The Decision

He didn't know why he'd come in the first place. Rocky was in the hospital; so what? It's not like it had anything to do with him. What did he care?

It was just that Rocky was the one person he'd been forced to trust whether or not he wanted to. The person who had kept his promise to be there no matter what. He had come to talk to him whenever Dad had sent his letters, promising to return 'soon'. He'd been there for his bad days, distracting him from thoughts of his brother without smothering him in attention. When he found out he was good at math and science, he started asking him for help, claiming his old tutor had moved away and he was in danger of failing now. Instead of ignoring his past like everyone else tried to do, he asked questions of it; how easy was it to break into a car, how well could he handle one, what was his favorite type... He'd let him work on the dying pit he called his van, seeming to be genuinely impressed with his skills in fixing it.

But he didn't like Rocky. He didn't care about him at all. He was just curious to see how badly he'd screwed himself up. How could he get himself hospitalized just by falling out of a ring, anyway?

But now, none of that really mattered anymore.

"You guys are the Power Rangers?" It seemed absurd. Tommy, Adam, Kat, Tanya, and Rocky were out saving Angel Grove, saving the world, everyday? The annoying preppy people who he couldn't get rid of were superheroes?

How hard can a person bang their head on the underside of a hospital bed?

"Aw, man." Rocky groaned weakly. "The guys are gonna kill me."

He blinked for a minute, still trying to wrap his thoughts around the concept. "Why?"

Rocky's expression was suddenly serious. "Our identities are secret, Justin. You can't tell anyone."

He was annoyed now. "Who would I tell? And why do I care if you guys are...are..." He swallowed, and forced himself to say it. "Power Rangers."

A light suddenly entered Rocky's eyes. "Justin...you don't have anything to do tonight, right?"

"Yes." he said flatly, looking wary. He didn't like that look on Rocky's face.

"Liar. Look, the others are gonna need help. I'm not going anywhere, so you'll have to go in my place."

"What?!" he squawked. "No way in hell!" He paused, eyeing him suspiciously. "How many drugs do they have you on?"

Rocky rolled his eyes. "Justin, seriously. The way I landed, I'm not going to go anywhere for awhile. The Rangers need a team of five. That's how they work. Without a fifth Ranger, the main weapon won't work, the Zords can't combine, and the team is weaker."

He raised an eyebrow. "What's a zord?"

Rocky smiled slightly. "Let me tell you the story from the beginning."

Forty-five minutes later, he was still insisting Rocky was high and the bed had given him a concussion.

Rocky looked annoyed now. "Look, Justin. You're a black belt in American-style karate, you can handle a car better than anyone I know which isn't all that much different from a Zord, and you're smarter than the five of us combined. If anyone's Ranger material, it's you."

"I'm twelve." he reminded him. Normally he insisted that age had nothing to do with anything. Right now, he really wanted it to.

Rocky smiled again. "I was fourteen. Two and a half years isn't that big of a difference."

"How do you know it would even work? I'm..." He swallowed, hating to admit this, but he had to convince Rocky this was a stupid idea. "I haven't even gone through puberty yet."

Rocky raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?"

He clenched his fists, the slowly raised an arm above his head, leveling his hand off a good foot above it.

The movement made Rocky chuckle. "If the Power can help Kat and Tanya learn to fight, I'm sure it can help with you being short."

He glared, then sighed and closed his eyes abruptly, feeling worn out. "My record."

"So?" When he tried to glare at him again, Rocky met his stare. "I'm serious. What does that matter? There are attempted murderers on our team. In the grand scheme of things, you being a car thief doesn't mean anything. You're a good person with a good heart, a strong sense of justice, and you fight for what you believe in. That's what Power Rangers are."

He stared at him, the anger and annoyance fading away. All that was left was fear and uncertainty, and he didn't like it. "Rocky..."

"Look, come here."

He approached him cautiously.

Rocky raised his wrist as best he could. "Zordon, this is Rocky. I'm sending someone to help." He cut off the transmission and slapped the watch he wore on his wrist.

He struggled. "What the hell are you-"

"If anyone gets the final say, it's Zordon." Rocky informed him. He touched something, and the word dissolved into blue sparkles.

The techno-geek part of him was in heaven. Computers everywhere, scientific equipment wedged into corners... He would love to find out what the glowing tubes on the wall were made of.

"What is this place?" he demanded.

"Welcome Justin, to the Power Chamber." a deep voice intoned.

He spun around and actually stumbled back a step. "Holy shit." he sputtered. "I really did give myself a concussion."

"Welcome! I am Alpha 5." chirped another voice.

He stared in amazement at the robot that had approached him. "A fully sentient, multi-functional automaton." he murmured.

It made some sort of odd noise that he guessed was supposed to represent a giggle.

"And I am Zordon, mentor to the Power Rangers." the tube-man informed him. "Justin, you are being asked to perform a great service to your planet."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute." he protested, waving his hands in front of him. "I never said I wanted to do this. Rocky just shoved this...thing...on my wrist and the next thing I know I'm in this place."

"That is called a communicator." Alpha 5 informed him. "It is how the Rangers send transmissions to this commander center and each other, as well as giving the ability to move about quickly. It transforms molecules into energy, allowing them to move from one place to the next at a much faster pace."

"Really?" He glanced at the thing on his wrist, intrigued despite himself. He shook his head abruptly. "But that doesn't mean I'll do this. I said no. Rocky's high anyway, to actually think of sending me here. I'm no superhero."

"No one is a superhero, Justin." Zordon informed him. "Power Rangers are simply people trying to protect others that have the ability to do so."

He looked up at him. That didn't sound so bad... "I'm still not doing it." He voice had lost his conviction somehow, and he noticed it. "I mean, I'm not exactly cut out for this." he added hastily. "Protecting people is one thing. But...I'm not...I'm not a good person. I can't...I..." He trailed off helplessly. Who was he trying to convince now?

"I believe in you, Justin. I am sure that you will be a strong and capable Ranger."

He looked at him for a long minute. "Just until Rocky's back on his feet."

"Of course. Please approach the Power Console."

He stared at the circle before him. Blue was the only color that hadn't dimmed. Anxiety settled over him, mingling with nervousness and fear. "Are you sure this thing isn't just going to electrocute me?"

"Reach out Justin, and accept all that is given to you."

Slowly, he extended his hands and touched the console.