been compressed."

"The elevator?" Jareth asked.

"It is a mechanism for translation. You are both now approximately a quarter of an inch tall."

Jareth and Tommy exchanged an uneasy glance.

"Ummmm."

"Let's go back to the lounge."

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"And that concludes our tour," Jareth said with a yawn. "Tomorrow I'll take you around and introduce you to some of the others. And don't worry, Zord-1'll find a way for you to get home."

Tommy blinked. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Bed," The Gold Ranger replied. "Sun's coming up. I must return to the safety of my crypt, lest the light of day reduce me to ash."

"You're a vampire?"

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "I was kidding, Tommy. No. As far as I know, there's no such thing as vampires. Although I have seen stranger things."

"Yeah, same here."

"Anyway. Yeah. So. Bed for me. My room," Jareth said, "is on the habitat level. Zord-1 can tell you where that is. Mine's the room with the gold door, you can't miss it. That's where I'll be, if you need anything."

"Gotcha."

"And Tommy?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't need anything."

So saying, Jareth turned and walked away.

"Tommy," Zord-1 said. "Shall I show you to your quarters?"

Tommy considered, then nodded. "I could use some sleep.

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There was no telling, in his windowless room, how long Tommy had slept. He got out of bed, stretched, then looked around. To his relief, adjoining his quarters, which consisted of a bed, desk, chair and dresser, there was a bathroom. After making use of the facilities and having a shower, Tommy returned to find his clothes, which he had carelessly tossed into the corner, lying in a neatly folded pile on the counter next to the sink. He reached over and picked up his shirt....it had been cleaned, and very well cleaned at that. It was even dryer-warm. Zord-1 must have cleaned them while he was showering.

Now, how had he done that? Had snakelike metal tentacles with attached mechanical claws come out of the walls and taken them off to some cleaning facility? Had the computer just teleported them there? Or had they been bombarded with some atomic ray that cleaned them, and then brought them to life so they could fold themselves?

Grinning at that last thought as he pulled them on, Tommy stepped from the bathroom to his room--and found a small mechanical construct, about waist-high with a dome-shaped head, changing the bedspread. Well, that explained that.

The droid, ignoring Tommy, turned and left the room, the door opening for him.

Curious, Tommy followed it. It turned a corner and, inserting itself into a slot in the wall perfectly contoured to it's shape, slid straight down into the floor.

"Huh. Wonder where it went."

"Having completed his daily chores on the habitat level, Drone has gone to the Zord Deployment Bay to run daily Maintenance on the Zords," Zord-1's voice rang out from the ceiling, startling Tommy once again.

"Morning, Zord-1."

"Good morning, Tommy. Was the room to your liking?"

"It could use a little decoration, But yes, it was fine."

"Please, come to the bridge."

"Where--"

"Follow the sound of my voice," Zord-1 said, his voice seeming to move down the hall. Tommy assumed he was simply talking continuously, and merely switching one speaker off and the next one on to simulate movement in a particular direction.

"The reason I ask about the room, apart from mere courtesy, is that I have been pondering the best way to return you to your home dimension."

"And?"

"And, I have found very little. Now, you claim that you were simply minding your own business, then there was....?"

"A bright flash of red light, and then I was in that storeroom."

"Yes, that collaborates my suspicions."

"Suspicions?"

"I have one idea...only one...regarding what may have brought you here. If it turns out to be true, then I also have one idea regarding how to restore you."

"And that is?"

"I prefer not to say just now. Regardless, if it is the case, then it will take some time to accomplish. And if it is not, then it will take still more time to find the actual cause. Regardless, you are likely to be here for quite some time. Thus, I sincerely hope that the room is to your liking."

"Oh." Tommy changed the subject. "A machine can hope?"

"Certainly. I may not be capable of most emotions, but I have no trouble at all hoping. A computer is created for a certain purpose. It is instilled with the desire to fulfill that purpose. Thus, it hopes for those certain conditions to be met that will enable it's purpose to be fulfilled. Hope is perhaps the one truly universal emotion."

"I see."

"The bridge isn't far now. Continue down this passage, and take the next door to which you come." Zord-1's voice stopped there.

Tommy continued down the passage until he came to the door, which slid open of it's own accord.

The room he entered was apparently the bridge. It was circular, with the front half of the wall occupied by a massive rectangular window. The bridge was split-level, most of the room was recessed. Consoles and control panels abounded, and evenly spaced about the curving wall were wonderfully painted portraits of each of the thirteen Power Rangers. On the floor was a large, stylized X, clearly the symbol of this particular group of Power Rangers.

Intrigued, Tommy looked more closely at the portraits. While all obviously belonging to the same set, no two Ranger costumes looked quite alike. The Black Ranger was indeed female, and her suit resembled that of a ninja or an assassin, or some combination of the two. The Gold Ranger's helmet had an actual mane, and he wore a trenchcoat whose sleeves vanished halfway down his arms, becoming one with his gauntlets. The Purple Ranger's armor resembled a wetsuit, the Gray Ranger had a cloak, and one, a color Tommy couldn't immediately identify, was dressed somewhat like Superman. One of the frames, the one above the door, stood empty. Judging by the color of the frame it should have held the painting of the Red Ranger.

A pulsating orb set into the nearest control panel caught his attention.

"Welcome to the bridge, Tommy. Tell me, does anything in this room strike you as odd?"

Tommy looked around once again. "No, it's more or less what I expected. Except for the portraits."

"Their presence surprises you?"

"No, even that's not too strange. it's just that one's missing."

"Precisely. Tommy, we are missing a Ranger. Namely, the Red Ranger."

"Why didn't you just choose someone?"

"I don't claim to have any knowledge of how these things work in your world, Tommy, but here, the Coin chooses the Ranger. While the other twelve coins found suitable hosts and seem well satisfied, the Red Power Coin has never responded to anyone. We've done sweeps of the planet, even of the galaxy. Nothing."

"So how do you get by without a Red Ranger?"

"We've managed, and managed fairly well, so far. But this can only last so long. Jareth told you that Zedd has been thoughtless in his attacks lately?"

"Yes...."

"It is my belief that Lord Zedd is planning for a massive strike against the planet. I believe the Coins know this also."

"Then the Red Coin...."

"Would have been pressed to find someone it found worthy. Not finding anyone on Terra, the planet we now orbit, nor elsewhere within its range, it began searching other dimensions."

"Are you saying the Red Power Coin brought me here?"

"Yes. Your arrival has the Red Coin's proverbial fingerprints all over it."

"So...I'm your new red Ranger?"

For an answer, one of the nearby panels swung around, revealing a panel of black velvet with thirteen rectangular slots in it. Twelve were empty, but one held a silver, oblong device that Tommy recognized as a Power Morpher. As he drew closer, Tommy recognized the gold coin in the center, engraved with the image of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Suddenly, the coin began to shine a violent crimson. A ray of scarlet light shot forth from the coin, pointing right at Tommy's heart.

"The coin has indeed chosen you," Zord-1 said. "The only question remaining is, do you accept?"

"Accept?"

"The coin will not force itself on you. You must accept it."

"Oh....what happens if I refuse?"

"I am uncertain. The coin may return you to your own world, or it may ignore you entirely."

"Oh."

"While I do not wish to unduly influence your decision, Tommy, I will not lie. The coin brought you here for a reason. You are indeed needed."

Tommy stared at the morpher for a moment. He swallowed. "I accept."

The morpher vanished from its slot in a flash of scarlet light.

"Welcome to the family, Red Ranger," the sentient computer intoned.