Shift into Turbo: 2nd Gear
Highway to Hell - Part 1
Leaving school for the holidays didn't seem so weird anymore for Justin Stewart. He was in his senior year at Angel Grove University and - albeit, still years younger than his peers - he was only 21. He considered his life relatively normal these days, and despite being so young he has seen a lot of life - and death. Though his tenure as a Power Ranger wasn't that long, there were some things that just couldn't be unseen.
Like seeing former rangers Jason and Kimberly being lowered in to a pit of lava. Like T.J. choosing to detonate one of the Megazords to defeat one of Divatox's monsters. Like seeing the his friends blast away into space in a space ship. That moment in time sticks with him pretty heavily in particular. It was also the moment he decided he could no longer be a ranger. It's not as if the responsibility got to him or anything, but going to space as a 12 year old, it seemed a little crazy even for him.
And his dad got a great job and what kind of life would his dad have if his son went missing in space? At some point during his tenure, when Tommy Oliver and the first team passed the torch, Zordon and Demetria informed them that there would come a time when the powers would switch so that the rangers could assume normal lives again. Justin realized in that moment maybe that was his time. Except for when Storm Blaster came to him with his morpher and he was able to save his old friends from their current enemy. The fight never ends. Since then, however, he considered his life pretty vanilla.
Justin grabbed his bags as the final bell rang for his class and his professor dismissed as many of the students with a personal handshake as he could. He kept his eye out for Justin in particular and all but positioned himself in front of the former hero before he could leave class.
"Mr. Stewart," Professor Thomas said, his glasses resting at the edge of his nose as he looks down on his pupil. "Will you be taking my spring seminar? It seems that you have a proclivity for automotive engineering."
He has no idea, Justin thought. "I've had a lot of experience. But, no, I haven't made up my mind yet," he answered flatly.
Professor Thomas pushed his glasses up and pursed his lips, Justin recognized this as a sign of a lecture coming and that just couldn't happen right now, "Mr. Stewart, I – I,"
"But I think I'll go register right now and registration ends in like eight minutes so I better get down to the office before they close for the holidays." Justin said quickly, cutting him off. This was a smooth move as the professor's demeanor immediately changed and there was a glimmer in his eyes. It's not that Justin wasn't passionate about his major; which was automotive engineering, it's just that he wasn't sure how much harder he wanted to work in his last few months of college. His whole life he's been the smart, gifted kid ahead of the game. What was so wrong with maybe just taking it easy for once? He took this opportunity to duck out and cut the corner right out of the classroom door to freedom.
Looking around him he noticed a liberation in his fellow students. The stress of finals were over and everyone seemed revitalized and ready to spend time with the family. Justin was especially looking forward to this. In the last few years his Dad found love again and was planning to propose to her tonight; he trusted Justin with the ring which made timing even more important. It was 3 o'clock, which only gave him two hours to get there before it closes. But with Storm Blaster as his vehicle, that shouldn't be a problem.
As he made his way into the courtyard, he was greeted by a familiar face. Well, tackled might be a more accurate term. Before Justin could say hello, Quinn threw herself at Justin and wrapped her arms around him.
"We survived!" she said dramatically, Justin laughed as he helped her regain her footing. Quinn was easily his best friend these days, even though she was a little bit older. She had long blonde hair in a braid and hazel eyes that always seemed to catch the light, as far as Justin noticed anyway. Which was too much for his own liking. Only because he was more than sure that Quinn friend-zoned him, but from afar he could still admire the aspects that a friend really shouldn't.
"Ready for the break?" Justin inquired.
"Are you kidding? I plan on laying down the entire next three weeks. And then maybe rolling over once or twice. That's it," she said, laughing.
"Really? No expose on students in their hours on campus or some big story that the world has to know?" Justin said this facetiously.
"Even though there was some kind of weird thing that supposedly landed in the ocean a few nights ago, my loyal readers will just have to wait for the New Year," she replied. Quinn was head of the campus newspaper, the Angel Grove Gazette and she was known for including some really big stories, some not so school appropriate. She famously reported an affair between a student and teacher that also got her into the national news the two years prior. She meant business. But right now, even a good story, was the farthest thing from her mind.
"Yo, Justin!" both Justin and Quinn turn around to find their friend Tosh standing on the brick wall on the eastern part of the courtyard, just before the parking lot, waving dramatically toward them. He's a spectacle with his neon green outfit, which matching cap and headphones hanging around his neck.
"Well, isn't he just a scene," Quinn said. She wasn't wrong. Tosh was known for being a big partier on campus and a surprise to everyone - even himself - that he would be graduating on time. With his commitments to his fraternity Omega Lau Omega, to co-managing the Angel Grove Youth Center, needless to say he was pretty busy with a lot of noise. Tosh jumped down from the wall, his girlfriend, Shelby, looking almost embarrassed pulled him in for a kiss before heading to the parking lot.
"See you tonight, babe!" he said with a wink.
"Ew," Quinn said loud enough for him to hear.
"Don't be peanut butter and jealous, girl. There's enough of me to go around," Tosh replied.
"Yeah, I know. The entire girls swim team told me about it last year," Quinn said.
"You didn't have to go and put it in the paper," Tosh said.
"I did a public service, you know. The school needs to know what kind of bacteria would be going in the swim pool," she said; Tosh rolled his eyes and they both laughed.
"Anyway, you guys coming to my party tomorrow night? It's going to be out of this world!" Tosh said, getting louder and louder with every word so more students could hear him and simultaneously be reminded.
There was a moment of silence between the three of them, comfortable but brief. It finally settled on them that soon things would change. They only had a few months until the real challenge of "adulting" became a reality. No more school – at least, not for now. Justin was sure Tosh would still be throwing his parties and expanding his own event planning business. Justin was also sure that Quinn would be seen around the world, versus just Angel Grove, with her ambition to be a top journalist. Regardless, the status quo was nice but Justin knew too well that all good things must come to an end eventually. He was just thankful they had more time.
"Well, I have to get going here soon. Today is the big day for my dad," Justin said.
"Oh yeah, tell the old man congratulations for me," Quinn said.
"She has to say yes first," Tosh added and Quinn gasped before folding her hand into a fist and punching him in the shoulder. "Hey! Just sayin is all," Tosh laughed.
"Yeah, I think things will go great. But they won't happen at all if I'm late. I only have one job, I don't wanna screw it up," Justin said.
"It's reassuring to see a man who is responsible. Where can I find one of you?" Quinn said, batting her eyes and smiling coyly. Justin opened his mouth to say something and…nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"Craigslist," Tosh said and laughed and the moment was gone. Justin exhaled and shook his head.
"I'll see you both later," Justin said before taking off for his car, Storm Blaster.
"Don't be a stranger, call tomorrow!" Quinn shouted behind him. Justin more than likely would, because he couldn't help himself. As he entered the parking lot, Storm Blaster's head lights began going on and off the vehicle started making its signature noise. Thankfully most of the students just thought Justin was enthusiastically unlocking the vehicle with his key chain, but in reality Storm Blaster was thrilled to see him after 8 hours of being idle.
"Hey, Storm Blaster," Justin said, greeting the blue vehicle which resembled a rugged jeep. "Alright buddy, to the jewelry store. Today's the big day." Justin said and the car started itself right away. Out of habit, Justin placed his hands on the wheel, but the car always steered itself.
It was a nice afternoon, a bright sunny day with a light breeze that felt nice during the commute. Traffic was pretty light all things considered, but he's glad he left when he did. From campus, it took him and Storm Blaster about 45 mins to get back into the city Angel Grove. He pulled into Angels Jewelry Store at a metered spot that was still green. Cautiously he parked Storm Blaster and looked around at the timer which still had a half hour left.
"Score!" he exclaimed, he was short on change anyway. And Storm Blaster wouldn't appreciate getting a ticket.
As he entered the building he immediately thought he was too poor to ever be in there by himself. All the workers were dressed to the nines in black professional attire and the overall ambiance just screamed upper class. And there Justin was, in a simple blue shirt, wore out blue jeans and dirty sneakers. Not their ideal clientele.
"Can I help you?" Justin didn't want to look at gentleman greeting him, because the man's tone basically implied that he was more confused about Justin being there rather than actually wanting to help him.
"Yes you can," Justin said confidently and possibly even a little too loudly as he pulled out his father's receipt. "I'm here to pick this up," naturally it was crumbled and wrinkled beyond redemption but legible none-the-less.
"Of course," the man, appropriately named Jeeves, said curtly carefully clasping the paper with his thumb and index finger as if it were diseased. When he returned with the ring, he showed it for final approval which Justin replied with a thumbs up. "Excellent," said the man, void of any enthusiasm. As he was preparing it in the box, a woman – another customer – stepped over.
"My, my, what a beautiful ring. How long have you known the lucky girl?" the woman asked.
"I – uh. It's not for me. It's for my dad. Well, I mean, it's for his girlfriend more specifically." Justin said, feeling flustered for tripping over his words. But the woman's question certainly caught him off guard.
"Well surely you're not far behind. Do you have a lady in your life, young man?" she inquired. Justin blinked a few times, his expression blank, not sure why he was being probed in a topic he didn't like to discuss, much less with a stranger. He knew she wasn't being rude, it was just a nice old lady, so he relented and answered her.
"No, I don't," he sighed, the admission bringing him down more than he thought it would. He looked up at her and her expression changed from curious to concern.
"How old are you?" she asked suddenly.
"Uhm, I'm 21, ma'am," Justin said with a studdar. The woman then got really close and placed both of her hands on his face, his eyes growing wide taking note of her tight hold.
"21 and single, what's wrong with you?" She asked fretfully.
"I – I mean – I'm just picky? I'm not really, I don't know why I said that. I'm just…" he continued to babble on, unable to stop for some reason until the old woman finally cut him off.
"There's someone in your life. I know there is. Don't be afraid to ever say how you feel. You're a good, young man, I can tell. And blue eyes never hurt anyone," in addition to how weird this moment was, Justin couldn't tell if this woman was flirting with him, too – which would only be more horrifying.
"Ready?" Jeeves asked.
"YES," Justin said too loudly again and thankfully the woman released her hold on him but continued to smile.
"Don't forget what I said, now," the woman said as Justin took the bag from Jeeves.
"Good day, sir and thank you for stopping by," Jeeves said without looking at Justin and he walked out the store and got back into Storm Blaster which started up right away. He set the bag down in the passenger seat and thought curiously to himself.
"I don't know how this stuff happens to me," he mused out loud. "Alright buddy, let's get home," he said after his eyes looked down at his watch and he realized it was almost five. Storm Blaster all but hit the gas and reversed out of the parking spot and straight back onto the main road home.
As he pulled up, he took note of his father and Alicia's car parked in the driveway, right on time. He was about to take her out for an amazing night and he couldn't be happier for his dad. Justin just sat in his seat quietly for a few moments, taking in the changes about to come their way. He and his Dad have been through a lot together and he couldn't be happier that his Dad found someone after his Mom. Storm Blaster began making some noise, which was kind of out of character, but Justin just immediately dismissed it.
"What's up, Storm Blaster? Calm down, I'm getting out, I'm getting out," Justin said, popping the door and stepping out of the vehicle. Storm Blaster didn't quite calm down though and Justin shot the vehicle a look. "Calm down, we don't want to cause attention to ourselves," Justin said sternly. It seemed to work and walked up the driveway and began to approach the front door.
Before he placed his hand on the handle he stopped. A weird, foreboding sensation began to form in the pit of his stomach. He stopped, he took in a deep breath and exhaled. The feeling didn't subside. It was strange but it he felt as if something bad was happening or about to happen. But it was his home – his father was in there. It was the safest place he knew. Against his gut feeling, he shook his head and opened the door.
It was quiet, too quiet even. Perhaps it was coincidence.
Perhaps it wasn't.
"Dad, I'm home," Justin called out and he began walking down the hallway that led to the living room.
"Welcome home, darling," Justin froze. That voice, a sultry alto laced with venomous provocation. A voice that plagued mankind for a decent period of time. A voice of pure, unadulterated evil. It was Divatox. This was why Storm Blaster was acting funny.
Justin turned on his heels and saw Alicia, on the ground, bleeding from her forehead, smashed glass and broken furniture all around the house. Piranhatrons, at least half a dozen standing behind Divatox, who was sitting legs crossed in an arm chair, her hand placed on the back of Justin's fathers' neck.
"Dad…" Justin gasped and instinctively took a step closer to which Divatox made a mock sound of warning.
"One more step and daddy's neck goes snap," Divatox threatened behind a full smile. She seemed more crazy than usual. But it has been almost ten years since he last saw her, so that didn't help. But the look in her eyes, she wasn't crazy there was a blood lust.
"How are you here?" Justin demanded to know. "I heard,"
"Yes, yes, yes – how we all found the forces of good with Zordon's grace. Funny thing about grace is that it doesn't take much to fall from it," she said.
"Justin…get out of here…" his Dad said under his breath.
"Quiet you," Divatox applied more pressure to his neck, causing him to cry out in agony and cough up some blood. "What a shame, that will never come out of that carpet you know."
"Let him go, Divatox. You don't want him," Justin said, watching his Dad carefully.
"Oh, simple Justin. You've grown up but still simple minded I see. I told you I'd be back when I destroyed your precious power chamber. You rangers took everything from me. I had Earth and then I had to leave because more like you wouldn't stop popping up like zits everywhere. Then Zordon changed me for the worse. Little tip, the universe doesn't care if you changed and being good didn't satisfy me. I am who I am. I want Earth, I will have Earth. And more than that, I want you all to suffer," she squeezed his Dad's neck a little more and the man couldn't do anything but cry out in more pain.
Frustration. Anger. Rage. All building inside of Justin and he was helpless to do anything about it. His eyes narrowed and his heart broke with every sound his father made. This was all his fault. His ranger past was the reason his Dad was suffering in this moment.
"It's okay, Justin my sweet, it'll all be over soon," Divatox cooed lowly. This was a terrifying moment…and it was ruined for by an awkward humming sound that was getting closer. "What is that?" she demanded angrily. The humming stopped and then…
BANG!
A blue beam of energy blasted through the living room window, sending a Piranhatron in the air and into Divatox, knocking the chair backward and releasing Justin's father from her grasp. It was Storm Blaster, who was parked now in their front lawn which its cannon properly mounted once more.
"Nicely done, Storm Blaster!" Justin shouted before charging forward. A Piranhatron jumps forward and Justin quickly delivers a solid punch to its chest, sending it flying back and into an end table, breaking it. "That felt good," he said. Two more henchmen approached, one of them throwing a high kick that Justin was able to block and counter with a punch to the stomach. Another threw its arm forward, Justin ducked just in time for his arm to go flying over his head. Quickly, Justin gave the henchman a right hook to the face and then finished with a spin kick to the chest.
Storm Blaster roared outside and Justin jumped back as the car shot another beam from its cannon, hitting the other henchman and sending him flying into the back wall. Justin looked at Storm Blaster and nodded his head, thanking the vehicle. The car roared again and a blue light cascaded from the engine and to Justin's left wrist and right hand. The light dissipated and revealed his morpher and key. He hadn't looked at this in years, but it couldn't have come at a better time.
Divatox emerged from beneath her henchman kicking and yelling profanities until she got to her feet. Her eyes locked on the morpher in Justin's hand, wide with surprise.
"I destroyed your powers…" Divatox said, breathless.
Justin smiled and raised the key to his morpher, "Shift into Turbo!" A blue light cascaded and assimilated around his body, becoming once again the Blue Turbo Ranger.
To be continued