Prologue
It was surprising how mysteriously life works. Everything changes so quickly. One can go from being the happiest person in the world to losing everything within seconds and vice versa. Change is inevitable and all we can do is keep up with the changes life throws at us and keep on living ... Nothing is permanent and even though bad things happen, it doesn't mean that they'd last. Happiness is transient but so is sadness.
Tommy Oliver knew all this. He was no stranger to loss. But he'd lost his family, his former students- who he'd come to care for as his own children and Reefside, the city that had become his home in the last few years. He failed to save them.
Then Venjix took over Earth in one fell swoop, killing millions, decimating the environment and turning the once green planet into a wasteland. Except Corinth, rest of the world was basically a desert filled with noxious fumes and swarming with robots.
It was his fault. He led the "Forever Red" mission. He should have ensured that General Venjix had been destroyed. Instead, Venjix survived in Serpenterra's wreckage, which was later salvaged by agents of the shadowy Alphabet Soup to reconstruct and aid in their own projects. One thing led to another and Venjix drove humanity to extinction.
He turned up in Corinth with no recollection of what he was doing the last few years, nothing past his last battle alongside the Dino Thunder team.
He survived while the people he loved had died. Other rangers had fought Venjix with or without their morphers, some of them sacrificing their lives to stop him.
When he showed up, there was little time to react. A war was going on and he did everything to help the RPM team and the forces of Corinth to stop Venjix. He used his knowledge and access to the Ranger Archives to help Dr K create new and more effective weapons and zords to neutralize attack bots like the Turbo Falcon morpher and zord. Due to being tuned to his animal spirit and created from technology studied from his old turbo morpher and ninja coin, they were a bit unpredictable. While he joined the final battle against Venjix as the Turbo Falcon Ranger, he usually let the new rangers handle the threats. He didn't get close to the rangers... The last thing he wanted to do was get attached to another team.
The war was over now and he was left feeling the void in his chest.
Out of all the rangers who'd served alongside him, only four others had survived. Billy was off world and thus safe. Justin was living in Turtle Cove around the time of the attack and thus spared from the horrors of Venjix's invasion by the timely intervention of the Wild Force rangers and their floating island Animarium, which created a magical forcefield that repelled Venjix's attacks. Nancy had luckily survived everything, despite enlisting in the Corinth military and being on the frontlines. Zack had been attending a conference in France when the attacks started and he'd led a group of survivors of the initial attack to safety. In daytime, they had sought shelter in the catacombs underneath the French soil and Zack had used his morpher sparingly to seek food and resources during the night. He and few others of his group had attacked nearby Venjix camps saving the prisoners and stealing weapons and synthesizers, which thanks to one trip to Aquitar, he knew how to operate to create edible food for themselves. It was a stroke of luck when the enigmatic Paleo Train arrived one day when the grinders had finally located their hideout thanks to a group of sleeper hybrids amongst them. Having sensed the energy of his morpher, the Paleo Zords synthesized morphers of their own and chose him to be the Crimson Mammoth ranger and his friends Britt and Serge to be the Grey Tyrannosaurus and Cyan Triceratops Rangers. Zack and Nancy had both crossed paths with him during his efforts to find the remaining rangers on Earth and locate Venjix's hidden castle, which turned out to be in Angel Grove, over the ruins of the Command Centre to be exact... Venjix had purposefully built his castle there to defile the place and Zordon's legacy. While Venjix unleashed his master plan and led a siege on Corinth, he and Zack led the former rangers in an attack to dismantle and destroy Venjix's headquarters. After the destruction of his body, when he tried to download himself back to his tower, Tommy had the satisfaction of destroying it and watching the red glow slowly flicker out...
The world was saved, but at a heavy cost. Humanity had started to rebuild and he finally had time to mourn.
From being chosen by Rita to be her brainwashed champion all those years ago to the War of Reefside, his life had been a rollercoaster of unbelievable events. No normal person deserved to live like this. No matter how many times he tried, he just couldn't leave the life of a hero. It was as they said, once a ranger, always a ranger...
He smiled bitterly, as he took another shot of whiskey. It didn't dull the pain, but it'd give him a killer hangover... one that'd finally allow him to sleep without nightmares.
"You do know that it's not good for your health to drink." He briefly registered someone sitting next to him.
He turned around to see a woman in a formfitting black leather suit. She had cropped blond hair and seemed vaguely familiar. A locket hung around her neck. He'd definitely seen that before.
"You are here, same as me."
"Yeah, but I'm not here for the drinks. I'm here to talk to you, Tommy."
His eyes narrowed. According to official records, he was dead. Nobody except a few select people in the ranger community knew that he was alive.
"Who the hell are you ? And how do you know me ?"
"Relax Tommy." She said calmly. "You know who I am. We've met before."
He looked at her closely. It was obvious that she was former ranger or atleast someone linked to them. Her eyes though...
It clicked instantly.
"You look different without the purple hair, Astronema."
"I go by Karone now. Funny I thought you knew that. After all you did do extensive research on all of us to make your ranger documentaries." She drawled.
"Being back from the dead leaves you with quite a few blank spots, Karone." He snapped. "Why are you here ?"
"A great evil is on it's way here. The Armada. It's bigger than anything Earth has ever faced and we need to be ready." She said gravely.
"What's that got to do with me ? Didn't you get the memo... I'm retired. I don't want anything to do with -"
"Damn it ! It's bigger than you, Oliver. And you're the only person who can help us." Karone banged her fist on the table. The bartender glared at her.
"Go to your brother. Being a ranger has brought nothing but pain to me. And I'm miserable enough as it is." He turned away from her and motioned for the bartender to give another drink.
"Andros is on Ko-35, trying to hold the Armada back and buy us some time. We have estimated that we can get a year before they come here."
"If I were you, I'd leave it to the newbies who'd pop up to save us-" He said, lifting the glass.
"They'd die." She said simply. "And everything we've fought for till now would be in vain. All of our sacrifices over the years would be for nothing."
"Why me ? There are plenty of others willing to step back into the fight." He swallowed the alcohol in one gulp.
"For one, you have a very colourful wardrobe. You've been chosen by the grid more times than any other ranger. There is a reason for that. You can't escape your destiny."
"Destiny ? I was supposed to save them. They died and I survived. Do you have any idea how that feels ?" He shouted at her.
"Maybe there's a reason you survived. Your destiny is to lead us all to defeat the Armada. I'm working with your Earth's government and Promethea to create a new organisation. For years, ranger teams have been outmatched by armies of malevolent forces with very less support. For us to win against the Armada, the situation needs to change. We need to have equal footing."
"Is that all ? You want an army of rangers." Tommy asked incredulously.
"Put simply, yes. But Earth needs to be ready for the coming threats. Evil will always be after the planet and there needs to be someone always present to fight back against them regardless of whether some team randomly shows up or not."
"Shouldn't you have a little more faith in destiny ?" Tommy asked sarcastically.
"Destiny is what we make of our lives. It's in our own hands. Don't you think that your team could have had a better chance of surviving if there were others to back them up? Don't you think the Venjix massacre could have been avoided if there were rangers ready to stop him?"
"Don't go there." He warned.
"You've the chance to make sure nothing like that ever happens again." Karone stated. "Please. We need a leader. We need you. So instead of wallowing in self pity and survivors' guilt, maybe you can come with me and save the world your students gave up their lives to protect."
"Hard pass." He ignored her and took another drink.
"I'm disappointed. I kind of expected more from the legendary Tommy Oliver. Newsflash Tommy, all of us have lost something to the fight. I lost my childhood, innocence and my fiancé to the war. If things work out, we'll be able to stop it forever. No more fighting. No more losses." She looked down and took out a communicator from her back pocket. "I have been on the other side of this and let me tell you, everytime that the rangers win, it's against innumerable odds. The villains have armies at their command and there's only five spunky teenagers to stop them. Venjix took advantage of that and look what that cost us... Everything. Earth will never be the same. If this has taught us one thing, we need to be ready. We can't just trust the Grid to save us in the nick of time regardless of what the Keeper preaches."
She placed it on the counter. "If you ever change your mind, you can contact me with this."
He didn't even nod. Karone sighed, getting up and walking towards the exit.
As she left, Tommy took the communicator and strapped it around his wrist. It'd been a while before he'd worn one of those. Not that he'd ever use it.
But still... It wasn't as if he'd anything else to do. He'd already lost everything that mattered.
Why must he be the one who always has to be on the frontlines ?
Tommy growled. Whatever Karone said did affect him. True, the kids were gone but he could still save what they gave up their lives for.
He knew he was going to regret this later on but Tommy Oliver also knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he allowed the planet to fall simply because he was too depressed to do anything about it...
He raced across the bar, hurrying after the Kerovian.
"Hey wait up !" He shouted, panting as he exited the bar and immediately felt chilling cold wind against his face.
He bit back a curse. It was a December night... Of course, it was supposed to be cold.
Karone stopped and turned back towards him.
"I had a hunch you'd come." She smiled.
"Well you're right and I need something to do since I'm not in the right headspace to be a teacher again."
"Take my hand. We're going to the headquarters. Thank you. I know it's not easy -"
"But it's the right thing to do." Tommy completed, accepting her hand, feeling the familiar feeling of teleportation wash over him.
"Where are we ?" He asked, opening his eyes.
"No way !" He'd recognise this place anywhere. They stood outside the Command Centre, which appeared to be completely rebuilt.
"We were working on it for months. You'll find that it's better than before." Karone informed. "It made sense to make our headquarters here. After all, this is where everything started."
She walked up to the giant doors, and held up her hand. A laser scanned her.
"Karone of Ko-35. Authorisation granted." The doors opened and she passed through it. Tommy tried to follow only to be stopped by an invisible forcefield.
"Wait for it." Karone said.
Another laser shot out of the centre and ran through his entire body.
"Tommy Oliver of Earth. Authorisation granted."
The forcefield disappeared, allowing him to enter, just before the doors snapped shut.
"What was that ?"
"Security measures. The bio-scans of all rangers and Promethea agents have been updated into the Command Centre's mainframe so that only they can enter or teleport into the building."
"That's interesting." He murmured, seeing people running all around. There were multiple floors and stairways. A giant time warp stood in the centre of the hall. "It sure looks different."
"Tommy, it's nice to see you again." His eyes snapped open, seeing an elderly woman in red pantsuit walk towards him.
"Grace ?"
The longtime ally of the rangers smiled. "Yes. Who else do you think is the mastermind behind all this ?"
"I thought you were in Mirinoi." He stated, hugging her.
"I was, but I needed to supervise all this. I'll be heading back soon though."
"Why ? Surely you are the better person to handle this operation."
"Maybe but I'm too old for this, Tommy. This place needs a fresh perspective. You're perfect for this job." She stated.
"And what exactly is this job ?"
"Basically do what you have been doing for the last decade but as a public figure. Be the new Zordon like you were meant to. Train our recruits to be rangers and maintain diplomatic relations with the government of Earth, basically only Corinth and the Council of Worlds. Easy peasy."
"Is that all ?" Tommy asked dryly.
"Relax. You have help. You need to get all the rangers together before the Armada reaches our solar system."
"Who is this Armada exactly ?"
"It's better if we show you." Karone said, touching his forehead and pictures flashed through his head... Several extraterrestrial ranger teams fighting against grey footsoldiers and some of his mentors perishing at the hands of a cloaked figure.
"No way !" He paled. "That can't be possible."
"It is. We're over our heads this time. The only thing working in our favour is that the Order of Meledon sacrificed their lives to destroy their spaceships and long range teleporters. But that has only slowed them down." Grace informed. "Ninjor, Lerigot, Dimitria and Kalamity... All of them are gone."
"When ?" He asked.
"While Venjix was attacking Earth, the rest of the universe had their hands full with the Armada. They tried to create teleportation gates in multiple planets." She replied. "The astro and the galaxy rangers stopped them while the Order took the offensive straight to their home planet and destroyed their ships and technology, slowing them down by a few years. Our spies have reported that they are on the move again. We must be ready when they arrive or all will be lost."
"Where do we start ?" Tommy asked immediately.
"While you gather former rangers, we need an active ranger team to hold off any active threats the Armada sends our way. And that team will be mentored by the only person who survived the raid on their home world."
The time warp glowed in a golden light, as the Sentinel Knight appeared in it, his armour dusty and cracked at various places.
"He's alive!" Tommy gasped.
"Barely." Grace said as the Sentinel Knight's eyes flashed white.
"Tommy Oliver, it's a pleasure to meet you. I only wish it was under better circumstances."
"Who did this to you ?" he asked.
"The emperor, Mavro. He destroyed my companions. I survived only due to my link to the Corona Aurora. I managed to weaken his powers but I'm afraid he survives. You must be ready."
"Very well." Tommy nodded. "I'm glad you're here to help us through all this."
"Zordon was my mentor just like he was yours. During the battle of Eltar, he told me about his chosen. He would have been proud of all of us and he lives on in us. I will do my best to guide you."
The three former rangers nodded wryly. All of them knew Zordon never expected them to be rangers throughout their lives but after all they'd been through, it's impossible to slip back to normalcy knowing what was about to come.
"Come with me. Let me show you your new office." Grace led him to one of the rooms.
"My office?"
"Yes. Your office as the Director of the Grid Battleforce." Grace stated.
"Director?" Tommy asked. "Grace, I haven't done anything like this before."
"Tommy, you have led rangers to war countless time. This isn't anything different except the paperwork but you'll be able to manage that."
"Okay. It's still a little unnerving." Tommy said, massaging his forehead.
"You are not alone in this, Tommy. We are all working for a better future. Back on Mirinoi, I am working on developing a way to harness the energy from the Grid to replace fossil fuels. If this works, we won't have to worry about wasting resources ever again. Unlimited eco-friendly energy." She smiled. "The job of the GBF would be to protect my research while supplying rangers with new innovative technology."
"That's good. It's nice to have something to look forward to." The veteran ranger noted, as he started a new chapter in his life.
So I wrote this a few years back but decided to change a lot of stuff afterwards.
As you can see, this story is set after RPM with a few differences. The ranger teams before RPM also existed here and some of them died during the Venjix attacks. Keep in mind that not all of them were active rangers and even if they were, a lone retired ranger or even a team of veterans thrust into a sudden fight against armies of robots is a losing battle.
Another difference is that the Dino Thunder rangers became active for a second time roughly a year before Venjix started his attacks. While they defeated their enemy, they vanished and were presumed dead till Tommy mysteriously turned up alive but amnesiac in Corinth. There will be more on that later.
And yes, I made Tommy a ranger again. The Turbo Falcon was too good to ignore. Think of his new ranger suit as a mash up between his turbo form and the RPM suits.
Nancy is an original character (and the saffron mighty morphin ranger in this universe, who is getting her own story soon) but at the same time, deeply rooted in the show's canon. Think of it as this way... She's mostly my own creation but also appears in a canon series in a big way. She is a younger version of Commander Shah (Shaw) from Beast Morphers. Her full name or backstory is not mentioned so I have taken some creative liberties.
Most of what happened in canon happened here. I'll be writing some stories set in the past of this universe in the near future, mostly rewrites of a few seasons with some changes and new characters. But again, you don't need to know about them to enjoy this story.
I brought back Karone. You're welcome.
This entire story is a nod to the Hexagon concept. I had the idea of Grid Battleforce being a Hexagon like organisation just after reading the early promotional material for Beast Morphers and I predicted that before they introduced the Ranger Vault!
While the Megaforce team will take center stage for this story, former rangers will play equally important roles. This is Tommy, Karone and Zack's story as much as the rookies'.
This is a story that I shelved for the time being because of personal reasons. Since I have other ongoing stories and a hectic real life, I can't promise regular updates. I'll write and update whenever inspiration strikes.
Hope you like this and please review. And if you want to see some of your favourite rangers (even those from teams after RPM) show up in the story in some way, share your thoughts in the reviews.