A Necessary Question
This take place several days following Jimmy's debut as the Purple Ranger. Ultrazord power had not been needed for several battles and he was starting to wonder about his use as a Ranger...
Kimberly was walking down main street, on her way to school when she heard a car horn. Thinking it was someone being fresh, she turned with a biting comment ready but then saw it was Jimmy... Tommy's brother and recent addition to the Power Team.
"Hey, gorgeous... since that brother of mine isn't around, do you want a lift?" Jimmy offered
"Sure." Kim climbed into his convertible and smoothed her skirt over her legs before buckling in. "Nice wheels."
"Thanks, just got it today. I figured if I am going to be commuting back and forth between here and school, it would be a lot less cheaper to have my own set of wheels. And a lot less conspicuous, if you get me?" He dropped the top. "Let's cruise."
As they drove down main, Kim noticed something was off with Jimmy. He normally talked non-stop, but today he was rather sullen and quiet.
"Whatcha thinking about?" Kim asked when they had to stop at a red light.
"Stuff. What do you think?"
"About what?" Kim paused to study her hair in the visor mirror.
"Nothin' special. Y'know, life, school, me being a Ranger..."
"Life's fine, school reeks, and I think Zordon made a good choice by letting you join the team. Why?"
"I dunno. Maybe I'm just having adjustment problems, but I don't think I fit in and it doesn't help that I'm not needed very often. I'm starting to wonder if I should've told Zordon to send me back." Jimmy drove on.
"You'll do fine. It took us all a while to figure out where we fit in." Kim patted Jimmy's leg. "It's gonna work out, just you see."
The light finally changed and Jimmy sped through the intersection.
"You're probably right. As usual, my mouth opens before my brain can tell it not to."
As they drove toward school, Kim noticed a familiar red shirt walking down the sidewalk. "Isn't that Jason?" She asked
Jimmy squinted. "I think so. See if he wants a ride?" He pulled alongside Jason and slowed down.
"Hey, Jason?" Kim shouted
Jason turned. "Huh... oh, hi Kim."
"Wanna ride with me and Jimmy? He's takin' me to school."
"Thanks, but I got stuff to do before school."
Before Jimmy could even offer to take him wherever he was going, and ultimately find out what the leader of the Power Team thought of his newest teammate, Jason took off, running toward the nearby park.
"I guess not." Jimmy pulled away from the curb.
"Did you see that? Something's got him spooked. I've never seen him that nervous." Kim stared behind her as they drove away.
"I noticed." Jimmy replied
They arrived at the High School just in time for the first bell.
"Gotta dash. Thanks for the lift." Kim gathered her books.
"No problem. Anytime." Jimmy replied watching her scurry into school. "Dammit, I gotta watch myself. That is my brother's girlfriend. Lord, life is complicated."
At lunchtime, Jimmy was still in the area. "I wonder what I'll do for lunch?" He thought out loud, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "That'll do." Up ahead, the Youth Center loomed. "I hear Ernie makes a really good Pita."
Jimmy walked inside and immediately saw Kim, Billy, and Zack sitting at a table in the far corner. From their body language, it was obvious that Billy was trying to explain something to the other two and they weren't getting it. He grabbed his sandwich and was on his way over to them when he accidentally bumped into someone going the other way, a full tray in his hands.
"Jason?" Jimmy asked "What's up?"
If Jason looked nervous that morning, he now looked ten times worse. He dropped his tray on the floor and ran out the side door.
Jimmy sighed. Half of Jason's Salisbury Steak with potatoes had ended up on him. "I just had this jacket cleaned."
He stuffed his uneaten sandwich into a pocket and chased after Jason.
"What was that?" Zack asked
"What was what?" Kim asked
"It looked like Jason just threw his lunch at Jimmy." Zack said
"That is an unusual occurrence." Billy interjected "But could we continue with the curriculum?"
Jimmy finally caught up with Jason, park side, and tackled him when it was obvious that Jason was not going to stop to talk.
"Jason... wait... a... minute!" They rolled around in a tangle of arms and legs before Jimmy pulled them both to their feet. "What is with you?"
Jason refused to answer, choosing instead to brush non-existent dirt from his clothing.
"You ain't the nervous type, man. What's goin' on?" Jimmy demanded again.
Jason suddenly glanced behind Jimmy, like he saw someone he knew. Jimmy also turned, and that's when Jason took off again.
"Jason!" Jimmy just watched him go, not having the strength or desire to go chasing after him again. "Screw you if that's the way you're gonna act!"
He walked back to his car, threw his soiled coat into the backseat, and drove home. He pulled into his driveway and got out, still angry at Jason for both his actions and his attitude.
"I don't f'in believe him!" He shouted
"You don't believe who, Jate." Tommy asked
"Dammit, bro. Don't do that." Jimmy started
"Sorry, man. Who don't you believe?" Tommy repeated his question.
"Jason, our esteemed leader. Hell, Tom, you've known him longer than I have... is the the type of guy to get overly anxious about anything? The one battle I had with you guys he seemed totally in control."
"If he does, I've never seen it man."
"I didn't think so." Jimmy grabbed his ruined jacket from the back of the car and looked at it with disgust. "Eighty bucks down the toilet there."
"Why d'ya ask?"
"You seen the dude, lately? He's jumpin' at shadows." Jimmy brought his brother up to date on the day's earlier activities.
"Like I said, I hadn't noticed anything, but I've been here since before lunch so maybe he got some bad news this morning or something." Tommy answered
"Possible. Don't you have class or did you get suspended again?" Jimmy grabbed his mail.
"Just one class today." Tommy replied
"Lucky you." The reasons behind this was none of Jimmy's business, and he didn't want to know in case it was more teenage recklessness on Tommy's part. "But why hang out here? Don't you usually work out with your free time."
"No one to work out with." Tommy answered "I figured maybe if you weren't doin' anything, we could catch a flick or something?" What he really wanted was to spend more time with Jimmy. Since that first day, their paths had rarely crossed.
"Maybe later, bro. Right now, I'd like to know what is Jason's problem. I don't like having people throw food at me. He ruined my jacket."
Tommy shrugged. He hadn't worn a jacket since he'd arrived in Angel Grove. Both men entered Jimmy's house. This was the first time Tommy had seen it.
"Wow, man. You live here? How can you afford it?" Tommy whistled
"The inheritance." Jimmy answered "I invested my share and bought this place when I realized I was gonna come back."
"I like it." Tommy replied
"It works for me.... argh!" Jimmy tossed the mail on his table. "There has to be a logical explanation for Jason."
"Dude, you gotta chill out. If you want logic, talk to Billy. He's the brains of this team." Tommy sensed Jimmy's angst. He was also a little curious as to Jason's sudden change of attitude.
"Would you mind talkin' to him? I don't understand a word he says half the time."
"Me... Jate, what makes you think I know what he's sayin' any better than you do?" Tommy retorted "I guess we could get Trini to translate."
Jimmy chuckled. "Any way we can get everyone together? Maybe one of them has heard something."
"I assume when you said everyone, you meant everyone except Jase, right?" Tommy leaned "I think so. We've never excluded someone before."
"Only one way to find out... Alpha, you there...?"
"Ay-yi-yi. Purple Ranger, I'm always vigilant. Is there a problem?"
"I know this is highly irregular, and possible against the rules, but can you teleport everyone except the Red Ranger to my present location about five hours from now?" Jimmy asked, crossing his fingers while Alpha digested the request.
"This is most unusual..."
"Alpha, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't serious." Jimmy added "Just this once?"
"Alright, I will do it this time, but the teleportation is not to be used for personal use." Alpha signed off.
Later that afternoon, Zack, Trini, Billy, and Kim appeared in Jimmy's kitchen one by one.
"What's up?" Kim asked
"Has Rita attacked again?" Trini queried
"Nothing quite as boring as that Trini." Tommy answered. At Jimmy's request, he was taking the lead at the meeting.
"Can you expedite this discussion? I was re-polarizing several unstable isotopes which must be attended to diligently or they may produce disastrous consequences." Billy asked
"What?" Jimmy blurted out.
"Anyway guys, Jimmy called this meeting to ask if you'd noticed the changes in Jase?"
Everyone to a Ranger nodded.
"Where is Jason anyway? Shouldn't he be here?" Trini asked
"Like, last time I saw him, he was running east on West Southmoor avenue... or was that west on South Eastmoor avenue... y'know, maybe it was south on..."
Trini interrupted, thankfully. "Why don't we just teleport him here? Maybe he'll explain himself."
Jimmy and Tommy looked at each other.
"After the rules I bent to get you here, it ain't gonna happen if I want to keep my job, such as it is." Jimmy leaned back in his chair, his nagging inferiority complex returning.
"Since Jase hasn't been willing to tell any of us what's goin' on, I don't think bringing him here would be a good idea." Tommy replied
"I agree." Jimmy said "Until he trusts one of us enough to tell us what's up, bringing him here won't help. At least that's my opinion."
"I concur." Billy stated
"I think I actually understood that." Jimmy said "Anyway, before you go can I show you something? I just had it made and I wondered what you all thought about it for my car."
Jimmy led his comrades into the garage and grabbed a large stencil from the back corner. "This is what I'm thinking of doing. One on the hood and a smaller version on the trunk and side panels."
"The colour scheme effective focuses attention on the piece as a whole." Billy said
"I like it too." Trini said, noticing familiar blank looks on several of the others, Jimmy most noticeably.
The pattern was a lightning bolt striking a prism and breaking off into seven beams of light: red, yellow, blue, green, pink, black, and purple.
"Kinda symbolic, huh... slammin'." Zack said
"Y'know, I just realized that the only person on this team I can talk to without needing translation is Tommy." Jimmy said "What a group."
"I get it." Tommy said "The seven beams are the seven of us, the lightning represents the Power, but what does this middle part mean?"
"It's a circular prism. When light hits a prism, it splits. Now before you correct me Billy, I am quite aware that there is no such thing as refracted black light. But we can't do anything about the fact that Zordon has no sense of color. After all, I am still wearing purple." Jimmy explained
"But, your explanation is inaccurate..."
"Billy, I'm sure none of us really need a lecture of refractive theory, so can we leave it at that, huh?" Jimmy said "Anyone want to help me paint?"
All of the others, with the exception of Tommy, begged off, saying they had things to do.
"I don't mind stayin'." Tommy said "It'll give me somethin' to do."
"You really are trying to make up for all that time away?"Jimmy asked
"Yeah." Tommy replied
"Cool."Jimmy went back inside to change while Tommy stared at the stencils. When he came back out, they set to the painting in earnest. While they painted, they talked more about what had gone on in their lives over the past eight-plus years. Tommy could be more open about things his end now that Jimmy was also a member of the Rangers.
They had completed both the hood and trunk decals and were just starting on the red stripes down each side when Tommy suddenly stopped talking. Jimmy looked up, saw that Tommy's expression had changed and whirled around, almost expecting Rita to be standing there. It might've been easier to deal with the situation if it had been Rita there, but it wasn't. It was Jason and he looked really unhappy. About what, nobody knew.
"Jason? What are you doing here, man? I thought you were avoiding us." Tommy still had a shocked expression.
"Tommy, you're dripping paint." Jimmy hissed
"Sorry Jate. I'll clean it up." Tommy disappeared into the garage to search for some old rags.
"Jimmy, can I talk to you... alone?" Jason asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Sure, I guess. Tommy, I'll be right back." He shouted in the direction of the garage, not exactly sure where Tommy had gone to.
Jason and Jimmy strolled around the back of the property. There was something that Jason wanted to get off his chest, but Jimmy wasn't going to force the issue. When Jason was ready to talk, he would.
"Listen, man, I wanna apologize for ruinin' your jacket and for runnin' away. I owe everyone some answers, but I really need to talk to you first." Jason stared off into the distance."
"Jason, I know that something has to be really buggin' you for behavior like that." Jimmy answered "And we're all your friends... I'm sure they just want to help..."
"I'm listening."
"I... I..." Jason stuttered "I've been having problems at home. It's my folks. They fight almost every night."
"I see." Jimmy sat down on the bottom step and motioned for Jason to sit beside him.
"It's now where if somethin' small goes wrong, they get into it. Bills are late, dinner isn't perfect, stuff like that..."
"God, Jase, why didn't you say something sooner?" Jimmy gasped
"And last night they dragged me into the middle of it. They asked me to chose sides!"
Jason buried his face in his hands.
"Jason, I am so sorry, dude. If I had known..."
"How could you? I've been keeping it a secret but it's just too much for me now. That, and the Rangers, school, my karate classes... I'm at my breaking point." Jason's shoulders shook and Jimmy could see how close Jason was to losing complete control.
"Why'd you run, man? Did you think we wouldn't understand?" Jimmy was still confused by Jason's earlier actions.
"I needed to get away from everything and everyone. Y'know, try to sort things out. If I'd tried explaining this earlier, I'd probably have started cryin' like a kid." Jason brought his hand to his eyes.
"Jase, I wish I knew the right words to make this all go away, but I don't. The best I can do is tell you that if you need someone to talk to, my door is always open. I'm just a communicator away." He tapped his wrist.
"Yes, Purple Ranger?" Alpha asked
"Sorry, Alpha, wrong number." Jimmy quickly tapped his comm again. "Oops. Remind me never to do that again."
Jason smiled. It was good to see an expression other than angst on his face. "Thanks."
"Anytime, man." Jimmy clapped Jason on the back.
"Now I gotta tell the others." Jason sighed
"In your own time, dude." Jimmy answered "Even though my bro is probably wondering what's goin'on."
"I probably should talk to Tommy right away." Jason said
"Whatever happens with my brother and the guys, I'm right behind you. Don't ever forget that."
Tommy was dabbing at the passenger door, still trying to get all the drips off without ruining the rest of the design.
"Lemme take care of that, bro." Jimmy offered
"I got it Jate." Tommy replied
"Jase needs a word with you." Jimmy plucked the rag from Tommy's hand and pushed him away.
Jimmy tried not to eavesdrop while Jason spilled his guts to Tommy, but since he'd already heard the story, he didn't pay too much attention to it.
"Jase, no matter what they say, it isn't your fault bro." Tommy said when Jason had finished his explanations. "You know we're here to help."
Their communicators beeped. Jason was still a little too emotional to respond without Alpha asking a lot of unnecessary questions, so Tommy responded.
"Go ahead, Zordon. I read you."
"Power Rangers, I need you to teleport to the Command Center immediately." Zordon said
The trio teleported in, and were joined by their comrades shortly.
"What's Rita done this time?" Zack asked
"Rangers... I have both good and bad news for you. Rita has not sent a monster to Earth. Yet. But the Grid shows a build up of evil energy. This usually occurs when Rita has cast one of her spells. I believe that there will be a battle in the near future, and one that might have terrible results for the planet as well as you Rangers." Zordon announced
"What kind of results?" Jason asked
"She may enslave the planet and some of you may not be returning."Zordon stated
"What do you mean not returning... you mean, like captured?" Kim asked
"I think he means like dead." Jimmy interjected
"Do not fear Purple Ranger. I have every confidence in your abilities as a team to defeat Rita's evil." If that was meant to boost their confidence, it didn't.
"Who says we're afraid?" Jimmy asked
"Anything else, Zordon?" Jason said
"I felt it necessary to warn you of the impending danger."Zordon replied "Alpha will teleport you back to your respective locations until you are needed."
Zordon disappeared back to Eltar to continue monitoring the situation.
"That was a complete waste of time." Jimmy complained "Why couldn't he have told us over the comm instead of dragging us up here?"
"You still don't like teleporting, do ya bro?" Tommy guessed
"No. I have a problem with my molecules being zapped from here to there and back. I'm afraid that some time I'll reappear as a toadstool or something equally as useful."
The other Rangers laughed
"Well, how would you like to come back as a three-toed sloth Billy. Although, you might have a better chance at getting a date." Jimmy snorted
"You're cheap attempt at levity leaves much to be desired." Billy rebutted
"I know it did. That's why I said it." Jimmy answered
"Teleportation ready Rangers." Alpha announced
"Let's get this over with." Jimmy grumbled
The team teleported back to their original locales without incident, something their newest member was always thankful for.
"I wonder if the paint is dry yet?" Jimmy dabbed at the design on the hood.
"Well?"
"Another hour or so and it should be ready." Jimmy wiped his hand on a cloth.
"Well, I gotta get home or there's gonna be another fight." Jason said "I'm already late."
"Dude, take it easy and don't let it get to you." Tommy said
"And remember what I said earlier as well." Jimmy added
Jason nodded. His confidence he'd displayed in the Command Center was completely destroyed now that he had to face his own personal demons.
Later that night, Jimmy was working out in his private gym. He'd only recently begun serious training. Since he was a few years older than the rest of the team, he felt that he'd need whatever edge he could and secondly, he'd recently seen Tommy shirtless and he was jealous.
"46... 47... 48... 49... 50... unghhh!" He dropped the barbell to the floor with a bang and had just reached for his Gatorade when he heard footsteps on his front steps, followed by and urgent banging on his door.
"Who can it be now?" Jimmy sang softly, draping his towel around his neck and running up the stairs two at a time.
The pounding on the door became more frantic.
"I'm coming." Jimmy opened the door. "Jason? What's up?" Judging from Jason's expression, Jimmy knew the answer before he even spoke.
"They're fighting again. I can't stay there another minute. Can I crash here?"
"Of course." Jimmy answered
"Thanks, man..." Jason sighed
"It's no problem. I told you I was here if you needed me, I just didn't think it would be so soon."
"Sorry."Jason sniffled
"Don't be. It's not your fault. Did you eat?"
Jason shook his head. "They laid into me the second I got back."
"Okay. Pizza it is." Jimmy went into the kitchen to grab the phone book. When he was done placing their dinner order, he returned to the living room. Jason had commandeered the sofa, but was staring off into space.
"Ya wanna talk? It might help." Jimmy motioned for Jason to slide over.
"Is that you?" Jason asked, pointing to a picture on the wall.
"Yeah, me and Tommy, summer of '87. This was the last picture we took before I disappeared."
"How old were you?" Jason asked
"I was fifteen, Tommy woulda been about eleven."
"Wow!"
"All those trophies in the background are his." Jimmy pointed "Even back then, he was a prodigy. Our Dad got us into martial arts early, but Tommy took to it a lot faster than I did."
"But you're both at about the same level, right?"
"In some areas. Tommy knows a lot more than he lets on. Anyway, I'll show you to the guest room. My house is your house for as long as you need." Jimmy rolled off the couch. "It's gonna be alright Jase... don't worry." Jimmy rubbed his shoulder for comfort as he showed him to his new home.
Later that night, about one in the morning earth time, Rita barged into the room her chief monster-maker slept in and zapped him awake.
"Finster, wake your self up!"
A smoking Finster groaned. "What, my Queen. It's still low moon."
"So? I need putties. I know how I am going to defeat the Power Rangers!"
"One army of putties coming up."
"Did I say that... I only need seven, you ninny. I have a plan."
Two hours later, Rita's, ahem, army, appeared in Angel Grove park and began destroying it.
Zordon appeared as soon as the putties did. "Alpha, you must alert the Rangers. Rita's putties are in the park."
"Right away, Zordon." Alpha replied
The Rangers appeared, Zordon having allowed them a minute to put some clothes on.
"Only seven?" Jason shouted, stifling a yawn. "Let's take 'em!"
They fought the putties; a fairly easy job by Ranger standards, but it wasn't Rita's plan to have her putties win, or even put up a decent fight. The second her putties had appeared, she had also enchanted a local citizen to call Angel Grove police and report 'gang activity' in the park.
The putties vanished second before the police pulled up to the Park. They saw seven shapes, damaged picnic tables and stuff and put two and two together.
"What was that about?" Tommy asked upon the putties' hasty retreat.
"I would hypothesize that is might have something to do with the anticipated presence of the local law enforcement." Billy answered
"I ain't hangin' around to find out, that's for sure." Jimmy looked for a viable escape route.
"I think we've been had, guys." Jason recognized the severity of the situation immediately.
Officers surrounded the team, weapons at ready.
"Freeze!"
"Zordon, help!" Jason shouted hoarsely.
"I regret that I am unable to assist, Jason. Were I to teleport you from the situation, your true identities would be revealed. You must find a way to deal with this yourself."
Jason mouthed a rude word. "We're on our own, guys. Anybody got an idea?"
"We need a plan." Zack agreed
"I know what I'd do, but people already think that this show is too violent." Jimmy said "And I'm in enough trouble as it is."
The cops looked suspiciously at the team. "Keep your hands where we can see them!"
Jimmy, either really brave or really sure that the cops weren't trigger happy, stepped forward. "What's up? We were walking home from the movies and heard something that sounded like a fight."
"We received a call about seven thugs vandalizing the park."
"And you thought it was us? We're the p..." Jason almost blew his cover before Tommy covered his mouth. Had he finished his sentence, Zordon's inability to teleport them would not have made a lick of difference.
"You're who?"
"Disregard him. He's had way too much caffeine." Jimmy quickly replied
"You're coming with us. Suspicion of mischief."
Rita cackled. "Finally! I've done it! The Power Rangers are going to jail. Now it's time for me to conquer the earth!"
The seven were read their rights and arrested on-sight.
"Not your day,eh?" Jimmy whispered to Jason, who looked ready to cry.
"I guess not."
"Just chill. I'll get us outta this." Jimmy looked around, hoping that the cops hadn't had enough time to get their night vision going.
"It's a good thing Jase didn't finish his sentence. The newspapers would have a field day." Trini whispered
"I can see the headlines: Power Rangers arrested. Rita Rules!" Zack, despite the inherent predicament he was in, laughed.
Jimmy had been slowly moving away from the others . "If I'm booked, I'm a dead man." He breathed deeply. "Here goes." He took off running into a nearby thicket.
"Stop! Police!" Four of the officers took off after him, leaving their comrades to finish dealing with the others.
"Why'd he do that?" Zack asked, squirming in the back seat of one of the squad cars.
"Maybe he didn't wanna get caught?" Tommy asked, trying to get comfortable beside him.
"Since we didn't do nothin', why the hell is he runnin'? It ain't gonna solve anything and he's gonna look worse when they catch him."
Jimmy ran through the grove, zigzagging left to right, always managing to keep barely a couple steps ahead of the police.
"Perfect." Jimmy ducked into a thick bunch of trees just in time. He crouched when the cops stopped right in front of where he was hiding.
"Where'd he go?"
"He couldn't have gone far." His partner replied "Let's split. Take Michaels and go that way. I'll take Davis and go this way."
The officers split, leaving Jimmy safe in his rather cramped hiding spot. He waited until he was sure that the cops were nowhere around before contacting Alpha and Zordon.
"What is going on? Why are the Rangers now under arrest?" He asked
"I don't know... ay-yi-yi.... Zordon, what are we going to do?"
"We? What's this we stuff? Zordon already said he wasn't going to do anything to help us." Jimmy answered, realizing that contacting them might have been a waste of time.
"Rita has the upper hand. Until I can figure out what she plans, there is no suggestions I can offer." Zordon boomed.
"You're a lot of help. Jimmy out." Jimmy waited, hoping an idea would come to him. Eventually one did, but it was tricky.
"I hope that the coast is clear." Jimmy peeked out of the bushes, looking for his pursuers. There was no sign of any of the officers. "I'm now a fugitive, but they'd be really stupid to arrest a Power Rangers... It's morphin time!"
"Titanus!"
The Purple Rangers walked into the clearing. As he'd hoped, the cops turned their weapons on him, thinking he was the youth who'd eluded arrest earlier. He was, but he wasn't... you get the picture.
"Freeze!"
"Excuse me." Jimmy tried to make it sound like having a gun waved in his face was a normal occurrence.
"I said freeze!" The cop repeated, ignoring the stares he was getting from the other officers, who obviously knew who Jimmy was.
"Uhm...okay." Jimmy answered hesitantly. "Zordon told me that some of Rita's putty patrollers were seen in the area. I assume you saw them, or we wouldn't be having this discussion."
The cop Jimmy had heard being identified as Michaels motioned for him to lower his weapon.
"I think you got some wrong information. We picked up seven youths just a few moments ago."
"Yeah, but one of them got away!"
"Oh. Zordon, it seems like it was a false alarm." Jimmy called base, hoping that Zordon would know how to play along.
"Negative, Purple Ranger... it was definitely a putty patrol the sensors detected. Maybe the humans the police took away saw something."
"Got it." Jimmy acknowledged
"May the power protect you."
"Where are the youths you picked up? I'm supposed to find out what they saw." Jimmy demanded
"They should be downtown by now."
Jimmy decided to play up the role, just in case there were still a few disbelievers among Angel Grove's finest and summoned Titanus for the ride downtown.
"Hi-ya!" Jimmy leaped into the control room. "Okay, guys, I'm on my way."
Once he'd arrived, to his mild annoyance, there were no parking spaces big enough for Titanus so he regrettably had to send her back.
The second Rita saw the Purple Ranger, she threw a hissy fit. "What?!?!??!" She shrieked "How did he escape?!?!?!?! I had everything planned perfectly!!! He'll ruin it all!!! Finster, do something!!!!"
"Time to keep up the charade." Jimmy entered the front area, where the lone on-duty clerk was staring at the boob tube. He cleared his throat to get the man's attention, and only succeeded halfway.
"Yeah?" At least his presence was known, even if the guy wouldn't tear his eyes away from the TV.
"I understand you just brought in a group of teens."
"Uh-huh? You their lawyer?"
"Do I look like it?" Jimmy asked quizzically. "My boss wants to know if they saw a group of putties before the police showed up."
"Let me sign you in."
It took less than no time, but Jimmy was admitted. He wondered what the police would make of it if they ever bothered scrutinizing the visitors' log with any detail.
"Follow me." Jimmy was taken into a small room where he waited for the 'youths' to be brought in. "Just wait here."
Jimmy tapped his fingers together. The desk sergeant knew a little more about him than the uniform branch since he'd been required to submit his blaster prior to being allowed visitation rights.
The other Rangers were soon brought in. If they were surprised to see Jimmy, it was soon masked by other expressions.
"Let's get this over quickly. The cops think I am here to find out what you saw. I'm pretty sure that Rita's on her way."
The other six looked sullen, if not angry. Even Tommy looked pissed at him.
"Is there something wrong, guys? Other than this mess, I mean?" Jimmy demanded
"Yeah, like you are. Leavin' us to take the rap." Kim stated
"Oh, I should've figured that out on my own, right?" Jimmy answered
"Damn straight." Jason pounded the table. "We're a team remember?"
"I know. But if I'd been caught, there'd be a lot more trouble than any of you know." Jimmy's reply was interrupted by a communique from Zordon.
"Purple Ranger, you must go to the financial district immediately. Rita has returned her Grumble Bee to Earth and it has already grown. Teleportation and communications are fading fast..."
Jimmy's link died.
"I think I understood." Jimmy stared at the others. "If you don't want me on the team, all you have to do is ask."
Jimmy banged on the door and left, leaving the rest of the team to their own thoughts.
"Like, wha'd he mean by that? "If I'd been caught, there'd be a lot more trouble than any of you know."
"I dunno. Jate still hasn't told me everything about him." Tommy replied
Jimmy walked back to the entrance and retrieved his Blaster.
"Did you find out what you needed to know?"
"Not really." Jimmy answered "But apparently, Rita's back. I gotta meet with the other Rangers."
Despite Zordon's suggestion of urgency, Jimmy still took the time to leave, walk half-a-block, duck into an alley, power down, go back to the cop shop, post bail for the rest of the team, walk back into the alley, re-morph, and summon Titanus.
It wasn't hard to find Rita's monster. What Jimmy didn't count on was Rita's palace perched on a nearby skyscraper.
"Get him, my Grumble Bee! This is one time when traveling to earth is going to be worth it!"
"I'm sure that's illegal." Jimmy mumbled, waiting for his Zord to arrive. The Bee spotted our hero and squirted a load of venom at him. Jimmy jumped, dodged, and cartwheeled away from the toxic spray.
"Titanus, what's taking you so long?" Jimmy was tempted to resummon it, when he heard her telltale roar. He jumped on board and took control. Not a moment too soon, either.
"Weapons, on-line. Target lock! Fire!"
Titanus fired several blasts at Rita's monster. Most of them missed, I'm not sure how, and even those that landed did minimal damage.
"Oh, for ---'s sake. It barely left a mark!"
"Here, Ranger, have a drink on me!" The Bee fired, scoring a direct hit. Sparks flew from the control panel.
"Guidance systems down!"
Rita laughed, watching Titanus' weapons fire erratically.
"I can't control weapons." Jimmy gritted his teeth. Maybe hitting it would do something... Titanus, ramming speed!"
Titanus plowed into the Bee. It flopped backward, but was soon upright again.
"You'll have to do better than that." It buzzed.
"Okay, I will." Titanus rammed the bee again. Same result,
"Is that the best you got? Have another drink on me!"
Several more shots of venom hit Titanus. More sparks flew from the various mechanisms.
"Attitude control off-line?" Jimmy read another little red screen. "This is getting tricky! Yuk!" A glob of yellow goo trickled down, covering his view screen. "Now I can't even see where I'm going. Switch to automatic control."
Jimmy slammed a button, which if he'd understood correctly, would revert control to Titanus' organic components. Even this didn't help, and Titanus continued to drive erratically, flattening trees, mailboxes, and several smaller buildings in its path.
"If that stuff hits the power grid, we're toast." Jimmy stared at his console, and wondered if now would be a good time to get out and walk.
In the Command Center, Alpha and Zordon had been keeping a watchful eye on the battle, via the viewing globe, even though there was no help they could offer.
"Alpha, continue to run battle scenarios through the computer. We must come up with a way to defeat the monster. And continue trying to re-establish communication with the other Rangers. They must be made aware of the situation."
Back at the jail, the Rangers were stuffed in one of the cells, waiting patiently, and in some cases, trying not to say something very rude about their newest member and the fact that he'd apparently left them.
The jingling of keys surprised them. It was a guard coming to let them out.
"What's goin' on?" Tommy asked
"Apparently, there's a monster heading this way."
"You're letting us go?"
"We've got bigger problems right now. Now get out of here and take cover."
They grabbed their personal items from the desk Sergeant and ran out the door. From the station, they could see the battle clearly, and it didn't look good. Titanus was dead in the water; the Grumble bee firing at it without any signs of Titanus being able to fire back.
"Let's go!" Jason led the team into the same alley Jimmy had used earlier.
"Rangers........" Alpha had managed to restore some communications, but most of Zordon's words were still drowned out by static. "..............Grumble Bee................... downtown............. Ranger.................Titanus inoperable...................." The rest was lost.
"It's Morphin Time!"
"Dragonzord!"
Mastodon!"
"Pterodactyl!"
"Triceratops!"
"Saber-toothed tiger!"
"Tyrannosaurus!"
Still unable to teleport, they ran toward the battle.
"I've done it. If I can't have him, then neither can Zordon! Finish him off, my Grumble Bee!"
Rita's monster fired again. Sparks flew from another console when Titanus suffered another hit, this time to it's power couplings.
"Great! What else could go wrong?" Jimmy said, wafting away the smoke to get a better grip of the situation.
"Auto destruct sequence initiated. Two minutes to destruction."
"I had to ask." Jimmy pounded the one working console. It was external communications. He hoped the other Zords could hear him.
"Titanus is gonna blow in less that two minutes. Evacuate the area."
"Impossible. Titanus has built-in fail safes for all its primary systems..."
"All of which are either shot up or off-line." Jimmy flicked various switches, trying to get enough control for one last run with the monster. "I said clear the area. If my Zord is goin' down, then so is Rita's monster, if I can get this thing moving..."
"Ninety seconds to power breach."
"Jimmy, don't do it!" Kim shouted
"Jate, it's suicide." Tommy agreed, setting the Dragonzord on an intercept course. With any luck, the other Zords would arrive in time. If not to save the city, then at least to prevent the Purple Ranger from doing something incredibly stupid.
"You got any other suggestions? Your Zords are too far away right now."
"Seventy-five seconds to imminent destruction."
"Nice way to put it, stupid computer." Jimmy swore.
Jimmy watched as the other Rangers led the evacuation of downtown. Thankfully there weren't too many people in the area at that hour.
"We're clear." Jason said "Are you sure about this?"
"Trust me." Jimmy watched the Rangers also back away.
"Hey, Do-Bee, I ain't done with you yet." In those final seconds, Jimmy got Titanus rolling again.
The Bee accosted it, but instead of firing weapons, all of which were usless, Titanus wrapped her neck around the monster and held on tightly. "Of all the Zords on the planet, I get the one without hands! I guess this will have to do."
"Forty-five seconds."
"Ay-yi-yi!"
"Alpha, have you restored teleportation yet?"
"Negative, Zordon. Every time I think I got it, another charge sends it back off-line." Alpha sputtered
"Thirty seconds."
"Time to get outta here." Jimmy hoped he could find some shelter that would protect him. An Olympic sprinter he wasn't.
"Fifteen."
Jimmy hit the manual exit. Nothing happened.
"Ten."
Jimmy tried again. Still nothing. With five seconds left, he realized what had gone wrong.
"Been nice working with you." He sat down and waited.
Titanus exploded, showering debris across a two block radius. Angel Grove's emergency services quickly arrived, blocking off the area while the Fire Department attended to the fireball. Not even the Rangers were allowed near.
"But..." Tommy protested. A part of him still held out hope that Jimmy had survived.
"Please wait over there until the fire is extinguished."
"Red Ranger, we have restored teleportation. Please return to the Command Center immediately." Zordon's voice boomed. Apparently, communication had also been restored.
"Great f'in timing." Tommy muttered
In the CC, Alpha greeted them, studying a printout.
"Alright, Zordon, what the hell went on down there." Jason shouted
"I am unsure why Rita's monster was so successful. Alpha is studying data from the battle as we speak."
"Ay-yi-yi! It appears that Rita's fortress caused an overload in our systems. This is what stopped us from..."
"Alpha, don't..." Kim sighed, her eyes getting misty.
"It appears that Rita has won this battle, Rangers. There will be other battles; other occasions for you to defeat her. I am ordering a reconstruction of Titanus..."
"But you can't replace Jate!" Tommy shouted
"Easy bro." Jason came over and patted Tommy's shoulder. "It's gonna be difficult, but we're gonna get through this."
"A bit?" Tommy repeated, staring at Jason with a look not seen since his evil Green Ranger days. "I'll never forget what happened. We became Rangers to save the world and what good were we??? We couldn't even save one of our own!"
Tommy's words hit home for everyone. "So don't any of you tell me I'm gonna get through this, especially you." Tommy threw his morpher at Zordon's bubble. It bounced off with a dull thud. "I quit!"
"Tommy, don't do this!" Jason was going to follow Tommy when Zordon spoke. "Jason, let him go. The time for talk will be later once Tommy has calmed."
"If you say so, Zordon." Jason sighed "But what do we do now? We can't go back to the way things were."
"Jason, it would probably help if you woke up." Zordon's voice suddenly sounded a lot like Jimmy's. The Command Center stared to fade out. "Jase, up and at 'em!"
It was Jimmy. Jason had dreamed the whole thing.
"Jimmy, oh man, am I glad to see you! What time is it?"
"Almost eight. We got work to do."
"Work? It's Saturday." Jason yawned
"Zordon needs us a-sap." Jimmy replied "You probably want to get dressed before we teleport unless you wanna show up looking like that."
Jason tossed back the covers, unconcerned that he was wearing only underwear.
"I'll teleport in with you whenever you're ready." Jimmy added, leaving the bedroom to give Jason his privacy. "That must have been some dream you were having."
"It wasn't much, man." Jason replied. How do you explain to someone that you'd just dreamed about his death???
"Then it was a very loud 'wasn't much'." Jimmy replied, his back still to Jason. "I heard you upstairs."
"Sorry if I woke ya." Jason muttered
"Oh well. If you hadn't, Zordon would've. I'm surprised you didn't hear the summons." Jimmy stepped aside when Jason ran into the bathroom.
"I dunno why I didn't." Jason said, staring at his reflection.
"I dunno either." Jimmy said "You ready?"
"Let's go."
"Two to teleport." Jimmy announced, keeping an eye on Jason.
"Sorry for the delay. " he apologized "Someone didn't hear the summons."
"I was having the strangest dream." Jason added
"Rangers, now that you are all here. Rita has sent her Grumble Bee back to earth. It is currently attacking downtown..."
At the words 'Grumble Bee', Jason gulped nervously. He also went deathly white.
"You okay?" Jimmy whispered
Jason nodded. The words 'wasn't much' echoed in Jimmy's mind.
"...prepare the teleportation."
"Zordon, I think Jimmy should stay behind." Jason announced
"What?" Jimmy shouted
"As a precaution. If we can't defeat Rita's monster, then we can use Titanus as a back-up."
"Oh, for the love of the Power!" Jimmy shouted angrily, turning on Jason. "I finally get a summons and you wanna keep me here! What gives?"
"Jimmy, last night I dreamed that Rita sent her Grumble Bee and you were the only one available to fight it."
"So?" Jimmy shrugged
"She took out Titanus, and you. I don't wanna lose you for real, man." Jason answered
"Okay, Jase, you're the boss, " Jimmy resigned himself to more inactivity.
Tommy saw how disappointed his brother was. "Jate, I'll wait with you if you want, man."
"An excellent idea, Tommy." Zordon said "Alpha, Teleport the other Rangers."
"It's morphin time!" Jason shouted
"Mastodon!"
"Pterodactyl!"
"Triceratops!"
"Saber-toothed tiger!"
"Tyrannosaurus!"
Once the five originals had left, Jimmy sighed. "So now what? We wait?"
"If you wish, you may watch the battle on the viewing globe." Zordon offered
"No thanks. Since I'm not needed, I'm goin' somewhere where I can at least be useful. I got stuff to do, anyway before I leave..."
"Leave? Where ya goin', bro?" Tommy interrupted
"Back to school, dude. I only had a week off. I didn't plan on staying here the whole time. I wanted to get my new place settled, hook up with you, and head back. Oh, and there was that little thing about fighting the Green Ranger, but it looks like that will have to wait." Jimmy tagged Tommy on the arm.
"School is important." Tommy answered, giving the moral of the episode.
"Especially when you're paying as much as I am."
"Need any help?" Tommy asked, a little saddened by the news that Jimmy was leaving so soon.
"Nah, it's cool. If I'm needed, doubtful though, just beep me."
"You got it." Tommy replied. Zordon looked a little annoyed.
"Then am I outta here." Jimmy teleported back to his house and quickly packed his bags. No sooner had he finished and brought them downstairs, then the familiar sounds of teleportation distracted him.
"I take it we won." Jimmy said, calmly. Once again, he wasn't needed.
"Piece o' cake. Heck, we didn't even need Tommy." Zack answered
Tommy shrugged. He wasn't nearly as aggravated as Jimmy over not being used.
Jimmy grabbed two sets of keys off the hall table. "Another one of Rita's plans that fell apart."
"When you coming back?" Tommy asked, trying not to let his sadness show.
"School's done at the end of April for me. I'll be here most of the summer." Jimmy grabbed his luggage and took it out to his car. "Anyhow, Jason feel free to use my place until things calm down at home." He offered the second set of keys to his Ranger-mate.
"Thanks, man. I was gonna ask you about that." Jason gratefully accepted them.
"On the rare chance that I'm needed, I have my communicator with me." Jimmy stared right at Jason when he said this. "Not that it's gonna happen."
"Jimmy, I..." Jason stuttered. One second Jimmy was acting almost brotherly to him and the next was making him feel two inches tall.
Jimmy loaded the trunk without another word to him.
"I'll see you in a couple months." He drove away. The team waved until he was but a speck in the distance.
"He's one-of-a-kind, isn't he?"
"Yeah." Kim hugged Tommy, sensing his feelings at the loss.
"Good luck, bro." Tommy whispered
TBC