A/N: Hey guys, I'm back after taking a month off from writing due to personal conflicts. Thank you for all of the reviews I received, both positive and negative. The thing to keep in mind when writing a story is that sometimes ideas appeal to your readers and sometimes they don't. I'm just glad that even though there were a few people who weren't pleased with Carlos being incarcerated, there were even more who actually enjoyed the plot twist. The time line being altered, everyone's relationships having changed, and Tommy's willingness to just forgive Kimberly have struck some people harder than others, but that is why this story is fictional after all. I have the ability to change things and twist them into a creation of my own.
So what's going to happen next? I guess I'd better stop rambling so you all can find out. Story begins...now!
Reminder:
- This story is an AU. It follows the events of the series; but for the sake of my O.C. Molly, the time frame in which each season of Power Rangers has lengthened. So yes, this story does take place during the season of Dino Thunder, but everyone's ages have been altered to better fit this original idea of mine. If you can't accept that, you might as well click away now.
- I have switched Tommy's profession to history at this point because I am HORRIBLE at science & chemistry and felt that writing about history would be a lot easier. Plus, I think that studying dinosaurs and fossils leans more towards the history side of the educational world.
- Tommy x Kimberly are the main pairing of this story, but there are SEVERAL other pairings that will be used during the course of this story as well. For starters, Hayley and Tommy are a couple when this story begins. As with most romances, theirs is going to take a while to blossom. So don't expect things to be all "sunshine and rainbows" in the beginning.
- Although I edit this story frequently, I do tend to make a few mistakes. So if you spot them, KINDLY let me know and I will take care of the issue immediately. Insulting my intelligence or skills as a writer for such minor mistakes is not only rude, but I will not tolerate it.
- Most importantly, I have made this story a personal challenge for myself and have written it ENTIRELY in the present tense so it seems like the story is happening right before your very eyes. It has proven to be a difficult challenge, but fun nonetheless. So I hope you guys like it too.
Disclaimer: I do not own the popular television series Power Rangers, which is based off of the Super Sentai series that air in Japan. I do not own the rights to any of the show's characters that are used in this story. Both aspects are being used for entertainment purposes only. I am the creator of Molly Hart, Samara and Austin Scott, and all other original characters featured in this story. The plot of this story was also developed by me. DO NOT REPRODUCE ANY ASPECT OF THIS STORY. Thank you.
"The Truth"
"So Susan, tell me a little about yourself." Tommy says across the table to Billy and his wife. "I know that Billy is teaching at the university, but how about you?"
"I teach as well." the blonde says as she sets her burger down on her plate. "I also run a small café off the campus quad."
"No kidding?" Hayley says, a smile spreading across her face. "I happen to run my own café here in Reefside - Cyber Space. I get a lot of high school students as customers. I would love to attract some of the students from Reefside University. Any suggestions?"
"You could always put advertisement flyers up around the campus and on bulletin boards to attract attention. Also, hosting a few poetry readings or talent showcases should bring in a lot of students. A lot of college kids are going to school in a town away from home and they could use a little entertainment to introduce them to the area."
"Those actually sound like pretty good suggestions." Hayley comments as she eats a spoonful of beans.
"Maybe you two could work on a few marketing techniques before Billy and Susan leave?" Tommy suggests, earning smiles from both ladies.
"So Kim, what do you have planned for us this weekend?" Tanya asks to try and distract Kimberly from watching Tommy and his new girlfriend.
"I have tons of fun ideas worked out." Kimberly says, glad to have something else to think about for the time being. "There's an ice skating rink, hiking, oh and of course we'll have to go shopping."
"Now that sounds like fun." Aisha agrees. "I heard that Reefside has a decent sized mall."
Jason, Rocky, and Adam groan at the mentioning of their girls' favorite past time.
"Oh come on you guys." Kimberly says. "I never said you had to go with us. I'm sure you could pass the time hanging out at Tommy's place or even sparring."
"That sounds interesting." Jason says as he tosses his plate in the nearby trashcan. "Say Tommy, you still owe me a sparring match from earlier, remember? What do you say we give these folks a show, unless your scared."
Tommy looks around as his friends "ooh" at the challenge. He smirks before standing to his feet, his meal long forgotten. "I can still take you on Jase."
"You sure you aren't a little rusty?" Jason asks as he kicks his shoes off.
Tommy does the same before removing his shirt and tossing it to Hayley. "Me, rusty? Come on Jason. You're the one who looks like he's put on a few pounds. I can still take you."
Everyone starts laughing at the playful banter between the old friends. Jason and Tommy move out from underneath the awning to stand in the grassy field in sight of everyone. Adam decides to be the referee for the match and jogs over to his friends, a laugh escaping his lips at their determination.
"Let's see who can pull the best two out of three." he says as he holds his arms up in the sky. Jason and Tommy bow to each other before taking their respective stances, the others watching in amusement from the awning. "Ready, set, fight!"
Tommy charges towards Jason, deciding to be the first to move. Jason notices that Tommy is a lot quicker on his feet than he used to be, in spite of being nearly twenty-years older. Still, he doesn't let it psyche him out. Tommy drops down into a sweep kick and Jason jumps over his extended leg like he's playing a game of "skip it." When his feet land on the ground again, he elbows Tommy in his neck as he moves to stand up, causing Tommy to fall flat on his stomach. The Black Dino Ranger recovers quickly, pushing himself onto his feet and taking a fighting stance again while Jason slowly begins to circle around him. As the two run towards each other again, the others begin cheering them on, not sure of which one of them will be victorious in the end.
"They're pretty good." Conner exclaims as he leans in closer to watch the fight. "It doesn't look like they'll be tiring out any time soon."
"It's been a while since they've sparred like this." Rocky comments as he watches from beside the teen. "They haven't changed a bit."
"I have to learn how to do my ax kick like Doctor O's. I could take out so many Tyrannodrones."
"What's a Tyrannodrone?" Rocky asks, a confused look on his face. Ethan elbows Conner in his side at the slip of his tongue, and Conner winces before scrambling his brain for some sort of explanation.
"The Tyrannodrones are a team that I go up against in tae kwon do tournaments." he explains quickly. "They're the biggest competitors we have at Reefside High."
Rocky stares at him questioningly, but brushes it off before turning his attention back to the match. Tommy is coming at Jason with everything he has, but the former ranger is staying on top of his game, blocking every blow Tommy tries to land.
"You might want to watch what you say around these guys." Ethan whispers to his friend. "They may have been Power Rangers at one point in time, but they have no idea that we're the rangers now. Until Doctor O says otherwise, we have to be quiet about our hero status and about what's been going on with the barriers."
Conner nods, deciding not to talk about their situation anymore. as he focuses on Tommy and Jason's match again. Jason charges towards Tommy like an enraged bull and swings his leg up as he intends to land a kick square to Tommy's chest, but Tommy has anticipated his move, catching his foot before pushing him back. Jason stumbles back before charging towards Tommy again, only to wind up being spin kicked and sent skidding across the grass.
"Come on Jason, get up!" Trini shouts to her husband. "You've got this babe."
Jason stands up, his chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath. He offers Tommy a smirk before charging at him once more, determined to show his friend just how far he's come.
TJ stares at the screen as the in-flight showing of The Parent Trap plays onscreen. His thoughts turn towards Carlos and what he is going to say to him when he and the others get to Texas. He has to admit, he feels guilty for not checking in with the former Black Ranger more often. He usually called to check in with his friends once or twice a year, being that his job kept him busy most of the time; but when Carlos stopped returning his calls, he didn't think anything of it. Now, here they were years later finally finding out the truth and he couldn't help but to feel guilty about not reaching out to his friend more. With a heavy sigh, TJ turns to Cassie who is sleeping on his shoulder, the glow of the evening's setting sun casting a warm, orange glow over her face.
"Cass?" he says, nudging her with his shoulder. Her eyes flutter open and she groans before looking up to meet his gaze.
"What's wrong Teej?" she asks, a yawn escaping her lips as she sits up and rolls her stiff shoulders back.
"We're going to be landing soon." he says as he recalls the flight attendants announcement that they were ten minutes outside of their landing destination. "I just thought you should know."
"You know, you could have just woken me up when we actually got to Texas." she says with a frown. "TJ, something's on your mind. What's going on?"
"I'm just worried about seeing Carlos after all this time." he admits. " I mean, what are we going to tell him? We haven't heard or seen from the guy in years because he got locked up, and we wait until now to actually check in on him and find out just why we haven't heard from him after so long. I feel guilty Cassie. Carlos was one of our best friends and I basically stopped reaching out to him."
"TJ, I know you're worried about what's going to happen, but don't stress yourself out worrying about the outcome of the situation. Yes, we could have done more to stay in touch with him, but what's done is done. All that matters now is that we have to talk to him and explain what's going on. We'll worry about the rest later."
TJ smiles at his wife before kissing her forehead. Deciding that staying awake for another twenty minutes to finish the movie is a waste, TJ allows his eyes to slide closed for the remainder of the flight.
Trent walks down the hill leading from the awning towards Kira who is sitting on the bench she'd been sitting on earlier. Rather than watch the match, she decided to get away for a little while to do a little reading. Trent smiles at her before taking a seat, being mindful of her ankle and the crutches propped up against the backboard of the bench.
"Harry Potter?" he comments when he spies the recognizable art cover on the book. Kira nods as she turns a page, a soft smile gracing her lips.
"It's still one of my favorites." she admits. "I thought I could use this quiet time to get a little reading done. What's up with you?"
"Well, Samara and Molly brought the kids down here to play for a bit since they didn't want to watch the match." Trent says as he motions his head towards the playground just a few feet away. Molly and Samara are helping Austin swing across the monkey bars, each of them holding his little legs, while Adam and Tanya's boys are wrestling in the sandbox.
"Looks like fun." Kira says jokingly before looking back down at her book. "I'm not really one who likes being around screaming little kids, but hey, no judgment."
Trent laughs as he leans back against the bench and stares up at the clouds overhead. "I don't know. It can be kind of fun sometimes seeing how happy and carefree kids are. Sometimes, I just wish I could go back and be a kid just for one day, just to remember what it feels like not to have so much stress while the fate of the world rests on your shoulders."
Kira pauses her reading, a thoughtful look on her face as she turns another page. "Me too." she says softly. Suddenly, a chilling feeling creeps down her spine and she begins to look around for some kind of threat.
"Is everything okay?" Trent asks, noticing her sudden change in behavior.
Suddenly, Adam's boys start screaming in terror. Kira and Trent look up and gasp at the sight of a group of Putties dancing wildly about as they close into them. Kira and Trent jump onto their feet, Kira wincing as she puts pressure on her ankle. Samara and Molly also hear the screams and look over just in time to see Adam's boys fleeing from the monsters.
"Oh my God, what are those things?" Samara shrieks as she clutches her little brother in her arms, the toddler wailing in fright.
"Samara, take the boys back up to the awning now." Molly says carefully as she does her best to remain calm.
Samara wastes no time asking questions as she runs up the hill, screaming for the other two boys to follow after her. Molly curses under her breath before running over to Kira and Trent.
"We finally get a moment of peace and these guys decide to show up." Molly says, her eyes narrow. "We have to get rid of the Putties before anyone else sees them."
Trent nods before running towards one of the Putties and punching it square in the chest, destroying it on impact. Molly does a set of kart-wheels before going into a back flip, kicking two of the Putties in their chests once she's on her feet again. Kira decides to use her Dino Gem's abilities and unleashes an ear-piecing Ptera Scream, knocking four Putties onto their backs as they approach her. She smiles before leaning over and punching each of the emblems on their chest. She smiles victoriously at the realization that she and the others had gotten rid of the Putties; but suddenly, an even larger group materialize around them.
"There's too many of them." she shouts to Molly and Trent as they run back towards her.
"We have to get the others." Trent realizes as the three of them begin backing up. "There's no way we can take them all out."
"Damn it." Molly curses as the Putties begin their assault.
Jason yells as he finishes off his final combo, knocking Tommy onto the ground with a loud thud. Jason pumps his fist into the air victoriously as Adam declares him the winner of his little sparring match. He smirks before walking over to Tommy, holding out a hand to help him up. Tommy smirks back at Jason, taking his hand graciously as he's pulled onto his feet. Before he can congratulate him, the entire area erupts into chaos as Samara runs up to everyone screaming, Austin and Adam's boys crying.
"Samara?" Trini calls out to her daughter, worry in her voice as she and Jason rush to her side. "Honey calm down. What's going on?"
"Dad, these monsters attacked us down at the playground." Samara says in between breaths, earning worried looks from her parents.
"Whoa, whoa baby, slow down." Jason says as Trini scoops Austin out of her daughter's arms and into her own in attempt to calm the screaming child. "What do you mean there are monsters at the playground?"
"Dad, I'm serious!" Samara shouts, her voice frantic. "They have clay faces and glowing red eyes. They were about to attack Daniel and Kyler, but Molly told me to take them and run. Dad you have to go back and help her. Those monsters are attacking her, Trent, and Kira!"
"Those creatures sound an awful lot like..." Adam begins, worry on his face.
"Putties." Tommy finishes his sentence through gritted teeth. "Damn it, they're here."
"What do you mean they're here?" Aisha questions him, her voice rising in disbelief. "You mean you've seen them before today?"
"Oh my God, Molly!" Kimberly screams when she sees the Putty battle at the bottom of the hill. The others rush over to Kimberly, all of them in shock of the battle happening down the hill.
"Let's go Ethan." Conner shouts as he breaks off in a sprint, Ethan close on his tail.
"Wait a second." Adam shouts after them. "Where do you two think you're going? It isn't safe!"
"Adam, they can handle themselves." Tommy says reassuringly as he does his best to keep everything from coming un-wired; but by the look of things, the situation was going to unravel either way. "Conner, Ethan, and the others have been helping me fight off the Putties for the past two days. They know how to take care of them."
"Two days?" Katherine says, blinking in disbelief. "Tommy, there have been Putty attacks happening in Reefside for two days and you failed to mention that to any of us? Why would you keep that a secret?"
"You guys, stop it." Tanya snaps. "Now isn't the time to argue. We have to help those kids."
"Tanya's right." Rocky agrees as he takes off running. "Let's go."
"Susan, Hayley, stay here." Tommy warns them as he and the others run after Rocky.
Kira grunts as she swings her injured leg to kick a Putty in its chest. The Putty manages to duck just in time and stands up, landing a blow to her stomach. Kira cries out in pain before falling onto her back, Trent and Molly shouting her name as she hits the ground.
"Hey you, get the hell away from my girlfriend." Conner shouts as he and Ethan finally arrive. Kira winces as Ethan helps her up into a sitting position. Conner then takes out the Putty before crouching down beside her. "Are you alright?" he asks, worry on his face.
"I'll be fine." she says as Ethan helps her stand up. "Let's just get rid of these goons."
"Not without us you don't." Tommy says as he and the others reach them.
"What's going on?" Trent asks as he looks over the determined faces of the former rangers.
"We're here to help." Rocky says reassuringly. "Trust me, we know exactly how to deal with Putties."
The veteran rangers immediately get to work subduing the Putties, each of them breaking off into small groups as they take down their old enemies. Jason and Kimberly decide to work together, the two of them fighting back to back as they face off against the clay-faced creatures. Adam and Katherine team up, Adam lifting Katherine up into the air when necessary as she transforms a few of her ballet leaps and kicks into powerful fighting moves. The others switch off partners at random, each of them taking turns as they take down Putty after Putty.
Conner uses his super speed to gain advantage on a few of his enemies while Molly uses her newfound super strength to send a few of the foot soldiers flying through the air. Just as she prepares to attack another fleet, all of the Putties vanish into thin air, leaving not a single trace behind. Everyone looks around in disbelief, all of their shoulders heaving as they try to catch their breath.
"They're gone." Aisha says between breaths. "What was up with that?"
"Tommy, what the heck is going on?" Jason demands to know as he leans over, his hands resting on his thighs as he breathes deeply.
Tommy looks over the faces of his friends, all of them wearing faces of anger and confusion as to what he could possibly be hiding from them. Tommy catches Conner's eye and the Red Dino Ranger nods, encouraging him to tell the others the truth. With a deep breath, Tommy looks to his students.
"Why don't you guys go back up to the awning to check on Samara and the kids?" he suggests. Conner and the other teens don't bother arguing as they run up the hill to do as they were told. Tommy sighs before running his hands over his face, his stress levels at their peak.
"Tommy, we're waiting." Aisha says impatiently as Rocky wraps an arm around her shoulder. "What is going on?"
"Something's happened." Tommy begins. "The Putties being back are just a small portion of the bigger picture. It all started a few weeks ago when Hayley and I stumbled across a strange energy source within the morphing grid. You see, Hayley is my technical adviser and assistant back at my Command Center."
"Your Command Center?" Jason repeats, earning a nod from Tommy. "Are you trying to tell us that you're still a Power Ranger?"
Tommy nods once, earning surprised looks from all of his friends, with the exception of Kimberly. "I am. I stumbled across energy sources known as Dino Gems during my research with Anton Mercer, Trent's father. There was an explosion on the island where we found them and I lost Anton along with many other dear friends of mine. Hayley and I met in college and together, the two of us harnessed the energy from the Dino Gems to create the Dino Ranger morphers. I currently am in possession of the Black Ranger powers. Anyway, Hayley and I found the energy source and we managed to locate these powerful energy barriers within the earth's atmosphere, each of them housing our past beaten enemies - Rita, Zedd, the Machine Empire, and even Divatox."
"Rita and Zedd are alive?" Jason roars. "Tommy why would you wait so long to tell us about this?"
"Yeah Tommy." Adam agrees. "We might not be Power Rangers but we still had the right to know. Rita and Zedd know who all of us are and if they really are alive, they would stop at nothing to exact their revenge against us for foiling their plans. We have families now Tommy - children. Did you ever stop to think about what keeping this secret would do to them?"
"Why are they back" Katherine demands to know. "When I spoke to Cassie after Astronema attacked Angel Grove all those years ago, she said that Andros destroyed Zordon's energy tube and purified the evil presences in the galaxy. By that logic, Rita, Zedd, and the others shouldn't even be alive."
"Someone has resurrected them for their own evil purposes." Tommy explains. "I am not sure who orchestrated this whole ordeal and why the need our enemies to be alive. I was hoping to find all of that out before I clued you guys in on what's been happening."
"That is no longer an option." Kimberly says as she pushes past her friends to stand beside Tommy. "Tommy, I'm not going to let you shoulder the burden of this by yourself. It doesn't matter that I'm not a Power Ranger anymore. Rita and Zedd are my enemies too, and I will stop at nothing to keep our family safe."
"Kim's right." Trini agrees as she looks at all of their friends. "Once a ranger, always a ranger. We have to stick together no matter what."
Jason nods, his anger subsiding as he realizes the severity of the situation at hand. "We've taken those goons down before and we can do it again."
Tommy smiles at his friends, glad that he finally doesn't have to keep the barriers a secret anymore. He then looks towards the hill just as Conner and everyone else are coming towards him.
"Did you tell them?" Conner asks, earning questioning looks from everyone around him. Tommy nods, confirming his answer.
"Why would they know about these barriers?" Rocky asks Tommy. "I thought you said they've just been helping you battle off the Putties?"
"Isn't it obvious Rocko?" Kimberly asks with a smile. "They're members of Tommy's new team of rangers."
"Seriously?" Jason asks as he eyes Tommy's students, who nod at him in return. "Prove it."
"Sure thing." Conner says with a shrug as he and the others lift their sleeves to reveal their morphers. Molly gasps when she notices the green, dinosaur-shaped morpher strapped to her daughter's wrist.
"Wait a minute. Molly, you're a Power Ranger too? Since when?" Kimberly's mind is racing with a million questions, her eyes wide as she tries to make sense of what's happening.
"I'm sort of new to this whole ranger business." the teen says with a shrug. "Don't worry mom. I'm fitting in with the team just fine."
"Ready guys?" Conner shouts to his teammates.
"Ready." They shout in response. "Dino Thunder, Power Up! Hah!"
"White Ranger, Dino Power!" Trent shouts separately.
In a quick flash of light, the six Dino Rangers have morphed into their suits, causing the others to gasp at their appearance. Their suits are more modern and its obvious that they have a little more power than they had, but they are definitely the new Power Rangers of earth.
"This is really happening." Jason breathes, realizing that he isn't stuck in some twisted nightmare.
"Unfortunately, yes." Tommy says as he rests a gloved hand on his best friend's shoulder. "We are the Power Rangers now, but you guys are Power Rangers too; and together, I know we'll be able to start Goldar."
Kimberly looks up at the sky as the last of the sunlight slowly fades away, darkness creeping over the park like a blanket. Resting a hand on her daughter's shoulder, she looks at her friends.
"We should discuss this more later. Let's get out of here for now."
Zhane stifles a yawn as he pulls his rental car into the first available parking spot he sees. He cuts the engine off quickly before looking in the rear view mirror at a sleeping Andros and Ashley. He smiles at his two best friends and unbuckling his seat belt. The two lovebirds stir when he opens the door, blinking in confusion before coming to and getting out the car for themselves. Ashley raises an arm to shield her eyes from the early morning sunlight before looking out at the pale green grass surrounding the tall, stone prison building across the parking lot.
"I can't believe they're keeping Carlos in there." she says in a quiet voice. "It has to be torturous."
"Look, there's TJ and Cassie." Andros says, pointing a few feet away where the former Astro Blue and Pink Rangers were standing. The newly arrived group of three approach their friends, all of them exchanging hugs and handshakes to give each other the encouragement they're going to need for this visit.
"I'm so happy to see you." Cassie says as she hugs Ashley. "I've really missed having my best friend around everyday to talk to."
"How are things in Washington?" Ashley asks, making light conversation as the gang begins walking towards the visitor's entrance, the two girls hanging back and out of earshot from the guys.
"It's definitely a lot colder than it is in Angel Grove." Cassie says with a shrug. "There aren't any reporters begging to get an interview with the former Power Rangers though, so I guess I shouldn't complain. Still, I miss my parents, the beach, and sunshine. Trading all of that for rain everyday and gloomy skies ins't what I would have hoped for, but TJ's job is paying him well and we have a nice house. So, I guess it isn't all too bad. How are the twins, oh and Kerri of course."
Ashley smiles at the mentioning of her three kids. "They're all doing good. Growing more and more everyday and making a mess of things in my house. I'm just glad they're all on a schedule. It gives me plenty of time to get my design sketches sent off to Lorraine for approval. I'm just glad she let me run my office from home."
Cassie nods as they finish their walk up the cobblestone path and reach the front doors. They slide open in greeting as the five former rangers walk down a dimly lit corridor. The hallway smells like the boys' locker room back at Angel Grove High School, much to Ashley's displeasure. The sounds of shouting and slamming doors can be heard off in the distance and it makes the hallway seem narrower.
"I hate this place." Ashley whispers as she wraps her arms around herself in comfort.
Cassie nods before clutching onto her best friend's arm. The rangers turn around a corner at the end of the hall and pause when they reach a door marked with the word warden. Andros pushes the door open and the five of them step inside. The room is well lit in comparison to the hallway they just left. It smells like a blend of fresh computer and old carpet, the walls a paneled dark brown and the carpet a sickly green from the 1970's. There is a copy machine against the far left wall standing beside a water machine and a brown table. On the wall across from them is a beat up, blue sofa facing towards a TV perched on the shelf just above the door.
"Can I help you?" a fat, older man with a gruff voice asks from behind a wall of glass on their right. Andros takes a step forward, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the smell of cigar smoke floating through the small opening at the bottom of the glass.
"My name is Andros." he says quickly. "We spoke on the phone last night about me and my friends coming to visit Carlos."
"That's right." the older man says as he adjusts the glasses on his nose. "The warden is out at the moment, but he gave me the clearance to let you guys visit. Take a seat. An escort will be with you shortly."
"Thank you." Andros says before he and the others move to pile on the long couch. Zhane allows his eyelids to close for a brief rest while Cassie plays Frogger on her phone while TJ watches. Ashley rests her head on Andros's shoulder while he wraps an arm around her waist to pull her close with a kiss to her forehead.
"What do you think he'll have to say to us after all this time?" Ashley wonders aloud.
Andros shrugs. "Honestly, not much."
"Do you think he'll be angry at us for finding him? I mean, maybe he thinks we'll judge him?"
The door opens quickly, bringing the couple's conversation to a halt, as a skinny Hispanic guard steps into the office. Her long black hair is pulled back into a ponytail that she tightens before smiling at her guests.
"Follow me please." she says, a thick Hispanic accent coating her words. The Astro Rangers stand from the couch before following her out into the dark hallway once more. "Alright, you guys have been granted permission to visit Mr. Vallerette from the warden. Under normal circumstances, we would only allow two of you in at a time. Anyway, physical contact is not permitted during your visit, and I will be standing guard from outside the room."
"We understand." Andros speaks up as she leads them through a set of double doors and into a different hallway, the walls composed of painted white brick and a bright blue hue casting on them from the overhead, fluorescent lights. The guard pauses just outside of a large metal door and swipes her security pass through the scanner before letting the group inside.
"Thank you." TJ says as they take their seats in the provided metal folding chairs in the room. A few seconds later, a large, male guard appears with Carlos. The rangers are happy, yet horrified to see their friend wearing an orange jumpsuit, his hair now cascading down his back in a long braid, and shackles chained to his hands and feet.
"Carlos." Ashley exclaims as she and Cassie rush over to him.
"No physical contact." The male guard shouts, reminding the young ladies of the rules of this visit. Ashley and Cassie shrink down before taking their seats once more, Carlos pulling up a chair and sitting across from them. The male guard glares at the two women before making his leave with the Hispanic guard. Silence left in their wake.
"Oh Carlos." Ashley says, her voice shaking with beckoning tears. "I can't believe that you're in this place. What happened?"
"How did you guys find me?" Carlos wonders, his eyes carefully moving over the faces of his friends.
"Your father finally told us." Zhane admits, earning a displeased look from Carlos. "He also filled us in on what landed you in here in the first place. Carlos, I can't believe you had your family cover for you for all these years. We would have been here for you. You're our friend."
Carlos sighs before shifting in his seat, his shackles clanking as he moves. "A few years back when I moved to Austin, I made friends with a couple of guys named Pablo and Terrence. I didn't hang out with them too much, being that I was focused on school and all, but we would hang out on occasion. My mom has this white van that we used for her catering business; and one weekend, I let Pablo borrow it so he could move things for his mother. The next day when I went out to make a delivery, I was pulled over for speeding. The cops found a huge drug supply in the back. I tried to explain that they weren't mind, but they weren't hearing any of it. Next thing I know I was being slammed face down on the ground and being restrained by a set of cuffs."
"This isn't right." TJ says as he balls his hands into fists. "Those drugs weren't yours Carlos. Why didn't your lawyer help you with your case."
"He wasn't all that he was cracked up to be." Carlos spat before glaring at the wall. "I guess it isn't all that bad though. I managed to get five years. Two more, then I'll be out of this hell hole."
The others are silent, not sure of what to say to that. Remembering the task at hand, Andros clears his throat.
"We didn't just come here to see if you were alright." he admits. "Carlos, a lot has been happening lately and Zhane and I managed to come across these strange barriers. We aren't sure who or what is behind their existence, but out of the four we've found, Rita, Lord Zedd, the Machine Empire, and Divatox have all been inside."
"What?" Carlos shouts as he jumps to his feet. "That can't be possible."
"It is though." Zhane says. "Someone has resurrected the Power Rangers' past beaten enemies in order to do their evil bidding. Ecliptor was even resurrected. He kidnapped Karone a few days ago."
"Zhane, I'm so sorry." Carlos says, his heart going out to his blonde friend.
"Tommy Oliver has been monitoring the situation from his own Command Center in Reefside." Andros continues to explain. "He is currently overseeing a group of Power Rangers known as the Power Rangers Dino Thunder. He and I have been in constant contact since we first discovered the barriers; and now that Divatox is free from her barrier, we think it would be best if we take up our powers again to defend the earth."
"I hate that I'm stuck in here." Carlos says, silently cursing himself. "With everything that's going on, you're going to need your Black Ranger. You can't use the Quadro Blaster without me after all."
Ashley is silent for a moment, a thought crossing her mind that could possibly fix their dilemma. "What if we convince the warden that we need Carlos for a community service project? Or maybe we can come up with a plan to get him released earlier. Like, we could track Pablo and Terrence down and get them to confess so Carlos can go free."
"Even if that works Ashley, we would still have to wait for a court date and trial to prove his innocence." Cassie points out. "Either way, we're going to be down one ranger."
"We'll figure something out Carlos, I promise." Andros says reassuringly.
"I think I might have an idea." Ashley says with a smile. "How long do you think it will take for you to get a hold of Leo?"
A/N: So, what do you think Ashley's plan is to get Carlos to help them, and what are the other veteran rangers going to do now that Tommy's secret is out in the open? More importantly, why has the Master resurrected all of these villains? I guess you'll have to wait and see. See you next time guys!
-KairiAngel13
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