A/N: Thank you for waiting! Work got really busy over the past few weeks, which made it difficult to write and edit this chapter. This one is all dialogue and exposition, but there will be more action in later chapters. I don't own Power Rangers, everything related to Power Rangers is owned by Saban and Boom Studios. Enjoy :)

Date: November 3, 2002

Tommy, Jason, Kimberly, Billy, Trini, and Zack were seated in the briefing room with the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers. The Ranger teams were quiet, processing what each team had shared about their adventures. Captain Mitchell and Ms. Fairweather were also present, and they were processing what the six teens had shared.

Dana spoke up first, saying, "I'm honestly concerned about what happened to you, Tommy. You got brainwashed by Rita Repulsa and forced to fight against the Power Rangers. After Jason freed you of Rita's spell, you joined Jason's team. You lost your Green Ranger powers, and then you gained your current White Ranger powers a few weeks later."

Tommy said, "Honestly, I'm fine."

Dana said, "Still, that is a lot of change to go through."

Carter said, "I'm more concerned about Zordon, and his influence over you. Or more specifically, all of you."

Zack said, "You don't have to worry about it, he's a good guy."

Captain Mitchell said, "To you six, he's a good guy. To us, he's still an unknown. I want to share with you all one of the reasons we formed Operation Lightspeed Rescue. Part of it was to destroy the demons that came from the water. The other part was in response to Zordon's appearance, or more specifically, our discovery of Zordon. Ms. Fairweather, please show them what we recorded on Arrival Day."

Ms. Fairweather played the video on the big screen. The Rangers watched footage of their original Megazord fighting against Goldar. Jason recognized it as their very first Megazord fight. He also found it strange to be watching his team's original Megazord fight from a distance. Ms. Fairweather stopped the footage when they got a clear shot of the Power Rangers inside the Megazord's chest.

Captain Mitchell said, "This just happened to coincide with NASA losing one of it's lunar orbiters, along with the sighting of a strange palace on the Moon. NASA is still trying to figure out how they missed that."

Ms. Fairweather added, "NASA has also detected an anomaly on one of Jupiter's moons, Ganymede. There seems to be a large solid formation underneath the surface. The official report suggests something natural. We suspect there's something much more different."

Captain Mitchell said, "The Megazord fight, the Moon palace, and the anomaly on Ganymede are why we are so concerned about Zordon and this Rita Repulsa you fought."

Tommy said, "Zordon recruited us to fight against Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. Those two are part of the Alliance of Evil."

Captain Mitchell said, "Yes, yes. You've said that already. However, Zordon is still an unknown. Just what are his intentions? What does he intend to do with humanity?"

Kimberly said, "He wants to save Earth, of course. With our help."

Dana said, "We're more concerned about what happens after the Alliance of Evil is defeated. Zordon is an alien, his motives are completely unknown to us. For all we know, he wants to turn humanity into his own personal army of Power Rangers."

Zack said, "What!? No way, that's insane!"

Carter said, "Trying to take on something like the Alliance of Evil with just six Power Rangers is insane! No, he wants more and he's going after teenagers. Think about it, you are all easily influenced. He knows that, and he's taking advantage of you."

Tommy said, "Zordon is no Rita."

Captain Mitchell said, "Zordon isn't human. For now, our two teams will work together, but under one condition. You six will undergo psychological evaluations by Ms. Fairweather on a regular basis, to ensure that you six are still acting as your normal selves."

Zack said, "Normal? We stopped being normal after we became Power Rangers."

Captain Mitchell said, "Yes, but your core selves are still the same. We will take swift and immediate action if we determine that Zordon is a threat."

Tommy asked, "What do you mean by swift and immediate action? Are you going to send your Megazords to crush the Command Center if you decide Zordon is a threat?"

Captain Mitchell said, "That is...one avenue. Even if our three Megazords can't destroy it, just the mere psychological impact of such an assault will subdue him."

Jason said, "You can trust Zordon, Sir."

Captain Mitchell said, "We will see. Carter, you and your team are to go to the Command Center to meet with Zordon personally. If you run into trouble, you know what to do."

Carter said, "Yes, Sir."

Tommy said, "I will let Zordon know what's happening, hold on."

Tommy called Zordon and he explained what happened. To his surprise, Zordon wasn't upset at all. Zordon gave Tommy's team the okay to bring the Lightspeed Rangers to the Command Center. The two Power Ranger teams morphed and teleported to the Command Center. When they arrived, Alpha 5 nearly fell backwards onto a console.

Alpha 5 cried, "Ay ay ay, what are the Lightspeed Rangers doing here!?"

Tommy said, "It's okay, they just want to meet you and Zordon in person."

Zordon said, "Thank you for updating me, Tommy. I knew it was a matter of time before the Lightspeed Rangers met me personally. Lightspeed Rangers, I will do what I can to answer any questions you may have."

Joel said, "Good, because we all have a big one! Why did you recruit teenagers? Why not adults?"

Alpha 5 cried, "Adults!? Oh no, it didn't go so well with adults last time! Adults are very unpredictable!"

Kelsey said, "That's funny, I thought teenagers were the unpredictable ones. And maybe you recruited the wrong adults. I know if you recruited me and the other Lightspeed Rangers, things would have been fine."

Jason asked, "There were other Power Rangers before us?"

Zordon looked a little uncomfortable, and he said, "Yes. In 1969, I had recruited a team of adults as a team of Power Rangers. I sent them on a mission to defeat Rita Repulsa, and the mission...ended in failure. Three Rangers didn't make it back home."

Kimberly said, "That's awful!"

Carter said, "Sometimes bad things happen. That doesn't mean you need to write off adults completely."

Zordon said, "Yes, and unfortunately, I am to blame for this. The original team did not fight effectively as a team, and they didn't have a chance to get used to their powers. When the two surviving Rangers returned, one of them wanted to use her powers to help her people. I had to take her powers away, it is against policy to take sides in humans' affairs."

Kelsey cried, "You took her powers away!? She wanted to help people!"

Jason said, "She could have done a lot with those."

Zordon said, "Yes, but I only knew her for a short time. There was no telling what she would do if I had let her keep her powers."

Kimberly asked, "Then what does that mean for us? Are you going to take away our powers too after Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd are defeated?"

Zordon looked at each of the six Rangers he recruited, and then he looked at the Lightspeed Rangers, and then he looked back at the six Rangers he had recruited.

Zordon said, "That was another mistake I had made back then. In light of your efforts and the efforts of the Lightspeed Rangers, I will let you keep your powers."

Tommy's team all cheered, and the Lightspeed Rangers nodded in approval.

Carter said, "I'm glad to hear it, Zordon. These Rangers would be really hurt if you removed their powers."

Tommy said, "Especially me. I just got these White Ranger powers. I would be really upset if you took those away, Zordon."

Zordon said, "I know." He directed his attention to Carter, and he asked, "Lightspeed Rangers, what are your intentions?"

Carter said, "Well, no matter how helpful you are to Tommy and the others, you are still an alien. And Tommy's team are all teenagers, they're still growing. I intend to be their mentor as well, to help them with the human side of being a Power Ranger."

Alpha 5 said, "The human side?"

Dana said, "Our suits can protect us from physical damage. Psychological damage is another thing though. Our suits can't protect against that."

Joel said, "Possible psychological damage aside, there is also the normal wear and tear of it. Some days, I love being a Power Ranger! And there are also some days when I just want to throw my morpher into the garbage. I don't though, because I know that deep down, I love being a Power Ranger."

Zordon said, "That is a good plan for the Rangers. Thank you, Lightspeed Rangers. I appreciate all the assistance I can get."

Carter said, "We have another question, about you recruiting teenagers. What do you intend to do with them?"

Zordon said, "I intend to have them help the Power Rangers. They will need all the assistance they can get."

Carter said, "Good. Just don't start recruiting an army. We don't need to send the rest of the world into even more of a panic. Not everyone welcomes the Power Rangers."

Billy said, "The ambassadors we rescued earlier today talked about that. What does the world think of us?"

Carter said, "So far, most of the country is behind you. Every time you make a news story, the entire country gets ecstatic. America's allies are cautious though. They approve, but they do share concerns about oversight. They don't know how long of a leash you have. America's enemies are threatened, obviously. They are calling for the UN to take action, and there are rumors they are trying to make their own Power Rangers."

Zack asked, "Wouldn't it be a good thing if there were more of us?"

Carter said, "Not necessarily. Sure, you can all unite against Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, but not everyone knows about them. And if a country has a really strong Power Rangers team, they can attack other countries with it. The next thing you know, we have Power Rangers fighting against each other in large scale conflicts."

Billy said, "That would be the exact opposite of what a Power Ranger is supposed to do! Wait, is anyone trying to make a Megazord?"

Carter said, "So far, the only one who is making a Megazord is Promethea, and that's only a rumor. They seem very interested in you, that's for sure. They may suspect you're a Power Ranger, or even know you are one."

Billy felt a chill go down his spine, and he said, "They offered me an internship. Could they have known I was a Power Ranger? We're supposed to keep our identities secret."

Carter said, "Best case scenario, it was a lucky guess. But considering their resources, I think they knew."

Tommy asked, "So if Promethea knows our real identities, does that mean anyone else could figure it out?"

Carter said, "No, not unless they noticed anything weird, like repeated unexplained absences that coincide with Power Ranger sightings."

Zack shifted from side to side, and he said, "That fits us, actually. We do leave in the middle of class whenever there's trouble."

Tommy said, "No one has figured it out."

Carter said, "Or they did, and no one is saying anything. When we saw your civilian clothes, we saw you were all color coded. Do you usually dress like that?"

Jason said, "We do."

Carter said, "Then it's likely that people have figured it out, or at the very least figured out Tommy is the White Ranger. He went from wearing all green to all white in a very short timespan."

Tommy said, "People can change styles."

Carter said, "True, but people can connect dots. So chances are, people in Angel Grove suspect or even know you are the Power Rangers, and they don't care to reveal your identities."

Billy said, "Now that I think about it, it does explain Ms. Appleby's flexibility and understanding of our immediate, unexplained departures in class."

Carter said, "It does. You can rest assured that even though she at least suspects you six as being the Power Rangers, she has nothing to gain in revealing your identities."

Tommy and his team looked visibly relieved by what Carter said. Tommy had a feeling that Ernie has likely figured it out as well. He also doesn't seem interested in revealing their identities.

Carter said, "Zordon, your Rangers are in good hands. We will help you take care of them."

Zordon said, "I am pleased to hear that, Carter. You and your team are welcome to help us in any way you can. We will appreciate your efforts."

Carter said, "And we will too. I hope we have a long, happy partnership."

Zordon said, "So do I."