Alpha 5 moved along the control panel, flipping several switches before checking one of the many gauges that were tied to the morphing grid. While almost any other being in the universe would look at the control panel and thought that it was merely a random array of switches, dials, buttons, and screens that had been cobbled together by some Hollywood prop master for a low-budget kid's show, when Alpha 5 looked upon it he saw one of the most important devices in the entire universe. The control panel not only watched over the morphing grid but also helped the Command Center monitor and repair the zords and ensure the safety of his creator, the great being known as Zordon.
"Is everything well?" Zordon asked, his massive head looking down from his energy tube at Alpha.
The robot nodded his head. "Indeed, Zordon! The morphing grid is stable and well. It is showing no ill effect from the creation of the Rangers."
"Very good, Alpha." Zordon said. "With Rita's return we cannot risk any errors now."
"Oh, no! That would not be good, not good at all!" Alpha began to double-check the readings. "It's bad enough we have those teenagers as Rangers… if they suddenly loss their powers… Ai ai ai ai ai!"
"Calm yourself, Alpha," Zordon said, a slight smile on his lips. They had worked together for quite some time and Zordon was use to the slightly skittish robot and his panic attacks. "I know you disapprove of the Rangers but they have shown already that they are worthy of their Power Coins. They'll protect this world from Rita and her monsters and I hope that, in time, you… will…"
Alpha looked up, confused. Zordon had trailed off, his words fading away. His massive blue face was screwed up in an expression Alpha had never seen for his creator before: befuddled shock. "Zordon?" he said, growing more concerned the longer it took Zordon to respond. "Is something wrong?"
"I…" Zordon began, unable to finish. Alpha titled his head, realizing after a moment that Zordon was not staring at him but behind him. Alpha turned and froze, spotting just what had grabbed hold of his master's attention.
Jason Scott, the Red Ranger and Leader of the Power Rangers, was walking through the command center dressed in his pajamas.
"Morning," Jason said with a half-hearted wave, his voice a bit gravelly. He was wearing a baggy red t-shirt and silk bottoms, his feet bare as he shuffled across the floor. He blinked several times, never pausing to glance at the robot or his mentor, and made his way over towards the outer wall of the Main Chamber, touching it and causing a door to open.
"How did he know about that room?" Alpha asked as Jason disappeared, the door sliding shut behind him. Considering what he'd just seen, Alpha whipped around and stared at Zordon. "What is he doing here?! Why is he dressed like that?! Is it a spell? A trap?"
"I… am sure there is a good reason," Zordon finally said. "We shall wait for Jason to return- properly dressed- and get some answers from… him…"
"Ai ai ai!" Alpha exclaimed when he turned and found Trini walking past them, wearing a spaghetti-strap pajama top, cotton yellow shorts, and fuzzy slippers. "Trini, what are you-"
"No talk… coffee," Trini said, her words stilted as she made her way towards the door Jason had gone through,. It took her several moment to open the door, her movements sluggish. She finally managed it, leaving Zordon and Alpha in her wake.
"…perhaps it would be best if we investigated now," Zordon finally said. "Alpha, please shift me to the side room."
Alpha nodded, going to the controls. While Zordon spent nearly all his time communicating with Alpha and the newly minted Rangers via the massive energy tube that dominated the main control room, it was not the only one in the Command Center. In fact, there were many such tubes, allowing Zordon to move about the many different areas of the Command Center. They were less… impressive… than his main one, and Zordon was willing to admit it was a bit of the emotion humans called 'vanity' that had him talking to his new Rangers via the massive energy tube. It was easier to guide headstrong and emotional teenagers when he appeared as a mighty giant head. It gave off a sense of power and control, offering them comfort in trying times and lending authority to his words. He knew, had he appeared in one of the smaller tubes that littered the Command Center, the Rangers would have most likely been reduced to laughter.
Desperate times… like his Rangers apparently having already snapped and begun wander around in their pajamas… called for desperate measures.
Zordon felt the familiar yet still strange sensation of the energy that now made up his form dissolving from the main energy tube and sweeping towards a smaller one. It was an unusual feeling, to come apart while at the same time reform. His face took shape in the smaller tube within the side room and he looked around… only to find himself more befuddled than he'd been moments ago.
When he'd last seen the side room it had been little more than an empty space with a few metal boxes set off to the side. He'd planned to use it to further explore the powers of the morphing grid, in hopes of first augmenting his rangers and then, if he were successful, to begin work on creating new power coins so that he could increase the ranks of the Rangers. While the team was able to handle Rita at the moment Zordon knew there were forces out there far beyond the self-proclaimed Empress of Evil and in order to have any hope against such threats the Rangers would need to increase their ranks. He was thinking of going with a cat motif… he loved kitties.
But the room where he hoped to one day craft the next stage of Ranger evolution ('Orange Lion Ranger? Green Panther?') had been altered. The black metal walls remained but the hard durasteel floors had been covered by an assortment of mismatched rugs. The metal boxes had been shoved into a corner, the empty space now filled with IKEA furniture. A wheeled table sat to one side, an electric stove sitting on top of it. Someone had stripped the stove's cord and tied it to a small metal box attached to the room's wall, figuring out a way to power the appliance via the Commander Center's own power grid. There were other tables set up, one with a microwave and coffee maker that had been modified like the stove. But the table to truly held Zordon's attention was the one in the center of the room… the one that his five Rangers sat at.
Jason was there, hunched over a bowl of Alphabits, a glass of juice near his hand. Trini was standing guard by the coffee machine, grumbling about how long it was taking the appliance to brew her morning cup. Zach, bare chested and wearing a pair of purple and black pajama bottoms, was hunched over a plate of pancakes. Billy was next to him, wearing a matching set of blue pjs and a cobalt colored hooded robe, enjoying some sliced fruit. Kimberly rounded out the group, dressed in a pink t-shirt that came down to her knees that hid her bottoms, a green stuffed dragon sitting next to her plate of toast. She occasionally speak baby-talk to the plushie before focusing on her meal.
"The Angels lost to the Tigers," Jason muttered, glancing at the newspaper that sat beside his cereal bowl.
"Can I see the comics?" Zack asked.
"I would observe them as well. The obese orange feline who shows abhorrence for Mondays is quite humorous."
"Rangers?" Zordon said, his booming voice rendered a more natural decibel thanks to his much smaller tube.
"Oh, good morning Zordon," Kimberly said pleasantly. "Did you sleep well?"
"I don't think he actually engages in normal nocturnal hibernation cycles," Billy said. "Due to his form being energy in nature I would hypothesize that such requirements are quite unneeded."
"Trini?" Zack asked, hoping his friend could translate the Billy-Speak.
"Coffee…" Trini moaned like a zombie.
"Oh, look at what you've done to the place!" Alpha exclaimed, having finally made it into the room.
"Like it?" Kimberly asked. "We set it up last night. Still need to hang some curtains or something. You might like the walls but they are a bit too dark for a dining room."
"Rangers, what are you doing?" Zordon asked. He wondered for a moment if he should have paid more attention to NInjor's warning that Power Coins + Humans = Insane Humans. But he'd assumed he'd fixed that problem by selecting teenagers, as their unformed brained and still developing bodies could better handle the surge of power that came from being a Ranger. But seeing his newly created team happily eating breakfast (well, except for Trini, who was at the moment muttering threats against the coffee maker) in the Commander Center had him concerned that he'd created another batch of Psycho Rangers.
"Eating breakfast," Zack said. "Wait… do you eat breakfast?"
"Maybe that's why he's so confused," Jason reasoned. He turned and began to slowly address his mentor. "Break-fast is a meal we humans eat after waking up."
"Your mother was a toaster," Trini snapped at the coffee maker.
"He meant why are you eating it here?" Alpha asked.
Billy frowned. "Were we suppose to obtain our daily intact of nutrients at a restaurant?"
"…Trini?" Alpha asked.
"Finally!" Trini said in relief, grabbing the entire pot of coffee and carrying it to the table. She grabbed some creamer and poured it directly into said pot before plopping down. She didn't even bother with a mug, choosing to drink it straight from the glass pot.
"Rangers, Alpha and I are… surprised to find you here…. in your pajamas. Has something happened?"
Kimberly stared at Zordon. "Uh… no. This is how we always look at breakfast. Were we suppose to dress up?"
"What he means is why are you here instead of your homes?" Alpha asked.
"Oh!" Jason said, catching on. "Right. We live here now."
Zordon blinked at this. "You… live here?"
Zack nodded. "Yeah, hope you don't mind that we picked out our own rooms. Figured you were busy dealing with Rita's return to get us set up. We got it sorted out though. Kim and Trini took the one room and Billy and I took the second. Jase gets his own room, since he's the leader… or at least that was his excuse…" He and the rest of the Rangers shot the black-belt dirty looks.
"When you're made the Red Ranger you can have your own bedroom," Jason said.
"You… are sharing bedrooms?" Zordon said, trying to follow the conversation.
"Were we supposed to have our own accommodations?" Billy asked. "We considered such a scenario but it was decided that we'd rather use this room as a shared kitchen and the other as a meeting room/training area. I'll be setting up Zack's television tonight and Kimberly has suggested we get a pinball machine."
"Oh coffee," Trini said, stroking the pot she'd brewed, "if we were in Canada I'd make you my bride…"
"Ignore her… Trini has a think about her morning cup o' joe," Zack said.
Zordon ignored the fact that his Yellow Ranger was clearly an addict ('Fight one battle at a time' he thought to himself), and focused on the matter at hand. "Rangers… why are you living here?"
The five teens looked at each other, silently communicating with each other. It was actually rather fascinating; Kimberly would raise an eyebrow to which Zack would respond with a tilt of his head. Billy would nod a few times (the only time the rest of the group could understand him) and Jason would wiggle his lips for a moment. Trini… was cooing to her coffee like it was her baby, and thus left out of the silent conversation. Finally it was decided to allow Jason to speak, as he was the one with his own bedroom and that made him the leader (well, that and being the Red Ranger but the bedroom thing sealed the deal).
"Well… we all assumed you were inviting us to live here," Jason said.
"Rangers," Zordon said, trying to use his wisest and most caring voice, "while I want you to see this Command Center as a place you can feel safe… would it not be better to stay at your own homes?"
The five Rangers blinked (even Trini, who'd finally gotten enough caffine in her to realize Zordon and Alpha were there). "Uh… we don't have homes," Zack said.
"You don't?" Alpha asked.
"No. We assumed you selected us because all five of us are homeless," Kimberly said. Zordon just stared at her and Kimberly shrugged, pointing to Jason. "He's been living at the Juice Bar since he was 8."
"The training mats make a nice bed," Jason said casually. "And Ernie lets me shower using his hose."
"Zack stays after school and sleeps in one of the classrooms. One time we found him spooning the skeleton from science class."
"In my defense I sleepwalk and have erotic dreams," Zack protested.
"Trini's parents are in the witness protection program but she couldn't join them because of budgetary reasons."
Trini nodded. "This is so much nicer than the cardboard box I was staying in. Less hobos to fight with."
"Billy has a home but his father keeps locking him out by accident."
The boy shrugged. "Normally I sleep in the neighbor's canine's domicile."
Kim took a moment to nibble on her toast. "And my parents got in a messy divorce and both thought the other got custody of me. Normally I just break into hotel rooms to sleep but this place is much nicer."
Zordon slowly turned to stare at Alpha.
"What? Don't say this is my fault!" The robot flailed his armors. "You asked for five teenagers with attitude… did you not realize that only screwed up teens would have 'attitude'?"
"I actually asked for overly emotional and overbeating- never mind." Looking over his Rangers Zordon let out a sigh. He wasn't blind to the problems of the world; he knew this planet, like so many, suffered from so many woes: famine, disease, the loss of Freddie Mercury, poverty. He wished he could do more for its people but the threat of Rita and her minions meant he had to focus all his attention on her defeat. Still, looking upon his Rangers so casually stating they were homeless made him decide that he had to do something in this situation. "Rangers, I am sorry I did not know about your living conditions. I promise you I'll work to find you all new homes-"
"Why?" Zack asked. "We're real comfortable here."
"And any home you put us in would be destroyed within a week," Jason pointed out. When Zordon merely stared at him in confusion the teen elaborated. "Rita knows who we are."
"Well… yes. Her magic allowed her to observe you unmorphed," Zordon admitted.
"So she can watch us… know where we are. She knows when we are sleeping and knows when we're awake."
"Like Santa Claus!" Kim said. "Uh, we won't have the fight Santa, will we?"
"Only if he dates my sister again," Zordon muttered to himself before turning his attention back on the Rangers. "And yes, Rita does observe you."
"So what is to stop her from sending a giant monster to wherever we are at and killing us in our sleep?" Jason asked. "Here, at least, we're protected."
Zordon frowned. "Rangers, I know you are concerned, but please be assured that such an event has never-"
"Uh, Zordon?" Alpha said. "KO-36?"
~TALES~TALES~TALES~
KO-36
58 Years Ago
"Alright, the Galactic Rangers are in there!" Novarix declared, hoisting up his battle mace. A squad of Digitrons let out a series of beeps and the crab-like Overlord nodded in approval. They were standing in front of a rather large black and purple domicile that rested among the Singing Trees that made up the Forest of Molax. "The foolish Rangers thought they would be safe here… but tonight we will end them in glorious battle!"
"Uh, my lord?" a scaly mage in a crimson robe said, twisting his 7 fingered hands around his Staff of Whispers.
Novarix's head dropped slightly and he let out a sigh. "What is it, Mysticlo?" He said the words much as a parent would address a 2-year old that had just spent the last 4 hours bombarding their mother with questions.
"I was just wondering… how can this be a glorious battle?"
"What do you mean? This is the end of the Galactic Rangers! The only ones who wouldn't find this glorious are the Rangers themselves!" Novarix considered his advisor carefully. "Are you saying you feel sympathy for the Rangers?"
"Of course not!" Mysticlo complained, highly offended by such a statement. "Death to the Rangers!"
"Death to the Rangers!" the Digitrons cried out, waving their metallic arms in the air.
"It's just…" Mysticlo said nervously, "and far be it for me to question you but… we are going to stab them while they are in their beds. That's not very glorious."
Novarix considered this. "Well, a suppose-"
"I mean, they aren't even going to fight back. They might not even realize what happened if we do it right. That is not much of an epic battle… it's kind of pushing it to call it a battle at all."
"Granted, but-"
"I mean, can you imagine them trying to sing songs of the Fall of the Galactic Rangers? What will the choirs say? 'And so Novarix slit their throats… and that was pretty much it'. Not very appealing to the masses."
Novarix rubbed the back of his armored head. "Ok, now you're just making me sound like a dick."
"By the Dark Specter's rocky manhood, I don't get why we brought so many soldiers!" Mysticlo waved his Staff at the legion of Digitrons that were crowded around them. "At most we'd only need maybe… 20 of them to hold them down while we stab them. The rest of them are going to have to wait outside. So not only is this not going to be a battle and not going to be exciting but we are going to have most of our forces just standing around being useless. Not glorious at all."
Novarix considered these arguments for a moment before coming up with an answer. "If anyone asks… we lie!"
"…I can live with that."
The Overlord cackled, raising his weapon in the air. "Then come, my warriors… let us end the Rangers!" He grabbed onto the door and rushed inside the building, Mstyiclo and the Digitrons following after him. They stormed through the living room and threw open the first bedroom door they found…
…and saw the Red Galactic Ranger lying naked on the Pink Galactic Ranger.
"Oh by the Dark Specter!" Novarix screamed in horror, covering his eyes. "I can see his claspers!"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" the Pink Ranger screamed, covering himself with a blanket. The Red Ranger whipped around, her face a mask of fury when she realized just who had interrupted them. Planting her hands on her hips, she stood over her blushing male colleague and glared at the intruders.
"Well, this will make for an interesting song from the choir," Mysticlo groused.
~TALES~TALES~TALES~
Zordon's lips drew into a thin line. "Well, it's not like anyone died…" Seeing the Rangers just staring at him, unable to see the flashback that had just occurred in his head, the blue mage sighed. "Very well, you can all stay here."
"Great," Zack said, pulling out a slip of paper from his pocket. "Listen, can you sign this permission slip? Ms. Mereci is taking us on a field trip to the museum next week…"
"And my English teacher wants to set up a Parent/Teacher Conference meeting with you," Kim said.
Zordon groaned.
~TALES~TALES~TALES~
Auhtor's Notes; Before anyone freaks out… yes, I am doing another story. But this will be a series of one-shots that have no set release time and will ONLY be done when I am ahead on writing TARDIS and HP:PM. Mostly just some fun little tales to write on my days off.
The Galactic Rangers are a group of Rangers form Ko-35's sister planet. On KO-36 gender traits are reversed, thus the team is mostly women with two token guys.