Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Epilogue:

Jason's old morpher was hidden under his blanket. He always carried it around him because he thought it was important.

It has been well over fifty years since the Darkest Day. It is the year 2060, and Jason has grown old. His muscles had long since dissapeared, leaving him skinny and weak. His body had caught up to him, punishing him for his days of strenous Ranger activity. He was confined to a wheelchair.

Three months after the Darkest Day, Jason and Janet had wed. Five years later, they had their only daughter, Kelly Jane Scott. Kelly's birth, Jason had decided, was the happiest day of his life.

Kelly grew up in a world protected by the Power Rangers. She grew up idolizing her father, dreaming of becoming a Red Ranger like he was. She signed up for Martial Arts. She trained every day. She lifted wheights, she did push ups, she ate healthy. She mended her own broken heart every time one of her boyfriends would dump her due to their own insecurities. By Jason's insistence, she went to College, where she pursued a two year degree. She joined SPD Academy at age 20, where she excelled on all fields. In the year 2038, a whole two years after she had enrolled, she had officially become a Power Ranger. She was assigned to Squad 12, captained by Z Delgado. It did not take long until she was chosen to be a Red Ranger, a day where Jason could not stop telling her how proud he was. She met a man named Matt Jones during one of her missions. She had fallen in love with him after he had taken her on a few dates, including a rather romantic venture in a restaurant orbitting Mirinoi. She had married him after a year of dating.

In the year 2039, during her courtship with Matt, Kelly accompanied her father to a funeral. It was Tommy Oliver's, and the first of many funerals for a Power Ranger who had lived past The Darkest Day. Because of his exposure to Morphing Grid energy, as well as the whole Green Candle thing from his teenage years, his lifespan had been shortened considerably. On that day, Jason had to face the hard fact that his own death was not long off.

The year 2041 was the last year Jason had ever used his Ranger Powers. He had just wanted one last adventure, but his own daughter had scolded him for interfering with Police work. He ended up sitting on the sidelines, watching his own daughter arrest the monster which had been causing a little mayhem. It was on that day that Jason finally retired, in shame, depressed over having gotten so useless.

In the year 2044, Kelly gave birth to her son, Lee. Like his mother, Lee grew up in a world protected by the Power Rangers. Like his mother, Lee wanted to grow up to be a Power Ranger. Unlike his mother, however, Lee had the opportunity to join the Academy at age 14, thanks to their new Youth Program.

But Jason can't remember any of that. He can't remember anything at all, save for his name, and a few miscellaneous things. His mind had been ravaged by an incurable bout of Alzheimer's, made so by the Gold Ranger energies his body had stored long ago. This old man right here, this decrepit old man who drools on himself every so often, who can not even recognize his own child or grandchild, who can barely recall what his wife of nearly fifty years looked like before she had passed on, who can no longer remember his great contributions to the world as both a Ranger and as a model citizen, this old man right here is Jason Lee Scott in his final days.

"Bye bye grampa." Lee hugs his grandfather. "I'm off on my mission, OK?"

"Who are you?" Jason looks at Lee as if he were a stranger. "And where are you going?"

"Come on grampa, I told you. I've been assigned under Captain Carson to go to the planet Ventis!" Lee has a sad look on his face.

Jason digs under his blanket and pulls out his old Red Ranger Power Coin. "I think this is important...here, you keep it."

Kelly and Lee look on stunned at Jason's offering. Lee hesitates, but he takes it. "Wow...grampa, remember how you used to tell me stories from when you were a Ranger?"

"What? I was a park ranger?" Jason starts drooling. Kelly grabs a napkin and wipes it off. "I don't remember ever being a forrest ranger..."

"You were a Power Ranger..." Lee sighs as he sees his mother give him that 'just give up, he will not remember' look. "Know what? Forget it, it's OK. Thanks for the Power Coin, grampa."

"You look like a good kid, boy." Jason pats his grandson on the shoulder. "Your folks ought to be proud of you."

Kelly surveyed her surroundings. She can't handle seeing her father like this, but puts on a brave face anyway. She sees Schuyler Tate approaching them. "Ah! Commander Tate! Good morning!"

"Kelly! Good morning!" Sky and Kelly smile to each other. They have been friends for ages now. "Ah! I see Cadet Jones is here bright and early for his first mission!"

"I was excited sir..." Lee salutes, but he feels a bit sheepish. Must be the fact that he was wearing a Yellow uniform.

"I know you come from a long line of Red Rangers. But I just want you to know, heroes come in all colors." Sky pats Lee on the back. "Work hard, and maybe YOU might be a Red Ranger too some day."

"Thank you sir..." Lee blushes like mad. He was quite embarrassed, yet flatered, by the attention the Commander was giving him.

"You've been asigned to Youth Team 37. Your Red Ranger is Zita Skullovitch, and you will be joined by Yuki Momohime, Blue Ranger. Your team captain for this mission shall be Captain Carson."

"Well Lee...this is goodbye for now." Kelly hugs her son. "I'm sorry your father couldn't be here. You know how his business can get."

"It's OK mom. I know..." Lee sighs. His father was only ever around for half the year. "Bye mom. Bye grampa."

"Bye kid. Take care of your parents, OK?" Jason waves weakly. His body can't move as much as it used to.

Kelly, Jason and Sky watch as Lee hurries towards his terminal, where his new teammates awaited him. Kelly does her best to remain composed.

"Why am I here again?" Jason speaks up. His tired eyes look around the terminal. "Where am I?"

"Come on daddy, you want to go back home?"

"Who are you?" Jason looks Kelly over. "You look like someone I know..."

"I'm Kelly. You're daughter..." Kelly looks hopefully at Jason. Does he trully remember?

"What? Kenny? No, no, I think that's a boy's name..." Jason starts drooling again. Kelly takes out another napkin and wipes the drool off. "Where's Janet...?"

"Daddy...Mommy died...three years ago, remember?" Kelly fights off her tears. Sky looks at the sad scene, remembering the last days of his own mother's life. His looks at his bionic arm's built in watch. It is nearly noon.

"Kelly...Mr. Scott, I hope you don't mind me leaving you, but I've a class to teach. I'll be seeing you later, OK?"

"Bye kid." Jason waves weakly. He starts nodding off a bit. "Hey...I want to go home..."

"Sure thing, daddy."

Kelly and Jason drove all the way back to the Retirement Center. On the way, they passed the Ranger Memorial. Jason, in a rare moment of recognition, demanded that they stopped and take a look at the memorial.

This is the Ranger Memorial, the last monument built by George Sears during his presidency. It is a Memorial that commemorates the fallen Power Rangers. Initially including only those that died in the Darkest Day, it has since expanded to those that have fallen in the line of duty since then.

"Oh God, please don't let Lee's name ever appear in one of these." Kelly prayed. "Please, keep him safe."

"Hey..." Jason spoke to the names written in the monument. "Hi...I think...I almost remember..."

Jason read the names...

Trini Kwan, William Cranston, Zack Taylor, Rocky DeSantos, Aisha Campbell, Katherine Hillard, Tanya Sloane...

"I don't think I remember these guys...but I think I almost do..."

Chad Lee, Cole Evans, Taylor Eardhardt,...

"I...I don't..."

Mackenzie Hartford, Rose Ortiz...

"I..."

Isabella Black, Kenneth Dent, Arthur Dent, Wind Lane, Blaise De la Croix...

"I...can't remember who these people are..."

Ffemren Dfenlent, Kyla Cross, Trent Rezzer. Those were the last names on the monument. Jason looks towards Kelly, who had been looking over the names of some of her old colleagues.

"Bye Ffem, bye Kyla, bye Trent. Take care of Lee, will you?" Kelly holds back her tears. She drives her father back to the retirement center in silence.

"Hey...come look at this." Jason points towards a picture on his room's wall. It is his wedding photo. "The woman in the picture's my wife. Her name's Laura..."

"I know daddy..." Kelly smiles at her father.

"And look here. This is a picture of when we had our kid..." Jason smiles weakly, trying his best to remember that day. "I can't remember anything else..."

"It's OK daddy. You'll remember someday."

"No, I won't." Jason starts crying. "I won't remember anything..."

At a loss for words, Kelly does the only thing she can think of: She hugs her father tightly. He hugs her back.

"You're a good girl, you know? I bet your mom and dad are proud of you."

"I hope so..." Kelly gets up. "Well...I have to go home now...bye daddy."

"Take good care of yourself, OK?" Suddenly, a memory resurfaced in his mind. "I... say hi to your son for me when ya see him, OK?...May the Power protect you."

Kelly was stunned. What could she say to him? It had been years since he had last said that. "May the Power protect you too, daddy."

As she walked towards her car, Kelly held her tears in. But once inside, once she had closed her doors, she couldn't hold them back anymore. She let out all her anguish, all her sorrow in one torrent of tears. Seeing her father like that, seeing her own son leave her, not having her husband around, it was too much.

Suddenly, her phone rings. She dries up her tears, fixes herself up, puts on her brave face, and answers. "Hello?"

"Kelly?" It was Matt. "Is Lee there? Did I miss him?"

"Sorry sweetie, Lee left about two hours ago."

"Oh..." Matt looked quite dissapointed. "I guess I took too long. Damn meeting...How you holding up?"

"Oh Matt..." Kelly breaks down into tears again. "I miss my baby so much already."

"I know. Come on sweetie, let it out." Matt looks on at his wife with a tender look on his face, his own eyes on the verge of tears. In all the years she's been a Red Ranger, Matt is the only person to have ever seen Kelly cry. "I miss him too. I wish I could have been there..."

Later that evening. Jason lays in bed. His memory has completely failed him, as he can no longer remember anything anymore. He closes his eyes...

...and he never wakes up.

And the world still spins, and children still play, and mothers still cry for their children who are still growing up so fast, and fathers still try their best to keep their kids in the straight and narrow. There is still crime, there is still anger, there is still violence, there is still hate. There are still criminals, there are still teachers, there are still kids who choose education over drugs, there are still people who believe in doing the right thing. This is our world, as it has always been, as it can still be, if we try hard enough to make it so.

I am done. This is the absolute last chapter of Power Rangers: Public Enemies. It's been one hell of a year writing this thing, but I finished it. I am happy with how it came out. I'd like to thank a few people for making this fanfic possible: Ghost Writter, who would often times be the only guy to review my chapters. Thanks dude, really appreciate it. William Lamb, for also consistently reviewing. His positive reviews have helped me get motivated to do better at each chapter. PinkRangerV, who helped me improve my grammar and structure, without her, I would not have improved like I did. Project 314, who helped me get back on my feet by giving me one hell of a glowing review. And of course to every last one of my dear reviewers, whose glowing reviews have helped me through some dark, dark times.

I would like to announce not one, but TWO sequels to Public Enemies. I don't want to give TOO much away, though. But, since you guys are so awesome, I'm gonna go ahead and tell you anyway. Public Enemies is part three of a five part Power Rangers Fanfic Universe of my own creation, called the 'Okkusenverse'. So far, I have published two fanfics from my Okkusenverse: Brave and the Bold, and Public Enemies. The next sequel, which I have already planned out and will start writing real soon, shall be an SPD fanfic. The name? "Grumm's Black Mercy." And here is a slight spoiler: One of our dear SPD Rangers will DIE! Excited? So am I!