Chapter Two

So, the first thing I'll say is if you've never been to the Command Center, you've never seen anything like it. Not even the sci-fi movies that Billy watches could compare to what the Command Center was.

I don't think I could even describe it to you. Just…thinking of the home bases you would see for aliens, and then go bigger. And lots of neon lights. With a tube with a floating head and a robot. Yeah, exactly. A floating head and a robot. You would think we were in some sort of a dream world, maybe we were knocked out during the earthquake.

No, I could only hope. After everything that ends up happening, I wish it was a dream, I wish it was something that my brain could come up with. I'm so proud but…there were a lot of things that started because of the Command Center.

We landed hard on the ground, piling on top of each other. Kimberly, ever the smallest but the spunkiest, immediately got to her feet, brushing her hair back and re-positioning her headband. Making sure everything was in place. "This isn't exactly the mall, is it," she remarked after taking a cursory glance around.

"This place is magnificent!" Billy cried, venturing further into the area that we'd soon call the Command Center. It was surprising to hear Billy speak with such warmth and exuberance, he was always quieter, shyer. But the Command Center truly was like a home to him. Yeah, he's kind of nerdy, I don't only see that, but it was his paradise. I could tell from the bright grin on his face as he spread his arms, spinning in a circle.

"I don't get it," I said, slowing moving forward. "How did we end up here?"

Kind of a stupid question, we knew how. We were taken there. Like, teleported or something. But I didn't think teleportation was a real thing. Somehow, though, we were taken and dumped there. That was important, but what was more important was-

"I just want to know where 'here' is," Trini said.

That was Trini, almost always able to read my mind. We tended to be on the same wavelength in a lot of ways, and I'm glad she was on it this time. I looked at her, thankful for it, and she nodded in response reaching out to gently touch me on the shoulder. I don't think she was scared, maybe more in awe. But no one was more in awe than Billy.

Billy who jumped into the raised level of the Command Center and, almost ravenously, looked over the buttons and controls over the panel in front of him. I stepped up behind him, glancing at them myself. My eyebrows came together, unsure of what we were looking at. I glanced at Billy and felt a little more secure in that it appeared he didn't recognize it either.

"Maybe the answer's in these controls?" He tentatively reached out to touch a button.

All at once, we jumped, hearing a high-pitched voice cry out. "No. No! Don't touch that!"

Whirling around, we faced a robot—an actual, live, robot, hurrying across the floor towards us. It cried out as it tripped over its feet, falling to the floor. Billy hurried over and helped it to its feet before letting out a breathless sound in awe. The corners of his lips turned up. I don't think I've ever seen Billy so enthralled before.

"Wow." Billy started to move back and forth in front of the robot, as if trying to determine where its eyes would've been. Though, as he moved, the robot's head turned left and right, following Billy's movements. "A fully sentient, multifunctional automaton. Never seen anything like it."

Then we got scared again when the large tube at the back of the room suddenly came to life with a giant floating head. Did I mention that before? That it was a giant floating head? Well, it was there, and it was talking to us. Its voice boomed out around us, immediately making Kimberly slap her hands over her ears.

"Welcome, humans!" It said.

"Uh-Oh," Trini said quietly.

She took a step back. To anyone else it would've looked like she was trying to step behind me, trying to get away. Or, I don't know, maybe wanting me to protect her. But I knew Trini. She never needed me to protect her, her kung fu was even better than my karate, I think. She would never say that she's too modest. She moved so she'd have space to fight if needed, I could practically feel all her muscles tighten as she did so.

"So, who are you?" I asked, stepping forward and folding my arms. Zack looked at me from the corner of his eye and snorted a little. Look, I wasn't trying to appear intimidating or anything. I wasn't trying to show off my muscles…I just wanted to show that we wouldn't easily be run out of the Command Center. If there was any danger, I wanted to be ready.

A good defense is a good offense, a good offense is a good defense.

I wanted to cover all areas.

Kimberly tilted her head, gazing up at the floating head. Her eyes flicked up and down, just as they did when she was giving boys a once over. But, somehow, I really didn't think she thought the guy in the tube was cute. "Like, what are you?"

"I am Zordon, an interdimensional being caught in a time warp."

Yeah, that's Zordon. The floating head and someone who ends up becoming very important to all of us. He's very authoritative, very direct with his speaking and wording. I'm sure you've noticed it.

"And my name is Alpha 5." Alpha waved his arms as he spoke, making Billy smile. I couldn't help but smile a little either. It was actually pretty cool, seeing a robot able to move around like that. Fully sentient, as Billy said. Obviously having his own thoughts and feelings. His personality was even more lively than I thought a robot would.

Kimberly blinked rapidly. I'm not sure if she had a hair in her eye and she was being dramatic—which wasn't very far from her—or if she genuinely was trying to determine if what she was seeing was real. I knew it was more likely the latter because my head was spinning and I was keeping a straight face. "Excuse me, but will, like, somebody come back to Earth and pick me up? Because I am totally confused." She turned to me with a light pout, as if I knew anything more than she did.

"It's quite simple, my dear," Zordon replied. If he was offended by Kimberly he didn't show it. Then again, I wasn't sure he could show any emotion or expression other than booming command. I still don't know, really. "This planet is under attack and I have brought you here to save it."

"Oh, yeah, right," Zack snorted. See, that was Zack. A believing…nonbeliever? There were many things that Zack has taken at face value without having to think about it. And there were other things that took a lot longer for him to believe. I mean, he was into ghosts and stuff, found them to be really cool. But this was something he couldn't wrap his head around?

I've seen him come up with even crazier stories to entertain people and have a good laugh. But this he couldn't do?

"Ah, a non-believer." Zordon sounded amused. I think he sounded amused. The expression on his face never changed. And the tone of his voice didn't change either. "Look behind you at the Viewing Globe." I followed his lead, the others doing the same, and looked at what appeared to be a witch's crystal ball sitting in the middle of the room. It was so big, somehow we missed it on our way in.

But we couldn't miss it now. Couldn't miss the images that were flashing across the screen. Images of a crazy looking witch powering a…tricycle across the sky?

"Your doubts will be answered in the images you see," Zordon continued. The image zoomed in on the witch's face, making her appear even crazier. "This is Rita Repulsa, an intergalactic sorceress who is bent on controlling the universe." The screen then changed to what looked like crazy looking stone-like creatures in gray wiggling around on screen. In the park, or something. "With her henchmen and putty patrollers, she plans to conquer Earth."

Trini turned back to Zordon. "What does all of this have to do with us?" See, she was willing to give everyone a chance. And if I could have someone else on my side to hear what these guys had to say, I'm glad it was her.

"You've been chosen to form an elite team to battle Rita," Zordon continued. "Each of you will be given access to extraordinary powers drawn from incredible creatures you call dinosaurs."

"Dinosaurs?" Kimberly repeated.

At that, my eyebrows rose. Powers. Dinosaurs. Protect the Earth?

"Behold, the keys to your power."

I felt a tugging on my pants. I would've thought Zack was doing something to mess with me, pretending to pants me. Pretending to undo my belt. Stupid things like that. But, not, the weight I suddenly felt around my waist was some sort of a belt buckle. At least, it looked like a belt buckle. But it's so much more than that.

It, quite literally, was the source of all our power.

"Whoa! What are these?" Zack asked.

I pulled mine off from around my waist and held it up in front of me. I studied the face of it, looking over the gold coin that sat nestled in the pocket of the whole thing. He mentioned dinosaurs, it looked like mine was the king of all dinosaurs. I'm making a joke, but I was being literal, too. It was a Tyrannosaurus.

"Those are your Power Morphers. When you are in danger, raise them to the sky calling the name of your dinosaur. And you will morph into a formidable fighting force known as the Power Rangers."

Kimberly's nose wrinkled. "Morph?"

"Metamorphosis," Billy supplied.

Kimberly nodded and smiled. A polite smile. A confused, polite smile that she usually showed when she wasn't clear about what was going on around her. When she didn't understand something. I've seen it enough when I tried to explain the mechanics of certain karate moves.

"That means to change," Trini supplied, making her best friend smile.

That was—okay, you get the point now. Trini's awesome.

"As power rangers, you will have access to a universe of power. And you will command fighting machines called zords." I turned my attention back to Zordon when he said my name. Almost the same way my parents would have said my name for something serious. "Jason, bold and powerful. You shall command the Tyrannosaurs Dinozord."

I was right, it was the Tyrannosaurs Rex. Something about the way he said it seemed to fill me with power. Made me feel stronger almost immediately. Like I was dipped into a power vat or something. Yeah, that sounded lame, but it's the way it was.

I focused on what the others were being told.

"Zachary, you are clever and brave. You shall command the Mastodon Dinozoard."

"Kimberly, graceful and smart, the Pterodactyl Dinozard shall be yours."

"Billy, patient and wise. You shall command the powerful Triceratops Dinozord."

"Trini, fearless and agile the Saber-Toothed Tiger Dinozord will be under your command."

I waited for Billy to say something about how Mastodons and Saber-Tooth Tigers weren't dinosaurs. But he wasn't saying anything, just staring down at the dinosaur in front of him. A small smile was on his face as he thumb brushed over the image in front of him. He looked…is there a word that means excited and scared?

"Observe the viewing globe." We turned back to the crystal ball to see images of what I'm guessing are zords, came across the screen, coming together to make a big, mechanized robot. "Just as the five of you work together, so do your zords. When you need help, you only need to turn to the power of the dino zords, which will come together to form the mighty megazord."

I nodded, turning back to Zordon. I looked him in the eye, trying to determine if it were a joke at all. Zordon looked back at me, staying silent. No, it wasn't a joke. Clearly, he was being serious. How could any of this have been made up? How could any of it be a joke? That witch, Rita, was peddling across the sky at that moment, hurting our city, our home. I bet she was the one that caused the earthquake.

"Power morphers? Megazords?"

Jesus, Zack.

"Uh-uh. This is just too weird for me. I'll tell you what, it's been real, but I gotta go."

"Yeah, see ya."

"Y'all coming?"

I continued to look at Zordon, mulling over the information that'd just been given to us. The important information that gave us the utmost responsibility we'd have. "Jason!"

"What?" I blinked back to attention, turning to Zack. I was startled to see all my friends heading for the darkened corner of the Command Center. Walking away. Away from all of this.

Even Billy.

"Let's go man!" Zack waved me over.

I looked at Zordon one more time. Then looked at Alpha who…I guess was looking at me. I was torn. But I knew they had to be safe, I couldn't let my friends walk home by themselves. If that witchy woman was out there, they wouldn't be safe. "Yeah..."

I left with them.

"Very well then," Zordon said to our backs. "Let the power protect you."

We fumbled our way through the darkness and out into the blinding light as we finally left the Command Center. I raised my hand up to shield my face over from the sun that suddenly hit us. Back to life. Back to the real world.

"Great. He could've sent us back into town," Kimberly complained, lightly kicking at a rock. Trini laughed and put her arm around Kimberly's shoulders as they started off into the desert.

I turned and looked back at the Command Center behind us, studying the arches and peaks of the building that blended into the desert. Part of me was torn, not wanting to leave it all behind, but also understanding how big of a responsibility we would have on our hands if we did take it.

I didn't need to worry that much.

I should've known from the second we landed in the Command Center that our lives were decided for us, whether we wanted to be rangers or not. It was something we couldn't turn down.

Part of me, knowing what I know now, wishes it never happened. But part of me, a bigger part of me, knew the second that Zordon told me I was going to be commanding the Tyrannosaurs Power, that it was going to be a part of my life forever.