Disclaimer: My mind is complicated. Maybe too complicated.

So quick A/N: Yeah, I've been gone forever. I was going to post this like six months ago but I lost part of the chapter, couldn't find it, and had to retype it. Also, life. But this chapter is long, so hopefully it will make up for the wait? By the way, if you still are reading this, you are awesome. I hope you like it! Feel free to ask any questions- I still have more to explain, but I can't give everything away right now!

Disclaimer: Power Rangers is not mine. My characters and plot are.

Ch. 10: Yes, Please Do Explain

Two subway rides and a fifteen minute walk later found Tori standing in front of Hayley's Cyber Café. The café was not very crowded, as most patrons had left for the evening. A boy dressed in blue was sitting at one of the café's computers. Two other kids sat on a couch, one strumming a guitar, the other staring at a textbook with a bored expression.

"Can I help you?"

Tori turned to see a young man wearing a nametag that said Trent. "Um, maybe? I was told by some ninja people to come here because I was attacked by these creatures and-" Tori broke off at the incredulous look on Trent's face. She sighed. "Never mind. I'll just have a coke." She sat down at one of the tables as Trent hurried off to the kitchen.

Tori sighed again in frustration. She was confused- why would the Ninjas send her here to get answers? This Trent guy obviously had no idea what she had been talking about. Tori felt stupid and annoyed. Would someone just give me an explanation already?

Suddenly her phone vibrated. Tori fished it out of her purse and looked at the screen. NEW MESSAGE she read. She shrugged and opened the text.

NUMBER: UNAVAILABLE

WHEN TRENT COMES BACK ASK ABOUT THE DAILY SPECIAL.

Tori's head shot up. She looked around the café, but everyone seemed engrossed in whatever they were doing. Who the heck is texting me? She wondered. She texted the unknown person back.

WHY SHOULD I?

The phone buzzed.

NUMBER: UNAVAILABLE

YOU WANT ANSWERS? ASK ABOUT THE DAILY SPECIAL

Tori began to feel slightly freaked out, but decided to go with the advice she had been given. As Trent returned with her coke, she slipped the phone out of sight. "Could I -uh- see the daily specials?" She asked him.

Trent nodded. "Sure." He handed her a menu. "Look at page 3." He walked back to the kitchen.

Tori brought her phone back out and quickly typed a message to her mystery assistant.

SO WHAT NOW?

NUMBER: UNAVAILABLE

KEEP LOOKING…

Tori glanced at the menu. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until...

BACK HALLWAY, BLUE 11.

The letters shimmered on the page, scattered but obvious enough that Tori could read the message. She gasped softly.

NUMBER: UNAVALABLE

…SEE IT NOW?

Tori grabbed her phone and texted quickly back.

YES. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

NUMBER: UNAVALABLE

FOLLOW THE MESSAGE. YOU'LL GET YOUR ANSWERS THERE.

It was crazy, Tori knew, but at this point she was willing to go with it. She glanced around the café again, but the three teens seemed to be relatively unaware of everything but their activities. No one was paying attention.

THANKS.

NUMBER: UNAVALABLE

SURE. ANYTHING FOR A FELLOW BLUE

Not entirely sure what the second reference to blue meant, but willing to overlook it for now, Tori stood up and walked towards the back entrance of the café. As she passed by the kitchen, she thought she felt the air shudder, but ignored it, intent on reaching the door. She grabbed the handle and twisted the knob. Nothing. Tori frowned in frustration. She was about to try again, when the handle started to glow. "Welcome, Blue Eleven. Starting transport now." The door handle gave way and the door suddenly flung back. Tori was pulled into a dark abyss. She hurtled through the air, screaming as the wind whistled around her. Suddenly, she hit cool concrete, though it didn't hurt as much as she was expecting. The sharp pain in her wrists caused her to wince as she fought to catch her breath. A door slid open to her right. Bright fluorescent light flooded into the dark room. As Tori blinked away her disorientation, three figures began to materialize behind the curtain of light.

"Welcome, Victoria Hansen. We've been expecting you."

"Sensei Watanabe?" Tori asked incredulously. Sensei had been her old karate teacher, before she stopped taking lessons a few years ago. "What are you doing here? Where am I? How-"

Sensei held up a hand, stopping her torrent of questions. "I know you have a lot of questions, Tori. We will do our best to answer them. If you will please come in."He stepped aside. Tori got to her feet shakily and followed Sensei down a long, grey concrete hallway. A few other people wearing black uniforms passed them. Sensei stopped in front of a black door and knocked.

"Come in" A voice called.

The small group entered the spacious room. A long mahogany desk was the most prominent piece of furniture. Behind the desk sat an imposing figure. "Is this the girl?" He asked Sensei Watanabe.

Sensei nodded in reply.

"Very good." The man said. He motioned to a chair in front of his desk. "Victoria Hansen. If you would please take a seat. I'm sure that you would like to know what's going on."

Why does everyone keep saying that? Tori wondered. I do want to know what's happening here! She sat down in the chair and looked warily at the man. The three other men who had accompanied her sat down across the room.

"My name is Grant Zordon. Let me officially welcome you to L.O.R., otherwise known as the League of Rangers." He held up a hand. "As cheesy as it may sound, that is the name of the organization. In short, we are dedicated to protecting humanity from great evil."

"So you're kind of like the CIA?" Tori asked. "Or the FBI?"

Zordon closed his eyes for a moment. "Yes. That's a good comparison to start with. However, this organization is much older than either of those groups. Our roots trace back to the earliest stretches of time, although many prefer to say we emerged from an island off the coast of Japan approximately 1500 years ago.

"I'll start with a brief history lesson to get you acquainted. The L.O.R. today is very different from its precedents. Around 500 A.D. several strange events occurred in various places around the globe. Foreign entities began appearing and demanding complete subordination from the people of various regions. No one knew who they were or where they came from- or what these creatures were. Their goal, however, was perfectly clear- they were out to exploit the human population.

"Of course there was resistance to these creatures, but all attempts to overthrow them were in vain. The technology they carried was far superior to anything anyone else had. People lived in fear, not knowing what was going to happen.

"Almost simultaneously, however, individuals began to emerge from these threatened regions who were- different. I will explain this more in detail later. These individuals seemed to have special- let us say abilities-that allowed them to fight these creatures. Soon, these individuals began to form groups in order to fight the creatures more effectively. And eventually, they managed to drive the creatures back to the dark depths from which they came from. Thus, humanity was saved.

"But that is far from the end of our story. These little groups that formed during this ominous time did not disband once they had defeated the enemy. No, they stayed in contact with one another, taking care of the potential threats that the creatures posed. For the creatures had not been truly defeated- only subdued. Every few years the creatures came back- though not necessarily as powerful or as dangerous every time. These groups quickly realized that they must never disband, for to do so might allow these creatures to plunge the world back into dark times.

"And so from generation to generation, the responsibility of protecting humanity from this threat was passed down. Sometimes new lines would spring up; sometimes old lines would die out. Nevertheless, these groups always existed, ready to serve and protect their fellow brethren. And as the world became more and more aware of itself, these groups met, collaborated, and consolidated in order to become stronger." Zordon sat back in his chair and folded his hands.

Tori's mind spun. It was a fantastical story, especially if it was true. "So… if these groups existed almost everywhere, how come I've never heard about them."

"They decided not to reveal their true purpose or identity, but to remain hidden, undercover." Zordon replied. "It was easy enough to blend in. A group of these individuals in Japan, for instance, running around, attacking shadowy figures? Call them Samurai. A lone team traveling through Western Europe? They could have been mistaken as Crusaders. It is easier to blend in than one might imagine."

"But still." Tori argued back. "You'd think someone might have noticed something was off. Or stories would have been passed down. Or someone would have alerted the public. Or something."

Zordon chuckled. "Yes, well as I said before, these teams decided to keep their existence-and the existence of the creatures- a secret. As time went on they learned the creatures thrived off of fear- human fear. It seemed to give them increased energy and strength. The Rangers decided that is was best if this fear was forgotten and unrealized. They figured humans would be safer if they didn't know about the creatures."

"Wouldn't someone remember though? If these creatures really did appear all over the world there has to be at least several records of their presence." Tori said.

"Oh there is." Zordon nodded. "But very few people want to listen to those types of stories these days. Most just call them superstitions or conspiracy theories." He sighed. "People tend to forget what time generously allows them to."

Tori frowned. Zordon seemed perfectly serious, but it was still a bit hard for her to believe everything he said. I need more time to process this.

"I know that this is a lot to take in." Zordon said. "And believe me, there is a lot more I could tell you- it's a very complicated story. Even I don't know every little detail. If you wish to know more, you can always visit the library here. There are hundreds of documents down there.

"But for now, let's focus on the present. Our current league is over two hundred years old. Our league was founded by a Ranger whose ancestors, also Rangers, came from the tiny costal island I mentioned earlier. This young man came to America and met other Ranger teams along the way. These teams all bonded together, combining their knowledge and talents to create what is the largest, most comprehensive task force today. There are other groups out there, but L.O.R. is by far the most powerful.

"Your mother was a Ranger, Victoria, which makes you Ranger eligible. You have a choice, of course, but getting up and walking away would not be a very wise decision." He gave her a pointed stare.

Tori took a deep breath. Here she was, being asked to join a superhero-esq task force that fought monsters and saved humans. It couldn't get any more ridiculous- or cliché. Yet something within her told her that it would be at least worth considering. After all, what did she have to lose? Good question. She thought to herself. She barely knew anything about this group- how it operated, who was in it, how her life would change. "Can I think about it?" She finally asked.

"Yes, of course." Zordon nodded curtly. He turned to the other men in the room. "Please show Miss Hansen to the cafeteria." He faced Tori again. "It will not be very crowded right now and it is the only place we can allow you to go to at the moment." He stood up and lead Tori to the door. "Oh, and one more thing, Miss Hansen. Your mother was a very important Ranger. Before she left the service she created a… puzzle of sorts. One that only you would be able to solve." He opened the door.

"So, will you join us, Miss Hansen?"

Sensei Watanabe led Tori back towards the room which she had been transported to, took a left, and went down a flight of stairs to the cafeteria. The room was as grey and dull as the hallway had been. Silver tables ran up and down the sides of the room. At the far end of the room was a window and a door, presumably leading to the kitchen. The whole scene reminded Tori of a depressing high school cafeteria. She sat down at one of the far tables and began contemplating her current situation.

Fact: She was in an unknown location in a creepy, bunker-like facility.

Fact: An old guy had just told her a mind-blowing, perfect-for-a-T.V.-show, vague, and mysterious story.

Fact: Two people that had tried to attack her (and then rescued her from some monster-like creatures she 'remembered' from her childhood) had directed her here.

Fact: She had no idea what she was getting herself into. Anything (or nothing) could be true at this point.

Conclusion: A normal, sane, intelligent person would walk away from this situation. Tori was sane (she hoped), intelligent (more or less), but the past few days had been anything but normal. Still, two out of three had to count for something, right?

But what had Zordon meant when he said it would be unwise to walk away? What kind of people was she dealing with here?

A loud commotion at the other end of the room jolted her out of her thoughts. A group of teens entered the cafeteria.

Lo and behold.

Shane Clarke. Dustin Brooks. Cameron Watanabe. Hunter Bradley. Blake Bradley. Two girls wearing pink and orange t-shirts followed them. It made sense later, after Tori had some time to think it through. But right now? Shocked didn't even come close in describing what she felt.

"Dude, I thought that debriefing would never end! I told you we were going to miss dinner!" Dustin exclaimed.

"You act as if you've never been fed." One of the girls rolled her eyes.

"Mia told me that she and Antonio left us some food in the kitchen." Cam spoke up.

At this point the group noticed Tori. Shane immediately looked panicked and alarmed, while the rest of the group wore varying expressions of surprise. "Uh-oh." Hunter muttered.

"Hey Tori!" Dustin greeted cheerfully. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" The orange girl hissed, elbowing Dustin.

"Well, obviously she- oh." Dustin immediately became serious. "Oh."

Tori raised an eyebrow and nodded towards the group. "Dustin. Shane." She said sweetly. "Feel like telling me something?"

"Think she's pissed?" Blake muttered to Hunter.

"No doubt." Hunter muttered back.

"Tori." Shane looked like he was struggling to remain calm. "I- well, we-, that is-"

If Tori hadn't been so upset, she would have laughed. Never before had she seen the confident, cool, and collected Shane Clarke look so flustered. "How long?" She asked, deadly calm. "How long have you known?"

"About L.O.R.? Since I was four." Shane admitted.

"Six." Dustin chimed in.

"Birth." Cam added.

"And you never told me?" Tori asked.

Shane shook his head. "We couldn't, Tori. We were ordered not to. We swore an oath not to tell anyone. We just couldn't."

"What about those creatures, Shane?" Tori could feel her calm façade begin to crack. "The ones that killed my mother? Did you know about them?"

Shane sighed. "At first, no. We suspected for awhile once we saw them for ourselves. We asked Sensei, but he wouldn't tell us anything. Eventually he told us that the monsters we were fighting did kill your mother- but under no circumstances were we to tell you anything."

Tori felt like she had been slapped. Over half of her life she had been called crazy. No one had believed her. Only Shane, Dustin, and Cam had been sympathetic- although they too seemed to have doubted her. And now, not only had they known exactly what she had been talking about, they had decided not to tell her about it. Their friendships weren't built upon that tragedy, but still. Tori thought she could trust them.

"What type of group is this L.O.R. anyway? Ordering you around, forbidding you to tell people things- are they manipulating your life too? Do they have complete control over you?"

Cam shook his head. "Look, I know your knowledge about L.O.R. is limited, but this isn't some kind of Animal Farm or 1984 or Childhood's End-"

"Stop the Orwell references." Dustin interrupted. "They're not helping."

"That last one wasn't Orwell." Hunter pointed out.

"Tori." Shane cut in. "You were raised in a relatively free and open society. America is the exception to the rule. I know it's hard for you to understand the lifestyle of those who work for L.O.R.- it'd be hard for anyone." He paused. "But we're playing a different game here, Tori. Different rules, different players, different stakes. I don't understand everything L.O.R. does. I don't agree with everything L.O.R. does. And while their methods might be unconventional and questionable at times, they do good things."

"But…" Tori could feel the fight draining out of her, replaced by the fatigue of the long day. "Just… never mind." She felt exhausted. It wasn't worth pushing anymore. She got up and walked out of the room into the soft light of the grey hallway.

"Tori, wait." Tori turned around to see that Shane had followed her out of the cafeteria.

"Why didn't you tell me Shane?" She whispered. Tears pricked her eyes. "Don't you trust me?"

Shane looked pained. "I do trust you Tori. I'm sorry, I couldn't tell you. It's just- it's just the way things are."

"I need some time to think, Shane. About all of this." Tori waved her hand, gesturing up and down the hallway. "I have a lot to think about, and not much to go on."

"You do have a choice." Shane said. "Just please think of the consequences of your choice. For both sides."

"Hold on. Did Shane actually potentially advise you to not join L.O.R.?" Celia interrupted.

"Kind of. I think he did want me to join, but he wanted me to know it wouldn't be without sacrifices." Tori replied.

"Hmm." Celia twirled her pen between her fingers. "So what made you decide to join? You weren't exactly L.O.R.'s biggest fan."

A lot of things, I suppose." Tori said. "Curiosity, the uncertainty, a bit of fear maybe."

"Yeah- did you ever figure out what Zordon meant by that threat?"

"No- and I don't think I want to." Tori shook her head. "But I think my primary motivation came from Cam."

"How so?"

"After I talked to Shane, I returned to the hallway where I had entered. I couldn't get back into that portal room, so I just sat in the hallway and thought over things. I don't know how long I was sitting there, but Cam eventually came up and handed me a laptop. 'I can't tell you much', he said, 'and I probably can't even be showing you this, but you need to see it'. The laptop he brought me had footage of Ranger fights, of people they had helped." Tori paused. "And I guess that's what finally convinced me. That I could help people, save lives. That I might be able to keep another little girl from losing her parents."

"Oh." Celia said quietly. The two girls sat in silence for a few minutes.

At 2:34 A.M. Zordon heard a knock at his door. Opening it, he saw an exhausted by determined looking Victoria Hansen standing outside. "Yes, Miss Hansen?"

"I'll join L.O.R.. I'll become one of your Rangers." She said.

Zordon nodded. "Excellent, Miss Hansen. Arrangements will be made for you regarding living arrangements and the like. We will talk more later, but for now I think it would be best if you got some rest. You may collect your things from your apartment tomorrow.

Tori nodded tiredly. Zordon summoned another young Ranger and told her to show Tori where her room was. Before Tori left his office, he regarded her with a serious expression.

"You made a wise decision, Victoria Hansen."