Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty of "Running From Here." The Power Rangers and the Jurassic Park survivors will stop for the night in the next chapter or so. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-one.

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Chapter 20: Calling Back/Wondering

Zedd sat in his chair in the Lunar Palace's throne room thirty minutes later. He had his staff in his lap. He tapped his fingers on the arm. Squatt and Baboo were playing jacks on the stairs. Squatt bounced the ball. He grabbed six of the twelve jacks and caught it before it hit the floor. He presented them to his friend, who clapped twice.

"Nice job at getting six jacks, Squatt!" Baboo complimented with a laugh.

"Why, thank you!" Squatt said, happiness showing in his voice. "I bet you can't grab more than I did."

"I bet I can," Baboo said, rubbing his hands together. "Hand the ball over."

"Okay," Squatt said, putting the jacks down and giving the ball to him. "Let's go now!"

Baboo bounced the ball. He grabbed seven jacks, catching it before hit the floor. He presented them to Squatt, who raised his eyebrows. He emitted a loud laugh before blinking twice.

"I grabbed more than you did!" Baboo blurted out in great delight. "Yay me!"

"Don't brag about it," Squatt warned sternly while pointing his finger at him. "It will bite you on the ass."

"You are just mad I managed to grab more jacks than you did in this round," Baboo said with a huff.

"At least we will always grab more jacks than Goldar and Lord Zedd have," Baboo said.

Squatt nodded rapidly. "That's right!"

"You two need to shut up!" Zedd snarled, grabbing his staff and getting up. He went over to the dimwits. "I have had it up to here with you two boasting about grabbing more jacks than me."

"Okay, Lord Zedd. You don't have to be such a grouch," Baboo said, holding up his hands.

"Yeah. All that anger can't be good for you," Squatt added.

Baboo nodded in agreement. "That's right."

Zedd growled, his body glowing bright red. "I will get as angry as I want to! There is nothing you can do about it! Is that clear?"

Squatt and Baboo nodded while cowering a bit. Zedd huffed while going up the stairs. He stared at Earth, his hand grabbing the railing. He planted his staff into the floor.

"I need to see how my warriors are doing in Angel Grove Park," Zedd said, his head turning upward. "I am sure they are having fun."

Zedd beamed his visor to Earth. He spotted Goldar throwing a trashcan at a fleeing young woman. Tigton threw a young man to the ground. He grabbed him by his arm to force him to his feet. Scorpina picked a teen boy up and stuffed him into another trashcan. Putties chased children all over the place. The area was littered with trash and knocked-over chairs and picnic tables. Zedd chuckled evilly.

"My warriors have caused quite a mess," Zedd said, curling his hand into a fist. "However, it is time to call them back home."

Zedd switched off his visor and moved his head from side to side to stretch his neck. He touched his temple and growled in concentration.

"Goldar, Scorpina, Tigton, it is time to come home!" Zedd called.

"Are you sure, my liege?" Goldar asked.

"We are having so much fun trashing the park!" Tigton hissed annoyingly.

Scorpina growled to herself. "We should cause some more damage. I need to do that so badly."

"Me too!" Tigton said eagerly.

"I understand you want cause more damage, but you need to come back and rest. It will be getting dark soon," Zedd responded in much sternness. "It is not good to fight without energy."

Goldar huffed. "You are right, my lord. We are coming home right now."

Zedd put his hand at his side. He turned around, his breathing soft and steady. Goldar, Scorpina, and Tigton appeared in the middle of the room. They approached the stairs as their emperor came down them.

"I want to congratulate all three of you on a job well done. You made an absolute mess of the park!" Zedd said, laughing evilly.

"We sure did, my lord!" Goldar agreed.

"I wish we could have stayed to cause more damage," Scorpina said, frowning.

"You need not worry, Scorpina. Tomorrow morning will the perfect time for Goldar and Tigton to attack Downtown Angel Grove with a gang of Putties. They will do it regular-sized for a while. Then they will do it as giants!" Zedd said with a malicious laugh.

"I love that idea!" Tigton blurted out delightfully.

"Me too!" Goldar shouted, clapping repeatedly.

"While they ravage downtown, Scorpina and a gang of Putties will go to Isla Nublar and finish off the Power Rangers and their friends," Zedd added. "The end is near for them!"

The villains laughed rather evilly. They were so loud that it sent an echo throughout the palace.

00000

Zordon and Alpha watched people pick up trash in Angel Grove Park on the Command Center's Viewing Globe twenty minutes later. Two teens set a tipped-over trashcan upright. Three young women struggled to pick up a picnic table. Two young men went over and helped them get it up. Alpha raised his arms high. He tilted his head somewhat.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi. Lord Zedd's goons made a mess of the park!" Alpha cried, his hands going to his temples.

"He pulled them back. He has bigger plans," Zordon said gravely.

"We both know those plans are not good!" Alpha cried, facing his mentor. "With the Power Rangers still trapped on Isla Nublar, he could do a great deal of damage in no time!"

"Dusk is getting closer by the minute," Zordon responded, sighing heavily. "The Rangers and the survivors will not make it to the Visitor Center before dark."

"Who knows what they could encounter in the middle of the night?" Alpha blurted out fearfully. "Many dinosaurs hunt at night!"

"The bright side is the island does not have dozens of dinosaur species. That will reduce their chances of being hunted and killed," Zordon pointed out matter-of-factly.

"I hate hearing that word 'kill,' Zordon. I wish you would not say it," Alpha pleaded, a soft whimper coming from him.

"I understand, Alpha," Zordon said, blinking twice. "I will try not to use it as often."

"Thank you," Alpha said, sighing in relief. "Do you think we could check on the Rangers and the survivors?"

"Of course," Zordon said, nodding. "We need to see how far they have gotten."

Alpha pressed several buttons on the console before the plasma tube. He approached the Viewing Globe. He could see Rexy and Mia bent down over a creek drinking water. Jason petted Rexy's neck, as did Alan, Ellie, and Ian with her side. Lex and Tim stretched their legs. John tapped his cane on the ground. Billy stood next to Mia with his hand on her neck. Tommy, Kim, Zack, and Trini looked around.

"John said there was a large clearing just a couple of miles from this creek. We can rest there for the night," Tommy said, his hand balling into a fist.

"If only we could have gotten a bit further to the Visitor Center," Kim grumbled disappointingly.

"Be grateful we haven't run into any predators, Kim," Zack pointed out seriously. "With the exception of that boa nearly strangling me, that is."

Trini blinked. "Zack is right. That thing was wrapped tight around your throat. It is no wonder we had to get your helmet off."

Billy patted Mia's neck. "I have no doubt Zordon and Alpha will be okay we revealed our identities to our friends."

Zordon and Alpha observed Lex and Tim stretching their arms above their heads. The children leaned to one side, followed by the other. They placed their hands on their sides. John went over to them.

"Those were good stretches you did, kids," John complimented.

"Thanks, Grandpa," Lex said with a smile.

"It feels so unreal that we know who the Power Rangers are now," Tim whispered in amazement.

"It's not something you learn every day," Jason said, coming over to the trio.

Alan came to the Red Ranger's side. "It is wild how ordinary humans protect Earth from evil aliens every day. It was teenagers of all people."

"You would think your leader would have chosen adults with years of experience in fighting," Ellie added as she and Ian went to her boyfriend's side.

"Zordon saw us as capable of handling the Power. Since we are young, we do make mistakes at times. I have made a few poor decisions as leader. Tommy earned the position rightfully due to his selflessness," Jason explained calmly.

"Was it hard for you to transition to being just a teammate?" Ian wondered.

"Tommy actually made me his second-in-command," Jason commented warmly. "I relish that position. I can even give him advice if he is uncertain about a situation due to my leadership experience."

Ian raised his eyebrows. "Wow."

John chuckled. "Yes, wow."

Zordon and Alpha watched Jason tell Alan, Ellie, Ian, John, Lex, and Tim about Tommy's first stint as leader. Alpha emitted a soft sigh, his arms lowering a bit.

"I never thought the Power Rangers would reveal their identities to anyone, Zordon," Alpha commented in surprise.

"They really did not have a choice when Zack was struggling to breathe. They do not have to worry. They will not lose their powers," Zordon assured.

"That is good. I remember when they asked about what you meant by using powers for personal gain. You explained it meant accepting gifts being bestowed by the populace if they were to learn of their identities. It also meant delaying stopping a monster attack to soak in attention they were being given. They understood it pretty well," Alpha explained gently.

"With great power comes responsibility. If you cannot handle it, you should never be a superhero," Zordon said bluntly.

"That's right," Alpha said with a nod. "Yep."

Zordon and Alpha saw Rexy and Mia finish drinking and heard them rumble softly. Billy went over to the latter to get on her back. Jason, John, Lex, and Tim did the same with the former. The dinosaurs rose to their full height. They resumed walking. So did the others.

"The group is on the move again. I hope they reach that clearing soon," Alpha said in some uncertainty.

"So do I, Alpha," Zordon agreed. "I have faith they will reach the Visitor Center sometime the next morning. That is if they do not have any dangerous encounters before then."

"Ay-yi-yi-yi. So many other things could happen too. They could end up walking in circles. Someone could fall into a hole and have to helped out. They could have to wait out a horrible thunderstorm," Alpha added in a frantic way.

"Indeed, those things could happen," Zordon agreed. "The Rangers are clever and resourceful. That will help them in their journey. After all, they managed to gain the trust of two huge dinosaurs. Rexy and Mia are specimens of the largest of the tyrannosaurids and ceratopsians. They are smarter than they are given credit for."

"It was said that the Velociraptors were as smart as chimpanzees and could run at cheetah speeds. That made them the most dangerous species on Isla Nublar. I understand John wanted to share dinosaurs with the world, but he should have never brought them back to life. He never had full control of Jurassic Park," Alpha pointed out sadly.

"Maybe he will pull his resources to keep Isla Nublar isolated after everything is set and done, Alpha," Zordon suggested.

"That is quite possible," Alpha said with a soft sigh. "Let's hope they get a bit further before dark."

Zordon and Alpha watched the group move a little faster. Alpha clasped his hands together before tilting his head.