Author's Note: Finally, an update! Again, sorry for the delay – been going through a LOT in terms of my personal life but I feel like I'll finally be on the right track to balance writing and other creative projects. Fingers crossed.
Also I've seen the news about Jason David Frank and it tore at me. Not only is that another childhood icon gone, but it's also a reminder to be kind to people – you never know what they're going through. May the Power protect him.
STARCROSSED SOLDIERS
Chapter 2: We're Not In Tokyo Anymore
The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers have been pushed to their limits recently. Not only did they barely survive a confrontation with Lord Drakkon – an evil alt-universe version of Tommy Oliver – but in the process their mentor Zordon has gone missing! Not helping matters is the fact that Jason Lee Scott, the Red Ranger and team leader, has been running himself ragged trying to find Zordon. And don't get them started on the mysterious new enemy that's threatening them.
In another universe, the Sailor Scouts are having a crisis of their own. Rei Hino, aka Sailor Mars, was told by her father that he's arranged for her to be married. The fiery tempered Rei did not take this well and ended up lashing out at her friends. Arranged marriages may be the least of Rei's problems, as she and the other Sailor Scouts were caught in one of Alpha-5's teleportation experiments and now find themselves face to face with the Rangers…
Angel Grove.
The Power Rangers' Command Center.
Teenagers are often caught in the grip of hormones, which means that they will often make rash decisions. Sometimes those decisions are based on physical attraction. Other times, it's pure impulse – causing them to make some rash choices that are embarrassing in hindsight.
For the Sailor Scouts and Power Rangers, they were about to go through both of those experiences.
Jason and Rei, still locking eyes, failed to notice that Tommy was reaching for his morpher. Nor did they see Makoto pick up her Crystal Change Rod. And they were totally oblivious to the words being spoken by both of their respective teammates.
"JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE-UP!"
"DRAGONZORD!"
Sailor Jupiter and the Green Ranger leapt at each other, with Makoto delivering a vicious axe kick toward her opponent's face. Tommy quickly grabbed her ankle and swung her around, crashing next to Jason – who was startled out of his spell.
"We kicking the Barbie Brigade out of our base or what?!" Zack shouted.
"Barbie Brigade?!" shrieked Usagi. She whipped out her Silver Crystal, murder in her eyes. "MOON CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE-UP!"
The other Sailor Scouts followed suit.
"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE-UP!"
"VENUS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE-UP!"
"MARS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE-UP!"
The other Rangers quickly whipped out their Morphers.
"MASTODON!"
"PTERODACTYL!"
"TRICERATOPS!"
"SABER-TOOTHED TIGER!"
"TYRANNOSAURUS!"
Fully morphed, the Power Rangers leapt into battle! Ami fired her freezing spray at Billy, covering the Blue Ranger in a thick sheet of ice. Zack lifted his Power Axe and swung at Usagi, who nimbly hopped out of the way. "Moon Tiara Action!" she shouted, pulling off her tiara and hurling it at the Black Ranger. Zack was barely able to deflect the tiara, but it sent him skidding back.
"Weaponized jewelry…great, now I really have seen it all."
Kimberly drew her Power Bow, aiming at Makoto. "Gotcha," she muttered, and let an arrow of pink energy fly. But at the last second, Makoto grabbed Tommy and pulled him into the path of the arrow! It struck the Green Ranger in the chest, sending sparks flying. She then tossed him aside and shouted, "Supreme Thunder Dragon!"
An antenna grew out of her head, and lightning surrounded it – growing larger and larger until it resembled a massive dragon! It then flew at Kimberly, who nimbly dodged it. The computer bank behind her wasn't as lucky, as the lightning dragon reduced it to a smoking pile of rubble.
"Rangers! We're taking this outside! NOW!" Jason shouted. He leaped forward and grabbed Rei, as sparks of energy surrounded Sailor Scout and Power Ranger alike…
The other Rangers landed, weapons drawn, as the Sailor Scouts appeared next to them. But soon, the fighting stopped as they noticed who was missing.
"Sailor Mars!" Usagi shouted. "Where are you?!"
Trini quickly turned to the other Rangers. "Guys…where's Jason?"
Jason and Rei landed in the forest near the Command Center, rolling on the ground. The raven-haired Sailor Scout quickly leapt to her feet and delivered a punishing kick to the Red Ranger's side. "Pervert! What's the big idea, grabbing me like that?!"
"Look, miss, there's been a huge misunderstanding," Jason said, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "Now if you'll just calm down-"
Immediately, he inwardly groaned, as one of his father's sayings echoed in his ears. Son, if there's one thing you should never tell a woman to do, it's to calm down. And judging from the literal fire building in Rei's eyes, it's safe to say that his dad was right on the money.
"FIRE SOUL BIRD!"
A loud explosion caused the other Rangers and Scouts to jerk around and see a large flaming bird cutting through the trees.
"I assume that's the missing girl," Billy said.
"Yeah, and I assume your buddy in red said something that pissed her off," Makoto added wryly.
Jason hit the dirt, barely dodging the flaming bird that shot overhead. Even through his Ranger suit, he could feel the heat. The answer was clear: he had to end this. "POWER SWORD!" he shouted, the red-handled blade manifesting in his hand. He took a step forward, but before he could strike-
"Akuryo Taisan!"
A sheet of paper covered in kanji slapped onto Jason's chest, and he froze in place.
The sound of boots crunching through ash could be heard as the other Rangers and Sailor Scouts approached the battleground. "Rei-chan, these…Power Rangers want to talk to us," Usagi began.
"We may have accidentally pulled you into our dimension via a teleporter," Billy said. "And we want to help you."
"Yeah…and sorry about the Barbie Brigade crack," Zack said sheepishly, rubbing his head. Behind him, Kimberly and Trini stood with their arms folded.
Rei strode forward and tore the spell she had cast off Jason's chest. "Fine. Just tell this asshole to keep his hands to himself." The Red Ranger stalked toward his team, who could feel the annoyance radiating off him.
"You didn't…actually touch her like that did you Jason?" Trini asked, a slight edge in her voice.
"No, I didn't," Jason muttered. "She's just overreacting-"
All the Rangers quickly ducked as a blast of fire whizzed forward and struck the tree where Jason's head had been a split second earlier. Jason stood back up and looked at Rei, who had fixed him with a piercing glare.
"I heard that."
The Command Center.
Some Time Later.
"So you guys are just like us," Minako said in awe.
"And you guys…fight monsters in high heels and skirts," Zack replied, a wry smile crossing his face. He then flinched as Kimberly and Trini whapped him upside the head. "What? It's the truth!"
"But the question remains…where's Zordon?" Billy muttered.
"And for that matter…how do we get back home?" Ami asked.
"I can help with that!"
The teenagers spun to see Alpha 5, who was punching in numbers at one of the few consoles that remained. Above him, Saba hovered. "We managed to pinpoint the correct coordinates, and not only can we get these girls home…we can bring Zordon back!"
The Rangers immediately leapt to their feet. "That's…that's amazing!" Kimberly exclaimed.
"We'll run some tests and get the portal up and running first thing in the morning. In the meantime, might I suggest the Scouts sleep here for the night?"
There was a brief silence, until Jason spoke up. "That's fine. They can take care of themselves, and they have you to watch over them Alpha."
"Did I hear that correctly?" Zack said, raising an eyebrow. "You're actually going to sleep in your own bed for once?"
A wry smile crossed Jason's face as he turned to his team. "Billy…everyone..I'm sorry. I got so wrapped up with the Drakkon mess and finding Zordon that I forgot I'm not alone in this."
"Hey, it's OK," Billy said, placing a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Soon we'll have Zordon back, and then things will be back to normal."
Tokyo, Japan.
A flash of green light flared up in a nearby alleyway. Soon, Lord Drakkon stumbled out, still clutching his Dragon Dagger and his broken morpher. A look of confusion crossed his scarred face as he looked at the shimmering skyscrapers of Tokyo.
"This isn't my world. I don't sense any of the Morphin' Grid's energy…"
A dark smile curled across his lips.
"No matter. What's one more world?"
TO BE CONTINUED…
Next Chapter: "Homecoming"
The Sailor Scouts return to their own world, where they encounter Drakkon. Meanwhile, Jason gets some devastating news as Zordon returns to the Rangers.
