Chapter Two
"Returning to Normal"
When Zack strode into the weight-lifting room of Angel Grove's Surf Spot, formerly called the Youth Center, his eyes and ears snapped to the nearest TV upon hearing the broadcast. Having already attracted most of the clientele and staff in the room, the volume had been turned up so that the enormous room could listen in. Upon looking at Goldar and Scorpina attacking the Phoenixzord, Zack's mouth dropped.
"While little is known as to what caused the reemergence of two of Angel Grove's infamous attackers," continued the female reporter, "It is reassuring to know that the Power Rangers have returned to safeguard the citizen's of Angel Grove, including the emergence of a new ranger—" The TV froze on the Phoenixzord for a moment as it soared over the battles and then resumed its footage, cutting back and forth from the battle with the Skunk also. "—possibly linked with the unexplainable disappearance of the original Green Ranger more than ten years ago. More information will be provided as it develops. What shocked many bystanders and observers of the battles this morning was the lack of a unified megazord or of the presence of the Bearzord."
"I distinctly remember there being a bearzord when the rangers were using those animal zords, even though it was a decade ago," said a thirty year old woman. "I was surprised to not see it. I mean, if the other zords are back, like that tank thing, then where's the yellow bear?"
"Other's expressed similar concern," commented the reporter.
This is insane! thought Zack, digging his fingers into his palms as his face tightened. The media is going all out on this!
"Hey, Zack!" called a male voice.
Zack cocked his head in the voice's direction. "Hey, Scott," he replied, to his 27 year old fellow staff member. He was a little shorter than Zack but broadly toned with short blond hair and green eyes. They clasped hands.
"Good to see you buddy," Scott said. "Can you believe this?"
"No," Zack admitted, covering up and soothing his panic as quickly as possible. "It's crazy. No wonder traffic was so bad today. That's why I was late."
"Don't sweat it. People are panicking. This stuff hasn't happened around here in about five—six years, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"And with the economical recession where it is, insurance is going to be next to impossible to maintain property."
Realization snapped into focus within Zack. His jaw dropped in outrage. That's why he attacked now! He thought, gagging as he remembered to hold his tongue—a bit of a chore at the moment due to his shock.
"You okay?" Scott asked, eyeing him.
"Yeah," Zack covered, clearing his throat. "I'm just shocked."
"I suppose we'd be fools to not be."
"Right. Hey, is my client here yet?" He added, remembering he had an appointment at 8:30am and the time was five till then.
"Yeah, she's over there." Scott pointed over at the cardiovascular machines.
Zack saw her, a thirty year old woman of average build trying to find a good balance between her body fat and muscle. Lately, she had started yoga which had yielded superb results toward her goal.
"Thank you," Zack said, darting off to her. A distraction was exactly what he needed now. Apparently the media was out for blood which made sense. Other cities had been attacked over the years and the media profits had been booming there while Angel Grove's had steadily dwindled while not dying. Now that they had an opportunity to score more profits, they were going to milk this case for all its worth. Everyone is trying to make a living nowadays—one reason why I'm part time now. And now this? Zack had a funny suspicion stirring in his gut that the media was not going to be as accommodating as they had been last time by not trying to figure out the power rangers' identities. The times had definitely changed.
If only Bulk was here now, he thought, unsure of what he would think about all of this. But then again, Bulk did not know that Zack had been a power ranger, despite his best friend, Skull's, and his attempts to uncover their identities. Right now, Bulk was on the human colony on Mirinoi, a planet far from Earth. Due to a forgetful misfortune, Bulk had forgotten to get Skull a ticket on the Space colony, Terra Venture, and had left him Earth. Depression had rained over Skull for months before he was able to forgive Bulk. From time to time during his workouts at the gym, Skull had expressed to Zack that he wished he could see Bulk again sometime.
Zack sighed and spray painted a smile on his face, hoping that it would inject him with good humor. It didn't. Regardless, he extended his hand to his client. "Good morning, Ms Samson. How are you this morning?"
"Well, as can be expected," Ms Samson replied. "My hip has been sore since yesterday, so I was wondering if we could take it a bit easy today."
"Of course," Zack replied, dropping his fake smile. If he was going to get through the day, honesty was a better and less stressful way of doing so. Zack's good humor would bounce back soon or later. "Do you think you sprained it or pulled a muscle?
"Probably the latter," she said.
"Okay," Zack examined the hip. "Let's see if we can loosen it up with a light jog and then try to stretch it out with some light yoga."
"Sure. I'll let you know if you if it gets worse."
"Sounds good."
Smiling back at him, she stepped onto the treadmill.
Zack stayed silent beside her, praying for the self-control to keep his nerves in line.
In Reefside High School, Tommy passed through his morning classes relatively well, seeing as his friend had almost died and Trini walked out on him and the team. Though he conducted each of his lessons professionally and answered questions correctly, he felt he was missing as step here and there. Once or twice during each period he would lose his train of thought in a lecture, or give the wrong answer to a question, or be unable to comment on a particular student's progress on an experiment. By the time lunch period rolled by, he was already wishing that today had been a test giving day. Therefore, he was not surprised when he was digging out a tuna fish sandwich at his desk that Principal Elsa Randell entered the room with a mug of steaming coffee.
"Dr. Oliver?" she asked kindly, tapping her knuckles on the opened door.
Having not noticed her entrance, Tommy jumped out of his chair when she said his name. "Oh, Principal Randell," he sighed. "It's you."
"May I talk to you for a moment in private?" she asked, eyeing him with professional concern.
"Please," Tommy said, gestured to the edge of his desk, his heartbeat steadying. "I'd welcome it."
Closing the door, she approached him. "For you," she said, handing him the mug.
"Thanks." Tommy sipped it. "Good blend."
She nodded. "Tommy," she began, not losing her compassionate demeanor, "I've been hearing from several students that you've been distracted throughout the morning. Is there something I should know about?"
Tommy gazed at her, unsure if he should divulge the truth. Sure, Elsa knew that he had been a power ranger before due to her mind enslavement to Mesogog. But after she had been freed from him, she had become a friend and confidant. Regardless, he hesitated. Zordon's rules echoed in his mind: the right to handle the power he owned again. However, it was more than that. Originally, no one was supposed to know who the identities of any power ranger team, either current or retired. Even though Elsa and her boyfriend, Anton Mercer, and old friend and old colleague of Tommy's, knew about his ranger past, Tommy still treaded water in confessing his problems. "I've just had a bad morning," he compromised with a half truth. "That's all."
"Tommy, I overheard a student say you referred to a Stegosaurus as an Apatosaurus in your second period class while looking directly at the picture," she pointed out, "something I'm sure you would know the difference between in your sleep."
Knowing he was caught, Tommy sighed and nodded. "You're right. I've been deeply distracted, almost preoccupied."
"Because of the broadcasts?" she asked.
"Yeah. I was there, Elsa," Tommy replied, looking her in the eye. "That was me in the Falconzord."
Though she had suspected this, Elsa nodded in understanding. "And the reporter's suspicions about digging into the rangers' histories?"
"Or our identities? We never did much with the press back then. And as far as I can tell, no ranger team ever has."
"It's a bad environment we're in."
"Elsa, this could get nasty very quickly and hurt our mission."
"Which is?"
"Protecting the earth from a very dangerous threat."
Elsa pursed her lips, realizing from Tommy's expression that he was not going to divulge anything more. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked, remembering that Tommy was not trying to betray her.
"Just know that I might need a substitute soon or a replacement."
"I'd hate to fire you, Tommy, or see you quit. You have a natural talent for encouraging students and it would be a shame if you left that."
Tommy took a deep breath. "I hope it doesn't come to that, Elsa. Thank you again for the coffee."
"You're welcome." She crossed to the door. "Dr. Oliver, I might be able to get you a replacement for some of your classes. Possibly afternoons? I've been receiving several résumés over the past few months, most of them highly reputable. Let me make a few calls."
"Thank you," Tommy said, gratitude swelling within him.
"You're welcome," she said, grabbing the door handle. "Should I tell Anton to expect a call from you?"
Tommy shook his head. "No, I don't think Anton could help with this. But that reminds me, I need to make a call. Private, please."
Taking the hint, she smiled and exited, closing the door behind her.
Tommy pulled up his left sleeve and tapped Billy's button on his communicator. "Billy, did Haley meet up with you yet?"
"Yeah, she's here," Billy responded. "We've been working for the better part of the morning. I think you'll like what we've done."
"Tommy, I had to reroute a lot of the internal wiring but it'll be more efficient this way," Haley supplied. Judging from the static, she was across the room.
"Sounds like you guys have been making progress?" Tommy asked.
"We're close to completion on the surveillance equipment," Billy said. "All we need to do now is a face lift and reboot some other programs."
"Good. Have you guys heard—?"
"The news?" Haley interrupted, her voice coming in clearer as she had moved closer to Billy. "I'm way ahead of you on that and can definitely say that most of those reporters meant every word they said and inferred earlier."
"Damn, that's exactly what we need now," Tommy sighed, shaking his head again.
"Well, Tommy, that wasn't your classic zord battle this morning. Six zords and no megazord, plus a completely new zord! The News is having a field day with this. But then again, we can hope that those are only intentions."
Tommy glared. Breathing in, he blew out most of his frustration with his breath while the rest stayed knotted under his cheek bones. There was more he needed to be concerned with than just a bunch of greedy reporters. "How's Sean doing?"
"I'm doing well, Tommy," Sean answered in a bright voice from his communicator. "Thank you for asking."
"That's good to hear," Tommy sighed. "Have there been any more attacks or activity?" Tommy asked, though realizing his question was useless. The absence of any of the rangers contacting him meant that there had not been any since this morning.
"Negative," Billy said. "Trust me, we'll get through this."
"I do. I'll see you guys after school's out."
"We'll be here."
"Oh, Tommy, don't worry about me being here all day," Haley added. "Trent has no classes today so he's filling in."
Tommy smiled. Trent being assistant manager at the Cyber Café had its benefits. Leave it to Haley to think of everything, Tommy thought. "You've been hanging around me too much," he said, cracking a grin. "I appreciate it, Haley." Lowering his arms, he collapsed into the back of his chair. He sighed as the events of the last seventeen hours washed over him again. He groaned. "It's going to take more than a cup of coffee to get through this day," he said, sipping some more. "But we will. Hmm?" He peered at the cup. "I'm gonna have to ask Elsa where she got this blend from." Remembering his sandwich, he grabbed it and crammed a mouthful into his mouth.
Back in Angel Grove, a black 2006 Acura sedan rolled into the forest framed house.
Still sitting on the porch, Trini stirred, staring at it. Fear and longing battled within her. What if this doesn't work? she asked for the thirty-eighth time. Unfortunately, she was sure the driver had seen her so she could not slip away now. However, her anxiety hovered in her chest, spilling into her gut as fumes wafted in her head. Regardless, Trini stood, keeping her arms crossed over her breasts.
The driver parked his car, turned the engine off, and opened his door.
Trini steeled herself, too nervous for talking.
Richie Rowen peered at her from behind his door, squinting in the midday sun. Except for a fuller and more defined face, he had not changed much from high school. Still fit, if not fitter now as a PE teacher and soccer coach, benevolence and kindness radiated from him just like before. "Trini?" he asked, uncertainty and nervousness vibrating within his legs. His heart had skipped a beat when he first saw her. Stepping around the car door, he shut it, and walked over to her. "Wow, this is a surprise."
Looking away, Trini bit her lip.
"Trini?" Richie asked again, worry spearing through his anxiety and his voice. "What's wrong?"
Trini took in a big breath. "May I come in?" she asked, finally looking at him.
"Of course," he said, reaching a hand around her shoulder.
Shuddering, she scampered away from it.
"I'm sorry," Richie began, stung by her reaction.
"It's not your fault. Can we please go inside?"
"Yeah, sure," he said, unlocking and opening the door. Stepping back, he gestured her to enter.
Trepidation and confusion still possessing her, she stepped forward one foot at a time, reaching out no further than a foot length. Hesitation clung to her but she dismissed it, listening to the trust that vibrated within her heart, pushing her forward. She trusted Richie. He, like his house, offered her safety and seclusion from the events of the day.
Richie followed, puzzlement and compassion buzzing within him.
