Here we go. the chapter that has been long in comming. Samuri, I hope this is epic enough for you! LOL
This chapter is kind of shorter but I wanted this moment of awesomeness to have its own chapter.
Once again, Saban owns Disney! YAY!
Please leave nice non-flamitory reviews!
Tommy kissed his wife one more time as their son waited by the jeep. It was to be a day of epic-ness and one of bonding. With all the training father and son hadn't spent any non training time together.
TJ looked forward to it…but at the back of his mind, he worried about Mei.
Jared Keiser, their defeated enemy- turned minion to the hybrid had seen them together. What would keep him from targeting Mei again? She was in danger now and he didn't want to imagine what could happen if he targeted her because of his attachment to her.
He didn't know if he had the guts to send her away…
"TJ, You planning to get in the jeep?"
"Yeah Dad," The newest ranger said before stepping up into the vehicle and strapping himself in. "I was distracted….with stuff."
Tommy put the car in gear and pulled out of the hidden driveway. They were both silent for several minutes.
"Want to talk about it? Is it about Mei?"
TJ looked at his father in shock.
His father chuckled as he shifted gears before he spoke again. "It's a common dilemma for us rangers. Having relationships with civilians is a roller coaster of emotions and obstacles."
"I don't want to break it off with Mei. I really, really like her."
Tommy just nodded. "We're breaking the rules today. You want to swing by Burger King?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
I know we've been having you on a strict diet during your training. But this is a special day…of epic proportions. It's just the two of us hanging out and calling forth an old friend…you did bring your morpher and communicator, right?"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with Mei?"
"Nothing at all. But you're my son and I didn't know how many of my…quirks I passed on to you. I'll admit between the two of us that I did have a problem in my early days of forgetting my communicator and morpher."
TJ smirked. "Yeah, Terra reminded me to take it with me this morning. She seems to think of everything that I don't. Sharing brains and thoughts with her makes it all easier for me."
They were silent for a moment as Tommy pulled the jeep into Burger King's drive thru.
"We're breaking the rules today. You can have anything you want from here. Just remember that you have to eat whatever your order. And if you get a milkshake, you have to drink it before it melts. Got it?"
TJ nodded and then they were both quiet as they poured over the lunch menu.
The BK crew didn't hide their chuckles as they passed two large bags of food through the window.
"You having a party today?" Asked the girl at the window
Tommy chuckled. "I'd like to think so. My son and I are having a party of our own and he's a growing young man."
"And dad's just really hungry." TJ added cheekily.
As they pulled out of the parking lot they got really quiet again.
"Dad, how did it feel when you first called upon the Dragonzord?"
"It's hard to remember son, I was under an evil influence and it clouded a lot of my thoughts. I think a part of me thrilled at it, but mostly I just thought of how easy it would be to destroy the rangers…your mom included. " Tommy added with a little shudder.
TJ nodded a little as he pulled out another fry and offered it to his dad.
Tommy took it and then focused on his driving. "I'm more then happy that you'll be able to experience this without such an influence. You'll be able to fully appreciate the moment."
"You know, dad. If you want, I'll let you call him up."
Tommy chuckled at his offspring offer. "No, son, you're the green ranger now. And the first time you call it up, you sort of create a bond. He's not my zord anymore."
20 minutes later
They were at the beach where Billy assured him the Dragonzord slept. With their big bags of food at hand, they headed to the rocky cliffs and sat on the picnic blanket Kimberly had slipped into the backseat.
"Dad, I still don't know what to do about Mei." TJ said as he pulled out his huge Double Stacker. "I don't want her to go Dad, but I'll feel horrible if she gets hurt because of me. "
Tommy nodded thoughtfully as he took a sip of his drink.
"I'm also scared of what will happen if I do send her away. What if she finds someone else?"
Tommy took a bite of his Whopper and then another sip of his drink and then gave his son a serious look.
"This is a very serious subject and its better to face it head on right now rather then later. Love, when its very sincere and pure, is the most powerful force in the universe and nothing can stop it. But it's also very rare."
If what you and Mei have is real love for each other then she'll have eyes only for you. And even if you do send her away, she'll not be able to date any other. And that right there is the deciding factor in any relationship."
"Hurting her to save her?"
"Exactly. But it may not have to be that way."
"How can it be?" TJ asked. "I made an oath on my honor that I would never reveal my secret identity to anyone."
"True." Tommy said. "But you three aren't supposed to be on the front line. We gave you powers to keep you safe. This hybrid is out to get me and not you. It's out for revenge… not to take over the city."
"But what about Keiser?"
His dad nodded deeply in thought. "That's the crux right there. Your uncles and I are hoping to keep him focused on us. But, Jared knows that your our kids. There's always a chance he will come after you in order to distract us. This is also why we gave you powers. He might also come after Mei, because she's attached to you."
"Being my girlfriend, she would be even more vulnerable." TJ finished.
Tommy just nodded again as he finished the last of his burger and wiped his mouth.
The young man looked at his dad again. "You mentioned other ways to protect her."
"Your uncles, Billy and Justin, have come up with a little homing device that she can wear around her neck. It's somewhat like the one that little Tristan wears. But its much more feminine looking." Saying that, he pulled out a pretty silver locket that was about the size of a quarter. Engraved on it were several pink cherry blossoms surrounding the japanese symbol for love. Embedded on it was a little pink stone.
"It's got a false back to it." Tommy went on. "There's a tiny compartment that houses a homing device. If she's in danger then we'll know exactly where she is and then we'll send you to go protect her."
"It's awesome dad. Now all I have to do is give it to her."
"And you will, after we're done here, we'll head to the youth center. I think it's time we let Ernie know what's going on. He's in on our secret. He may still send her back to Skull to keep her safe. Ultimately, it's his decision."
TJ nodded and finished off his sandwich and took a sip of his King sized soda. When they had both finished their lunch, TJ cleaned off his hands with the moist napkins they'd brought along.
After the trash was disposed of they both stood on the outcropping and pulled out their morphers. Tommy took a long moment to make sure they were alone and then nodded to his son.
TJ held out his morpher in front of him and yelled out. "Green Crane Arise!"
At the same time Tommy held out his Zeonizer and said "Zeo Ranger 5 Red!"
TJ felt power swarm him as his suit appeared and settled into place. He could also feel his body stretch out as the change was completed .
Tommy looked over at his son as he pulled out the dragon dagger.
Behind the helmet TJ took several deep breathes and put the flute to his mouth and played the notes.
Instantly the serene surface of the water began bubbling and churning and a loud roar was heard. TJ watched with wonder as a crest broke the surface of the water. Instinctively he put the flute to his mouthpiece again and played a few more notes on it.
In response, the head broke the surface and the body soon followed flinging water everywhere.
Tommy could feel the thrill of excitement as the mighty zord made its appearance for the first time in a long time.
Dragonzord was fiercely alive!
Next to him TJ gazed up in wonder at his zord. The excitement bubbled up inside him and before he could stop it an evil sounding laugh escaped his throat.
Tommy looked at his son and soon his evil laugh joined his son's as the rest of the Dragonzord left the lake and made its way onto dry land. It let out its own sound of exaltation.
TJ looked at his son. "Go ahead. Son. The cockpit awaits you."
"You can't come with me dad?"
Tommy shook his head. "This is your moment TJ. I wouldn't dare take it from you. I'll wait for you here."
TJ nodded and then made the huge jump and soon found himself up on the Dragonzord's head. Underneath his feet a small trap door opened and he jumped into it and landed right in the cockpit.
Before him the control board lit up and he slid into the seat and took a few moments to bask in the thrill of excitement. This was a moment he only dreamed of. No more then a year and a half before, He'd found that clipping of the Dragonzord and put it on his wall. Now he was the green ranger and the pilot of the very same zord. The feeling was amazing!
Just then he could feel the Zord greeting him and slowly the information from command sequences to the very schematics was made known to him and he soaked up the information like a sponge.
Back at the Command Chamber, Terra sat very still and opened her mind to her brother and soon all his thoughts were known to her too. Through their link she also felt his excitement.
Kim sat across from her nursing Zoey though the infant also seemed distracted. This was one of the many moments she wished she could hear what her daughter and son were thinking.
A few minutes later, Terra opened her eyes and grinned widely. "Dragon Zord lives! TJ's in the cockpit!"
10 minutes later
TJ jumped out of the cockpit just after sending the zord back into the sea. Tommy sat on a rock right were he left him and together they powered down.
"It was amazing dad!" Then Tj threw his arms around his dad and hugged him.
Tommy grinned and hugged him back and together they basked in the excitement of seeing the Dragonzord again.
When the moment was over, Tommy handed him the drink again. "You ready to go see Mei and Ernie?"
TJ took a deep breath. "Yeah dad, lets go."
I hope you all enjoyed this moment of epicness!
I'm still undecided about weather Mei will find out about TJ being a power ranger. I'm putting it to a vote. The poll will be on my profile. Do you think she should know about his secret identity?