Power Rangers: Public Enemies
Chapter 2: History
(The Following is quoted from Alfred Adams' book Twenty Ten: Hell's Year)
The year began as any other would have. Americans partied themselves to sleep on New Year's Eve, so many greeted the day most likely drunk. However, those groups of color coded warriors, the Power Rangers, had spent the New Year battling an evil demon from Hell.
Baal, a demon lord summoned by the demon vampire, Maximov, wreaked havoc across the city of Angel Grove. The demon had been summoned by a collection of souls that Maximov and his cohorts had been gathering for all of 2009. Baal itself had been summoned right in the middle of Angel Grove Central.
The cause for the summoning of Baal has long since been lost to History. However, one popular theory states that Maximov sought out the destruction of all mankind, so he summoned Baal to do so. Others, however, believe that Maximov served Baal, and he was merely following orders. Whatever the cause, the only thing known for certain is the casualties.
It was for a long time believed that the city of Angel Grove had been completely evacuated. In fact, President Sears, 45th President of the United States, had famously declared such a thing on his 'Ranger Act' speech. However, further evidence proved this claim to be false. Of the 3 million citizens of Angel Grove, approximately 0,5 million were unaccounted for during the evacuations. A five hundred hour search ensued, where only 75 thousand of those half a million people were found. Approximately one hundred thousand charred bodies were confirmed. The rest were never found. In total, that makes 425,000 people dead or missing.
Baal's summoning, however, is famous for the amount of property damage that arose. At first it was reported that there was sixty billion dollars worth of damage, more or less. The government lied. Truth was, there was over six hundred billion dollars worth of damage.
The main reason why the damage was so great was because of the presence of the Sixth Zeo Crystal. Back in 1995, the first team of Power Rangers broke the Zeo Crystal into Six shards, and scattered them through time. However, only five of those pieces were recovered, and used as the Power Source for the Power Rangers Zeo. The sixth had landed in the year 1950, in Roswell, New Mexico. It was not until the year 1999, during the Phantom Ranger's last visit to Earth, that we would learn of the Zeo Crystal's true potential.
From 2000 onwards, George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, funded research to use the Zeo Crystal as a weapon. That research had little progress. It was halted after the attacks of October 9, 2005, when it was decided that relying on 'unknown powers' was too risky for America's safety. When Patton Oswald was elected 44th President of the United States, he instead funded research to use the Zeo Crystal as a renewable energy source. He used Angel Grove as his center for the research. This would prove to be his undoing.
It is now known, thanks to the efforts of Space Patrol Delta, that the Zeo Crystal had reacted to the vast amounts of dark energy emanating from Baal. This reaction is what caused it to explode. It was actually the Zeo Crystal's explosion that caused the most damage in Angel Grove.
February 2010. This month still sends chills down the spines of those that remember it. Unemployment skyrocketed. It went from 8% to 31%, all within the course of three weeks. February of 2010 was torture.
If February was torture, March and April were Hell. During the first weeks of March, millions lost their homes. Forced unto the streets, tent cities began to pop up everywhere. Illnesses began to increase in frequency. Riots became an everyday occurrence.
The Silver Hills riot of April 2010 is the most famous. People began to torch down empty buildings, parking lots, and struggling businesses. The Silver Guardians, protectors of Silver Hills, turned to lethal force to quell the riots. This just fanned the flames, and many people began to accuse the Guardians of being Anti-American. Because Eric Myers and Wesley Collins were also Power Rangers, this criticism sometimes extended to the Power Rangers as well. In a move that many consider to be his political suicide, Patton Oswald declared Silver Hills a No Man's Land, effectively leaving the city to fend for itself.
(The Following is cited directly from Melissa Andrews' book An American Hero: The life of George Sears)
Before 2010, Sears was just a normal business man from Angel Grove. When Baal came, he lost everything.
On January 2010, George Sears was penniless. Unable to collect on his insurance, he was left a broken man.
On February 2010, Sears collected himself, and began his business anew. Though he saw that the country was falling apart, he was confident in his abilities to remake his small fortune.
On March 2010, Sears surprised many by earning the same amount of money he did less than a year ago. That was also about the time he began to aspire to greater things.
On April of 2010, Sears began to calculate what it would take to restore America's economy. He succeeded in finding a way.
On May of 2010, Sears began to send his suggestions to then President Patton Oswald. He was continuously ignored.
On June 2010, his wealth restored, he decides to make the biggest gamble of his life: Run for President. He begins making eloquent speeches, ensuring Americans that it was possible to restore the economy. He had 2% of the vote.
On July 2010, Sears made his famous 'Briarwood Address'. Those that bore witness to the event unanimously recount how charismatic and convincing he was. He had 15% of the vote.
On August of 2010, Sears delivered his Detroit Speech. His popularity shot up to 33%
On September of 2010, he delivers a heartfelt speech in the ruins of Angel Grove. Many eye witnesses claim that even he was moved to tears from the sight of the still destroyed and empty city. His popularity shot up to 44%, ahead of the other candidates.
October of 2010, he delivers his most famous speech. Speaking in front of thousands of citizens of Silver Hills, he promises to remove its status as a No Man's Land once in office. The nation roots for him. His Popularity is 51%
On November 2010, George Sears becomes the 45th President of the United States of America.
On December 4th, George Sears assumes office. His first order of business is removing Silver Hill's status as a No Man's Land.
(The Following is an excerpt from George Sears' speech delivered in the ruins of Angel Grove. Written by Sears himself, it bears no official name, but it is often called No Angels to Save Us.)
My fellow Americans, this was my home, too. Here I stand, though over nine months have passed since her destruction, my home town of Angel Grove still sits here, alone and abandoned. I, like many, grew up here. I lived past Rita. I lived past Lord Zedd. I lived past Divatox. I even witnessed the Countdown to Destruction! Like so many, I too believed that this city was indestructible.
Yet here I am, standing in her rubble. I stand here, on top of a city once known for heroes! I stand in the ruins of what was once America's most vibrant, most optimistic city! This city, that saw the possible end of the world in the face, and dared to take a stand! This city, that day after day, for over five years, survived attacks form evil space aliens, and lived to tell the tales! This city! My city! Our city! Ruined…
And she's not alone. America is also ruined. Ruined by riots! Ruined by hunger! Ruined by pain, by sorrow, by anger! Anger that is fully justified! Because just like my city, America lays abandoned by those elected to lead her!
(Taken from Kira Ford's Autobiography My Music)
It was awful. No one could turn on the TV without hearing about the riots, about all the murders, the famines and the diseases. Eventually, one felt like just ending it all with a sweet bullet to the head. But not us.
We (the Power Rangers) tried so hard to quell the riots. I remember how me and the Mighty Morphing Black Ranger teamed up to put a stop to this riot that occurred over in Little Reef, this tent village that sprung up in what was once Reefside High's parking lot. These people, they tried to kill each other…
I don't recall ever wanting to quit being a Ranger before 2010. However… we couldn't quit. I remember how, during April of 2010, I would spend days at a time without getting a wink of sleep. Most of us where exhausted. By the end of the month, only a handful of Rangers still had the will to go on. And those are the guys that kept us all going.
When George Sears came along, and he gave those speeches, I felt like he would relieve us of this huge burden.
I never thought I'd ever feel nostalgic for the days I fought against Mesogog. 2010 proved me wrong…
(This is a diary entry of an unknown girl, known only as 'Ginny'. It was found in an old notebook in the tent village of Smile Town, formerly located in Silver Hills. It is the last thing written on this notebook. The pages preceding it are unintelligible due to sustained damage)
Dear Diary:
Everyday, I miss Kitty. I wish I didn't have to eat her, but daddy told us if we didn't, we wouldn't have anything else to eat. I wanna sleep in my bed, but I can't go home. The bad people burned it to the ground. My tummy hurts. I have a bad cough. Daddy and mommy haven't had a job in five weeks. We have to live in a stinky tent now. I hate it here. The people in the other tents are always yelling and crying. I'm crying too. Every day I cry. I miss Kitty.
Why can't the Red Rangers fix this?
Ginny (A sad, frowning heart is drawn next to the name. Blood stains on this page suggests that maybe the girl was coughing up blood as she wrote this.)
(The following is the famous exchange between Patton Oswald and George Sears, the day Sears took office.)
"Hello, George,"-Oswald says- "Congratulations. You now have the worst job in America."
"If not for you, I wouldn't need to be here,"-George Sears replies. Patton Oswald gets up from his desk.
"I hope, someday… America can forgive me,"-Patton's eyes are getting misty.
George Sears glares at his predecessor, and says- "Get the hell out. You're fired."