Rising Above
By SparklyTree3876
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance/Adventure
Pairing: Tommy/Kim and Jason/Trini
Author's Notes: Hi, readers. I would like to present a new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fic. It is an AU version of 'Day of the Dumpster' where Tommy is part of the team from the beginning. I was watching MMPR one day when I wondered what might have been if Tommy had lived in Angel Grove all his life. As a result, this idea was born. Devastating news has come from the Power Rangers community. Jason David Frank died at age forty-nine from suicide. He was Tommy Oliver on Power Rangers for nearly three decades. It hit me so hard as it was so unexpected. He was always positive and full of energy. He was kind and gentle much like Tommy was. Sometimes, the nicest people are the ones suffering the most. May he rest in peace. This fic will establish Tommy and Kim as a couple from the start. The same goes for Jason and Trini. This will begin a series of fics focusing on episodes from MMPR. I may not include all of them as I feel some were just filler. Like with most of my action/adventure Power Rangers fics, the fights will be more intense than they were on the show. I tend to make the villains a lot more aggressive. I hope you enjoy this fic. Constructive criticism is welcome.
XXXXX
Chapter 1: The Escape
The early afternoon sun beamed its rays on an unnamed planet's southern hemisphere in late July. It orbited close to Earth and its moon. This arid and dry world was covered in desert. It contained canyons, sand dunes, and pits. It had traces of water here and there. It had no cities or technology, but it did contain many lifeforms.
Strong wind blew sand past a shuttle that had just landed on the planet. The door opened with a loud bang. A ladder extended all the way to the ground. An astronaut came into the doorway. Another astronaut came to his side. They looked around carefully while blinking three times. Their hearts began to pound against their chests. In fact, it seemed they were about to leap out and land on the ground any second.
"This is a desolate place!" the first astronaut exclaimed.
"I'll say," the second astronaut agreed. "It looks no different from Earth's deserts."
"It probably hasn't had much rain in a very long time," the first astronaut pointed out.
"It is likely you are right," the second astronaut commented and swallowed hard.
"I hope there aren't any poisonous snakes hiding in the sand," the first astronaut said in some uncertainty.
"Me too," the second astronaut responded and let out a loud shudder. "I was bitten by a rattlesnake during a walk in the woods when I was eight years old. I nearly died from it."
The first astronaut looked at him. "We better do some exploring before the commander contacts us."
The second astronaut nodded in agreement. "Mm-hmm."
The first astronaut turned around and climbed down the ladder steadily. He jumped off the second to last step. He landed on the ground gracefully. The second astronaut mimicked his actions. They began walking around.
"I am already starting to feel a little hot in my suit," the first astronaut grumbled annoyingly.
"I am too," the second astronaut agreed. He looked toward the sun and put his hand over his eyes. "I say it gets very cold on this planet at night."
"That is typical of most deserts. The days are hot. The nights are cold," the first astronaut responded matter-of-factly.
"When it rains, it comes down in sheets," the second astronaut commented and cleared his throat.
"The rain does help flowers bloom in the desert," the first astronaut said, a smile crossing his lips. He moved his head from side to side. This stretched his neck. "They are quite beautiful."
"Oh, yes," the second astronaut agreed.
"How about I put some flowers in your hair?" the first astronaut joked.
"You are the one who needs flowers in your hair!" the second astronaut retorted playfully.
"Sure, I do," the first astronaut said sarcastically.
"Hey, it's true," the second astronaut said with a smirk.
The astronauts spotted what appeared to be a glowing red light not far from them. They stopped in their tracks, their eyes becoming filled with curiosity.
"Do you see that?" the first astronaut asked while putting his hand over his eyes.
"Yeah," the second astronaut answered honestly.
The first astronaut waved his hand toward himself. "Come on."
The second astronaut nodded rapidly. "Sure."
The astronauts ran toward the light. Its glow became brighter with each passing second. They came upon a very strange-looking object. They stopped in front of it. They were unsure of what to make of it.
"What do you think it is?" the first astronaut wondered.
"It looks like a giant space dumpster," the second astronaut answered. "Let's open her up."
"Yeah," the first astronaut said eagerly. He rubbed his hands together so hard that it seemed he was about to tear his gloves. "There could be a treasure inside."
"We could become very rich!" the second astronaut said in excitement. "I'd love to take my wife on a shopping spree. She deserves one."
The first astronaut touched a red jewel on the lid. The second astronaut placed his hand on it. They lifted the lid at a steady pace. Their excitement grew by the second. Just then, a light came out of the dumpster. It swirled around the duo before landing a short distance from them. It faded away, revealing Goldar, Finster, Squatt, and Baboo. The quartet laughed evilly.
"What the hell was that?" the first astronaut asked fearfully.
"Who cares?" the second astronaut screamed. "Let's get the fuck out of here!"
Goldar, Squatt, Baboo, and Finster emitted happy sighs. Squatt jumped into the air with much delight. He landed gracefully and clapped three times. Baboo curled his hands into fists as Goldar flapped his wings twice and tossed his sword from one hand to the other.
"All right!" Squatt cheered. "We're out!"
Squatt made his way over to the dumpster and hit the edge of it with his hand four times. The astronauts let out fearful whimpers as they backed away. Their hearts continued to pound against their chests.
"Rita, wake up. Wake up," Squatt yelled. "We're free."
"Ah!" Rita yelled as she came out of the dumpster and raised her hands above her head.
"Uh-oh! You must have morning breath," Squatt said while shaking his head rapidly. He began looking through his pouch. "Let me give you a mint."
"Oh, it's good to be free after ten thousand years!" Finster said in great relief.
"It sure is!" Goldar agreed.
"Here, your evilness. Let me help you," Baboo said and went to Rita. He took her arm and guided her out of the dumpster. "Walk with me. Talk with me."
Suddenly, Rita stepped into a small puddle. She groaned in annoyance and glared at Baboo. Goldar came close to the dumpster.
"Damn it! You made me step in a puddle, you nitwit!" Rita exclaimed and pulled her arm away from Baboo. She pushed Goldar back. "Get out of my way, monkeyface!"
Rita turned around and waved her wand. She shot an energy beam at the dumpster. This caused it to explode. The astronauts screamed like girls. They turned around and ran away while waving their arms about. She cackled and pointed her wand at them.
"Don't leave," Rita insisted and planted her wand into the ground. "You'll miss my coming-out party. That's when I destroy the nearest planet."
Rita laughed once more as she, Goldar, Finster, Squatt, and Baboo looked toward Earth. They took three steps forward.
"Earth looks beautiful from here," Goldar growled, tightening his grip on his sword.
"It sure does," Squatt said.
Baboo frowned quite a bit. "We shouldn't stare at it too long! I have such a crick in my neck!" He rubbed his neck while letting out a painful groan.
"Who wouldn't after being sealed away for so long?" Finster agreed as he touched his neck and groaned painfully.
"At least I don't have a crick in my neck," Goldar yelled and smirked.
"Lucky you," Baboo mumbled annoyingly.
Rita rolled her eyes. "Shut up, you idiots. Let's get to the Lunar Palace. We've got work to do."
Goldar, Rita, Squatt, Baboo, and Finster teleported to the Lunar Palace. The wind blew a bit of sand around.