Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN POWER RANGERS!
Summary: Jack loses control.
Rewritten Chapter Four
The Fight
As Jack hurdled through time and space, he felt his entire body be deconstructed by the Time Portal. Strangely, it didn't hurt. In fact, he didn't feel anything. Not air or clothing or ground. He had stopped hurdling and was now floating through the air as a ball of light. His vision changed, he could see all around him, but the view was slightly distorted. He knew that he could morph at the slightest thought, if there was need, but he also knew, that he couldn't morph until needed, or he could destroy everything he was here for, for his own suit, had just been created and was only in the experimental phases in this year.
He found himself floating in an empty parking garage, and not even a car was there. So he started floating out into the world with RIC trailing behind; he had only 48 hours to find and rescue Sky, before it was too late. As he floated out of the parking garage, he heard the sounds of a fight. Curious, he went to take a look. In the street, there just happened to be a fight between four SPD Rangers (Blue, Green, Yellow and Pink) wearing old-fashioned suits and an alien he recognized as Lang-Low, from history class, but also from his memory.
For, although Jack had never even told Z or Matt, he still had nightmares of this day. This day was the day before he began life on the streets. It was the last day he lived at SPD. For he too had lived at SPD, with Sky, Bridge, Z and Syd long ago. Z no longer remembered for she had been too young, and her parents left SPD shortly after. Bridge and Syd were also too young. Sky had been going through his own crisis, as his own father had just been killed.
Jack's father, Zack Landors, was the Blue SPD Ranger at the time that Sky's father, Jonathan was the Red Ranger. He had been killed in the Line of Duty. He too was mourned, but had not saved as many people on his last day, and so the mourning was not as extensive. He watched it now live, as he had once watched it many years ago on the view screen in the Command Room; Lang-Low grabbed his father and wrapped his tentacles around him, poison oozing out of them, causing explosions on the Blue Suit that Jack's father wore. The other Rangers couldn't help. Jack breathed hard. Only a minute more did Zachary Landors have. Images of what was about to happen, ran through Jack mind, as they had many times throughout the years, in his dreams.
But it was his father's screams that did it. "Oh heck no! I am not reliving this nightmare!" Jack yelled. Everyone in the area turned to look at this floating ball of light that had just yelled. Lang-Low dropped Jack's father and turned to look. "SPD Emergency!" Jack yelled, and suddenly he was in his Ranger form. "Huh? A Red Ranger? But the Red Ranger was killed by Mirloc! They haven't had enough time to choose a new Red Ranger!" Lang-Low shouted. "And that suit is still in the experimental phases!"
"Can you say 'time travel', Lang-Low?" "Yah, duh! Time Travel! How do you know my name, anyways?" "They teach about you in history class." "So, I'm infamous?" "Don't make me laugh. Don't make me mad either." "Why not?" Lang-Low asked mockingly as he attacked Jack. Jack blocked the attack easily and said coldly, "I've had a very horrific time the past half-year." "Tell me about it, I just can't seem to throw you Power Rangers off." Lang-Low attempted in vain to knock Jack off his feet. "You're comparing that to my horrific half-year? I better start at the beginning.
"Six months ago, we at Earth SPD had different Commander, than we do now. I believe that in this time, he has just begun his career as an SPD Commander. His name was Commander Cruger. He was a true mentor, a true guide and leader. To those of us who did not have fathers, he was like a father. To those of us who did, he was like a second father. If it weren't for him, I'd be serving time right now; before I was a Ranger, I played Robin Hood. One day he attended a Commander's Meeting on K-O35, leaving me in charge. An old Cadet that had gone AWOL, returned. We placed him in a cell, to await reassessment. Soon after Commander Cruger returned, the Cadet escaped from his cell and snuck into Commander Cruger's quarters. Security went looking for Commander Cruger when he didn't show up for any of his appointments, and found him lying dead on the floor, in his quarters, with signs of a fight, and a struggle."
"Man! You must have felt mighty guilty about that." "Sure did. He was replaced by Commander Quentez, who immediately placed us on two hour long each three-a-day training. In each one, we each have to fight 100 robotic soldiers, holograms of what our enemy uses. Then we have to run the obstacle course 10 times, do 300 sit-ups, and 200 push-ups. Finally, those of us who have Civilian Powers, train our Powers for an hour."
"Dang, that sounds grueling!" "Sure was. Dr. Manx, who was a good friend, and our reliable technical support, soon found that Earth SPD without Commander Cruger was just not the same. She asked for a transfer, and received one to go to SPD Federation. She left without saying goodbye."
"Ooh. That's cold!" "Sure is. Dr. Bootoo was her replacement. He was a cranky, elderly Bang-ga. We always had to be careful of him. A small startle could send him into cardiac arrest in one or more of his hearts, and he and Commander Quentez were always yelling about something."
"Humph, he sounds like he needed to be in a nursing home." "Sure did. But we did get attached to him. Boom flunked out of the Academy, but stayed on to be Dr. Manx's assistant. He oft seemed goofy, but was a good friend. He always wanted to be a Power Ranger, and told his parents that he was the Orange Squad Commander. When they came to visit him, he put on a homemade Orange Ranger Suit and attempted to save the day. Because of that, the battle was nearly lost. Even though we won it in the end because of him, that stunt cost him his job. He was fired by Commander Quentez at Dr. Bootoo's request. We haven't seen him since."
"That's sad." "Sure is. But it gets worse. Matthew Longton was the Blue Ranger of my team. He was my closest friend. I'd known him for 10 years, since we were 10. Our bond bound us together closer than blood ever could. We were closer than brothers. He, however was not chosen by the Morphing Grid to be a Protector Ranger, he was just a Police Ranger, meaning that he could not access his full powers and potential, like the rest of us. One day he left SPD to do some soul searching. He never returned. Instead, when he earned the right to be a Protector Ranger and access his full potential and powers, he gave them and his life up to restore the true chosen one to good."
"Stop! You're depressing me!" "Why should I? I need to get it out!" Jack shouted, as he slammed Lang-Low into a wall. "While WE were DISTRACTED by Matt's DEATH, enemy FOOT SOLDIERS broke INTO OUR BASE and PLACED a BOMB IN the FUEL TANKS. I DIED, BUT THEY brought ME BACK. DR. BOOTOO WAS TRAPPED AND NEVER GOT OUT. I AM SCARRED PAINFULLY ALL OVER FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. NOT A SINGLE HAIR WILL EVER GROW AGAIN ON MY HEAD. THE BASE IS ALL BUT DESTROYED."
"IT GOES ON. I AM TOLD THAT OUR POWER LINK IS BROKEN AMID THIS, AND THAT EARTH IS DOOMED. I AM CHOSEN TO UNDO IT, BUT I HAVE ALREADY BLOWN THE MISSION."
"Oh, dear that does sound bad." "NO KIDDING!" Jack whipped him around, pulled his ear to his mouth. "Not to mention that every night I have the same nightmare over and over. The one where you killed my father while I watched and I could do nothing. I was only eight. He is the one you just attempted to kill," Jack whispered.
"What? He's your what?" Jack swung him around and threw him down. Out flung Jack's arm with the Delta Morpher in his hand. "Judgment mode! You are charged with multiple crimes including obstruction of justice, robbery and the attempted murder of a Power Ranger." As the X and O flickered back and forth, Lang-Low yelled, "What's happening? What are you doing to me?" The red X showed. "Contain!" The red X wrapped itself around Lang-Low and forced him into a Containment Card, which Jack caught as it flew through the air, and slid it into the Containment Card Pouch strapped to the outside of his thigh.
"Whoa! That's amazing!" The Green Ranger shouted. Yellow and Pink were busy helping Zack up, who grunted, "It might be amazing, but he has too much anger in him." It would have been better if Zack had yelled. Jack stood still for a moment; he had been yelled by Command Quentez many times, when Command Quentez was disappointed in him. He had been yelled at by Dr. Bootoo, and sometimes by Commander Cruger, and that had hurt, especially when he didn't yell. But this was from his father, that over and over he had relived the death of, over the years.
He sighed and shook his head; he still had a mission to complete. He couldn't let his emotions interfere again. Turning to Zack, he said, "Come, we need to get to the Base." "Just who are you anyways?" Pink asked. "I cannot tell you that now. I am from the future, and right now, my younger self is watching. It will not do for him for to know his destiny or fate." "There is not enough room for you to ride in the Squad Car with us…" said Green said, scratching his head. "That's okay, I'll meet you there, my civilian form has been crystallized into energy, or basically a ball of light. In that form, I'll be there shortly after you. As for RIC…" "Rick? Rick who?" asked Yellow. Jack whistled, and RIC came running up. Immediately, he barked in a way he had never barked in front of Jack, except once. That was when he had seen Kat just recently for the first time in ages.
RIC turned his head to the side, and barked a confused bark. "Ruff?" RIC righted his head and barked excitedly. Jack laughed. He knelt and petted RIC. "So you recognize them from a while back, do you boy?" RIC barked his yes barked. "This is RIC, or Robotic Interactive Canine. Actually to be precise, he is RIC 2.0. He'll be at the Base quicker than you. RIC, return home." The eyes of Zack, Green, Yellow and Pink widened as RIC shot off like a lighting bolt. "See you there. Power Down," Jack said as he returned to a ball of light and took off.
When Jack arrived in the Command Room, Green, Yellow and Pink were discussing the "angry Red Ranger" who "though extremely powerful," was "extremely dangerous and angry" with Commander Cruger and Dr. Manx. "Hi honey, I'm home." Jack used the age-old joke in a dry manner.
Commander Cruger jumped when he saw what was talking, his eyes wide. Kat hissed. "Am I imagining things, or did that ball of light just say something?" Commander asked.
"Actually, Commander Cruger, to be precise, I am not a ball of light but a ball of crystallized energy."
"How do you know my name?" "In the year 2025, I am a ranger under you. Well, I mean, I was. I was sent to undo a time change and restore time. When I traveled through the Time Portal my human form became crystallized." "So you're the Red Ranger with so much anger." Jack sighed, "Yes, sir, I am. Sir, I am human, and there is only so much emotional distress, we can take. I hit my limit there." "May I ask why that particular scene caused you so much distress? I mean, it seemed almost personal." Jack thought for a moment.
Then he asked, "Dr. Manx, can you bring up the fight on the view screen, to time index 5 14 93, and amp up the sound to um 12 decibels? That is my answer." "Why certainly." A picture of Jack whispering into Lang-Low's ear appeared. The video played. Jack's whispered voice came on loudly, "Not to mention that every night, I have the same nightmare over and over. The one where you killed my father, while I watched and I could do nothing. I was only eight. He is the one you just tried to kill."
"That's enough, Dr. Manx. You have my answer." Everyone in the room was silent. Finally, Commander Cruger spoke up. "I understand, after years of nightmares of my world's destruction, with six months of living nightmares, given the chance to save it, even at the risk of changing time, or failing a mission, I might take it. So, you're Jack Landors." "Yes sir, I am."
"What was your mission? Perhaps we can help." "What does it matter? My mission is blown any way," Jack said bitterly. "My father was meant to die, not to live. Now his life stretches out before him, changing everything." "Let me take care of that Jack, there maybe a way to fix that without killing him."
Jack was skeptical about that, but said, "Alright. Morgana, a most dangerous criminal, will arrive in 20 hours. She will attempt to kidnap Schuylar Tate, the young son of Jonathon Tate, the late Red Ranger. He has been chosen by the Morphing Grid to be the Blue SPD Protector Ranger. If she succeeds, she will take him to Emperor Grumm himself to be brainwashed and trained to be the Dark Sky Ranger, and you can imagine what damage that will do."
Jack spent the next 16 hours preparing for his encounter sleeping, training and regenerating. Finally, the call came. He reported to the Command Room.
To Be Continued… Next is Ch. 5: Protector