"So they're really coming, then?" Kat asked, looking at Jason. "Are you sure?"
He sighed, nodding.
"Yes, Kat," he said. "I wouldn't have brought everyone here if I didn't think they were really coming."
She shot a look back at him, but didn't say anything else as she settled back into her chair. All of the original rangers, except Tommy, were gathered at Jason and Trini's house. The Scotts' two young children were noticeably absent, as were the children of the other rangers. They had ranger business to attend to and didn't need the kids around to make things ten times harder to keep under wraps.
"Now," Jason said, looking around the room. "I know they're coming, but I still don't know what they're going to do once they're presented with the truth. It's different this time…"
Trini smiled gently.
"We'll all get through this," she said reassuringly. "I'm not saying it won't be difficult, but things are bound to turn out alright."
He eyed her doubtfully, but didn't argue.
"So what's the plan?" Adam asked.
Everyone was looking at Jason now.
"Well," he said, glancing at his watch. "We're still waiting on one, so let's wait a few more minutes. I don't want to have to cover everything twice."
The other rangers all exchanged confused looks, even Trini didn't seem to know what Jason was talking about.
"Jason, we're all here," Kim said slowly. "Except Tommy. And I'm pretty sure he shouldn't be there… At least not until we get to explain…"
"Kim's right," Kat agreed. "I know Tommy's forgiven them, but he would just be making himself a target by showing up with us… Not to mention that may send them running…"
Jason shook his head.
"Tommy has no idea we're doing this," he said. "And Hayley is not about to tell him."
"He can't be part of this even if Hayley tells him," Trini pointed out. "She had the babies three weeks early and he couldn't get a flight back. He's still overseas for another week. And there's no way he'd go out of his way to get home for this if he couldn't have already done so to see the birth of his daughters."
Nods of agreement went around the room.
"Trini has a point," Tanya agreed.
Jason sighed, running a hand over his head.
"Well, actually," he started to say.
He was interrupted by the front door opening. All of the rangers immediately turned to look, curious as to who else was joining them.
"We're in the living room," Jason called, not moving from his seat.
Footsteps came down the hall, but it wasn't Tommy who walked in. It was another man, dressed in blue, who was very familiar to all of them.
"Billy!" Kim squealed, launching herself out of her chair to hug him.
The rest of the rangers weren't far behind, crowding Billy as everyone tried to hug him. The volume in the room nearly tripled as everyone tried to talk to him at once. Billy just laughed, hugging his friends back and answering what questions he could. For a while, Jason didn't interrupt, watching from his chair as he waited for his turn to greet their long absent friend. After a while he stood up.
"Alright, guys," he said, shaking his head. "Let him breathe. Billy will be here for a while so you'll all get a chance to catch up. Right now we have some more serious business to attend to."
The rangers sobered up as Jason brought their attention back to the problem at hand. Gathering back in their seats, they made room for Billy to join them.
"So now will you tell us what the plan is?" Aisha asked, looking at Jason.
"And why Billy needed to come all the way from Aquitar for it?" Rocky added. "No offense. It's not that I'm not glad to see you, man, but that's a long way to come for one meeting."
Billy smiled, not offended in the slightest.
"No offense taken," he said. "I am here because Jason asked me to come."
Heads turned back to look at Jason who just shrugged.
"We need him," he said as explanation, which just earned him confused looks and frowns.
"What Jason means," Billy said, continuing the explanation. "Is that he felt my ability to remain unbiased in most situations would give us the opportunity to address several pressing issues, such as the Code and magical boundaries, with the young rangers prior to the full disclosure of our identities. Jason did not want to risk any of us being at fault in the beginning of a conflict with said team."
Quick glances were exchanged around the room as all of the rangers mentally went over what Billy had just said.
"He means Jason thinks most of us would lose our tempers with Mystic Force," Trini clarified. "Which wouldn't give us a chance to establish the ground rules for the meeting and could start a fight without us wanting to."
Grateful nods went around the room as Trini's simple explanation got everyone back on the same page.
"Hey! Wait a minute," Zach protested, frowning. "I can keep my temper just fine, thank you very much. I already did once."
Jason rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Zach," he sighed. "You did. But there is a chance they might put two and two together too quickly if you go. We need them to swear to the Code before they see all of us, not after. Billy is our best shot at that happening. People tend not to get mad at him as easily."
Zach started to argue, but couldn't think of a good argument so he let it drop.
"Now, if there are no more interruptions," Jason said, looking around. "Then this is how it's going to work."
When no one said anything, he continued.
"To avoid being seen, we're parking at Tommy's house," he said. "No one is going to be home when we get there, because Hayley has to take the babies for an appointment, but she said it was fine if we parked out back and used the lab to access the tunnels. Most of us will walk from there to just outside the museum and wait in the trees. While we're doing that, Billy will drive to the museum—alone—and meet with Mystic Force."
The rangers were nodding, though most of them looked a little hesitant at the mention of Billy going alone.
"The plan is to time his arrival fairly close to ours," Jason continued. "So that he won't actually be alone for more than a few moments just in case something happens. Once he has established the ground rules for the meeting, the rest of us will join him. If the team refuses any of our terms—for any reason—we leave without them ever having seen us. Simple as that."
"And what happens if they do try something against Billy?" Tanya asked worriedly. "He'll be standing against them alone and if we leave…"
She trailed off, glancing at Billy.
"Andros is on standby to pull any and all of us out if necessary," Jason reassured her. "I've covered all bases on this. Including making sure Tommy's kids are as distracted as they can be. They have no idea we are going to be anywhere near Reefside, let alone the Mystic Force team."
Tanya and the rest of the group nodded. It still wasn't ideal, but that made them feel a little better about Billy going in alone. Billy just sat quietly, having already gone over everything with Jason before he had arrived.
"Alright," Jason said, taking a deep breath. "If we're all on the same page, let's head out. Remember when we get there that everyone follows my lead. I don't want to get off track because all of us are trying to throw in opinions."
As the rangers murmured agreements, they all stood to head for the door, grabbing shoes along the way as they discussed who was riding with who. Ouside, however, they all paused in surprise to see another familiar face. But this time Jason was surprised, too.
"About time you came out. You're gonna be late if you don't get moving."
"What are you doing here, kid?" Jason demanded, glaring.
Justin, sitting on the hood of Billy's car, just grinned and hopped down.
"What do you think I'm doing here?" he asked. "I'm going with you."
Jason snorted, shaking his head.
"Not a chance," he growled.
"Oh no?" Justin said, crossing his arms. "Then what else am I doing here?"
"Leaving," Jason said, stalking over to him.
Grabbing Justin by the arm, he started hauling him away so Billy could get in his car and leave.
"Hey, not cool!" Justin complained, pulling his arm free. "You know, you really should be a lot nicer to me."
"And why is that?" Jason asked, crossing his arms. "You're trying to insert yourself in business that isn't yours."
"It is too my business," Justin countered. "Tommy was my red and they were my team."
He gestured to the rest of the Turbo rangers, all of whom were standing off to the side with the rest of the originals as they waited for Jason.
"You're still not coming," Jason said shortly. "I don't need any wild cards today and Tommy isn't here to babysit you."
Justin frowned.
"I don't need a babysitter," he said.
Behind them, Billy climbed back out of his car, frowning as he started to lift the hood.
"Oh, right," Justin said, grinning again as he glanced over his shoulder at Billy. "He won't be getting too far without his distributor cap."
Hearing Justin, Billy let the hood fall again. There was no point in looking for a further reason as to why his car wouldn't start.
"Justin!" Jason snapped.
"What?" Justin said, shrugging. "I knew you'd throw a fit about me coming, so I took out some insurance. Now I'm driving cause I know the rest of you won't want to be seen. Besides, Billy really shouldn't go alone—none of us should."
Jason took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You really are a pain, kid," he muttered. "How did you even find out about this?"
Justin smirked.
"I was on the ship when you were talking to Andros," he said. "I may have overheard the details—not that he knows that."
Jason growled, glaring at Justin.
"Jason, we need to get going," Trini reminded him. "We're going to be cutting it close as is. Just let him come."
Groaning, Jason didn't say anything for a moment.
"Fine," he finally relented. "You can come—but only if you agree to listen to me."
Justin rolled his eyes, but nodded.
"Alright," he muttered. "But you're not nearly as fun as Tommy."
"This isn't a field trip," Jason snapped. "So be serious or stay here. I want you to let Billy do the talking when you get there. And I swear if you let one word of this slip to anyone else I will be using you as a practice dummy in my dojo for the next month. Got it?"
"Yeah, I got it," Justin sighed. "Billy talks, I stay quiet, and you're the boss. Now can we go? We're going to be late."
"Fine, go," Jason snapped. "Just please tell me you actually have a decent car here. I don't want to hear that you've been stranded somewhere in the middle of nowhere."
"Relax, Jason," Justin grinned, taking off down the sidewalk with Billy in tow. "I've got my best car today."
Jason rolled his eyes as the rest of the rangers split up to cars, too.
"I've seen your cars, kid," Jason said. "Doesn't make me feel better."
"Tommy helped me fix up this one," Justin called back. "See you there."
Still shaking his head and muttering to himself, Jason headed to climb in his own car.
"Still doesn't make me feel better about him coming," he grumbled. "Especially if he's got the car I think he does…"
But with time running short, he shut the door and started the car. Taking off, Jason led the way toward Reefside and the meeting with Mystic Force.
Climbing out of, or off of, their vehicles, the Mystic Force rangers looked around at their surroundings. The museum they were parked at was closed, a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex replica on display outside. There was no sign of anyone else in the area.
"This is different than what I thought," Vida commented as they grouped together.
"It is," Madison nodded in agreement. "We were never really out here much—but there are a lot of woods around here."
"And I don't see anyone else," Chip added.
Nick nodded.
"Good," he said. "We're early. Gives us a chance to check things out and look around—make sure there's nothing going on that can take us by surprise."
Several of his teammates rolled their eyes.
"Nick, I'm sure everything is going to be fine," Xander said. "You're just being paranoid."
Nick started to respond, but Leanbow beat him to it.
"No, it's good to have a chance to look around," Leanbow said. "It never hurts to be prepared for any situation. Especially in territory you are unfamiliar with. We have no advantage here if we don't take the opportunity to create one."
The younger rangers all nodded in agreement with their teacher. Chip, who had been buzzing around anxiously all day, was now bouncing nervously in place.
"So when do you think they'll get here?" he asked, looking around for any sign of someone arriving. "Do you think they'll like us? Maybe they won't like us… How will we even know it's really them? Oh! Do you think the white ranger is coming, too?"
"Chip, relax," Nick said. "Breathe. They're just other rangers."
"But these are the original rangers," Chip said. "We grew up watching them save the city. I really hope the white ranger is there."
Vida rolled her eyes.
"Chip, it's probably just going to be the red ranger," she said. "The video said he would meet us here, not all of them. We'll probably have to wait before we can meet anyone else."
"Yeah, I know…" he sighed. "I just think it would be cool to meet all of them…"
"It would be nice," Madison agreed. "We all have our favorites. Vida's always loved the red ranger."
Vida shot a look at her sister, her face turning a little red in embarrassment.
"What?" she said when the boys all looked at her in surprise. "He saved us—and he's never been afraid to go get the bad guys…I always wanted to be like him growing up."
"Well, you certainly aren't afraid to go after the bad guys," Xander grinned. "My personal favorite was always the pink ranger. She looked cute in that skirt."
The girls rolled their eyes as Chip and Nick snorted. Their mentors shook their heads in amusement.
"What?" Xander said.
"You would pick one of the girls," Vida commented. "But did you have to pick pink?"
Xander just shrugged sheepishly.
"I always loved the yellow ranger," Madison said, smiling. "Watching them on the news and in person—she was always so sensible in everything she did."
Chip was grinning now, too.
"Thanks, Maddy," he said.
She smiled at him, but shook her head.
"Sorry, Chip," she said. "But you aren't usually that sensible. It's just not you."
"Yeah, I know," he said, not bothering to protest. "But you still picked my color. I like the white ranger best anyways. He's so cool. I mean, look at the sword he had. And the zords. First he had the tiger zord and then the falcon. Awesome."
Nick was shaking his head. He hadn't added anything to the discussion, so his teammates started prodding.
"So who's your favorite, Nick?" Chip asked.
He shrugged.
"I don't know," he said, trying to brush it off. "I really don't know anything about them—didn't follow them much growing up. I've never even been to Angel Grove."
"But you've gotta have a favorite," Xander said. "You know a little about them. So which one?"
Nick hesitated for a moment. But with all of his teammates looking at him expectantly, he relented.
"The blue ranger," he finally said, glancing at Madison.
Vida snorted, rolling her eyes as her twin blushed.
"We know which ranger you like now," she said. "We want to know which of the originals is your favorite."
"I said blue," Nick said shortly.
Vida opened her mouth to argue again, but didn't get the chance.
"I admire the black ranger the most," Leanbow interrupted.
All five of the younger rangers turned to look at him in surprise.
"Dad?" Nick said, a little shocked to hear his father join the conversation.
"Umm… How do you have a favorite?" Chip asked. "No offense—but weren't you evil and locked in the pit well before they came around?"
Leanbow shrugged.
"I caught up," he said. "Did you really think I wouldn't do my own research on the rangers who have defended Earth since my absence? Knowledge is strength in itself."
"And you shouldn't be picking favorites until you've met them," Udonna added, scolding the young rangers gently. "What you see from a distance may not be what you expect up close."
They sighed, nodding in agreement. Daggeron, who had been quietly looking around, stepped up.
"Perhaps we should actually take a look around while we wait," he said. "Just to be sure we will not be interrupted during our meeting."
With everyone in agreement, the rangers split up to survey the immediate area of the museum. They stayed mostly within eyeshot and earshot of each other, just in case there was a trap waiting. Chip, Xander, and Vida headed to the far side of the museum to check out the other side of the building. Udonna, Leanbow, and Daggeron went to wander the edge of the woods, looking for anyone hiding just inside the tree line. Madison and Nick moved closer to the museum to examine the building itself.
"Maddy, are you alright?" Nick asked a few minutes later. "Maddy?"
They were standing outside the building by themselves. Madison was apparently lost in thought, staring up at the giant tyrannosaurus rex that towered above them.
"Maddy," Nick repeated, touching her arm.
She jumped, spinning to look at him with wide eyes.
"Oh, sorry," she said, quickly glancing around. "What were you saying?"
"Are you alright?" he asked again.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "Why do you ask?"
"You were staring," he said. "And you've been acting a little off all morning. Are you sure you're fine?"
"I'm sure," she reassured him, her gaze slowly going back to the dinosaur.
"Maddy, if you're nervous about this," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "we can always back out. You don't have to be here if you don't want to."
"No, it's not that," she said. "I'm excited about meeting them. Really, I am. It's just—well, it's not important right now. I promise I'm fine."
He frowned, but before he could say anything else Vida came bouncing over with Chip and Xander not far behind.
"Nothing on the other side of the museum," Vida announced. "Except more trees. There are a lot of trees here…"
Seeing Madison staring up at the dinosaur again, Vida followed her gaze.
"Is that a dent in its head?" she asked.
"Yep," Chip said, looking up at it, too.
"What?" Madison said, turning to look at her sister and then back up at the dinosaur. "Oh. Yeah. I guess I hadn't noticed."
Vida frowned as she exchanged looks with the others.
"Then why are you staring at it like it's about to eat you?" Xander asked.
Madison shook herself again, turning to glance at her sister.
"No reason," she said. "It just brought some things to mind…"
Frowning again, Vida glanced back and forth between her sister and the giant dinosaur. Her eyes widened as she realized what Madison must be thinking. Vida glanced around quickly, taking in their surroundings.
"How close do you think?" she asked Madison.
All three of the boys were frowning now, not sure how to take the twins' odd behavior.
"I don't know," Madison shrugged. "Like fifteen minutes? I'm not sure. We didn't come in from this side the one time we were there…"
"Still…" Vida said slowly.
"V, it's on the other side of town," Madison said. "We're fine. We have to be."
"Ok, what's going on?" Nick interrupted, looking between them. "What has the two of you so freaked out?"
Madison and Vida exchanged looks. Sighing, Madison turned back to Nick.
"Tommy lives in Reefside," she admitted.
"What?" Nick exclaimed, tensing as he started looking around. "He lives here and you didn't tell me? Why?"
"We didn't really think about it," Vida said. "At least not right away… We only visited him here once. He's got a house in the woods somewhere on the other side of town. Usually he visited us in Angel Grove."
Nick shook his head, clearly agitated now.
"So you're telling me that, not only are we in the territory of a ranger team that has blatantly threatened us," he snapped, "but we're also in range of an evil ranger who has already attacked us once without provocation? I knew we shouldn't have agreed to this. We would have been better off just keeping to ourselves. For all we know they could be working together!"
"Nick, please," Madison said, putting a hand on his arm. "We didn't want to mess this up. There's no reason Tommy should even know we're here. He lives on the other side of town and we have plenty of escape routes."
"Maddy is right, Nick," Xander agreed. "Besides, even if he did show up—or Dino Thunder—we can just disappear into the woods. We have lots of experience disappearing there. They've got no chance of catching us if we make it to the trees. We'll be fine."
Nick took a deep breath. With the rest of the team looking hopefully at him, he finally relented. He wasn't happy, but he stopped arguing.
"Alright," he said. "Just be watching. I don't want anyone to take us by surprise."
The sound of an approaching car caught all of their attention, drawing their minds from the conversation and to other things.
"That's gotta be them!" Chip exclaimed, darting to join Udonna, Leanbow, and Daggeron. "Come on, guys!"
The five young rangers ran to join their teachers as a blue jeep came into sight in the driveway. Nick, taking the lead, turned to talk to his team as they waited for the car.
"Alright guys," he said. "Now play it cool. Don't let your excitement overcome your judgment. Remember, we know nothing about him or his team outside of what they've done as rangers. We have to be careful."
As everyone nodded in agreement, Nick took a deep breath. Xander was looking at Chip in amusement.
"Is he vibrating?" he commented with a grin.
All of them turned to look at Chip. He was trying really hard not to bounce in place in excitement, which was making him appear to be physically vibrating.
"Yep," Vida said. "He is."
"Chip, relax," Nick said. "You've got to calm down. Take deep breaths."
Nodding, Chip turned his concentration to breathing in and out. He still wasn't standing completely still, but Nick let it go.
"Good enough," he sighed, turning as the car pulled to a stop.
"So long as he doesn't hyperventilate," Vida muttered, shooting a grin at Chip.
The car turned off and the rangers waited impatiently for something to happen. Nick was standing in front with Chip to his left and Vida to his right. They were both positioned just behind him. Madison was standing slightly behind and to the right of her sister. Leanbow was slightly behind Nick with Udonna beside him. Xander had taken position behind them as guard against anyone coming from behind. Daggeron was standing to Chip's left. Chip, still extremely excited for the meeting, was slowly starting to lean forward.
"Chip!" Vida hissed, seeing him out of the corner of her eye. "Stop it!"
"I'm sorry," he said, catching himself. "I just want to see and the windows are tinted…"
"Guys!" Nick whispered. "Knock it off."
"He's acting like a child," Vida protested.
"And you aren't any better," Nick snapped.
The sound of car doors slamming broke into their argument. They all turned to look. Two men had climbed out of the blue jeep and were now walking toward them. All of the rangers tensed, waiting. But, seeing them approaching and not recognizing either one as Ryan, Chip's shoulders slumped a little.
"It's not them," Vida sighed quietly.
"I guess it's not," Nick said, shaking his head as he glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the team.
But when he looked back, the two men were coming straight at them. Realizing they weren't going to stop, he tensed again.
"Guys," he hissed, drawing his team's attention.
They all refocused their attention on the two men, tensing again as they waited. The two men stopped a few yards away, looking at the group.
"Greetings," the older one said.
Nick eyed them suspiciously.
"Hi," he said shortly, not sure what to make of the pair.
"Wow," the younger of the two snorted. "That's rude. Especially since you're the ones who wanted this meeting."
The first one raised an eyebrow, glancing at him, and the younger one quieted down.
"What meeting?" Nick said, hedging.
"There is no need for the façade," the older of the two said. "We know you are the Mystic Force rangers."
"Then who are you?" Nick asked suspiciously.
The man sighed.
"I am William Cranston," he said. "You may call me Billy. And we are—ambassadors. We are here to represent the original rangers."
Some of the excitement returned to the rangers.
"So you're rangers?" Chip asked excitedly. "But, wait—I thought we were meeting with the original red ranger. Where is he?"
"Chip's right," Xander said from the back of the group. "Why are you here?"
Billy exchanged looks with his younger friend.
"We are here because Justin and I are less likely to cause volatile reactions in a first impression," he said slowly.
"So when do we get to meet the original red?" Vida frowned. "The video said we were to meet with him."
"And you will," Billy said. "However, before that meeting can occur, there are several ground rules that need to be established."
Nick frowned.
"Ground rules?" he repeated.
Billy nodded.
"Affirmative," he said. "In order to ensure the protection of ourselves and our identities, there are several things you must understand before you may meet with anyone else."
"Like what?" Nick asked, still suspicious.
Billy took a deep breath.
"I do not know what you have learned in your training as rangers," he began. "And you may not have heard this before, but I am going to begin by sharing our Code. It is something you must know and accept in order to be counted among the ranks of the rangers."
Mystic Force exchanged looks.
"But we do know the Code," Madison said quietly. "Daggeron taught it to us."
Billy looked at her in surprise and then at Daggeron who nodded in agreement.
"Very well," he said. "But, be that as it may, I am still going to recite it to you in the correct words and form. It is imperative that you understand and accept this."
The rangers stayed silent, waiting for him to continue speaking.
"You will each swear by the Power to the following," Billy said. "You will never use your power for personal gain. You will never escalate a battle. And you will never reveal your identity to anyone. To break the Code is to risk losing the protection of the Power forever."
They exchanged looks, but nodded.
"That's the Code Daggeron taught us," Madison confirmed.
"Which is fine," Billy said. "But I need you each to swear by the Power to follow each of those things."
"But we already have," Xander frowned.
Justin rolled his eyes.
"Let me explain it so you understand," he said slowly, clearly mocking them. "Just knowing the Code isn't enough. You each have to swear by the Power to follow the Code right now. Here. In front of Billy. Or we leave."
The young rangers looked at him in surprise, but Billy nodded in agreement. As the hesitated, Leanbow stepped forward.
"I swear by the Power to never use my power for personal gain," he said. "To never escalate a battle and to never reveal my identity to anyone. This I swear with the understanding that, should I knowingly break the Code, that I risk losing the protection of the Power."
Billy smiled faintly, nodding at Leanbow in gratitude. Leanbow returned the nod, stepping back into his place next to Udonna. There was another brief moment of hesitation and then, one by one, the rest of the rangers followed his lead. When the last of the rangers had spoken, swearing to follow the Code Billy had laid out for them, Billy spoke again.
"I thank you," he said.
"So do we get to meet the red ranger now?" Chip asked eagerly.
"Soon enough," Justin said, smirking. "But you've got a few more things to go through before the others arrive."
"Others?" Chip echoed. "As in more than the red ranger?"
Justin didn't answer, crossing his arms and smirking.
"And what other things?" Nick frowned.
"Simply a few more precautions," Billy said. "Now that you have sworn by the Power to uphold the Code, we need you to understand that this is your only chance to meet with us. That means you cannot walk away from this meeting."
"Why would we walk away?" Vida frowned. "We've wanted this for forever."
"Because not everything is always as it appears," Billy said. "Therefore, you need to understand that, should you walk away from this meeting you will not get a second chance. If you leave before this meeting has ended, you will have set yourselves apart from the rest of the rangers. You will be alone and no ranger team will act as your ally in anything."
"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Nick said stiffly. "We're here of our own free will."
"We're not," Justin muttered, quieting down again when Billy shot him a look.
"Yes, you are," Billy agreed, turning back to Nick. "And we will not hold you hostage. If, after the others arrive, you decide you want nothing to do with us then that is your choice. But that choice, once made, cannot be reversed. We will not ally ourselves with rangers who cannot decide which side they fall on. Loyalty is extremely important to all of us. Do you understand?"
Reluctant agreements echoed among the Mystic Force rangers. They were all slightly put out by the implication that they would walk out on a meeting they had worked so hard to set up. Satisfied that they were all on the same page, Billy continued.
"Lastly," he said firmly. "While you are in our presence there is to be no magic of any kind used."
That caught their attention.
"Oh no," Nick immediately protested. "I don't think so. You have no right to tell us we can't use magic."
Billy held up a hand to stop Nick's protests.
"I am not preventing you from defending yourselves," he said, clarifying. "Should the need arise to defend yourselves from a threat we will not stop you from acting in an appropriate manner. However, we are offering no threat by meeting with you today and will not offer one unless you threaten us first—and we will see unnecessary use of magic as a threat. And, should you instigate a fight, you will be starting a war with the rangers. And it will not just be the originals you face. Should you begin a war, you will find you've set yourselves against all of the rangers who have come before you."
They were all looking at him in shock. Nick was still shaking his head.
"I don't like this," he said. "Magic is who we are. We shouldn't have to give it up just because you don't understand it."
"We understand it just fine," Billy said stiffly. "But if you cannot agree to refrain from the use of magic in our presence, then we will leave now and save you the trouble."
"Bowen," Udonna said, putting a hand on her son's shoulder. "Given their history they have reason enough to fear magic."
"Udonna is right," Leanbow agreed. "Allow them this small protection."
Nick took a deep breath, nodding.
"Alright," he reluctantly agreed. "No magic."
"We need to hear a verbal confirmation from all of you," Justin said, looking at them expectantly.
Nick glared at him, but glanced back at his team and nodded. Everyone echoed the agreement: they would not use magic in front of the original rangers. After they were done, everyone fell silent for a few moments.
"So, when do the others get here?" Chip asked, breaking the silence.
"Soon enough," Justin shrugged, grinning.
Nick shot a look at him again.
"Ok, that's it," he said. "Just who are you, kid?"
The smile disappeared from Justin's face and he stiffened. In seconds he went from casual to everything about him projecting danger.
"Only a select few people are allowed to call me kid," he growled, his gaze fixed on Nick. "You are not one of them. I wouldn't do it again, if I were you."
Surprised by Justin's rather volatile reaction, Nick didn't argue. Justin relaxed a little, though he was still clearly agitated.
"Ok, so not the best way to ask," Xander said. "But he's right. Who are you?"
"I'm Justin," Justin said. "Blue Turbo."
Now all of them were looking at him in surprise.
"Wait—how old are you?" Xander asked, frowning.
"Just turned twenty-one," Justin smirked.
He paused as something occurred to him.
"Which reminds me," he said, glancing at Billy with a grin. "TJ promised to take me out next time he's on Earth. Remind me to remind him after we're done here."
Billy raised an eyebrow as Mystic Force exchanged shocked looks.
"I am not entirely certain how well that will go," Billy said slowly.
But Justin just shrugged.
"We'll get free drinks," he said.
"And a mob," Billy muttered, shaking his head.
"There's no way," Chip finally sputtered. "You're not old enough. You would have been like—"
"Twelve," Justin supplied when Chip stumbled on the math. "And I was. Just ask any of the rangers. I was—and am—the youngest ranger ever."
Madison frowned, looking at him.
"How is that even possible?" she asked. "I remember Turbo—you would have had to be a really tall twelve-year-old."
"Not really," Justin said. "That's the great thing about the Power of the Morphing Grid. There was this whole accelerated growth thing whenever I morphed. Best cover ever. No one ever suspected me of being a ranger—though I'm pretty sure a few people thought I was stalking the rangers…"
Billy smiled, shaking his head. The Mystic Force rangers were still dumbfounded by the discovery.
"What were they thinking letting a twelve-year-old become a ranger?" Vida asked, still not completely believing Justin.
Justin snorted.
"They didn't exactly let me," he said. "I kind of stumbled into it on accident—but that's a story for another time."
"I can't believe the rangers would let you join them," Nick said, shaking his head. "Why didn't someone stop you?"
"Because it wasn't their choice," Justin said stiffly. "The Power accepted me, so they had to accept me. It wasn't exactly something that could just be reversed."
"That had to be awkward fighting with people twice your age," Nick commented.
Justin immediately turned to glare at him, clearly offended by the comment for a reason they Mystic Force rangers didn't quite understand.
"You shouldn't make comments before you understand everything," Justin snapped. "And at least I didn't have mommy and daddy holding my hand the whole time."
The other Mystic Force rangers winced as Nick's eyes narrowed. He started to take a step forward toward Justin—he wasn't about to let the insult slide.
"Enough," Billy interrupted, holding up one hand to Nick as he placed the other on Justin's shoulder. "We are not here to compare histories or to imply superiority. We have each completed a great task that no one has the right to degrade. Please do not begin something you do not want to finish. We are here for a purpose and we should remain focused on that."
"Fine," Nick growled, stopping. "Then where is this red ranger of yours?"
"Right behind you," came the answer.
Xander, who was supposed to have been guarding their back, squeaked in surprise and spun. The rest of the team followed suit, all of them instinctively reaching for their wands. Nick, drawing his wand as he leapt forward, pushed Xander behind him in order to place himself between his team and the perceived threat. But they all froze in shock as they registered who they were actually seeing. Madison and Vida and, to an extent, Xander and Chip, recognized some more readily than others, but seeing them all together as a group gave them a fairly good idea of who they all were.
There were nine people standing there, all of them tense as they faced off against the Mystic Force team. Jason led the group and it was to him their gaze initially went before slowly shifting to the rest of the people there. He was tense, standing in a defensive position with one hand behind his back as though reaching for something. Trini was standing just behind him and to his left, her gaze fixed on the group as she stood silently watching them. A little further back a man they now recognized as Zach, though they hadn't realized who he was until they saw him amongst his friends. To Jason's right there was a gap and then a petite woman in pink whom Vida immediately recognized as Kimberly Hart. All three were echoing Jason's stance, one hand behind their back as if reaching for something Mystic Force couldn't see.
The other five were clearly with the first four, though standing slightly apart. Adam, who both girls knew from their brother's dojo, was leading that half of the group—though it did appear as though he was trying to fill two places rather than just one. A little behind and to his left, and to Zach's right, was Aisha, who they were all recognizing from the shop months before. Standing behind her was another woman Vida knew immediately on sight—Tanya Park. On the other side of Adam was Jason's other friend and the third instructor from the dojo, Rocky. Kat Hillard, a woman the twins vaguely recognized from past encounters with Jason's friends, was just behind him. Every one of the five were standing with arms up, odd silver bracelets flashing in the sunlight.
Behind Mystic Force, Billy had reacted in a similar way to Jason and the other three from the first group. Justin, on the other hand, now sported a bracelet on one wrist and was holding a key in the opposite hand. He seemed eager to react, balanced on the balls of his feet as he waited for something to happen.
For a few brief moments, no one spoke.
"Jason?" Vida finally stammered in shock, her eyes wide.
Jason nodded curtly.
"Vida, Madison," Jason said.
His voice was cold, the tone suggesting he really wasn't thrilled to see them despite his acknowledgement of their presence. Madison stepped forward slowly, eying the group surrounding her brother in hesitation. Nick put out his free hand to keep her behind him, the other hand tightly gripping his wand.
"Jason, what are you doing here?" Madison asked.
Her brother turned his head to look at her, not dropping his defensive stance as he answered.
"I was under the impression, from your never-ending letters, that you five wanted to meet with us," he said shortly. "Was I wrong?"
Vida frowned, shaking her head.
"We didn't send you any letters," she said. "And this is supposed to be a ranger meeting. So how did you hear about it and what are you doing here?"
Jason raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.
"Now, come on, sis," he said, using the nickname though there was no affection in his voice. "I know you're smarter than that. Figure it out—the answer is right in front of you."
She glared at him, but he didn't back down. Jason and everyone around him were still standing in defensive positions. Nick hadn't moved to put his wand away, either.
"You can't be saying what I think you are," Nick scoffed, shaking his head.
"Why can't I, rookie?" Jason snapped, his glare falling on Nick.
"Because you were in high school when all this happened," Vida snapped back before Nick could respond. "And we lived with you—there's no way you could have pulled it off living at home."
A slight smirk passed across Jason's face. The dark-skinned man dressed all in black, who they recognized from the Rock Porium some time before, snorted.
"And we didn't think aliens, monsters, or robots from space existed either," Zach smirked. "But they do."
Shooting a look at Zach, Jason turned his attention back to Nick, his gaze falling briefly to the wand the younger red ranger was still holding.
"You going to put that thing away, rookie?" he asked, nodding toward the wand. "Or are you going to break the rules already?"
"This is a trap," Nick growled. "I should never have agreed to come."
Jason rolled his eyes, but didn't relax.
"It's not a trap," he said shortly. "If we really wanted to trap you, we wouldn't have bothered sending Billy and Justin ahead—we would have just come to get you. You would have all been down and out before you knew what hit you."
Behind Mystic Force, Billy and Justin were slowly skirting around to join Jason's group. At the mention of Billy's name, and seeing him in the same place as her brother, Madison's eyes widened.
"Billy?" she repeated, turning to look at him. "No. It can't be."
He smiled slightly, nodding at her as he fell into place to Jason's right.
"It's not possible," she said faintly, staring at him.
Vida frowned.
"Maddy, what's—oh!" Vida's eyes widened, too, as she suddenly realized what her sister was implying.
Nick looked between the two girls who were now standing to either side of him.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his grip tightening on his wand.
"Billy—Billy died," Madison stammered, not taking her eyes off of the man she had thought dead for years. "He died when we were ten—this isn't possible."
Billy smiled sadly at her, taking his place just to the right of Jason. Justin had fallen in place to Rocky's right.
"I sincerely apologize for the deception," he said. "But it was necessary given the situation. You see, I no longer reside on earth. At the time, my disappearance would have raised questions of my friends that none of us were prepared to answer…"
He paused, glancing around at the shocked looks on the young rangers' faces.
"My father does know the truth," he assured the girls. "And has since shortly after I went away."
They nodded mutely, still not sure how to respond.
"Last chance, rookie," Jason growled, drawing attention back to Nick. "Either put that thing away or we're out of here—we said no magic for a reason and we mean it. And if we leave you don't get a second chance."
Nick glared back at him, determined not to give in.
"Bowen," Leanbow said firmly. "You gave your word."
As Leanbow spoke, Daggeron stepped forward and placed a hand on the young red ranger's shoulder. Nick grimaced, but he slowly put the wand away. Every move said he wasn't happy about it. Once the wand was out of sight, Jason and his group relaxed a little. Hands came out from behind their backs and the odd bracelets suddenly disappeared as the group to Jason's right dropped their arms. Grumbling, Justin shoved the key he had been holding back into his pocket and his bracelet also disappeared.
"Better," Jason said, crossing his arms now as he regarded Nick.
"How did you do that?" Chip suddenly burst out, looking at Adam.
Dressed in green and black, Adam looked back at Chip in confusion.
"Do what?" he asked, not sure what Chip was talking about.
"The bracelet thing," Chip said excitedly. "With the flicking wrists and making them disappear."
Recognition flitted across Adam's face as he realized what Chip was referring to.
"You mean our morphers?" he said.
"Those are your morphers?" Chip exclaimed. "That's awesome!"
Nick shot a look at the overexcited yellow ranger.
"Chip," he said firmly.
"Right, sorry," Chip said, bringing himself back under control. "Still cool."
Madison was still shaking her head, looking at her older brother.
"I just—I still don't understand," she said. "None of this makes any sense."
Jason sighed.
"Madison, what part of this doesn't make sense?" he asked. "I thought we'd made everything quite clear. You wanted to meet with us, so here we are."
"No," she said, frustrated. "We wanted to meet with the original rangers—not you and your friends pulling some cruel joke to get back at us."
"Maddy," Trini said gently, finally speaking. "We are the original rangers."
"You can't be!" Madison burst out. "You had barely started high school. I don't believe you."
Trini's glance flickered to Jason who took a deep breath.
"You were never supposed to know," he said after a moment. "No one was. It's part of the Code that no one was ever to know who we were—or are. Being a ranger isn't about the glory or the praise—it's about protecting the people you're responsible for. It was about protecting you."
For a brief moment his hard gaze softened as he looked at his sisters, but then the mask was back in place.
"Don't you think we know that?" Nick snapped, glaring at Jason. "We just spent the last year defending the people we care about from dark magic and monsters determined to destroy the city. We're rangers whether you like it or not."
Jason crossed his arms, returning Nick's glare without faltering.
"Yes, you did," he said. "Congratulations—you're rangers. You've spent a year fighting the bad guys. But you know what? We've been doing the same nearly as long as your mentors."
He glanced briefly at Udonna, Leanbow, and Daggeron as he made that comment, nodding in recognition. The three older rangers had stayed fairly silent for the conversation, allowing their students to figure this out for themselves. But they returned Jason's nod, recognizing his acknowledgement that his problem wasn't with them.
"Did you guys really think you were the youngest rangers ever?" Adam asked.
The young Mystic Force rangers exchanged looks that made it clear they had believed that. Trini sighed.
"You five are not the youngest team to ever be accepted by the Power," she said.
"Nope," Justin added, smirking. "I've got that covered. The youngest ever accepted—and likely to hold that record forever."
"Justin, now is not the time," Kat said, looking at him.
"Yeah, I know," he grumbled. "But the rookie started it…"
Kat raised an eyebrow and Justin sighed, falling silent.
"I still don't believe it," Xander said, shaking his head. "Nick's right. This is a trick or a trap of some kind."
"It's no trick," Jason growled, glaring at the group in general. "We don't need to be here if you don't want us. But if the five of you want to be a part of the ranger legacy, then you need to understand a few things. You don't have to like who's in charge. In fact, you don't even need to like the way things are run or all of the decisions that are made. But you will respect us or you'll find yourselves without friends among the rangers."
"And just who is in charge?" Nick challenged, not taking his eyes off of Jason.
"I am," Jason said firmly. "Whether any of you like it or not. And that is not going to change anytime soon."
Nick scoffed, shaking his head.
"No," Vida said adamantly. "I don't believe you. I won't believe you. You're lying to us."
Jason turned to his sister, starting to lose patience with the group.
"What is it going to take to make the five of you believe us?" he asked. "Because I'm not playing this game all afternoon."
"You're going to have to come up with some undeniable proof," Nick growled. "And good luck with that. I don't know how you got the letters, but there's no way you can pull real proof out of thin air."
Jason raised an eyebrow.
"You want proof?" he said. "Fine. You can have your proof."
Glancing over, he caught Adam's eye and nodded. Adam returned the nod and then Jason did the same with Justin, the younger ranger breaking into a grin as he returned Jason's nod. Turning back to look at Mystic Force, Jason smirked a little.
"It's Morphin' Time," he said.
Mystic Force couldn't do anything but stare in shock as the rangers in front of them moved. Jason, Trini, Billy, Kim, and Zach immediately reached behind themselves, their hands coming forward to show their morphers as they made their calls.
"Mastodon!" said Zach.
"Pterodactyl!" called Kim.
"Triceratops!" exclaimed Billy.
"Saber Tooth Tiger!" cried Trini.
"Tyrannosaurus Rex!" growled Jason.
Aisha, partially bridging the gap, moved alone.
"Ninja Ranger Power Now!" she cried, moving quickly. "Yellow Ranger Power!"
Adam led the next group as they moved in unison, flicking their wrists to call their morphers out.
"Zeo Ranger One—Pink!" Kat exclaimed.
"Zeo Ranger Two—Yellow!" cried Tanya.
"Zeo Ranger Three—Green!" shouted Adam.
"Zeo Ranger Four—Blue!" Rocky called.
Last and alone, Justin grinned as he made his morphing call, pulling out his key and calling the bracelet into sight.
"Shift into Turbo!" he shouted. "Mountain Blaster Turbo Power!"
No one moved as the rangers finished morphing, facing off against the shocked Mystic Force. Nick had demanded proof—now he had it. There was no possible way for them to have faked what just happened. For a moment, no one spoke. Then Jason moved, taking off his helmet and tucking it under his arm. The rest of the rangers followed suit.
"Proof enough for you, rookie?" Jason smirked, looking straight at Nick.
Nick was momentarily speechless, sputtering as he tried to come up with a retort.
"Oh my gosh," Vida said, stunned. "I can't—I can't believe it. You actually are—why didn't you tell us?"
Jason rolled his eyes.
"I already told you, Vida," he said. "I couldn't tell you. The Code is very clear on that and I would never knowingly break it."
"Ok, fine," she said. "But why couldn't you tell us after? After we were rangers, I mean. You could have told us and then we wouldn't have freaked out so much about you keeping our secret."
He raised an eyebrow.
"I could have," he admitted. "But were you really ready to hear it at that point?"
"Yes," Vida said adamantly. "Yes we were."
"No, we weren't," Madison countered.
"Maddy!" Vida exclaimed, looking at her sister.
"What?" Madison said. "We weren't. Think about it, sis. If we had known they were there, what would we have done? Could we have done what we did without running to them for help?"
Vida started to argue, and then stopped.
"Oh," she said slowly. "I didn't think about that."
"Mmm hmm," Madison said, nodding. "If we had known they were there to help us, we would have wanted them to fix all of our problems for us."
Vida sighed. She knew her sister was right.
"That's why we try to never make contact with a team until they have established themselves," Kim said, speaking up. "But we were always ready to step in if you really needed help. Dino Thunder was on standby the entire time."
Xander snorted.
"Dino Thunder hates us," he said. "They threatened us."
"Yeah, they did," Zach laughed. "And it was great. You should see the original letter—the threats were worded a lot more creatively. And then their blue edited those out…"
"Their blue did?" Aisha said, raising an eyebrow. "Or their yellow?"
"Ok, fair point," Zach admitted, grinning sheepishly. "Blue spell checked, yellow edited the content."
"I don't want to hear about those four right now," Jason growled, interrupting. "I've heard enough from them the past several months to last a lifetime."
"Wait a minute," Nick said, finally rejoining the conversation. "You're in contact with them?"
Jason rolled his eyes.
"Of course I'm in contact with them," he growled. "I'm in contact with all of them. It's part of being in charge. Though there are plenty of days I'd rather not talk to any of them."
"Aww… Come on, Jason," Zach grinned. "Your life would be boring without us—especially some of the younger ones. Specifically certain brightly colored speed demons and company."
Jason shot a glare at him, but Zach kept grinning.
"I don't want to deal with any of them right now," he said shortly, shaking his head. "The only ones I want to be dealing with right now are them."
He pointed back at Mystic Force who frowned at his comment.
"Not that I really even want to be doing that…" Jason muttered, dropping his hand and shaking his head.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Nick demanded. "Dealing with us? We aren't a problem to be dealt with and I don't appreciate the implication that we are. We don't have to be here."
"You wanted this meeting," Jason snapped. "Not us. So yes—we're dealing with you."
As the younger rangers struggled for a response to Jason's comment, Udonna took over the silence.
"Chip, are you alright?" she asked gently, looking at the young yellow ranger.
He'd been silent since the other rangers had morphed, frowning as he studied the group.
"What?" he said, glancing at her. "Oh. Yeah. I'm fine. It's just—well, aren't you missing a lot of rangers?"
Chip directed the question toward the rangers facing them.
"What do you mean?" Tanya asked, frowning.
"Well," he said slowly, taking another quick look around. "You're missing all of your white rangers, most of ninjetti, red Zeo, and—ok, I'm really not sure what to think about Turbo even being here…"
"I'm here cause I want to be," Justin said. "And I'm the last Turbo ranger left."
Mystic Force paled and Justin realized what he'd just said.
"Oh! They're alive," he quickly reassured the shocked rangers. "They're just in the ship right now."
"Ship?" Xander repeated, confused.
"Yep," Justin said. "They moved from Turbo to Space. I didn't go with them because I didn't want to leave my dad alone. So they got Andros—he wasn't one of us before. They found him—ok, I guess he found them…And then he tried to get rid of them but it didn't work and—"
"Justin, save it for later," Jason interrupted.
Justin quickly fell silent and Jason turned back to Mystic Force.
"The point is," he said. "Turbo moved on to new powers and abilities, leaving their Turbo powers behind and making Justin the last one to hold them."
"You can have more than one power?" Chip said in surprise, his eyes wide.
"Yep," Rocky grinned. "Most of us have held at least two. Most of ninjetti moved on to become Zeo."
"Except me," Aisha said. "I went to Africa—Tanya took my place."
Tanya smiled at Aisha, nodding.
"Ok, then who exactly are the ninjetti rangers?" Chip asked.
Adam, Kat, Aisha, Billy, Rocky, and Kim all raised their hands. Chip frowned, looking back and forth between Kim and Kat in confusion.
"But you're both wearing pink," he said slowly. "And there was only one pink…"
"I was only ninjetti for a short time," Kim said. "Then I passed my powers to Kat."
"Oh," he said. "But, even if you held multiple powers, you're still missing a few rangers. I mean, you have no white rangers at all. And Zeo red isn't here. Is that who Ryan is? And why isn't he here?"
Jason frowned.
"Ryan?" he repeated. "Why would Ryan be here?"
"Because he delivered the letter," Xander said, crossing his arms.
Some of the originals were laughing to themselves, though most just looked confused as to why Mystic Force thought Ryan was Zeo red.
"Ryan a red?" Zach snorted. "As if. I would love to hear you tell him that."
"He has to be red," Chip said frowned. "All of you clearly wear your colors and he was wearing red shirt."
The originals all looked to Jason for an answer. He sighed, shaking his head.
"Yes, Ryan was wearing a red shirt," he said. "But that's because he borrowed it from his red. Apparently he had just started laundry when I called him away and he didn't have a clean or dry shirt in his color."
"So then what color is he?" Madison asked.
"Titanium," Trini supplied. "Definitely not a red. Not that he isn't capable of it, but he's—well…"
"Girl, he's just too much a lone wolf to be a red," Aisha said. "Put him in charge long term and he wouldn't know what to do with himself. The concept of team isn't exactly ingrained in him after all those years with—well, away."
She didn't elaborate on her explanation, leaving the Mystic Force group to draw their own conclusions.
"Is titanium even a color?" Vida said, raising an eyebrow.
"Technically, no," Zach grinned. "Neither is silver—or gold. I personally call them the metals."
Jason shot a glare at him, but Zach just smirked.
"Zach, shut up," Jason growled. "Now is not the time."
Zach sighed, but didn't argue.
"Ok, so Ryan isn't your missing red," Chip said. "But you're still missing rangers. Where are they?"
Jason raised an eyebrow, looking at Chip expectantly as he waited for him to figure it out. Chip frowned, glancing around at the rangers.
"Or were the original white and ninjetti white the same person?" he asked.
Several of the rangers nodded.
"So then you're missing two rangers," Madison said.
Jason shook his head.
"Try again," he said.
"Wait a minute," Vida said. "So you're saying that the original white ranger was also ninjetti white and Zeo red?"
"You got it," Rocky said, though he wasn't smiling anymore.
None of the rangers were. Their faces were serious again for reasons the Mystic Force team didn't quite understand.
"So he was three?" Chip said in surprise.
"More," Adam said, not answering the question straight out. "I held three powers myself. It's possible."
"And it's not even close to the record," Zach smirked. "And I doubt anyone is ever going to beat it—though Billy comes a close second for longest actual time as a ranger."
They looked at Billy in surprise, but he just nodded in response. Deciding the newest team had enough proof, Jason glanced around and caught Adam's eye. Adam nodded in agreement.
"Power down," Jason said.
The rest of the group echoed him and soon they were all back in normal clothes.
"What about you, Jason?" Vida asked curiously, looking at her brother. "Were you the longest running ranger?"
He shook his head.
"I don't even come close," he said. "I left for the Peace Conferences, remember? Though I did come back as the gold zeo ranger for a little while, as Zach already pointed out."
"You really were the gold ranger?" Madison said, seeming surprised.
"Why else would I have come back early?" Jason said.
"Because your schedule for the second semester got messed up," Vida said. "I remember mom arguing on the phone with someone about it."
Jason smirked.
"That's because Billy messed with it for me to give me an excuse to come back," he said. "They needed help and T—and it was me they asked."
The twins exchanged disbelieving looks.
"It's still so hard to believe," Madison said quietly, looking at Jason. "All this time and we never knew."
"You weren't meant to know," he said, repeating his earlier statement.
She nodded.
"Ok," Chip said slowly. "So the two white rangers and red Zeo are all the same person? Doesn't that kind of make him one of the greatest rangers ever?"
"You could say that," Justin commented. "Most of us certainly think so."
Jason snorted, shaking his head.
"Don't start that again," he said. "He doesn't need that kind of encouragement—his ego is already big enough."
"And so is yours," Trini said drily.
Jason shot her a look but she just raised an eyebrow.
"But where is he?" Chip finally asked. "If he's one of the greatest rangers ever, why isn't he here?"
For a moment no one answered as all of the originals glanced to Jason. He studied Mystic Force, trying to decide how he wanted to answer.
"He hasn't been around much lately," he finally said.
"Did something happen to him?" Udonna asked softly, watching Jason closely.
"Yes," Jason said. "You could say that."
"What happened?" Madison asked.
Jason looked at her, a flicker of agitation passing across his face and briefly breaking the expressionless mask he was trying so hard to hold. Still none of the other rangers spoke, leaving it to their leader to decide what to say to the new rangers.
"He was betrayed," Jason said after a moment, pausing to see their reactions. "He was betrayed by people he was close to—people he considered family."
"Oh!" Madison gasped.
Vida and Chip looked just as surprised as she did. Nick and Xander, on the other hand, were now looking at Jason suspiciously.
"We haven't seen him much since then," Trini added softly, sighing.
"And did he tell you who betrayed him?" Nick asked, staring straight at Jason.
Jason returned the stare.
"As a matter of fact, no," he said. "He refused to tell us who it was—but we know."
"And have you done something about it?" Nick said, crossing his arms again.
Jason eyed the younger red ranger.
"No, we haven't," he said.
"Some teammate you are then," Nick scoffed. "If anyone betrayed one of my teammates like that I would be just letting it go."
"Is that so?" Jason said, crossing his arms.
"Yes, that's so," Nick snapped. "No one hurts my team and gets away with it. And if you were any kind of leader you wouldn't be letting it go like this either."
Jason raised an eyebrow, but didn't immediately react to the blatant insult.
"Then what do you recommend, rookie?" Jason asked coldly.
"Go after them!" Nick exclaimed. "Bring them to justice."
"Even if they were someone you considered family?" Jason countered.
"Especially if you thought they were family," Nick confirmed, looking straight at Jason. "Because family should know better."
Most of the rangers behind Jason were shaking their heads now as they looked at the young red. Billy was rubbing a hand across his face while Zach, Rocky, and Justin were all struggling to keep their amusement at the conversation off of their faces. Behind Nick, the three teachers were frowning. They could tell something was missing from this conversation. There was an important piece of information missing that they hadn't quite figured out. Xander was nodding, firmly in agreement with everything Nick was saying, while the other three just listened quietly.
"Isn't that right, Jason?" Nick asked, looking at Jason expectantly.
"Yes," Jason agreed. "Family should know better."
"So then why haven't you done anything?" Xander inserted.
Jason shot a glare at him, but Nick nodded.
"He's right," Nick said. "Why haven't you?"
"Because we can't," Trini said pointedly, looking at Nick.
"Why not?" Nick demanded. "Is it because of who they are?"
"Exactly," Jason growled.
"Fine," smirked Nick. "Then let us. We'll do something."
"Sure you will," Jason scoffed, shaking his head.
"Yeah, we will," Nick said shortly. "We'll do what you apparently can't. So tell us who they are—we'll bring them to justice."
Most of the other rangers with Jason sighed as they shook their heads at Nick. Zach snorted, quickly covering it up with a cough—Rocky and Justin did the same thing. Billy and Trini both looked at the young Mystic Force rangers with sympathy. The younger group had no idea where this conversation was going or what was about to happen.
"Sure," Jason said doubtfully.
"We will," Nick insisted. "So who was it, Jason? Who betrayed your white ranger?"
Nick was looking at him confidently, waiting for Jason to admit to the betrayal in front of his friends. He was sure that the man he now knew was the original red ranger was responsible for the betrayal as he had also never given up on the idea that Jason was working with an evil ranger.
"Was it you?" Nick persisted when Jason didn't immediately answer. "Or have you still not told your friends you're on the wrong side?"
Now several of the original rangers really did burst out laughing at Nick.
"You're crazy, rookie," Rocky snorted. "Jason couldn't pull off evil if he tried—not unless there's magic involved and someone else is in control."
Jason shot a glare at Rocky, but the other red ranger just grinned.
"It wasn't me," Jason growled, turning back to Nick. "I haven't betrayed anyone."
"Sure," Nick scoffed. "Then who was it?"
Jason paused for another moment and then gestured at the five young rangers in front of him.
"It was you," he said grimly. "The five of you."
The stared at him in shock, momentarily speechless at the accusation.
"What are you talking about?" Nick sputtered in outrage. "We've never even met him!"
"Haven't you?" Jason growled. "Are you sure about that?"
"Of course he is," Vida snapped. "When would we have met him?"
"Think about it," Justin snapped back at her.
He was glaring at them now, all traces of amusement gone.
"You've known your brother and his friends your whole lives," he said to the girls. "Look closely. Who's missing?"
"What?" Vida frowned, looking at him before glancing around the group.
"Who's missing?" Justin repeated. "Come on, now. It shouldn't be that hard—even for the five of you."
Nick growled at the insult, but Madison suddenly gasped.
"No," she said, adamantly shaking her head. "No. It can't be."
"What?" Nick frowned, glancing at her.
She shook her head again.
"Vida," she said, looking at her sister expectantly.
"What?" Vida said. "I don't get it. Who is he talking about?"
Justin rolled his eyes.
"Ok, let me explain it in a different way for those of you with a lesser intelligence," he said. "Think big, strong, fearsome—teddy bear..."
Zach snorted and then started coughing for real as he choked on his laugh. Kim rolled her eyes and reached over to slap him on the back as he doubled over. Mystic Force, with the exception of Madison, just continued to look confused.
"Alright, fine," Justin sighed. "Think dark hair, dark eyes, and constantly loses—well, everything."
"Yes," Zach choked out, still laughing. "Exactly."
Vida's eyes widened as she finally got the hint.
"No," she said adamantly. "Tommy can't be him."
The three boys looked at her in shock and Nick's eyes narrowed as he spun back to face the original rangers.
"Not a chance," he snarled. "Tommy is evil—he's already proven that. There's no way he could be any of those rangers."
"He's not evil!" Jason snarled, clenching his fists. "What is it going to take to get that through your heads?"
All of the young Mystic Force rangers were glaring back at him now. Udonna, Leanbow, and Daggeron were watching more hesitantly. They had yet to hear anything about this from anyone other than their students. Now they stayed silent, not wanting to take sides without having all of the information.
"He attacked us!" Xander retorted.
"I've heard about all the things the white rangers, and red zeo, did from Maddy and V," Nick snapped at Jason. "And I've heard all about the green ranger, too. There is no way Tommy could be both. Tommy is evil—"
"Enough!" Jason roared, momentarily silencing the younger rangers. "Tommy isn't evil and I'm not going to sit here and listen to the five of you insult him."
"Jason—" Vida started to say.
"Don't," Jason snapped. "Tommy was the green ranger. I won't say he wasn't. He did things he's not proud of and that he has regretted every day since. But he hasn't been that person in a long time."
"Says the man helping him," Nick snapped back. "Tommy—"
"Tommy is a good man," Justin snarled at him before Jason could say anything. "Tommy has saved countless lives by putting his own on the line. He has nearly sacrificed everything on multiple occasions to keep some villain from destroying the world. And he's the one who put all of his time and energy into fixing anything he had destroyed. It is Tommy who has dedicated his life to the rangers and everything we stand for. And he's the one who was a teammate to every single one of us here. If it wasn't for him, most of us wouldn't even be standing here today."
He paused to take a breath, still glaring at them.
"So what is it going to take for you to believe us?" Justin demanded, glaring at the Mystic Force team.
Nick scowled.
"Proof," he answered shortly. "Solid evidence that Tommy isn't and hasn't been evil since then and that he has actually done some kind of good."
Irritated looks were exchanged all around the group of originals.
"So you're saying our word isn't good enough?" Jason challenged, crossing his arms.
"No, it's not," Nick said.
"Bowen, they have no reason to lie to you," Leanbow said, frowning.
But Nick shook his head adamantly.
"No," he said, not budging. "He attacked us and I'm not just going to let that go. They need to prove that he's not what he was or we aren't changing our minds."
The other four nodded in agreement, some more hesitantly than others. Leanbow sighed, exchanging looks with Udonna and Daggeron. This was the first they were really hearing about that night. The younger members of the team hadn't really said anything outside of mentioning that Tommy was an evil ranger and that they had chased him out of Briarwood.
"Fine," Justin growled. "You want proof? I'll get you proof."
Smirking, he held up his communicator as Jason turned to look at him, frowning.
"Justin, now wait just a minute," he said. "You are not—"
"Can anyone hear me?" Justin cried into the communicator, suddenly sounding completely panicked. "Please, help!"
All of the rangers looked at him in surprise. Eyes narrowing, Jason started stalking toward him.
"Please!" he exclaimed. "I'm at the museum outside of Reefside and there's some kind of monster. It's all red and it looks really angry."
Growling, Jason moved a little quicker and started reaching for Justin. Yelping, the young blue ranger darted away and Jason started chasing him.
"Hurry! It saw me!" Justin cried, still shouting into the communicator as he ran. "He's going to kill me! Help!"
As Jason chased Justin through and around the rangers, Mystic Force watched in surprise at their behavior. The rest of the originals, however, were either rolling their eyes or laughing at the pair running in circles. Zach was doubled over and practically on the ground as he laughed hysterically.
"Oh, this so made the trip worth it," he snorted, nearly choking as he spoke. "Officially the best meeting ever."
"Justin, get over here!" Jason demanded, still trying to corner the younger ranger.
But Justin continued to dodge in and out of the others for a few minutes before finally hiding behind Kat. Raising an eyebrow, she glanced back at him.
"Get out here, runt," Jason growled, glaring at him as he stood panting in front of Kat.
"Not a chance," Justin said, shaking his head. "And I'm not that short anymore, Jason."
"Justin, you can't use me as a shield," Kat frowned. "You aren't twelve anymore."
"But he won't hit the pretty girl," Justin grinned. "Woman—pretty woman!"
Her eyes had narrowed briefly at being called a girl so he had quickly corrected himself. Sighing, she rolled her eyes as he gave her a pleading look.
"You're lucky I still think you're cute," she said. "But you can't keep using me as a shield. You'll have to deal with him sooner or later."
"Oh, come on," Justin said, shooting a glance at Jason. "You won't let him hurt me. You love me too much."
"And you're old enough now to be responsible for yourself," she reminded him.
He shrugged, still grinning.
"Justin, I told you that you weren't allowed to call them!" Jason snapped, crossing his arms. "You gave your word."
"And I didn't call them," Justin countered. "I used the Turbo frequency."
"He's not supposed to know about it!" Jason growled.
"Jason, relax," Kim said. "It's not like he can really come help anyways. He's too far away. He'll probably just call you and you can tell him Justin is being dramatic. It's kind of hard to answer emergency calls when you're in another country."
Jason groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.
"But he's not!" he snapped. "He's—oh, great. Just great."
The roar of motors could be heard now. It was coming from the woods and getting louder by the second. In the next moment five vehicles came speeding out of the trees toward the group of rangers.