The Destined Few

Time froze. Darkness poured over him. Sensations that weren't anything of this earth seemed to penetrate his body. It was as if he were falling several feet into a pool of shadows. As it began to envelope him, something didn't feel right... Deep within this vast black ethereal substance, something dark slumbered here. An evil that laid bare in his mind until this very moment. He could feel it getting closer... Hands of the hollows, within, drew around his neck creeping ever closer to choking out his very life. Continuing to consume him, it felt as if it was going to drown him and completely swallow his soul. Visions of his life creeped up on him... It was over... He closed his eyes tight fighting back the images and fell straight through to the bottom of a pitch black room.

A drop of water resonated through the darkness as he hit the floor with a deafening thump. He laid there for what seemed like an eternity and tried to acclimatize himself to his surroundings. Straining his eyes among the darkness, he tried to focus on any glimmer of light, without any luck. Jason braced himself on a wall gathering what was left of his strength and slowly began walking down the aisle. His very first footstep echoed nearly forever. It was all too surreal and felt like his surroundings had no real beginning or end.

Slightly disheartened by his entombment, he pressed on forward; even though, every step he took seemed to unlock yet another painful memory he had long since suppressed. Then it hit him... The familiarity of the place... He knew it... Looking almost beyond his sight, Jason could distinguish a figure completely enveloped in blood. It was here... Panic set in. The tears streamed from his eyes as he stared transfixed at the man that was once his father. He dashed to his side and stood there grasping defiantly onto him. Pain took over. Blood poured freely out of the gaping wound in his shoulder. He fought desperately to revive his father but it was already too late... He was dead...

"Jason?" Chase called frantically, shaking him violently, "Wake up!"

"..." Jason forced his eyes open, "Wh.. What happened?"

"We don't know," his teacher sighed, "There were a series of explosions and you went totally rigid. You fell over and went stone cold..."

"I'm fine... somehow..." Jason stammered, taken aback by the form appearing before him. He laid there staring at it and forced out, "We need to evacuate now..."
"I can guarantee you that you're the only one who can see me," the spectre smiled and eyed Jason chuckling, "You did well to save your professor. This was a test. Next time, you won't be so lucky. You'll be hearing from me soon, Franks." he stretched a long blood-stained sword out at Jason, "Soon, there will be a most glorious war."

"Jason?" Chase pleaded again, "Please don't do this..."

"I'm sorry," Jason breathed and fainted again, "I couldn't protect you..."

Light echoed through the corridors of the once magnificent gymnasium. There were people and friends cluttered around the dead and the wounded. Cries of pain and anguish filled the hollowed campus as everyone tried to recollect themselves from this nightmare. Billy, Trinity and Chase were looking around at some of their own classmates slain on the floor. It wasn't supposed to be like this... It was supposed to be just another day...

"Jason?" Trinity shook him, "Wake up... We need to talk to you..."

"Ugh..." Jason held his head, "Where am I?"

"Mr. Collins was able to take you down to the gym," Chase sullied, "What the hell's happening? I thought you said it wasn't going to be like this..."

"I dunno..." Jason mumbled, "I didn't feel the danger til it happened..."

"Don't lie to me... I know you saw something in the classroom, bro," Chase hesitated and looked down, "Your eyes went lucid for a moment... Was it another vision? Was it terrorists?"

"No..." Jason fumbled and exposed his now bleeding shoulder, "It was the same thing that gave me this... and killed my father..."

"But that was five years ago!" Chase stood up, panic filling his voice, "How the hell! Are you being possessed? That's a stigmata, right? ...I demand to know what's going on..."

A tall dark man drew himself from the crowd of amassing spectators and knelt down beside them. His wild eyes and dark hair painted a man more closely resembling that of a lion readying himself for the kill. His deep booming voice was hard to contain but he managed to speak in a somewhat whisper, "Your questions will be answered shortly... We don't have much time now." He pulled Jason to his feet and propped him up as he made his way to the center of the gymnasium. He ushered silence from the crowd and continued, "We must act fast... I am Dr Charles Thomas Zordon from the Xebes Medical Foundation. This isn't the only attack that's been perpetrated on American soil. Everyone, we have been attacked by a terrorist organization named Cel. I am part of an organization that has been using lost technology..."

Pain once more poured over Jason as his head throbbed and his arm jerked. A glint of sunlight broke Jason's thoughts and he seemed to phase out of what was going on around him. His eyes were focusing in on a classroom full of laughing teenagers and an impatient teacher. Checking himself and his desk, he saw it was ripe with drool. Not even questioning what he had said in his sleep, he turned three shades of maroon and tried to clean off his desk hurriedly.

Chase thwapped him over the head again and shook him muttering, "Jason? Don't do this... The teacher has already forgiven you once... You're going to get another detention..."

"Jason Franks." his History teacher smirked, "You'll do well to stay awake in my class. We're going to have a pop quiz at the end of class..."

"Great..." Jason mumbled incoherently, "Another reason for people to bully me..."

"Just relax, man," Billy whispered smirking at his watch, "The class is almost over. There's no time for a pop quiz. I know how you hate history. Just look at the clock... four... three... two... one..." An ubiquitous ring sounded through the classroom as the chatter of desks and chairs followed suit. Jason's eyes lit up with hope for the first time that day as the bell sounded. He was free from the tyrannical teacher for yet another day. No matter how high his hopes had soared, there was something about his dream that bothered him... In the back of his mind, he knew that this vision, or dream, was warning him of some great disaster...

As the rest of the class rushed out, Dr Zander sat befuddled at how the time had slipped away so quickly. Behind his desk, still clenching his notes, the teacher wore the most perplexing of looks on his aged face. Mixed with confusion and anger, he quickly started to get ready for his next class. In the back of his mind, he really couldn't believe that he let his students off this time. It was so unlike him. He sighed softly and finished his notes for the following period on the chalkboard. A choir of footsteps pounced through the halls outside his classroom as they left their respective rooms for their next destinations. Business as per usual in these seemingly lively halls.

Away from the usual ruckus, Jason and Chase met up with their other cohorts for a spot of mischief before fourth period. Grouped together staring out over the crowds of students, Jason, Trinity, Billy and Chase watched the jocks mock people and create their normal troubles in the quad, with their cheerleaders closely following behind. At the lead, there was a tall, bulky fellow. He was the all-star that saved many games with his agility and power. He fashioned his dark locks out of his face and took Kimberly's hand. Luke had it all; money, talent and the prettiest girl in school, Kimberly Johnson. Every bit of his prestige added to his lengthy superiority complex. As he lead the charge on the newest Freshmen, Billy and Chase had cooked up a scheme to even the score with these thugs.

"The quad backlogs here and here," Billy grinned pointing at a crudely drawn map, "The best spots to ambush them are there and there. This will be a little risky. The jocks just might get the upperhand if we're not careful."

"Honestly, you're going to do what? We didn't really talk this through like last time..." Chase panicked realizing the likelihood of their failing was, "I agreed to help thinking this would work but seriously... I have to start thinking about myself now... There're high school pictures next week... My mom will kill me if I get another black eye. The last pictures were screwed up royally... I still haven't heard the last of it from her..."

"This time will work for sure. The last couple times failed only because of the timing and consequence. This time I did something that they couldn't count on. I took the liberty of creating a diversion and planning ahead. As for last time, we didn't have these," Billy held up a box of pictures, "With these, we're almost assured to get in and out before they realize..."

"Since we know where the jockstraps are and they have to cross this staircase to make it to fourth period, our best points are at the tops of these rails, where there are the fewest students," Jason interjected drawing on the map, "I don't see how anyone will get hurt if we just be careful... but as long as we drop the cargo and rendezvous back here for fourth period, no one will be the wiser about the photos."

"You guys and your male egos," Trinity giggled, "If it isn't about territory, it's some sort of pissing contest. You guys have me behind you but remember, I don't have your backs if you wind up getting into it with anyone. I didn't spend my time studying the martial arts to save your sorry asses."

"That's fine," Chase pointed out of paranoid fervor, "I really want to be grounded for the rest of my life. It'll save a lot of beatings from Luke and his goons again... We're never going to make it out of this alive."

"I told you," Billy prodded Chase in the ribcage, "I have a plan. If it worries you so much, you can just stay here and wait for us to come back."

"I like that idea best," Chase yawned and hid under a table, "I've always been quite partial to hiding than fighting anyway. I was crazy for cooking up this scheme. Is there any way I could plee the fifth?"

"We should go right now if we want to do this," Jason checked his watch, "You pick and choose your moments well, Chase. We'll meet back here in a few minutes. Til then, you just keep hidden."

With a light rustle behind them, Billy and Jason made their way to the third floor banister. Below them, they could see everyone gathering to get to their next classes. Nodding to Brian in the crowd below, Billy hoisted the pictures over the staircase and readied to drop them. Below, Brian knelt down on his knee and began tying his shoe. Luke and his crew passed by him within mere inches and as they did, their cheerleader cohorts trailed behind. With her skirt trailing in the breeze, Kimberly drew herself from the crowd. The peppy head cheerleader danced and giggled with her crew, unaware of Brian's presence. At the exact moment when Kimberly shifted her weight on her other foot, he pulled the fishing wire taught causing a chain reaction that left people toppling over each other. In the end, Luke, being on bottom of the pile, fought desperately to get up. Acting his part well, Brian helped the jocks from their predicament and tried to make amends for what had happened, with no avail. Stepping towards Brian, Luke grinned mischievously as he was enticed to beat on him more than the Freshmen. The other jocks were just as severely pissed at the accident and started to corner Brian. Right when it seemed to be the worst timing, Billy saw his moment and dropped the pictures across the lower campus. There was a loud commotion below them as people sprung to life grasping the pictures. Amidst the laughter and giggles, the first bell for fourth period rang.

"What?" Billy jumped, "The bell's early... No... We're late! Hurry Jason!"

"How awesome is this," Jason laughed, "We dump the cargo and we have to rush off to Mr Collins'..." Jason's eyes shot open and he held his arm as pain jolted down it.

"Don't start turning yellow on me now," Billy pulled Jason along the corridor, "Mr Collins isn't forgiving of tardies."

"Wait..." Jason forced out as his face flushed, "We can't go to his class... There's something terrible going to happen... We must evacuate the school immediately..."

"What are you talking about?" Chase ran up to Billy and Jason, "Is it that feeling of yours again?"

"The danger's gone up to a nine," Jason fumbled as his eyes went dark, "Get everyone out now..."

Chase and Billy laughed in unison, "We finally got those jock bastards and now you want us to go back? We don't think so."

"You don't get what I'm saying," Jason fumbled out as Chase and Billy drug him into class, "You have to get everyone out of the school... no.. the city... right now!"

"Jason..." Billy looked at him quixotically, "Why are you so adament about this?"

"I don't have time for this," Jason barked and pushed open the doors to Mr Collins' class, "Mr Collins, I'm sorry but I need your PA for a second."

"You'll take your seat before I send you to the Dean's office," Mr Collins rose an eyebrow, "Class is about to begin, young man."

"This'll only be a minute," Jason grabbed the microphone and called out to the school, "We have an emergency. All students and faculty are to collect at the first floor quad immediately."

"You won't be able to stop this, Franks," a voice echoed in the back of his mind, "The future has been decided. You're already too late."

Jason's eyes strained as sweat formed on his brow, "I'm not too late. You bastards are not going to kill a single person in this city. I'll use every ounce of my strength to stop you."

"Jason Franks," Mr Collins interjected, "Are you done? You've got some explaining to do."

"Not now, Mr Collins," Jason hesitated, "I have people I want to protect. They might not accept me and push me around but I won't let them die."

A reddish glow took form around Jason's wrist and solidified. Pushing the window open and dashing out, Jason haphazardly propped himself up the ladder and climbed to the roof. His arms were heavy and his vision was getting blurry but he didn't care. He had a fragile body but a solid spirit. He kept telling himself, I must protect them, as he stood shaking against the sunlight. He could barely muster the strength to stand but his eyes shown brilliant with determination. He rose his arms up as if drawing forth a powerful energy and knelt collecting himself. A whirling wind started to surround him as the red light evaporated.

"You bastards took my father," Jason shouted, "You took my hero. I will not let you take anyone else."

Bawling up his fist around an invisible hilt, he stood ready. Distant explosions could be heard as dust seemed to paint the horizon. His eyes burned radiantly with indignation as his feet spread apart waiting for his one chance.

"You're willing to trade your life in for these worthless people?" the phantasm laughed maniacally, "You really should think this through, Mr Franks."

"I have," Jason smirked, "I remember that hell you created. My mom tries to be happy but she hurts deeply. I'm scarred for life with what you did. I won't let you put anyone else through that Hell!"

A dark atmosphere seemed to gather above Jason. Streaks of fire and brimstone could be seen striking buildings in the city, billowing smoke and chaos through the city streets. Some feet away, he could see it coming... It floated like some malificent force drove it toward the school and released it onto its intended target... Released from its hold, the fireball made a V-line for the structure as the students rushed from the school. Astonished looks and gasps seemed to pervade the populace below as fires and disaster seemed to be everywhere around them. Then, a scream sounded out... Someone had noticed the object flying towards the school...

Blazing heat seemed to ooze from within the dark mass as Jason flung his arms and connected with it. As if it was held back by an invisible force, the mass seemed to be pushed back... Closing his eyes and focusing, Jason put all his remaining power into the strike. Energy that he had never known overtook him... A brilliant flash of reddish light encompassed the roof as Jason stood victoriously over the fireball.

"You done it, kid. I'm proud of you," a much more soothing voice called out to him.

"Thanks dad..." Jason fell over onto the roof and passed out, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you too..."

"You really done it this time, Jason," the man's deep voice came through, "You certainly surprised me. You really are one of the Chosen..."

Whoops of victory and awe gathered below as teens and teachers wailed together... They were saved... Somehow they were all saved...