Chapter 2: Strange Things Afoot

"Billy!"

"That's my bad, my bad," Billy said. The rest of detention began to laugh and chatter, as it had just happened again, or so it would seem. Billy Cranston just blew up his locker again. At least this time it wasn't during the school day.

The detention monitor grumbled and ordered him to his locker to clean up and report back, Billy making a point to make haste, feeling the prickle in his ears as his voice was said and laughter still echoed off the walls. He couldn't believe he had forgotten. But after the battle, his mind had been always racing more than usual, and now he was just going to have to live with it.

"Stupid Billy, just plain stupid. You have got to get your act straight. People are already watching you, so you can't be doing anything like this again," he said to himself, shaking his head, and when he made it to his locker, he swore when he saw the devastation. He began to pick things up and throw them in the nearby trash can, eventually moving it to his locker to reduce the travel time. As he did, he heard the restroom door open, and looked over.

Tommy Oliver stood there, looking at the destruction. However Billy felt as though he wasn't really looking at it as much as he was looking through it, as though he were lost in his own mind. He stared at or through the pile of debris and scattered belongings for a moment longer, before raising his eyes and making eye contact with Billy. Billy looked at him for a moment, and for a split second, thought he saw something glitter in his eyes. A color maybe, but it was quickly gone and Tommy was now making his way down the hall toward the library.

But Billy couldn't let that go. "Hey! Hey Tommy man!"

Tommy stopped and turned around, this time his expression normal. Billy tried to walk after him but was forced to jog to try and catch up. He reached out and put a hand on Tommy's shoulder.

"Tommy, I just wanted to-"

Tommy whirled around and Billy recoiled from the fiery gaze he was suddenly subject to. Tommy glared at him for a moment and stepped toward him, and Billy took a step back in alarm.

"Did you just lay a hand on me?" Tommy asked, his voice a low growl, and extremely threatening. Billy, despite his newly given strength and powers, found himself pulling back and raising his arms in a non-aggressive sign. Something about the look and demeanor of Tommy shot a chill down his spine.

"Whoa, whoa easy man," Billy said quickly, backing up a little more. "I just wanted to ask how you were doing. You just seemed a little off there, that's all."

Tommy glared at him for a moment longer before suddenly blinking, and looked away, as if confused for a moment about where he was. Billy's brow furrowed at the sight, and his head slightly tilted. Finally Tommy just shook his head.

"Never mind. I'm fine," he reported, and then turned back and started to walk back to the library. Billy opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. Something about Tommy sudden change got his mind racing faster than normal, and he needed to process this. And get the hall cleaned up.

In the Library, Tommy's reentry was noted by the monitor and casually acknowledged by Tommy. He sat in his seat, going through the motions of opening his booklet and going through it like every other student was doing, before they were to get to school work. Eventually, Billy walked in and sat down, opening his booklet, and beginning his work.

Several moments later, he sensed the paper coming his way, and reached up, snagging it and hiding it behind his desk before anyone could see it. It was still crazy how they could do that now, pass notes with impunity, right under noses. He opened the note up and saw what he guessed was Jason's hand writing.

Blew up your lunchbox again?

He rolled his eyes and wrote his reply, folding it up and sending it toward Jason, who snagged it as easily as he had, and opened and read. He sniggered a moment, before a loud bang rang out. Everyone, startled looked toward the source, and found Tommy had slammed his hand on his desk in apparent frustration. The monitor looked up, annoyance on his face.

"Mr. Oliver, is there something wrong?" Tommy looked up and shook his head.

"Sorry. Just got frustrated with this problem. Won't happen again..."

"See that it doesn't. Those desks tend to cost money."

All resumed as usual, though Jason glanced at Billy and Billy made several gestures toward Tommy, trying to mouth at Jason the words, before another note flew at him, and he caught it and read to what he thought looked like Kimberly's handwriting.

Something up with Tommy? You look worried.

He rapidly wrote down what had happened in the hall, and though it may very well be Tommy having a bad day, there was just something...off about him. It was as if Billy could sense it, but he didn't know what it was. Ironically, he had felt it when he ran into the others right after they had gotten their powers, but never did tell them. Maybe Now? Or maybe he should try to find out before he worried them? yeah, he'll do that. No point in ruffling anyone up before he had all the information he could get.

Still, Tommy was someone that maybe needed an eye on him. He both saw ans sensed something, and it was most definitely more than a gut feeling. There would be an investigation commencing with him. And if he found the crystal, he could figure out what was wrong with Tommy. Part of him just knew he had to. Maybe it could be chalked up to his autistic intuition.

Kimberly read his message and glanced at Tommy, who seemed to have somewhat calmed down and was writing steadily. His brow furrowed occasionally, but other than that, he seemed relaxed enough for now. Billy began to do his work, glancing up every few minutes at Tommy, monitoring him. He felt that Jason and the rest were as well, hearing the note being passed around to the others.

Eventually, a break was called, to allow students to use the bathroom and stretch out, and Tommy again arose. But instead of going to the bathroom with many of the others, he was seen going to the side of the library and pacing up and down the side, mostly obstructed by the bookcases. He was muttering to himself, things that Billy couldn't understand, but he seemed to be arguing in his head. When the break ended he returned to his desk and continued to work, noting Tommy seemed to be doing the same.

This continued until the end of detention, when he and his fellow rangers then left for the ship, some training in order. Ever since Rita had been bitch slapped into space, they had been able to tone it down for a while. But Zordon said that Rita was right when she said that others would be coming for the crystal, and it would behoove the Rangers to be ready for when they do come. Something that powerful could not fall into the wrong hands.

They got to the edge and jumped together, Billy realizing that the act of jumping off a cliff these days was nothing to him, something that he would have never thought possible just month ago. But being a superhero was now the new norm, so he supposed that almost anything could be accomplished now, given a certain amount of luck.

They changed out, Trini grumbling about having to constantly change clothes every time they came here. Good thing they had started to stash clean clothing in the ship entrance these days. They went to the pit, calling out Alpha to start the holograms. Alpha enthusiastically did so, and Billy closed his eyes, willing his armor to form.

Now this was something he felt he could never get used to, and frankly, he never wanted to. It felt as though the armor was coming out of his skin, as though it was some part of him, just underneath the surface. It had a strange, and incredible sensation to it, engulfing him in power. He would clap his hands every time if he could. And when it was done, he felt as though he was a different being. The same person, Billy Cranston with his mind racing a mile and minute, but different. It ws jusdt something he could not put into words.

And then the training began, with basic putty holograms. Billy felt his heart race as he dodged and weaved around them, then delivered blows that would shatter them in an instant. The heightened flexibility and grace felt intoxicating, and Billy sometimes whooped as he felt he had landed a particularly good hit on one. Jason and Kimberly were doing a "battle couple" routine, with Trini and Zack ganging up on a group in the other corner. Trini's small frame was used to her advantage, and Zach was just plain smashing them.

This went on for some time, until Jason called out that they had perhaps had enough, and they demorped to get ready to leave. And that was when Zordon stopped them.

"Rangers, come to the command room, now."

His tone felt hard, and though Billy couldn't think of anything they had done wrong, his voice left no room for argument or lollygagging. The Rangers dutifully walked into the room, the morphing pads around the central hologram, and Zordon appeared in thw wall.

"What is it Zordon?" Jason asked. Alpha walked in and marched up to the console, punching in some keys.

"Some time ago, we detected something on the grid. We weren't sure what it was, but I had my suspicious," Zordon said. "I had Alpha begin a scan while you trained, and that was when we picked up the signal."

"The signal?" Kimberly asked. Zordon nodded grimly.

"The signal that the Green Power Coin has reappeared."

That sent a jolt through everyone present. The Green Coin. Could it be? Could she...?

"Is she back? Is Rita back?" Trini asked, and Billy thought he may have jeard something in her voice that sounded a lot like a sliver of fear. Considering what had happened in her room, Billy wouldn't have doubted if she had had lingering apprehension about Rita still out there. And if the coin was indeed being detected...

"No, and that is what is interesting," Zordon said. "Rita's signature has not reappeared anywhere on Earth, but the coin itself is bonding itself to someone. I assume this means none of you managed to find it then?" he asked. Jason slowly shook his head.

"We found Rita's staff, but no coin. We were looking for it, I swear, but-"

"I know you were Jason, I am not angry about that," Zordon said, his voice tense but slightly reassuring. "But if the coin has bonded to someone, then this is urgent indeed. Rangers, you must find whoever the coin has connected with. The Green Coin has always been rather rebellious, and I don't want to know what effect it may have having been so long exposed to Rita's corruption."

There were several murmurs, and Jason nodded.

"We'll look Zordon. Hard."

"See that you do. Dismissed Rangers."

And with that, the team left. Billy blew out air.

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Someone's got the Green Coin. And now they are running around with it. I don't think they know what it is, and that could be a problem. Like, a very serious problem."

"You said it," Zack replied.

"First things first," Jason began. "We start paying attention to everyone around, and try to see if we notice anything unusual about them. You all remember what happened to us when we first got the coins," he said. Then he chuckled. "I actually broke my sink after throwing up, right after we woke up from being hit by that train."

Kimberly laughed as well. "I actually broke my phone after getting a text."

"I jumped over a house, but you guys already knew that," Zack added.

"I tore off a storage cabinet door in my room," Billy said.

Trini just shrugged.

"I peed in a cup."

There was a pause after that, then Zack hummed.

"Yeah, not gonna ask about that one."

They swam back to the surface, promising to get started tomorrow. Actually, Billy remembered what had happened with Tommy earlier that day, and the thought was going through his head. He certainly had seen something weird, but he didn't want to act on it until he was sure about something.

He carried these thoughts with him on the way home, saying his goodbyes.

-0-

In his dreams, he watched it unfold, though he didn't know what it was he was watching. It was as if he were seeing events from the eyes of someone else, like a first person perspective from the eyes of a stranger.

They weren't human, these "people". He was sure they were aliens. What else could they be. And he could feel emotions through this dream, or wonder and anxiety. They offered him something, a place on their team, though he wasn't sure how he could understand the language they were speaking. But he looked down and in his hand, which he could tell was probably a female's, there was a green coin.

Looking just like the one he now had, lying on his nightstand, that was somehow never out of his reach. His vision saw the hand clasp the coin, and a wave of power soured over him, transforming him, showing what looked like some kind of green armor encasing him, or at least the figure he watched from.

And then his vision changed. He was fighting strange beings, equally as alien as the ones he had seen earlier, only there were others fighting with him, and to his amazement, he saw that they looked just like those people that saved the town from that giant gold monster, the same armor and colors. They all moved and fought as a team, and he could feel pride flowing through him, to be part of such a group.

And then the scene changed again, and he was sitting next to one of the male aliens. He felt as though there was something between these two, and the alien next to him looked at him and smiled.

Then the scene changed once more, and he was fighting them. His team. He didn't know what had happened or changed, but there were feelings racing through him, the most specific one being betrayal. He saw the yellow ranger be beaten brutally until she collapsed, and the others dying in various ways, all from the first person perspective. He saw the alien that had been sitting with him say that they would both die together, and then fire, and pain. Then a great swirling blackness.

Tommy woke with a start, the light of dawn not yet shining. he took several deep breathes, and looked over at his nightstand, seeing the green coin on it. He stood up in his bed, sweat still clinging to his form, and he held the coin tightly in his hand. As if it were some kind of lifeline in his disoriented state of mind.

He swore he could feel it warm up briefly in his hand, and saw just a brief glow of green light. But he didn't feel afraid. It was as if this coin was his now. Something to hold him together should he ever come apart.

He still wished he knew just what the hell it was though...

Okay, time to explain.

I actually lost my motivation for this story after seeing that it would be extremely hard for Power Rangers to get a sequel. I don't know what that makes me, but as I enjoyed the hell out of the movie, my childhood coming back in a modern way, it honestly bummed me out that it was just going to be cast away.

But the recent news that Hasbro will be making a "follow up" sparked the hope back in me again. I don't know it follow up means "sequel" exactly, though I am not sure what else it could mean, but I am still cautious. But that gave me the spark to finish this chapter and post it, in a celebration of the news in a way. I just hope we get the same cast back, as the chemistry and characters are one of the best parts of the film.

I am posting this admitting short chapter in advance, so I have motivation to do some writing while I am on a short vacation, via laptop. If anyone is still interested in reading this after all this time, I would be honored, and would love to hear your thoughts on how it goes, and if you have any ideas you think might work.

I am also planning on continuing my Avengers story as well, so stay tuned on that.

Until we meet again,

RWBRyan