Disclaimer: Ya'll already know I own neither the Power Rangers or the Justice League. Now, you do need to know that I don't own the characters of "Step by Step" either. They belong to Warner Bros. And once again, the concept of the Geo Rangers belongs to Carl Turner. Thanks, Carl!
GEO RANGERS, UNITE!
Part One: The Chosen Ones
It was a normal Wednesday at the Angel Grove Youth Center. There were less than two weeks left of summer in Angel Grove. Two weeks before the Ranger teens would begin college, and they intended to make the most of those two weeks. While the rest were at their usual table, Jason and Tommy stood close by as they waited on drinks in-between sparring sessions. Posted throughout the Youth Center were signs stating that it would be closed the next week for renovation, courtesy of Lambert Construction. As Ernie took a tray of drinks to the teens' table, Kimberly decided to ask him about it. "Hey, Ernie, what's going on with the Youth Center being renovated next week?"
Once he had given everyone their drinks, the portly owner answered, "I guess I just decided to spruce the place up a little. After all these years, I just felt it was time. But don't worry, both my outdoor café and the beach club will remain open."
"What about the people who are doing it?" asked Adam. "I've never heard of Lambert Construction."
"It's a new company here in Angel Grove," answered Ernie. "It's owned by a guy named Frank Lambert. He's originally from Wisconsin. I talked to the guy last week and he sounded like he had some pretty good ideas. I just spoke with him again earlier this morning over the phone and he said that he and his family are getting settled in. He and his new crew will begin working on Monday."
After finishing their drinks, Jason and Tommy continued to spar. After a few exchanges, Jason tripped up Tommy. He smirked and said, "Gotcha again, bro." He then looked up, appearing as if he was in a daze.
Karen Foster entered the Youth Center, followed closely by Alicia "Al" Lambert. As the two girls looked around, Karen smiled and said, "Ooh. Hotties, hotties, and more hotties."
As Brendan Lambert and Mark Foster walked in behind her, Al rolled her eyes and asked, "You certainly don't waste any time. . ." Al trailed off as she noticed someone. ". . . do you?"
With Jason's guard down, Tommy took his best friend down to the mat. "Got YOU again, bro," he said with a smirk of his own. He then looked at Jason in confusion, noticing that he wasn't paying attention.
Cody Lambert walked in, holding the hand of seven-year-old Lilly Foster-Lambert. Seeing the Youth Center, Lilly said, "Wow. This place is great."
"Yeah, totally," agreed the eccentric Cody, before letting out his annoying laugh. He then asked, "You want something to drink, little baby cuz?"
"Yeah," said Lilly happily. Cody laughed again as he scooped Lilly up and set her on a stool at the juice bar, causing Lilly to giggle.
Ernie smiled at the little girl as he approached her. "Hey, there, little girl, what will it be?"
At the Rangers' table, Rocky stopped eating when he noticed the new group of people who'd walked in. Noticing this, Aisha asked, "What is it, Rocky?"
Kimberly had also noticed where Rocky's gaze was. She asked her boyfriend, "Rocky, is something wrong? Why are you looking at them like that?"
"Oh, um, sorry, Kim," said Rocky apologetically. "It's just that girl right there in the leather jacket. She kind of looks familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it."
Noticing Al had trailed off, Brendan, Al's younger brother, asked, "Al?" He snapped his fingers and waved his hand in front of her face.
"Earth to Al," said Mark, Karen's younger brother. "Wait a minute." He looked to see where Al was staring. He then smiled and said, "Oh, Al sees a guy. Could she have her sights set on the guy in white?"
Al turned to her stepbrother and said through clenched teeth, "Zip your lip, Mark, if you know what's good for you." Mark immediately backed down. Al then added, "And for your information, no, I had my eye on the guy in red. You know, the one that actually looks like a man?" Mark then decided to go to the juice bar and get something to drink.
Brendan looked at his sister in confusion. He asked, "Are you sure you're Al, because normally Karen is the one going gaga over every guy in the room?"
"Not EVERY guy, Brendan," said Karen defensively. "Just the cute ones." She then noticed Adam and Rocky sitting at one of the tables. She smiled and added, "Like those two."
As Karen and Al walked towards the Rangers' table, Brendan said, "I'm going to play some games."
On the sparring mats, Tommy smiled and said, "Oh, I see." He then helped Jason to his feet, Jason still not looking at his best friend. As Karen and Al walked over to their friends, Tommy asked, "Let me guess, the one in the short dress that looks like a supermodel?"
Finally, Jason looked back at Tommy and asked nervously, "What? No! Um. . . the other one! You know, the one in the white shirt, jeans, and leather jacket?"
Seeing who Jason was talking about, Tommy's smile never left his face as he said, "Oh, her. Figures you'd go for a girl in man-clothes."
Jason blushed and shook his head, saying, "Whatever. Let's get back to sparring."
Seeing Karen and Al approach, Rocky said, "Uh oh, they're coming over here."
"Wonder what for?" asked Tanya.
Karen approached the table and said, "Hi, I'm Karen Foster."
"Are you a model or something?" asked Zack.
Karen giggled and answered, "No, I just look like one." Eyeing Adam and Rocky, she asked, "And who are you two cuties?"
Adam and Rocky looked at their respective girlfriends nervously before answering. Adam said, "Um, I'm Adam."
"My name's Rocky," added Rocky. "And sorry, but we're both taken."
"What?" asked Karen dejectedly. "Just my luck."
Al walked up behind Karen with a smile on her face and patted her on the back, saying, "Better luck next time."
"Who are you?" asked Justin.
Frowning, Karen answered, "Unfortunately, this is my stepsister Al Lambert."
"Lambert?" asked Jenny. "Are you related to Frank Lambert?"
"Yeah, he's my dad," answered Al. "We just moved in. And since he's going to be working on this place next week, we thought we'd check it out." Pointing to Brendan at one of the arcade games, she added, "That's my younger brother Brendan. The nerd at the juice bar is Karen's brother Mark. The girl sitting next to him is our youngest sister Lilly. And the tall guy is my cousin Cody. I'll be starting college here soon. Karen just transferred and is going into her second year. Mark and Brendan are still in high school, and Lilly will be starting second grade."
"What are you majoring in?" asked Billy, holding one of his inventions.
"I want to be a fashion designer," answered Karen.
Kimberly lit up as she asked, "Are you serious? So do I! Maybe we could go shopping sometime and compare?"
"I don't see why not," said Karen with a smile.
"As for me, I'm studying theater," answered Al. "I became interested in acting after getting a small part in the last Jeremy Beck movie."
Snapping his fingers and pointing to Al, Rocky said, "THAT'S where I've seen you! I knew you looked familiar!"
"You like Jeremy Beck?" asked Kat.
"No way!" exclaimed Rocky. "That guy's acting talent is less than zero! But my little sister has a MAJOR crush on him." The rest of them then proceeded to properly introduce themselves.
At the juice bar, Cody watched Jason and Tommy as they sparred. As Mark and Lilly were sipping their drinks, Cody asked, "Hey, Mark, watch Lilly for me, will you?"
"Sure thing , Cody," said Mark. He and Lilly watched as Cody approached the mats.
As Cody walked towards the mats, Trini asked, "What's he doing?"
Al rolled her eyes and answered, "Being Cody."
From the juice bar, Lilly smiled and said, "Show them, dudsie!"
Jason and Tommy stopped sparring as they saw the newcomer approach. Cody asked, "What's going on, dudes? You guys look like you've just worked up some major sweat. I know a little bit of karate myself."
"Really?" asked Tommy with a raised eyebrow. "Can you do this?" He then did a series of kicks.
When Tommy was done, Cody said, "Dude, that is so cool! Let me try." He then did a series of his own kicks. When he was done, Cody asked, "What do you think? Pretty cool, huh?" He then laughed.
Impressed, Jason said, "Not bad. But let's see how well you do with a weapon." He then took out a wooden bo staff from his gym bag and did a series of moves. When he was done, he tossed it to Cody, saying, "Your turn."
Cody caught the staff and did some moves of his own. When he was finished, he laughed again before shaking hands and high-fiving Jason and Tommy. The three of them then walked to the juice bar together.
As Cody, Tommy, and Jason approached the juice bar, Mark got Lilly out of her seat and they walked over to the table to join their sisters. When they got there, Mark noticed what Billy had in his hand. "Hey, what's that?" he asked.
"This?" asked Billy. "Oh, just something I'm working on. I'm not sure what it is yet. I just like to tinker with things sometimes."
"Really? Cool," said Mark before taking another sip of his drink.
Al rolled her eyes and said, "Only you would think that, Mark."
"What's wrong with being smart?" asked Justin.
"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it," answered Al defensively.
"Yeah," agreed Karen. "Lilly's pretty smart, too."
"Yeah," said Al as she smiled down at Lilly and put her hands on her shoulders. "She took her first achievement test earlier this year and scored within the top one percent of all first-graders in the country."
"Congratulations," said Billy with a smile. "Even I never accomplished that."
"Just don't make me take French," said Lilly.
"Why would we want to do that?" asked Tanya in confusion.
"I have an older sister back in Wisconsin named Dana," answered Karen. "She tried to force Lilly to take French lessons to, as she put it, fulfill her 'destiny' as a genius. People may think I'm shallow, but even I know that was wrong of her to do."
"Yeah," agreed Mark. "As much as Karen and I love our sister, she's just cynical that way."
"For once, we agree on something," said Al.
As the others were talking at the table, Tommy, Jason, and Cody were conversing at the juice bar as they sipped on some drinks. Realizing that they hadn't been introduced, Tommy said, "Oh, by the way, I'm Tommy Oliver, and this is Jason Lee Scott."
As he shook hands with both guys, Cody introduced himself. "Cody Lambert."
"Lambert?" asked Jason. "You wouldn't by any chance be related to Frank Lambert, would you?"
"Yeah, he's my uncle," answered Cody. "I'm going to start back working for him in demolition once he's got Lambert Construction up and running again here in Angel Grove. I need a little dough until I can find me another job and get my own apartment. Although to be honest, I'm not sure I want to give up demolition. I love demolition, it's a great job. Nobody gets mad at you for wrecking stuff, because your JOB is wrecking stuff."
As Cody laughed, Jason and Tommy couldn't help but let out a chuckle themselves. "So, why'd you move here?" asked Tommy.
After taking a sip of his drink, Cody answered, "Well, the competition's really been heating up back home in Port Washington, and Uncle Frank's been struggling to find work. So he and his wife Carol started scoping out, trying to find a place to move where we'd fit in. Plus, not only can Uncle Frank open up shop here, but Carol can establish her salon here as well."
"Who's the rest of your party?" asked Jason. Part of his reason for asking was he wanted to get to know Al.
Smiling widely, Tommy couldn't resist. He said, "What he means is, who's the girl over there in man-clothes?"
Before Jason could protest, Cody turned and answered, "Oh, that's my cousin Al."
"Al?" asked Jason.
"Yeah," said Cody. "Short for Alicia. Oh, but don't call her that, dude. She'll kill you if you do."
"Sounds like you two are going to get along just fine," teased Tommy.
Introducing the rest, Cody continued, pointing to Brendan, who was still playing. "That right there's her brother Brendan." Cody then pointed to the table. "The beauty queen is the Kare-Bear, Karen Foster. And the conservative dude in the sweater-vest and glasses is her brother Mark. They're Carol's kids. And last but not least, the little blonde-headed chick is Lilly, the one child Carol and Uncle Frank conceived together.
"Lilly Lambert," said Tommy. "That's cool."
"Naw, dude," corrected Cody. "Her name is Lilly FOSTER-Lambert."
"Right," said Tommy with a nod. "I'll try and remember that."
"With your faulty memory, good luck," teased Jason as he and Tommy got up to get changed.
Once Jason and Tommy had gotten into some fresh clothes, Tommy said, "Go on, man, offer to drive her home or something."
As Tommy pushed him towards the table, Jason said, "Alright, alright, I'll ask her. Sheesh."
When he and Tommy finally got to the table, Jason said, "Hey, what's up?"
"Nice of you to finally join us," said Zack.
Jason looked at Al and seemingly froze. "Um, hi. I'm Jason."
The feeling seemed to be mutual. Al let out a nervous smile. "Hey," she finally managed. "Al." Lost in each other's eyes, they shakily shook hands.
Karen, however, enthusiastically put her hand out and said, "I'm Karen."
Jason hardly noticed. Nevertheless, he said, "Nice to meet you," without even acknowledging her outstretched hand. Working up his courage, he said, "So, um, Al,. . . would you like me to show you around town?"
"Yeah, that'd be great." She then turned to the others and said, "See you, guys."
Karen watched in disappointment as Jason and Al walked away. Jenny smiled and said, "Oh my gosh, I think Jason's smitten."
Finally, Karen asked, "Why would a hunk like him want to go with Al instead of me? It's like. . . the world's gone crazy."
"Hey, cheer up, Karen," said Aisha. "There are plenty of other fish in the sea."
"Yeah," said Rocky with a smile. "Like those two."
Turning in the direction Rocky was pointing, Karen noticed Bulk and Skull approaching, in full uniform. Tipping his hat, Bulk greeted her. "Hey there, babe."
"You're hot," said Skull.
Karen screamed.
Jason and Al were walking through the park, talking and getting to know each other. Jason laughed and said, "Alright, so let me get this straight: Your dad and step-mom ran off to Jamaica, got married, and didn't tell anybody?"
"That about sums it up," answered Al. "Until, one night dad accidently spilled the beans. My life's been miserable ever since."
"Are the Fosters really that bad?" asked Jason in confusion.
"Nah," said Al. "We just like to rag on each other, that's all."
"Okay," said Jason. "Why?"
Answering Jason's question with a question, Al asked, "Are you kidding? We'd never be able to live with each other if we didn't."
Shrugging, Jason said, "To each their own, I guess. Do you have any other family?"
"Yeah, I do," answered Al. "I have an older brother, J. T., and another stepsister, Dana. They decided to stay in Wisconsin with J. T.'s girlfriend Sam and his best friend Rich. Rich is also Dana's boyfriend. J. T.'s never been able to hold down a job until recently, when he started working as a local pitchman. I guess he finally got a job that he liked. Dana just started working at a law firm, Sam's a mechanic, and Rich makes pottery for museums, flea markets, and anyone else who's willing to pay for his work."
Jason nodded before asking, "So, how do you like Angel Grove so far?"
"It's nice," said Al. "I think I'm going to like it here."
Jason ran his hand through his hair nervously. He secretly wondered if Al knew that Angel Grove was attacked by monsters all the time. He decided to say nothing for now unless she asked. Instead, he asked, "Hey, listen, I was just wondering, do you have any plans this Friday?"
"Not that I know of," answered Al. "Why?"
"Well, um, I was kind of wondering if you'd like to go out to a movie with me?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," said Al with a smile.
Smiling, Jason asked, "How about I pick you up at seven?"
"Sounds good."
A short time later, Jason pulled up to Al's new house down by the lake. They walked to the door together and walked in. Upon entering, Al called out, "Dad? Carol?"
Frank and Carol Lambert walked into the living room, surprised to see Al home already. "You're back early, Al," said Carol.
"And who's he?" asked Frank as he and Carol walked closer.
"Hi, I'm Jason," he greeted as he extended his hand. Frank and Carol shook it as he explained, "Al and I met at the Youth Center and I offered to show her around town."
"Nice to meet you, Jason," said Carol.
"Dad, I was wondering if Jason could take me to a movie on Friday?" asked Al.
Sighing, Frank said, "Alright." He then turned to Jason and said, "But you'd better not make any sudden moves, you hear me?"
Jason gulped and nodded nervously, "Yes, sir. Listen, I got to get home. It was nice meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert. Bye, Al."
"Bye, Jason, see you Friday," said Al. Jason then walked out, got in his car, and left.
When Jason was gone, Frank asked, "Are you sure you're Al? Because normally, Karen is the one chasing the boys."
Al smiled as she took off her jacket and said, "Oh, she's getting the boys' attention alright. Just not the ones she wants. I know because I heard her screaming. Listen, I'm going to go upstairs and finish unpacking."
Two days later, Jason pulled up to the Lambert-Foster residence. He knocked on the door and was greeted by Frank. "Evening, Mr. Lambert."
"Hi, Jason," said Frank. "Come on in and have a seat. Al's upstairs getting ready." Once Jason sat down, Frank asked, "Would you like something to drink?"
"Sure, if that's okay with you," answered Jason with a nod.
"Is a Coke okay?"
"That's fine."
Soon, Frank walked back into the living room with a Coke for Jason and a beer for himself. After getting his drink, Jason popped the top and both took a sip. Finally, after settling down in his recliner, Frank said, "So, Jason, tell me a little about yourself."
"Well, I've lived in Angel Grove all my life," began Jason. "I've been doing martial arts since I was a kid and I have multiple black belts in karate. I've competed in tournaments both for prizes and for charity."
"Wow," said Frank, impressed. "Cody's a black belt too. He told me you and one of your friends let him show you some moves."
"Yes, sir," said Jason with a nod. "That was Tommy, my best friend. We were sparring when he approached and offered to show us his stuff. Tommy and I not only practice martial arts, we teach them too. We teach people our own age, we teach kids, we've even taught women self-defense."
"What else do you like to do?" asked Frank before taking another sip of his drink.
After taking another sip of his own drink, Jason answered, "I like to work on cars and motorcycles. In fact, much of my own car is customized. Also, a couple of years ago, I was selected, along with my friends Zack and Trini, to attend the World Teen Summit peace conference in Switzerland."
"Really?" asked Frank as he raised an eyebrow. "I'm impressed. What made you decide to come home?"
"We were homesick," answered Jason. "I think we did a lot of good with the peace talks, but when we were given the choice of staying or leaving, we wanted to come back."
Frank nodded and took another sip before continuing. "Al's going to be starting college here in Angel Grove the Monday after next. She's going to be studying theater. What about you?"
After taking another sip, Jason nodded and answered, "Me too. Except I'm taking up criminal justice. I'd like to be a cop or get into motocross or UFC."
Al then came downstairs, dressed in a red short-sleeved shirt, a short black skirt, black stockings, and black suede boots. She smiled and said, "Hey, Jason, ready to go?"
Jason looked at her and smiled, saying, "Yeah. You look great, by the way." He then stood up, finished his drink and said, "Bye, Mr. Lambert. Thanks for letting me take Al out."
Frank nodded and said, "Have fun, you two. I'll throw away your can."
Jason handed Frank his can and said, "Thanks."
"Bye, dad," said Al with a wave as she walked to the door. Jason came up behind her before opening the door and letting her out first. He shut the door behind him as Frank stood up and watched them leave.
When they were gone, Frank walked into the kitchen where Carol was sitting at the table doing paperwork for her salon. She asked, "So how'd the talk with Jason go?"
"Better than I expected," said Frank as he threw away the Coke can. He then sat at the table and took another sip of his beer before saying, "He sounds like a nice guy. He practices and teaches karate, he's been to a peace conference, he works on cars and motorcycles and he's going to be going to the same college as Al and Karen."
Carol looked at her husband and asked, "Ambitious, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is," answered Frank. "And yet, I get the feeling there's something he's not telling me."
Taking off her glasses, Carol asked, "What do you mean?"
Shrugging, Frank answered, "I don't know. But I just feel like he's hiding something. I can feel it in my bones."
"Frank, give the boy a break," said Carol. "Everyone's entitled to their secrets."
"I know, I know," said Frank. "Believe me, Carol, I'm not trying to make him sound like the bad guy, it's just that. . ."
Carol put a hand on Frank's and asked, "You're worried?" Frank nodded. Carol smiled and said, "Listen, just relax. You've been trying to get me to relax all these years. Maybe it's time you took your own advice."
Frank smiled and said, "Alright, honey. I'll try."
Later that night, Jason and Al arrived back at the house. They stood on the porch as Al said, "I had a good time tonight."
"Me too," said Jason with a smile. "I hope to do it again sometime."
"Maybe we shall," said Al with a smile of her own. They looked in each other's eyes and slowly leaned forward. Their lips met. Jason wrapped his arms around Al as they kissed. When they finally pulled apart, Al smiled and said, "Wow."
"Whoa," said Jason. They both stood there speechless before Jason opened the door to let Al in.
They both walked into the house to see Carol and Frank sitting on the couch reading. "Hey, dad, hey, Carol, we're home," said Al.
"Hi, Al, how'd it go?" asked Carol.
"It was great," answered Al. "We had a good time."
"Glad to hear it," said Frank.
"Jason," said Carol, "listen, we're going to the park tomorrow for a family picnic and we were wondering if you'd like to join us?"
"Sorry, Mrs. Lambert, I can't," said Jason. "I've already got plans for the weekend. Some of my friends and I are going to San Francisco in the morning and we won't be back until Sunday evening."
"Maybe I'll see you Monday then?" asked Al.
"I hope so," said Jason with a smile. "I got to get home. Good night."
"Good night, Jason," said Frank as Jason walked out the door and headed home.
The next morning, the Lambert-Foster family was sitting at the table for breakfast when Cody barged in the door, still in his night robe and stocking cap. "Dudes! I just had the strangest dream!" This surprised the others.
"Cody, all of your dreams are strange," said Mark.
"Yeah, but these dreams seemed to have some kind of Wizard of Oz theme to them!" exclaimed Cody. "I saw a giant floating head and I saw a monkey with wings! And I saw this chick dressed in white." He scratched the side of his head, saying, "Maybe she's supposed to represent the good witch or something, I don't know. But there was also this chick who kind of looked like a scorpion and these five silhouettes. Not so Wizard of Oz-like there."
"Cody, you need to have your head examined," said Brendan as he shook his head.
"Scoff all you want, dudes," said Cody, "but my dreams have a strange way of coming true."
"Oh, really?" asked Al. "Like the time you dreamed I was going to jail, but it was just me in my soccer jersey holding my hamster cage?"
"I also dreamed that Dana was going to be assaulted and that came true," Cody pointed out. "Or it would have if I hadn't been there to stop it."
"Cody, why don't you just get a shower, get dressed, and have some breakfast?" asked Frank. "Maybe it'll take your mind off these dreams."
"If you say so," said Cody as he took off his stocking cap and walked out the door to get some clothes from his van.
After Cody shut the door, Karen asked, "Why did we agree to let him live in his van in our back yard again?"
Later that day, the family was at the park having their picnic when they received some unexpected company—in the form of Goldar, Scorpina, and a flock of Tengas. Carol, Karen, and Lilly screamed as the entire family stood up and stayed close to each other. Everyone else just looked at them in horror. "Surrender the Chosen Ones!" bellowed Goldar.
"'Chosen Ones?'" asked Carol. "What are you talking about?"
"Our master has plans for your children," said Scorpina.
"Dudes!" said Cody. "It's the monkey with wings and the scorpion-lady! Just like in my dream!"
"Silence!" ordered Goldar. "Surrender to the will of Lord Zedd and there won't be any trouble!"
"Over my dead body, pal!" yelled Frank defiantly. There was no way he was going to give up his kids and his nephew without a fight! Lilly whimpered in fright as she hid behind her father.
"I can arrange that, human!" said Goldar.
"Tengas! Seize them!" ordered Scorpina.
As the Tengas cawed and moved in, Cody said, "Oh, I get it. You guys are trying to pick a fight." All of the villains stopped and looked at Cody in confusion as he continued. "That's too bad, you know, because I really hate fighting. Somebody always ends up in the emergency room. And then you got to fill out all those forms. And then there's the insurance hassles." Cody's family just stared at him in disbelief.
While all of this was going on, Tommy, Adam, and Rocky were jogging through the park when they saw what was happening. "What are they doing here?" asked Adam.
"They're cruising for a bruising," said Rocky. The three of them then ran to help out.
"Enough of this!" said Scorpina. "Get them!"
But as the Tengas moved in, they heard Tommy's voice cry out, "Hey, bird-brains!" They turned to see Tommy leaping towards them. He landed a flying kick to the chest of a Tenga, sending it flying.
As the Tenga laid on the ground, it cried out, "Hey, no fair!"
"Attack!" yelled Goldar. The Tengas then charged on the three Ranger teens.
Ever since joining the Justice League, the Power Rangers had managed to improve their already-amazing fighting skills. Thanks to training with Wonder Woman, they could now punch and kick harder and may have even become just a little bit faster. This was evident as Tommy took down three Tengas with a spinning kick. He then ran forward and jumped, kicking two more before landing. He then blocked the fist of another Tenga, landed three punches to the stomach, and threw it into three more, knocking them down.
Adam ran over a picnic table and dove onto three Tengas, taking them down. He quickly scrambled back to his feet and charged another Tenga. He ducked an attempted punch, grabbed it around the waist, and launched it over his head. Several more surrounded him, only to be taken down by a spinning kick.
Rocky landed two punches to one Tenga, landed a knee into the midsection and threw it into three charging Tengas, taking them down. Seeing more coming, he ran onto a nearby bench, jumped up, grabbed a tree branch, and began swaying back and forth. As the Tengas got closer, he launched himself, landing a flying kick to one Tenga, flipping forwards, standing up, and kicking several more Tengas with jumping kicks as they tried ambush him to no avail.
Seeing this, Goldar quietly said, "That's impossible! The Rangers could never handle the Tengas like this in civilian form!"
"Unless they've somehow gotten stronger," said Scorpina.
With everything falling apart, Goldar ordered, "Retreat!" He and Scorpina then teleported away, the Tengas following suit as they cawed, still on the ground.
Tommy, Rocky, and Adam quickly approached the Lambert-Foster family. "Are you guys alright?" asked Tommy.
"We're fine," said Frank with a sigh.
"Except poor Lilly," said Carol as she held her youngest child. "Those bird-things scared her to death."
"Oh, dad, Carol, this is Tommy, Rocky, and Adam," said Al. "They're some of Jason's friends. We met them at the Youth Center the other day."
"What were you guys doing here?" asked Mark.
"We were jogging when we saw what was going on," answered Rocky. "We just wanted to help."
"Well, it's a good thing you came along," said Karen. "I'm wearing silk."
Tommy, Adam, and Rocky just stood there, surprised how Karen could be so shallow after what she had just seen. Brendan then asked, "What did that monkey-guy mean by 'Chosen Ones?'"
"'Chosen Ones?'" asked Rocky as he scratched his head. "Your guess is as good as ours."
Carol then asked, "Does this sort of thing happen all the time?"
"You'd be surprised," admitted Adam.
"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Tommy.
"Yeah, we are," answered Frank with a nod. "Just run along. And thanks."
"Any time," said Adam with a nod as he and his two friends went back to their jog. When they were far enough away that they wouldn't be heard, they stopped as Adam said, "Guess all that training with Wonder Woman paid off, huh?"
Rocky then asked, "But why would Goldar call them 'Chosen Ones?'"
"I don't know," answered Tommy. "But we'd better tell Zordon about this right away." He then asked into his communicator, "Zordon, come in, do you read me?"
"YES, TOMMY," came Zordon's booming voice. "WHAT IS IT?"
"Goldar and Scorpina just tried to attack the Lamberts," explained the White Ranger. "They said Goldar called them 'Chosen Ones.' Any idea what that means?"
"I AM NOT CERTAIN," answered Zordon. "BUT ALPHA AND I WILL KEEP AN EYE ON THEM. IF GOLDAR CALLED THEM 'CHOSEN ONES,' THEN ZEDD WILL MOST LIKELY TRY AGAIN. WE'LL CONTACT YOU WHEN WE KNOW MORE."
Three days later, Zordon and Alpha were at the Watchtower with the Martian Manhunter. The rest of the League, as well as the Zeo Rangers and the Titans, had since been informed of Goldar and Scorpina's attack. However, they were no closer to figuring out why the Foster and Lambert kids had been called the Chosen Ones. "Ay, yi, yi!" cried Alpha. "What could Goldar's words possibly mean?"
"It is strange," said Manhunter. "From what I know of Lord Zedd, he normally does not attack random people unless he has some plan in mind. But what?"
Suddenly, the Watchtower began flashing. When it stopped, a white beam appeared and took on the shape of a woman. She had long dark hair that was pulled back and she was dressed in a white robe with a white mask covering her face from her nose down. The woman spoke: "Perhaps I can answer that."
Martian Manhunter and Alpha stared at the newcomer before Zordon spoke. One word. One question.
"DIMITRIA?"
TO BE CONTINUED