Chapter Five:
The Green Ranger
Kenny sat on a small bench in a waiting room. He shifted uncomfortably, adjusting his stuffy dress uniform and checking his watch. Katie Young had led him there that morning, telling him to wait there until they were ready. He could hear voices behind the door leading into the next room, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying.
Finally, the handle creaked, and Dr. Watanabe stuck his head in. "Kenny, are you ready?" he asked.
Kenny's heart leapt and he sat up straighter. His time had come. He was finally going to be a ranger. "I'm ready, doc," he said, getting to his feet and straightening his uniform again.
Dr. Watanabe smiled. He stepped inside and held the door open. "Well, you better come on in then," he said.
Kenny stepped through, past the doctor and into the room beyond.
It was one of the larger rooms inside the base, a large amphitheater with rows of seating around the wall and consoles surrounding a large pedestal in the middle. Every member of the Ranger Project milled about, Kenny seeing every face he knew among them. The four rangers were scattered here and there, talking to technicians or officials. Doug and Harriet were talking to Katie Young who was giving them a few last-minute instructions, while Tammy was standing with Sean, apparently talking his ear off about something on her clipboard as he listened with a smile on his face. General Kenpachi stood talking to half a dozen of some of the most highly decorated officials Kenny had ever seen. In fact, looking around, the room seemed to be full of some of the highest higher-ups within all of EAGLE.
Among all these faces, one single face stood out among the rest, smiling brightly and coming toward him.
"Hey, hey, buddy," Benton said, approaching Kenny and slapping him on the back. He still looked the same as he had three weeks before, right down to the green scarf and the newsboy perched on his head.
Kenny stared at him. "Benton?"
Benton grinned. "Didn't I tell you your call was on its way? I mean, a little loftier than I would have expected, but still." He looked Kenny over and shook his head. "My best friend, a power ranger. I honestly didn't want to believe it when they told me this morning."
Kenny kept staring at his friend. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
Benton looked confused for a second. "Oh, right," he said. "Um, come here."
He led Kenny through the crowd up to a heavyset scientist with a thick, bushy mustache and a bright yellow lapel on his coat. "Doctor Kuchar, I'd like you to meet my best buddy in the whole world, Kenny Austin. Kenny, this is Doctor Kuchar, from the EAGLE science division."
The scientist smiled broadly beneath his mustache and shook Kenny's hand warmly. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Austin. My friends here in the ranger program have told me a lot about you."
"Doctor Kuchar's the head of that science team I was assigned to," Benton explained. "It's actually an adjacent project to the Ranger Project. Bunch of stuff to do with human cybernetics. It's top secret even to the rangers right now, so I can't tell you anything yet, but hopefully it will be finished within a year or two."
Kenny shook his head. "I just can't believe you're here," he said, staring at his friend.
"Believe it, buddy," Benton said. He gestured to the tall, skinny man beside Doctor Kuchar. "This is Doctor Kuchar's other assistant, Dr. Cecil Carlin."
The man's eyes shifted nervously and he held out a stilted hand for Kenny to shake. "Nice to meet you," he said shakily. Kenny squinted at him, wondering why he seemed off, when Joshua Cage stepped up onto the pedestal.
"Thank you all for coming," he said. "We're ready to get started, so if our esteemed guests could head up into the viewing area?"
"Guess that's our cue," Benton said, clapping Kenny on the shoulder again. "Good luck up there, buddy."
"Thanks, man," Kenny said, watching him as he followed Doctor Kuchar and his fellow assistant up into the stands. They were followed by every major official and higher up and everyone else Kenny didn't recognize as part of the ranger team. Most of the secondary members of the team moved to the edge of the stands as well, including Doug and Harriet, who both gave Kenny a thumbs up on their way past.
Captain Cage waited for everyone to get settled and took a deep breath. "Today has been a long time coming," he said. "It's been over a year since I first took up the mantle of the red ranger, and the project was in development several years before that. My brother, Dr. James Cage, gave his life to see it through to completion, as did . . . far too many others."
The other three rangers behind him all looked down as he said it, the pink ranger specifically wearing a serious scowl on her face.
"But now," the captain continued, "the wait is over. We have finally completed construction of the five morphers, completing our team and, hopefully, giving us the edge we need against the Black Cross." He looked down at Kenny. "Mr. Austin, whenever you're ready."
All eyes in the room fell on Kenny. He looked up at Captain Cage and then around at everyone watching him. It was time. He took a deep breath and stepped up. "I'm ready," he said.
Captain Cage smiled. "Glad to hear it," he said. He stepped to the side, letting Kenny step up onto the pedestal. Kenny turned to look over the crowd watching him, his eyes passing over his fellow rangers, Doug and Harriet, all the higher ups in the stands, and finally on Benton sitting beside his crew. Benton grinned and gave him a thumbs up.
Dr. Watanabe stepped up onto the pedestal, the green suit's morpher in his hand. "I assume you remember how to activate this," he said.
"I do, Doctor," Kenny said.
The doctor smiled. "Then it belongs to you now," he said, handing the device over.
Kenny took the morpher in his hand. It felt heavier than he expected, carrying with it the full weight of the responsibility that came with becoming a ranger. The device was small and compact, with a small screen showing various displays and readouts. Distinct lines of rich green edged the sides of the device, and a thick Velcro strap hung from the bottom. Kenny undid the strap, wrapping it around his wrist and making sure it was tight.
Dr. Watanabe lingered long enough to make sure Kenny had the device secured to his arm before stepping down and going to one of the consoles nearby. "All systems online," he said. "You may activate your morphing sequence in three . . . two . . . one . . ."
Kenny tapped the button he had been shown the day before. The device lit up, its screen flashing with information as a tiny hatch on one end of the morpher opened up and millions of nanites flooded out, spreading up Kenny's arm in a split second and tickling his skin. The nanites quickly covered his chest and back and spread down his torso, the harness hidden beneath the armor forming around his arms and chest. The nanites covered his fingers, solidifying into gloves, and then did the same with his feet, forming boots there.
Soon enough, the nanites spread up and over Kenny's face, smothering and blinding him for only a moment before hardening into a helmet, a visor coming to life with displays filling the edges of his vision. He looked around the room, the visor automatically highlighting different individuals' faces and giving him a short blurb of information about each.
Kenny watched as the finishing touches fell into place, a short cape forming and draping down his back and those odd little birdie rockets forming on his belt. After a few more seconds, everything stabilized, the uncomfortable tickling sensation ceasing and everything solidifying into the green suit he had seen on the table only a day before.
"Ladies and gentlemen," General Kenpachi said. "May I present the fifth and final member of our team: The Green Ranger!"
Kenny stumbled slightly. He looked down at his now gloved hands, clenching them, the suit's internal harness clenching with them. This was really happening, he thought. I really am the green ranger.
Captain Cage, Peggy Madison, Dayton, and Sean stepped up on either side of him. Each held up their own morphers and tapped their own activation buttons. Four bright flashes filled the room, and, in seconds, Kenny was surrounded by the four rangers he'd seen from the TV, wearing red, pink, yellow, and blue respectively.
Dr. Watanabe tapped on his console. "Starting up the five-star system," he said.
Kenny's visor lit up, and four large squares appeared in his peripheral, showing the faces of his four companions inside their helmets.
Dayton grinned. "Well, hello there, everybody," he said.
Right beside their faces, Kenny could see displays showing their various stats and life signs, letting him keep track of his teammates' wellbeing.
General Kenpachi spread his arms. "I present to you, your full Power Ranger team."
All around the room, observers rose and clapped. Kenny smiled, looking around at the crowd, when a blip flared on his visor. Neither he nor his teammates had time to process it before a small explosion erupted from under the stands, destroying a section and sending the people there flying as thick gas poured into the room. Kenny's visor analyzed it as knockout gas as everyone in the room who wasn't wearing a ranger helmet started to cough and gag.
Through the fog, Kenny saw Benton's fellow assistant Cecil rise from his seat. He fixed an old-timey gas mask around his face and spread his arms, even more gas billowing from his wrists.
"There," Kenny said. "He's the Mask."
As he tried to get a read on the figure in the smog, his visor started to glitch out. Apparently something in the gas was specifically designed to interfere with that part of his suit.
"Double check your ventilation," Captain Cage said over their comms.
Kenny tapped his earpiece, doing just that. He squinted through the smoke, seeing the figure step down from the stands and withdraw two firearms, blasting into the crowd.
"Protect the people," Captain Cage shouted.
As one, the five rangers lunged forward, using their bodies to shield the nearest people to them. Kenny reached Doug and Harriet just as two bullets struck his uniform and bounced off. He turned, grabbing at his belt like he'd observed the rangers do a hundred times before to make his gun appear, and tried to fire back. The Gas Mask, however, seemed to be creating his own personal smoke screen, and Kenny couldn't get a good shot off.
He watched as the Gas Mask approached the console Watanabe had been working at. Kenny wanted to run to stop him, but the Gas Mask kept firing haphazardly and he didn't dare leave Doug and Harriet unprotected.
"Someone stop him," he shouted.
A single figure rose up from the mist, standing between the Gas Mask and the console. Dr. Watanabe coughed, the gas filling his lungs, but he seemed to be forcing himself to remain standing. "Over-hack-over my dead body," he managed to get out.
The Gas Mask stopped, looking at the doctor for a second. "As you wish," he said, tossing one of his guns aside while still firing with the other. He raised a gloved hand and pressed it over Dr. Watanabe's nose and mouth, pumping a new green gas right into his face. He then brought his remaining gun forward and fired several times into the doctor's chest.
"No!" Kenny shouted.
With the gunfire drawn away, Kenny was free to rush at the Gas Mask. The Mask shoved Dr. Watanabe aside, grabbed something from underneath the console, and then released another load of his smokescreen, disappearing into it just as the five rangers rushed the spot where he'd been standing and collided with each other.
"He can't have gone far," Captain Cage said, getting back to his feet and tapping on his visor. Kenny did too, but it was still glitching.
"No good," the captain said. "He was smart. Whatever's in this gas is directly tuned to short our visors specifically." He looked around, peering through the smoke. "Sean, Dayton, get everyone out of this room and over to sick bay. Peggy, you're with me. We've got to find the Mask."
"Yes, sir," the other three rangers said. Madison specifically seemed to have a growl to her voice. The four rangers broke and rushed off in different directions, while Kenny stayed where he was. He crouched down over Watanabe, helping to prop him up.
"Come on, Doc," he said. "Stay with me."
Dr. Watanabe gagged, struggling to breathe as his face turned blue. His chest was covered in blood, several bullet holes piercing locations Kenny knew were vital. The doctor stared up at Kenny with bleary eyes.
"Remember," he said, struggling to get any words out, "Remember . . . what . . . I said . . ."
He reached up with his fingers and tapped Kenny on the chest, right over his heart. The doctor stared at Kenny one more time, then his eyes rolled back in his head and his body went limp, his last breath escaping his lungs.