Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Power Rangers, Saban and Disney do.

Welcome back to this reboot of MMPR. I hope you've been eagerly anticipating the coming of this chapter for months. This is my first attempt at a chapter since completing number 11, so I apologize if there are some stylistic differences here...

Ch 12- ...Sometimes You Cry Into the Juice

The gym floor of Ernie's Bar was abnormally empty for a Sunday afternoon. Only one red clad figure worked the mats, going through series of punches and kicks he could have done in his sleep. Jason had come not to work out his newfound problem of being a ranger, but to escape thinking about the past few days in general. Jason retreated from the world when he did an individual workout, his mind emptied and his body became machine-like in it's movements. But today Jason could not escape the feeling of guilt he had for how things had ended with Zordon. His face must have shown his discomfort as Ernie was slowly making his way over.

"Hey Jason, how are you? You look like you're holding something back today." Ernie, concerned, asked.

"Huh? Oh, hey Ernie. I'm okay man. I'm okay" Jason shook his head and wiped the sweat that clung to his forehead.

"You sure buddy? You've got this feel about you that says somethings off. You know if you ever want to talk about stuff I've always got an ear open."

"Yeah, no. I'm fine...really. Thanks though Ernie."

"Whatever you say." Ernie said, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. He made his way back to the bar area when a familiar, green adorned fellow entered the main doors.

"Hey Ernie!" Tommy enthusiastically greeted the large man, "How's it going?"

"Well," Ernie started as he glanced back at Jason, "Things could be better with your friend over there."

Tommy looked over at Jason, who had begun working out again. "What's up with him?"

"I don't know. Something seems off about him today. Have you seen him since the monster attacks we had earlier?"

"No, I haven't actually. But you know most of us scattered when that stuff happened. When I woke up I couldn't remember anything from that day either. So I have no idea where he's been."

"You should ask him. I'm worried about him. Something's just not right." Ernie shook his head in frustration. "Well, I need to get back to work. Bulk and Skull haven't been in yet this weekend and the storage room needs to be organized..."

As Ernie grumbled off to the back hallway Tommy made his way over to Jason, who didn't notice the green adorned guy's approach until he heard the dropping of a bag.

"Hey Jase, what's going on man?" Tommy asked with genuine concern, "You didn't show up yesterday at all."

"Yeah, well you know, monsters attacking the city kind of screws up life." Jason tried to side-step the question.

"Speaking of the monster attack, what happened to me during that? I woke up in the hospital with a splitting headache and no memory. Nurses said they found me in here, alone."

Jason shallowed hard, his mind running overtime for a plausible lie, "Um...actually I don't know what you were doing that night. You and I had already done a workout so I was back in the room and you...you must have come here." Jason gestured his arm around the scope of the building. "They said those monsters came in here, right?"

"I guess." Tommy shrugged his shoulders, beginning to believe the fib.

"Well, knowing you. You probably tried to look tough in front of that girl you keep staring at. What's her name?" Jason raised his eyebrows in anticipation of Tommy's ultimate distraction.

"Kimberly." The pink ranger's name softly came from Tommy's lips.

The two teens stood silently for a moment. Both thinking of other people. One held the image of his distant affection. The other looked at the sight of four bruised and nearly-broken bodies lying motionlessly on medical cots.

"Umm..." Jason started, to bring Tommy out of his daydreams, "What are you doing here? I mean, you were just in the hospital. Shouldn't you be in bed or something?"

"What? Oh, no way!" Tommy's attention snapped back into reality. "I can't stand not doing something. Besides, other than my brain the docs said I'm just fine so I'm here to work out. What to spar in a bit?"

"Sure," Jason said distractedly, "You start warming up. I've got to take a piss."

Jason hurriedly moved to the men's room while Tommy began to stretch out his body in preparation for the workout. A smile crossed his face as his thoughts once again turned to the petite girl in pink he had met just a few nights ago in this very place. She twisted and flipped across his mind, making him forget the time and missing the fact that Jason had not returned from the bathroom.

Sitting in the back stall, Jason sat on the toilet. Tears openly flowed down his face, falling for the four comrades he had left in their comatose states.

The halls filled with fiendish laughter. Howls rose from the dungeons as Goldar drowned himself in an alien equivalent of alcohol. His shame at failing to kill the insignificant humans drove him into a severe depression. But after several tankards, the dog-man now laughed at himself for his disgrace. His verbal explosions had disturbed the nearby Finster, who did not take kindly to Goldar's warrior honor. The frail, gray dog-man slowly opened the heavy door that accessed Goldar's chamber.

"Just look at yourself!" Finster began, "Completely gone in the drink all because of one little slip up. You keep this up and even I will outlive you."

"I don't need to hear another one of your lectures, old one!" A belligerent Goldar spat, "I am a warrior and I have a warrior's honor. But now that has been stripped from me by the red ranger."

"So a warrior without honor becomes a drunkard without a cause?"

"This drink is all I have left!" The warrior lifted a half-filled flask, "To the honor I once held!" And with that, he finished off the glass.

"Well, how would you like to regain your honor?" Finster asked temptingly.

"And how would I do that?" Goldar sagged in his chair, his energies spent from his binging.

Finster leaned forward, his eyes gleaming behind his spectacles, "By capturing the red ranger and bringing him to me."

So ends chapter 12. There's not much action, but Jason's predicament with having powers is a weighty issue and requires a lot of time for him to come to terms with. Like I said earlier, it's been awhile so feedback is extremely appreciated, especially on whether or not my style's changed too much or not...