DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Power Rangers, I'm just a fan.
This is a changed version on the chapter I had already posted here, there were a couple of things I wasn't happy with.
Jamie was the first one to come around, very unsure of where he was. He untangled himself from the pile as the others came around. "That's gonna leave a mark," Ali mumbled, rubbing her hip. "Hey guys, you ok?" Kyle pulled the surfer guy to his feet and then turned his attention to the girl. "Thanks man, I'm Chris by the way. Didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier." "No prob, I'm Kyle. Those two over there are James and Alice. And you?" Again his attention was focused on the blond-haired girl. "I'm Samantha," she said a bit shyly. Kyle flashed her a smile.
"Where are we?" Chris looked around. They were in what looked like the beginning of a tunnel, eerie glow illuminating their surroundings. Looking up, he could see the chute they had fallen down. "Hey, the tunnels lead this way." Jamie beckoned them to follow. "Are you sure we should go further in?" Samantha sounded a bit worried. "I doubt we'll get out the same way again," said Jamie glancing up at the hole. "Let's go," Ali started walking down the tunnel and Jamie followed. Chris and Kyle just shrugged their shoulders and then headed after the twins. Samantha stood still a little longer before finally hurrying after them.
As they walked further down the tunnels, the illumination grew stronger and stronger, giving them better and better view of their surroundings. The tunnels were only a few meters high but wider. "You know, this doesn't look like a natural wall. I think it's manmade." Chris ran his hands over the wall on one side. Kyle and Samantha stopped next to him as well while the twins went on and around a corner. "Why would someone make a tunnel down here? I've never heard about anyone working on anything here." Kyle looked at the other two. "Neither have I." Samantha said stroking the wall absent minded. "Where did the other two go?" Chris looked around. "They went further I think," Kyle said and headed after them.
He walked around the corner and into Jamie, who was just standing there gaping. Ali stood next to him, staring the same way. "What you looking at, guys…" he said and turned his gaze. "Wow…" A bit further down the tunnel, there was a door. And no ordinary door by the looks of it. It was a heavy steel door, with two columns of colorless stones running down the middle of the door, five on each side. A huge circle was engraved on the door, with some sort of Celtic knot decoration inside it.
Chris and Samantha came around the corner as well. "I'm almost certain these tunnels are manmade…" Chris's voice died out as he saw the door. "You were saying?" Kyle almost whispered. "I wonder what's on the other side." Ali finally said to break the silence. "What are you going to do, knock on it?" Jamie said a bit mockingly. Ali looked at him with a sly grin on her face. "And what if I do?" she said while crossing her arms. "I'll do the dishes or something. I ain't gonna promise too much, I'm not that stupid." Jamie replied after a couple of seconds. He had made that mistake before and had ended up as Ali's personal slave for two whole weeks. "Fine, your dishes for a week," said Ali and started walking towards the door. "Ali…" Kyle sounded uncertain, "are you sure you should be doing this?" "Guys, it's a door." Ali kept up her steady pace until she was only a couple of meters from the door. Then she slowed down and stopped only an arms length from it. She glanced back at Jamie and then reached forward and knocked three times. The loud bangs sounded unnaturally loud in the silence. A few seconds … nothing. A few more … still nothing. Jamie let out a small sigh and realized that he had been holding his breath. "That was exciting," Chris chuckled. They all walked to Ali to take a closer look at this strangely placed door. "I wonder who did this," said Samantha, tracing part of the decorative knot with her fingers. "Good question, and why? I mean, this doesn't look like any door I've seen before, above or below ground," Jamie said. "Common, let's see if we can't open it. I'm curious to see what it's for." Ali started pushing and pulling the door, trying to find any sort of secret handle or locking mechanism. "What are you expecting, a pot full of gold?" Jamie poked his sister. "Ha ha Jamie, very funny. Common, don't you want to know?" Jamie just rolled his eyes before joining in the pushing and pulling.
None of them had noticed how the colorless opaque stones had become more and more transparent, a new pair clearing up for each person touching the door. When Jamie touched the door, the last pair started slowly clearing up. When all the stones had cleared, they got brighter and brighter; shining with what was now a noticeable glow. "Guys…, guys…, I think you should see this." Samantha backed away from the door when she noticed the stones were now glowing. As soon as the others noticed the glowing stones, they backed away as well. "Is that … supposed to do that?" Kyle sounded almost hypnotized. Colors now ran up and down the rows of stones, giving them the impression of watching a rainbow or some wacky party lights, before flashing a bright light and the stones turned off, becoming dark and opaque again. Ali opened her mouth to say something but then the ground trembled just a little and the door seemed to split open down the middle, leaving one row of stones on each side, and it slid easily and quietly to each side, revealing the room behind.
They were standing at the top of stairs at the entrance of a large circular cave, a raised pool in the middle which resembled a natural hot tub. The symbol on the door was repeated on the wall straight ahead, adorning a large part of it. It could also be seen on the ground, with the pool in the center. On the other side of the pool, there was a pedestal with a chest or something on it. Other than that, the cave was empty. The group just stood there looking until Chris finally walked down the stairs and towards the pool. "This place is unbelievable," he said turning in circles. "You can say that again." Jamie walked to the pool and looked down into it. "What is this place?" There was a definite awe in Ali's voice. "This is Moonsilver Cave."
They all turned towards the speaker, a brown-haired woman wearing what looked like a dark orange robe, standing in a side entrance to the cave they hadn't noticed earlier. "Moonsilver Cave?" Samantha said quietly. "And you are?" Chris asked.
"My name is Jaelyn," she replied, "and I am the guardian here." There was pride in her voice. "I don't mean to sound rude, but what could you possibly be guarding here?" Ali looked around as she spoke.
Jaelyn walked to the pool before turning towards them again. "I serve Mother Nature, guarding and guiding her most trusted warriors," she said, making a gesture towards the decorative seal on the wall. "When needed, they are called, and so it has been for generations." She now approached the pedestal. "When all is well, I guard their powers," she faced them again, "until the need arises." They just stared blankly at her.
"And what's that got to do with us?" Chris asked as she stared back at them. "Everything! The call went out and you answered. You have been chosen."
"What?" "Us?" "No way!" "Huh?" Ignoring their protests, she produced a key from within her person to open the chest. She raised the lid, picked up the chest and turned towards them. In the chest, there were five silver bracelets; all adorned with the same seal, all with five clear stones on them forming an X, the largest one in the middle.
Jaelyn walked to Samantha and held out the chest to her, "What is your name, ranger?"
"Umm, Samantha…"
"Choose, Samantha."
Samantha glanced at the others, hesitated and then reached out and removed one of the bracelets. When Jaelyn continued to stare at her, she put the bracelet on her left wrist. As soon as she closed the lock, the stones on the bracelet flashed and the center one turned blood red. All the other bracelets in the chest flashed as well and each now held a small red stone, although their center stones were still clear. "Ruby, the power of fire and heat," Jaelyn said, bowed slightly and walked to Kyle.
Again she held out the chest with the question "What is your name, ranger?"
"I'm Kyle."
"Choose, Kyle."
Kyle reached for one and also put it on his wrist. Again the stones flashed and his bracelet now held a bright green stone in the middle and a red stone. Samantha's bracelet flashed along with the others, one of her smaller stones turning green, and the bracelets still in the chest each with a small red stone and a green stone. "Emerald, the power of earth," Jaelyn said bowing before turning to James.
"James," he replied before she could ask.
"Choose, James," was all the reply he got from her.
Without hesitation, James picked one and put it on. The stones flashed and the middle stone turned ocean blue. The other bracelets flashed as well as a small stone turned blue on all of them. "Aquamarine, the power of water." Jaelyn bowed and then held out the chest for Ali to choose.
"What is your name, ranger?"
"Ali…, well Alice but I prefer Ali."
"Alice, choose."
Ali looked at Jaelyn before reaching out and taking a bracelet leaving only one in the chest. Putting it on, the stones flashed and the bracelet was now adorned with a yellow center stone. As before, all the other bracelets flashed as well before one of their smaller stones turned yellow. The bracelet still in the chest now had color on all the smaller stones but the center was still colorless. Bowing, Jaelyn said, "Sapphire, the power over sky's energy."
"What is your name, ranger?" Jaelyn was now facing Chris.
"Christopher."
"Christopher, choose."
Chris was the last one to be offered the chest, leaving him with no choice but the single bracelet still in there. He put it on and the stones flashed. The center stone turned white and as did the last smaller stones on the other bracelets after they flashed as well. "Pearl, the power of ice and cold." Jaelyn bowed before closing the now empty chest and placing it back on the pedestal and turning around.
"These are your morphers and communicators, and my way of reaching you. You must wear them at all times," Jaelyn added gravely, "because without them, you are powerless." "You know, you must have us confused with someone else. We're not warriors," James said meekly. The others nodded.
"You're wrong. You have a great power within, just waiting to be unleashed, all of you. You are the new Power Rangers!"