Hello everyone, Secretive Writer here.
I'm finally back with the official first chapter. I will apologize for taking over a month to update. I had some kinks to work out because I needed to make sure that this flows smoothly with future chapters that haven't been written yet. I am kind of disappointed with the traffic and reviews for the prologue though. Over a month and not even 5 reviews. The traffic wasn't great either. I wonder if I scared everyone away with the Carter/Vypra and Chad/Vypra thing. I explicitly stated that I am not putting them together. I will say once again that I am NOT putting Carter/Vypra or Chad/Vypra together. Like I said, I am only looking for what kind of interactions they have. I have a lot of development to cover. I did update the prologue though because there were a few typos and I needed to add the disclaimer. I promise I'll do my best to avoid those. As for the reviews, I am not requesting for a specifc amount of reviews and I am not looking for my story to be famously popular, but I really am disappointed with the outcome of the prologue and I am really hoping for a better outcome for Chapter 1 than what I got for the prologue. Hopefully, things will pick up as the story continues.
A special thank you to ChaosBlack5711, lunarweather, and Jokermask18 for reviewing.
DISCLAIMER: It should be pretty obvious what Saban owns so give them the credit. I do not claim to own anything that is owned by Saban.
Without further ado, I present to you...
'PR LIGHTSPEED RESCUE: ON AND OFF THE SCREEN'
Chapter / Episode 1: Operation Lightspeed
The blowing of the brief desert winds carried scarce grains of sand for only several feet before the sand would be pulled back down towards the ground thanks to the gravitational pull of the Earth. This was a place that creatures belonging to the human species would not normally occupy. Yet on this particular day, 3 figures belonging to this particular species were in motion in the said desert. The reason, as of yet, remains unknown except to the three travelers.
The attire of these 3 humans displayed not even the most minuscule of connections to present day society and advances. As the tiny group moved on their journey, the sight of a slanted pillar came into their visual field followed by more positioned right in front of what can only be described as a huge stone doorway or entrance to seemingly just the rest of the desert. Upon closer examination as the small group made their way to the site, they found the ruins of slanted pillars set on bases and what might have been a stone well if there was any bottom or water. As one of the group members took a seat on a base and leaned back on the broken pillar drinking water, the pillar moved back giving way and the ground shook letting out smoke from below making the man immediately get up again. The man moved forward away from the epicenter of the shaking and turned around believing he was safe only to have the ground beneath him open up and swallowed him.
The man found himself falling a short way into what appeared to be some sort of a crypt. Taking a look around, he told his two companions to light up the torches and join him so that they may retrieve the small amount of treasure present in this underground cavern. The three men looked around as they collected the treasure. Spotting a large stone treasure-chest shape coffin rather than a traditional burial casket, the three men moved deeper into the tomb hoping to find more treasure. The same man who initially fell in pushed a standing skeleton structure to the ground. Hissing commenced as smoke blew out of the stone snakes built into the wall of the cavern and the cover of the tomb started to shake once the circular knob on the tomb turned counter-clockwise and unlocked itself. Fear building up in the other two men, they warned urgently of the need to leave, yet the same man who had first fell into the crypt told them to open the tomb oddly reasoning whatever was in the tomb could help them. This only served to enhance and magnify their fears as what can only be described as spiritual colored shapes of monsters started to fly out of the tomb and a force sent the three men flying into the wall.
Outside the crypt on the surface of the desert, the colored spirits could be seen flying each and every way making their way across the skies before reaching an urbanized area nearby lined with various buildings. Unsuspecting people were walking along when all of the sudden, wind started to blow as the colored spirits flew by causing paper to fly every which way and knocking innocent civilians off their feet lacing the atmosphere with fear and confusion.
- / - / - / - / - / -
A single pair of footsteps emitting from a pair of low-heeled pumps can be heard clear amongst others as the young blond female owner of the shoes, clad in a light blue short-sleeved business uniform blouse tucked in a black business knee length skirt, made her way down a hall into a conference room, currently holding a meeting, towards the middle aged man with a small mustache and dressed in a black uniform accented with three golden bands on the ends of the sleeves situated across the table. With her hands behind her back and standing at attention without a hint of non-sense in her form, the blonde spoke to the black-uniformed man just as he finished his last sentence to the three other operatives present at the table dressed in a similar fashion to the young woman whom had just walked in on the meeting.
"Captain, something's come up."
The middle-aged man looked up at the young female doing a double take without making a sound. The female whom just walked in on the meeting responded with only a single silent nod. With a subtle nod, the middle-aged man turned to address the three other seated operatives.
"We'll finish this later."
The blonde made her way closer to the man she identified as the captain as he stood up handing his papers to one of the three now leaving operatives and took a cautious glance at the exiting operatives before speaking to him again staring straight at him as she spoke waiting attentively for his response.
"Father, they've escaped."
"You're sure?" was the only response he gave her.
The young woman nodded; her eyes solemn and honest as the two of them walked through a doorway that linked the conference room and an office. "There's no doubt about it, dad."
Inside the office, the captain opened a safe taking out four files. "It's time to bring them in."
- / - / - / - / - / -
In the skies high above Mariner Bay, within the mesosphere of the Earth, the clouds suddenly started to darken and swirled before a single strike of angry red lighting flashed striking absolutely nothing. That single strike of intense energy ripped open a portal of the finest crack in the sky to the unknown and as fast as those colorful spiritual shapes had entered the world, they could no longer be seen. Across the portal, the spirits arrived at a circular ziggurat-like structure that had a huge skull and twisted wings and uneven lighting-rod-like forks. The darkness was just as present inside the structure as it was outside. The only light source within was a floating cloud-like fog that seemed to be absorbed in the darkness and looked similar to an aurora borealis. The dwelling was pretty empty though. There were only several pillars there for which the space between were more than likely doorways to the other chambers in the structure, but the other side was cloaked in darkness so the destination was unknown. The much shorter pillar-like structure at the center looked to serve as a table since a small red infant dragon-like creature was on it as the colorful spiritual shapes solidified into monstrous creatures. The only other structure present in this fearful place was a bat-like structure with an enormously big mouth opening to a void. It sat on top of a large platform that could possibly serve as a place for sitting. The dark navy-blue creature with two white horns on either side of his head and a large circular changing color jewel on the chest was the first to be heard fisting thick long-nailed and spiked hands.
"We're free! To reclaim the palace of our Queen Bansheera!"
"But she's not here. Vypra." the now speaking multi-horned charcoal-black and golden creature with a bright red star at the center of his chest turned to a human-like female with a half snake ring on her head and large vampire-like wings. "We must care for her son, Impus."
The little red infant creature cooed at its name. The infant's webbed ears and tiny sharp claws barely moved. Whether the tiny body was wrapped in a partial cocoon or leathery skin was hard to tell; only a long black arrowhead tail could be seen protruding from it. The infant's large green eyes just stared blankly at the talking adult creatures. No one paid any heed or attention to the infant's sounds though and the conversation never stopped. The charcoal-black and golden creature only turned again towards the previously speaking dark navy-blue creature.
"Who did this, Loki?"
The dark navy-blue Loki knew the exact answer to the question from the charcoal-black and golden creature. "Humans, Diabolico. They built their city on top of our palace."
The voice of the charcoal-black and golden Diabolico hardened at Loki's response. "Have they?"
Loki's right hand reached out towards the fogged ground and an orange flash of light emitted from his rough sharp-clawed fingers. The flash of orange light traveled in a circle within a second and a visual oval window opened up to reveal a bay overlooked by a three-part flat archway on a three-step platform. Leading up to the platform were 6 pillars with three on each side. On the ground off to the side appears to be two ancient Chinese-styled stairways. The scene changed to that of tall skyscrapers and other buildings. Lush green trees could see seen off to the side on the outskirts.
Once again, Loki was prepared to answer Diabolico's question. "Just look, they built their ugly city right on top of our sacred grounds. No palace, no queen, no ultimate power."
Diabolico knew what had to be done when he saw that scene. "We will have our palace back after we destroy that miserable city brick by brick. Where's Jinxer? We need to get to work."
A greyish-white faced creature with a long and thin black nose and a tuxedo like body came out from back within the shadows to answer the question.
"I'm right here, Diabolico."
Diabolico turned to face the magician-looking creature. "Jinxer, there you are. Come on, we have work to do."
Without another word, Diabolico lead the group of four into the darkness leaving the red infant creature alone. Their contempt and malice dripping with poisonous venom lingered in the already dark and menace-filled atmosphere.
- / - / - / - / - / -
A loud whiz can be heard amongst the large cheering crowd that had gathered watching a plane doing tricks in the sky as the announcer informed the crowd of the airshow performed by Joel Rawlings, self-named the Sky Cowboy. When the show was over, an African-American of average build with a nearly bald head was revealed to be the star of the show. Standing at 5 foot 11, the African-American star of the airshow was signing autographs after landing when he was approached by two average-built men in black service suits.
One of them had spiky auburn hair; his oblong face was stoic portraying nothing. The second man with him looked almost bald, but in actuality the little hair he had was tied behind in a little ponytail. His oval face was just as expressionless as his partner's was.
"Joel Rawlings?" the one with the spiky auburn hair asked.
His attention now taken away from the signing, Joel's inverted triangular face and thick eyebrows furrowed as he surveyed the two men up and down in calculation. "And who are you?"
The two men only looked on with blank emotionless faces. "Come with us, please," the second one said before the two of them just pulled Joel away causing him to begin voicing his disapproval and asking the men where they were taking him.
As Joel continued to question the two men without eliciting any sort of verbal or non-verbal response, they brought him to a black specially designed 8 passenger automobile and motioned for Joel to get in. The driver and front passenger seat were separated from the back seats by a transparent plastic shield and the two back rows of seats faced each other such that those sitting in the second row had their backs to the driver and front passenger. Unbeknownst to Joel, a mysterious young blond woman watched the scene discreetly from her seat in a second car using the car's side mirror as the suited men brought him in confirming it was the correct person before closing the file and moving on to the next file. Both vehicles soon drove off; their destination and purpose still a secret.
- / - / - / - / - / -
The howling sound of the winds at the top of the mountains certainly seems exaggerated since there really isn't much wind. A young woman clad in a gray active sports shirt under a black long-sleeve active sports jacket and yellow tights was hanging on by ropes attached to the cliff and was working on adjusting the attachments to move up. The lean and muscular brunette with black curly mid-back length hair tied in a ponytail made her way up the side of the cliff one step at a time. She didn't even notice the two men in black service suits waiting for her on the ledge until the one with the little ponytail spoke.
"Kelsey Winslow, could you come with us, please?"
Pausing mid-movement at hearing her name and still half-dangling off the cliff, the brunette looked up jerking her head left and right with wide eyes on her lean diamond-shaped face finding the interruption to be two men in black service suits before flashing questioning eyes at their request.
"Who in the world are you?"
Without another word, the two men bent down to haul her up and started moving after immediately unhooking her from the ropes. They showed no intention of stopping, but Kelsey did.
"Hey hey, I need to put away my equipment, and where are you guys taking me?"
The two men looked at each other and motioned to the equipment without saying a word. Kelsey gathered her equipment as the two watched on with blank expressions on their faces. When Kelsey got her bag together, the two men just ushered her along bringing her to a black automobile parked at the road on the cliff and gesturing for her to get in. As Kelsey got in the car, she took the seat in the second row on the driver's side noticing the other person in the car who had taken a seat in the third row on the passenger's side. The African-American in a cowboy hat jerked his head up towards the 5 foot 5 woman in surprise as she entered and glanced over at the two men closing the vehicle door before looking back at her.
"They got you too?" he asked.
Hearing this, the brunette just seated herself and waited for the vehicle to move. "I'm assuming you don't know what's going on then."
- / - / - / - / - / -
A loud splash can be heard as a whale and its trainer jumped up out of the water and back in splashing all those in the front rows while the announcer did his job enthusiastically, joking for the crowd to have an umbrella for the ongoing water performance lead by Chad Lee. As the Asian trainer swam up to the side of the pool and picked up a fish, two men in black service suits came up to him.
"Chad Lee?" the one with the spiky auburn asked.
The Asian looked back and forth furrowing his eyebrows at the two service men in front of him. "Can I help you?", he asked slowly.
"Please come with us," the other man said.
The request only increased the knot of confusion already evident on the Asian's soft, yet strong lean oval face. "What for?"
Without another word, the two of them hauled the lean and muscular 5 foot 11 male out of the pool, his normally spiky jet-black hair matted on his head due to its wetness. It looked like they would continue walking until he pointed out a little ignored detail.
"Uh, shouldn't I at least change first? And I'm on the clock right now."
The two men nodded and followed Chad to the back changing room, waiting outside the door. When Chad came out in a blue sweater, medium-weight jacket, and navy-blue cargo pants, he had been released from work for the rest of the day and the two men brought him to a waiting black car. As Chad got in, he noticed the brunette in a black active sports jacket and yellow tights and African-American in the cowboy hat with a stylish brown jacket over a green shirt already in the car looking at him and took the available space next to the African-American in the third row on the driver's side.
The African-American looked the Asian over before looking back at the brunette "A third one?"
The brunette only shrugged in response. Chad looked back and forth at the two strangers several times as if he was a little kid trying to figure out what was going on between his parents. Once again, the mysterious blonde closed the file in her hand as Chad was brought to the second car that was with her. This time, the man with the auburn spiky hair stopped his movements to get into the driver's seat of the car for a minute when his phone unexpectedly vibrated. This went unnoticed by the three clueless strangers though and soon they were on their way once again.
- / - / - / - / - / -
Sirens of fire-trucks can be heard as a chaotic scene of an intense fire unfolded with several fire-trucks present and numerous firefighters running around pulling hoses and shouting orders. The several adjoined buildings in the area were on fire and it was not a pretty sight. The two men in black service suits approached the scene and obtained the attention of a firefighter on the ground.
"I'm looking for Carter Grayson," the one with the spiky auburn told the firefighter.
The firefighter pointed to a figure clad in a firefighter's suit climbing up the ladder of a nearby fire-truck to the second floor balcony of one of the adjoined burning buildings and calling for his colleagues to get him closer so that he can make the leap inside. "That's him up those ladders."
This time, the blonde exited the car she was in and took a second look at the picture in the file. 'That's him, alright,' she thought looking at the photo of the final recruit once again before turning her attention back to the burning building that the final recruit had just entered waiting for him to come back out, hopefully safely.
Inside the burning building, the said recruit was calling out for signs of life. As he rounded a corner and pushed some junk out of the way, the sound of coughing reached his ears and his eyes spotted a little girl on the ground to his left. Running to the little girl, he assured her that she will be alright. Getting the little girl up and moving, he moved with the little girl down the smoked-filled hall to leave. As they left, the recruit apparently named Carter spotted a weird shape in the flames. He swore that he heard cackling as an explosive flame started coming their way. Immediately, Carter wrapped the little girl in his arms picking her up and ran down the hall toward the window telling her to hold on tight.
Outside, a small explosion can be heard as the two figures came hurling out of the second floor window. The blonde who was waiting for the recruit jumped, a silent gasp of surprise escaping her, and immediately ran towards them. Luckily, the several firefighters on the ground were ready and able to catch the two falling humans as the flames and smoke rose putting the two humans in the safe zone. The blonde immediately dropped to her knees and tended to the little girl.
Carter gave the young woman an almost reprimanding look at her interruption. "What are you doing?"
"I'm a doctor. Don't worry, I'll take it from here," she responded taking a look at the girl.
Having now been put at ease, Carter thanked the young woman and walked back to the fire-truck trying to get his bearings and looked up at where he had just been moments ago in deep thought. His oblong face and ear-length sandy light brown hair were now sweat and shoot covered. The blonde looked over at the recruit, a mixture of worry, relief, respect, and sympathy evident on her face. Calling out calmly to get the little girl to an ambulance and letting the paramedics take over once the blonde was satisfied the little girl would be alright, she walked over to Carter with the two service men behind her. This time, she personally spoke to the muscular average-build 6 foot 2 recruit.
"I know this is a bad time, but I need you to come with me."
Snapping out of his thoughts and still breathing deeply from the ordeal, Carter looked at the oval-faced young woman standing in front him with the D. Mitchell name-tag letting out a silent "Wha?" while looking at all 5 foot 8 of the average build curvy young woman up and down almost expecting to find something wrong with her. The blonde didn't look like she was planning to check his vitals. The fire was still blazing and there were still people to be saved. She was asking him to leave the scene and Carter couldn't do that. Carter had to get back in the fire and also had superiors to answer to.
"Uh, Ms. Mitchell, is it? I'm kind of tied up right now. Can we discuss this later?" Carter asked spotting the name on her name tag. He was already turning his attention back to the fire.
She only gestured for the men in the black service suits to talk to Carter's superior for clearance to leave. "I'm sorry but I need you to come with me right now. Don't worry about your superiors; I'll get you clearance to leave."
Carter just stood there in shock as the woman walked away after that and not too long after, Carter was given the clearance to leave.
- / - / - / - / - / -
Out of his firefighter's uniform, Carter spotted the three people who had told him to go with them by two cars: one of them, an average automobile, and the other bigger and more SUV like. The blonde who had done the talking pointed to the second bigger car before getting in the smaller car she had apparently come in. She didn't look like she was some psychotic sociopath trying to harm him. The blonde, if anything, looked completely professional in her spic-and-span uniform and clipped up hair. There were only a few lose strands that lightly framed her face. Carter realized there were more people when he got into the car as the brunette in the black active sports jacket and yellow tights scooted over to allow Carter in. Carter took the now made available seat next to the brunette in the second row on the driver's side as the others' once again stared blankly at each other.
"Hi," Carter greeted the strangers plainly as he took his seat.
The African American crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back with a scoff. "And a fourth one. What is up with this?"
"I think you asked that question enough times to know we aren't getting an answer yet," the brunette in yellow tights and black sports jacket retorted.
Witnessing the tension between the brunette and the African American, the Asian took it upon himself to explain as much as he could to the newcomer in a red sweatshirt, jacket, and jeans. "She was here before me and he was apparently here before her."
The frowning African-American only tipped his cowboy hat to them. "I have a name, you know. Joel Rawlings, Sky Cowboy."
The Asian brought his hand up in a mini greeting letting Joel's attitude slide. "Chad Lee."
"I'm Kelsey Winslow," the brunette announced.
"Carter Grayson," Carter replied.
Joel wasted no time in inquiring again even though he wasn't going to get an answer. "Ok, now that we have that out of the way, anyone have any idea what the heck is going on?"
Kelsey scrunched up her face at Joel's constant complaints. "How would we know? You were the first one here."
Joel scoffed again as he turned his head towards the window, his arms still crossed over his chest. Kelsey scoffed in response as well while Chad shook his head and turned his attention to Carter
"Did the men say anything to you when they asked you to come with them?"
Carter's faced blanked at the Asian's question. "They spoke to you? I thought they were just the escorts. The one who spoke to me was a young blond woman."
Joel's head turned back to face the others and sent them a questioning look at Carter's mention of a third individual. "What woman?"
"I didn't see any blonde," Kelsey supplied.
Chad shook his head as well in response to the inquiry.
"She's in the black car in front of us," Carter told them.
At Carter's indication of another vehicle, the three of them looked out the front through the transparent plastic shield. Sure enough, there was indeed a black car in front of them.
"Huh, I didn't even notice there was another car," Kelsey said.
"Me neither," Chad added.
"You think she'll be able to tell us what's going on?" Joel asked.
Carter had to shrug. It wasn't like he knew the answer the question. "We'll see."
Chad's eyes started to shift before finally settling on Carter. Chad didn't look like he was certain he should ask. "If she didn't reveal herself to us, how come she revealed herself to you and asked you personally to come?"
It didn't look like Chad was the only one who wanted to know because Joel jumped right in, the corner of his mouth lifted to an uneven smile and his eyes narrowed looking straight at Carter waiting to analyze the validity of Carter's response. "I'd like to know that too. You don't sound like you know her; don't tell me she's got something for you."
"You're one of those player types, aren't you?"
Kelsey's reprimand didn't dampen Joel one bit and his response only gave the other two a good chuckle. "No, I'm just especially popular with the ladies. Want an autograph?"
"I don't think so," Kelsey answered in exasperation.
Having let a good chuckle out of his system, Carter finally answered Joel's question. "I don't know her. She revealed herself taking a look at a little girl."
"What little girl?" Joel asked once again.
"The little girl I saved. I'm a firefighter. I was just at the scene of a fire and I got a little girl out. The blonde, D. Mitchell, is apparently a doctor and she took a look at the little girl. She looked young for a doctor though," Carter explained.
"A doctor? Shouldn't she be working in the hospital or something? Where is she taking us? And why?" Joel asked.
Having been down that road already, Carter cut off talking about that topic before someone, namely Joel, could complain about their situation again. "I think we already established that none of us know."
It didn't look like they would have to worry about that anymore though because Kelsey spotted something that might just be the answer. "We might just be about to find out; look!"
The car had finally pulled to a stop, but it wasn't pulling into any particular parking space. The car pulled into a flight-hanger in a clearing where a helicopter was waiting to let on passengers and take off. The four of them stared in awe as they got out of the car.
"Looks like our ride isn't over," Carter commented.
Kelsey had to agree. "Looks like it."
The 4 newly met strangers walked over to the other car as the people in the other car exited their car. Seeing the blonde whom Carter must have been referring to, Joel stepped up to the woman without hesitation obviously impatient to question what this was all about.
"Excuse me, you in charge here? Care to explain what all this is about?"
The blonde looked to be prepared for a bombardment of questions and apparently knew what was going on, but it didn't look like she would be the one to answer their questions. "I know all of you have a number of questions, but time is of the essence. The captain will answer all of your questions. For now, please board the helicopter. The restrooms are over there to the left if you wish to use them before we leave."
Once again, Joel huffed and stomped towards the helicopter, but stopped and turned around to head for the restrooms following Kelsey while the other 3 boarded the helicopter. When Kelsey returned from the restroom, she had changed into a pair of gray tights and a yellow active sports shirt under a yellow-accented black sports jacket and took the seat next to the blonde facing the three males as the three males already occupied the row of three seats. Once Kelsey was seated, the doors to the helicopter were closed and the helicopter took off.
Figuring the blonde could at least tell them where they were going if nothing else, Kelsey took a shot at asking the blonde. "Where are you taking us?"
It didn't look like the blonde would answer anything though. "We're not there yet so I'm not at liberty to discuss anything with you. The captain will explain everything to you when we arrive."
Joel apparently wasn't having the non-answers that blonde kept throwing back at them. "I'm sure you can at least tell us your name, right? The rest of us already got each other's full names on the drive over. Ms. Mitchell, right?"
"Right, I'm Dana Mitchell," the blonde responded flatly.
The moment of awkward tense silence that followed told Joel that Ms. Dana Mitchell wasn't planning on saying anything else. "Anything else we should know?"
Dana showed no reaction to the rhetorical inquiry. "No."
Seeing Joel's ineffective attempts that only resulted in more awkward silences and tension, Carter tried a more friendly approach. "You said you're a doctor?"
"Yes," Dana answered.
The blonde's one word replies did nothing to relieve the African-American's agitation. "What's with the one word replies?"
Chad glared over at Joel lightly elbowing him, reprimanding him for his attitude and outburst. Joel huffed once again and sat back quietly.
Carter looked over letting out a breath at the African-American's rudeness before turning back to Dana feeling the need to apologize. "Sorry about that. He is apparently very quick to speak."
"That's alright," Dana replied.
Apparently, striking up a friendly conversation wasn't going to be an option as displayed by that little fiasco so the next few moments of the helicopter ride were spent in silence. It didn't look like Dana was going to strike up a conversation. Now, she wasn't unfriendly in any way, but she knew full well that this is serious and she could't afford to get attached yet. No one knew how the four of them would react when they found out what they were chosen for. The African-American, Joel, already looked like he didn't want anything to do with this. The Asian in blue and the brunette in the sports gear were more patient, but it was obvious they were already skeptical and Dana couldn't blame them. The only one who was completely patient was the firefighter in red. In her mind, Dana considered the chances of them accepting the roles they were chosen for. Joel Rawlings had the least chance of believing and accepting what he was chosen for. Chad Lee and Kelsey Winslow were pretty much on the same level and would probably accept if things were played right. As for Carter Grayson, he was patient, but so far unreadable. Dana couldn't predict what his reaction would be. Dana could only hope that things go according to plan because Mariner Bay was depending on it. As Carter looked out the window, he spotted a huge submarine on the water that the helicopter was heading for.
Carter's mouth widen at the sight. "Don't tell me. We're going in that submarine, aren't we?"
Chad and Kelsey immediately scooted over to take a look, Kelsey getting out of her seat all together and stepping past Dana.
The sight took Kelsey's breath away. "Excellent."
The group watched as the helicopter headed for the submarine. The helicopter hovered right above the entrance of the submarine as the helicopter ladder was connected to the ladder down the submarine. Dana led the group of 5 down into the submarine, and waited as the submarine dived and took them to wherever it was that they were going.
Joel really had had enough of the transfers and being kept in the dark. "Ok, we rode in a car, flew in a helicopter, and now dived in a submarine. Please tell me this is the last part of the trip."
"Yes. We'll be arriving at our destination in a few moments, no more transfers," Dana replied.
Joel considered that to probably be the best piece of news he heard all day. "Good."
Uncertainty gripped the 4 newly met strangers while Dana waited patiently for the upcoming briefing. After a few more moments, the submarine docked and Dana led the group out of the submarine into what could only be described as some kind of huge command center filled with computers. As the group of 5 led by Dana walked through what an automatic voice called the Lightspeed Aquabase, awe gripped the 4 newcomers. They had never seen anything like this.
Awe and amazement gripped Chad as he took in his surroundings. "Where are we?"
Kelsey might not have been able to answer that question, but that didn't stop her eyes from sparkling or from responding to Chad's inquiry. "I don't know, but it's cool, huh?"
Joel looked around the foreign place in confusion and curiosity. The Sky Cowboy's curiosity got the better of him and he pressed some random touchscreen buttons on the random control panel he stopped at. Joel knew he was in trouble when alarms started to blare as soon as he pressed the buttons. In an attempt to shut the alarm off, Joel tried some more buttons only to have the alarm still blaring. Dana came up to him with hands on her hips giving him a glare before turning the alarm off and pulling Joel along. Dana led the group to a conference room where a middle-aged man in a black uniform accented with 3 golden bands on the sleeves awaited them. The man took a step towards them, authority radiating from his loosely muscular 6 foot form, square face, and thinning short dark-brown hair.
"Welcome, to the Lightspeed Aquabase," were the first words they heard from him.
It was obvious enough this man was the one in charge. Joel pushed past Carter stepping towards the suit clad man to speak, finally able to officially take out his frustration.
"I don't know who you are, but this is illegal, this is kidnapping."
The man didn't so much as flinch at Joel's harsh words. "I'm Captain William Mitchell. None of you will be held against your will, you're free to go."
Now, Joel didn't care whatever the heck was going on. If he was free to go, then thank goodness. Joel didn't waste another second before saying farewells.
"See ya," Joel said turning around and walking towards the door to leave. However, Joel was still stopped at the door and he had to turn back around to stare at the captain.
"That is, AFTER you hear me out. Please, have a seat," the captain finished gently.
Joel took his seat with a huff as the others slowly sat down. Dana moved to stand behind the captain, not saying a word as he started his story.
"Over 5000 years ago, this part of the Earth was taken over and inhabited by evil spirits; demons if you will. Their only purpose was to destroy and conquer. Luckily there was a warlock who was strong enough to conquer them. He defeated the demons and entombed them into the Shadow World, but we always feared that they would one day escape and return to Mariner Bay. Well, it seems our fears have come true. Just hours ago, nomad travelers discovered the tomb and opened it releasing the demons back into our world. Lightspeed has developed technology and highly sophisticated weapons that we believe can stop them. You were chosen because of your skills to use these weapons and defend the city; to become Lightspeed Power Rangers," the captain explained to the four of them as Dana showed each of them their files while the captain finished the story.
Kelsey looked from her file to the captain to the others with wide raised eyes. "You built this whole - Aquabase - so that the four of us can fight off some angry demons?"
Although Kelsey's rewording didn't sound good, Captain Mitchell couldn't really say it was wrong. "Well, that's putting it simply, but yes."
Joel had been looking at his nails the entire time and was already getting up and starting to walk out. "I heard you out. I think you're nuts. I'm outta here."
Carter was deep in thought when things suddenly just clicked into place. The picture in his mind from the fire earlier came into focus and the scene was unforgettable. Carter distinctly remember the weird shape in the flames moving and now, as he looked back in his memory, Carter could make out a face and body. He had not known what it was in the flames when he saved the little girl, but now Carter could clearly see a monstrous form that could only be one of the demons and the cackling Carter could have sworn he heard echoed clearer than ever.
"Wait. That must be it," Carter called out to Joel.
For the first time since entering the base, Dana spoke. "What?"
Carter wasn't sure the others would believe him, but he said it anyways. "The fire, when I was saving that girl, I saw something in the flames. Then all the sudden, an explosive flame came at us, right from the direction of whatever it was, and I had to run the girl down the hall and jump out the second floor window. It was one of them, one of the demons."
Dana immediately turned to the captain upon hearing Carter's story. "Father."
The other four looked at each other at the unexpected twist and back at the father and daughter dual. They hadn't expected this blonde to be the captain's daughter, but shrugged it off. It wasn't really a big deal, but it was something that caught them by surprise. The captain was apparently contemplating something, but was interrupted by a call over an intercom. Dana walked over to the computer console and picked up the headset handing it to the captain.
"Mitchell here," he answered into the microphone of the headset.
"You need to see this Sir," a voice informed over the intercom.
"Bring it up on the monitor," Captain Mitchell ordered.
The scene that was brought up to the monitor though, was extremely disturbing. Joel's eyes widen a bit as he watched running, screaming, and suffering civilians as road debris and other flying objects were thrown around on the monitor. Captain Mitchell didn't know whether to be worried that their fears have really come true or thankful that the ranger recruits were able to see this, hoping that this might convince them to join Lightspeed.
Captain Mitchell silently pleaded in his mind that all of them would take up this responsibility and that they could accept that this was all true. "This city needs you."
Carter stood up without hesitation before any of the others. "I'm in, Sir."
Kelsey stood up next, knowing what she had to do. "Me too."
Chad stood up as well. "I want to help," he told them sincerely.
'Good, We've got Red, Yellow, and Blue. Now all there's left is Green and ...,' Captain Mitchell thought as everyone looked over to Joel.
Joel looked back and forth between the other three and the captain. This whole thing sounded about as believable as a table having wings and being able to fly, but Joel had seen what was happening on that monitor. Those people needed help; demons or no demons.
"What do we do first?" Joel asked.
The captain smiled at his daughter and stepped over to the case that had been on the conference table when they got there. He flicked open the locks on the case and turned it around opening it, revealing the devices that were in there.
"These are your Rescue Morphers. They're worn on your wrist," Captain Mitchell told them.
The gray rectangular devices with circular edges on either side looked mainly the same, but the right edge of the devices had color-coded translucent plastic or something of that nature. They could only guess some kind of alerting light was to flash there. The left portion of the device was circular and had the Lightspeed emblem of a blue asterisk that was created by a right-side up 3-pointed dull star over an upside-down one while the right portion had four square buttons in a square formation. It was obvious which one each of them will get. Carter automatically went for the red one while Chad and Kelsey went for the blue and yellow ones respectively. Joel stepped over to take the green one, but there was still one more in the case; a pink one.
Dana smiled watching the recruits she had brought in receive their morphers preparing herself for all the system checks and operating in the base she would have to do now that the demons were back and the entire Lightspeed Project had to go into full active mode, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that not all of the morphers were taken. There was still one more left in the case. Thinking she might have missed somebody, Dana's smile turned into a confused frown. She knew for certain that her father had only given her four recruit files and he did not say that they were missing one recruit. He would definitely have said something that important, not to mention that there were only four authorizations given out for the four ranger recruits to enter the Aquabase.
The question on her mind automatically popped out of her mouth. "Five?"
Dana didn't even notice her father stepping over to her with a file in his hands. "You are the fifth."
Dana's response was ever so light. "Me?"
Dana had been working as an operative her entire time at Lightspeed, which was almost her whole life, and hadn't expected to be included as a ranger. This development surprised her, but she wasn't scared or repelled by it.
Captain Mitchell opened the file revealing Dana's file to her with a smile on his face. "For 18 years, I've been training you for this. It's yours… if you want it."
Dana smiled and nodded reaching over to take the pink morpher. Looking at her father once more, she smiled and nodded before walking over to join the line of rangers. The others nodded and smiled in her direction before looking over to the captain again.
"Alright rangers, time to get to work," Captain Mitchell stated.
The rangers nodded and Dana led them out. The captain let out a relieved breath, so far so good. He had been worried that the others wouldn't believe him and would choose not to take part in this project. That would have been completely and utterly disastrous. He had confidence that his daughter would take up her morpher, but she couldn't do all the fighting herself. Luckily, the others accepted their morphers as well. Things had gone better than expected. At first, it looked like Joel might refuse to take up the green morpher, but Joel did take up the green morpher in the end. That was a relief. What the captain didn't expect was for Carter to have already seen one of the demons. Captain Mitchell had not expected the demons to work that fast. He wished for everyone's safety, especially that of his daughter, as he made his way to the monitoring station the rangers just came through. The rangers should be leaving any second.
Dana led the rangers quickly down the halls of the Lightspeed Aquabase to an area known as transport. Right around the corner of the transport bay was where their jackets were. "These are your jackets, grab one."
The jackets at first glance look the same, red and black, but upon closer inspection, they realized the jackets were, once again, coded and personalized for each of the rangers. Following Dana's words and example, the rangers grabbed their own jackets and rounded the corner putting their jackets on. They froze for a second seeing what was around the corner. A yellow Humvee-like jeep was there waiting for them. The alarm was going off obviously alerting everyone to prepare for dispatch. The rangers walked over to the vehicle in awe.
"Whoa, that's tight," Joel exclaimed.
Kelsey's eyes sparkled seeing the vehicle. "Wow."
The rangers walked over taking a seat that would become regular in the vehicle that would apparently be their regular form of transport.
Dana called over to Carter tossing him the keys to the vehicle. "Grayson."
Carter caught the keys and took the driver's seat while Dana took the passenger seat next to him. Kelsey and Chad were in the second row, behind Carter and Dana respectively, and Joel got the back of the vehicle all to himself. The technician indicated to them ready and the platform the vehicle was on lowered and the rangers were off.
The other rangers stared in awe at the tube that would become very familiar to them.
"You can call me Carter," Carter suddenly said.
Kelsey was not one to miss a beat. "I think we can all be on a first name basis seeing as how we are on the same team."
Joel once again tipped his hat. "No complains here."
Chad smiled at the formation of the new friendship between the five of them. "I don't have any objections."
"Ok then. This is the Rescue Rover. It will be the main source of transport for us," Dana informed them.
The others nodded in acknowledgment and the group of five was on their way to their first assignment as rangers. When the rangers reached the site of the attack, it was even worse than the scenes they saw on the monitor. People were running all around and rubble was scattered all over the place. There were a whole bunch of black tiny-winged creatures chasing the civilians and a huge ugly red and navy-blue spiky horned creature with green eyes was laughing to no end.
Carter's sees widen in recognition. "That's him. That's the demon in the fire. Come on, let's go help those people."
The other rangers nodded in agreement and jumped out of the Rescue Rover running into battle. Joel's first punch and kick were successful, but as the other black tiny-winged creatures came forth and fought him, Joel started getting in trouble. His presence allowed the other people to escape though. Kelsey got in a random kick, but was pushed down onto the base of a set of stairs as she urged the other civilians to run while she went back into the fight. Chad and Dana were doing a better job though. It looked like they had some formal martial arts training. Chad took down several of those black-winged creatures with several punches and a few kicks as he told the civilians behind him to go. Dana was also able to get in some effective punches and kicks, taking down several of those creatures. Her landings during jumps were a bit troublesome with heels though. She was surprised the pumps were still on her feet.
'Mental note to self, don't wear heals,´ Dana thought as she did her best to fight off the enemies around her.
Things only got worse. The rangers were new at this and, for the most part, haven't gone through training. Carter, who had stayed in the Rescue Rover, was driving for the ringleader of the black tiny-winged creatures, the red monster. It looked like Carter was planning to run the monster over, but the plan didn't go over too well. The monster sent a blast Carter's way and Carter had to swerve around it. With the second blast, Carter had to swerved again and then brake all together. Before he could get his bearings, the monster came up to the Rover and threw Carter out of it towards a lamppost that Carter's upper-back hit before landing down on the ground, almost hitting his head. The others were starting to get in trouble too. Joel was receiving more punches than he dished out, Kelsey was pushed back to the stairs, and Chad and Dana were getting outnumbered.
As Carter got back up, he spoke towards his morpher, hoping the captain can hear him. "They're too strong for us."
Captain Mitchell had been monitoring the situation and knew that defeating the released demons wasn't going to be this quick… or easy. "Rangers, use you morphers."
The transmission came through their morphers and the rangers nodded getting back up and into the fight. This time, they headed for the monster leading all those black winged creatures. Carter spoke up getting the attention of the monster that was turning his attention to destroying Mariner Bay, thinking the five people who had intruded weren't really a problem. "Hey you, with the hot temper."
Carter's voice was loud and clear. "You want to destroy Mariner Bay? You'll have to go through us to do it."
The underling black-winged creatures got into position as the monster replied. "Gladly."
Authority came naturally to Carter's voice as he brought up his morpher. "Ready?"
The others brought up their morphers and nodded crossing their arms in an x-formation straight in front of them and calling out "Lightspeed Rescue" at the spur of the moment.
In front of a bunch of civilians still in the area watching the battle, the group of 5 morphed revealing their new identities as the Lightspeed Power Rangers to the lot of pedestrians. As Carter assumed the identity of the Red Lightspeed Ranger, Chad took on the role of the Blue Lightspeed Ranger while the identity of the Green Lightspeed Ranger was given to Joel, adorning Kelsey with the role of the Yellow Lightspeed Ranger, and the role of the Pink Lightspeed Ranger now belonged to Dana. The color-coded suits that now covered them felt like shield and armor, but they found they could easily maneuver as they pleased. The suits were moldable armor that would protect them, but not even restrict the slightest bit of movement. They also felt renewed energy seeping through them. The suits not only provided protection, but also enhanced their natural physical energy and didn't look bad either. The helmets had a vertical and horizontal white stripe that was interrupted in the front for their full face visors, each ranger sporting a different shape. Dana and Joel's triangular visors looked nearly identical though. The ends of the rangers' white gloves and boots as well as the waist were accented by golden bands with the Lightspeed symbol. A holster at each of their waists held a blaster for each of them. The front of their suits had 4 patches of white alternating with their designated color in a circular pattern, 2 triangle on top by each of their shoulders, and 2 kite-shaped at the bottom. The girls had a little skirt addition to their suits.
The monster's body jumped at the scene. "What?"
Chad looked over his now suit covered body and couldn't contain his surprise. "Hey, it worked."
"This feels incredible," Kelsey exclaimed excitedly.
Carter knew they would be able to take charge of the situation now. "This is just what we needed. Let's get to work."
The others definitely didn't need to be told twice and the group of five went back into the battle. This new power made things much easier for Chad who didn't even need to use the blaster that was on his holster in order to defeat the black winged creatures the red monster called batlings. Joel blocked the attack from two batlings as he kicked the blaster on his holster into the air and flipped to catch it blasting the batlings on his way back down. Kelsey didn't use her blaster, but spent a longer time fighting the batlings. Dana didn't really need to use her blaster, but she apparently wanted to try it out and had it in a sword like form that the others didn't even know about yet. Carter used his blaster on the batlings quickly and headed right for the monster. The monster sent a blast his way that Carter rolled out of and Carter blasted the monster with his blaster just as Chad and Dana flipped over and followed-up with their own blast as Kelsey and Joel caught up with them, pulling out their own blasters preparing to take down the big guy.
Carter called out in preparation for the final attack. "Ready."
"Aim," Carter called out once again as the monster got up.
"You ain't got the guts," the monster dared them.
"And Fire," Carter finished.
The team blasted the monster together and knew that was the end of that monster as the monster blew up and they re-holstered their blasters. At the spur of the moment, the rangers powered down right then and there showing themselves once again to the people who were still in the area. The small group of people still there ran up to the rangers cheering for their victory and thanking them for the rescue.
The 5 rangers made their way through the Aquabase after the battle as the rest of the Lightspeed crew cheered and clapped for them. While the other rangers just smiled modestly in happiness, Joel was excited about all the attention he was getting daring the monster to come back again egotistically and bumped into Kelsey and Dana when they stopped in front of the captain.
Captain Mitchell's face though was anything but celebratory. "There is a time for celebrating, but this is not it. You see, now Diabolico knows that you exist. Think this fight was tough? Just wait."
Kelsey didn't understand why it wasn't over. "But sir, we just destroyed Diabolico, didn't we?"
Captain Mitchell would have to disappoint Kelsey and everyone else on that one. "Oh no, that was just one of his monsters."
At this, the crowd of Lightspeed crewmen and rangers looked at each other and looked down, their previously happy faces now solemn.
Seeing this, Captain Mitchell roused the crowd. "You want to defeat him? You've got a lot of work to do. We all do."
At this, Dana stood at attention and saluted leading the crowd into a salute. The captain nodded at this, glad that everyone was ready to continue the long fight ahead that had just started.
With everything now in place, Captain Mitchell took charge of the beginning war. "Ok everyone, back at you posts. Rangers, meet me in the conference room. We'll do a debriefing."
The rangers nodded and placed their jackets back at transport before heading back to the conference room for the debriefing. There were of course a lot of things that needed to be discussed. This would be the first of many meetings the rangers would have with the captain.
"Alright rangers, have a seat," Captain Mitchell told them taking a seat himself. "First, I would like to congratulate you for your first victory, but I also want to remind you that there is a long road ahead. An attack can happen at any time so you will have to always be on call. Make sure you are alert and on your guard."
Carter squared his face in response to the captain's words. "Understood Sir, we'll do our best."
Dana gave her dad a small nod and a firm smile. "Yeah, you can count on us, dad."
The three other rangers nodded and simultaneously spoke over each other in agreement to Carter and Dana's words.
Captain Mitchell nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting into a small smile. "Glad to hear it because this is only the beginning. There are more of those monster henchmen and there will be more attempts like today to destroy Mariner Bay. Our job is to make sure those attempts DON'T succeed."
The corners of Chad's lips lowered into a frown and the corners of his eyes furrowed. "How many of those henchmen monsters are there?"
Captain Mitchell would have to disappoint everyone as no one at Lightspeed had the answer to that question. "Unfortunately, we're not sure, but there are definitely going to be more than enough. We know that Diabolico has the power to create or summon new monsters, but we don't know the magnitude or extent of that power."
Whoever Diabolico was, Kelsey thought they had destroyed him, but now that she knew they hadn't, Kelsey was prompted to ask. "Sir, you just mentioned Diabolico; just who exactly is this Diabolico?"
The intimidating and powerful Diabolico they were facing wasn't someone Captain Mitchell planned to keep a secret. "Diabolico is the head demon and the most powerful of the demons. If we want to defeat the demons, we need to defeat him."
Joel had seen result of the attack and understood the need to stop the demons; it was something else he didn't understand. "There's something I don't get. Why Mariner Bay? There must be a reason, right? I mean- what makes Mariner Bay their target out of all the places on Earth? What is it that even makes Earth their target for that matter?"
Captain Mitchell understood Joel's question. His daughter may have grown up in Lightspeed and knew the demons' story, but the other four were new and hadn't heard the full story yet. "There are numerous reasons for that. I already mentioned that the demons took over this area over 5000 years ago. Back then, there was only a small village in this area as opposed to the large city today. According to ancient records from the survivors of that village from the demons' hostile takeover, the demons erected a huge palace on these very grounds. It would be safe to say they want their palace back along with the land. There is more to it than the enormous living quarters of course. Those ancient documents described the terrifying power of the demons when their palace was erected. Lightspeed cannot say that it knows all of Earth's secrets, but we do know that Earth is certainly a mysterious place and numerous mysterious things happen. From what we do know, Earth is a very spiritual place, even when it comes to humans, and we believe this spot is a very sacred and powerful spot that enhances the demons' powers when their palace is on it. That is another reason we have to protect this city. You saw for yourself how the people of Mariner Bay need you."
The coincidence and convenience of the whole thing was so unbelievably ludicrous that Joel had to scoff. "Are you serious? Out of the entire universe, a sacred powerful spot is on Earth right here in Mariner Bay? What are the chances?"
This time, Dana cut in. She had worked so hard for as long as she can remember and took this seriously. She knew the story and she was going to do everything in her power to prevent history from repeating itself. "Mariner Bay may not be the only spot. There could very well be numerous other powerful spots on Earth guarded by various methods and individuals, but Mariner Bay is our duty."
Carter may not know the history like Captain Mitchell and Dana did, but everything that happen today told him more than enough. As a firefighter, he put his life on the line every single day to save others and this was no different. "So how exactly do we defeat the demons? Just defeat Diabolico?"
Captain Mitchell knew there was a long way to go and they couldn't go on the offense anytime soon. The rangers were still new and Lightspeed's equipment hasn't been put to actual practical use against the demons either. They didn't know how well the weapons would fair against the actual demons yet and the full extent of the demons' powers was still a mystery. "Trust me when I say we won't need to go looking for a fight. We are in no way near ready to face them in a full out fight to the finish yet, but the demons won't wait for us to go to them. They will send their monsters to attack us first. What we need to do right now is to prepare for the full out battle that will eventually take place. You cannot and must not rely solely on your morphers and weapons. The fights will only get tougher and tougher. I guarantee that so you will also need to get stronger; both physically and mentally. Don't rely only on brute force either. Be smart, strategic, and outwit the demons, not only overpower. This means training, and a lot of it, starting tomorrow."
Joel looked over to Captain Mitchell with slightly furrowed eyebrows that he was trying to keep in check, but Joel's voice was even. "How much training will we be doing?"
Captain Mitchell softly glared at Joel in warning, but didn't saying anything and explained the training schedule instead. "I'll be showing you the training facilities tomorrow and at first there will be 4 and a half hours of training daily, 2 hours in the morning and 2 and a half hours in the afternoon, like I said, starting tomorrow. Unless there is an attack during that time, training will be at 10 AM and 4:00 PM. I know breaking up the training like that takes away a lot of time, but it's necessary. Having four and a half hours of training all together is too much strain and this arrangement is only temporary. Once you guys are properly trained, training sessions will be less frequent, but last longer. A schedule will be made when the time comes. How fast you progress will dictate the change in the training schedule. Don't forget to take experience from previous battles as well; the battles you will come to fight will probably be some of the best training you can get."
The rangers nodded in understanding. The captain had said there was a lot of work to do. They knew they needed to be trained and expected Lightspeed to train them. Even Chad and Dana, who apparently had at least some martial arts training, needed the training. The training schedule was pretty tough, but no one complained. If they were going to win this fight, they needed to be strong and able to endure. Even Joel, who only did as much as was needed, didn't say anything. He wouldn't say he was fond of all the training, but he would do it without complaints. He did choose to be a part of this.
So far, it sounded like they would only be doing training and fighting. Chad wondered if that was all they would be doing. "Is there anything else we need to do?"
The question paved the way for Captain Mitchell to tell the rangers about another one of the responsibilities they would have. "I want you to patrol as well. We monitor the city here, but I also want you to do some patrolling as well. We shouldn't only rely on the machinery and we need to be active about protecting the city. There is more to defeating the demons than physical fights. Patrol will be two to three times a week. Look for anything strange or out of the ordinary that could mean trouble. You can do the patrol in shifts, but let me know who will go when. You can patrol alone, but I rather you do it in teams."
"When do you want the patrolling schedule, dad?" Dana asked.
Captain Mitchell gave his daughter a small smile. "By tomorrow, I'm hoping you guys can start patrolling as soon as possible. The demons are our main priority though. The city has other departments that handle other things. Lightspeed's purpose is to protect the city from the demons. We will help out in other non-demonic rescues when needed, but the demons are our top priority. This means that other than actual battle with the demons, anything that concerns the demons and the tipping of power in this fight is also our concern so take notice of the things around you and don't only focus on the physical battling with the demons. Our mission is to defeat the demons."
The lack of information concerned Carter. If they were ever going to defeat the demons, they needed to know more about them. "There still seems to be so much we don't know about the demons, are we going to be able to get more information? We need to know more if we are going to defeat them."
Captain Mitchell knew the limited amount of information they had would be a disadvantage, but they would learn more as the fight goes on. "I know the limited amount of information we have is concerning, but we do know that the demons have a weakness to water. The water weakens their powers or can make them loose their powers all together. That's why this base is underwater. Remember that weaknes. Hopefully, it can be of some use. The research team at Lightspeed High Headquarters is working on getting more information and we will know as more information becomes available."
"High Headquarters? Isn't this Headquarters?" Kelsey asked.
Captain Mitchell shook his head. "The Lightspeed Aquabase is the base of active protecting, rescuing, and combat operations against the demons. All behind-the-scene operations such as securing weapon materials, legal, financial, and other administration as well as historical research on the demons take place at Lightspeed High Headquarters. There are people I have to answer to as well. You generally report to me though as I am the head of active combat against the demons, but that doesn't mean that you aren't under the jurisdiction of those at High Headquarters, such as General McKnight. He is probably the only other one you will be answering to as he is the head of strategic combat against the demons at Lightspeed and has authority over the operations here at the Aquabase. Although you won't really need to go to High Headquarters and the exact location is kept pretty much a secret, you will be going to Lightspeed's Public Office for the press conference."
Upon hearing that, the four newest recruits to Lightspeed simultaneously blurted out, all of their reactions the same. "Press conference?"
Their reaction didn't surprise Captain Mitchell though. "That's right. A press conference will be held in four days time, that's this coming Saturday, to address the questions and concerns of the public since there will be much confusion and fear. You are expected to be there as there may be questions you need to answer and you will also be introduced to the public. I will also be there as well as several other important people in Lightspeed. You will actually meet General McKnight there. The conference will take place at Lightspeed's Public Office this coming Saturday at 1:30 PM. An hour and a half has been allotted for this. We will be going to the conference together after the morning training session and to the afternoon training session after the conference. Lunch will be served there. Any questions?"
Captain Mitchell's explanation was pretty clear and at the moment, there didn't seem to be much question regarding the press conference so the rangers just shook their heads and allowed the captain to continue.
"Now that the basic introduction to Lightspeed is finished, I want to discuss living arrangements and your current lives. I know we are pulling the four of you away from the life that you were living, but I hope that this won't cause too much trouble?" Captain Mitchell addressed the 4 newest recruits.
Carter once again showed no reservations. "There are a number of firefighters out there. I'm sure they can handle it. And it's not like I won't be helping them at all. It sounds like we'll be helping them out once in a while. Besides, that would the least of our worries if the demons win."
Captain Mitchell nodded. It was pretty obvious Carter would put this before anything else.
"I'm pretty sure the pool can find another trainer out there somewhere," Chad confirmed.
Kelsey turned to look at the captain just as Carter and Chad had. "I've got nothing that can't wait."
Joel slightly raised his hands and leaned back a bit. "No need to worry about me."
Captain Mitchell nodded once again. Things were really going better than he thought. The rangers won their first battle and were apparently joining Lightspeed without problems.
"Good. If there are any problems with your employer or something of that sort, you can let me know and Lightspeed will handle it. Now, Lightspeed has living accommodations for all its operatives and that of course includes you. It is highly recommended that operatives move in for convenience and safety. Do any of you object to moving into the Aquabase?"
Carter's face showed nothing, but the option didn't appear to give him any trouble. "Perfect for me."
"I currently live alone so no problem," Kelsey said.
Joel's face lifted in pleasant surprise. "I've actually been looking for a place."
Chad's mind seemed for a moment to be off somewhere, but his response portrayed nothing. "I don't think I'll have too much of a problem doing that."
The Captain was finally able to let out a relieved breath. "Excellent. Dana, you already live here, but you'll be moving in with the other rangers. And you can also change out of your operative uniform. That about covers most of the important points; do any of you have any other questions?"
Carter's eyes looked down a bit and he took a breath before looking back at the captain. "We don't know how long this fight will last, do we?"
Captain Mitchell took a deep breath as well. He would have to disappoint them once again. "Unfortunately no, we don't. As long as the demons are still out there, we need to fight them."
Joel's eyes widen at the inclination. "You mean we may need to stay here forever?"
Captain Mitchell could only hope it wouldn't come to that. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. If there are no more questions, I'll end the meeting here and you guys can pack your belongings and move in."
With no more questions coming his way, Captain Mitchell ended the meeting. "Alright, tomorrow morning, I'll be giving you the full tour before your first training session so meet me in Rescue-Ops tomorrow at 9 AM. That's where you first entered the Aquabase when you were brought in. Before I let you go though, I need to give you these."
Captain Mitchell took out five color-coded cards and handed each ranger their respective card. "These are your Lightspeed access ID cards. You don't want to lose them."
Captain Mitchell dismissed the group and they all headed off to pack and get ready to move, the four new recruits exiting the Lightspeed Aquabase in the Rescue Rover. As the 5 rangers prepared for the move, they mulled over what had just happened in the past couple of hours. It seemed pretty obvious the roles and abilities that each of the 5 members would bring to the team and everyone was thinking about just that as they got ready for the move and future fights.
The new blue ranger, Chad, was definitely more of the strong quiet type, but everyone was sure that Chad will be a close friend to all of them with time as the 5 of them fight together and defend Mariner Bay and the world against the demons. Chad was just one of those people whose actions speak louder than words and it was pretty obvious to everyone on the new team of rangers that Chad will have time to shine and display inner strength during the numerous upcoming future battles they would have with the demons.
Joel, the new green ranger, had no doubt taken up the position of comic relief from the moment he dared to touch the controls at Lightspeed and set off the alarms. None of the new rangers could hold back a giggle at the thought. No one had any doubts that there will be a number of laughs shared at the talkative Sky Cowboy's expense. Of course, the flying skills Joel brought to the team would most definitely be necessary and important in order to complete the team.
The self-proclaimed crazy girl Kelsey would definitely be an interesting asset. There is no doubt for anyone that there will be moments where this yellow live-wire ranger would come up with some crazy way to get them out of a jam. This sports extremist will probably show quite a number of new things to the team too during the course of their battles. This adventurous and lively girl will bring much life and spirit to the team.
Then there was Dana, the pretty blonde who brought the other 4 into the world of Lightspeed and ranger-hood. There were no doubts about the role she would play. Lightspeed was her domain so she would be helping them settle in. She had been the one to recruit them and had worked at Lightspeed for the better portion of her life. She was the calm one and would be the mediator keeping the team focused and bonded. In addition, her medical skills come in handy when you're fighting powerful demons who are trying to destroy you.
As for Carter, everyone knew the role he would take on, the heroic one. He would be the fearless, determined, workaholic leader who would put himself in danger to save others, including his teammates, and bring down the demons. His leadership and strength of will are the qualities that will pull them through the darkest of times so that they may be victorious. This serious red ranger is sure to get the respect of those working at Lightspeed and his fellow rangers while creating many memorable moments for all of them.
Getting the full official tour tomorrow, the 4 new recruits grabbed the last of their stuff and moved out of their old places and into their new quarters in the Aquabase, putting whatever life it was they were living before on hold. Dana showed her 4 new teammates to their new living quarters, having already been shown and moved in their new quarters herself, and helped the other rangers move their luggage. She had changed into a pink blouse, matching it with a short gray skirt that ended above the knees and long black boots that ended below the knees. The five rangers were to share two interconnected quarters. Carter, Chad, and Joel would be in one quarter where they will share a bathroom and common area. The quarter has smaller rooms inside for each of the 3 males, although there was one extra room, while Kelsey and Dana shared a smaller similar quarter right next to the boys. The common areas of the two quarters were connected by a big wall-like door that the rangers would soon keep open most of the time during the day. By the time the rangers got their luggage into their new home, it was time for dinner so Dana also showed them the dining area in the galley as well. The 5 rangers sat down to share their first of many meals together as well as discuss the patrolling schedule Captain Mitchell wanted them to work out. They decided that every week, they would alternate between patrolling twice a week and three times a week, patrolling in pairs. This week, they would patrol twice since it was already the end of Tuesday. Whoever didn't patrol this week would patrol twice next week, when they would patrol three times. Unsurprisingly, Carter and Dana volunteered for the first shift on Thursday. Joel was the procrastinator and didn't want to patrol this week so he would have to patrol twice next week.
Honestly, this was one day that none of them would ever forget to say the least and this was just the beginning too. This new group of rangers would have to take on tougher and tougher fights and challenges in the future as they attempt to defeat the head demon Diabolio while training and developing the bonds that they will need in order to pull them through the darkest of their upcoming fights. They most certainly have an abundance to do taking up these new responsibilities as the new power rangers protecting Mariner Bay and the world.
Next time on PR Lightspeed Rescue: On and Off the Screen:
Is that an asteroid? OH NO! It's transforming into a huge lava monster! Isn't Joel suppose to be here? Where in the world did he go at a time like this? It's time to move! How will the rangers fair against this walking volcano? Will the team of 5 who only met the previous afternoon be able to work together and combine their powers to save Mariner Bay? Or will Mariner Bay become a lava wasteland?
My Comments:
Whew! Chapter 1 is finally complete! Obviously, this chapter is the first PRLR episode, "Operation Lightspeed". I did make some adjustments so that it would fit the storyline I have in mind better. One very noticeable change is Dana's career. The original show had Dana as a paramedic getting ready to go into medical school. I decided to change that. There really isn't anything wrong with Dana being a paramedic, but the show had Dana as an 18 year-old paramedic, which means she must've have at least some college education and 18 year-olds generally start college. If Dana was on the advanced education track and supposedly had a college degree by 18, I figured it would make more sense for her to go straight into medical school after getting her college degree, so she's already a doctor here. Obviously, she's not going to be 18 in this rewrite. I am changing her and her brother's ages because their ages on the show were a little off. It has been mentioned that Captain Mitchell said he trained Dana for 18 years, but she's 18 and Captain Mitchell was still a firefighter when he saved Carter and lost Ryan. The years don't correlate. In addition Ryan and Dana's difference in age is a bit tight. According to their ages on the show, Ryan and Dana's mom would have to have gotten pregnant with Dana almost immediately after giving birth to Ryan. Therefore, I decided to adjust their ages. The official ages of all the main characters will be revealed in future chapters. I worked out the timeline of the rangers' birth so that it would be sensable and realistic. I also gave Dana a new hairstyle because of her change in age and had Dana call Carter by his last name instead of his first as the show did when she threw him the keys to the Rescue Rover because they had only just met. I also made minor adjustments to a few of the other lines so that it would fit this rewrite better. This is going to be a serious rewrite and I am trying to keep it as sensible and realistic as possible to the world of PR. As for Kelsey, I gave her suit the little skirt that female rangers have. The only reason it wasn't there on the actual show was because Kelsey's Super Sentai conterpart was a male so there is no reason for her not to have the skirt here. I personalized the morphers for each of the rangers because it makes more sense in comparison to the rangers picking up a random morpher.
I also added some original scenes that I felt were important. My favorite for this chapter was definitely the car scene where the four newest Ligthspeed recruits were trying to at least get some information from each other on what was going on. That scene was surprisingly easy to write. It was figuring out what the car exactly looked like that was the problem because there were so many people. I considered if the helicopter would have just been following and the 4 of them would have been brought straight to the helicopter, but landing considerations made that kind of impractial if not impossible and if that was the case, the fun conversation between the four of them before they met Dana wouldn't have happened. Dana didn't reveal herself until recruiting Carter anyways so I figured this would fit the best. I hope I captured the rangers' personalities accurately. Please let me know if you think the portrayal of the rangers' characters was inaccurate and out-of-character. I actually didn't describe the rangers' appearance and looks during the rough drafts. I decided to add it in an attempt to give the characters a bit more life. I hope the original scenes I worked in fit in with Saban's work. I want to enhance and develop what Saban had with my ideas so everything has to fit for that to work. Please review and let me know what you're picking up as you're reading this. I need an audience's prespective to see if I missed something. I still have so many chapters to write.
Alright, that brings Chapter 1 to a close. Hopefully, I can get Chapter 2 up much quicker than this, but I can't guarantee anything. Until next time...
~Secretive Writer