PoV: Zordon

I watch my Rangers flinch from Jan Scott's outburst, as they would not in battle. I know full well they would rather face Zedd without their powers than face their angry parents now.

"Rangers," I intervene before anything else can be said, "I believe our guest will be waking up soon. Why don't you go check on her?"

I've never seen my Rangers obey so quickly. But they are out of the way, and that is what I wanted. I don't like keeping things from them, but there is no place for them here and now.

This is a parental discussion.

"How could you!?" Kiyiko Kwan advances fearlessly on me--it is easy to see where Trini gets her courage. The other mothers are close behind her, though the fathers still seem frozen in shock. This does not surprise me; few things are stronger in this universe than a mother's love. "They're children!"

It's times like this that I'm glad I no longer have a physical body: it cuts down on the amount of pain I can feel. "Rangers have traditionally been teenagers and young adults, both on this planet and on others."

Julie Hart looks shocked. "You mean there are OTHER Rangers??"

"And Rangers have been on Earth before??" adds Cassandra Oliver.

"Yes to both questions. Rita first attacked Earth 10,000 years ago, and the first Earth Ranger team was formed then. And Rangers have existed on various planets in the galaxy for over 800,000 years. Rita and Zedd are far from the only villians in existence."

"Remarkable!" George Cranston has come out of his shock, and now looks fascinated. "An entire intergalactic community, and a grand war between good and evil."

"Focus, George!" Jack Taylor snaps. "We're talking about the fact that OUR KIDS are risking their lives on a weekly basis!"

"Jack, calm down," his wife soothes, laying a hand on his arm. Emily looks up at me. "Why did you choose OUR kids, out of all the kids in the world?"

"In a way, I was only the facilitator. At the most basic level, the Power chooses the Ranger. Only those with the brightest souls and the strongest ethics are worthy of being Rangers. It was, in essence, your children's destiny from the moment they were born."

"How long will they be Rangers?" Trevor Oliver asks in concern.

"That depends on circumstances. If Zedd is defeated, and no new villain replaces him, the Rangers will be allowed to stand down. If Rangers are still needed by the time they graduate high school, they will retire and be replaced by worthy successors."

"Or they die," Jack snarls.

"That is a possibility," I concede.

A few moments of silence follow that exchange. Finally I break it by saying, "This Ranger team is the finest one I've ever worked with, and I have you to thank for it. Without your amazing parenting skills, your children would have never been worthy of the Power. In your own way, you have repeatedly saved the world yourselves." They looked shocked at this. I continue, "You have learned much, and just received a great shock. I invite you to make use of our guest facilities. Alpha 5 will show you the way."

The parents start and stare at my assistant as he moves forward; it's clear that they've forgotten all about him. "Please come with me," he says politely. They look at me one last time, then slowly follow the little android out of the door.

I give my equivalent of a sigh of relief. That went better than I expected, but I know that future clashes are inevitable...especially now that the Rangers are in a vulnerable state. I put myself into a meditative state, hoping to find solutions to our many problems.