'TIL I COLLAPSE - PART FORTY-FIVE: LEGACY OF POWER
SEQUEL TO: ORDINARY WORLD
SUMMARY: The rangers live up to the legacy they have created and have been apart of.
DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers is not mine. I own the right to how this story ends though. So, I hope I didn't lose you after all the work I've put into this.
A/N: It is rough. It is tough. I can't say much more than that. So, closing in on the end of the story. See you when I do. And read on to see what else the rangers must face.
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"I know this is hard for all of us. I know it is even harder to realize that some things you can and cannot change. But no mater what happens, we will never forget what has happened and will happen to us every step we take towards a brighter future. "-Eclyptyk Neo
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Thirty minutes later. 5:15pm.
The walk to the underground lab was left in silence.
No one had said anything once they got there. Adam had instructed the teens to take the two unconscious figures to the small infirmary on the far end of the lab. Billy had moved to the computer console running codes and announcing that they were finally back on line. Without saying much of anything else, he worked around getting the entire system back and running, hoping to run a diagnostic on the dino team before they decided to power down. All five of them were still locked within the protection of their ranger suits, but after the last battle, he wanted to make sure they were all still feeling like their normal selves.
Kim, with a tear struck face, was still clinging onto her husband's side, but Tommy couldn't blame her for that. He, himself, was just as freaked about the entire thing as she was. And he almost thought he would never be coming back. The very thoughts that ran through his mind spun and spun, giving him no chance to grasp what was going on. But here he was. He had survived that last battle with Mindshatter along with his team of dino thunder rangers.
Jason, Aisha and Rocky had scouted out the city to find the other rangers, as instructed by the legendary ranger. And they wouldn't be surprised to find the DT technical director to be heading their way soon enough. As far as they could tell, if the war was finally over, then the rest of the world should be finally waking up from their deep slumber.
Tommy had slowly moved over to the computer console to ask his friend in blue what the status was on the rest of the city and world.
"Well, it seems like this is all over. People all over Reefside and the world are finally waking up. Temperatures are returning to normal, and I can't get a lock on any invisi-portal what so ever," Billy reported as he turned to look at the black dino ranger. "I think it's safe to say that Mindshatter is gone. And the island fortress, as far as I could tell, is also gone."
Tommy nodded slowly. He didn't have to lie about that. He had seen it with his own eyes. He and the other dino rangers. They tried to free Shadow Mesogog from the clutches of Mindshatter, but the chamber doors shut on them and they were captured in the icy liquid nitrogen fumes. And when it was over, they watched as the universal soldier came crashing to the ground in an icy heap. Shattered into a million pieces like a glass structure. And so did Shadow Mesogog, but somehow, as the figure fell, a bright light filled the room. And there lying in its wake was Anton Mercer and Zhane. They had survived. And that's one of the things Tommy was still trying to make sense of as he continued to file through all the mayhem dancing in his head.
"Hey, what's that?" Billy asked as he pointed to the gold encrusted coin on Tommy's black dino ranger suit. It was marked with the falcon and the crane looming over it like a protector.
Kim turned to look at it, running her fingers over it with confusion. It was clear that it took her by surprise to see it looming on her husband's chest, let alone how it had housed both of their animal spirits. "It's...our animal spirits?"
Tommy shrugged absently. He had forgotten that it was still there, nor did he really notice it until Billy had mentioned it. To him, it felt like it wasn't a big deal, like it was always apart of him, but it was clear his two teammates had many questions for him about it. "I'm not the only one."
And as he spoke those words, Conner, Kira and Ethan had emerged from the small infirmary room.
"So, how are they?" Tommy asked, beyond the confusion that fell over his Ninjetti teammates. His concern laid mostly on his former colleague and the white dino ranger, though his concern still fell over Zhane and hoping to get any answers from him. He was still trying to figure out how exactly Zhane had lived, knowing and watching the footage that destroyed him and the Lost Galaxy Rangers. Or was it all a trick?
"Adam says that Zhane will recovery nicely," Kira said with a nod.
"His ranger powers are helping him to recover," Conner added, but still disturbed by something else. Worried. A mix of feelings that he and his fellow teammates were feeling.
"But it may take more time for Anton. Whatever punishment that he went through in the last few months really took a lot out of him," Ethan stated in a sad and worried tone. And it was clear as he looked over at his young teammates, they had their own thoughts about how Trent was taking the news.
"Just as long as they make a nice recovery. That's all that should really matter right now."
"I'm worried about Trent, though, Dr. O," Kira finally had to admit as her shoulders shuddered in fear. The blue and red dino rangers moved to each side of her, laying their comforting hands upon her shoulders. In the two years they had fought as rangers, she had looked up to the two as big brothers. As a shoulder to cry on and a way to escape the mayhem, just to be in their company, despite the fact they were guys. She had not mind it, nor did she care too much about that factor.
"We all are," the black dino ranger nodded as he felt a heavy sigh escape his lips. He knew that he, himself, had had it rough for several years of his life. But Trent had been the same way, if not worse. And the thought of him never recovering from this moment could leave a lot of scars on the teen in ways that shouldn't even be there. "Give him some time alone, as much as I know we're all wanting to console him, but if anything, I know he would like some time to grasp this on his own. It will be hard. I don't doubt that. We're all leaving this battle with scars."
But beyond their concern for the white dino ranger, Billy and Kim had continued to look from their former leader in black to the trio of original dino rangers in confusion. Where they swore was supposed to be the three-pronged dino footprint of the dino rangers was an engraved crest of one of the six Ninjetti animal spirits on each of their chests. The teens noticed the gesture, not quite understanding the wide eyes of their predecessors.
"What! Did we do or say something wrong?" Conner was the first to say something. The confusion and fear ran through his voice as he took a step back.
Billy shook his head as he seemed to get out of his state of confusion. He walked over to the teens, never taking his eyes off the crests on their chests. He didn't know how or where to start, and didn't understand why the teens had not caught on right away to what he and Kim had them on edge about.
"Okay, stop looking at me like I grew two heads! What's going on?" Kira asked as she looked over at the P.E. teacher for answers. She watched as Kim's hand continued to rest of the crest on her husband's chest and when she looked down, she had noticed the crest of the bear on her own ranger suit. "Oh...never mind."
"I don't understand," Billy scratched his head. "How? By what means? Is this...?" He was just too stuck on words to really say anything. Despite the fact that he was still in his Ninjetti uniform, and he too had the crest on his own suit, there it was laying on the blue dino ranger.
"I guess you have those gemstones to thank," Tommy spoke up as he took the gloved hand of his wife, intertwining into his. His other hand wrapped more protectively around her waist. He turned to look at her. "They really helped us out back there in the battle."
"Tommy, baby, I wanna know what happened up there on that fortress," Kim spoke quietly still a little shaken and shocked to see the crest of the falcon and crane implanted on her husband's ranger suit.
Tommy nodded as he pulled her into a comforting hug. "I know you do. But I think we want the whole team to hear this."
Time passed by slowly.
Within the hour, the rangers from the past had slowly filed into the lab, many voicing their concerns and questions over the recent events. None of them could recall the entire day, as Jason, Aisha and Rocky tried to explain to them the basis of it all. Hayley was among them, asking her own questions regarding what had happened in the entire day while she was in deep slumber.
"The final battle went down? And we weren't there to witness it?" Wes blurted out as he shook his head.
"When and how did this happen?" TJ questioned as he walked across the room to where the black dino ranger was sitting with his wife at his side.
"Time out, TJ. Before you accuse me of anything, why not pop a seat and listen to our findings?" Tommy said simply, still locked in the protection of his ranger suit.
The Ninjetti Rangers had all disposed of their Ninjetti uniforms, returning to their normal attire. All of them sitting off to Tommy's right where Aisha and Rocky had joined up with them. The preceding rangers from the past continued to file out questions like rapid fire as the dino rangers tried to settle them down. But it was clear there was some tension, unmentioned words and lots of confusion that shook the entire lab.
Billy had comfortably took his arm at the computer console, running scans over the vitals on the dino rangers. He still had to make sure they were in good order, and as far as he could tell, they were fine.
Then the computer clicked and an image of Shane Clarke popped up in the top right hand corner. The rest of the Ninja Storm rangers had been looming behind him, all calling out to make sure they were getting something back on their system.
"Hey, can anyone hear me?" Shane asked as he looked into the same webcam on the computer system back at Ninja Ops.
Billy clicked a few more keys to establish a link and reveal his side of the link to the rangers in Blue Bay Harbor. "I read you loud and clear, Shane. What's up?"
"Whoa, Billy. Dude, is Cam with you?" Shane asked as he searched through the assembly of rangers.
"Actually, who all is over there? It seems like a big party," Hunter stated.
"Well..." a voice called out from beyond the established rangers in Reefside; Cam. He moved to the computer console pushing a few more buttons on the console. "We all sorta woke up from a long nap. And it seems some of these guys got the chance to witness and fight in the final battle for Earth."
"Dude, I thought it was just me. One second I'm just sparring with Blake and I just hit the ground and I'm out cold, until just recently," Dustin shook his head as he ran his hands through his hair.
"So, do we get an explanation to what exactly went down in Reefside, or will we be left in the dirt?" Blake asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"If you guys are willing to listen, we'll tell you what we can," the black dino ranger turned in his chair to look at the assembly of rangers from Blue Bay Harbor via satellite.
After a few moments to settle down, all eyes fell on the line of rangers who had been through the final battle one way or another. The dino rangers, the Ninjetti team, and the original red ranger.
"Let's start from the beginning," Andros spoke for the rest of the rangers who had wanted answers about the final battle.
Billy took the floor as he casually spoke of the grid that was planted all over the world. He had said that before he realized what was going on, more than half the city had already been in siege of falling into a deep slumber, including the other rangers. The only ones unaffected by the spell were the dino rangers, as being the current team, and the unique bond carried by the Ninjetti team.
"So, how does Jason fall into place?" Tanya asked as she made some sense of what the blue ninja rangers was saying. "I thought he was a victim like the rest of us, and had no powers to protect him from falling asleep."
"During the battle, myself and the other dino rangers had engaged ourselves in the final attacks from the psycho rangers and the cybots," the black dino ranger began to explain. "I had ordered the remaining rangers, the Ninjetti team, to stay put in the lab while we went into battle."
"Dude, what about us?" Shane called out, trying not to sound like a nosy person. "I mean, we got ninja powers, too, but we all crashed on the floor."
"Because... Shane, the Ninjetti team isn't like us," Cam had to speak up, correcting his friend. "We may be ninjas, but we don't have any real morphing powers now. The Ninjetti team has a farm more unique bond than we do. And since, we also aren't the current team to tap into the morphing grid, we were affected."
"Anyway, trying to stay on topic," Conner cleared his throat as he coughed. "We were stuck battling the cybots while Dr. O held his own against the psycho rangers."
"What we didn't realize were the consequences that came with that battle," Ethan said somewhat quietly, as they watched their mentor shift uncomfortably in his chair.
"Unfortunately, Mindshatter had somehow made a facsimile to the Sword of Darkness that somehow fell into the hands of Tommy," Adam spoke up when the dino rangers had all made their own gesture of uncomfortable movement.
"And he became evil, yet again, driving forth the destruction of the psycho rangers, re-introducing us to his green dragon ranger powers and the evil destruction the Dragon Zord can do," Aisha stated.
"And we had all engaged in a big zord battle with him," Rocky added.
"With my quick thinking, I had told Kim to find Jason, and hand over the powers of the dino gem to him, in hopes he could knock some sense into Tommy," Billy said as he looked over Kim, who had not said much, still holding her own in the explanation.
"With the power of the dino gem, it had awoken me," Jason answered in line with his friend in blue. "Unfortunately, I couldn't maintain control, since the powers weren't my own, but I managed to toss Tommy out of his zord. Both Kim and I were responsible for destroying the sword and returning him to normal."
"While the rest of us were stuck in battle with the Dragon Zord," Adam said.
The team had frozen, allowing their fellow teammates to grasp what was going on. It was clear that this was a lot to take in, and they had wished they were there to witness it as it happened, but it was clear none of them in battle wanted it to happen again.
"Wait. Time out, you said something about how you guys had to engage in battle. I get the whole primitive side keeping you awake, but I thought you didn't have any powers?" Zack shook his head as he tried to make sense of how the ninja rangers were in the battle.
"Under the hidden agenda of Elsa, she had directed me and Adam to some caves on the other side of town," Billy began to say. "She told us of a power source, gems that housed power similar to the dino gem. But they weren't as strong as they should be, for an actual ranger suit. Hayley, Cam, Adam and myself had been working for weeks now to perfect a facsimile morpher to house these gems. And we used them in battle to help out the dino rangers. With our powers, we had helped re-harness and recreate a facsimile to the Dino Rage Megazord."
"Even Kimberly?" Kat asked as she looked over at the pregnant woman. "I mean, I didn't think she'd actually be in a battle in her condition..."
The entire line of rangers nodded in turn as they turned to Kim, hoping she would say something, add her own thoughts on the matter, but she hadn't. And it was clear, none of them wanted to urge her to say anything if she wasn't feeling like it. Tommy only pulled her closer to her as she fought her own internal battles about what to say and what not to.
"The gems acted like a catalyst to protect us and sorta give us a boost of energy in battle. Kimberly fought by our side as if the pregnancy wasn't a problem. Which, I must say was quite a surprise, but I ain't saying that's a bad thing. She did her part, just like any of us did," Billy spoke for her friend as he peered over at her to see her smile gently.
"So, what happened after that?" Ashley asked growing more curious in their story.
"With the Sword of Darkness destroyed, the dino rangers had escaped through an invisi-portal to the island fortress," Jason said. "We stayed behind..."
"But not without handing over the gemstones that had protected us in battle," Aisha said.
"It would have done us no good to go to the fortress because we would be in the very heart and source that was disrupting the morphing grid in the first place. We would have taken a bad hit the moment we stepped onto that fortress. And since, of course, they are the current team, they were unaffected," Billy said.
"Well, not entirely," Ethan corrected as he knew the rest of the explaining would fall on him and his ranger counterparts.
"It seems that Mindshatter had been patient about lighting the very candles that connected the dino gems to ourselves. We all knew about the Zeo Candles and the Space Candles, but had not realized that he had waited so long to light ours," Tommy said.
"And we split up," Kira said quietly. "Ethan and Trent had went to the mainframe computer room to work their magic, while me, Conner and Dr. O went in search for Mindshatter."
"And that's when we sorta were in some trouble," Conner began. "Caught up in an explosion, it sent the three of us into unconsciousness. We were knocked out cold."
Another silence fell over the rangers, and only for a moment, the red, black and yellow rangers had exchanged gestures. It was clear none of them wanted to speak of their nightmares, regarding the red fumes. Nor did Ethan and Trent want to discuss their own thoughts of fear that ran through their minds during the battle.
"We woke up chained back to back. And saw Dr. O wanting to make a killer blow, but he didn't seem to move," Kira said.
For a moment, Tommy looked away as if he wanted to just throw up, or faint. But he had needed a moment to catch his breath. His shoulders shuddered in a sense of fear as he found his hand grip his wife's hand tighter. "Master of mind tricks, Mindshatter was toying with my mind. Bad. I didn't know what to believe. I heard each of you in my head telling me we had failed. Telling me to give up and hand over my powers. But for some strange reason, I didn't believe it. I couldn't, and as I was hoping to land a killer blow, Mindshatter had toyed with my mind more, making me believe I would be hurting Kim rather than him."
"Luckily, Kira and me were there to knock some sense into him. But it was a rough and costly battle," Conner shook his head.
"And the candles, being in the presence of them, just made us weaker, quicker and faster. And super dino mode made the candles burn quicker," Ethan said. "It felt like hell."
"Ethan and I had moved from the computer room up the main lab when we were caught up in the sheer shock of a menace," Trent spoke quietly for the first time since they began to tell the tale.
"It seemed that Mindshatter had his own twisted thoughts and had used the Geno-Randomizer to combine Dinoshade and Mesogog into a gruesome creature. Two souls, one body with power that packed more than a punch. It was a ruthless battle, almost flawless," the black dino ranger spoke up.
"But we won. Somehow, we got through to the menace and he helped us destroy Mindshatter." Kira said, hoping to end the explanation there.
It was clear none of the dino rangers truly wanted to go into complete and utter detail over their battle. It was one only meant for themselves to learn and grow from. A battle with scars and a line of sacrifices no one could have expected. But, here they were, alive and kicking it.
"A swarm of tyrannodrones were seen in the fortress fusing it up to explode at every turn," Ethan added. "And well, we escaped through an invisi-portal and, well...here we are."
"And since you won, the world doesn't have to suffer," TJ said with a small smile. "All in a day's work of being a power ranger."
The team nodded slowly as a line of heavy sighs fell over them.
"So, is it bad to ask what exactly happened to Mindshatter?" Eric asked still wanting some questions to be answered.
"Well, thanks to our computer geniuses, we had re-programmed the Geno-Randomizer to act like its own little cryogenic chamber," the black ranger spoke up, knowing his teammates couldn't discuss the other issue with the final part of the battle. "We got him inside, locked it up and he had met an untimely death in the icy abyss of it."
"But, what about those crests? I don't remember that," Cassie had pointed out, never taking her eyes off of them.
"Something complementary from the Ninjetti rangers when they gave us the gemstones," Tommy had continued to explain. "At one point of the battle, we had all de-morphed. I was the first one to go. The teens were on their own for a long time because it also knocked me unconscious. That was a bad thing. But somehow, through a lot of concentration, determination, heart and courage, it gave us the strength to open up this new set of powers."
"Is it permanent?" Carlos asked.
The dino rangers had exchanged a set of looks before standing up, throwing their hands across their chest, to power down. The crests disappearing to reveal the very three-pronged dino footprint they had all come to remember. The gemstones sat in each of their hands, and in another final move, they had dropped from their ranger suits and returned to their civilian forms.
"No," the teens shook their head.
"But it was something that couldn't really be described. It just happened." Tommy said.
The receiver rangers had fallen silent again, as they had made comments to each other in silence. No real words had escaped their mouths, but the gestures they made were clear that there seemed to be a lot of missing gaps.
"So, what about...Anton?" Andros asked slowly and quietly as he watched the steps of the white dino ranger falter.
The team had fallen silent again as if something else was lingering in their minds.
"Or me?" another voice pierced through the silence.
Rangers sprang to their feet searching for the voice as the Ninjetti team had shifted over a few steps to reveal the Silver Space Ranger. Bandaged up from the torso up. A binding around his forehead. But very much alive and stable as he used the wall as an added support to keep himself upright. The Space Rangers were frozen in confusion, shock, fear and mixed feelings.
"This has to be a trick," TJ shook his head as he slowly stepped forward, closer to the mirage before him.
"TJ, it's me," the silver space ranger replied as he took a step toward the assembly of rangers. But he had lost his footing and nearly stumbled as Rocky and Adam caught a hold of him.
"Zhane?" Andros spoke breathlessly. Ashley was at his side in an instant, letting him lean against her as he tried to make sense of what was going on. He swore – no, he knew – his best friend was dead. His knees buckled as he looked away for a moment, trying to hide away his tears and fears, but as he looked back up, he saw his best friend standing there only a few feet away. His sister, Karone, had been at his other side, also trying to make sense of what was going on. "It can't be... I thought... no... you should be dead."
"Dead?" the silver ranger chuckled. It was like he had made this whole thing look like some big joke or act. But his face fell into a frown as he nodded. "I really thought that, too. But Dinoshade had offered me a chance to live, inside him, if that's how one could describe. I heard that was sorta the same thing with Mike and the Magna Defender."
The space rangers continued to advance toward their fallen – which they swore had fallen – friend, but he was there. In the flesh. And for the other rangers in the room, they were just as shocked to see him alive, let alone back on his feet so quickly.
"But how?" TJ asked as he was finally within arm's length of his friend in silver. He had slowly reached over patting on Zhane's shoulder, swearing it had to be a dream, but he had definitely hit something solid.
Carlos was at his side raising an eyebrow as he reached over to grasp the hand out for him by the silver ranger. Cassie didn't know what to believe as she found herself pull the man into a hug, concluding that this was no dream. It really was Zhane, the silver space ranger.
"I'm still trying to make sense of it all myself. So, don't think I have all the answers here, because I really don't," Zhane had to admit.
Andros, Ashley and Karone had finally made it over to the array of space rangers, still not believing their eyes.
"Are you gonna keep looking at me like that or give me a proper greeting?" Zhane asked as a wide smile locked on his face. Even in the most shocking of events, in the recent tragedy, the silver ranger had not found anything more than smile about it. Made it something more positive.
Ashley let a gentle smile pass her face before ruffling his hair and pulling him into a hug. And soon after, Karone had fallen into his embrace. Despite what protection Andros had over his sister, he had known the two of them were developing a relationship. It was very slow, but it had been moving along in the past few years. Not that he didn't disapprove so much -- it was his best friend – he just seriously stated that if Zhane had hurt Karone in any way, he would see to it personally to avenge her hurt and broken heart. But Andros had still been struck with fear and confusion.
"We haven't seen you in months. We all thought you were dead," Andros said as he had unconsciously engaged in his signature handshake with his best friend. "It's like you're back from it."
"Well, I ain't no zombie, trust me, Andros. Just sorta woke up from another long cryogenic sleep."
"But how?" TJ had repeated. It was clear this matter was still getting over his head, and he didn't know what to think of it. He had already grasped the fact that Zhane was there in the flesh, but 'how' was a major question for him and the others present in the room.
"Well..." Zhane breathed as he found a seat to crash in. "I did, in fact, go into battle with Mindshatter over the planet of Mirinoi with the Lost Galaxy Rangers. We fought, but we had no chance. Cybots were dropping like flies if they weren't converted. Dinoshade had guarded me from a blow, and he had quickly offered himself as a shield and haven of protection. And the next I know, I become apart of him. And he had tried to get to the Lost Galaxy Rangers, but by that time, Mindshatter had a hold of his mind, and he ended up destroying them. I, myself, had strangely fallen asleep. And the next I remember was laying on the ground on this island fortress Mindshatter's been crashing at... and well, I hit the sack again until I was revived by my powers and the help of Adam. Now, here I am."
"Yeah, here you are," Andros said as a smile finally passed his face.
And there it was said, set in stone. He had been alive this entire time, but the Lost Galaxy Rangers weren't as lucky, nor were the Wild Force Rangers and the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers. But it was clear that none of them had seen this coming. It was something new to each and every one of them.
"You know, I would really hate to ruin a warm moment, but what about Anton?" Eric blurted out, not trying to sound rude. But it was clear it had made the dino rangers shift again.
And it was clear none of them could speak, especially the white dino ranger as he felt his legs collapse and his teenage teammates raced to catch him before he hit the ground. They were all feeling the mark hit home, but none like him. There were just scars there that he would never get rid of, and they all knew that. But hoped they could provide some warmth where he felt lost.
"He made it out, but..." Adam was hesitant as he spoke from a more professional, medical doctor perspective. "He hasn't shown much signs of life or activity since he's been out. No progress. At this rate, he'll remain in a coma, but I'm not sure for how long."
The rest of the rangers had fallen silent. And it was clear that either the white dino ranger was putting blame on him, trying to cope with the fact his father might become a vegetable or never wake up at all, or something else. But he was hurting. He was crushed. Shaken with fear, regret, doubt and several other emotions.
"But he'll recover, right?" Kat asked as she had found her place in the arms of her husband as Jason laid a kiss on her head.
"He should. I just don't know what type of future it will be. He took a lot of punishment when he was on that island fortress, and I'm still trying to make sense of what torment Mindshatter has done to him. But, I think without that dino DNA fused into his body, he might have been a lot worse, if not dead," Adam replied trying to keep his voice level and quiet, hoping for not the white ranger to hear.
But it was clear that Trent had heard it as he let out an angered breath, wanting to punch something, almost striking Kira, but with quick reflexes Tommy had blocked the shot, rising over him and letting the teen collapse into his embrace. The other dino rangers crowded around the shaken teen, but where the tears wanted to fall, they didn't. Trent was just enraged with a fury that many of them would have to wait for him to ride out. In a collected heap, the dino rangers, including Kim, had provided some comfort for their comrade.
Trent had told himself quietly, though that it would be okay. It had to be. His father wasn't dead, as far as Adam had reported. He was just gonna be in a long process of recovery in the next few days, weeks and hopefully not months. But as he had looked at the pale face of his father, moments ago, it crushed him. If there was a way for him to use his dino gem to heal his father, he'd use it. But that was his own feat he would question about, locking it away with several other thoughts and theories for him alone.
After only a few moments of silence, the rest of the rangers had gotten the clue that this was the end of the discussion. What was said was said. And they had to give the credit that Mindshatter was finally gone, and they could return to their normal lives...hopefully. And as normal as it would get for a bunch of rangers.
Trent had finally collapsed into the comforting arms of his girlfriend, but it was clear his mind was spinning over a lot of issues regarding himself as a ranger, about his father, and his position as being Anton's son. There were far too many things he was worried about, and Kira knew as she held onto him, that the only thing she could provide for him right now, was her presence.
Ethan and Conner had held their own about the situation. They had been a close-knit group of friends, an interesting group of friends, but it was one group that none of them would ever want to get rid of. They were after all, one big unique family of super heroes.
After the silence was finally getting to all of them, the ranger of many battles had taken the center floor. He had done this months ago when they had fought their final battle with Mesogog and Zeltrax. And here he was, several months later, closing off the gap between the rangers of the past and the present.
"Where do I begin?" Tommy asked quietly as he tried to search for words to say. "I mean, here I am, only months ago closing it off yet again. We all are. Closing off another chapter in our lives as another evil being is defeated and we claim the throne of victory. It wasn't an easy battle, but no battle is ever easy to conquer. I don't speak for just the battles we face as rangers, but throughout our life. The surprises we've encountered and the shock and pain of losing those; some closer than others, but they will never forgotten."
Soon, Tommy had not found himself alone, as the original team had made their way to his side, lining up one side of him. His fellow teammates, from the years past on the other side. In the watchful eyes of the two Time Force Rangers, the Space Rangers, the Ninja Storm Rangers, via satellite, and the other dino rangers, the legacy had begun with them.
"We began the tradition. Created the legacy," Jason spoke up. He looked at the audience of rangers before him, shaking his head. "And to tell you honestly, you were lucky. No, I'm serious. You guys are lucky to have something to fall back on. To look back at rangers from the past as inspiration. But we were the first. We had nothing to fall back on and look to if we screwed up."
"All we had was a mentor who had forever been an ally toward good," Zack said.
Billy had looked from his place, to the other assembly of rangers to Tommy's left; the Ninjetti Rangers and Zeo Rangers. "These guys had us to fall back on, but we didn't."
"Yet, we had them to learn from. We still had to learn a lot of things on our own. We all did. We always will. Learning and communicating will help prepare ourselves for the future," Rocky spoke up, thought sorta shocked that something like that would escape his mouth.
"But, like I've said before, where this battle has ended, new beginnings start up where it has ended. It is a never-ending cycle. And where ever there is evil, the Power Rangers will stand forth and do our duty no matter where we are. But, as a respect to our fallen comrades in battle, I ask for a silent moment in their name. To the Lost Galaxy Rangers, discovering a new world and protecting the galaxy from evil, you will never be forgotten. To the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers who had kept this planet safe from being ruled by demons, you will never be forgotten. To the Wild Force Rangers who had made sure that Earth in, itself, would be a safe haven for life to evolve and grow into the future, you will never be forgotten. Though, the powers might have not been there to save or protect you, each of you have done more than enough to keep earth from falling to any evil. You will always carry the legacy on your shoulders, as all of us have. May the Powers Protect Each of You Always," Tommy had more formally said than he had hoped, but did.
And quietly, the room and fallen into silence, despite the humming from the running machines. Some of the rangers had fallen into a state of tears as the respect was given to their fallen comrades.
Time passed slowly.
Cam had reported that his stay in Reefside was well over-due, and he needed to get back to Ninja Ops to re-establish any lost links between the rangers of the past and present. Everyone had said their good-byes to the green samurai ranger as he went on his way in a ninja streak out the door.
After small conversations had begun among the rangers present, Tommy had collapsed on a chair beside the main computer where Hayley had been working her magic alongside Billy. Despite the mayhem of the day's activities, his head was spinning for the outcome of the future.
"You know you can't predict the future, right?" a voice entered his thoughts, though he had not spoken of what he was thinking to anyone.
Tommy shot back into reality as he felt a hand grasp his shoulder, the hand of his wife. He turned the chair to face her, pulling her into a hug. He had to admit that she was either getting bigger, or he was not liking how her round belly was keeping them from really getting any closer. But, within that belly, was the very gift he would hate to take away from her at any cost. This was the one thing that had connected them even more as husband and wife, a child of their own. From their own love for each other.
"You could read my mind?" he spoke quietly almost shocked that she had, or could.
"Well, I guess it's this special bonding we now have, considering the fused powers of that gemstone with your powers, huh?" she had replied before leaning over to lay a kiss on his lips.
Tommy figured that was one thing he felt he could ever really explain. Or understand. He wanted to say that it was a sorta blessing. That it would bring them closer together as husband and wife, yet something that felt like it was unconsciously linked to them. And it had hated that several surprises could only mean that much more trouble, but hoped that it wouldn't.
"You do know you can't predict the future, right?" she had repeated when he had not said anything.
"I know," Tommy replied quietly as he nodded. "It's always in motion, and even if we could, it would destroy the element of surprise."
"You always liked surprises," she giggled, knowing that he really didn't. He hated them almost with a passion, especially ones that seemed to be a bigger deal to overcome than others.
Tommy had sighed quietly as he got to his feet. He figured there was nothing more he could have done about the situation. For a long time, he had sit there and watched the white dino ranger with great concern. He knew that Trent was hurting greatly about it, still blaming himself for something he couldn't have fixed. And as far as he could tell, he knew the teen wouldn't want to talk to anyone about it for a long time. But that's not what he wanted. He didn't want to let the teen stay in a state of isolation, which he knew Trent was doing.
Trent had quietly left the room as he headed over to the small infirmary room in the back of the lab. He just didn't know what to think or believe about the entire situation. He had to admit, he was glad that Mindshatter had been destroyed, but if it had costed his father's life, he wasn't sure how much he could manage. There was already a lot he had gone through, and he wasn't sure how much more he could handle.
Adam was in the room checking out the vitals of the scientist, but as his eyes had met the eyes of the teen, he could only shake his head and left the room, knowing the teen wanted some alone time with his father.
Trent had slowly walked over to the bed that housed his father. Tucked away, but still looking pale and weak, it made Trent's knees buckle. His eyes fell shut as the images of the final battle played through his mind. Of the moment his eyes had locked with that evil robotic menace as he and Ethan had stepped into the main lab, it crushed his heart. He knew that in that menace, his father was locked inside. And somehow, he didn't know how, the menace had switched sides and joined up with them, putting an end to Mindshatter, but also to himself. Or so he thought. And the time that had been spent watching the chamber fill with the liquid nitrogen, Trent just felt his heart stop. His body shook with fear, guilt, anger, and several other mixed feelings as his friends kept him back. And when he had seen the frozen statue of Shadow Mesogog, he had raced over, hoping to catch it before it smashed into the ground, but had failed. Only in the light of the shatter, a bright light blinded him and the other rangers, to reveal the still figures of Zhane and his father.
He shook the images away as he walked over the bed, looming over his father. He didn't want to feel like he should blame himself for any of this, but it felt like it was his fault. If he had known, early on when the battle had begun, about how significant his father was, he would have been there to stop the cybots from taking him. From kidnaping him and subjecting him to hideous experiments to resurrect his evil alter-ego. But there was something about Mesogog... he wasn't evil no more. His father had control of him, and he knew that. He just didn't know how, but didn't care.
He began to file through his thoughts trying to figure out what to say. His throat burned, his eyes were in need of dropping tears, but he couldn't seem to let them go. Not around his friends. Not that he was trying to be tough about the entire situation, he was burning with a lot of mixed feelings. "It's over, dad. It's finally over. Mindshatter has been defeated, and you're out of the torment of being Mesogog. I hope. I really don't know what to think of the last battle, but for a long time, I've looked at all that has happened to me. And I don't think I ever really got a chance to really tell you how much I had appreciated all you have done and given me in the last few years. I mean, we never really have gotten a chance to bond as father and son, you were always busy, and here I am at the brink of graduating high school, and I feel that we may never get that chance. But, I do thank you for all you've done. I know it hasn't been any easier for you to have me around, especially in the beginning, but just so you know, I'm doing all right. I guess. I got – no, we got a lot of friends – here who are willing to help out. No more secrets, dad. Please. You've been through a lot. I only hope that you do get better and we can share some bonding before I move onto the next chapter of my life. I also want to let you know that Dr. O and Coach have been great guardians while you've been fighting your own battles. They've kept me sane. They all have...Kira, Conner, Ethan... everyone here. May the Powers Protect You."
Despite the lingering figures at the door, he didn't seem to notice them at all. Kira had been standing there for the longest time beside her mentor and science teacher as they watched the teen in white struggle with his own feelings over the matter. Kim had joined up with them some time later, allowing the yellow dino ranger to find comfort in her arms as the trio had watched the teen in the room.
Knocking quietly on the wall before entering, Tommy strode over to the teen, placing a hand on Trent's shoulder as they looked down at the unconscious Anton. "I know you'd prefer none of this to get out in the open, Trent, but Adam says we're gonna have to move him over to Reefside Hospital for more examination. He will see to it, personally, to keep an eye on him as he recovers."
"But what if he doesn't, Dr. O?" Trent asked quietly. His shoulders slumped down lower as he lowered his head even more.
"If Zhane recovered than so can he," the black ranger spoke firmly. "Anton is a tough guy, and I know that he will recover. There's nothing more we could do for him, but wait on him. But you know, we're always here if you need us."
The teen nodded slowly as he turned to look at the science teacher. For the months his father had been in the clutches of Mindshatter, he had gone to Dr. Oliver and his wife for advice, or just a place to crash at and hang out. The couple had not mind his company, only trying to provide a caring and loving environment as any parent or guardian would for the kid(s) they had looked over. He had also come to enjoy the company of the little pipsqueak known as Serena, Dr. Oliver's daughter, and the feeling of actually having a little sibling. His entire life had been bent around being an only child. He had nearly gotten everything he could ever want. And though, he knew his father, Anton, had not official said he loved or cared for his son, he knew that he did.
"Thanks, Dr. O for everything," he said as the science teacher wrapped his arms around the teen like an older brother would for their younger sibling.
"You'll always have a place to come back to here, all right?" the science teacher said quietly.
The teen in white slowly pulled away looking back at the motionless figure he knew as his father. For a guy who had more than enough to support him and the teen, the guy had a lot to look into in his future. Yet, as the teen was finally pushing away some doubt in his mind, he knew that there was still a chance for his father. And that's what he had wanted for him.
The hour had passed slow, but the assembly of rangers had found themselves making it back to the cyber cafe. Walking in through the back, to avoid the watchful eyes of the paying customers, they made their way down the hidden staircase to the very rock that had housed the energy to power of the morphing grid and the powers they were given through the years.
Quietly, but casually the rangers who had handed down their powers – the Zeo Rangers, the Space Rangers, and the two Time Force Rangers – lined the rock, placing their hand on the respective morpher they knew as their own. The Ninjetti team stood a few steps behind them, circling them and the dino rangers had taken the back end.
Slowly, the dino rangers began to concentrate on the energy of their dino gems as the small cave began to glow with the mix of colors that powered up the rangers before the morphing grid rock. Then the flow of energy traveled through the Ninjetti team and finally to the other rangers at the base of the rock.
A buzz of warmth filled each of them as they felt the energy return to their bodies and slowly each morpher had slipped from the rock onto the respective wrist of its owner. The room continued to glow and dance in a light of colors and when the transfer had been complete, the rangers had received their powers back from the dino rangers. The light clearing, every ranger stood in their respective ranger suit, or ninja uniform.
"So, this is how it feels to have power all over again?" TJ asked as he looked at the blue space ranger suit he knew as his own.
"You'll always have power, TJ. It doesn't matter if it comes from a gem, coin, morpher or not. We all have our own set of powers, that's heart, courage and true spirit," the black dino ranger stated as he stepped forward, walking over to the rock and laying a hand atop of it. He began to glow in a hint of gold-black as his dino teammates joined him. "That's what makes up a real hero."
The other dino rangers placed their hands atop his watching as the rock began to glow and blend the colors of each of the dino rangers into one. The rest of the rangers watched as the hint of pink escaped each of their morphers, showing the outline of the pink dino gem within each of them. And then they pulled away slowly as the gem's light slowly faded out. And the room was left in a dim haze.
"That rock contains the very chapter of each of the rangers teams that have come and gone through the years. We have just filled in the rest of our chapter up to this point into it," the black dino ranger said.
"So, that rock is the official means of obtaining the very information we need about the rangers that have come to pass?" Jason asked as he walked over to his best friend.
"That and more," Ethan spoke up, as he recalled the day he and his teammates had witnessed the adventures of a new team of rangers, the Space Patrol Delta Rangers, many years down the road. "But that waits to be seen for all of us."
"The future is always in motion. But the legacy will continue to grow and move through the years," Tommy said as he turned to look at the assembly of rangers before him. "No matter where you may be, never stop fighting the good fight, rangers. I've said this several times in the past, and I will say it again. No one ranger is less important than another. We all have our role to play in this game. And as we have seen, this legacy has gone as far as the year 3000 with our fellow Time Force Rangers. Where one chapter closes, a new one will begin with a lot more surprises and changes. Be prepared for anything, and may the powers always protect you one and all."
To be continued...
A/N: Let me guess, from here you're thinking what else must I possibly be trying to add, right? Well, why not keep an eye out for the next set of chapters. And I do wanna apologize for the long wait. I've been working around trying to get back into the school mode, so I've been working in bits to complete this. I hope you liked the final battle. There is still much more for our ranger friends, but what? Check it out, later. Until another time, I'll see you guys around. Later daze and keep your eyes out for the last round of chapters. May the Powers Always Protect You.