SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Kellybird: Read on and see. Yeah, seriously. Oh, I'm sorry you had to go through that. Please tell me if something isn't being done tastefully or with the proper respect.

Lavendermystic: Yeah. Yep. We'll see. Yep. I'll see what I can come up with.

Jeremy Shane: Thanks, here's more.

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon.

Jason blew out a breath and raked his hair with his fingers.

"Damn," he muttered. Then, "Sorry, Zordon."

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Jason why didn't you tell us what was going on?" Alpha queried.

"Because I was the leader, and how could I expect them to follow me if they knew I was getting the cr-heck beat out of me?" Jason responded. He remembered what punishment he had gotten the last time he cussed in the Command Center: cleaning all the zords from top to bottom for a week.

"Jason, your situation at home wouldn't have reflected your ability to lead the Rangers," Alpha told him.

"Oh, come on, Alpha! I face monsters daily, but can't even defend myself against my father?" Jason responded. "Oh, yeah. That's great leadership potential right there." Alpha let out a sigh.

"Jason, the two situations are completely different. You should've sought help," Zordon said.

"He would've killed Mom!" Jason protested. "And…I wasn't sure how she was gonna react. I didn't-I didn't know she was gonna be supportive." And he hadn't. For so long, he had been afraid that she wouldn't believe him or take his father's side. He paced back and forth. "And I still have to deal with this stupid "Kevlan Growth Spurt" stuff to deal with. And being Zedd's son-uh-what if he tries to use me against you? I mean, this would be the perfect the opportunity for him to make his move," he continued. Alpha and Zordon fell silent. They hadn't realized that Jason was feeling this way. Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Poor Jason! He must be feeling so overwhelmed! Alpha thought to himself. "Well, I'm not gonna let it happen! If Zedd thinks he can use me to destroy you guys, he's wrong! I won't let it happen!" As the Red Ranger said this, fire began to form on his hands.

"Jason, calm down," Alpha said.

"I mean, it would make sense! He's seen me at my most vulnerable, and he now knows where the Command Center is! He could use either fact against us!" Jason exclaimed, not seeming to hear the robot. The flames grew higher.

"Jason, your manifesting powers are obviously tied to your emotions. I must advise you to calm down," Zordon stated firmly.

"Calm down! Calm down! No, I'm not gonna-" The fire lengthened, hitting a console and Alpha quickly pushed him back and then placed him in a transparent force field. Then, he brought forth a fire extinguisher and put out the flames. Jason panted. Oh, man. What did I just do? he wondered. He could've destroyed the Command Center with one blow, all because he was too hardheaded to listen to Zordon and Alpha. Then, he went into a breathing exercise an old Martial Arts instructor had taught him. Alpha and Zordon looked at the Red Ranger in concern. When he finally appeared to be calm, they removed the force field.

"Sorry, Zordon," Jason apologized. "But what am I going to do? I can't be on the team if I'm just going to put everybody in danger," he pointed out.

"Jason, these powers do not put you as a liability to the team. You must only learn to harness your powers, and then you'll be a stronger and better Ranger," Zordon told him.

"And who's going to teach me?" Jason wondered.

"The best option would be Zedd," Alpha told him. Jason stared at him.

"Alpha, did I do something to your wiring just now, or have you forgotten who we're fighting here?" he queried.

"Yes, yes, I know Zedd's still trying to take over the world, but he's the only one near Earth who would be able to help you harness your energies," Alpha replied.

"I don't believe this," Jason muttered.

"Jason, I understand your misgivings, but Alpha is correct. I do not possess enough knowledge about the Kevlan customs to properly train you, and Zedd is the closest being near the Earth," Zordon agreed. So now I have to trust the guy that's been trying to kill me for a year and a half. That's just perfect, Jason thought to himself. What was he supposed to do? Yeah, Zedd had saved him from his father, but that didn't mean anything. It was probably just one of his mind games, or a preparation for a physical attack like he had often done to Tommy.

"Jason?" Alpha asked, causing the Red Ranger to realize that he had been silent for several minutes.

"No," he said.

"No?" Alpha asked. What does he mean? He has to learn to harness his powers, the robot thought to himself.

"No, I won't be trained by him. Zordon, I can't take the risk of Zedd trying to brainwash me. We'd be playing right into his hands if we did this," Jason continued.

"Of course, I cannot force you to accept training from Zedd, Jason, but you must be trained," Zordon responded. Jason nodded.

"I understand," he stated. Then, "Can I go?" Zordon nodded and the boy teleported back to his room.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Zordon, is it possible that Jason's right to be concerned?" Alpha queried. "After all, Zedd's been trying to kill them all for about a year now," he continued.

"Though Zedd desires to conquer Earth, I highly doubt he would risk his son's life to do so," Zordon answered.

"But could he brainwash him?" Alpha pressed.

"Even with his personality, I do not see Zedd taking such a course of action," Zordon replied. Alpha nodded. Zordon knew Zedd's mannerisms better than he and the Rangers did. The robot turned to the viewing globe. At his house, Jason looked around his room and sighed. What am I supposed to do? he wondered. Just then, he heard a knock on his door and opened the entryway to see his mother in the doorway.

"How you holding up, kiddo?" she asked. Jason just shrugged.

"I'm holding," he answered. "I have to admit though, I wasn't expecting you to say that you knew that I was the Red Ranger," he continued.

"Well, when you never said anything outright, I assumed that you were told to keep your identity secret, so I didn't press it," she told him. "I imagine that your friends are also Rangers as well." He nodded and his eyes clouded. "Honey, what is it?"

"Well, you know that thing that came to the hospital with us-"

"Zedd?"

"Right, Zedd. Uh, well, according to him and Zordon, he's um-uh-"

"Spit it out, honey."

"Uh, apparently, I'm Zedd's son." Helen stared at her son. I wasn't expecting that, she thought to herself.

"How did this happen?" Jason gave his mother the explanation that Zordon had given him and the other Rangers and what was happening to him with the fire.

"That's pretty heavy."

"Yeah, I know." He sighed. "So, what do I do? I mean, Zordon says I should train with him because he's the only one close enough with the proper knowledge to help me harness these powers, but that would just give him a chance to brainwash me and I don't want to take that chance." Helen sighed.

"I get your anxiety, I do. But you didn't see him, Jason. He was worried about you-and ready to kill Rick. This is going to sound strange, but I think you should let him train you," she responded.

"It doesn't make sense. Why would he be worried? I mean, he's the monarch of evil."

"I can't answer that, Jason. I just know what I saw." Jason fell silent and his eyes clouded.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Updates may be slow because I've hit writer's block.