Who We Are
"Okay, we have a great new game to try!" Zhane called, attempting to reach as far as he could without getting hoarse.
Karone seemed like she was regretting it already, as she covered her ears and acted like she hadn't heard what was in store for the poor souls of Tommy and Kim's reception.
"We're going to start with the newlyweds!" Zack continued. "The game goes like this; each person has to tell us what they've been doing so we can all get to know each other a little better and let the spouses get in a few cents. So, without further ado, I'm turning the microphone over to Tommy and Kim..."
Kimberly leaned in to Tommy's shoulder, tickling her nose on his corsage. "I think I know where we have to start," she told her audience. "I'm not really sure why I'm telling you guys this, but I think you all need to understand why I broke it off with Tommy in the first place. See, my dad was a business man and he traveled a lot, and I saw how long distance relationships end. My mom was a mess for a long time after the divorce, jumping from relationship to relationship. I didn't even want to try because I was too afraid it was going to end badly. So, to clear things up for all of you, I never stopped loving him. It wasn't about Tommy in any way; it was about my insecurities, and my need to get away from guilt about leaving my duties in Angel Grove behind. I felt like if I ran away from Angel Grove and put all my heart into gymnastics, I would escape the fate my parents had. If I never gave it a chance I couldn't get hurt. I was wrong; it took me all of about six months to realize I was miserable and alone. All the glory in the world wasn't enough to balance my life. I moved Paris two years later and started teaching young girls at a small studio. After a few tough months I realized that competing and teaching wasn't enough either. I needed a solid relationship in my life, one that wasn't based on who would leave first. My mother died that summer and I realized that my true home was here in California. There was nothing there for me in France, the people I needed were in Angel Grove and I'm here still."
With a slight pause she smiled over at her new husband, "So, as for Tommy, an interesting fact about him is that he actually didn't even like science until senior year. We all thought Tommy would get a degree in chronic tardiness or kicking ass. Then, I got a call one morning on my way to a gymnastics event saying Tommy had enrolled at AGU as paleontology major. I fell off the balance beam twice just thinking about it. The day he graduated with his doctorate I was teaching a seminar in Los Angeles. I actually fainted for a couple minutes."
Tommy crinkled his nose and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, it's true. I don't have any idea what made me want to research fossils for a living. And to be honest I have no idea why I started doing lab work other than the amazing opportunity to work hands-on with Anton Mercer. But I guess I never would have met some of the most important people in my life if I hadn't. One more fact about me is that I didn't actually go to my high school graduation." Tommy groaned. "Yeah, I know, I'm a big freaking idiot. I was too busy racing cars to go to one of the biggest events in my life. So, if you ever have kids who decide they don't want to go to graduation, hit them over the head with something and wake them up when the ceremony begins."
"Jason and I married last year after knowing each other almost as long as Tommy and Kim," Emily said calmly as she took the microphone from the bride. "We'd split up after he moved away, and I later found out he'd joined the military and had served for several years in Iraq. He now works as an EMT paramedic here in Angel Grove."
Jason took over with a commanding but comforting push. "I'm not going to glorify my life in any way. I'm going to say right now that if I hadn't been as well trained as I was, I probably would have died out there, and I know plenty of good men and women who did. I took one lesson from that point in my life, and that is that enemies come as much from within as they do from out there." He pointed to the sky. "I was always a bravado kind of guy in school; I thought I was better than a lot of people because I was strong and fit. I learned the hard way that it doesn't matter who you are when someone with a different set of beliefs wants you dead. I got dropped down a couple rungs, and let me tell you, it's been great knowing that I don't have to be the best, that I can only do as much as I can. We can't save everyone, but we can save ourselves." He turned toward Emily. "I came back from my time in the service with a chip on my shoulder that I know will never heal. I've been different since I saw the enemy lines drawn by two sides of the same coin. I wanted to stop the fighting but I knew the only people who could change that world were the people living there. I can't save lives by taking them, and so I resigned my post and now work as a paramedic here in Angel Grove where I hope I can save a few more lives."
"Zack was the most hopelessly romantic guy in school. He'd follow me around like a lost puppy, doing silly things to get my attention," Angela smiled over at him, brushing a dandelion seed from his hair. "Every time he did something to woo me the world would come crashing down on him. I was so mean to him back then; I don't know why he bothered to look me up when he came back from Switzerland." She turned away for a moment. "But something made him forgive me and my cruelty and gave us a chance to have beautiful sons together."
Zack took her hand and held it as he spoke, "I used to tell my students that Hip Hop Aikido was an Olympic sport just so they'd sign up. I remember when one kid caught me and said that Aikido and Hip Hop are two different things and that I was full of crap. I told the kid, 'If you want to combine things that you love, who's going to stop you', and that's my philosophy on life. That's how I want to teach our sons, to be passionate. All my life I've been trying not to give up on passion. Angela was a passion and I knew I'd never live with myself if I gave up on her."
"When I met Trini we were both too shy to ask each other out, and the next thing I know she's leaving the country. The thing you need to know most about her is that she'll do anything for any of you. She is the most selfless person I have ever met. She'll meet someone on the street who needs help and she'll give it, no questions asked," Richie lauded. "When I met her for the second time at a kiddy league game where my son was playing I didn't have any words to express how much I wanted to find something to say to her, anything. I was reeling from a divorce from his mother and was feeling like the world was upside down. That was when she came over and started talking like we'd never been apart. She told me about Switzerland and coming home and how she'd been to Asia to visit her relatives and how she'd never married. She asked me about my son and me. She made me feel more alive than ever."
"Richie is too kind," Trini acquiesced. "If you want to know something about me, know that the most important things to me are honesty and friendship. What we do with those things is up to us, but we can do great things with them. I began martial arts when I was little because it gave me a way to channel the energies of the world, make myself more in touch with my purpose in life. That's all I want from you, for all of you guys to find the purpose in life that makes you happy. I was given a second chance with Richie for some reason, and I hope that each and every one of you gets a second chance like I did."
"I met Billy on the brink of death, yet even then he had some new idea to give to the world. He is brilliant, humble, caring, he gives so much to me and my homeland. I want you all to know that if Billy wished it, he could bring this world to its knees, make the people wonder at the power of his intellect, but he chooses instead the stay in the shadows, anonymously helping people better themselves. This is how Billy exists." Cestria stood up in front of the group, not taking her eyes of Billy.
"My life's work has been, and will continue to be, creating things that make a difference in how we live. My first inventions were toys made out of house junk. Now I just helped the people of Aquitar make hydrators that will allow them to travel to planets without water, allow them freedom. I see using the gifts I was given as a duty, rather than a right, and it's people like my wife that make me want to continue." Billy looked down on the people sitting on the green grass of his hometown and realized at that moment that there was no other place in the universe that would ever mean as much to him.
"I don't think a lot of you know this, but Rocky's family went through some tough times when he was little. His father, a Mexican immigrant had to return home for a while due to a problem with his citizenship. After that, Rocky felt like he needed a way to take control of his life, so he started martial arts. All these later, he still teaches karate to his students in the way he learned, by letting it become a means by which to cope with pain, and without taking it out on others." Aisha put a comforting hand on Rocky's shoulder.
"Aisha's right. I went through some pretty hard stuff as a young boy. But I think the hardest times I had was right before graduation when I hurt my back in a karate competition. I wasn't thinking, and a biffed an aerial kick. If I'd landed any worse, I could have been paralyzed from the neck down. The doctors told me that I might be out of karate for the rest of my life, depending on the damage. I'm not going to lie to any of you, there was a period of about four days when I contemplated suicide. I'd lost my role as a ranger to a much younger newbie, my friends weren't there to keep me company, and I didn't have the freedom to take my pain out on the punching bags I had at home. I couldn't keep my eye on the ball anymore. I don't want anyone to ever feel that way. It's a scary place to be, and the worst thing is that I knew I didn't have to be there." He turned and stared at Tommy, a tiny hint of blame crossing his eyes that was masked immediately even though he knew that without him he'd have never made it out of the darkness. "However, this isn't about delving into every detail of my long dark descent. Aisha's most interesting attribute, I find, is that she wasn't afraid to leave home and try something completely new. She wanted to branch out and work to protect the animals in Africa because she felt that they were a part of her heritage, a piece of her homeland that was irreplaceable."
"African animals are some of the most exotic and beautiful creatures in the world. They range from the largest, to the fastest, to the strangest. I made it my life's work to encourage others to fight for the protection of these amazing beings. I now work from the States as a freelance activist, going to conferences, writing articles for magazines and newsletters, and I have adopted several animals from nearby shelters, all in the hope that someday people will realize how big an impact animals have on our lives." Aisha watched casually as everyone took interest in her words. Kelsey gave her thumbs up and several of the men blew kisses.
Adam took the mike from Aisha and started, "Tanya always wanted to be a singer, from the moment we met her in Africa, she told us she wanted to be the next big pop artist. I thought they were sweet dreams when I met Tanya, the dreams of a naive teen like myself. But she made it happen. Tanya beat the odds."
"Adam always supported me and my crazy endeavors. He told me to never forget that I could do it, even if he didn't believe I could. When I was a little girl I had to dream big because I was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. It was really bad when I was a young girl, I'd be very weak, and sometimes I wouldn't be able to get up for days. Luckily, it seemed to dissipate with time, and now I don't have such a big problem." She gaged expressions as some of her closest friends learned something entirely new about her. "Adam told me he had a similar experience as a young boy. He came down with pneumonia that almost killed him at five years old. I guess we all have to face difficulties to make us stronger. Like Rocky, he started Shaolin Kung Fu to gain control of himself."
Adam made a funny expression at the teams, "Yeah, about the pneumonia, I'd just like to say if any of you ever get that sick, call me, my parents have a mean cup of tea that will suck the lungs completely dry. So, like Tanya said, I'm a busy guy co-owning the dojo and volunteering at the youth alcoholism prevention center." He looked over at Tori, Kira, Xander, and Bridge, "One last shout out to say it was great working with the retro team."
David took the microphone from Adam and started on his wife, "Kat moved to Angel Grove because of her dad's job. I don't know how many of you know that she used to dive for the Australian team in international events when she was in high school until she had an injury where she hit her head on the board. It took her a long time to face her fear of water and move on to other passions of hers. Kat now is a ballet instructor, following her other interests, at the Royal Academy of Ballet in my home city of London."
"Dance is meditation for me. It helps me process the thoughts in my head. And quite frankly, I danced a lot the night I was told these two were engaged. It's no secret how I felt about Tommy, and a part of me will always feel that way. I want them to be happy, though, and dancing the night away, feeling the rhythm of the music and the flow of my feet helped me put my head on straight. It gets me past the emotions that hurt me. It made me realize that David is a great guy and that we can do great things together. It made me realize that no matter where I am in the world, my family is with me, in the floor, in the music, in my heart."
"Great to see all of you again, I'm Cassie Chan. I remember meeting TJ on a bus. I was annoying him with my singing. He was the only one who didn't look at me like a freak. He supported me and I tried my best not to tell him he was crazy. I still can't believe how we came into this life. I've certainly changed a lot since I became the Pink Ranger. I've gone to college and received a degree in Music Education. I now work as the Executive Director of Music at the Angel Grove Center for the Arts."
"Hey all, I'm TJ Johnson if you don't already know that. I'm currently the Branch CEO of Angel Grove Bank and Trust. I also coach a kiddy league baseball team in my free time. So, if you need someone to handle your money in these tough times, I'll try not to embezzle any of your funds." A few weak laughs escaped the crowd. " So, yeah, I'm pretty much a normal guy. I went to Business school at UCLA, and went home."
"Hey, I'm Carlos Vallerte, I work as a police officer for Angel Grove and the surrounding area. I've been on the force for about nine years now. I also have a degree in Physical Education and a minor in Spanish. Let's see... I was born and raised here in Angel Grove with my three sisters. I lived in LA for three years while I went to college. I was engaged to a girl I met there, but we called it off when we realized that we weren't the right people for each other."
"I'm Justin Stewart, I was officially the youngest ever ranger. I finished up high school while everyone else was off starting their lives. I graduated in 2000 and went to MIT. I now have a degree in mechanical engineering and I work for EcoLast, a new alternative energy company south of town. My dad now owns his own company in Stone Canyon where he sells cell phones so he can stop flying out every few hours and moving around so much."
"Hello, I'm Ashley Hammond. I married Andros about five years ago and we now split our time between our homes on KO-35 and here in Angel Grove. I am currently working as a mentor at Angel Grove High. I coach the cheerleading squad and help the students during their study periods. I am currently getting my degree in youth counseling."
"I'm Andros. I am currently the Earth liaison for KO-35. I don't have a specific degree like everyone else here, but I'm about the same as one of your diplomats. I spend most of my time settling disputes between the government and the rebel factions on my home world. Not much else to say..."
"Hope I don't bore you all," Karone smiled. "I'm Karone, and unfortunately you probably all know more about my past than I would like. Lucky for me, this isn't about who we were, but who we are trying to be. I'm working with Zhane on KO-35 to improve our relations with off-world governments. Hopefully we're making some progress."
"Hey, I'm the guy who forgot his own name at the wedding. Karone pretty much summed up our lives. We're married and we live on KO-35 most of the time. We sometimes head over to Mirinoi or come here, depending on our work at the time."
"I'm Leo Corbett. I have a partial degree from Angel Grove University in English. I never finished it because I decided Terra Venture was more exciting and a little off limits." Mike winked at him from the audience. "Right now I am working on developing a space program on Mirinoi with the rest of my team. It's coming along nicely, but the project has taken more time than any of us expected. Kendrix and I are married and have two parrots, but are not expecting any kids." Leo cupped his hands in thanks for the last bit.
Kendrix smiled and took the mike from him. "Can you tell he's not a family man?" She shook his shoulder. "I'm Kendrix Morgan and I am the tech advisor for the Mirinoi Space Project. When I'm not exhausted, I like to read books and take walks. Trini was mentioning second chances a while back. I doubt that any of you will ever top mine. It's not every day that you meet a girl who's come back from death."
Maya tossed a flower into the audience behind her as she took the stage. "I'm Maya. I'm currently the understudy to the Elder, which means that someday I will become the leader of my village. I don't know what more to say about myself other than I'm thrilled to be here with all of you, and to have gotten the chance to be here on Earth with its greatest heroes." She glanced over at them all. "Simply said, you are the most amazing people and incredible friends that I could ever have asked for."
"Maya is way too kind to us," Mike said at center stage. "I'm Mike Corbett, first officer of the once glorious Terra Venture, now a heap of space junk occupying Mirinoi's southern plateau. I'm currently in charge of the military aspect of creation of Mirinoi's space base. I've been a career military man so I never went to school like so many of you. I regret that sometimes, but I'm glad that I had the chances that were given to me."
Kai walked over and stole away the microphone. "Hey, I'm Kai Chen. I work with Mike on the military station on Mirinoi. We've just finished installing a new planetary defense system that we're planning on being fully operational within a month or two. I'm very excited, can you tell? Anyway, I was raised in Florida before moving to California where I was stationed at Vandenberg. I was then chosen for the Terra Venture team and the rest is history."
"Kai's a total nerd at heart, though he'd never admit," Damon remarked. "I'm Damon Henderson, chief mechanic on Mirinoi. I also keep the Astro Megaship up and running for Andros and the rest of the crew. That's pretty much my life now. I was born and raised in San Diego where I received my mechanic license and got a job at a certain ship museum until I was approached by NASADA to work on the top secret space project that we all know as Terra Venture. I packed my things and told my mom that I'd been hired by the military to work in Nevada."
"Hello, I'm Carter Grayson. I'm a firefighter in Mariner Bay like I've been for ages now and I'm working myself up the ladder toward a chief position. God, I feel sort of old all the sudden." He smiled over at his teammates. "I helped rebuild Lightspeed Command after Wes took over, but I haven't really had much to do with command over there in a while. Lucky for us, things have been getting quieter on the home front for the past few years."
"I'm Dana Mitchell. I work as a pediatrician in Mariner Bay when I'm not taking care of personnel at Lightspeed Command. I do some modeling in my spare time, which is sort of embarrassing to admit, but I enjoy it." She looked over at her brother. "Back when we were kids there was an accident that took Ryan from my father and me. I think it's safe to attribute it to the eventual birth of Lightspeed Command. It was hard for him to accept that his son had been saved only to be sold to a demon, and I think I always knew that a part of him figured that Ryan could be brought back if he tried hard enough."
"I'm Ryan Mitchell," her brother said taking over. "I'm the guy who was raised by a demon." He smiled. "Now I own and operate an archaeological diving company in Mariner Bay. I work three days a week retrieving artifacts from Mariner Bay's surrounding ocean that were left behind by the demonic colonies that once inhabited the region. I live with Kelsey and our insane pets in a house that was built before Zordon was born if that is possible."
"We have five dogs and three cats in a nine-hundred square foot house just to clear things up," Kelsey admitted. "I'm Kelsey Winslow and I work as a fitness trainer in Mariner Bay. I also volunteer at the local schools to teach kids rock climbing. I've been with Ryan for about three years now. We kind of connected again after I came back to Mariner Bay from working and competing at the X Games where I was the event coordinator for about two years."
"I'm Chad Lee, I work for the Mariner Bay Biological Park as its chief animal trainer. I still perform shows occasionally, but not as much as I used to since my lead killer whale has been retired to a life of leisure. I am married to my wonderful wife, Marina, who, as some of you know, is a mermaid. She doesn't have a tail anymore though, so please don't look." Marina smiled from the audience and evaded everyone's poignant stares.
"Howdy, y'all. I'm Joel Rawlings. I run the airstrip in Mariner Bay in case you ever decide to fly over. I'm married to my lovely wife Angela Fairweather and we have a four year old daughter, Ainslee. She keeps us on our toes. I have a degree in Aviation and a minor in film studies, specifically old westerns if you're still wondering."
"I don't know how to start explaining the complications that are my life," Wesley started. "I'm Wesley Collins, born and raised in Silver Hills as the heir to BioLab and its seventeen subsidiary companies. My mother died when I was five, and my dad compensated by buying me my first car when I was ten. At twenty-one I became a ranger, and by then I had received a degree in business management because my dad had told me there was no way he would pay for anything else. I told my dad I wasn't interested in his company, but as fate would have it, here I am, CEO and head of the Silver Guardians. I won't lie, I think I'd have folded my cards by now if I'd been at it alone."
"Wes is just being his usual dramatic self," Eric promised. "I'm Eric Myers, Wes's better half. I met the self-serving jerk at a private school when we were fourteen. Lucky for me he was less of a jerk than most. He kept my head above the toilet bowl for four long years while every other rich kid there threatened to 'destroy the Asian scholarship kid'. After some rather sticky incidents our friendship cracked and we barely spoke for four years. Feeling the weight of my corporate ambitions, I might be remembered by some as the biggest ass ever to grace the helmet. Maybe that's not so far from the truth. It took me forever to understand that my pride isn't worth losing everyone. Wes gave me the chance to co-run BioLab with him and I still can't understand why the hell for."
"Maybe it's because Wes understands the value of a team," Jen remarked, feeling Eric's gaze. "It takes a person of great character to be a leader, and that's something I never had. After we lost Alex and we ran into Wes I thought I could find a way never to accept him. I grew up in a tight-knit Time Force family where every hour was spent contemplating what the next step to save our sorry skins would be. I never learned the social skills needed to see people as human beings. Alex and I were engaged for six months before Ransik attacked us and decommissioned him. In that time I'd thought I'd found something of my own that Time Force couldn't touch. I was wrong. That relationship fell apart the moment he was gone. I guess I was in love with the outside." She cast a knowing look at Wes, the man who shared Alex's face. "I never knew how to hold onto a relationship, what to feel, how to feel it." She looked over at her team. "In the future I think we've lost something. We don't have the sort of friendship that you all have, and that we have with you. If we hadn't met Wes and Eric we would never be bonded in this way. Alex arrived from the future and he thought without delay that we would just cast Wes aside and go back to duty. That's not how it works here. We're here today because we have a sense of duty toward each other, not just toward a cause or an end."
"Jen is right," Lucas told the crowd. "In the future there were only two things that mattered to me, cars and my job. I'd work for ten to fourteen hours and go home to an empty house. I would cast glances at normal people walking by and wonder at the pathetic stature of their lives. I thought I was better somehow. I thought I was faster, stronger, and better because I was Time Force."
"We'd go to various events because we were told to, not because we wanted to," Katie told them. "In the past few years, being back there has been harder than ever. Knowing that there is something out there besides a world of machinery and manipulation makes it tough to accept the bars. I hope that we've made some sort of impression on them, made them realize how quickly we've changed from human to robot, if not in body, in mind. I spent the first twenty years of my life in a cage and I didn't even see it. I lived from moment to moment fearing my death if I didn't do what was set by the clock."
"On Xybria," Trip told the Rangers, "our world is but a perception of what we see through these jewels." He removed his hat for the rest of them to see his forehead. "I feel the same sense of dread going back there that these guys do. I don't know how to function in a world that lacks the very essence of surprise that makes this era interesting. Trip doesn't exist in that place the way he does here, with all of you."
"Now that we've taken the philosophical route," Taylor said with a slight grimace, "I don't know why you'd even care to hear about me." Eric tickled her back and she shrieked. "Okay, okay…I'm Taylor Earhardt. I joined the Air Force right out of high school and became a fighter pilot. After a few years I was approached by Shayla. After all the ranger stuff that would bore you to hear again, I went back and was stationed at Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. I've been there for about five years now working on various projects that you have all inadvertently helped with and been helped by including some fancy planes that you'd all kill to fly."
"Hey, I'm Alyssa Enrile, and I'm a kindergarten teacher at Turtle Cove Elementary. I live with my terrier Tiger and a large supply of picture books and I'm currently dating a guy I teach with but I haven't told him any of this stuff yet. During the summer months I train with my father at his dojo and teach little kids his style. Two years ago I spent six months in the Philippines for a teacher exchange program that was really amazing. I'd never been to my mother's birth country before and I felt like I learned quite a bit about myself."
"I'm Cole Evans," Cole told them stifling a yawn that betrayed his lack of sleep at the motel the previous night. "I was raised by a tribe in the Amazon river basin after my parents were killed during an expedition. After attending school, I started work as a veterinarian and animal rights activist in Turtle Cove. When I have some extra money I usually fly down to Brazil to visit my adoptive family and donate to various rainforest protection programs."
"I'm Danny Delgado, and apparently I'm Z's second cousin?" he raised his arms in confusion. "Anyway, I didn't even know I had a cousin named Elizabeth. Wait, I'm old enough to be your dad!" he suddenly said in an outburst that sent everyone into a parade of stares.
"What Danny meant to say is that he's a little confused about the connection right now to a certain girl who was born four years ago and is now standing here laughing at him as a woman." Kendall took Danny's arm and pulled him back to reality.
"I'm working at a travel agency right now and I help run Kendall's flower shop when she gets behind schedule. I go with Max every summer to travel a little bit more of the world which is exactly what we should all be doing before we die. Last year I went to Columbia to visit my second cousins."
"Hey I'm Max Cooper. I decided a couple of years ago to head back to bowling professionally. I'm currently training for my biggest competition of the year which is next month in Atlanta. When I'm not bowling I work at a souvenir shop that specializes in turtle memorabilia."
"I suppose I don't have just one life to explain," Merrick began, "but two distinct halves joined in a period of darkness." He looked back at the water of Angel Grove Lake and for a moment seemed like he would not continue. "When I was born as Merrick Baliton, the land was a place of turmoil and warriors were all there was standing between us and death. Some of those warriors fell to the darkness themselves, including me for my foolishness. I believed I could harness a power that was not meant for me and for five thousand years I paid for that mistake, a prisoner in my own body. Learning to live in a world that is not your own, a world that is so changed that an entire civilization has risen where once there was only a small band of souls struggling to survive was beyond words to describe. I have had to learn to experience everything again, and in the past seven years I have only begun to understand the changes that have taken place since my creation. I still wonder what purpose a place such as this has in the grand design and if being in this place will be my atonement or my gift."
"I think we've all learned things about this world in the last years that have changed our perception. I was in high school planning to head over to college in a few years when I was approached by ninjas. The Shane Clarke I left in that parking lot doesn't exist anymore. I am not content with the world as it was. I can do things I couldn't imagine, experience things that should even exist. I've taught students what I learned as a young man and I know that they must feel the same sense of awe and uneasiness that I did. I don't quite see the skateboard the same way I once did but I know that I'm certainly better at seeing it than I was before. The game is so much more now."
"I think that beneath the facade, there is still a little girl wanting to impress the crowd inside Tori Hanson," Tori started. "I'm still active in surfing competitions. I go out there about three times a week. It's hard to get any more time to myself with the dojo and everything. Luckily we have all the work split four ways or we would be really busy. I'm a little upset that I don't get more time with Blake."
"Like Tori and Shane I was a clueless kid when I was given the chance to become a ninja. I mean who even knows ninjas exist? And I was becoming one. I'll give sensei credit, he did a great job getting us through school and helping us adapt to college and a life outside the academy. He gave us so much room to be ourselves. I never did anything professional with my motocross like Blake, but I still goof off sometimes. I focus more on my teaching now, and I have a real job working with Kelly to get sports equipment to underprivileged kids through our newly expanded Storm Chargers."
"I'm Hunter Bradley," the older brother began. "I took over the Thunder Ninja Academy following the death our sensei. I've been pretty tied up running the place, but I'm always in town on Thursdays to help with the Big Brother program. Some of my students are promising martial artists, which is always good to see. Maybe some of them will one day wear the mantle like we all have."
"I'm the bum who decided I didn't want to dedicate myself to martial arts, you can sue me." Blake took the mike from Hunter. "I've been racing for Factory Blue for years now and helping them work on some new lines. I also work with some kids teaching them how to ride and stuff when I'm not too busy."
"I'm Cam Watanabe, and I'm the nerd of the crew." He smiled slightly over his glasses. "I'm the head teacher at the Academy since my dad retired, but that's old news. In my spare time I build lots of weaponry for us to try out, the same stuff I've been doing for the majority of my life. I went to Japan for a year back in 2007 and worked with some of the more well-known katana masters and visited some notable samurai historical places."
"Hello, I'm Conner McKnight and I'm here with my beautiful wife of a year now, Krista. We live in Reefside where I am in the process of building up my soccer camp program. I graduated with a degree in physical education a couple of years ago. Krista is currently working for the National Park Service habitat rehabilitation program outside Reefside."
"Hello, I'm Kira Ford, and I received a BA in Music from Reefside Community College. I'm now working on putting together my own rock band with some friends of mine. In my spare time I give guitar lessons to kids and give seminars to students at Reefside Middle school on the importance of music education."
"Hey, I'm Ethan James and I received a degree in computer programming. I now work for Blizzard designing and playing video games. When I'm not doing that, I run the Reefside Dungeons and Dragons fan club that meets once a week at the Cybercafe."
"Hey I'm Trent Fernandez-Mercer. I attended art school in New York and graduated with my degree last year. Right now I'm doing a weekly comic strip for the Reefside newspaper and other various projects for novelists and the like. I'm heading on a dig with my dad in a few months and I'm going to be drawing some sketches for his Paleontology classes."
"Hey, I'm Jack Landors. I think that for your benefit I need to explain some things. For various reasons we can't disclose the future, but I need to share this with my team as much as anyone. I left SPD after about a year because I didn't feel like it was where I could make the most difference. I felt at that point in my life there were other ways I could help people and one of those ways kept me with a woman I was in love with." He looked over at Sky. "My life was never meant to be any more than it is now. I can't be the guy who goes off and leaves the struggling world behind."
"Maybe Jack feels like he is making the most out of helping others on a one-to-one basis, but I know that I'm doing my best at SPD. I'm Sky Tate and I was promoted to Commander a few years ago following Anubis Cruger's promotion. Since then I've been in charge of the basic operations of the city."
"That means that I, Bridge Carson, was also promoted to red ranger. My job is to patrol the city and contain any major issues that arise between our foreign inhabitants and the humans in the city. If something happens that requires us to step in as a military presence I am required to contact the rest of my team and we handle it accordingly. However, that rarely seems to happen anymore. We tend to deal with things as they happen."
"I'm Elizabeth Delgado and I joined SPD back in 2005 and I've been an active member of the force since then. I like to help out with the homeless when we're not on patrol since I grew up for the most part out on the streets. It was a hard life and I'm trying to make it so that these people don't have to suffer the way Jack and I did."
"I'm Sydney Drew. I spend a lot of my time working on basic operations for Sky. Right now I'm spending a lot of time supervising some new building projects and overseeing paperwork. Since we defeated Grumm there has been a lot less action that required my presence and I've been sort of demoted to secretary duties."
"Hey, I'm Nick Russell. I'm currently working temp jobs in the LA area. I suppose you'd all like to understand why Daggeron here calls me Bowen. The simplest answer might be to tell you all I was adopted and that my real parents are Harry Potter's cousins and they left me with a few 'gifts'." He threw an angry glance at Daggeron and a tiny red flicker started to flare off his hand. "Enough about me, I'm in a bad mood as you can tell, and I don't want to upset the lovely couple."
"Alrighty then," Chip said quickly to change the tone of the now dreary stage. "I hope you'll all excuse Nick. I'm Charlie Thorn, everyone calls me Chip. I'm finishing up my last year in college and I'm working on a kid's book about our adventures with magic. I've been picked up by a publishing company and hope to have it on sale by the end of next year."
"I'm Xander Bly and I'm finishing up my own degree in horticulture and I plan on opening a nursery in Briarwood. I guess the whole plant magic has helped me understand my true passion for things that grow."
"Hey, I'm Vida Rocca and I now work as a DJ in Briarwood. It doesn't pay a lot but I'm still working for Toby as well. I do a lot of mixing for weddings and the like. Last year I was in charge of the music system for Briarwood High's graduation."
"I'm Madison Rocca and I'm about to receive a degree in film studies. I spend most of my free time documenting my life on film. You might have seen me running around filming you guys earlier for Tommy and Kim." Madison stopped and looked over at Nick. "I'm glad that you two are happy together."
"In respect for Udonna and Leanbow, I'm going to cut this young man short and send him to his seat," Daggeron told the audience about Nick as he handed the podium over to Mack.
"I'm Mack Hartford and I'm working for my dad on his archaeological expeditions. In my free time I still delve into dozens of adventure novels, read up on the latest technology, like myself, and live a thrilling life after everything that happened." He looked over at Will and handed over the microphone with a loud crack.
"Hello, I'm Will Aston, I'm currently working for a museum requisitions office. I'm the guy who flies out and gets the loot and makes sure it arrives in one piece. I also track down missing pieces that are now in private collections and retrieve them for all of us to share."
"I'm Dax Lo and I now work as an actor, director and stunt man professionally. I just appeared as Jackie Chan's assistant and worked as third assistant director in a film that should be released here within a year or two."
"I'm Veronica Robinson, known as Ronny, and I'm racing cars like I was before Operation Overdrive. I just competed in France and I have an open show in Germany in a couple of weeks. When I'm not on the road I have a modest apartment in San Angeles where I like to hang out with my buds."
"I'm Rose Ortiz, I graduated from Oxford and I'm now an associate professor there. I teach some classes on robotics and pure math. When I'm not bogged down with papers and research, I like to head over to see Mack and the others."
"Hello, I'm Tyzonn from the planet Mercuria. I was cursed in a monster's body until I was freed by Mack. Since then I've been reunited with the love of my life, Vella, and we've started over. Right now we're working on building our life back home and hope to get married soon."
"Well, that should be about it," Zack said, taking back the microphone. "You all can go back to talking and hopefully there will be something more to talk about now."
A shadow flickered from across the water. RJ put down the binoculars and handed his phone to Casey. "I'm not sure I'm ready to bring it up yet," he told his companion. "They deserve this time off."
"Dai Shi was just the tip of the iceberg, RJ," Casey argued. "I think it's our duty to at least warn them."
"They'll know when the time is right," RJ said calmly. "Now I want you to call Tommy and tell him we can't make the reception at all."
Casey looked back at him with a wounded expression. "You know, a part of me wanted to hear TJ tell that pizza story." He dialed the number stoically.
Tommy reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Hello?" he asked quickly.
"Hey, sorry, it's Casey Rhodes. We can't make it," the younger man said into the receiver.
"Hey, well that's okay, just stop by sometime if you get a chance." Tommy smiled over at Kim and told her the news.
"I'm sure you are all having a great time," Casey mouthed quietly. "Look, I'm really sorry we couldn't…"
Tommy reassured him firmly and hung up. He looked over the water with an eerie feeling running down his spine. For some reason he felt a presence across the water that he felt every time he came in proximity of a fellow Ranger and he wondered why Casey would lie to him.
