Impact of Power - Jason [Red]
By: ScarletDeva
Betaed by: Some combination of Shawn30, JTrevizo and Pink_Green_White_4ever.
Rating: K (maybe K+)…
Spoiler: MMPR to Zeo "There's No Business Like Snow Business, Part I"
Disclaimer: Power Rangers belonged to Saban, then to Disney, and now are owned by Saban again. I'm so confused…
Summary: Jason Lee Scott was the first red ranger and the first ranger leader. He saved the world a lot. And now he's just a regular guy. But everything you do in life leaves ripples behind and Jason is about to come to face to face with those ripples.
This is the second in a series of vignettes focused on former power rangers and how they find what they accomplished under the helmet had bigger impacts than just saving the world. JTrevizo's Kimberly vignette is already up, and additional stories will be posted under the Impact of Power title by other authors such as Pink_Green_White_4ever and Shawn30. A community is also now set up where all the series will be archived, as well as JTrevizo's website.
Jason ruffled his still wet hair as he walked into the lounge room. Early sunlight filtered through the curtains and only several other delegates were milling around on the couches, waiting to go to the cafeteria for breakfast service.
The television was on and he saw a familiar dark head resting on the cushion in front of it. The news was familiar too - six people in color coded outfits taking on a nasty looking creature.
Jason settled on the couch next to Trini, slinging an arm around her shoulders, and held his breath as the blue ranger got tossed into the bank window.
He felt a gentle elbow in his side.
"We're nine hours ahead," Trini said softly. "This is just a repeat."
Jason knew that. And he knew that, if anything was really wrong, one of the active rangers would have called to let them know. Kim, Billy and Tommy kept a regular correspondence to Geneva and even the new guys emailed semi-regularly. There was something about the bonds of power that forever connected those who carried it. And sometimes, sometimes when Jason wandered old, curving Swiss streets, or debated geopolitics in class with Zack, Trini and several dozen students from other nations, he missed that rush. But only sometimes.
Right now, he only watched Billy and Kim move in perfect sync, somersaults, spin kicks, double handsprings, mirrored side-kicks, and smiled.
"Oh are those the superheroes in California?" an excited voice piped up as Jasmynne Valois, the delegate from Lyon, France, flopped down next to Trini, her light brown hair bouncing.
Jason shot a quick look at Trini who merely raised her eyebrows and then looked back at Jas. "Yes. They're called Power Rangers."
"I know," Jas said and waved her hand dismissively as she leaned forward with an avid grin. "My sisters and I have been following them since they appeared. Actually, everyone I know at home has."
Trini and Jason exchanged another look.
It should have been obvious that aliens trying to take over the world and superheroes fighting them wasn't just boring news from California. Somehow, it never occurred to Jason that anyone outside of Angel Grove ever cared about the destruction and the death toll and the nights he spent wide awake staring at the ceiling and running through battle scenarios that never came to pass. Man plans and the gods laugh...
"Who's your favorite?" Trini asked, her face solemn, but her eyes twinkling. Now it was Jason's elbow that dug into Trini's side.
"The blue one," Jas said, never taking her eyes off Billy.
Jason made a mental note to email Billy and tell him that he had a groupie.
"I didn't realize people in France paid much attention to local American news," another familiar voice came from behind them. Zack. Jason glanced at his old friend, his brother in arms, and saw the same wonder he felt.
Jasmynne pulled herself away from the television and turned around to face them, her usually playful expression still and serious. She tugged on her long ponytail and nodded to herself. "There is evil out there, amis. Evil outside our planet. And these Rangers, whoever they are, fight this evil every day. I don't know what they sacrifice to do it, but I believe that what they do is not easy. But the thing is? There's evil on this planet too - poverty, starvation, human rights abuses, war... And if the Rangers can fight evil day in and day out, I think we can too. They make a difference and we can too. Doing anything else would be... letting ourselves down. It would be letting them down."
With that, she turned back to the television set, and continued watching, her lips tipped at the corners, like a smile was just waiting in the wings to be released.
Jason didn't dare look at Trini or Zack. He knew if he did, he'd out them all. And that would be letting everyone down.
Hearing Jasmynne talk, he knew that letting everyone down just wasn't an option, it had never been an option. And it was why he was in Geneva.
He had been a Ranger. He fought Rita and Zedd. He matched Goldar blow for blow. He dove into battle with his team at his side and destroyed monster after monster, saved the world time and time again.
Now someone else was wearing his color, roaring his call.
Someone else was watching his team's back.
And that was okay because he trusted in the team and he trusted in the power.
And he trusted in himself and the new path he needed to walk. Because the world didn't just need people willing to save it, it needed people willing to change it, willing to shed light into the shadows and stand against the dark, like Prometheus who risked the wrath of Zeus and brought fire to mortals.
And Jason was willing. Willing and ready.
Because being a hero didn't mean wearing a suit and fighting monster. It meant doing what's right and making a difference.
Jason fingered the communicator on his wrist and smiled.