Power Rangers Nexus

Chapter 2: Conversational Interlude

Later that day, Tommy entered the ship's lounge...and walked right into the middle of an argument.

"No, no, no."

"Yes."

"Can't be."

"It's true."

"Really?"

"I'm telling you. It's made of mold."

"It doesn't TASTE like mold."

"Have you ever tasted mold?"

"…Well, no."

Tommy strolled over to the circular couch and glanced down over the back. Jareth was there, and sitting opposite him was a young man dressed in black, blue, and gray.

"Oh, hey, Tommy."

"Tommy? This the one you told me about?"

"Yeah, this is him. Tommy, this is Deacon. He's the Silver Ranger."

"Nice to meet you," Tommy said.

"Likewise. Care to settle an argument?"

"Umm....sure."

"Is blue cheese made of mold?" Jareth asked.

Tommy blinked. "THIS is what you're arguing about?"

"Yep," Deacon replied. "Welcome to our world."

""So? What's your verdict?"

"I....have no idea. Why not ask Zord-1?"

"Good idea. Zord-1?"

The speaker mounted in the ceiling clicked on. "While blue cheese is not made of mold, certain kinds of mold are used in the process that creates blue cheese."

"I win," Deacon said.

"Damn."

"So, have you met any of the other Rangers, Tommy?" Deacon asked.

"No, just you two."

"That'll change. Red Ranger is on the day shift."

"What?"

"Thirteen Rangers is a bit much to mobilize at one time, so we have teams. Shifts. White, Green, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink, and Red are the day shift," Jareth said, ticking them off on his fingers. "Although Green and White tend to get paired off for separate missions a lot. Not sure why."

"Oh. And the others are night shift?"

"Not all of us. Just Deacon, Myk and I."

"Mike?"

"Not Mike, Myk," Jareth corrected, somehow managing to convey the difference in spelling. "He's the Bronze Ranger. Goofy superhero armor, attitude to match. He even wears a cape."

Tommy realized what color the superman-ranger from the portrait was supposed to be. "Gold, Silver, Bronze. Makes sense."

"And the other three are relief. Purple, Camouflage, and Gray."

"Camouflage? You have a Camo Ranger?" Tommy asked incredulously.

"Yep. Terina says there's a good reason."

"Who?"

"Terina. Um, Yellow Ranger. She's Eltarian, just like this ship."

"She's an alien?"

"Yep. Looks human enough. From a distance anyway. There are…differences, though, up close."

Deacon snickered. "Jareth's gotten very close."

Jareth lightly slapped him upside the head. "Shaddup. Anyway, she says that after Medelon made one set of Chromatic Rangers and one set of Mettalic Rangers, he made Gray, Purple, and Camo to represent air, sea, and land. Yeah, I know," the Gold Ranger said, seeing Tommy about to interject. "Apparently Eltar had gray skies and purple oceans. But yeah, that's why there's a Camo Ranger."

"You'll meet her eventually," Deacon said. "And then you'll wish you hadn't."

Jareth chuckled. "Deacon and the Camo Ranger have…a history. Anyway, those three step in when we need extra manpower, or one of us is wounded...you know. Things like that."

Tommy nodded. "And…who's Medelon?"

"Supposedly, the guy who forged the Power Coins," Deacon replied. "Nobody knows much about him. Lived thousands of years ago."

"I see. Well, it sounds like you've got a pretty good system."

"Yeah, well, that's the theory," Jareth said. "But truth be told, it doesn't usually work out that way."

"True," Deacon agreed. "Normally, Zord-1 just sends out the call, and whoever's not busy answers. We normally wind up with five or six. But that's usually enough."

Jareth kicked back, resting his feet on the table. He glanced over at Deacon, who was getting himself another soda.

"So," the Gold Ranger said. "What do you think Jell-o is made of?"