Chapter 7:In with the Older

Jason Lee Scott looked up at the knock on his door. "It never fails," he grumbled as he dried his hands. "As soon as it's my turn to do the dishes, I keep getting interrupted. And Amber *still* thinks I do it on purpose." He sighed as he opened the door, only to blink at one of the people who stood on the other side of it. "Tommy? How did you know I was in Angel Grove? And since when have you been back?"

Tommy grinned, yanking his friend in for a hug. "T.J. had D.E.C.A. find you, since you've gotten so bad about letters. What are you doing here, anyway? Last I heard you were in Nevada."

Jason gave him a sheepish smile. "Actually, I've been back for over a week. Amber was demanding physical evidence that I'm still alive."

That got a laugh. "She still hates that motorcycle?"

"I'm amazed she's only threatened to sell 'that vile deathtrap' four times since I got here." He turned as Tommy laughed again, leaving the door open for them. "Come on in. I gotta finish the dishes before Amber really does sell my bike. Who's your friend?"

Like Tommy, Jason hadn't changed all that much since his Ranger days. His hair was the same short cut, and he was just as toned and muscular as ever. The strange thing about him was that he was dressed in nearly all black; black boots, black jeans, and black belt, contrasted by a red tank top. T.J. caught notice of a black leather jacket hanging off the back of a chair and forced himself not to ask.

Tommy took the soapy dish from Jason's hands, rinsing it quickly. He missed Jason's grin; Tommy's own mother was so strict about chores, he tended to help out at his friends' houses. "This is T.J."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jason. I'd shake your hand, but uh ... "

"That's okay," T.J. smiled slightly, leaning back against a counter.

"So, what's up? You come to offer me a chance to operate alien technology to save the world?" Jason joked. His smile faded when Tommy didn't laugh. "Tommy?"

"I'm not going to ask you to be a Ranger again," Tommy said quietly, guilt flooding through him at the thought. "T.J.'s the Blue Astro Ranger; he came to get me. You remember Justin?"

"The kid Kim fell in love with after the Miranthius thing, that she swore up and down was just like you? Yeah."

"Justin's just become a lot more like me," he said softly.

Jason looked at him quizzically for a moment before the expression registered. "Oh, man ... " he breathed. "He's an evil Ranger?"

"Does this happen a lot or something?" T.J. spoke up with a frown. "You guys are really calm about this."

"Five times. Twice for me, once for Kat, once for Jason, and once for Kimberly. Don't even get me started on how many spells have been done on us," Tommy informed him.

T.J. looked appropriately startled.

Jason frowned suddenly. "If Justin's an evil Ranger, then he'll be trying to destroy other Rangers. Why are you guys bringing me into this? I'm not a Ranger anymore." He ignored the pang in his heart at the thought.

"Zeus - that's what Justin's calling himself now - said he was going after the old Earth Rangers. Zhane said he's part of a prophecy of evil Rangers, and they're supposed to take the Power from other Rangers. We figured the first thing to do was get all of you guys to the Megaship before he gets to you," T.J. explained.

Tommy put the last dish away. "Man, you guys need a dishwasher," he muttered. "Are there any other chores you need to do before we go?"

"Just lock my bike up and leave Amber a message," Jason answered, grabbing the leather jacket off the chair as he headed to the garage. A thought occurred to him, and he glanced back over his shoulder. "Hey T.J., who's Zhane?"

"The Silver Astro Ranger," the younger boy supplied.

Tommy looked startled as Jason nodded and hurried to save his pride and joy from his overprotective big sister. "There's Silver now? How many colors don't we know about?"

T.J. shrugged. "I probably know less than you do."


"Wow," Ashley whispered as she looked around. Tanya had told her the village in Africa where she could find another former Ranger, and D.E.C.A. had sent them at her request. The African savannah was gorgeous, despite the sun baking down on them and making her uncomfortable in her Megaship uniform.

Tanya smiled. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Ashley nodded wordlessly.

"Aisha should be in the village over that hill," Tanya informed her. "That's where I used to live."

"What happened?" she asked, looking concerned.

She chuckled. "A villain called Master Vile had turned back time, and the Rangers were looking for the fragments of something called the Zeo Crystal. The one Aisha needed was here. But when she found it, she also found out there was a plague affecting the animals here. She decided to stay and help, and sent me back with her crystal." A distant, somewhat sad smile came over her face. "When the Zeo Crystal restored time, Aisha's family had moved to Africa when she was a child. My parents had disappeared on an archeological dig, but instead of being adopted by the tribe when we were here, I was adopted by foster parents while we were in America. As far as everyone else knows, I grew up with Rocky and Adam and the three of us moved to Angel Grove and became Rangers at the same time. Only the rest of the Rangers know what originally happened." The smile widened slightly, but her eyes were pained. "I have memories of both timelines."

Ashley stared at her, at a loss for words. There wasn't much she could say in response. "Oh," she said at last.

They lapsed into silence as they started up the hill.

"Going somewhere?"

Both snapped around, shifting into defensive stances. A girl about Tanya's age stood behind them, hands on her hips as she grinned. Her hair was in tiny braids pulled into a larger ponytail, and she wore tribal clothing.

Tanya relaxed with a laugh. "Thanks for scaring us!"

She merely grinned wider. "You're welcome. What's up? I'm guessing it's something to do with Rangers, judging by your friend in yellow."

"This is Ashley, Yellow Space Ranger. Ashley, this is Aisha, the second Yellow Ranger," Tanya introduced them.

Ashley smiled, resisting the urge to correct that she was the Yellow Astro Ranger. "It's nice to meet you. I wish it could be in better circumstances."

"Likewise," Aisha returned. "So, what's up? More Zedd and Rita nastiness?"

Tanya shook her head as Ashley looked confused. "The Machine Empire chased them off a couple years ago, and Divatox took over when they finally gave up trying to defeat them."

"Actually, it's another former Ranger," Ashley put in. "His name's Justin Stewart. He used to be Blue Turbo."

Aisha wrinkled her nose. "Blue Turbo? Man, am I behind the times."

"He's threatening to kidnap former Earth Rangers and take over the universe with a group of evil Rangers," Ashley continued.

Aisha blinked, while Tanya frowned. She hadn't gotten the whole explanation yet. "Are you saying Justin's evil?" Tanya demanded.

Ashley nodded. "He called himself Zeus. He's ... not Justin anymore."

"So evil Rangers are threatening the universe, and they want to kidnap me to help them," Aisha repeated, raising her eyebrows. At Ashley's nod, she gave a predatory grin. "I'll tell Ashala I'm leaving. Kicking evil butt is my specialty." With that, she trotted up the hill.

Ashley blinked, then glanced at Tanya. The older girl merely shrugged. "That's Aisha."

Privately, Ashley found herself wondering if it was a Yellow Ranger thing.


"Michael, Marcus, and Myron DeSantos, get your butts back in here!"

Carlos looked at the door warily, eyeing Adam. "Are you sure about this?"

Adam almost smiled. "I'm sure," he confirmed

The door flew open and three identical teenage boys not quite Carlos' age barreled out. Adam managed to snag two as they passed him, getting indignant squawks. "Adam! Let go before Rocky catches us!" one pleaded.

"You're supposed to be the cool friend!" the other put in.

Adam chuckled. "Sorry, guys. I know you too well. If you're running, Rocky's gonna get you sooner or later."

A slightly older boy with short light brown hair that curled slightly at the end over a red headband appeared in the doorway, brown eyes narrowing as the one that Adam had missed tried to make a run for it. He sprinted forward and tackled him to the ground, just managing to get him into a headlock. He stood, dragging the boy back with him. "What did I say about pranks in the house?" he demanded. "Nel almost got flattened when she stepped in that peanut butter! Go inside and apologize to her, then clean up your mess."

"But it wasn't our fault!" the second boy Adam held protested.

"And apologizing to Nel is cruel and unusual punishment!" added the one struggling against Rocky.

Rocky's eyes narrowed. "Would you rather I call Mama and Papa at the restaurant?" he threatened.

All three boys paled. "We'll do it," they chorused begrudgingly.

Rocky nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now get." He released the one he held with a shove to the house. Adam let go of his own captives, and they trudged after the first.

Rocky turned to them with a grin. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

Carlos raised an eyebrow. "Are things always like that around here?"

"Usually," Adam told him with a faint grin of his own. "Carlos, this is Rocky. Rocky, Carlos."

"Nice to meet you," Rocky said cheerfully, holding out a hand.

Carlos accepted, suddenly unsure if he'd be so welcome once the reason for their visit became clear. "Likewise."

"So what's wrong?" he asked, still in that cheerful, upbeat tone of voice.

Carlos startled. "How did you - "

"Adam can't lie to me for anything," Rocky informed him. "It's all over his face. Something's wrong, and I'm not gonna like it."

Adam gave another slight smile at that. "Even if I haven't seen you in a year?"

Rocky looked at him, abruptly serious. "I'll always be able to read you, Adam."

He stared back, clearly startled by the intensity in his friend's gaze.

Carlos had the sudden feeling that he was intruding.

"Carlos says Justin is after us," Adam said finally, breaking the silence.

Rocky went still. "Justin?" he repeated slowly.

"He's calling himself the Dark Blue Ranger now," Carlos spoke up. "Zhane says it's part of an ancient prophecy about evil Rangers."

Rocky's head snapped back up, eyes wide in horror. "Tommy! And Kat - "

Carlos shook his head. "They're fine. T.J. and Cassie are getting them. Apparently the only colors that hadn't turned already were Blue and Silver. But he said something about going after all the old Earth Rangers, so we're taking you guys to the Megaship before he can."

The horror was gone, now replaced by worry as Rocky shook his head. "I can't," he said helplessly. "I wanna help Justin, believe me I do. But I've got Sib Duty until my parents get off work tonight."

Adam frowned. "Aren't Bri or Ria around?"

He shook his head again. "Bri's gone to another hockey game with some friends, and Ria's working all week. Rick's not even in the country, and I don't trust The Trio alone with Vannah and Nel. Heck, I don't trust them alone at all."

"You'd think sixteen year olds would be more reliable," Adam murmured.

Rocky snorted. "Not with those three."

Their musing was distracted by the sound of the family van pulling into the drive. Rocky looked up in surprise as his mother got out. "Mama? What are you doing home so early? Is everything all right?"

She smiled at him, looking weary as she removed the apron bearing the DeSantos restaurant logo. "It's okay, Rocky. Nel called and told me one of your friends needed your help. You go on. We'll be fine."

Rocky looked startled. "She did?"

"Be careful, Rocky," came a voice from behind him. The little girl's words were innocent enough, but her expression was serious.

He smiled at her, crouching down. "I will, Munchkin. Thanks for telling Mama I had to go."

She gave him a hug in response, squeezing tightly. "Te quiero."

"Te quiero," he whispered back. He ruffled her hair as he stood, gave another hug to his mother, and went to join Adam and Carlos. The girl pulled her mother inside as she chatted animatedly, leaving the three alone.

Carlos frowned after her. "It almost seems like she knew."

Rocky shrugged. "Nel's always been like that. We'd better get out of here before anyone else comes out looking for me."

Adam chuckled. "Still the popular older brother."

"Lucky me," Rocky sighed as Carlos contacted D.E.C.A. He glanced at his old friend. "Adam, you cut your hair again."

Adam smiled at his expression. "Stunt men don't want long hair," he informed him, subconsciously running his hand up to the ear-length dark curls.

Carlos rolled his eyes and grabbed their hands. "I think this is a little more important than talking about your hair."

"Man, *nothing* is more important than good hair," Rocky returned. "Well, that and good food, good friends ... "

Carlos sighed and teleported to D.E.C.A.


Kimberly Hart was in The Zone. Her movements were flawless and she knew it. There was only the beam and her, in total harmony. Nothing could bother her here; she was perfect.

Or at least she had been until that nagging ache started to fill her chest.

She managed to complete her routine, albeit with less than her usual perfection. She posed after the dismount, then turned to see Zack Taylor, Katherine Hillard, and a girl she'd never met before applauding her with awed smiles. Delight bubbled up inside of her at the sight of her friends, and she bounded forward with a squeal of "Zack! Kat!"

She embraced both tightly as Zack laughed. "It's good to see you too, Kim."

Kimberly beamed at him when they separated, then turned to the new girl with an equally warm smile and offered a hand. "Hi. I'm Kimberly."

"Cassie," she returned with a smile of her own.

Kimberly stepped back again, cocking her head and glancing back and forth between the three of them. Her hair had been pulled into a tight bun, which bobbed back and forth as she moved her head. "Something's wrong," she declared softly. She didn't know how, but she knew. Something had happened, and she was needed. "What is it?"

The pain that crossed Cassie's face and the pure ache in Kat's made her heart throb in sympathy. "It's Justin," Kat said at last.

Kimberly paled, instantly remembering the bright, cheerful young boy she'd met during the Miranthius Nightmare. There had been more to him than met the eye, but something about him had drawn her to him. It was sort of like looking at a young Tommy; he'd needed a friend so badly she could almost feel it. They'd only talked a bit, but she'd liked him instantly, and they'd gotten along well.

"He's calling himself Zeus and said he was going after all of Earth's former Rangers," Cassie continued softly. "The Astro Rangers are getting everyone together before he finds them."

Kimberly was quiet for a moment, staring at the floor as she thought. "Give me five minutes, and then we'll get my stuff," she said at last. She turned as they nodded, heading toward Coach Schmitt's office. Thoughts of Justin ran through her mind, and her eyes were teary by the time she opened the door. "Coach?" she asked.

He looked up, frowning at her. "Come in, Kimberly."

She slipped inside, shutting the door behind her and taking a seat. Contrary to the tough and harsh attitude he gave off in practice, Coach sincerely cared about his gymnasts, and had become sort of a surrogate parent while they were there. He'd deny it if anyone said anything, but in his own gruff way he loved them all. He'd been wonderful, and she hated having to do this.

She looked up at him at last, sniffling as she tried not to cry. She'd been extremely emotional ever since leaving Angel Grove, several times to the point of having anxiety attacks. Everyone had gotten used to it, but she still hated the strange way she lacked control now. She reached for the tissue box he offered her without question, sniffling again and dabbing at her eyes. At least this was one time it would come in handy.

"There's been a family emergency," she managed at last. It was true; she considered the Rangers to be her family just as all of them did, and how well she did or didn't know Justin didn't matter. Part of the family was in trouble, and she was needed. There was no question of what she had to do. "I'm going to have to leave the Center."

He frowned. "We're training for the preliminaries. Kimberly, if you leave now you won't be able to compete in the Pan Globals."

She nodded. "I know. But no matter how hard I've trained for this, my family will always come first." Another truth; Rangers were more important than a competition. If they needed her, she was there.

He sighed heavily. "I don't approve of this," he told her. "You have a good chance of winning a medal, Kimberly. I know your family is important to you, but can't they wait? I don't want to see you give up right before the last stretch."

She smiled through her tears. She wasn't angry at his words; he didn't understand after all, and he was just worried for her. "They need me, Coach. I'd never forgive myself if I wasn't there for them. I wouldn't have made it here at all if it they hadn't encouraged me. I'm sorry, but I have to go to them."

He sighed again. "I still don't approve, but I'll respect your decision." He stood then, moving to give her a hug. "Are you leaving right away?"

She hugged him back tightly. "As soon as I get my stuff."

He shook his head. "Grab what's necessary and leave everything else. I'll have it shipped to you."

She really did start to cry then. She was giving up her dream for someone she barely knew, and Coach, who'd had such high hopes for her, was nothing but supportive. It wasn't fair. But then, being a Ranger had never been about life being fair. And as Zordon had told them, once a Ranger, always a Ranger.

She dried her eyes as she finally left the office, looking up at the trio. "Let's go."


"It's kind of ironic," Aisha mused as she followed Ashley and Tanya down the hall to the room D.E.C.A. had told them to look for. A few people looked at them oddly, being that Aisha still wore her tribal clothes and Ashley in her uniform next to Tanya's casual jeans and yellow T-shirt, but none of them paid any attention. "Out of all of us, I never figured Trini'd be the one to do something as ordinary as going to college. Not even an ivy league, either. I always figured she was above community college."

Tanya glanced at her, amused. "You make her sound like a snob."

"Of course she's not," Aisha seemed offended at the very thought. "Trini's one of the nicest people I've ever met. It's just that she's always struck me as one of those destined for greatness types of people."

Ashley fought back a smile as she knocked on the door at last. Inwardly, she worried if this was going to be a lost cause. This Trini that Aisha had insisted they come find barely knew Aisha, and had only met Tanya in this alternate timeline or whatever. She'd never met Ashley or Justin. Would she even want to come? Would she believe them at all?

A delicate looking Asian girl with waist-length hair opened the door, then gave her a warm smile that calmed all of her worries almost instantly. "Hello," she said gently. "Come in."

Ashley and Tanya entered nervously, Aisha breezing through as though this was nothing more than what she'd expected. "Hey, Trini. Sorry to bust in on you," Aisha told her.

Trini just smiled. "It's all right. This is important."

"How'd you know that?" Tanya asked curiously, already taken in by the mysterious and knowing aura the girl seemed to project.

Trini giggled softly. "It's not every day three people show up at my door dressed in yellow clothing from different worlds."

The mysterious aura seemed to shatter around them, and the others found themselves giggling along with her. They were friends in an instant, and while it probably should have surprised them, no one was. Rangers were like that.

At last the laughter died down, slowly replaced by a more serious atmosphere. "It's Justin, the Blue Turbo Ranger," Ashley told her. "He's part of a prophecy of evil Power Rangers, and he said he's going to kidnap the old Earth Rangers. My team, the Astro Rangers, are getting everyone together and taking them to the Astro Megaship before he can get to them."

Trini nodded in acceptance. "I need to deliver my dropout notices, and leave a message for my parents."

Tanya frowned as the other girl went to her desk, pulling out a few papers. "You sound like you've been expecting this."

Trini glanced at her and smiled slightly. "Only Rangers give me feelings like this," she answered, touching her chest gently. "I knew the moment I felt it that I needed to be ready to leave quickly when it happened."

Ashley looked confused as understanding dawned on Tanya and Aisha. Maybe it was a former Ranger thing.