Almost instantaneously after they left, Kim and Tommy arrived on the scene. What met their eyes caused Kim's heart to leap to her throat. Jason was lying on the grass, unmorphed and unconscious. Billy was facing off one on one with Goldar. He was kicking, flipping and punching without mercy and with a fury never before shown by their quiet teammate and friend.
Zack and Trini were surrounded by putties and more just kept coming. Without pause, Kim and Tommy split up and began attacking putties, trying desperately to get to their fallen comrade out of harm's way before the putties could get to him. Even with the added force, it didn't seem like it would be enough. More putties kept materializing out of thin air, and Goldar wasn't giving up either. The situation was getting out of hand, Jason wasn't waking up, and they needed his help. What happened next was anything but good.
Striding along the path, headphones on and writing on the notepad in his hand, Mitchell, oblivious to what was going on mere yards away from him, walked right into the battle.
It wasn't until Trini punched the putty she was fighting in the Z on its chest that Mitchell finally looked up from what he was doing. Eyes growing wide, he turned and took a few tentative steps back, realizing what he'd just walked into. Unfortunately, he had already been spotted by Goldar, who had sent the Blue Ranger flying through the air to land roughly on his back on the ground.
"Heh...well what's this?" Goldar growled as Mitchell stood frozen in fear that the ugly looking ape thing had seen him. "An innocent? Hmmmm...Perhaps my mistress will have use for him, something to get those power brats to finally turn over their coins!' PUTTIES! GRAB HIM!"
Mitchell had a glimpse of the Rangers starting to move towards him through the putties as the putties approached him. Mitchell grabbed his backpack and held it in front of him, as if it would help shield him from the two putties gamboling up to him, making strange noises and waving their arms. The Yellow Ranger, who had been close enough to hear Goldar, and had seen Mitchell, yelled to the others, who quickly tried to get to him before the putties did.
They were unable to move fast enough. The first putty grabbed Mitchell's backpack out of his hands and tossed it casually aside. The second putty reached out and grabbed Mitchell's arm in a vice grip and yanked him towards the battle and to Goldar.
Shaking and struggling, Mitchell tried desperately to get his arm out of the putty's grasp. Without warning, Mitchell's mind was flashing horrific images of his childhood in a rushing blur. Mitchell closed his eyes and tried block out the memories. He was tired of being afraid, he was tired of living in fear, he was SICK and tired of running. He felt the rage build from the depths of his soul. Bubbling and churning like fiery lava in his heart. He was tired of being pushed around. He wasn't going to take it anymore, and sure as hell not from some grey looking thing with a Z on its chest. As his anger began to consume him completely, his mind kept repeating the same words over and over again..."no more...No More...NO More" before finally bursting from his chest in a war cry..."NO MORE!". Eyes flying open, Mitchell grabbed the putty holding him, spun him around and punched it in the head. The putty's grip slackened, and Mitchell was able to pull his arm free before dropping to the ground and knocking the putty's feet out from under it. Slamming his fist into the "Z" on its chest, he watched the putty disappear.
Mitchell was running on autopilot as more putties tried to attack him. He had no sense of self anymore, all he felt was a fire burning inside him, and felt like his skin itself was on fire. All he knew was a desire to go after as many as these clay-like men as he could. Fueled by a power he couldn't explain, like somehow, it was the right thing to do, anything to sublimate the rage he felt inside.
As the battle raged on, The Black and White Rangers were communicating through their helmet intercoms. Both had managed to get to Jason and drag him off the side of the battle before anything could happen to him. Shaking him gently, Jason groaned but did not show any signs of wanting to get off the ground, his face contorted into an undeniable look of pain. The Blue Ranger had been able to get back on his feet and was still battling with Goldar, but both had slowed down their battle to stare at the bronze colored blur that was attacking putties a few yards away from him.
Goldar started to worry that the Rangers and this punk teenager were more than he could handle. Especially because the Pink and Blue Rangers had managed to gang up on him.
"Enough for now Power Punks! I'll be back, and you'll all pay!"
Goldar raised his arm in a fist and disappeared. Instantaneously the putties also disappeared. The Power Rangers stood where they had been fighting the battle and stared at Mitchell as he stood facing them. What met their eyes, they would never forget?
Mitchell's body seemed to glow a deep orange-like color, and his eyes... his eyes no longer looked human. They were pitch black and the pupils danced with flame.
As the White Ranger took a step forward, Mitchell glared defiantly at him as he approached. Without warning, Mitchell threw his head back and a tormented scream erupted from his throat, clearly expressing pain, but not even close to sounding human. When the scream ended, Mitchell disappeared in a bronze-colored blur...
Powering down, the rangers stared at each other, each one clearly interpreting the looks on the others' faces. Trini was the first one to speak.
"We need to get Jason to the command center and make sure he's okay. I'm worried about Mitchell too, I mean that is definitely not any normal human behavior...But we should really make sure that Jason is all right, We could've lost that battle, we were definitely outnumbered until.." pausing to brush her hair out of her eyes, Trini shrugged and said...
"Until Mitchell showed up."
Zack motioned to Tommy and the two went over and helped Jason stand on his own feet in order to teleport him to the command center. They were just getting ready to disappear when Billy spoke. Without meeting any of their eyes he said softly...
"Go ahead, it doesn't take all of us to get Jason to the Command Center. I'm extremely disturbed by the events that this afternoon has brought upon us."
Glancing imploringly at Kimberly, Billy continued,
"I would prefer to head to my lab and see what I could find out about what happened to Mitchell. His things are still here, and I think analyzing them would be a good idea. If he's under some kind of spell, or something more sinister."
Kimberly was the only one who recognized Billy using Mitchell as an excuse to not be near Jason. Her eyes widened slightly, and she nodded briefly as understanding came to her mind.
Her suspicions about her quiet friend, and the feelings she had experienced after they had accidently switched bodies last year all seemed to have been brought to light in Billy's statement.
This was the best thing in her opinion, but something seemed off. All she knew was that she had to wait and see what had happened.
She just hoped her blue and red friends wouldn't mess it up.
"Okay buddy, go ahead." Said Tommy. "We'll see you in a bit." With that, Trini, Tommy and Zack, who still had Jason between them to support his weight, teleported in a series of multicolored flashes, leaving Billy and Kim alone in the park.
Kim quietly approached Billy, put her hand on his arm briefly, and asked.
"What happened?"
"Kim, I don't even know what to tell you" said Billy sadly as they materialized in Billy's garage and makeshift laboratory. "I made an egregious error, I said too much, and he detests me." And as if to himself Billy shook his head and mumbled softly "As if he could ever love me to begin with…"
Kim was astounded at the amount of emotion pouring from her quiet friend; it was completely unlike him to express much emotion at all, much less to see the lone tear cascading slowly down Billy's face.
Ever since the day that they had switched bodies, Kim knew what her closest friend battled with. She reached out to him, and when he didn't pull away, she wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. Silently he cried into her shoulder as she rubbed his back in a motherly way.
When he had finished, he pulled away muttering a broken apology about being foolish.
"Don't you DARE apologize William Cranston!" said Kimberly sternly, placing her hands on her hips. "It's about time you finally started getting this out there."
Shaking his head briefly, Billy realized that he was a fighting a losing battle. Kim had always been the rock that they'd come to rely on in tough times. She was the heart and soul of their team. She was always there for the others.
"We need to make sure Jason's okay." Said Kim, "We also need to figure out what the heck happened with Mitchell. It was amazing and terrifying to watch all at the same time, but whatever happened is DEFINITLEY not normal!"
"I agree completely Kimberly," said Billy, picking up a small scanner off the table and running it over Mitchell's backpack and notebook he'd been carrying in the park. Without warning, the scanner began emitting high pitched beeping sounds.
"This is HIGHLY improbable..." Billy muttered staring at the readouts on the digital screen. He glanced up and noticed that Kim was staring at him expectantly waiting for him to explain what he'd discovered.
"It seems that Mitchell's things have some sort of power signature on them…" said Billy. "It's similar to the Morphing Grid, but it seems to have very small differences. This is starting to look very odd. We need to talk to Zordon. NOW." Shifting his gaze downward at nothing in particular, Billy said softly "We should check on Jason's condition as well".
After nodding once to show that she understood, Kimberly and Billy raised their wrists, pressed the buttons on their communicators and disappeared into their familiar columns of Pink and Blue light.
Touching down swiftly in the Command Center, Billy glanced around nervously…Where was Jason? Billy looked around and saw Tommy, Trini and Zack standing near the viewing globe. Sensing Billy's tension, Kimberly looked up at the large floating head that was their mentor, Zordon and asked.
"Where's Jason, Zordon? Is he all right? Where is he?"
Looking down at them all gathered before him, Zordon said in his booming voice,
"RANGERS, JASON SHOULD BE UP AND AROUND SOON. HE SUSTAINED A HEAVY BLOW TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD. ALPHA IS TAKING CARE OF HIM IN THE MEDICAL CHAMBER."
Various sighs of relief came from each of the rangers settled in various places around the command center. Billy, noticing the others' eyes on him, decided that he'd best tell Zordon what was going on with Mitchell, the things he had found and hopefully some answers.
"Zordon, I ran some tests on a few of Mitchell's things, and they showed some very strange readings." Said Billy approaching the Command Centers' computer systems.
"I'm very unsure what to make of them, but it seems like Mitchell is carrying some form of Morphin' Power from the Grid, and I just don't see how that could be probable."
"BILLY. PLEASE INPUT YOUR FINDINGS INTO THE COMPUTERS." Zordon boomed. "THIS IS JUST THE LATEST IN A STRING OF EVENTS THAT HAVE HAD ME CONCERNED."
As Billy fed the data into the computer, Trini tapped Kimberly and gestured over her shoulder. Jason had entered the main room of the command center and had a bandage wrapped around his head like a turban, his black hair just visible above the white cloth.
Jason gazed around the room briefly, wincing briefly as his eyes adjusted to the lights of the computers, and smiling broadly at the sight of his friends gathered and appearing to be uninjured. The group slowly began to turn and look as Jason walked into their midst. Billy, standing at the computer lost in his work, had yet to notice. Jason's smile slowly disappeared as he stared at his best friend, his little brother. He glanced sideways to Kimberly who was eyeing him warily, she gave a glance in Billy's direction, looked back at Jason and gave him a curt nod.
Jason coughed slightly and Billy, started and turned around to face him.
Jason swore he could feel a piece of his heart die. The look on Billy's face was completely impassive, but his eyes, "Oh God, what I wouldn't do for the sake of those eyes" A new voice in Jason's head spoke softly, and at once, understanding bloomed into existence in his heart. It was a foreign feeling, this new level of affection and care for Billy, but not unwelcomed. He realized with a jolt why his relationships had never worked out with the girls he had dated. They couldn't capture his heart the way Billy had.
Jason slowly stepped forward, up onto the platform where Billy was working. Jason, oblivious to everyone else present, slowly made his way to where Billy stood frozen like a deer trapped in the headlights of a car.
"Why couldn't you just come out and say it?" Jason asked softly, his voice practically a whisper.
Jason noticed that Billy refused to meet his eyes, staring at a speck on the floor, Billy replied just as softly.
"I couldn't lose you Jason. I've lost too much already in my life; I couldn't stand the thought of losing my best friend. I had already disclosed too much information at the park, and then I turned back around to watch Goldar appear out of thin air and try to bash the back of your head in. If it wasn't for me Jason, this wouldn't have happened."
Jason slowly reached out his hand and placed his fingers gently underneath Billy's chin, bringing Billy's blue-eyes to meet his own midnight orbs. Billy didn't pull away, and that was all the permission that Jason needed. Without saying a word, Jason's face inched closer and closer to Billy's. Before either one knew what was happening, Jason's lips were on Billy's, claiming them as his own, and at the same time surrendering himself to whatever powers that be, that he'd never felt so complete in his life.
It was the sharp intakes of breath behind them that caused the two to break apart. Billy with a smile so wide that it looked like his face were coming apart at the seams. His eyes sought Kimberly first. She was grinning like an idiot, holding Tommy's hand and practically jumping up and down. Jason met Tommy's eyes briefly, wondering what his sparring partner's reaction was going to be. He needn't have worried. Tommy was staring back at him, and after the initial shock left his face. Tommy smiled and nodded. Zack was dancing around happily, and Trini was smiling too.
"It's about time you guys!" Zack cried happily, "Like we haven't waited for you two to finally stop dancing around each other for the past few years!"
Zordon's voice echoed throughout the chamber loudly.
"RANGERS! WHILE I AM VERY HAPPY FOR JASON AND BILLY, WE HAVE A PROBLEM. THE COMPUTER HAS ANALYZED THE DATA FROM BILLY'S SCANNER. WHAT I FEARED HAS INDEED COME TO PASS. WE DO NOT HAVE MUCH TIME!"
"What's up Zordon?" said Jason briefly, squeezing Billy's hand and letting go.
"THE PROPHECY…." Said Zordon.
The six teens looked up at Zordon, a similar look of surprise on each of their faces.
"What prophecy Zordon?" Jason asked quizzically.
"I DID NOT THINK THAT THIS DAY WOULD COME IN YOUR LIFETIME RANGERS, BUT I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER. YOUR TEAM IS LIKE NO OTHER SET OF RANGERS THAT HAS EVER EXISTED, OR EVER WILL."
The six of them nodded, being only teenagers, they shared a unique bond. A group of multi-ethnic friends with varying differences in hobbies and school activities. Society showed that they never should've ended up as a group of tight knit friends with the bonds that they shared. Yet it had happened.
"THE PROPHECY'S MEANING HAS CARRIED ON FOR EONS. PLEASE OBSERVE THE VIEWING GLOBE AND IT SHALL BE EXPLAINED."
As the teens turned their attention to the Globe, an image of a man, heavily cloaked in robes appeared on the screen. A voice was heard coming from underneath the robed man and the voice issued was deep and gravelly.
"At the time the coins were finished a great evil came into existence. The Creator of the power took the coins and fled. Realizing that the seventh coin was missing, The Creator returned to the temple in which the coins were forged but he was too late. The Evil force had the coin. In their battle, the coin was destroyed. The battle almost destroyed both The Creator and The Evil. With the Creator's remaining strength, he prophesized that the coin would make itself known, in the depths of a child."
The Rangers stood huddled around the globe as the image faded. Trini turned around and asked,
"What exactly did the prophecy say Zordon? It must be the key to unlocking this mystery."
Zordon looked at the teens before him and nodded slightly before another voice issued from the Globe.
"In the beginning, the rainbow promises hope, peace and existence to the children of Angels.
In the middle, Pandora's child shall stand-alone against the fire and ice in their soul and of the world, and that child will have a past others know not. When the Phoenix is aware, Light and Dark can go either way.
In the end, The Phoenix shall arise from the ashes. Borne on the wings of passion and creation. If six become seven, the world…shall remain…safe..."
The voice dwindled and started to repeat itself, Alpha turned off the globe
"I MUST RUN SOME SCANS RANGERS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS COULD ALL MEAN AS OF YET, GO HOME, AND KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN, THE CHILD COULD BE ANYONE. IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO LOCATE THE CHILD OF THE PROPHECY…GO HOME AND REST MY RANGERS. THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE AT THIS TIME. I WILL HAVE ALPHA CONTACT YOU WHEN WE KNOW MORE…MITCHELL MAY BE THE KEY TO SOLVING THIS…FIND HIM, AND APPROACH WITH CAUTION…"
Nodding in unison to show that they understood, the six teens teleported out of the command center.
Touching down in Billy's lab, the six teens looked at each other, smiling slightly as they noticed that Billy and Jason's hands were intertwined again.
"We really should split up and see if we can find him guys" Said Tommy, "Hey Beautiful, want to check out Ernie's?"
Smiling up at her boyfriend, Kim realized that they really needed to give Billy and Jason some alone time, no doubt that they had a lot to discuss. "Sure Handsome, Zack? Trini? Why don't you guys go check the school? See if Mitchell has gone back there…" Kimberly covertly jerked her head in Billy and Jason's direction trying to subtly tell them that the two boys should be alone for a while.
"Good call Kimmy" said Trini, smirking slightly at the fact that Billy and Jason only seemed to be paying attention to each other. "Call us if you find him…" Zack and Trini each shared a smile, and teleported away again, quickly to have Tommy and Kimberly follow suit.
Turning to face the other, Jason leaned in as if to kiss Billy, but was quickly blocked by a turn of Billy's head. As it were, Jason ended up kissing Billy on his earlobe.
"Hey!" said Jason surprised, "Did I do something wrong?"
Billy turned again to look at Jason. Jason couldn't help noticing that Billy wouldn't look him in the eye. Speaking to Jason's shoes, Billy spoke softly.
"Jason, are you sure about this? I've had a long time to adjust to who I am, and I find it hard to believe that you suddenly decided that this was okay…I'm afraid I don't understand this."
Jason let out a slow breath between his teeth and lifted Billy's chin to make sure that Billy was paying attention to every word he was about to say.
"Billy, I don't know what this is, or what I expect out of this, but I know that what I'm feeling right now is real. This isn't an experiment for me. It just took me a longer time to realize that my feelings for you ran so much deeper than you being my "Little Bro". I have you to thank for that Billy. For opening my eyes and realizing that I almost lost you."
Jason quietly noticed that even though Billy had an I.Q. in the triple digits, that more than likely started with a two, he realized that Billy was having a hard time processing this particular emotion. Tugging on Billy's wrist, he said,
"Come on Bill, let's take a walk, we can figure this all out."
Letting Jason lead him by the wrist and realizing that for the first time in a long time, he felt truly at peace with the world. Billy let him lead him out of the makeshift laboratory and down the street.
An hour later, and with many words spoken, the two boys had linked hands and realized that they had ended up near Angel Grove Cemetery…just as a shrieking could be heard past the gates. Running as fast as they could, the boys realized that it was coming from a young man who was obviously in pain…
As the red and blue clad teenagers ran through the paths, what they saw shocked them beyond belief. A young man with dark brown hair had collapsed in front of a large tombstone. The boy was completely naked and as Jason and Billy approached, they could see that the boy's back was riddled with multiple scars and wounds, some faded and some open and bleeding copiously. Making their way to him, Jason pinched his fingers on the bridge of his nose, as Billy swayed, holding Jason's arm for support. It was Mitchell…
"We've got to get him somewhere Jason, he's hurt" said Billy as he put his wrist up to his mouth and pressed a button on his communicator. As Jason took his jacket off to cover up his old friend, he heard Kimberly through the communicator asking Billy what had happened.
"We don't have time to explain Kim" said Billy. "Meet us in the basement of my home as soon as possible."
Jason and Billy each grabbed a hold of Mitchell's arms, and in a mass of color, teleported away.
Upon landing, Billy was glad to see that the others had made it. Taking the first aid kit from Kimberly, Billy tended to the unconscious boys' wounds.
"Jason, Zack, please go upstairs and get some of my old clothes out of my closet, there's no telling how long he's been like this. We need to clean him up and find out what happened."
Jason ran out of the room as fast as possible, Zack following close behind. As Kimberly and Trini stood behind Billy, who was kneeling at Mitchell's side dressing his wounds, Kimberly spoke softly.
"What kind of person or thing could hurt a guy this badly? Look at some of those scars, they look so old…"
Billy shook his head briefly and continued his ministrations on Mitchell. As Jason and Zack returned downstairs, Mitchell began to stir…
"Guys!" Said Kimberly, "He's waking up!". As Mitchell groaned, he tried to push himself up off the couch in Billy's basement….
"Ugh…Feels like I just went a round with a Cuisinart…What happened?" Struggling to sit up, Mitchell realized that he was just barely covered by a jacket, his back was on fire, and surrounded by his old friends…embarrassment and shame rising in his face, he realized that there was no way that they didn't see his scars. "What the hell did you guys do to me? Are you THAT angry I blew you off?" his embarrassment at his body being displayed in front of five old friends and someone he barely knew was fueling his anger.
At his statement, the teens standing around him raised their eyebrows, eyes widen in shock, and they realized what Mitchell was accusing them of.
"No way man! You got us all wrong!" said Zack hotly, "There's no way any of us are capable of doing that to someone…wait a second, what's the last thing you remember?"
Wincing slightly, he pulled a faded blue t-shirt over his head that Billy was holding out to him.
"The last thing I remember is I was walking through the park, brainstorming ideas on how to get into the basement of my own home. My parents never let me in there when I was little, and ever since I came back, it's been sealed off."
It didn't escape anyone's notice that Mitchell said he was here alone. Regardless, to finally start unraveling the mystery of their old friend, Kimberly knelt down to be level with Mitchell who was still on the couch.
"Do you remember what happened next?" Asked Kim, reaching out to place her hand on Mitchell's knee, and drawing back, remembering that he hated to be touched.
"All I can remember Kimberly, is that I remember getting grabbed by putties, the rest is just a blur, I remember anger, and I remember being somewhere cold and dark immediately afterward. Then I woke up here. I don't know what's happening to me, but when I'm around you guys, I don't feel so lost…" Mitchell bowed his head, ashamed slightly at letting them see his weakness.
At this, Jason's caretaker instinct went into overdrive..."We want to help buddy, but you got to start being honest with us, what happened to you? You just disappeared without a trace, you show up here again, and you won't talk to any of us. You won't tell any of us what happened…why your back looks like it got attacked with a rusty cheese grater."
"Ugh…" said Mitchell, "That was the best analogy you could come up with Jason? Now I'm going to need a tetanus shot." as Mitchell struggled to his feet, Trini noticed the ghost of a smirk echoing across Mitchell's face. Zack let out a soft snort of laughter and Jason realized that Mitchell had actually cracked a joke.
"Look guys, just because you guys have seen me naked at this point, doesn't mean you get to see it all the time…can I finish getting dressed and we can go over to my place? I'll tell you what you want to know, but don't hold it against me…please…I've lost too much in my life already."
Billy's eyebrows rose briefly as he realized he'd said the same exact thing to Jason at the command center. Tommy spoke,
"Sure man, we'll be upstairs, come on guys." As the six of them trooped up the stairs, Mitchell dressed and smiled to himself for the first time since coming back. "Maybe I don't have to do this alone "Mitchell thought to himself as he climbed the steps.
A quick walk down the street led the seven teenagers through the front door of the home Mitchell had once shared with his parents.
Kimberly, let out a breath as she realized it was just like she remembered it from the time when they were children. Looking around surreptitiously, she noticed everyone had the same look except Tommy, he had come in long after Mitchell had disappeared.
Moving into the living room, they all found seats and Mitchell went to go get everyone drinks. As Mitchell was in the kitchen, Billy noticed that a pile of video tapes were balanced haphazardly on the VCR. As Mitchell returned with a tray full of glass tumblers, everyone took one and Billy spoke up.
"Mitchell, forgive my rudeness, but what's on those videotapes if you don't mind my asking?"
Chuckling to himself, he waved off Billy's question and spoke softly with pride.
"My parents were extremely music oriented. I found a bunch of tapes of performances from before I was born, we could watch one if you'd like, there's a couple I haven't seen yet. Mom and Dad grew up together, started dating in high school, and here I am…ha-ha…"
"I'd love to see it Mitchell," said Trini excitedly as the others nodded with smiles on their faces.
"Sure, but let's get this discussion out of the way first. I'd prefer if I only had to do this once."
As the teenagers gathered around the living room and sat down in various chairs and the floor, Mitchell opened his mouth, staring up at the ceiling and spoke quickly, completely devoid of emotion.
"I came home from school a few days after that sleepover we had…to find a policeman and my uncle in the house. My uncle said that my parents had been killed and that I was going to live with him in L.A. from now on…I didn't even get to see them one last time. The funeral was planned so quickly, and I was so devastated that I spent the next few weeks in a complete haze."
Billy nodded slightly and Jason took his hand, remembering how Billy had acted right after his mother had died.
Mitchell cleared his throat and continued, "As soon as we got back to L.A. my uncle changed almost overnight. I will spare the details, but to put it mildly, He was abusive. In EVERY way possible."
Tommy cringed, knowing his own past, he still got so angry when someone hurt a child.
Mitchell kept going, in the same flat tone.
"A few days after my sixteenth birthday, something inside me snapped, I was going to end my life, I wanted it over on my terms, not his. Oddly enough, the day I was going to take my own life, He sent me to the store to pick up a few things, and I ended up at the police station. All the cops had to do was see the marks on my back and know that I was telling the truth. I was legally emancipated from my Uncle and he was thrown in jail. I also found out my parents had left me taken care of in their will. Sometimes I almost think they knew something was going to happen…"
Finishing his story, Mitchell looked at everyone else as if expecting a blow, or a laugh. What happened next Mitchell never could have predicted. Kimberly rose from the floor and held her hand out to Mitchell. He took her hand and she pulled him gently to his feet. Slowly, cautiously, she drew him into a hug. Wincing slightly at the thought of being touched but realizing that perhaps he needed this. For the first time in ten years, he felt safe and protected. Trini joined them in the hug and soon Mitchell realized that he was surrounded in a group hug from them.
"Welcome home buddy," said Jason, "We missed you". At these words, a deep dam broke somewhere in Mitchell's soul, and a sob escaped his body. As his friends held him, he sobbed unashamedly, knowing that he had indeed come home. Mitchell would later swear that he felt something inside him stir at their touch, and an almost audible click in the back of his head.
As they broke apart, Mitchell gave a watery chuckle and apologized for losing control like that, his new friends shrugged him off and said that sometimes everyone needs someone to lean on.
"How about we watch that tape?" said Trini. Wiping his eyes and nodding, Mitchell grabbed a tape labeled "Reach for The Stars 4/26/72" popped it into the VCR, and hit play
As the tape played, they saw that it was a collegiate show choir. Finding his mom and dad in the midst of the choir, he pointed them out to the others sprawled out in chairs and on the floor of the living room and the speakers began to play a cheery and upbeat song.
The choir was good, and as the middle of the song came around, Mitchell noticed his mom and dad take center stage. His father grabbed a microphone and dancing to the beat, looked at his future wife and sang in a rich tenor sound…
Don't believe in all that you've been told,
The sky's the limit, you can reach your goal,
As his dad began singing, Mitchell noticed that he had goosebumps, looking around, he noticed that he wasn't the only one. Mitchell felt strange, like something was growing inside of him, a happy balloon that he hadn't felt since he was a kid.
No one knows just what the future holds,
There ain't nothing you can't be, there's a whole world left to see.
Mitchell saw that as his dad finished singing, he passed the microphone and a dazzling smile to his mother. She opened her mouth to sing.
Reach! Climb every mountain,
Reach! Reach for the moon,
Reach! Follow that rainbow,
And your dreams will all come true!
On the last phrase, the music crescendo'd and built and Suzanne's voice was clear as crystal. It was beautiful to listen to.
Looking around as the song finished and the tape ran out, the teens leapt from their seats, Mitchell was transfixed at the television and his entire body was radiating a deep bronze hue. Before they could say anything, they realized that they themselves were emitting a glow from themselves, each one representing their ranger colors. Jason stood and realized that Mitchell seemed completely undisturbed by what was transpiring around them. Glancing at Billy briefly, he waved his hand up and down in front of Mitchell's face, eliciting no response from the boy.
Shrugging his shoulders, he raised his communicator to his mouth and said "Zordon? Zordon do you read us? We've got a problem here!" Zordon responded and there was no doubt in any of the ranger's minds that he sounded panicked.
"JASON, YOU AND THE FELLOW RANGERS NEED TO TELEPORT HERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE."
"But what about Mitchell?" asked Kimberly, "This is totally weird and all, but we can't just leave him here"
"THIS CONCERNS HIM TOO." Replied Zordon, "BRING HIM WITH YOU. HURRY RANGERS"
"Let's go guys!" Said Tommy, placing his hand on the frozen Mitchell's shoulder, they teleported out in seven beams of multicolored light…
Arriving in the command center, the seven teens landed and the glowing from their bodies stopped with the exception of Mitchell. His eyes had closed, and he was completely rigid.
"What's going on Zordon?" asked Trini as she stepped up onto the platform "Why is he still glowing?"
"RANGERS, MITCHELL IS INDEED PART OF THE PROPHECY. I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS IS HAPPENING, BUT I BELIEVE THAT HE IS THE ONE.'
"We understand Zordon." Said Billy, "But it doesn't explain what's happening to him!"
Zordon surveyed the teens from within his tube and appeared to be lost in a thought…after a few moments of silence, he spoke.
"AFTER ALPHA FINISHED DOING THE SCANS ON MITCHELL, WE BELIEVE THAT WHEN MITCHELL'S EMOTIONS ARE IN AN EXTREMELY ACTIVE STATE, HE IS ACCESSING THE COIN'S POWER WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE. WITH THE HORRORS FROM HIS PAST AND THE THINGS THAT HE HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH, HE IS CONSTANTLY AT WAR IN HIS OWN HEART."
"He blames himself, doesn't he?" said Kimberly as she stared at Mitchell with her head cocked to one side.
"I BELIEVE HE DOES KIMBERLY" boomed Zordon, "HE BELIEVES THAT HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS PARENTS' DEATHS, AND HIS UNCLE'S BEHAVIOR, WHILE ALSO BEING ENRAGED AT THE CIRCUMSTANCES HIS LIFE HAS BROUGHT HIM."
"It's so tragic…like right out of a movie, isn't their anything we can do?" asked Kimberly.
"I'M AFRAID NOT RANGERS" said Zordon. "MITCHELL IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN BRING HIMSELF OUT OF HIS STASIS. I AM UNSURE AS TO THE PERSON THAT WILL AWAKEN WHEN HE FINALLY DOES"
"Of course!" said Billy. When the rest of the teens looked to him in surprise, Billy continued. "Remember what the prophecy said? " Jason took Billy's hand and stepped in.
"When Pandora's child stands alone with fire and ice, against the world…or something like that…" Jason stated as he nodded his head.
"He's going through it isn't he?" asked Zack, "He's got to deal with his past, and figure out what the heck is going on.?"
"I'M SORRY ZACHARY, WE DON'T HAVE ANY WAY OF KNOWING WHEN HE WILL COME TO HIS SENSES, OR WHAT STATE OF MIND HE WILL BE IN. PLEASE REMEMBER THE NEXT PART OF THE PROPHECY, WHEN HE IS AWARE, LIGHT AND DARK COULD GO EITHER WAY"
"It's not safe to keep him here guys" said Zack, "I don't want to leave him alone, but he could be a threat to us if we leave him in the command center and he goes ballistic, not to mention he doesn't know about us yet."
Trini nodded, and glancing around and noticing that they were in agreement, she looked to her friends she asked, "What do we do?"
Billy stepped forward. "We teleport out of here, take him back to his house and monitor from there."
With more nodding, the rangers disappeared from the command center…
Arriving at Mitchell's house exactly where they left it, the rangers broke apart from Mitchell as he stood in the living room, still frozen.
"His eyes! Look at his eyes!" Trini said as they landed.
As they others looked into Mitchell's face, they noticed what she had been exclaiming. Mitchell's left eye was still emanating a deep bronze hue, but on closer inspection, his pupil was swirling and bore resemblance to a hurricane. His right eye was its normal ice blue, but with the same swirling in the iris.
"It's starting guys" said Tommy. Now we just watch and wait.
As the group backed up, hands on their morphers to be safe, Mitchell's body seemed to ripple in his own clothes.
"I hope he's okay" said Tommy. "I wonder what's going on in his head…"
Deep inside the recesses of his mind, Mitchell found himself standing in a pitch-black space. He wasn't glowing anymore. It was neither warm nor cold, and testing himself, he found himself looking around a space that went on forever in all directions. He was alone.
"Where am I?" asked Mitchell to himself finding he was able to speak.
"You are lost, my child…you can find the way, but you need to learn how to fly."
Whirling around in shock, Mitchell gasped in shock as he came to face to face…with himself. It was like staring in a mirror, but the supposed reflection of him was glowing with a muted orange color.
"Do not be afraid, I'm merely a manifestation of yourself Mitchell. I am all the power that you hold, your dreams, your nightmares. I'm here to guide you…" the Mirror-Mitchell stated.
"Please…I've just had enough. Let me out of here, just go away, I'm done with this!" said Mitchell. Just when he thought things couldn't get any weirder, two people materialized before him. People that Mitchell thought he would never see again, people he hadn't seen in ten long, difficult years…
"Mom? Dad?" Mitchell asked softly.
"Yes honey, we're here…" Suzanne Davidson stated as she lifted a hand to slowly caress the side of her son's tear streaked face.
"Hang in there, Tiger," said Roland. "Your journey has been rough, but you'll see the rewards soon…" and touching his son's shoulder briefly, smiled at the boy that was almost as tall as he was.
"How is this happening?" Mitchell asked? "You're dead! None of this makes sense!"
"Honey..." Suzanne said with a soft smile. "You are our son, one that was given a destiny. Have faith in your path and know that you're on the right one."
"Listen, Tiger…" said Roland as Mitchell nodded briefly at his mother's words. "You must never give up; things aren't always what they seem. Look inside your soul, know that you still have much to do, you know what you have to do to let go…Trust your friends, they will protect you, and you will protect them. You WILL see us again."
Mitchell watched his parents take each of Mirror-Mitchell's hands. As the three of them stood before him, Mitchell watched as Mirror-Mitchell's glowing enveloped both his parents. They disappeared, leaving only Mirror-Mitchell standing before him. Gazing into his eyes, Mitchell nodded, and the blackness began to form into his living room with his friends surrounding him and watching…
The Rangers eyes widened in shock as Mitchell's body continued to ripple inside his clothes. As they continued to watch, they saw the orange light surround Mitchell's body glow brightly and form an exact image of Mitchell that stood in front of him. The light that had formed into an exact copy of Mitchell nodded once and music seemed to come from nowhere as Mitchell and his mirror image stared at each other. Unsure of what was going on, the six teens watched as both Mitchells' opened their mouths, and in perfect harmony, a song issued.
Face to face, and heart to heart.
We're so close yet so far apart.
I close my eyes, I look away.
That's just because I'm not okay
Watching as the two sang to each other, the six friends could not believe what was happening, Mitchell seemed to come back slightly as more and more emotion crossed his face as he stared at his mirror image made of that orange light.
But I hold on, I stay strong.
Wondering if, we still belong…
Will we ever, say the words we're feeling,
reach down underneath and tear down all the walls.
Will we ever have our happy ending,
or will we forever only be pretending.
Tears ran slowly down Mitchell's face as he continued to sing. The other rangers watching, were completely stunned by the fact that they could almost feel the pain and joy erupt from Mitchell's soul…glancing at each other briefly, they registered that they were also glowing again.
How long do we fantasize?
Make believe that they're still alive,
Imagine that I am good enough
And we can choose the ones we love
Reaching for their morphers, the teenagers noticed that once revealed, the glow seemed to be emanating from their power coins themselves, plucking them from their morphers, they held them out in front of them in the palms of their hands. Watching their light add to the light emanating from Mirror-Mitchell, who seemed not to notice their presence.
But I hold on, I stay strong
Wondering if, we still belong.
Will we ever, say the words we're feeling,
reach down underneath and tear down all the walls.
Will we ever have our happy ending,
or will we forever only be pretending.
As the two Mitchell's continued to sing the orange light that was surrounding Mirror-Mitchell and darkening the bright orange to a duller bronze hue.
Will we always be
Keeping secrets safe
Every move we make
Seems like no one's letting go,
And it's such a shame cause,
If you feel the same,
How am I supposed to know?
Mitchell raised his hand to his mirror image as his voice climbed in a note that traveled and ran like a stream. Growing in intensity as it climbed and fell, a bright flash of light that could only be described as an explosion of color took place.
As the rangers continued to stand in a circle surrounding him, Mitchell's mirror image disappeared and, in its place, snugly tucked in Mitchell's upturned palm, was a gold coin. The coin was emblazoned with the image of a large bird with his wings outstretched seemingly on fire. As he continued to stare at the coin, a morpher materialized around it.
"The Phoenix…" said Tommy as Mitchell slowly returned to his senses. "Mitchell, are you all right bro?"
Mitchell nodded as he looked into each of his friends' eyes. "I think that was what I needed…I saw my parents…this isn't close to over…I know what has to be done."
Nodding to the group assembled before him, Mitchell chuckled…
"When were you going to tell me, you were the freaking Power Rangers, apparently now I am too?"
The girls laughed as Tommy and Jason clapped Mitchell on the shoulders.
"We'll explain everything when we can Bro, but we should let Zordon know that you're okay" said Jason with a smile on his face.
Before anyone could say anything, there was a multi-tonal beep that issued through the room. Lifting his wrist to his mouth, Mitchell watched in fascination as Tommy spoke to his watch and was even more stunned when a booming voice replied.
"RANGERS, LORD ZEDD, RITA AND THEIR MINIONS HAVE APPEARED IN THE PARK. PLEASE MORPH AND USE EXTREME CAUTION, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THAT MITCHELL AND THE PROPHECY IS THE REASON THAT THEY ARE HERE."
"We read you Zordon!" said Tommy. "Well Mitchell? Ready to make your first Morph?"
Mitchell nodded eagerly and fell in line with the others as they put their hands out in front of them with their morphers and called to the sky…"
"TIGERZORD!" yelled Tommy.
"MASTODON!" yelled Zack.
"PTERODACTYL!" yelled Kim.
"TRICERATOPS!" yelled Billy.
"SABERTOOTH TIGER!" yelled Trini
"TYRANNOSAURUS!" yelled Jason.
Following a beat later and almost unsure of himself, Mitchell finished the sequence
"PHOENIXZORD?!"
As they stood in the living room briefly in their ranger costumes, Mitchell caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, Mitchell noted that his suit was identical to everyone else's. The color of bronze, with white diamonds, he noted that his helmet was somewhat identical to Kimberly's, his helmet had a bird like appearance, with wavy lines meant to appear as feathers.
"Way cool…." Muttered Mitchell as the seven of them teleported out.
A rainbow of seven colors arched across the sky of Angel Grove to land in the park for the second time that day. As the teleportation sequence completed, seven rangers stood side by side to face to face their most dangerous foes yet. Directly across from them stood Lord Zedd, Rita and Goldar. Rita sneered as the Rangers landed