Red Dilemma

Nick threw his hands forwards and shards of ice crystallised out of thin air directing themselves at the tyrannodrones, moments before shearing through them.

Ahana drew her thundermax sabre, cutting through the robots while Keeper blasted them with energy from his staff.

However, despite being morphed, the small army of tyrannodrones far outmatched them.

As Zeltrax shoved Ethan into a tree and raised his sword, he was forced backwards by an energy attack.

"Missed us?" Kira snarked as she and Conner leapt into the battlefield, already morphed and their thundermax blasters in hand.

"You guys couldn't have done this any other day?" Conner snapped.

"Tell that to them!" Nick retorted, pushing Elsa back with his thundermax sabre.

"Let's make it quick! Tyranno Staff!" Conner called on his staff.

"Ptera Grips, baby!"

"Plesio Crossbow!"

"Raptor Claws!"

"Tricera Shield!"

Kira and Nick ran through the tyrannodrones, slashing them apart with their weapons.

Ahana fired at Zeltrax with her crossbow, watching grimly as he was forced back, purple explosions tearing through his armour.

Conner struck down several tyrannodrones with his staff while Ethan rammed his shield against any robot that neared him.

Together with their power weapons, they turned the tide of the battle until Zeltrax alone was left standing with the support of his sword.

They turned around to see Dr O execute a spin kick, forcing Elsa back just as Keeper blasted her with his staff, which sent her staggering against a tree.

"Elsa!" Zeltrax ran to her side as the rangers regrouped behind Tommy and the Keeper.

"We are not through with you, Power Rangers!" Elsa growled, slamming her sword to the ground, and summoning an invisiportal.

"Nor you, Dr Oliver!" Zeltrax held her firmly as they jumped into the portal.

"They are a pleasant couple!" Kira said sarcastically, before turning at the Keeper. "Wait, who are you?"

"Yeah, you don't seem like a monster. You were helping us fight them." Conner asked while Nick facepalmed.

"Way to be blunt, dude!"

"What?" Conner asked.

"Just because he isn't human doesn't mean he is a monster." Ahana said, punching his shoulder.

"Oh sorry, dude." Conner said, scratching the back of his helmet.

"That's quite alright, young ranger." Keeper said. "I am a friend."

The Keeper turned towards Dr O. "I must take my leave now. Protect the eggs and may the power protect you all!"

The teacher nodded as the Keeper vanished in a swirl of coloured smoke.

"What are they?" Kira wondered as they demorphed.

"We are going to ride them!" Ethan answered wagging his eyebrows, much to Conner and Kira's confusion.

"Look, I gotta head back to the try-outs. Can you guys handle this?" Conner asked impatiently.

"Yeah, go ahead Conner. They can fill you in later." Tommy nodded.

"Thanks!" Conner nodded before running off using his superspeed, sending a gush of wind their way.

"Good luck!" Ethan called behind him as they headed over to Tommy's jeep.

"Hey Dr O, I was wondering, where did you learn to fight like that?" Ahana asked him.

"Oh, I used to learn karate when I was your age." He told her smiling as if he were remembering something. "Good times!"

"Well, you were really good out there." Ahana said.

"Thanks." He said to her. "Hey that reminds me, if you guys want, I can give you guys some pointers in case you are attacked and by any chance, you can't morph."

"Yeah, sounds helpful!" Ethan piped up.

"Cool!" Nick agreed.

"Yeah, can't hurt." Ahana nodded. Dr O's fighting style was interesting and quite different from the Wind Ninja style.

Kira frowned. "That sounds great, Dr O but with my band practice and everything else, I don't know if I have the time to learn kung fu or whatever."

"That's okay, Kira." Dr O shook his head. "You don't have to pause your lives to be a ranger."

Ahana pursed her lips but didn't say anything. She wasn't sure if she agreed with Dr O on this one. She had known Dustin, Shane and Tori since they were kids and after their tenure as rangers, they seemed to have given up their dreams, instead settling to be full time guardians in the Ninja Academy.

Tori gave up on being a professional surfer, Shane gave up on skateboarding and most shocking of all, Dustin gave up on motocross! Being rangers changed them and Ahana wasn't sure if she liked those changes and more than that, wanted the same for herself.

After securing the eggs in the Dino Cave, Dr O had given them a ride back to the city before hurrying back and Ethan had convinced them to return to Hayley's Cyberspace.

"Man, Dr O is into some weird and funky stuff!" Ethan said. "I don't even want to know what he's hatching down in that cave right now."

"I have a feeling we don't have to wait that long." Kira replied.

"Do you guys think the eggs are dinosaur eggs?" Nick asked excitedly. "I'd love to see dinosaurs."

"Nick, the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago." Ethan deadpanned.

"Yeah, tell that to our zords."

"They are not dinosaurs. They are sentient robots." The blue ranger protested.

"They are more than robots. We felt them remember."

"That doesn't mean they are real dinosaurs. I meant dinosaurs are flesh and bones, not metals and robots."

"They can be both, can't they?" Ahana cut in. "Dr O said they have dino DNA and they are bonded to our dino gems which are basically magic-"

"Great, you added magic to the mix!" Kira snorted as Ethan scratched his head frustrated. "We have giant magical dinosaurs!"

"Magic?" Ethan asked skeptically.

"Yeah, I have to agree with him on this one." Nick shrugged.

"We transform into coloured spandex by yelling stuff and touching our bracelets. That sounds like magic to me-"

"Or it can be advanced technology." Ethan countered.

Ahana shrugged. "Dude, we just met an alien today who fired energy from his staff. Seeing everything we have the last week , magic is not that improbable."

Nick and Ethan looked at each other while Kira rolled her eyes, going back to her homework. Ahana smirked, if only they knew. The element bending abilities she had as a ninja was based in magic and there was an entire secret society of magical beings and wizards hidden amongst them but that was not her secret to tell, not that anyone would believe her.

"Whoa… who is that?" Kira's curious voice broke her train of thoughts and the other three teens looked in the direction Kira was looking to see a boy around their age wearing an unbuttoned grey plaid shirt over a white t-shirt, looking for something or someone as he wandered across the tables.

"I dunno," Ethan shrugged. Nick bit back a smile, seeing Kira's eyes fixated on the newcomer. He turned to look at the boy, tilting his head to get a clear view. He did look handsome with striking features and hazel eyes. Nick realised he was staring but he could not stop himself.

Ahana nudged him slightly, smiling.

"Not my type but I definitely see the appeal." She whispered.

"Uh uh." Nick replied, his throat dry.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" Ethan smirked, waving his hand in front of her face.

"He's really wow… isn't he?" Kira whispered, twirling a lock of her hair.

"Can I get you a glass of water? Maybe an oxygen mask?" Ethan teased.

He turned towards the other two and his eyes widened on seeing them observe he new comer with the same fascination as Kira.

"You gotta be kidding me!" He facepalmed. "You guys too!"

"What?" Ahana defended. "He is hot!"

"Super-hot!" Nick corrected.

"Ugh! Guess I'm the only one not falling head over heels for Casanova there!" He pointed out.

"Quiet, he's coming over here." Kira shushed him.

"Hey!" The boy waved at them. "I'm looking for Hayley? I'm supposed to start work today?"

Kira kept her head low, while Nick tried not to stare at him.

"I think she's in the back." Ahana smiled at him. While she did find him easy on the eyes, she was not as infatuated with him like Kira or Nick for that matter.

"Haven't I seen you at Reefside?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah, I just moved here last week." He smiled at them. "I'm Trent."

"I'm Ethan." The blue ranger smiled back, shaking Trent's hand. "That's Ahana and Nick." The two of them waved at him from the other side. "And this is Kira."

"Hey," Trent smiled at her but the yellow ranger didn't look up. "Are you okay?"

"She doesn't speak," Ethan said, trying to keep a straight face. "But we just can't get through."

"I'm fine." Kira cut him off, looking up at Trent with a small smile. "It's really nice to meet you."

Trent smiled back.

Ethan's eye glinted mischievously as he saw Nick trying to not look at Trent. Ahana gave him a warning look.

"Trent!" Hayley's voice cut off whatever Ethan was about to say as the red head walked over. "Good timing. Come with me and I'll get you started."

"Cool, I'll see you guys later." Trent told the four before following Hayley to the counter.

"Isn't he so wow?" Ethan teased Kira, before wincing as the blonde kicked his shin.

"What? At least you talked unlike Mr wallflower there!" Ethan cried.

Nick flushed, glaring at Ethan. "I waved!" He protested.

"Yeah, sure." Ahana elbowed.

"Hey, how come you weren't tongue tied like these two?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah, I found him cute and all but I didn't have a crush on him." She said plainly.

"I don't have a crush!" Both Nick and Kira said together, before looking at each other and laughing.

"We can see that." Ethan said dryly and Ahana started giggling.

Their laughter stopped abruptly as Conner walked over to them with a frown marring his face.

"Hey, how did it go?" Ethan asked.

"How'd it go?" Conner repeated darkly. "It's over! The coach basically told me to forget it? And who can blame him? I mean, I left in the middle of the game!"

"Well… it's not as if you didn't have a good excuse…"

"Right." Conner looked pointedly at Kira. "Well, maybe next time, I'll bring a note from our teacher 'Sorry, Conner couldn't make it today, he was busy fighting freaky looking dinosaur things in the forest'"

Looking alarmed, the four of them looked at each other and glanced around them to see if they were overheard. Noticing an empty sofa in a relatively secluded corner of the café, they left their seats to lead Conner there.

"Careful. Secret identities, remember." Ahana told him as they sat down.

Conner shrugged her off. "Look the point is, what was I supposed to say?"

The others looked at him silently, not knowing what to say. "Man, this whole 'saving the world' thing is seriously starting to bum me out."

"It won't last forever though." Nick told him. "Most ranger teams defeat their big bad within a year or two."

"But what if I completely miss my chance by the time we are done?" He asked desperately before reaching a decision. "I need to talk to Dr Oliver."

"Uh, I think he might be in the middle of something." Ahana said.

"Too bad!" Conner fumed, getting up and storming towards the exit. "I was busy today and that didn't stop him from messing up my life."

"Wait, we will go with you." Ethan shouted behind him as the four hastily followed him out of Hayley's Cyber Café.

As soon as they reached the Dino Cave, they heard a yell followed by the thrashing sounds of various objects and animalistic growls.

"Don't come in! It's not safe!" Dr O warned from inside the basement just before he was thrown towards them.

"Yeah, we kinda got that." Kira said as she and Nick helped him up. He was covered in green slime and small scratches. His clothes were slightly ripped at various places.

Ahana peeked inside to see five coloured mechanical raptors running around the basement.

"That's freaking Jurrassic Park out there!" Nick whistled.

"Is that what was in those eggs?" Ethan asked.

"They are huge! It's been what… a little more than an hour?" Ahana noted.

"I am trying to train them." Dr O said, wiping the slime off his hands.

"How's it coming?" Ethan asked.

"Slowly… and painfully." He said, ducking to avoid as the red raptor swung his tail.

"Look, I can see that you are busy with whatever but I need to talk." Conner told him as the purple raptor slammed against him, throwing him out of the Cave and into the tunnel. The pink raptor gripped a lever down with her teeth and the wall came down.

"Wait, no!" Dr O scowled before turning to them. "Wait, I can use a break anyway. Alright, what's up?"

"You gotta find someone to replace me!" Conner told him bluntly.

"What are you talking about?" Kira turned to look at him sharply.

"You are talking crazy!" Ethan yelled.

"What the heck, man!" Nick exclaimed.

Ahana pursed her lips. She could see where he was coming from. Being a ranger is no different than being a guardian and who would want their lives to be just about fighting monsters and thwarting evil plots all the time! The only reason she was here because she didn't want anything that happened to her to happen to someone else but otherwise, she was done with fighting battles that weren't her own.

"Alright, settle down, you five." Their teacher told them as Conner grimaced.

"What's the problem?" He asked Conner.

"Look, I am a soccer player. That's all I have ever wanted to do. You know, every moment of my life has led up to playing for a pro team and I get the greatest chance of my life, only to blow it to fight some creeps!"

"I understand and you are right." Dr O nodded.

"You are agreeing with him?" Ethan accused.

"Conner, I know how you feel because I felt that way before." He said, ignoring the blue ranger.

Ahana's eyes narrowed. How on earth could Dr O relate to Conner, unless he was involved in something similar before?

"You won't certainly be the first ranger to leave this path for personal goals and there is no shame in that, but I want you to think about this before you do anything."

"Look, I have got things I want to do too!" Kira said. "But I am here! I am dealing!"

"Good for you. I guess I am just different." Conner shook his head, speeding out of there before they could say anything else.

Dr O sighed as they looked at each other apprehensively.

While the others had returned to their homes, Ahana sighed, looking wistfully at the mountains as she took a stroll in the woods.

What Conner felt was reasonable. For her, being a guardian had been everything till she had got captured and after losing one year of her life, being a hero didn't hold the same allure anymore. There was so much she had missed out on because of her training, normal teen experiences like prom and parties.

Unlike her, Tori, Shane and Dustin enjoyed everything. Though they were a year ahead of her and graduated high school before her, they had been a tight knit group before Lothor captured her and the other ninja students and when she got back, they had changed so much, sometimes they felt like different people.

Being a ranger changed them in fundamental ways and she didn't know if she wanted to change herself… Though there was hardly anything to change. Unlike them, she didn't have any clear goals other than being a guardian. Leaving the academy and shifting to Reefside was supposed to help her figure her life out. She supposed she was always interested in environmental campaigns, even back in Blue Bay Harbour but that wasn't something she liked doing, more like something that had to be done because it was the right thing.

It's not as if she didn't have any hobbies, she had tried her hand at surfing, skating and motocross, mostly because of her friends' insistence. She supposed she liked to read books or paint, but she hadn't felt a calling to anything other than her guardian training… It had opened a whole new world for her. The idea that she could be a hero, the fact that she had abilities to bend the elements to her will… It was all so surreal and it made her see that the world was so much bigger than she had thought.

At the same time, being part of the Academy had restricted her in many ways. After all, what was the point of guarding Earth if she never fully enjoyed life on Earth?

What Conner was fearing was right… Being a ranger made them choose between one or the other… either their responsibilities or their dreams. Her old friends were living proof that rangers can't have both, even after their duties as active rangers are over.

Shane and Dustin had given up perfect opportunities to be professional sportsmen in favour of joining the Academy as teacher assistants. That was so unlike them and while it had seemed odd, she had too much on her plate before to find out what exactly influenced their decisions.

After all, she needed answers and she wouldn't get them from Reefside or the evasive Dr Oliver, she needed to go to Blue Bay Harbour.

Okay, so there's a big author's note and I feel I need to talk about it, even if it's to the void.

Life sucks so much right now. I lost my father last month to a rare form of cancer that devoured him in mere five months. We tried everything and he fought till the end. It just was not enough. He was a kind and selfless man, who never hesitated to help others but he suffered so much. Our prayers went unanswered.

Life is cruel and I doubt there is anything called karma or any higher power looking over us. Bad things happen but this was more than just bad… This was a nightmare.

I started writing more than I ever had, to process the pain. The fandom and fanfiction have helped me go through tough times before so I hoped it will, this time again.

So yesterday, when I learned that JDF had passed away, I was shocked and munbed. I could not cry because there are literally no tears left to cry. My real life hero, my father had been taken from me and now my hero in the ranger fandom has passed away too.

Tommy Oliver was the embodiment of all things Power Rangers. A story of breaking free of shackles of others and forging your own identity and paving your own path despite the obstacles. Contrary to what many think, it wasn't a story of redemption because Tommy was never truly evil, he was brainwashed. It was a story of breaking free from subjugation and creating an independent identity, of persevering through the trauma and not letting it limit you. Regardless of whether we want it or not, our trauma will be a part of us, it will always define us somewhat but we can choose to be more than that… While I never interacted with him directly like other fans, JDF always put the fans first and loved them.

Everything is changing so fast. This year has been a reminder that there is no constant in life. We cannot predict what diseases our bodies will be inflicted with or our minds for that matter, time is precious. Life is cruel and often what happens is beyond our control but there is something within our power and that is kindness and empathy, which just feels like empty words now but as a good friend told me once, "if there's no grand design of the universe, there's just people and we have to be good to each other."

So to anyone who is reading this and is grieving or feeling hopeless, I want you to know that you are not alone or helpless. We may feel we don't have a choice but there's always one. Reach out for help if you feel you need it.

Life is fleeting and my father died an untimely death though he had so much more to give the world.

JDF was an icon to millions, a hero who inspired so many and shaped our childhoods.

There is no consolation that can soothe the loss of a loved one.

I don't know if there is an afterlife but the people who we love will always live on in our memories and we can keep them alive in everything we do in their honour.

So, that's it. Please take care of yourselves.