Nova Star Rangers
Doctor Thomas Oliver, known as "Tommy" to his dear friends simply Tom to his new friends and now Dr O to students, was leading his sophomore class in a study of the different reactions chemicals have upon being heated.
His students, of course, enjoyed the explosions when that was when was the result, and then quickly retook their places around their teacher's desk.
"Tommy" Principal Randall announced, charging through his classroom door, "Turn on the news." There's a Power Ranger being attacked."
Tommy turned off the burner and turned on the television behind his desk quickly switching it to a local news channel.
The screen showed a single Ranger fighting alone, it was a Pink Ranger. Her armour consisted of a pink tunic with an inverted Vee skirt over dark grey pants with silver boots and gauntlets and a silver star emblazoned on her chest.
She was fighting against nine creatures that could only be described as Toxic Green. The thing that seemed to be in command, as he was standing back and watching the battle, was wearing black armour where the armour didn't cove the villain there was darkness so deep there was nothing save the absence of light.
The Pink Ranger was taking a hell of a beating. Though she showed no sign of giving up the fight, with a jump and twist, the Pink Ranger hooked right leg at the knee around one of the toxic creatures' neck. The Pink Ranger then brought her left knee across her right breaking the neck of the minion. Both vanquished foe and Pink Ranger fell the too ground the vanquished minion seemed to burst like a water balloon filled with green slime, the slime evaporated in an effect that resembled heat vapers.
"Where is her team?" Randell asked Tommy, she was clearly worried for the 'lone' Pink Ranger, "She can't be out there alone, can she?"
"It's not common practice but there have been times when Rangers must fight alone, for one reason or another. They have even been called to serve alone," Tommy was too caught up in the battle playing out on the television screen to keep track of the fact that he was surrounded by people who didn't know his history.
"How'd you know that Doctor O?" One of the students asked
"I grew up in Angel Grove, we all know our Ranger history," It was the best lie that Tommy could come up with.
The commander moved into the fight, the darkness inside his armour reshaped in the area of his hand into a sword, a wicked looking jagged thing. Tommy had no doubt about the damage that the weapon would do.
The toxic green minions had the Pink Ranger down; from the original fourteen toxic creatures just eight remained nonetheless the Pink Ranger was still out numbered.
"She not going to make it," Elsa said and took a tight hold of Tommy's arm wrapped both arms around it.
"She can do it, show me some of that Pink Power" Tommy placed is hand over Elsa's but he was focusing with everything he had on the Pink Ranger and the battle she was fighting. She was holding her own against the Toxic Green minions fairly well, but that Black armoured shadow moved like a warrior, and looked as though he meant to join the fight. The Pink Ranger wasn't likely to be able to hold her own against so many foes. "You've got big shoes to fill Pink; I know you're strong enough get up Ranger. You've got no chance if you're not on your feet."
Tommy was reached into himself to the place where his Dino power had been there was no power inside him; he wanted that power now more than anything He wanted to help her. Everything in him wanted to help this Pink Ranger.
Surrounded by the green toxic minions the Pink Ranger spread her arms and flicked her wrists with a movement she called forward her weapons a shot of silver and pink. With another flick of her wrists one up and one down she deployed two steel bladed fighting fans.
"A fan? Man, she is such a girl," One of Tommy students scoffed.
"The Tessen is a difficult weapon to master and master it she has," Tommy watched the battle playing out on the screen before him. "Strange I could swear I know that fighting style."
"Recon you seen her fight before Dr O?" Doctor Thomas Oliver was undisputedly, and by a large margin, the coolest teacher ever. Most of his student knew that he had paid his way through college with professional racing and fighting. His undefeated status in MMA had won he a great many points in his students eyes.
Tommy couldn't help but wince as the black armoured commander's sword came down on the Pink Ranger's left arm the Sparks that flew at the strike communicate just how bad it was; any former Ranger could tell you that it took a heavy blow to draw that reaction from the skin tight amour.
The poor girl lost the Tessen that she had been holding that hand, but she didn't stop fighting she returned the blow with a slice from the remaining Tessen's open blades. The blade of the fan sank into the dark beneath that shinning black amour. It was as though the blade cut a slice into the skin of darkness and somehow there was deeper darkness beneath, the slice left a mark not lighter than the skin around it, for nothing about the shadow thing seemed to allow any kind of light, but slightly less wholly dark.
The Pink Ranger was swapped by the Toxic minions and she lost her second Tessen, the black armoured commander seemingly unfazed by the blow, brought his sword down on the Pink Ranger helmet.
The commander must be extremely powerful, in none of the battles that Tommy had been in against the generals of evil forces, such as Zeltrax most recently and Goldar back in the beginning; never had a blow actually damaged his amour. But this dark creature had just craved a thick brake into the Pink Rangers helmet. The weight of the blow knocked the Ranger to the ground.
"I will let you live, make you a general in my army, give you a place in my council. All you have to do is give me the Diamond." The commander's voice was completely inhuman, it was as thou someone had run James Earl Jones' through a sub-woofer half a dozen times.
The cameraman shooting the conflict had to have guts as he was close enough for his microphone to pick up the conversation
The Pink reached up and unclipped her helmet, she pulled the helmet forward then off. She flicked long brown hair out of her way.
"Kimberly," Tommy exhaled more than whispered it was just loud enough for Elsa to hear, although inaudible to all beyond her.
"I was chosen by Zordon of Eltar," Kimberly announced pulling herself to her feet and standing proudly, "Mentored by Dulcea Master Warrior of Paedos, I am the heir of Val Nutar last great Star Sage; I do not yield to the dark." Standing proudly the whole world watching, Kimberly Hart, holding on to her broken helmet unarmed, surrounded and utterly defiant.
"That's my girl" Tommy was both proud and terrified.
The dark commander stepped up to Kimberly who looked battered but heroic and lifted his sword, the tip of that horrid blade came to rest just below her right eye.
Kim didn't make a sound nor flinched as the dark creature drew his hideous shadow blade down her cheek leaving a trail of blood to mark its path, the girl was fearless.
With the inhuman speed the shadow pulled back his sword arm back and thrust his weapon forward and through Kimberly's belly.
"Kim!" Tommy called out getting the attention of all his students. "Ah baby, no" Tommy whimpered he reached out to the television but he didn't fully extend his arm before he brought his hand back to cover his mouth.
The creature tilted his head; if it had a mouth it would be smiling Kim put her hand over the creatures where it held the sword, seeming trying to lessen any further damage.
"Just give me the Diamond, and I will let you live," Kim stripped of strength by both injury and battle had no hope against the shadow beast. Just to be spiteful he gave his sword a little twist before he pulled it out. With the sword out of her torso, Kim's legs gave out from beneath her.
Kim collapsed to her knees and caught herself mid-fall, if there is one thing a gymnast is taught to do it is control a fall, one hand over her wounded belly and the other held her weight.
"My life, for the Diamond?" Her head the down and her hair had fallen over her face. She looked utterly defeated.
The pain in Kim's voice was clearly audible to everyone, which gave to Tommy a hint that all was not as it seemed, Kimberly Hart did not in Tommy's admittedly dated knowledge of her let those she didn't completely trust see how much pain she was in. A side effect of being a gymnast no doubt
"Yes," The commander replying as he stepped forward. This was the moment the Tommy understood what Kimberly was doing.
"Is she giving him what he wants?" Elsa asked turning from the television screen toward Tommy.
"No she's getting him in range," Tommy informed. The creature took that final step forward that Kim needed.
Kim swung her helmet on an underhand a diagonal making contact with the creatures head, he stumbled back. The act had cost Kimberly also as long with the surprised and pain grunt from the Shadow thing there was a distinctly feminine exhalation of pain.
Tommy again reached for his Dino power it was of course still not there, Kimberly was hurt and needed help, there had to be some way to help her. He couldn't stand here and watch his first love die, but he had no power, and without power, there wasn't really anything he could possibly do.
'To those who possess the great power all things are possible.' Dulcea's Voice whispered softly in his mind and he had to wonder if his onetime mentor was still trying to help the last of the Ninjetti.
Though the Ninjetti Power coin was destroyed and the power was no longer within his reach, the sprite of the Falcon was still a part of him. Tommy shrugged off Elsa's and moved through the clustered group of students who were all watching both him and the screen, at least since he had called it for Kim.
Tommy took a wide stance, a deep breath and focused in on the sprite of the Falcon.
Once he found it Tommy called forward. "Ninja Ranger Power, Now!" Muscle memory took over as Tommy Morphed into his Ninja robes.
"Holy Shit!"
"Langue!" Tommy snapped pointing at his student, just as Elsa called "Detention"
"Sorry Doctor O, Ms Randell" The chastised student parroted without sincerity. His teacher as cool as he had been before was a Power Ranger! There was no way her could have cared about anything else right now.
Tommy focused on the power now flowing around him and in a motion that would have been all those years ago would have had him powering down, Tommy pulled all the remaining power of Falcon together outside of himself.
The power coalesced into a bright pulsing white light. As Tommy looked into the pulsing light he heard the call of the Falcon. The falcon was forlorn knowing that he would never be part of his human host again, but eager for battle.
"Go to her," Tommy told the light and released it. Tommy could feel the eyes of everybody in the room on him but he didn't care he just watched the light that but been the core of The Falcon rise up and rush away, not even slowing or leaving a mark as it passed through the wall. It wasn't much but he hoped it would be enough to help; at least he had done something.
"You're a Ranger Doctor O?" Tommy still hadn't taken his eyes from where the last of his power had disappeared; he wasn't really sure which of his student had actually spoken.
"Not anymore," Tommy looked for the first time at his bewildered and astonished class and shrugged. The Falcons sprite had been a part of him for so long that he felt physically unbalanced without it. He stumbled a little as he made his way back to the television.
"We won't tell," One of his female students whispered as his stumble was caught by one of the bigger boys, Tommy could only smile at hers another set of hands came forward to continue to support him. He really needed to be sure that the Falcon made its way to Kimberly and the Crane that Tommy had always known still live within her.