PoV: Jan Scott
It had been a good day. I had delivered five babies in my capacity as a maternity nurse, and basked in the glow of five sets of radiant parents. My job is very fulfilling, which is good, since it's all I ever wanted to do. There's something special about bringing life into this world, especially in a place like Angel Grove, where it can end very suddenly. Don't get me wrong, the Power Ranger have worked miracles in protecting this city...but people still die. We've learned to live with monsters and giant robots, but you never really get used to it.
But there hadn't been any attacks today, so it was all good. My husband Henry was engrossed in the evening paper, and I was busy cooking spaghetti, a family favorite. Jason was out with his friends, but he should be back soon.
Jason and his friends...sometimes we, the parents, marvel at our offspring. We became friends because THEY became friends, but we know our bond can never be as deep as our childrens'. They do EVERYTHING together..and they do a lot. I can say, without exaggeration, that we have the best kids in Angel Grove. They're practically saints. They get excellent grades in school. They participate in every conceivable activity to help the community. My own son teaches self-defense courses at the Youth Center, and he's marvelous with his students--very patient and understanding. He wants to open his own dojo after graduation, and I just know it'll be a huge success here, in this marital-arts-crazed town.
Our children would be perfect..except...well, something's off.
I can't put my finger on when it started, but I've definetely noticed it over the last year at least. It's not one specific thing, but several subtle things. They're always running off at a moment's notice. They trade significant glances when they think we're not looking. Even their clothing styles have changed. I swear 90 of the clothes in Jason's dresser are red! We parents have talked about it between ourselves, buts somehow the time never seemed right to talk about it to the kids. In the end, we just decided to trust them. They're very good kids; they deserve some leeway.
I was walking into the living room when a crackle of red light erupted in front of me. I yelped and jumped backwards, my husband dropping the paper as he looked up in surprise.
A second later, the Red Power Ranger was standing in our home.
This was the first time I'd seen one up close. The Rangers usually kept their distance from civilians who weren't in immediate danger. I had to admit, he looked even more impressive than he did on TV. You could practically feel the power radiating off him--no wonder it was part of their name.
For a moment, we just stared in shock. Then he seemed to realize how badly he'd startled us, and raised his hands in a soothing gesture. "Sorry about that," he rumbled. "Mr. and Mrs. Scott, I need you to come with me. It's about Jason."
Even shocked, I immediately went into panicked mother mode. "Jason!? Is he okay!? Were is he!? Is he..."
He waved his hands as Henry came up behind me, his face looking equally concerned. "He's fine. It's just...well, it's a complicated situation. I need to take you to our...our center of operations."
I'm sure we were both gaping at him. The Rangers had always done their utmost to keep their secrets, both from the media and the government, both of whom very interested in the Rangers. And now they were letting us in??
He held out his hand, beseeching us. "Please, it's very important. And I assure you teleporatation is quite safe."
My husband and I looked at each other, communicating wordlessly in the way married couples do. We decided to do it. We'd trusted the Rangers to protect the whole planet, surely we could trust them on this?
"What do we have to do?" Henry asked.
"Just taked my hand," Red Ranger replied. We cautiously did so. He touched the strange coin on his belt, and everything faded out...
--
...and faded back in. I looked around in awe. This place was indescribable. It was obviously something no human could build. My first thought was Billy would love it here.
"Jan?" I heard a surprised voice ask. I turned to see Kiyiko Kwan and her husband Steven, looking at us with wide eyes. And it wasn't just them. Jack and Emily Taylor, George Cranston, Julie Hart, and Trevor and Cassandra Oliver were also there. They looked just as stunned as we were. What was going on here? Were ALL our children in trouble?
"THANK YOU FOR COMING HERE." That voice..it seemed to penetrate my very soul. It demanded respect. It had a presence that the President of the United States would have envied. We all turned to face the far side of the room, past the blinking electronic panels, to a tall blue tube containing...a floating head?!'
It should have been comical. But it wasn't.
"GREETINGS," this...being continued. "I AM ZORDON, MENTOR OF THE POWER RANGERS. I APOLOGIZE FOR BRINGING YOU HERE SO SUDDENLY, BUT THE RANGERS HAVE MET A NEW ENEMY, AND YOUR LIVES ARE IN DANGER."
Julie found her voice first. "Why? And what does this have to do with our children?"
"We can answer that," said Red Ranger. Four Rangers (the Pink one was missing), wearing their armor, lined up in front of us. "Rangers, power down," Red Ranger commanded softly. There was a four-fold flash of light...
...and four very familiar faces looked at us with stricken expressions.
No...six faces. Tommy and Kim came out from the shadows and stood alongside them, looking like they belonged there.
It was like a fog had lifted from my mind:
...five already close friends becoming like brothers and sisters...
...the new kid in school, whose parents later admitted was acting very strangely those first few days, suddenly acquiring five new best friends...
...our children running off for seemingly no reason, and returning after a monster attack with a half-assed excuse...
...always wearing certain colors...
I opened my mouth, trying to say something, ANYTHING..but what came out was:
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"