Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Power Rangers, Saban and Disney do.
I've been hedging on what exactly to do in this chapter, take the more direct path or the scenic route. You can probably guess which fork in the road I took. Hope that you enjoy it as much as I do when I mull over it.
Ch 7- Measured and Tested
The teens had been standing without directions for about five minutes as Zordon and Alpha continued to activate systems and programs none of the teens, not even Billy, understood. Finally, Alpha noticed the lost humans looking around the mysterious chamber.
"What are you still doing there? Oh, my mistake! I've forgotten to give you your morphers and suits." The metallic android shuffled over to another station and punched a sequence of holographic buttons. A smaller, rectangular platform rose from the black depths ladened with five distinct suits each with its own whit belt. "Please remove your clothing articles and install these items in the correct positions."
The teens eyed one another, then back at Alpha with the expression 'you've got to be kidding me' on their faces,
"What?" Alpha asked, "Are you unable to replace your clothes? Should I assist each of you in such a difficult task?" The robot again mocked the teens.
"No, is'...it's just that...that," Billy stammered.
"Just what? You're teenagers! Your species' media broadcasts display your excellent talent at removing and add clothing." Alpha used the example as a perceived truth.
"We don't feel comfortable revealing...revealing ourselves to each...each other." Billy managed to get out.
"Alpha," Zordon interrupted his work to address the problem, "Their culture is very different from my own. If they request individual room to change in, let them have it. We don't have the time to argue over such a small detail."
"Very well," Alpha caved to its master's demands, "Teleporting the humans to individual chambers with their suits and morphers."
"No!" Zordon scared everyone with his thunderous disapproval, "I will manage the morphers' and suits' transportation. Just take care of the humans, Alpha."
"Yes, Zordon." Alpha sounded unsure as he teleported the teens to their separate chambers. Then the android turned around and faced the giant, floating head. "What are you up to Zordon? We need to start as soon as possible. You said so yourself!"
"I know Alpha, but each of these humans are unique in their sentiments. I need a few moments to match them with the proper powers."
Jason waited patently in his small cell for almost three minutes without a suit and morpher. 'Great,' he thought to himself, 'Zordon is punishing me for not taking his first offer. He's probably already given the others their powers and right now their out fighting those blue freaks and that Rita person.' Jason began to pace in the cramped room to try to calm himself down, but it didn't seem to work.
And just as he was ready to bang on the walls to be let out, a suit and belt materialized on the short bench behind him. Jason reached down and picked up the the whit belt by its buckle. Except it wasn't a buckle. The silver metal box that he held was six sided plus a front and back. The back featured a heavy-duty clip that attached what Zordon and Alpha had called a morpher. The front of the morpher was much more interesting as it there lied a golden coin dimly glowing a red light. An etching of a Tyrannosaurus Rex was vividly placed on the coin. Lettering ringed the edge of the coin with the phrases, "Power Morpher" and "Tyrannosaurus Rex."
"Weird," Jason said. Then he looked at the suit. It looked like it was made of a gray nylon or spandex. The arms would only go midway to Jason's bicep and the legs only halfway down his thighs. The word "Red" was spelled in the color across the right chest as Jason held it against his body to better measure the suit. A red line began just under the word and continued across until it ended under the left arm. The suit came apart in the back down to the leg split, but what kept the material together after one got in, Jason couldn't find.
"Hurry up humans!" Alpha's voice came from above Jason's head, "There isn't time to admire a machine's handiwork. Just put the suits on."
'I guess the others are having just as much doubt about this as I am.' Jason consoled himself as he flipped off his red top. 'Still, this is just too weird. Aliens, the giant floating head that commands a saucer-headed robot. I really hope I'm dreaming because I think I might enjoy waking up in my own bed.'
By the time Jason was done feeling sorry for himself he had gotten the suit on. He felt for the split in the back, but was surprised to find it missing. Somehow the suit had solidified into a complete, body-encasing article. Jason spun so he could get a better look, and felt foolish for such a childish act. Then he realized that there were no seems at all on the suit. It was as if the suit had been created from a single, self-enclosing fabric. Jason gave up on the mystery with a shrug and donned the belt snuggly to his waist.
"Finally!" An exasperated Alpha vocalized. "I thought that those humans would never put those suits on. Initiating primary scanning devices and analyzing data for structural abnormalities."
Each of the teens' rooms went dark for a moment before a green light came on. Except that this was no ordinary light. It divided the room horizontally as it slowly moved down toward the frightened teenagers.
"Humans," came Zordon's voice, "Do not move. Alpha and I need all of you to stand in your normal positions so we can adapt the power to your bodies. This scan will not hurt and only take a few minutes."
The teens obeyed, although Kimberly and Zack were visibly shaking as the second dimensional area of light passed over their bodies. Once the light hit the floor, the normal lighting returned. Each teen exhaled deeply as everyone had held their breaths during the scan. Kimberly, Billy, and Trini sat down on the short benches while Zack and Jason remained standing.
"Alpha, I feel that we can proceed." Zordon stated after the computers had run the simulations for a few minutes. "It appears that the power can be held by each of them and they are compatible with the necessary hardware."
"I hope you know that I still disagree with this course of action." Alpha voiced his opinion, "But I agree with the data. Shall we begin morphing sequence now?"
"No, let us bring the humans here. If something should fail we must be swift in the diagnosis before harm comes to them."
"Very well, transporting now."
Five lights descended onto the platform: red, blue, yellow, pink, and somehow, black. The lights dissipated and the five teens in their gray suits and white belts stood outlined by the black abyss. Like Jason, the other teens had colors spelled out in their own color on their right breast and a similarly colored line underneath that ran to the left arm. The teens all glanced at one another, noticing the ways that the suits clung to others' bodies.
Each human also had a white belt with a morpher adorned on the front. Jason couldn't see what the other's morphers read or what image their golden coins held. He could only tell that they were not the same as his own.
"Thank you for agreeing to take on this momentous responsibility," Zordon began, "Without your willingness to sacrifice yourselves, Earth and the lives you knew would have been destroyed without a hope of survival. To protect you in the coming battle against the forces of evil, I will bestow upon each of you power that no one in the history of your species has achieved. But the knowledge of this power must be kept a secret from the rest of your society. For if they should discover that you five are the bearers of this gift, they would undoubtedly hinder the ultimate success of your endeavors. Do you understand?"
All of the teens nodded in unison.
"Very good." Zordon continued, "And now for the final stage in granting you the power to defend your planet. Alpha, you may proceed."
"Space yourselves out so you're not touching anything or one. Lift your arms to an equal height with that of your shoulders and spread your legs so there is a space of three feet between your feet."
The teens quickly complied and Alpha turned to Zordon, "Well, are you going to say it or not?"
"Yes Alpha, I will amuse you." Zordon sighed. Then, with a mighty shout he cried, "ALPHA, THROW THE SWITCH!"
"Yes Master!" Alpha replied as it hit a green colored holographic square.
The coins in each of the teen's morphers became bright in the same colors that the teens had appeared from moments ago. Seconds later the suits began to radiate the same light. Suddenly, armor began to appear across the chest, arms and legs of the teens. The rapidly expanding armor began to move to the parts of the body that the spandex suits were not covering. Soon, all that was left visible of the teens was their heads, but the clinking pieces of combining armor pieces began to outshine the lighting of the floating platform.
As the light became more and more intense, the teens sensed that there heads were being enclosed as well. Each one began to squirm, fighting to free themselves from the unexpected addition of clothing. But it was for naught as the five teens became lost behind the screen of five extraordinary, and brightly colored suits. Each armor had a white diamond-coated suit along with white hands, wrists, feet, ankles, and belts. However, the primary color of each armor was different from the others. In the place where Kimberly had stood, a pink, armor-clad body remained; for Zack, a black one; for Trini, a yellow one; for Billy, a blue one; and for Jason, a red one.
Although motionless on the outside, the teens remained busy inside their individual traps. Words and numbers flashed before the teens' eyes and their brains felt scrambled from the amount of thoughts passing through them. Soon, the five teens all saw the same message: 'Armor Adaptation and Cognitive Testing Completed.' Then, a vibrant scene of the floating platform with Alpha and Zordon came to each of them.
"I congratulate you, humans." Zordon's voice boomed from speakers near the teens ears, "You have completed all of the stages to obtain the power. You are now, and forever shall be known as the Power Rangers."
"What...what happened?" Billy asked.
"Yeah, what's going on? I thought we were supposed to get some powers, like super-strength or laser-beam eyes or something!" Kimberly complained.
"Sorry, princess, this is it." Alpha retorted.
"We have given you these five power suits. They are designed to increase your strength, reactions, speed, vision, hearing and also give you the necessary weapons to defeat the forces that threaten your ways of life." Zordon answered, "For now, we do not have the time to fully explain the complexities of your suits or train you in their use. The information and skills you need to fight in the impending battle are built into the suits. They will send mental stimuli into your brains, training you in whatever skill is appropriate for the situation."
"I don't understand. This thing," Zack said as he banged on his chest, "is in our heads?"
"Yes." Alpha answered, "But as Zordon said, we cannot explain it fully before you face Rita's forces. I've located their general location, but my sensors are unable to distinguish their exact position. I'll transport you there and you'll have to find and engage Rita's forces on your own. Zordon and I will monitor your progress from here and give directions when necessary."
"Go now Power Rangers." Zordon said farewell, "and may the Power protect you."
Alpha touched a few holo-buttons and the rangers were once again enveloped in the light of their color armors. The light zoomed up and out of ' The Tribute to Zordon' as the rangers made their way to the defense of Earth.
"Ai-yai-yai-yai-ai! So much rides on their weak shoulders." Alpha lamented as it placed its hands on its head.
"I know Alpha," Zordon tried to comfort his robotic compatriot, "but I have a feeling that these five humans may be able to come through this alive."
"The key word being may-be." Alpha replied.
If I'm not clear on what has been described in this previous chapter, please let me know. I just don't feel comfortable about some of this.
