CHAPTER FOUR
He watched the yellow humvee pull into the docking bay of the N.A.S.A.D.A. spaceport from a distance. They were almost all here now, and soon the time would come.
He adjusted his brown leather jacket, his red button up shirt fitting snugly over his red t shirt, and waited. He'd had many a doubt about this mission since he'd gotten the call at Bulkmeyers. He hadn't lived this life in so long. He'd thought this was all behind him.
And yet, here he was, back again, about to ask a group of Earth's bravest heroes to risk their lives against a force they knew nothing of.
He only wished Jason was here. He hadn't been able to get a hold of his old team mate on the phone, and had left a message on his machine. He only hoped Jason had gotten the message, and was on his way.
He took a deep breath, and stepped out of the car, making his way toward docking bay seven.
This was it…..
"Wes! Eric!" Cole exclaimed, slapping hands with his old acquaintances. They had worked together to stop Master Org and the MutOrgs from terrorising Turtle Cove.
"Cole, it's good to see you again." Wes replied smiling.
"What are you guys doing here?" he asked.
"Well," Eric said. "We got a call, to meet here at the N.A.S.A.D.A. Spaceport."
Cole nodded. "Do you guys know what this is about?" Both men shook their heads in response.
Carter stepped out of the Rescue Rover. "I see you've met the Silver Guardians." He said, nodding to both men. Carter and the Lightspeed Rangers had once worked with the Time Force Rangers to defeat the resurrected demon Vypra.
Carter noticed the red sports car parked five yards away.
"Don't ask us Carter." Wes said. "It's been sitting there for about five minutes now."
He smiled. "Don't worry, it's just the Red Turbo Ranger."
With that, the driver's side door of the vehicle opened, and out stepped a tall, muscular African American man with a shaved head, and friendly eyes. He wore a red short-sleeved shirt and black jeans. He flashed a winning smile to the group.
Carter instantly recognised him from the dossiers in Lightspeed's data banks. "Theodore J Jarvis Johnson."
He shook hands everyone. "Please, just call me T.J."
The group's attention was suddenly diverted by the sound of footsteps. Approaching them was a young man with dark brown hair, lined with golden highlights. He wore a red shirt under and open silver uniformed jacket, with matching silver pants.
"Ah, that would be Andros." T.J. said, recognising the man he'd once worked with as the Blue Space Ranger...until a tragedy had separated them.
Andros came to a halt in front of T.J.. Both men had known that this would happen, that they would once again cross paths. Neither had known what they would say, or what they would do once they saw the other.
Then, T.J. held out his hand. "Hey old buddy."
A few tense seconds passed, as Andros pondered his old team mate's gesture...
Finally, he accepted it. He remained silent, until finally turning to address the group. "Thank you gentlemen for joining us. I know you've all travelled far to get here today, and I am very grateful for your presence in this time of dire need."
Cole was in a state of disbelief. "You guys are all Red Ranges too? That's unbelievable! So…what's going on here anyway?"
"You've been summoned by myself, as well as a veteran Ranger, our leader for this mission." Andros replied.
A sceptical Eric frowned. "Wait, did you say leader?" Wes placed a warning hand on his friend's arm.
Suddenly, a man emerged in the entranceway, is face lost in the light of the afternoon sun. His hands crossed in front of him, he wore a brown leather jacket, and a red T-shirt over a red button up shirt. His raven hair was spiked up. He walked slowly, the sound of his footsteps echoing throughout the bay.
T.J. smiled, recognising the man who had chosen him to be the Red Turbo Ranger.
Andros waited silently for his partner, the man he'd been working with for the past two and a half years.
Carter's jaw dropped in awe. He couldn't believe it, it was really him. The man he'd emulated for so long as a Power Ranger.
Wes looked at Eric. "What was that you said about a leader?"
Cole tapped T.J. on the shoulder. "Who's that?"
T.J. patted the younger man on the shoulder. "That my friend, is Tommy Oliver. The guy's a legend in his own time."
For a moment, Tommy simply stood, as the others seemed to stare in awe. His dark eyes were serious, showing determination and strength. Yet they were also calm, and in a sense, soothing to look into. They were the eyes of a man callused by years of battle. His face showed no signs of aging, as he was still young. His form looked to be heavily muscled, yet his posture told them that he was not a man to boast his physique.
Yes, they'd all heard of the legendary Tommy Oliver, a former Green, White, and twice Red Power Ranger. In what he'd done for the world, this man had set the standard for what it meant to be a Power Ranger, to serve mankind, and fight for the everlasting cause of virtue.
And now he stood before them.
Tommy took a deep breath through his nose, and began. "Thank you gentlemen for coming on such short notice. I wish I could be meeting you under more pleasant circumstances."
"So what's going on?" Wes asked, repeating the question on his mind, as well as the others. "Your call sounded urgent."
He sighed. "I was hoping this day would never come." He gestured toward his partner. "Andros has recently tracked down the remains of the evil Machine Empire, an army of mechanical monsters, bent on conquering the universe."
Carter's eyes widened. "But I thought you and the Zeo Rangers defeated them years ago!"
"And what was left," Wes continued. "Wasn't it destroyed after the invasion of Earth a few years back?"
Tommy nodded. "Yes, their leader King Mondo, as well as the rest of the royal family, perished on the planet Triforia in that same battle. But evidently some of their generals managed to survive.
"They've been hiding out all these years, presumably in the darkest corners of the universe. But now, it seems they've finally regrouped their forces, and at this very moment, are amassing on the moon, resurrecting a forgotten yet uncanny force of destruction. The evidence gathered by Andros suggests that they are preparing to invade the Earth, possibly within the next 48 hours.
"You have all been gathered here because each of you have led your respective teams to victory over the forces of evil in the past. You are here because you are the best at what you do. Andros and I cannot face the Machine Empire alone. But we've gathered you here hope that we can persuade you to join us in our mission to the moon, to stop them once and for all. Together, we can save the Earth, and take one step closer to bringing peace and prosperity to the universe."
Tommy bowed his head, staring at the ground for a moment. "But of course, as always, there is a danger to what we do. I cannot guarantee that we will succeed, or that we will even return to Earth alive. I can't force any of you to come."
He looked up again. "I can only humbly ask that you help us. From one Ranger, to another…."
The group was once again silent, each man comprehending the words of this legendary figure.
Finally, Cole stepped forward. "Listen, I don't know much about space, the moon, or this Machine Empire…."
Tommy nodded, realising what Cole was about to say.
"….But I will go wherever I must to protect the Earth."
The veteran Ranger smiled in surprise. He hadn't expected the young man to agree.
Wes looked at Eric, who gave him an affirmative nod. "The same goes for us." He said.
"Count me in." Carter added.
"It's not even a question." T.J. said, rounding out the team.
Tommy looked at Andros, who smiled. Neither man could believe what they were hearing. These five men, all but T.J. having never met Tommy and Andros, had agreed to place their very lives on the line, for the fate of the Earth.
Tommy smiled. Of course, he remembered, that's what being a Power Ranger is all about. "My friends, I am in awe of your bravery and generosity. You are all true Power Rangers."
"But wait…" Cole said, stepping forward. "How are we supposed to get to the moon to stop them?"
Andros reached into his back pocket, and removed a small remote with a red button in its centre. "In this." Pointing it at the enormous steel garage door behind the group, and pressed the button. The door instantly began to rise, revealing a gigantic spaceship. Circular in it's body, with the exception of its massive nose, which faced the seven men. The ship was mostly blue and silver, except for a set of red fins on its rear side. An entrance ramp protruded from the ship's base, welcoming the Rangers inside. As the bay's overhead lights flickered to life, the ship glistened in all its glory.
Flabbergasted by this all too familiar site, T.J. looked to Andros. "My god….is that?"
Andros nodded, and approached the helm of the ship, facing the Rangers. "I present the Astro Megaship Mark II, almost an exact replica of the original Astro Megaship. Fresh off the shipyards of KO-35, the fastest spaceship in the galaxy."
Tommy looked to the group. "Okay guys," he said. "Lets do this." With those words, the seven men started for the entrance ramp.
"Wait," Andros said abruptly, brought the group to a halt. "Wasn't there another Red Ranger here on Earth?"
Tommy stopped in his tracks and sighed, realising that his old friend had let him down. He turned to face his partner. "I was hoping he'd show up, but I guess he couldn't make it. We'll have to go on without him."
Andros nodded, unable to ignore the disappointment in his friend's eyes.
As the Rangers, continued up the ramp, and into the Megaship, Cole suddenly stopped, bumping into Eric.
"Hey!" Eric cried. "What's the big idea?"
Cole placed his index and middle fingers to his ear. "Do you guys hear that?" All eight men were silent, listening to the sound of the wind blowing outside.
Through the wind, the dull hum of an engine was just barely audible.
Tommy's lips curled into a small grin.
The seven men moved quickly outside the bay, shielding their eyes from the sun, glancing down the horizon as the humming sound grew louder. In the distance, was a man clad entirely in black, riding a motorcycle. His face was masked by the dark helmet he wore. His vehicle grew closer by the second….
Andros nudged Tommy. "Who's this?"
Tommy looked at his partner. "I think I have an idea."
Finally, the bike came to a stop in front of the seven men. The stranger placed the kickstand down, and pulled his leg over the vehicle. His helmet turned from left to right, as he seemed to look over the group standing before him. Then, his hands moved up toward his helmet.
Tommy smiled in recognition of his old friend and team mate. His short black hair, and boyish eyes were unmistakable. And he still hand that chubby cheeked grin that Tommy remembered.
"Jason…." he whispered to himself.
Jason eyed his old friend, and reflected the smile back at him. "You guys weren't gonna do this without me were you?"
Tommy chuckled. "Rangers, this is Jason Lee Scott. Years ago, he was the first man to ever morph into a Red Ranger on Earth.."
Taking his eyes from Tommy, Jason made his way over to the other side of the line, looking over each Ranger one by one. He noticed the young man in the headband seemed to stand unusually straight, obviously nervous.
Jason approached him. "So you must be the new guy." he said with a nod.
Cole quickly wiped his hand across the leg of his jeans before holding it out to the veteran Ranger. "Hi sir, I'm Cole."
He smiled and patted him on the arm. "Good."
As Cole checked to make sure there was nothing wrong with his hand, Jason started to walk down the line, once again eyeing each Ranger. "I recognise…some of you guys." he said. Finally, he reached Wes, and couldn't help but grin. "Some more than others."
Wes shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it." he said in awe. "Is it really you?"
Jason patted himself on the torso. "I hope so."
Wes laughed, still in a state of disbelief. It had been just over a year ago that he and the Time Force Rangers had travelled back to the year 1994, and helped Jason and the other Mighty Morphin Power Rangers battle both Ransik, and Rita Repulsa. "You look great Jason."
He smiled, and slapped hands with Wes. "Right response." he said with a wink. Then, he looked to the next man in line. "Eric."
The Quantum Ranger nodded back. "Hello Jason."
"How's the Q-Rex doing?"
"Very well thank you."
"Good to hear."
Jason then looked to Tommy. For a moment, the two men just stood there. There had once been a time when they had been partners, best friends, brothers. Each man had risked his life for the other, whether it had been Jason going into Rita Repulsa's dark dimension to save Tommy's Green Ranger powers, or Tommy choosing Jason to be the Gold Zeo Ranger. The two men had formed a bond tighter than any other they'd ever known, based upon trust, respect, friendship, even love.
Tommy shook his head, still smiling. "I was starting to wonder whether you'd show up at all."
Jason chuckled. "You didn't think I was gonna let you do this without the original Red Ranger did you?"
The two men slapped hands, and then shared a hug.
"Alright then," Andros said. "Lets go."
Then, together, the eight Power Rangers made their way toward the Astro Megaship Mark II, preparing to embark on what might be the journey of a lifetime….
…or their final downfall.
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