MMPR Revisited

Trigger Part 2

One hour later, the dissonant and monotonous beep of the flat-line monitor reverberated through the sterile hospital room. It was a disheartening sound, a stark reminder of the life hanging in the balance. Despite the desperate efforts of the medical team, the monitor continued to display a lifeless line, devoid of any signs of vitality. Friends and family anxiously waited just beyond the doors of the bustling emergency room.

The agonizing cries of Kimberly filled the air, echoing through the corridors of Angel Grove Memorial Hospital. Two nurses struggled to restrain her, attempting to prevent her from entering the room.

"Let us see our friend!" Zack's voice was a mix of desperation and frustration as he tried to push his way past the nurses.

"Your friend is in critical condition," one of the nurses replied sternly, "There's nothing you can do right now. Our doctors are doing everything in their power to determine what happened. Your presence here won't help anyone. Please, try to understand." Her words were rational, but rationality offered little solace in the face of such a dire situation.

"Hey! Knock it off!" A security guard intervened, charging into the emergency room. "You can either sit quietly or I'll have to escort both of you out of here. Your choice." Zack scoffed at the threat but complied, taking Kimberly's hand and guiding her to the waiting area.

"Come on, Kim. Let's go and wait," Zack gently urged, but Kimberly remained rooted in place, tears streaming down her face.

"Fine," she whimpered, her voice trembling.

"Good choice," the security guard retorted, a hint of arrogance in his tone. Zack rolled his eyes and led Kimberly to the waiting area, where he urged her to sit down. Her body shook with sobs as he wrapped an arm around her, offering whatever comfort he could muster.

"Hey, it'll be okay, Kim. I promise," Zack whispered, though he couldn't be entirely certain of his own words. But he knew that, in this moment, Kimberly needed the reassurance.

"Billy? Trini?" Billy and Trini appeared around the corner and were taken aback by the sight of Zack and Kimberly in the waiting area.

"How are Daniel and Brent?" Zack inquired.

"They're stable," Trini replied. "Daniel was in critical condition initially, but it turned out to be nothing too severe. Brent's doing okay as well."

"I'm just relieved to see you two okay," Zack admitted. His concern then shifted to Kimberly, who remained deeply distressed.

"Kimberly, what's wrong? And what brings you both here?" Trini questioned. However, Kimberly didn't immediately respond, and Zack stayed silent as well. Eventually, though, Kimberly sat up, unzipping her backpack and revealing Jason's damaged Power Morpher. Trini and Billy's eyes widened in shock, and Trini quickly gestured for Kimberly to conceal it within her bag before anyone else could see.

"What happened to his Morpher?" Billy exclaimed.

"What happened to Jason?" Trini added, her concern evident in her voice.

Rita reclined on her sinister throne, her head tilted and resting on her closed fist. Her gaze was fixed upon the stars and the distant planet Earth, an unsettling silence lingering in her dark chamber. Concerned whispers rippled through her assembled minions, their anxiety growing palpable.

"Empress Rita?" Baboo hesitantly broke the silence, but she offered no response. He exchanged a worried glance with Squat, whose anxiety mirrored his own.

"Should we make another attempt?" Squat ventured.

"We? You're of no help!" Baboo retorted, swatting Squat on the back of his head.

"Have you informed her yet?" Goldar suddenly materialized behind them, causing both Baboo and Squat to startle.

"About that…" Squat began, avoiding eye contact and stammering. Goldar grunted in frustration.

"Utterly useless, both of you," he scolded, shoving Baboo aside as he approached Rita. He positioned himself directly in her line of sight, blocking her view of the stars. Her piercing gaze met Goldar's.

"My Queen," Goldar spoke with deference.

"What?" Her voice was flat, revealing her current mood.

"The Dragon Coin," Goldar's voice dropped to a low, ominous tone, instantly alerting Rita that bad news was imminent. She stood up abruptly, her scepter in hand.

"This had better not be ill tidings, Goldar," she warned, although she sensed that it was inevitable.

"It's a complicated matter, my Queen," Goldar cautiously explained. Rita's frustration escalated, and she stopped him with an outstretched hand, her scepter gleaming ominously.

"This had best be important," she hissed.

"The Power Zordon placed upon it is formidable," Goldar revealed. Rita let out a furious scream, throwing her arms into the air. Baboo and Squat scrambled beneath a nearby table, seeking refuge from her wrath.

"Of course it is! Of course Zordon would delight in tormenting me day in and day out!" she raged. She called for Finster, and within moments, he appeared, bowing respectfully.

"Yes, my Queen?"

"Finster, the Dragon Coin resists the darkness. What can be done?" Rita demanded. Finster's eyes widened as he pondered the predicament.

"Resists? Aren't the Power Coins meant to be neutral?" Baboo inquired, cautiously rising to his feet.

"That's one way to put it," Finster agreed. "However, it's more complex than that. Particularly with the Dragon Coin, Zordon, aware that you had obtained it, cast a protective veil of light over it before our imprisonment."

"I won't tolerate it, Finster!" Rita shouted. "We possess the entirety of darkness, and yet we can't overcome a centuries-old enchantment. Is that what you're telling me?"

"There is a way," Finster replied, walking over to a cabinet and retrieving a worn, dusty tome. He carefully wiped away the dust and began flipping through its aged pages.

"Ah, here it is," he exclaimed, turning the book toward Rita. "To counter the force of light, we must invoke absolute darkness. We require a sacrifice."

"Take Squat! I've been here longer!" Baboo interjected, shoving Squat forward. Squat shrieked in response and attempted to push Baboo back.

"Silence, or I'll sacrifice both of you for my own amusement!" Goldar threatened.

"I'm intrigued, Finster," Rita said, her interest piqued. "A sacrifice, you say?"

"Yes, one with a pure heart," Finster explained.

"One of the Rangers?" Rita inquired.

"No, they're safeguarded by their Power Coins. But locating someone with a pure heart on Earth shouldn't be too challenging. If we can choose someone known to the Rangers, it will inflict even greater pain," Finster proposed. Rita's laughter filled the chamber as she began to dance with sinister delight.

"Commence, Finster! I shall begin the search for a suitable sacrifice," Rita declared, marching over to her telescope to scan Earth for her unfortunate victim.

One hour earlier...

Panic echoed through the school's dimly lit hallways as chaos unfolded. Billy's desperate voice cut through the turmoil, calling out for Trini. She stood in a stark silence, her hands stained with blood, a haunting sight.

"Trini! Trini!" Billy's voice trembled with fear as he rushed toward her. He pleaded with her to respond, to stay with him.

"Billy, I'm okay…" Trini finally spoke, her voice steady. Her words eased Billy's hysteria, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"It's not my blood," she continued, sending a shiver down Billy's spine. His gaze shifted to Daniel, who lay near her, unmoving.

"Daniel? D-Daniel?"

"I-I" James stared at Daniel in disbelief, his eyes darting between his fallen friend and the gun trembling in his hand.

"What did you do?!" Brent's voice erupted in anger. Seizing the opportunity, he lunged forward to wrestle the gun from James' grasp. However, James' fear only intensified, leading to another gunshot. Billy's horror was palpable as he turned his head away.

"Ahh, son of a bitch!" Brent cursed, clutching his wounded arm as blood began to trickle down.

"Brent!" James exclaimed, his voice filled with remorse. "I-I'm sorry, man, I-I…" Unable to face his old friend any longer, James abruptly fled down the hallway.

"God dammit!" Brent cursed again, shaking his head in shame as James disappeared from sight.

"I'll be right there!" Billy called out to Brent, his voice tinged with frustration. He and Trini carefully helped Daniel out from under their backpacks, turning him onto his back. Daniel was unconscious, a deep wound visible on the left side of his abdomen.

"Oh, Daniel…" Trini sighed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Keep his head elevated," Billy suggested. They propped Daniel up on their backpacks, causing him to wince and regain slight consciousness.

"Daniel?" Trini's voice trembled.

"So, about Homecoming, is that a yes?" Daniel's unexpected words caught Trini off guard, and she managed a weak laugh.

"Yes, of course I'll go," she replied, her voice filled with emotion.

"Good, I think I'm going to pass out again now," Daniel smiled weakly, his eyes rolling back.

"Daniel? Daniel!" Panic surged through Trini once more. "Stay with me, Daniel, we're going to get help!" Brent approached, his hand still pressed against his bleeding arm.

"I said I'd be right there! You've been shot; movement will make the blood come faster," Billy snapped irritably. He moved around to face Brent and locked eyes with his wound. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice calmer.

"Yeah, I think the bullet just grazed my arm. Luckily, I'll be fine," Brent replied, trying to reassure them.

"Going after someone with a loaded gun is idiotic," Billy scolded, folding up part of Brent's sleeve and using it to apply pressure to the wound. Brent winced in pain.

"Dammit!" he cursed.

"It needs pressure," Billy stated matter-of-factly.

"Look! Trini is okay!" In the Command Center, Kimberly sighed in relief and placed her hand over her chest, feeling her heart racing. "But Daniel doesn't look too good."

"It looks like Brent took a shot for Billy," Jason observed, his voice strained with concern. "And James is still out there; he could still be a threat, hurt somebody else."

"I don't know, man. I think he looked genuinely spooked…" Zack disagreed, trying to gauge the situation. "I don't know if he's going to hurt anyone else."

"That's not a risk I'm willing to take," Kimberly said firmly.

"Agreed," Jason concurred. "Zordon," he turned around to address their mentor, "This could have been worse. I know there were evils like this before the Power Rangers, but we're here now. There's no reason we shouldn't also be able to help in these situations. Those are our friends in there, our classmates. Our job is to protect them. Billy and Trini are two of our own; we almost lost them. I'm sorry, but human evils, supernatural evils, there's no distinction when it comes down to one of our own."

"Jason, your conviction and your passion are in the right place. But interfering in human matters too much will bring unnecessary attention to us. Our job is to protect humanity from Rita. And in time, I believe humanity will come to accept and support our cause," Zordon said, his voice unwavering.

"With all due respect, I feel like helping out against a school shooting wouldn't be bad press for us either," Zack added.

"Zordon, we have to do something. Trini and Billy almost died. We'll be quick. We need to get Trini, Billy, Daniel, and Brent to a hospital. Daniel really needs medical care. The police aren't going to enter the facility right now - not when they think an active shooter is running around. But the time they enter, it could be too late," Jason argued.

"Ayiyiyi… So much conflict!" Alpha exclaimed.

"Rangers, let this be the only time this happens," Zordon said, his tone more serious than usual. "Your mission is to rescue Billy and Trini, and your fallen comrades. Deal with the threat using minimal aggression and return to your classroom before you are discovered. Try to avoid direct contact with the authorities. We don't need people asking questions and drawing conclusions that the Power Rangers might be linked to Angel Grove High School."

"Thank you, Zordon," Jason said. "I understand."

"Go now, and may the power protect you," Zordon beckoned.

"It's Morphin Time!" Jason exclaimed as he, Zack, and Kimberly raised their morphers above them.

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

Once the three of them were transformed, Alpha teleported them to the school hallway where Billy and Trini were; their expressions showed shock upon seeing their teammates transformed before them.

"No way…" Brent said, shocked.

"The Power Rangers," Billy attempted to match Brent's surprise, but Trini gave him a subtle look, indicating that he was overdoing it. Jason approached Brent, placing a hand on his shoulder and touching his helmet with his other hand, establishing communication with the Command Center.

"The Red Ranger…" Brent repeated in disbelief.

"Alpha, teleport!" Jason's voice was hushed as he activated the teleportation, and in mere seconds, Brent was teleported from the hallway to outside the school where ambulances waited.

"He's unconscious, don't worry," Trini reassured them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We were in Ms. Appleby's class when it happened, and we locked ourselves in the science closet, morphed to the command center. We thought maybe Rita was behind it initially," Kimberly explained.

"We thought you were dead," Jason said to Trini.

"I'm fine. Daniel, though… he's lost a lot of blood," Trini responded, cradling Daniel's head in her arms.

"James is still out there. We should get Daniel out of here and come join you guys," Billy suggested.

"No," Jason shook his head. "Brent is conscious. He'll say you two were with him while being debriefed. We're teleporting all three of you out of here. Be discreet with details. We'll handle James and teleport back to Ms. Appleby's class, and everything will be okay."

"Sounds like a plan," Trini agreed. "Do you guys want to meet us at the hospital? Or?"

"No, Youth Center by 6," Jason instructed.

"Got it. James ran that way, I think towards the school auditorium," Billy said. "Be careful, guys."

"Alpha, teleport!" Bright lights surrounded the three of them, and seconds later, they were gone. "Alright, let's make this quick, guys. Billy said the auditorium, so let's check there." Jason sprinted down the hallway with Kim and Zack following closely.

As they reached the auditorium entrance, they noticed the door was slightly ajar.

"This is it…" Jason said in a hushed tone. "There are three entrances here: the front, the back, and the backstage. We need to isolate him."

"Agreed," Kim replied.

"Kim, you go around the back, Zack, you go through the front, and I'll come in through the backstage entrance," Jason strategized. They all nodded in agreement, and Jason and Kim set off toward their designated entrances. Zack quietly pushed open the door to the front entrance, careful not to make any noise. He moved cautiously, his steps deliberate, and entered the pitch-black auditorium.

"Any luck?" she whispered into her communicator.

"None…" Zack responded. Both of them slowly began to survey the auditorium but stopped when a loud clap-like sound filled the room. They looked around and saw nothing until a spotlight shone from the ceiling, revealing James center stage.

"What an entrance," Kimberly whispered. She studied his demeanor and became concerned. It was clear he was under immense stress, and his hand, notably, trembled uncontrollably.

"S-s-so, a school s-s-shooter warrants a v-v-visit from the Power Rangers?" James said out loud. "I-it wasn't supposed t-to b-be like th-this." He pointed the gun towards Zack and then slowly moved it to Kimberly, alternating between them. "One mistake," he said.

"Set the gun down," Zack said.

"Or what? You'll stop me by force? I'm not a monster!" he exclaimed.

"We know that," Kimberly said, her voice more reassuring than Zack's.

"St-stop. Stay where you are. I don't want to hurt you; I've hurt too many people," James' voice was shaking, and it was evident how emotional he was. "I can only hurt myself now…" he raised the gun toward his head.

"No! Stop!" Kimberly shouted.

"You don't want to do this!" Jason appeared from stage-left and slowly approached James, who raised the gun towards Jason in shock.

"Where did you come from?" James asked.

"James…" Jason started.

"How do you know my name?!" James yelled.

"Set the gun down – it's okay. Just set the gun down. No one else has to get hurt today," Jason said calmly.

"No one else," James agreed. "No one else…" James turned the gun around and pointed it towards his head again.

"Don't do it!" Jason jumped forward to stop him, but James gained control of the gun and fired a shot at Jason, hitting his Power Morpher and causing Jason to fall onto the ground.

"No!" Zack leaped onto the stage, disarming James and grabbing his arm. "Meet you-know-where," he said. "Alpha, teleport!" Moments later, Zack and James vanished. Kimberly rushed to Jason, who was unconscious.

"Jason! Come on! We have to go!" she managed to flip him over and saw the damage to his morpher immediately as red energy began to emit from it. "Jason?" His armor powered down, and the red energy began to surge around him, causing his body to shake uncontrollably. "Jason, oh my god, Jason!" Kimberly tried to grab him but hesitated, fearing further injury.

"Alpha! Something's wrong with Jason. He's not waking up, and his morpher was damaged."

"Ayiyiyi! We know, for some reason we're unable to teleport him," Alpha replied frantically.

"What do you mean?" Kimberly asked. The sounds of doors opening and voices filling the hallway told Kimberly that the Police Department had arrived, and time was running out. Kimberly grabbed Jason's damaged morpher and tried to remove it. After a struggle, she succeeded, and Jason's body remained still, which alarmed her even more.

"Jason?!" she called out again, placing her head against his chest – no sound. "I don't, I don't hear a – oh my god."

"Kimberly," Zordon's voice played loud and clear in her helmet, "You must take him away from the auditorium and let the authorities find him. For some reason, Alpha and I are unable to bring him to us, so we have to rely on human medicine to restore him."

"No! He won't – I"

"Kimberly, this is not a request. You must do this to save his life," Zordon commanded. Kimberly stood up, grabbed both of Jason's hands, and began to drag him from the stage, through the back-stage exit, leading his body just outside the gymnasium. "Kimberly, get out of there!"

"Jason, I'm so sorry!" Just as footsteps approached, Kimberly activated her teleportation device and returned to the storage closet, where she found Zack, powered down.

"Thank goodness!" Zack said and pointed to the door handle, which was shaking back and forth. Kimberly quickly powered down but was still inconsolable. "What's wrong?" Kimberly raised Jason's damaged morpher and sniffled. "Where's Jason?"

"He's…next to the gymnasium. I had to leave him, I –I" Before she could continue, the door opened, and Zack took the morpher and shoved it in his pocket.

"Oh, there you two are," Ms. Appleby said with relief, and an officer shone his flashlight into the small room to see if there was anyone else in there.

"Is it over?" Zack said.

"Yes," she nodded her head and smiled, "But…where is Jason?"