The weather was gloomy and grey, and it was about to rain. Adam Park smiled bitterly. Fits my mood. He had just met the most incredible girl, and his circumstances…admit it, it's not the circumstances, it's you…had prevented them speaking for more than two minutes. His heart leapt into his throat as he remembered their first, and last, conversation, only a few hours ago.
"Adam, right?" He turned at the sound and founds himself looking into the newly made Ranger's eyes.
"Yeah. Cassie?" She nodded.
"So…how long have you had the Power?" she inquired.
"Close to three years now," he answered. She whistled.
"All green?" she asked. He shook his head in the negative.
"Black, black, green and green."
"Well, I hope that I stay on this team for as long," she joked, running a hand through her dark, silky hair. He realised with a start that she was nervous around him and he laughed. "What? What's so funny?" she demanded.
"Are you nervous?" he asked, half-joking. She took a second to respond.
"Honestly? I'm not nervous, I'm terrified!" she exclaimed. She laughed. "No, the fact that five minutes ago I was standing minding my own business and suddenly this girl I've rescued walks up to me and asks, hey, you wanna be a Power Ranger is weird, but not scary. I'll bet no one else will have to go through what I am, don't you reckon?"
"I remember what I felt like, although it wasn't becoming a Ranger first off. No, I found out who they were, and then the Black Ranger went overseas." Carlos, who motioned him over, interrupted Adam's recollection. "Nice to meet you!" he yelled.
"Pleasure's all mine, Mr. Park," Cassie called back.
God, she was nervous! I was about to explode! Never mind there was a ceremony I had to take part in, I wanted out!
Adam grimaced as he walked. Now what was he going to do? There was always Rocky's dojo; every former Ranger had been invited to teach there, even Kim and Kat, who were into alternate forms of self-defence. But honestly, before he had become a Ranger, all he had ever wanted to do was be a partner with Rocky. After he had joined though, Adam had been thinking of different things. Being a Ranger had given him something to fight for, and he wanted that feeling to stay. Yeah, sure, he had been picked on as a kid, but that had been when he was really insecure of himself, and thought that everyone went through the teasing.
Adam scratched his neck absently. He could have been sure he felt something. His jaw dropped as he felt a pendant around his neck. It was a medium-sized ruby on a long chain that just hid under his shirt. It was big enough to be noticed but small enough not to get in the way. A tingling feeling ran up his body and he realised…teleporting!? He looked around at the place where he had ended his teleport. It was a similar room to where the switch of powers had taken place, although it was much smaller, looking as if it was built in mind for only two or three people to fit. A blue-ish haze drew his attention. He whirled around and saw-
"Zordon!?" Adam exclaimed. His teacher and mentor's tube was one on wall, and the light from it illuminated the rest of the room.
"YES, ADAM."
"Why do you need me? I just finished being a Ranger," he reminded him, not being able to keep the sadness out of his voice.
"NO, YOU HAVEN'T." Adam did a double take.
"What? I have no powers."
"YOU DO NOW. CALL UPON YOUR POWERS, MY RANGER. CLOSE YOUR EYES, AND LOOK DEEP INSIDE."
Adam closed his eyes, with a feeling of deja vu. Phaedos, he remembered. This is what Dulcea had us do. He mentally touched a sense of power within him, and shouted out:
"Let's movit! Spirit Shadow Power!" He was overwhelmed by the impression of power he felt as he morphed. Adam lifted his hand in amazement and saw the dark armour that shone in the dim light. He tapped the armour experimentally; it was considerably bulkier than his old suits.
"AS YOU KNOW, ADAM, YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF WHETHER TO TAKE THIS POWER, AND ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES WITH IT, OR YOU CAN GO BACK TO CIVILIAN LIFE, TO YOUR FRIENDS."
Adam didn't even have to blink. "I'm a Ranger again," he told Zordon confidently.
Cassie caught his eye. What was he kidding, he intentionally looked at her, she didn't catch his eye. He couldn't bear the thought of her in trouble or hurt. Adam glanced at TJ out of the corner of his eye. He's doing a good job leading the team, he reflected. Tommy made a good choice. He looked at all of the second Turbo team. We all made good choices. Adam hesitated momentarily as Cassie asked him who he was. What he replied was true, to the point and something he could send hidden messages through.
"A friend."
Luckily his uniform was built only to demorph when he wanted it, or else the Turbo team would have found out his identity. Even now, he had to be wary of demorphing suddenly, as he was weakened by not having his ruby for so long. He lay down on his bed and looked upwards. The smooth metal of the roof reflected the face he wouldn't let other people see. Two midnight black eyes shone out of naturally tan-coloured skin, although it was paling slightly with lack of sunlight. Dark soot-coloured hair flopped carelessly over his forehead, not quite as long as it was in Turbo, but only a few centimetres shorter. His clothes allowed him to mix in with the people of Angel Grove, but were totally in his signature colour of black. Adam shut his eyes, and daydreamed of a certain Pink Ranger.
He was seriously hurt. By looking down he could see wires coming out of his badly injured chest. He winced with the pain. Unlike his old Ranger uniforms, which almost completely eliminated pain, this one only dulled it. Adam's hearing picked up footsteps, five if he was correct. Ecliptor vanished, and he quickly covered his damaged upper body. The five Rangers came over quickly. Cassie rushed over to him.
"Are you okay, Phantom?" she asked, staring as well as she could into Adam's eyes while both of them were wearing a helmet.
"I am fine, Cassie," he responded. "However, Zordon is not." He hated being near Cassie and not talking to her as a person, but Zordon had given him everything. He deserved to be free, and if Adam couldn't give him that, these Rangers would. His mind was in a whirl as he hurriedly gave the Red Ranger the disk with instructions to the Delta Megaship. After they left, most presumably to search for both Zordon and the Delta Megaship, he fell to the ground thankfully. A while later, he heard Andros over his communicator. He replied to all his questions, keeping the darkness at bay as long as he could. Finally, the shadows of unconsciousness overcame him and he passed out.
He vaulted over Carlos's head and kicked the monster squarely in the chest, forcing him off the Black Ranger. He helped Carlos up with a "Are you okay?" and a promise of a fight to LizWizard. The fight was properly given, and LizWizard ran like the coward he was. After Carlos had explained to him what had happened, and only very good acting skills kept him from showing anger over what had happened to Cassie, he offered to train Carlos in the ways of a Ranger.
After Carlos had left in a rage, though, he wasn't sure why he hadn't admitted to being the Phantom Ranger. Did he think that Astronema or someone was listening? His morphing back into his old Mastodon Ranger was foolish, but he couldn't let Carlos become lizard food, and he couldn't expose his alter ego. As soon as they had finished the Megazord fight, he couldn't stop staring at Cassie. The love of his life was less than two metres away and she didn't even know who he was. With a polite hello and goodbye to the Space team he left, back to his ship, back to being Phantom, back to staring a photo of the person of his devotion. He had no idea of where it came from, but in it she was staring at the camera and smiling half-heartedly. She was running a hand through her hair and looked like she was daydreaming over something…or someone.
Adam couldn't believe his eyes. There were more evil minions on this small section of land than all he had ever seen put together. Some stupid, wicked being who though they knew his identity had put out the rumour that this was his home planet. What would they all say if they knew that the one main planet they fought so hard to conquer was actually his? He fought robotically, like his partner Blue Senturion. The end of something was near. He hadn't been Zordon's student for a while, but the great wizard had taught he and the other Rangers much which he would not, and could not, fail to remember, ever. Sensing magical currents was one of his powers, both as a Ranger and a civilian, although unpowered it was only a rising of hair on his neck. Powered, though, it was almost a physical sensation, like a sixth sense. Suddenly the swarms of evil cronies halted and he looked up. A massive golden wave was approaching. As it went through the various fighting beings, they disintegrated into dust. So did King Mondo, Queen Machina and Sprocket. Suddenly a message popped into his head. *My Ranger. My son. She is waiting for you, Adam,* Zordon's voice said, strangely softened, strangely free. In a flash Adam understood. Zordon had sacrificed himself for all the good in the galaxy.
"Are you sure they know of our arrival, Phantom?" Blue Senturion asked. Adam nodded.
"The planet I contacted was definitely Aquitar," he said firmly. He winced under his helmet. Ranger healing did a lot, but he was in dire need of medical attention.
Blue Senturion shot him a look. "There is another reason you want to go to Aquitar, is there not?" he asked softly.
Adam laughed dryly. "I've never been to Aquitar," he told Blue Senturion. "It was the closest, and they have an actual Ranger team." Even Blue Senturion didn't know his civilian identity.
Billy watched as the small ship, barely big enough for two people, landed on one of the small land spaceports. The door opened, and he hurried to greet the passengers, and to offer assistance if needed. As it turned out, it was needed, as the Blue Senturion walked out under most of the weight of a black armoured Ranger who he guessed was the Phantom Ranger. He ran over and without a sound placed one of the Phantom's arms around his neck.
"Thank you Billy," a voice spoke softly. He continued on, taking the Ranger to safety, wondering how the mysterious Ranger knew his name.
"You must demorph for us to treat your wounds," Delphine said softly. They were in the medical bay, and the Phantom's armour was getting in the way of her inspection of his physical health. He seemed to sigh.
"Close the door," was all he said. She complied, he took a breath, and he touched his ruby. As his armour disintegrated around him, he looked up to see if she recognised him. As she nodded briefly, he knew that she had forgotten about her Black Ranger's Earthling counterpart. She started patching up his various gashes and abrasions and started talking to keep his mind occupied away from the pain.
"When did you first become a Ranger?" she asked. He winced at the slight sting of the antiseptic, but answered her question.
"Over four years now. This is my fifth power," he told her.
"Wow. What planet did you start on?" she inquired.
Here it comes…"Earth," he hesitantly answered. He cocked his head. "Is Billy around, Delphine?"
She stared at him, amazed. How would he know about Billy? How did he know her name? Did he really come from Earth? Corcus, her Black Ranger, walking in interrupted her thoughts. Phantom waved. "Hi Corcus."
He waved back absently. "Hi Adam." He walked past into the room beyond before stopping. "Adam?!"
"Billy?" Delphine said softly. You have a visitor."
Billy looked up from the scans of the Phantom Ranger. "Send him in," he said carelessly.
He kept working until he heard, "Nice place you have here." He whirled around and saw his best friend looking curiously at some of the pictures on the walls.
"Adam?" He got up and embraced his former teammate. "How did you get here?"
"On a little spaceship." He picked up a small model of the WolfZord and turned it around inquisitively. He added as an afterthought, "Thanks again for the help."
Billy's mind ran at a hundred kilometres an hour. "What? You're the…Phantom Ranger?" As Adam nodded he punched him in the arm. "Am I the last one to know about this?" he demanded.
"No, in fact, you're the third, after Corcus and Delphine."
"When did this happen?"
"After I gave up my powers," Adam replied, sticking a hand in his pocket. He withdrew a slightly crumpled photo before slowly pushing back into his pocket. Billy's curiosity was aroused.
"Who's that?" he asked questioningly, pulling the photo from Adam and looking at it.
Adam gave him a small, sad smile. "That's Cassie," he said wistfully. "Current Pink Astro Ranger, former Pink Turbo."
"You like her, don't you?" Billy asked.
Adam pulled the small piece of paper from him. "Yeah, she's a great girl. I blew it though." He studied the photograph for a second before jamming it in his pocket. "Don't say anything, or you'll find yourself flying home." Billy smiled and then looked at Adam's face. His teammate was serious. Deadly serious. Cassie, a Pink Ranger. I wonder if Delphine will let me use the communications in the control room…
