The 30th anniversary special hit me right in the feels (and made me feel so old) so I figured I should finally get around to starting to post the next entry in this series. This picks up directly from the end of Forever Yellow, so make sure you've read that first before proceeding.
This story is much more episodic than its predecessors, with most chapters following the formula of a typical Power Rangers episode. Those chapters will have battles against a Monster of the Day while also contributing to the overarching plot of the story.
Disclaimer: Power Rangers is currently owned by Hasbro, and is the eternal legacy of Haim Saban. But for some OCs, these characters are his and Disney's. I am merely playing with them for entertainment and posterity, and have no financial incentives or benefits for writing this.
Chapter 1: Small Differences
"Who are you? And why are you calling me Dillon?"
Summer stepped back away from him, looking back and forth between him and Tenaya. Tenaya's eyes were perfectly focused on her, and she now realized that she had ignored other differences in the course of running to the man she thought was Dillon. The stripes on his jacket were purple, not black, and he no longer had the scar above his right eye.
This was not her universe. He was not her Dillon.
"Who are you?" Tenaya asked.
"My name's Summer. I'm... I'm from an alternate universe, I think."
"An alternate..." The man who wasn't Dillon frowned, and exchanged a glance with the woman who might not have been Tenaya.
"How's that possible?" the woman asked.
"I don't think it is," the man replied. "This has to be one of Doctor Blake's tricks." He stepped back into a fighting pose.
Summer held up her hands. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm from a parallel Earth, where you and I were both power rangers. And Tenaya..." She gestured to the woman. "Tenaya is your sister."
"Tenaya?" The woman made a face. "Now that's a name I'm glad I don't have."
"Venjix gave it to you."
"Venjix?" The man relaxed his pose, looking again at the woman.
"A computer virus that took over the planet. We defeated it."
"So did we," said the woman.
"This could still be a trick," said the man. "She could just be reciting our history to get us to believe her."
"I'm not, Dill—" She caught herself. "Please, believe me."
"I believe her," said the woman.
"You always see the best in people, sis."
"I know, but my instincts tell me she's telling the truth." The woman walked up to Summer. "Still, we'll take precautions." She held out her hand. "If you want us to trust you, give us your morpher."
Summer frowned, but removed her morpher and handed it to the woman.
"That's an old design," said the man. "One of the doctor's prototypes."
"It's what the first three of us used. Yours was a newer design," said Summer.
The woman looked down at the morpher. "Let's take her to the dome." Her brother nodded, turning away, and she followed. "Come with us."
"Can I at least know your names?" Summer asked.
"I'm Beatrice, but everyone calls me Berry. This big, brooding oaf is Ben."
Ben? That was going to take some getting used to.
Then again, Dillon didn't actually know his real name. For all they knew, he might have been Ben, too.
She watched Ben lead the way up the hill, noticing the design on the back of his jacket. In addition to being purple, rather than black, the number 5 was stylized with a pair of horns rather than a wolf's face. "Are those bull horns?"
He glanced back at her. "Do I have a different zord in your universe?"
"Yeah, the Wolf Cruiser."
"A wolf? Interesting."
"But that doesn't fit as well," said Berry. "Stubborn as a wolf? That's not a thing."
Summer smiled. "I tend to think of it as fitting for a lone wolf."
"Lone wolf?" Berry raised her eyebrows. "When could he ever do anything alone? He'd lose his shoes if I didn't put them in the same place for him each morning."
"That isn't true," Ben muttered.
Summer glanced back and forth between the two siblings. They clearly had a very different relationship from Dillon and Tenaya's, since it didn't seem like they had ever been separated by Venjix. "So, you two have always been together?"
"Of course," Berry replied. "He's always felt that he needs to protect me. Maybe that was true for a long time, but it isn't anymore."
"Oh yes, it is."
"See, I used to be blind. But now I've got implants, and I can see just as well as he can." She tapped her temple. "And fight just as well."
"And yet, I'm still going to protect you."
Berry rolled her eyes, and looked at Summer. "You see why a bull is fitting?"
Summer smiled. At least Ben had something in common with Dillon besides the face. Dillon would fight to the end to protect his sister.
As they crested the hill, she saw the vehicle that Ben was leading them to. That was definitely not Fury. It was a work van, with a large logo on it. "The Jenkins Institute?"
Ben looked back at her. "What, you don't have day-jobs in your universe?"
"Actually, no." During the war, protecting Corinth had pretty much been a full-time job. And after...
Berry led Summer around to the back of the van, opening it. Inside was an array of computers that would have made Doctor K envious. "Wow."
"Come on." Berry climbed in, and Summer followed. "Strap in." She sat in one of four chairs that were in front of computers, and pulled a pair of seatbelts from the wall behind her, clasping them in front of her chest. Summer did the same. Up front, Ben started the van, and began driving.
"I'm guessing you can operate the ranger systems out of here?" Summer asked. "So much for day-jobs."
"Oh, the day-jobs are real," said Berry. "And the logo on the van is not entirely a ruse. Mr. Jenkins did provide the van for us to use."
"And the computers," Ben added. Berry turned one on, and it displayed the same logo that was on the van.
Doctor K would have loved this. In this universe, she probably did. "So, where are the others?"
"The others?"
"The other rangers."
Berry looked down. "We're the only two left."
Summer frowned, hoping Berry didn't mean what it sounded like she meant.
Berry began typing on the computer, and four images appeared on the screen. Scott, Flynn, and Ziggy all appeared in squares of their respective colors, but the woman in the yellow square was... "Brie?"
Berry glanced at her, then back at the screen. "You mean Deb?"
Summer stared at the image of her former best friend. Brie could never have made it as a power ranger. She could never have been chosen as a power ranger.
"That's Deb, our yellow ranger."
"In my universe, she's a selfish brat who pushed her own best friend off the back of a rescue jeep."
"Well, she was a selfish brat once upon a time, but I don't think she would have pushed anyone out of a jeep."
"You never know," said Ben. "She might have."
"Deb came from money, and she certainly wasn't raised to care about anyone but herself. But when Venjix attacked, she showed that she could be a hero. She saved Sam's life."
"Sam?"
Berry pointed to the image of Scott.
Summer realized that Deb's story matched her own. Perhaps Brie could have turned out to be good if she'd been given the chance. But Summer had become the hero instead.
So, where was the Summer of this universe?
"And it turned out to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship," said Ben. "Who knew?"
Berry smirked. "Sam and Deb are married now. And they have a baby."
"What?" Scott and Brie? Never. Especially since Deb was technically fulfilling Summer's role in this universe, not Brie's. Definitely never.
"Well, it wasn't quite that clear-cut," said Ben. "The wedding kind of happened out of necessity."
"That's true," said Berry. She turned to Summer. "See, Deb's parents lost their investments when Venjix attacked. But rather than accept the loss of their money, they arranged for Deb to marry this wealthy prick named Chad."
Summer groaned. She knew this story.
"So, Sam convinced his father to make a counter-offer. Sam would marry Deb instead, and the Colonel would see to it that Deb's parents landed comfortably, despite their sudden lack of finances."
Summer's eyes widened. She could never have envisioned that as an answer to her wedding quandary. Fortunately, Tenaya had spared her from having to come up with such a diplomatic solution.
Of course, Tenaya's wedding-crashing could never have happened in this universe, since Venjix never captured Berry.
She looked at the images of Scott and Brie—no, Sam and Deb—side-by-side on the screen. "And they stayed married?"
"Oh, there was definitely already a spark between them by then," said Ben. "Even if they couldn't see it themselves."
"Even I could see it, and I was still blind at the time," said Berry. "And the Colonel could see it, too, or he never would have agreed to the arrangement."
That made sense, knowing the Colonel.
"And sure enough, over the course of the war, that spark grew into a bright flame."
"You can say that again," said Ben. He glanced at Summer through the rearview mirror. "The baby was born less than nine months after the end of the war."
Summer quickly shook her head, unwilling to consider that implication. "What about Ziggy?" She pointed to his image.
Berry's face fell. "Zack? He's in prison."
Summer sighed, finding this less surprising.
"Not that he did anything too bad, of course. But he always had sticky fingers, even as a ranger. It was bound to catch up with him eventually, especially once he was no longer saving the city."
Summer nodded. Fortunately, Ziggy had found a better second calling after the war, helping Doctor K create her school. "What about Flynn?" She pointed to the final image.
"Philip?" Berry gave a wry smile.
"Don't even get me started on the crazy Scotsman," said Ben.
"For all we know, he could be on the far side of the world," said Berry. "After the war, he ditched all communication equipment and set out on a tour of the world, alone."
"What do you expect from a man who shared his most intimate moments with his truck," said Ben.
"And a few weeks later, he found the tracker that we secretly placed on said truck," said Berry. "So, we have no idea where he is now."
"And no way to contact him," said Ben. "Not that we would ever want to."
"Oh, stop it," said Berry.
Summer frowned. Of all the men, Flynn seemed the most different in this universe. The Flynn she knew would never have struck out on his own like that, with no way to contact him. He had always been a great friend and ally, who would stand by the other rangers no matter what.
She wondered what had made him so different here.
Suddenly, the van rocked. "We've got company, sis," said Ben. He slowed the van to a stop, and Berry unbuckled herself. Throwing open the rear doors, she leapt out, and Summer followed.
The van was being approached by gruesome creatures that looked like hairless, partially-flayed apes. Exposed muscles stretched and contracted as they moved. Summer stared at the creatures in horror.
"Anomalies," said Berry.
"Time to go to work," said Ben.
The siblings each moved the sleeves off their left wrists, revealing their morphers. They powered up the morphers, pressing buttons on them. "Biofield link, activate!" They thrust their right hands forward, and silver gloves appeared on the hands. Then the gloves spread, until both rangers were covered in what looked like a silver tarp. The tarp fitted itself to their bodies, and the individual colors emerged. Purple spread across Ben's body, while Berry's suit took on a turquoise color.
Not bothering to watch the rest of the morph, Summer looked back in the van. Berry had placed her morpher next to the computer she had been using. Jumping back into the van, Summer grabbed her morpher and leapt back out. "R.P.M., get in gear!" She landed fully-morphed. The other two rangers were already fighting, and she quickly joined them.
The anomalies, as Berry had called them, weren't armored like the grinders were, but they didn't seem fazed by the blows that they took. They attacked relentlessly, swarming the rangers. One of them leapt at Summer's head, and she ducked, punching upwards. The anomaly took the blow and grabbed onto her arm. She swung around, trying to shake it off, but its grip was firm.
"Horned Shield!" Ben shouted, thrusting his hand forward. A purple shield appeared over his hand. It had a large, silver crest shaped like a bull's head on it, and the horns of the crest curved outwards from the shield. Turning towards Summer, he charged, holding the shield out in front of him. The horns struck the anomaly that was holding onto her, knocking it loose and sending it flying.
"Thanks," said Summer, quickly kicking aside an anomaly that had tried to come up behind Ben.
"Not a problem." Ben swung around, striking another anomaly with the side of the shield.
"Thunder Blade!" Berry thrust her hand upwards, and a sound like thunder echoed above. A bolt of lightning crackled over her hand, taking the shape of a scimitar. Then it turned into an actual scimitar, with a turquoise hilt. She swung the weapon around, striking several anomalies. Each time the blade made contact with an anomaly, lightning crackled, sending the foe flying.
Summer drew her own weapon, inserting the engine cell. "Nitro Sword!" She pulled the baton into form, swinging it at the anomalies.
Now that the rangers were wielding their weapons, they had the upper hand. The anomalies were beaten back. Just as they seemed about to retreat, however, a loud roar echoed in the distance. The rangers looked up, and so did the anomalies.
From beyond a distant hill, a much larger anomaly appeared. It was shaped like a giant gorilla, with bulging muscles pulsing around its body. It let out another loud roar, then began rapidly approaching on feet and fists. The small anomalies fell back, making way for their oversized counterpart.
"So, you have a giant gorilla," said Berry, lowering her sword. "Well, guess what? So do I." She thrust her free hand upwards. "Simian Zord, aid me!"
Thunder sounded over the dome, which Summer hadn't previously noticed was visible in the distance. A large object leapt out of it, flying towards them. It landed on the slope and began racing towards the large anomaly, who turned to face it.
Berry jumped and disappeared, teleporting into her zord. It was a gorilla, plated in silver and turquoise, and far larger than any of the R.P.M. zords. Thunder sounded as the zord and the anomaly clashed, wrestling with each other.
"Stand back," said Ben, holding his shield out in front of Summer. Summer frowned at him through her helmet, not needing his protection. But he had a clear protective instinct, just like Dillon did, and she couldn't fault him for it.
The zord wrestled the anomaly to the ground, standing over it. But the anomaly kicked upwards, sending the zord tumbling. Not giving Berry any chance to recover, it got back to its feet and charged, plowing into the zord.
"She needs help," said Summer. Getting an idea, she ran forward, knocking Ben's arm aside. "Zip Charger!" Her advanced weapon appeared on her arm. Getting as close as she safely could to the anomaly, she aimed. "Zip Charger, activate!" The tiny car burst out and swarmed around the anomaly, distracting it. This gave Berry the time she needed to recover, and soon, her zord was on the offensive again, charging forwards and knocking the anomaly back.
Her voice sounded from the zord. "Thanks, Summer. Now I'll finish this! Simian Shock!" The Simian Zord's fists lit up, lightning writhing around them. Raising both fists, it unleashed a lightning-fast flurry of attacks, repeatedly striking the anomaly with both punches and lightning.
The anomaly wailed, falling backwards as lightning writhed around it. It struck the ground heavily, then began to dissolve. Summer stared, unable to look away from the gruesome defeat. Soon, nothing was left but an enormous skeleton, which then crumbled into dust.
She decided that she much preferred attack bots exploding.
Berry emerged from her zord, landing cleanly in front of Summer. "Thanks for your help."
"You're welcome."
Berry unmorphed, then pressed a series of buttons on her morpher. "Zord Return Protocol activated." Thunder sounded from the zord above, and it then turned and lumbered back towards the dome, in far less of a hurry than when it had emerged.
Summer unmorphed as well, watching the zord depart. Ben jogged over to them, also unmorphing. "Nicely done, little sister."
"Thanks."
Ben looked at Summer. "And you also did well, but there's no need to knock my arm away like that. I just wanted you safe, since you didn't know what you were up against."
"I fought Venjix and his attack bots. Those anomalies were ugly, but they weren't anything I can't handle."
"Yeah, I could see that. Still..."
"Still nothing. Don't think you're keeping me out of any more fights, as long as I'm here." And she had no idea how long she would be here for. The Vector Vortex was out of power, not that she knew how to recalibrate it to return to her own universe anyway.
"In that case, we'd better let you know what we're up against. Let's get back on the road, and we'll fill you in."
They returned to the van and resumed the trip. "So, where did these anomalies come from?"
"The anomalies were created by Doctor Blake," said Berry. She pulled up an image on the computer screen she had been using.
Summer's eyes widened. "Doctor K?" Her hair was longer, and she had a more sinister look on her face, but it was definitely Doctor K.
Ben glanced at her through the rearview. "We don't call her that anymore."
"Doctor Karen Blake," said Berry, "the woman who has almost destroyed the world a few times over by now." She looked at Summer. "She's the reason we're in this mess."
Summer stared at the image of her mentor. "How?"
"She created Venjix."
"I know, but it was a mistake."
"It was a mistake. And initially, she tried to fight it. As Venjix wiped out most of humanity, she created the Biofield Concentration Engine to power equipment for a new power ranger team, and chose Ben and the other four to use the equipment."
That was more or less the same. "So what happened?"
"At the time, no one knew that she created Venjix," said Ben. "When the truth came to light, we confronted her about it. It... didn't go well."
"Doctor K was extremely smart, and extremely proud of that intelligence," said Berry. "She fought against her mistake while no one else knew about it. But once people knew, she refused to own up to it. She started defending herself, and saying that Venjix wasn't a mistake. The Colonel put out a warrant for her arrest, and she fled."
Summer frowned. Doctor K was indeed proud, but she would never have denied that Venjix was a mistake. She recognized her errors when she made them.
"Then things went from bad to worse. At first, she stayed in hiding, not taking any part in the war at all. But as public opinion of her deteriorated even more, she started helping Venjix."
"She what?" Summer looked from Berry to Ben, not believing what she was hearing.
"It's true," Ben confirmed.
"Fortunately, we managed to beat them both," said Berry. "Venjix was destroyed, and the doctor was arrested. However, she had a contingency plan for that: One last attack bot, separate from the Venjix network, designed specifically to break her out of custody. By the time we knew what was happening, she was long gone."
Summer stared at the image once again. "And that's when she started making the anomalies?" She couldn't believe her own question.
"About a week after her escape, she appeared as a hologram in the Colonel's office. She told him that she had recognized her error, and would contribute to the restoration of the planet by restoring its biodiversity. And then these gruesome imitations of Earth's old wildlife started appearing, and attacking people."
"Failed experiments?"
"I doubt the doctor is capable of recognizing anything she does as a failure anymore," said Ben. "Even if these are failed attempts to make the actual creatures, she sees them as opportunities to destroy the people who saw past her intelligence."
Summer shook her head. "It's like everything in this universe started out the same as mine, and then spun off the rails somehow." She thought back to when the rangers had first found out Doctor K created Venjix. "We found out Doctor K created Venjix before the rest of the city did, after the virus implanted within Dillon started to take over."
Ben frowned. "The what?"
"Which didn't happen in this universe, because you were never captured by Venjix."
He shook his head.
"So, you found out at the same time as the rest of the city, and she had to deal with everyone's shock at once."
"Like I said, it didn't go well."
When the rest of Corinth found out, the rangers had been there to defend Doctor K, already having known the truth for a while. That hadn't been the case here.
Summer recalled what Katie had said about small changes having a big impact on the future. "The Butterfly Effect."
"The what?"
"I met a ranger from the future. She talked about how small changes to the past can cause big changes in the future. The Butterfly Effect."
"You met a ranger from the future?" Berry asked.
"A few, actually."
Berry sighed. "Well, I suppose that's no less possible than you being from an alternate universe. So, they've discovered time-travel where you're from?"
"Actually, that wasn't in my universe. It was in a different one."
"How many different universes have you been to?" Ben asked.
"This is my third."
He looked at her through the rearview. "Are you sure you weren't just hit in the head?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"You saw her suit, Ben. She's a ranger," said Berry. "So, there are multiple alternate universes, different from our own. Wait til Doctor J hears about this."
"Doctor J?"
"Mr. Jenkins, our boss," said Ben. "She has a lot of nicknames for him."
"He's more than just our boss," said Berry. "He saved our lives back at Kenmore. Then, when Doctor K betrayed us, he became our new patron. He gave me my new eyes, and helped me become the sixth ranger."
"He sounds like a great guy," said Summer.
"He is. You'll meet him soon enough."
Ben stopped the van, and Summer heard the familiar sound of the dome shield being lowered. From what she had seen from the hill, Corinth hadn't expanded nearly as far past the dome here as it had in her universe. She guessed that was because it was still under attack.
The gate opened, and Ben resumed driving. "Welcome to Delphi City."
"Delphi City? Not Corinth?"
He shook his head. "Corinth was destroyed years ago. Delphi is the last bastion of humanity."
He entered a tunnel, which seemed to go on for a while. Then there was the sound of another gate opening. Ben drove through it, then parked the van.
"We're here," said Berry. She shut off the computer, then unbuckled herself and opened the door. They were clearly underground somewhere, and the gate closed to seal them off from the tunnel beyond.
"Your base is underground?"
"We're beneath the Jenkins Institute." The women got out and followed Ben over to a metal door in the wall. He opened it, and they entered a large, comfortable-looking room. "Welcome to the Command Center."
The room was laid out in concentric circles. Hallways jutted from the outer circle, which was partially partitioned off by purple walls. The inner circle contained a black table with eight chairs. A blue couch sat against the purple wall on one side, while the far wall was dominated by an enormous screen.
"Hey, you're home." A girl who looked to be about sixteen emerged from the nearest hallway, smiling brightly. She was about Summer's height, with brown, wavy hair that just managed to brush the shoulders of her yellow t-shirt.
"Hi, Daisy."
The girl looked at Summer. "Who are you?"
"I'm Summer Landsdown." Summer held out her hand. "You?"
Before she could respond, Ben answered for her. "That's the boss's granddaughter. She thinks she can go wherever she likes."
"My grandfather owns the building. I can go wherever I like." She shook Summer's hand. "Daisy Jenkins. Pleased to meet you." Catching a glimpse of Summer's morpher, she raised her eyebrows. "That's a prototype morpher. Where'd you get it?"
Summer glanced at Ben and Berry, not sure how much she should tell the girl.
"Shouldn't you be in class?" Berry asked.
"I've already read five chapters ahead. Going to class would be redundant."
"I doubt your teachers would agree."
"I heard the Simian Zord leave and come back. Had a little encounter with the anomalies?"
"Yes, but don't change the subject."
"Berry, if I don't score miles ahead of everyone else on the final exam, feel free to say you told me so. But I will score miles ahead of everyone else, regardless of whether or not I go to class." She turned back to Summer. "So, you have a prototype morpher, and I've never seen you before, despite everyone in the world having lived in the same city for the past three years. Who exactly are you?"
Summer exchanged a glance with Ben, who shrugged. "I'm from an alternate universe."
Daisy stared at her for a moment, but her subsequent reaction was surprisingly prompt. She broke into a wide grin. "I knew it! I knew alternate universes existed!" She looked at Berry. "I can't wait to throw this in Professor Cranston's face."
"Maybe it's best to keep it among us for the time being," Ben suggested.
"And not taunt your teachers," Berry added.
"He said that alternate universes were a naïve fantasy. But almost all of the research I've read on the Biofield suggests the existence of multiple universes that it draws from and supplies to."
"You read research on the Biofield?" Summer asked.
"Yes. It's really cool. Granted, most of it was done by what turned out to be a madwoman, but she was really smart. And it's important to know this stuff, especially when I'm helping the Power Rangers."
"Yes, because you do plenty of helping," said Ben. He walked towards the table in the center of the room.
"Hey, I'm just getting started." Daisy chased after him.
Summer glanced at Berry, who nodded after them. They followed the other two over to the table.
"So, what is your universe like?" Daisy asked.
"It's similar, although there are some differences. Much more similar than the other universe I've been to."
"You've been to another one?" Summer nodded, and Daisy looked envious. "What's your ranger color?"
"Yellow."
The girl smiled. "I love yellow. It's my favorite of the ranger colors. And it has the coolest zord. Deb taught me how to fly it, you know."
"Fly it?" Summer's eyes widened. The yellow zord in this universe flew? She was grateful that it wasn't hers.
"Mr. Jenkins is arriving downstairs," a female, semi-electronic voice announced. Summer looked up at a speaker in the high ceiling above the table.
Daisy's face fell. "Crap. Thanks, Cassie." She looked around at the others. "I'm not here."
"Of course," Ben replied.
"It was great meeting you, Summer." With that, Daisy turned and scampered back into the hallway she had emerged from.
Summer looked up. "Cassie?"
Ben pointed at the massive screen. "The Central Alerts and Systems Supervision Interface. Cassi."
"Time for you to meet Doctor J," said Berry, smiling. She turned towards the double doors on the far side of the room from where they had entered.
Summer turned as well, feeling some anticipation build. When the door opened, however, her mouth dropped open, and she stared at the familiar face that appeared. "Fresno Bob?"