Chapter Two
I desperately tried to understand what we were being told, but keeping a solid grip on rational thought was by this stage bordering on impossible. The head, uh, I mean, Zordon explained the story to us, about the monster who'd attacked us draining the existing Rangers' power. Zordon had a way of speaking and commanding your attention that ensured he kept it. His booming voice echoed around the room, and the words didn't just stop at your ears but seemed to keep travelling right into the back of your mind. As he spoke, we were introduced to Alpha, Zordon's small and constantly 'ayiyiyi- ing' robotic assistant. It was strange, interacting with a robot that was for all intents and purposes human, but it was certainly not the strangest thing we'd all come to terms with.
Finally, Zordon finished explaining the situation, and he looked down to us. There was a long silence, as we all tried to take in everything he'd said. Finally, I summoned enough courage to speak.
"Zordon?" I asked, quietly and nervously. "Please tell us, why us?"
"You five possess the extraordinary skills and abilities that we need," Zordon replied. "Peter, you are a strong and capable leader. Scott and Teresa, you are both compassionate and quick of mind. Sarah, you possess love, kindness, and a strength to always do what's right. And Aaron, you are strong, brave, gentle and dedicated."
There was another moment of silence. "Wow," stuttered Scott. "This is...wow."
I glanced around to the others, my mind somewhere over the horizon. For the rest of my life, I'd think back to this very moment in time and this choice, and wonder. If I'd known the direction my life would take, I'd have probably taken a lot longer to make that decision. I might have even said no. But right now, there didn't seem to be much of a choice. They needed us. They needed me.
"Guys," I began quietly. "We've been asked by a really nice man in a tube to help the Power Rangers, and fight on their behalf to save the world. I don't know about you guys, but..." and I looked up to Zordon. "I couldn't say no if I wanted to. Count me in."
Sarah stepped forward, glancing from me to Zordon. "It sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime," she said. "I'm in."
Teresa and Scott looked at each other, and simultaneously stepped forward. "We'll do it," they said.
Aaron looked around, smiled and stepped forward. "I gotta enlist," he said with a nod. "This is my chance to be someone. I'm your man."
Zordon smiled. "I'm glad you all accepted, as we do not have much time. That certainly went better than last time, at any rate. Alpha, please get the morphers and call the others in. Rangers," he said, and my nerves tingled when he said it, "there are three cardinal rules you must obey if you are to be effective Power Rangers. Firstly, you must never escalate a battle unless you are forced to. Secondly, you must never use your powers for personal gain. And thirdly, you must never reveal your secret identities to anyone. Do you accept these rules?"
We all nodded, silently accepting our responsibility. Behind us, the two sliding doors opened with a soft 'swoosh', and Alpha walked back into the room followed by six teenagers. They all looked to be about four years older than us, most likely in the tenth grade. There were two girls and four guys, and although they were dressed in civilian clothes, each wore a different colour.
"Junior Team, meet your Senior Team of Power Rangers. Your team members are Tommy Oliver..." and the guy dressed all in green looked at us and smiled. "Hey," he said. He was tall, with long wavy brown hair, cool brown eyes and an undeniable smug arrogance about him. He looked like a genuinely nice guy, but somebody who didn't smile much, or at least didn't find much to smile about.
"Zachary Taylor..." Zordon continued. The guy dressed all in black grinned and gave us a thumbs-up. He was about medium height, with closely-cropped black hair, dancing brown eyes and a smile that looked like it was never far away. There was a frantic and very teenage energy about him, like a party waiting for somewhere to happen.
"Kimberly Hart..." The girl in pink grinned. "Hey!" she said with a wave. She was shorter than the others and very pretty, with shoulder-length brown hair and a sense of style that could spot both bargains and high fashion from twenty paces. Kimberly was perky, petite and athletic - I just knew she had to have been a cheerleader.
"Billy Cranston..." The boy dressed all in navy blue looked up and offered us a shy smile. He was tall, with short blond hair and pale blue-green eyes protected by a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. Billy had an almost tangible air of phenomenal yet understated intelligence around him. I got the feeling Billy not only knew all the answers, but generally had them figured out before he'd even reached the end of the question.
"Trini Kwan..." The girl dressed all in yellow smiled and said, "Hello." She was tall, poised and strikingly beautiful, with long silken black hair and a serious face. Her brown eyes were warm and friendly, but I could tell there was a fierce strength behind them, like a tiger before striking.
"And finally, Jason Scott."
At that, the five of us automatically turned to the final teen to be introduced, the Red Ranger and leader of the Power Rangers.
It took me a moment to find my voice. "Jason?" I asked. "Jason, our karate teacher Jason?"
Jason smiled. "It's a small world," he said. Tall, good-looking and athletic, Jason had short dark hair and kind brown eyes that nonetheless had an intensity about them. If I had to describe Jason in only one word, that word would've been 'powerful'. He just seemed to be naturally taller and stronger than anybody else in a room. When you were around Jason, you didn't just believe in him, you believed in yourself. He was an awesome teacher, too. The only reason any of us had done so well in our karate lessons is that Jason was there helping us. In fact the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't believe I hadn't realised he was a Power Ranger earlier.
"I have the morphers right here Zordon," said Alpha.
Zordon nodded. "Excellent." Then, turning to the five of us, he looked down to me. "Peter, we grant you today the Stegosaurus Power Coin, and from now on, you will be known as the Orange Ranger, leader of the Junior Team of Power Rangers." A small hologram of a sword appeared in mid-air before me. "This is your weapon, the Power Sword. It is a mighty and ancient weapon and will serve you well." With that, Alpha gave me my morpher. It was a circular device with my Power Coin in the centre and two small handles on the back - inscribed on the golden coin was a tiny picture of a Stegosaurus. Whoa.
After me, Scott received the Brontosaurus Power Coin - his colour was blue, and his weapon was the Power Staff. Teresa was given the Velociraptor Power Coin - her colour was white, and her weapon was the Power Whip. Zordon gave Sarah the Rhamphorynchus Power Coin (which we were all confused about until Billy quietly explained that it was essentially a pterodactyl with a long tail). Her colour was purple, and her weapon was the Power Mace. Finally, Aaron became the Aqua Ranger, his Power Coin being modelled after the Parasaurolophus and his weapon a pair of laser blasters.
Finally, we were shown how to use our morphers and given metal wrist bands that resembled watches.
"They are your communicators, which will enable you to teleport to and from the Command Centre, as well as keep in touch with myself and your fellow Rangers," explained Zordon. "To become a Power Ranger, open your morpher and call out the name of your chosen dinosaur. They will never fail to respond."
"Wow," mumbled Teresa. "This is just unreal."
"Yeah," smiled Kim, "it was all totally too much for the five of us on our first day."
Zac nodded. "Definitely. But hey, you'll get used to it in no time."
"They'll have to," said Alpha urgently, as an alarm began to flash on the control panel beside him. "Monitar just reappeared at the school."
"Rangers, the time is now," said Zordon. "You must morph and face the monster in combat. We will remain in contact with you at all times, and we'll do our best to guide you."
Sarah looked up to Zordon. "But what if the monster does the same thing to us? What if we lose our powers too?"
Billy stepped forward. "The evidence we've gathered suggests the diamond on Monitar's chest emits a wide-range energy beam designed to disable the link between the Morphin' Grid and those who draw power from it, namely, all of us. Avoid these beams and if entirely possible, destroy the diamond."
"We can't promise anything, but we'll give it our best shot," I said. "C'mon guys, this is it." And we held out our morphers in front of us. I'm not sure why, but I looked over to Jason for guidance, and found him smiling and staring at me.
"You're on your own now," he nodded. "Be careful, and good luck."
"Well what are we waiting for?" asked Aaron with a grin.
I nodded, and cried out the first phrase that came to mind. "It's morphin' time!"
"Parasaurolophus!" said Aaron, and the Morphin' Grid immediately unleashed the power that had rested dormant for centuries, a storm of aqua light blasting free of Aaron's morpher.
"Rhamphorynchus!" cried Sarah, and she was lost in a surge of purple light.
"Brontosaurus!" shouted Scott, and pale blue light enveloped him.
"Velociraptor!" said Teresa, as white light exploded free of her morpher.
My turn. "Stegosaurus!" I cried. I was instantly lost in a blaze of white- hot power, lightning surging down my arms and roaring through my body. A sweeping flood of orange light washed over me, wrapping me in an orange and white suit as it passed and leaving a visored helmet around my head. I was now, officially, a Power Ranger.
I desperately tried to understand what we were being told, but keeping a solid grip on rational thought was by this stage bordering on impossible. The head, uh, I mean, Zordon explained the story to us, about the monster who'd attacked us draining the existing Rangers' power. Zordon had a way of speaking and commanding your attention that ensured he kept it. His booming voice echoed around the room, and the words didn't just stop at your ears but seemed to keep travelling right into the back of your mind. As he spoke, we were introduced to Alpha, Zordon's small and constantly 'ayiyiyi- ing' robotic assistant. It was strange, interacting with a robot that was for all intents and purposes human, but it was certainly not the strangest thing we'd all come to terms with.
Finally, Zordon finished explaining the situation, and he looked down to us. There was a long silence, as we all tried to take in everything he'd said. Finally, I summoned enough courage to speak.
"Zordon?" I asked, quietly and nervously. "Please tell us, why us?"
"You five possess the extraordinary skills and abilities that we need," Zordon replied. "Peter, you are a strong and capable leader. Scott and Teresa, you are both compassionate and quick of mind. Sarah, you possess love, kindness, and a strength to always do what's right. And Aaron, you are strong, brave, gentle and dedicated."
There was another moment of silence. "Wow," stuttered Scott. "This is...wow."
I glanced around to the others, my mind somewhere over the horizon. For the rest of my life, I'd think back to this very moment in time and this choice, and wonder. If I'd known the direction my life would take, I'd have probably taken a lot longer to make that decision. I might have even said no. But right now, there didn't seem to be much of a choice. They needed us. They needed me.
"Guys," I began quietly. "We've been asked by a really nice man in a tube to help the Power Rangers, and fight on their behalf to save the world. I don't know about you guys, but..." and I looked up to Zordon. "I couldn't say no if I wanted to. Count me in."
Sarah stepped forward, glancing from me to Zordon. "It sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime," she said. "I'm in."
Teresa and Scott looked at each other, and simultaneously stepped forward. "We'll do it," they said.
Aaron looked around, smiled and stepped forward. "I gotta enlist," he said with a nod. "This is my chance to be someone. I'm your man."
Zordon smiled. "I'm glad you all accepted, as we do not have much time. That certainly went better than last time, at any rate. Alpha, please get the morphers and call the others in. Rangers," he said, and my nerves tingled when he said it, "there are three cardinal rules you must obey if you are to be effective Power Rangers. Firstly, you must never escalate a battle unless you are forced to. Secondly, you must never use your powers for personal gain. And thirdly, you must never reveal your secret identities to anyone. Do you accept these rules?"
We all nodded, silently accepting our responsibility. Behind us, the two sliding doors opened with a soft 'swoosh', and Alpha walked back into the room followed by six teenagers. They all looked to be about four years older than us, most likely in the tenth grade. There were two girls and four guys, and although they were dressed in civilian clothes, each wore a different colour.
"Junior Team, meet your Senior Team of Power Rangers. Your team members are Tommy Oliver..." and the guy dressed all in green looked at us and smiled. "Hey," he said. He was tall, with long wavy brown hair, cool brown eyes and an undeniable smug arrogance about him. He looked like a genuinely nice guy, but somebody who didn't smile much, or at least didn't find much to smile about.
"Zachary Taylor..." Zordon continued. The guy dressed all in black grinned and gave us a thumbs-up. He was about medium height, with closely-cropped black hair, dancing brown eyes and a smile that looked like it was never far away. There was a frantic and very teenage energy about him, like a party waiting for somewhere to happen.
"Kimberly Hart..." The girl in pink grinned. "Hey!" she said with a wave. She was shorter than the others and very pretty, with shoulder-length brown hair and a sense of style that could spot both bargains and high fashion from twenty paces. Kimberly was perky, petite and athletic - I just knew she had to have been a cheerleader.
"Billy Cranston..." The boy dressed all in navy blue looked up and offered us a shy smile. He was tall, with short blond hair and pale blue-green eyes protected by a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. Billy had an almost tangible air of phenomenal yet understated intelligence around him. I got the feeling Billy not only knew all the answers, but generally had them figured out before he'd even reached the end of the question.
"Trini Kwan..." The girl dressed all in yellow smiled and said, "Hello." She was tall, poised and strikingly beautiful, with long silken black hair and a serious face. Her brown eyes were warm and friendly, but I could tell there was a fierce strength behind them, like a tiger before striking.
"And finally, Jason Scott."
At that, the five of us automatically turned to the final teen to be introduced, the Red Ranger and leader of the Power Rangers.
It took me a moment to find my voice. "Jason?" I asked. "Jason, our karate teacher Jason?"
Jason smiled. "It's a small world," he said. Tall, good-looking and athletic, Jason had short dark hair and kind brown eyes that nonetheless had an intensity about them. If I had to describe Jason in only one word, that word would've been 'powerful'. He just seemed to be naturally taller and stronger than anybody else in a room. When you were around Jason, you didn't just believe in him, you believed in yourself. He was an awesome teacher, too. The only reason any of us had done so well in our karate lessons is that Jason was there helping us. In fact the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't believe I hadn't realised he was a Power Ranger earlier.
"I have the morphers right here Zordon," said Alpha.
Zordon nodded. "Excellent." Then, turning to the five of us, he looked down to me. "Peter, we grant you today the Stegosaurus Power Coin, and from now on, you will be known as the Orange Ranger, leader of the Junior Team of Power Rangers." A small hologram of a sword appeared in mid-air before me. "This is your weapon, the Power Sword. It is a mighty and ancient weapon and will serve you well." With that, Alpha gave me my morpher. It was a circular device with my Power Coin in the centre and two small handles on the back - inscribed on the golden coin was a tiny picture of a Stegosaurus. Whoa.
After me, Scott received the Brontosaurus Power Coin - his colour was blue, and his weapon was the Power Staff. Teresa was given the Velociraptor Power Coin - her colour was white, and her weapon was the Power Whip. Zordon gave Sarah the Rhamphorynchus Power Coin (which we were all confused about until Billy quietly explained that it was essentially a pterodactyl with a long tail). Her colour was purple, and her weapon was the Power Mace. Finally, Aaron became the Aqua Ranger, his Power Coin being modelled after the Parasaurolophus and his weapon a pair of laser blasters.
Finally, we were shown how to use our morphers and given metal wrist bands that resembled watches.
"They are your communicators, which will enable you to teleport to and from the Command Centre, as well as keep in touch with myself and your fellow Rangers," explained Zordon. "To become a Power Ranger, open your morpher and call out the name of your chosen dinosaur. They will never fail to respond."
"Wow," mumbled Teresa. "This is just unreal."
"Yeah," smiled Kim, "it was all totally too much for the five of us on our first day."
Zac nodded. "Definitely. But hey, you'll get used to it in no time."
"They'll have to," said Alpha urgently, as an alarm began to flash on the control panel beside him. "Monitar just reappeared at the school."
"Rangers, the time is now," said Zordon. "You must morph and face the monster in combat. We will remain in contact with you at all times, and we'll do our best to guide you."
Sarah looked up to Zordon. "But what if the monster does the same thing to us? What if we lose our powers too?"
Billy stepped forward. "The evidence we've gathered suggests the diamond on Monitar's chest emits a wide-range energy beam designed to disable the link between the Morphin' Grid and those who draw power from it, namely, all of us. Avoid these beams and if entirely possible, destroy the diamond."
"We can't promise anything, but we'll give it our best shot," I said. "C'mon guys, this is it." And we held out our morphers in front of us. I'm not sure why, but I looked over to Jason for guidance, and found him smiling and staring at me.
"You're on your own now," he nodded. "Be careful, and good luck."
"Well what are we waiting for?" asked Aaron with a grin.
I nodded, and cried out the first phrase that came to mind. "It's morphin' time!"
"Parasaurolophus!" said Aaron, and the Morphin' Grid immediately unleashed the power that had rested dormant for centuries, a storm of aqua light blasting free of Aaron's morpher.
"Rhamphorynchus!" cried Sarah, and she was lost in a surge of purple light.
"Brontosaurus!" shouted Scott, and pale blue light enveloped him.
"Velociraptor!" said Teresa, as white light exploded free of her morpher.
My turn. "Stegosaurus!" I cried. I was instantly lost in a blaze of white- hot power, lightning surging down my arms and roaring through my body. A sweeping flood of orange light washed over me, wrapping me in an orange and white suit as it passed and leaving a visored helmet around my head. I was now, officially, a Power Ranger.