This particular January morning felt hopeful, as most debris had been collected, and the city was well on its way back. Crews worked day and night, with help from SPD forces and Cranston Tech specialists, who worked in tandem with the US government. Billy Cranston was Earth's biggest non-SPD support system, as his company Cranston Tech had a great deal of resources to provide the city for getting back to business.
Although the acrid smell of ozone still clung to the air, it wasn't as bad as it was months prior. New Tech City, once a gleaming metropolis, resembled a discarded toy in many places, its buildings reduced to twisted metal skeletons laying against a bruised skyline. Billy, sporting a grease-stained t-shirt instead of his usual CEO casual wear consisting of a dark blue sweater and black slacks, was down in SPD's zord bay. He was there most mornings as of late. A cup of coffee sat nearby with a half-eaten bagel.
"Always the first one up," a woman's voice echoed in the massive metal facility.
It was Dr. Kat Manx, the newly installed commander of SPD Earth. Her steps echoed in the bay as she descended the staircase, her garb dark and flowy. Though her presence was commanding, she didn't allow anyone to useCommander. It was still Dr. Manx.
"You all deserve a break," Billy said greeting his peer. "Especially you, Dr. Manx. I just got the stabilizer upgrades finalized for Officer Drew's SWAT Flyer."
Kat appreciated the generosity, but she was usually the first in, and the last one out, in these parts.
"There's a lot to do today," Billy said looking at his slate's screen.
"There certainly is, but I require your assistance with some activity I detected from the morphing grid last night. I barely slept thinking about it."
"Oh?" Billy said setting aside the slate and grabbing his coffee. "Anything of concern?"
A pensive look on Kat's face was already concerning Billy.
"With everything going on, I can't dedicate the time to explore the energy signatures our scanners picked up within the Grid, but…I believe it's Eltarian."
Billy's eyes widened.
"You don't mean…"
"I don't mean anything," Kat cut in. "I know it's a sensitive topic, given everything that happened with you and your team over a year ago, but I've granted you full Read-access if you care to look at the data."
The Morphing Grid was mythical in nature, so it was impressive man-made technology could monitor endless abstracts of power, timelines, and knowledge. This was light years ahead of what Billy had in his teens, when he spent countless hours with Command Center computers that felt rudimentary in comparison.
"Thank you, Dr. Manx. I will be happy to take some time at some point this week to look into it."
"Atsomepoint?" Kat smirked. "Though we've only known each other for several weeks, I am confident you will not waittoolong. In fact, I insist you take the day to yourself. I can do the crew check-ins for you today."
"Are you sure? I know I kind of swooped in like I own the place, and I do apologize for…"
"No no," Kat interjected. "It's fine, Dr. Cranston. Really. We appreciate someone like yourself taking charge, especially myself. With my sudden promotion and Commander Kruger now at Galactic HQ, I need all the help I can get. And I'm not one to ask for help usually."
"I get that. Truly, I do," Billy said looking down at his coffee. "It's so hard to trust others with certain things, like…"
"Like they won't get it right unless you're micro-managing every step? We've both earned ourselves quite a reputation in our respective places of work, huh?"
The two shared a small chuckle, knowing their A-type personalities were at odds at times with their teams. But that's the life of consequential leaders like Billy and Kat. Commanding large teams that do super important things require strong personalities and bold leadership.
Kat began leading Billy to the main SPD command post, their conversation continuing.
"It can feel lonely sometimes," Dr. Manx said as they strolled down one of the endless corridors.
"What do you mean?"
"What we do, individually speaking. This academy is huge, Ranger responsibilities even bigger—then whatyoudo I cannot conceive. The electric vehicles, the advances in robotics and AI, and you do it for the good of humanity. You're basically the anti-Elon."
Ah, that comparison again. Billy got it often, how he stood in stark contrast with the worst billionaire on the face of the planet. One man worked to make the world (and beyond) better, the other working to destroy it. Digressing…
Billy and Kat arrived to the main command post at the heart of SPD Earth. They were alone, only the light hum of dimmed systems filling the space.
"I gotta say, the novelty of your base hasn't worn off yet," Billy said with peering eyes. "Much cooler than what we had in the 90's."
Kat smirked.
"SPD has you and countless others to thank for how we got here. Speaking of—do me a favor, Dr. Cranston?"
"What's that?"
Kat placed a hand on Billy's left shoulder. "Don't get your hopes up. I know this mission to find Zordon is deeply personal to you, and I wouldn't normally offer this look to non-SPD personnel, but…you know."
"Say no more, Dr. Manx."
"Actually, one more favor. Call me Kat."
Billy was surprised. The pair had been very cordial over the last few weeks, even chummy, but they never strayed from proper protocol.
"Sure…Kat," Billy said, giving his now closer confidant a gentle nod. "So that's twoKatsI have to remember birthdays for I guess."
"I actually don't celebrate it, but I appreciate the thought. "I'm nearly 148 in Earth years. I imagine fitting that many candles on a cake would look ridiculous."
"Ha, maybe," Billy said sitting his slate down on a console. "I greatly appreciate this gesture."
"My pleasure. I'll get out of your hair now. I've sent your credentials to your guest badge already. Just tap in when you're ready to begin."
"Will do. Thanks again."
Kat and Billy, still sticklers for protocol, performed the SPD salute before she parted ways. Taking a breath, the tech CEO tapped his badge on the console reader, which instantly opened a new screen on the stretched monitor beneath his gaze.
"Where do I even begin?" Billy muttered.
There were endless menus and activity feeds to take in. Billy started with the most recent event in the log and worked his way backward. Time started to fly, and morning soon turned into afternoon, then to early evening. Billy only left to use the restroom once. He hadn't even broken for lunch; that's how enthralled he was with his research into the Grid.
"But what do I do with this?" Billy asked under his breath, his eyes staring at the Eltarian strings. "Traces of Zordon's essence could mean anything, with no conclusive dates."
And that's when it happened. A familiar name from a footnote on screen caught Billy's eye. It was a loose reference to one single sentence, a seemingly benign citation. But for Billy, a flood of memories broke.
"Prince Dex…"
Billy ran a hand through his hair, then crossed his arms, his gaze moving from the screen and into deep thought. His mind raced through the memories of first landing on Edenoi, through the day he decided to stay awhile on Aquitar…and the real reason he refused to return home.
"If only…"
Billy didn't complete the out loud thought. He and Dex hadn't spoken in ages, even when he learned through the grapevine that Dex was elevated to king once Lexian passed. Billy fondly remembered Prince Dex, mostly, but what many never knew was the tale of their friendship, following the prince's relocation to Earth...and the adventure, love, and heartbreak that would follow.
Billy's mind wandered back to the final months of being a Power Ranger as a teen. The year was 1995. The SoCal weather was cooling down somewhat as Autumn fell, perfect for hoodies, which was Billy's favorite. His dark blue hoodie and stonewashed jeans were his everyday uniform. It was also the early Internet boom. More and more, computers were coming into homes all across the globe, especially in America.
The sound of MTV played in the background, music videos still being a Lifefrom Ace of Base was currently on the small TV screen sitting in the corner of Billy's bedroom. The clacking of a Compaq Presario keyboard accompanied the club anthem.
"I saw you on the news again," read Billy's IM.
IMs were a game changer for Billy and millions of other teens. AOL captivated Billy's generation, though exploring the "information superhighway" felt quaint in comparison to his travels as a Ranger. The recipient of Billy's IM was another young man, 17 in Earth years, but older by Edenoi standards.
"Yeah? Mothitron wasn't too much trouble for me!" Dex typed back.
Billy took a moment to think of his follow-up. He picked up his can of Surge, a new Mountain Dew-type beverage being tested in his area, and took a sip.
"Even without aKakure Daishogunto help you," Billy began typing, "You were morphinominal."
An eternity passed until Dex replied back, although it was barely 30 seconds.
"I love how you call your Megazord by its ancient name instead of the loose American translation. Respect for antiquity is something I value."
Billy's face lit up, feeling seen that Dex appreciated something so small. He never liked the name Ninjazord. It felt a bit weird, childish even. Perhaps his love of language was shared by Prince Dex, Billy mused.
"I'm actually interested in knowing about Edenoi's native tongue. Maybe you can tell me about it sometime," Billy replied.
Dex, sitting at the family computer desk in his Leawood home, cheesed hard.
"No one's ever inquired about Edenese, not even my Earth family!"
"Wait, what? It's called Edenese? Really?"
"LOL," Dex replied with a laughing emoticon. "No! That's how I can best explain in English. This keyboard doesn't have the characters for me to type it out."
"Oh! Understandable."
"And with my abilities auto-localizing how I speak with humans, it may be weird to hear a non-Earth language."
"Not my first," Billy replied, "But I wouldn't mind really."
"I am curious if you'd even want to hear it TBF."
"TBF?" Billy shot back. He wasn't familiar with the shorthand.
"That's short forto be frank."
"No, you're Dex."
Dex laughed out loud, for real.
"Was that a joke?" the prince asked.
"Did you laugh? If you did, then yes."
"Yes! It was stupid, the funny kind."
"Yeah, I know what stupid means in this context. You can thank Music Television for that," Billy typed out, the music channel in the background now playingIronic. Billy really loved this song.
"I hope TBF catches on someday," Dex replied. "Internet slang is something I find so fascinating."
"Ha, maybe. I can see that happening…TBF."
The two teens smiled on both ends of the IM. Billy lived for these updates from Dex. Anytime his buddy list did theopening door, he leapt in front of his PC to see if it was Dex who came online. His heart always dropped when it wasn't.
"Hopefully I can hear you speak Edenese sometime. But our lives…crazy times," Billy followed-up.
"I hear you. Everything feels so chaotic lately. Being in high school helps create some normalcy, even as a pseudo Earthling…and talking to you certainly helps!"
Billy blushed. He never knew how to take such compliments from someone he found so fascinating, so engaging, so…
A knock. It was Billy's father, who poked in from the now ajar door.
"I've been calling out for you. Are you busy?" asked Billy's father, who appeared in his nerdy professor sports coat and slacks.
"Um, kind of? I have some studying to do, Dad."
"That's my boy. But if you could pause for a moment, I have some groceries for you to get. I would go, but I have a date tonight."
"A…date?" Billy asked, his brows furrowed in near disbelief.
Billy's mom had passed away a few years back. This was the first time his father mentioned going on a date. Hearingdateso casually, and having it dropped so unexpectedly, caught Billy off guard.
"Yes, a date," Mr. Cranston said almost sheepishly. "I'm taking her to the new Cheesecake Factory that opened downtown."
"Oh wow. I heard their menus have more pages than the Bible."
"Ha! A joke? My son's a comedian now?"
"I guess my friends are rubbing off on me," Billy said gazing back at his IM.
"Guess so. Good to see you doing more than just studying, son. Anyway, I left the list on the counter. I'll see you when I get back later tonight."
"Sure, Dad. Have a good time."
"I will. And, uh…I appreciate your understanding. This is weird for me, too."
Billy put on a brave smile. He knew this day would come. It did feel weird, but it was a natural progression his mind reasoned.
"I love you, Dad. See you later."
"Love you, too, Son."
Right then, theshutting doorcame through the computer speakers, right after his actual door shut. Billy spun back in his chair to face his monitor. Dex had in fact signed off, but left one last IM.
"Sorry, friend. Duty calls, but if you're interested in learning some Edenese, let's find some time and meet up IRL."
"IRL?" Billy murmured. Another bit of Internet shorthand to learn. "In…real life? Real language?"
The blue teen slumped in his chair, pondering the invitation to meetIRLwith his long distance ally. Though his heart raced at the prospect, his face read low-key panicked. Leawood was a solid three hours, and then some, from Angel Grove. Billy, barely licensed to drive, would face objection from his father over an unaccompanied road trip—and for reasons he wasn't at liberty to speak.
A familiar chime emitted from Billy's communicator, a welcomed interruption.
"Duty calls indeed," the Blue Ranger said standing and tapping the side crown. "Billy here. I read you Zordon."