Power Rangers Evolution
Chapter 1: Retrievals and ReunionsHiram Stone was bored.
Though as his colleagues would cheerfully admit if asked, this was hardly and unusual state of affairs, the Angel Grove Heritage Museum wasn't the most exciting job on the Myers Security Limited worksheet, and the night-shift was the most bored of all. Most of the rotating shift of guards had learnt to deal with it, but the twenty-two year old man – a failed applicant to the more prestigious Silver Guardians Program – was not one of them and tended to spend most of the shift napping. If he hadn't, the young man might have caught his first burglar, and even won himself his coveted transfer to the Silver Guardians.
Might have…
But probably not.
----
Her Angel Grove Police file, and the similar one held by Myers Security, listed 'The Magpie' as a suspected housebreaker. This was in fact accurate, but no evidence had ever been collected on the young Japanese-born woman due to the dual facts of both her incredible skill and a rather curious ability of hers - the ability to generate high-voltage electrical currents from her own body capable of disabling alarms and preventing any visual evidence of her presence from being collected.
That night, just as Mr Stone was settling down for his nap, Aki glided down towards the museum, her single person null-grav glider allowing her to slip noisily pass the exterior cameras and on the flat roof. Once free of her glider and harness, she quickly found an access to the building's security grid and sent a weak electrical surge through it causing all the alarms to jam and the cameras to freeze.
She raised the skylight and then dropped a line inside, following it down as soon as it played out to its full length. Under the all-concealing leather biker's suit and helmet, 'The Magpie' grinned. Normally she would have taken this opportunity to raid the entire wing, but her 'client' had been very clear. She was to take only one item. A small display box containing seven very old coins, which – according to her 'client' - sat in pride of place in the centre of a large exhibit dedicated to the town's most famous protectors of the late Twentieth Century.
'The Magpie' found the items in question without any difficulty, though she did have to bypass a secondary alarm circuit to do. She slipped the small box into her backpack and left through the same skylight she had entered.
It wasn't until Stone's relief did the first tour of the museum three hours later that her theft had been discovered. Needless to say, the curator of the museum was not amused when the theft was reported the next morning and Mr Stone's services with the security company were abruptly terminated, ending any possibility of him ever achieving his dream of becoming a Silver Guardian.
----
Looking around at the assembled competitors in the arena, Jason Oliver swallowed slightly. He was nervous, more nervous than he'd ever been about anything before. It was nerve-wracking enough when he was only part of the twenty eight-person Shudan-Ikou team representing the US at the Pan Galactic Games on Eltar, but when the de facto captain – twenty-eight year old heavyweight Scott Gleeson had torn a muscle in his first round match and had had to pull out, Coach Franklin had put him in charge of the entire team.
Fortunately, the other two full members of the team in his weight-class and Gleeson's back-up, sixteen-year old heavy-weight, Taylor Adams, had made it through the second round, but he wasn't sure he was ready for the reasonability of leading the entire team. In the back of his mind there was always that little voice that saying that he was a fake and a cheat that didn't deserve to be there in the first place.
"Wool gathering again?" asked a voice from behind him. Jason turned and regarded the speaker - a tall, lean young woman dressed in a warm-up suit in their team's colours with a red cropped vest underneath, her short white-blond hair flaring out from just below her ears - and nodded. There was no point in lying to his friend for Patricia Catherine Scott - Patty to her friends - knew Jason as well as anyone, better even than some members of his own family, for the two - with Diego DeSantos - had grown up together and were often referred to as 'The Triplets'.
"You're wondering if you should be here." Patty said. It hadn't been a question but he nodded nonetheless. "Jason! How many times do we have to go through this?!" Patty sighed. "Your 'gift' doesn't make you any less skilled a fighter, you still have to be as fit, as able, and as skilled as anyone else to get anywhere!"
"I know that up here," Jason admitted, touching his forehead. "It just seems like sometimes I've got an unfair advantage, Patty. Don't you feel that sometimes too? After all, you're not exactly, ungifted yourself, Miss 'I Can Do World Class Routines Blindfold'."
"Don't exaggerate, Jay," Patty hissed irritably. "I may have perfect balance but my gift doesn't give me that much of an advantage. Anyway, shouldn't you be on the mats? Taylor's round will be starting any minute."
"You're right I should," Jason admitted. "See you at dinner?"
Patty nodded, then turned and headed back up the access corridor towards the spectators lounge for the US teams competing at the stadium, her next display in the gymnastics area wasn't until after lunch so she should have time to watch Taylor, Jason, Diego and the fourth member of their team, eighteen-year Danny Laredo, compete in their second round match-ups. She knew enough from watching the boys in previous tournaments and from her own experience of kickboxing contests to know that the odds of all four making it through the second round was slim to none, they'd done well enough to all make it through the first round and the second would even tougher with only eight teams moving on to the third round. She was pretty sure that Jason would manage his part, even discounting his 'gift', he was the most skilled fighter - save possibly her Uncle Tommy or her own father - that she knew, and he'd been preparing for this day for many years; Diego too - in her opinion - had a good chance of making it through, he had had the same intensive training in the arts at his father's dojo as Jason had and had taken to it almost as easily. Sometimes she thought it was only Jason's greater height and reach - and if she was being honest, his 'gift' - that allowed Jason to come out on top when sparring sessions between the two became heated as the unfortunately often did.
Diego and Danny managed to overcome their opponents decisively but with little fanfare. Taylor won his bout too, though only after a prolonged struggle. Jason of course defeated his opponent in record time, anticipating the other man's every move and thrashing him soundly.
Patty joined them outside the competition floor and after the boys had showered and changed into street clothes, the three teens went to lunch, then they returned to the arena and Jason and Diego watched Patty do her routine, which she performed flawlessly.
----
When the teams flew home a week later, each of the teens had medals in their luggage: Jason and Patty's medals were both gold - Diego's was silver. Michael Corbett of Mirinoi had just edged out Danny on the bronze medal.
After the shuttle landed at JFK, the teens headed out to the arrivals lounge and picked up their luggage. Jason & Patty's dads, Jason's mother Kimberly Mitchell, and Diego's mother, Sarita DeSantos, were waiting for them.
"Well done, Jason."
"Thanks Dad," said Jason.
"What's wrong, son?"
"The usual, Uncle Tom," Patty interjected, breaking out of her father's embrace. "Jay doesn't think he got his gold medal fairly because of his gifts."
"PATTY!"
"It's true!"
"Jason! Patricia! Quiet! We will discuss this later, not in the middle of the airport."
"Okay Dad."
"Okay, Uncle Tom."
"That said, if you are worried about that, Jason… your mother and I are very proud of you and we don't think any less of your accomplishments because of your gifts."
Jason looked a little more cheerful at this, and followed his father willingly out of the airport.
Jason, Patty, Diego and the four adults stayed the night in the old apartment that Patty's mother, Caitlyn Sutherland, had bought during her time dancing on Broadway before her marriage. The next morning they took a domestic internal flight back to Angel Grove.
----
"Who's your date to-night?" Jason asked Patty over the hiss of her shower. He was lying on the sofa in the living room of the flat the 'Triplets' shared a few blocks from the Oliver house. Patty's white cat, PC – who Patty often noted liked Jason more than her owner – was curled up on his chest. He occasionally reached up and caressed her idly but otherwise played her no attention.
"Peter Nichols. He's an art student over at AGU."
"That big guy you were chatting with after practise at the gym?"
"Yeah." The shower shut off and Patty walked out into the corridor wrapped in a long fluffy yellow towel. "Why?"
"Is this one going to last?" Jason asked her as she crossed to her own room and entered, closing the door partway behind her.
"The only reason my dates don't last is that you and Diego scare them off. I wish you guys wouldn't be so over protective."
"Sorry, but it's part of the job description." Jason told her, not sounding particularly sorry at all. "After all, it's not always that. The boxer, Hooper, and the quarterback, Jose Fuerte, bailed cos they couldn't handle your hormone trips."
"Thanks very much for that!" Patty yelled. "It's not my fault my feline hormones get over-charged once a month."
"I know, Patty, and so does Diego. And we're here for you if you need us. But not everyone can understand."
There was silence for a few minutes, then Patty's door opened and she walked out. She was dressed in a bright yellow summer blouse, over cream slacks and her feet were encased in gold-lame sandals. Her long white-blond hair was tied up in a bun rather than loose or her more normal ponytail. "How to I look?"
"As Diego would say: you are a true muchacha de oro, Patty."
"Thanks, Jay." Patty said with a smile. "You're forgiven."
"Of course," said Jason, then dodged a slap from his friend. "When's Nichols coming?"
"Right about now."
At that moment, there was a crash and the bay window at the front of their ground-floor apartment blew inwards. Jason lunged off the sofa, knocking it onto its back, and bringing the cat down with him. Patty leapt towards one of the large easy chairs, sheltering behind it until the hail of glass subsided. When they peeked out of their hiding place, Jason spotted a large, unconscious man lying on their living room floor. He was bleeding heavily from a narrow wound to his forehead and seemed to have several bruises, but his suit jacket appeared to have taken the worst of the impact.
"Peter!" screamed Patty, and started to rise to her feet.
"Stay where you are!" Jason ordered. "He doesn't look to badly hurt and we can't afford to expose ourselves to whatever attacked him until we're ready."
Patty paused, then nodded, accepting her friend's wisdom. The door of the third bedroom opened with a creak and Diego crawled out, taking shelter behind Jason's sofa. "What's up?"
"We're not sure," Jason admitted. "Nichols just came flying through the window, and by the looks of him, he didn't intend to."
"Agreed," said Diego, after sneaking a peek at Peter. "Shall I?"
"Do it."
Diego pointed a hand towards the unconscious man and he began to float up into the air, then he gradually drifted towards them until he to what sheltered by the sofa.
"Patty, stay here with Nichols, see what you can do about his wounds. Diego and I will check out the situation outside."
Patty nodded. She wasn't terribly pleased with the suggestion, as it smacked a little of the boys being over protective again, but on the other hand someone did have to look after Peter and as the least skilled fighter of the three of them, she wasn't the sensible choice. "Be careful." She called, and then whispered an old family prayer – not knowing how appropriate it was. "May the Power protect you."
----
By the time the two friends had made it to the front of apartment block, Nichols' attackers had moved down the road to a parked car containing a young Asian couple, both of whom were screaming.
When he paused long enough to examine the situation, Jason baulked for a second - none of the six attackers were human or members of any of the usual minority races of Earth: instead they were tall and grey-skinned with thick-corded muscles on his chest and arms and clawed, reptilian hands - but continued on his path towards them. "Hey you. Back off!"
The challenge had the desired effect. The six aliens abandoned the car and turned to face Jason, and Diego who was only a few lengths behind his friend. For a moment, no one moved, then one of the aliens swiped at Jason with a single clawed arm. Jason ducked and replied with two hard punches to his attacker's mid-section, the sensation was rather like hitting a rubber mat and the alien didn't seem overly fazed by the attack. Instead it slashed upwards with its second arm, and it was only Jason's superb reflexes that allowed him to avoid a deep cut to the face.
Meanwhile, Diego had picked up a large rock from one of the gardens and mentally hurled it at another of the creatures, it struck it on the head and it fell to the ground. "Jason, aim for the head! That's their weak spot!"
"Got it!" Jason told him, then dodged and back-pedalled for a few seconds until he managed to get a little distance from his opponent. Once he did this, he shifted his weight on one foot and delivered a strong front-kick to the alien's head. As he had hoped this had nearly the desired effect and sent the alien reeling backwards to smash against a low wall. But before Jason could follow up on the attack he was flanked by two more of the attackers. He punched one in the face in the face, then spun and nailed the other with a reverse snap-kick to the throat. Both attackers went down, but the dual attack-defence had momentarily left him blind to his surroundings and he was suckered by a fourth attacker – or perhaps the return of the first – who raked its claws across his back shredding part of his t-shirt and opening up deep cuts in his back. "Arghhh!" he cried and fell to the ground. "Diego, help!"
"There are too many of them! We need help!"
Almost as if someone had heard them – which as they discovered later was actually the case – help did come seconds later, not in the form of additional aid but rather in the form of twin teleportation beams that spirited them away from the battle site.
----
When the teleportation beams faded, the two friends found themselves in a small but still rather advanced looking control centre: Most of the area was taken up by several freestanding computer consoles but there was enough open space for a fairly large group of people to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. Jason dropped into a combat stage and looked around, starting slightly when he noticed the first of the three beings that were already there. It certainly wasn't human; in fact it wasn't even organic.
"What are you?!" Jason exclaimed
"I am the Omega-Series Assistance Droid Model 7. Currently assigned to Outpost Sol 3."
"Outpost for what?"
The second of the three beings walked or rather glided out of the shadows. As far as he could tell the man – who looked to be in his nineties or early hundreds – was human, though the hovering chair wasn't something that Jason had ever heard of. "That question would be best answered by me. Omega 7, continue scanning for Subjects Bk-1, Bl-1 and Y-1."
"Affirmative," said the robot, and turned to one of the computer banks.
"This base, which was originally built on the orders of Zordon of Eltar, is intended as an outpost of what is now known occasionally in certain circles as the Knights of Ryoku."
"The Knights of Ryoku. The people that introduced shudan-ikou to Earth, and a lot of other planets about a hundred and fifty years ago? What would they need with something like this?"
"The Knights have not always been the peaceful teachers you know them as now, Jason Oliver. On Aquitar, and other planets – including Earth and Eltar - they have been called other things over the millennia. The Eltar know them as the Order of the Meledon, but on Aquitar and Earth they were known by a different name…"
"The Power Rangers?" suggested Diego.
"Indeed Diego DeSantos," confirmed the old man with a smile. "That was indeed their name. I trust the need for the technology is more clear now?"
"It is, Mr.. Uh."
"You may call me, 'The Professor'," said the old man. "My identity must remain secret until all have assembled."
"Professor, I have the other three candidates. However, female candidate designate Yellow-1 is in the company of a wounded person."
"Is the person on the list?"
"Not the primary," admitted Omega 7. He checked one of his computers. "He is a secondary candidate, designation Black-2."
"Bring in all four then. And prep the auto-doc."
"Yes professor. Teleporting now."
Four more beams of white light descended into the small area. When they resolved, Jason and Diego were a little surprised at who had arrived.
"Patty?"
-----
"What's going on, Jay?" asked Patty, moving to shield the injured Peter the best she could with her own body. "Where are we?"
"You are in my Watchtower, on the light side of Earth's Moon," The Professor told her. "And now that you are all here, I can finally explain fully who I am, and what the situation is."
"We're listening," said Jason. Patty and Diego nodded in the agreement. Neither of the two newest arrivals – a young, dark-blond, Aquitan male in the blue-edged grey shirt and blue trousers of an Aquitan Ryoku trainee; and a black human male in his early twenties in a medical tunic and trousers – nor Peter (who was still unconscious) or the person hiding in the shadows said anything.
"My name is Doctor William Cranston. I was born on Earth in the year 1979. On April the first, if you wish to be precise."
"How…"
Billy held up his hand. "All will become clear. In 1993, an intergalactic sorceress named Rita Repulsa and her retinue…"
"Retinue?" asked Diego in an undertone.
"Minions," translated Patty.
"… Were unintentionally released from their enforced incarceration by NASADA astronauts during a routine exploratory mission. The astronauts escaped unharmed but Rita established a base of operations – this building in point of fact – and then within hours began her first attack on Earth by generating a large earthquake on the Southern California coast."
"I read about that," said the black man. "Never connected the two though."
"Fortunately, an another interdimensional being, the benevolent Eltarian sorcerer Zordon, had established a base of operations in Angel Grove prior to Rita's incarceration ten millennia previously. When he learned of Rita's renewed assault on Earth he tasked his aide, Alpha 5, an early model Edenoian, to recruit five Angel Grove citizens to defend the Earth against Rita as Power Rangers."
"You were one of them weren't you?" Jason guessed.
"Yes, I was." Billy admitted. "I was the Blue Ranger – empowered by the Triceratops. Four friends of mine – karate expert Jason Scott; gymnast Kimberly Hart; hip-hop dancer Zack Taylor; and Trini Kwan, the only one who could understand me most of the time – were also given the powers of the Red, Pink, Black and Yellow Rangers respectively.
"It took us a while to really work together as a team, and Rita didn't exactly make it easy… especially when she unveiled her own Evil Ranger. The Green Ranger empowered by the Dragon. We almost the battle that day, but eventually the Green Ranger turned to the side of good and Tommy Oliver – another martial arts expert – joined our team, which according to Zordon was the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy.
"We lost Tommy for a while when we found out that the Green Ranger powers were only temporary. And we lost all our original Zords apart from the Dragonzord a few months later when another sorcerer, Lord Zedd, arrived on Earth. But Zordon presented us with new Thunder Zords a short time later and eventually Tommy returned with new powers, this time drawing on the White Tiger. When Jason, Trini and Zack left the team to attend the Peace Conference and were replaced by Rocky DeSantos, Aisha Campbell and Adam Park, Tommy took over as leader.
"We fought hard over the next year or so, but when Rita's brother Rito Revolto, came to Earth not even the Thunder Zords were enough. With the Zords destroyed and our powers practically gone things looked bleak for a while. But then a new ally came onto to the scene: Ninjor, the metal smith who had originally forged the old Power Coins gifted us new powers, that of the Ninja. Kimberly left shortly after this and was replaced by Australian diver and ballerina Kat Hillard, who like Tommy had been briefly under Rita's spell, replaced her. With the aid of Ninja Zords and later the Shogun Zords, we continued our battle against Rita and Zedd, until Rita and Rito's father, Master Vile, used the Orb of Time to turn us to young children stripped us of the Ninja powers and Ninjor's aid. The Aquitan Rangers came to Earth to help out against Master Vile while we searched for ways to regain our powers, loosing the deactivated Ninja Coin s in the process. Eventually we found the Zeo Crystal and Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Kat and new recruit Tanya Sloan from Africa became the Zeo Rangers. I was unable to become a Zeo Ranger due to the fact that I had used an aging machine on myself to regain adulthood.
"During that period I helped out as technical adviser to the team, while completing my studies at high school. I almost became a Ranger again a few months later when the Triforian Gold Ranger, Trey, had to give up his powers for a time but I lost out again due to radiation damage from the destruction of the original Command Centre and Jason was brought back as a temporary Gold Ranger. The powers proved incompatible with his physiology however and they were returned to Trey. Around the same time, I experienced artificial progeria brought on by the after-effects of my ageing device. All Earth-based attempts at saving me failed and it was only the intervention of an Aquitan associate of mine, Cestria, who suggested water from Eternal Springs on Aquitar that saved my life. After my progeria was reversed – and secondarily my natural ageing process significantly retarded – I made only one trip back to Earth to deliver the Turbo Morphers to the Rangers – but otherwise remained on Aquitar with Cestria and we later married.
"My friends eventually retired as Rangers – though Tommy briefly returned as the Red Zeo Ranger a few years later, and spent a year as the Black Dino-Thunder Ranger around 2003 – and were replaced by an all-new team – though Blue Turbo Justin Stewart had worked with my friends since shortly after they gave up the Zeo Powers."
"The second generation Turbos were in the end defeated by Divatox, the villainess of the day, and the four elder Rangers – minus Justin – journeyed into space to rescue Zordon who had been kidnapped and joined with Karoveans Andros, Zhane and Karone to become the Space Rangers – though Karone was for most of that period known as the villainess Astronema."
"Back on Earth, there were a few short-lived attempts at other Rangers teams. The Mitchell family, based of an undersea base in Mariner Bay, operated as the Lightspeed Rangers for a few years; The Silver Guardians were – and still are when circumstances permit – aided in their defence of Silver Hills by four time-travelling Time Force Rangers from a thousand years in the future; and Turtle Cove was briefly home to a team called the Wild Force Rangers mentored by Princess Shayla of Animaria. And of course there was Tommy's temporary Reefside-based Dino-Thunder team and the still-operating Wind and Thunder Rangers of the Australian Shudan-Ikou Ninja Academies."
"So where do we come in?" asked the Aquitan. "I assume there are Ranger teams active on Earth on Earth at the moment?"
"Unfortunately, certain limitations imposed on the Time Force Rangers prevent them from being active at the moment, and the Wind and Thunder Rangers are occupied with a different threat. The Earth is in grave danger, probably the gravest it has ever been in – Devos, the Planet-Eater has targeted it for his next 'meal'. He intends to use his power siphoning towers to suck the energy from the Earth's biosphere, destroying all life on it. I need you five, and my other recruit who will now reveal herself, to become Power Rangers and stop him."
There was a pregnant pause, then 'The Magpie' stepped out of the shadows. "I am yours to command, Professor."
Jason looked at his two friends, they nodded. "We're in."
"As am I," confirmed the Aquitan after a pause.
Everyone turned to the black man. He shrugged. "Sure, why not! Let's do it!"
The Professor motioned for Aki to retrieve her box. "Unfortunately, there is no power on Earth that can stop Devos. But, these old Power Coins should protect you long enough to get to the planet Alternos, where you will find that power. It is very dangerous, none who have travelled there have ever come back."
"We've said we'll do it, Professor." Jason told Billy. "So we're in all the way."
"Very well," said Billy. "The Coins were damaged during the fall of the Thunder Zords, but they have been retuned to absorb energy from any available source and should protect you for a while."
"How long?"
"I have been unable to accurately calculate a precise window, however I believe a few hours most and probably much less."
"Professor, we have a problem."
"Yes, Omega?"
"The power surge from Devos' arrival damaged the main reactor. I will have to download the last plasmatic morphing gem into the transport core in order to get the Rangers to Alternos. And there will be insufficient in reserve to bring them back."
"Then how do we get back?" asked Aki.
"You get the Power," Billy replied. "The fate of the world depends on it."
"Let's do it guys!" declared Jason. "It's Morphin' Time!"
"Dragonzord!"
"Mastodon!"
"Pterodactyl!"
"Triceratops!"
"Sabre-toothed Tiger!"
"Tyrannosaurus!"
Five of the six young warriors were transformed into exact – though faded – replicas of their predecessors' Ranger uniforms. Jason's however was different: his suit was green and white as the Green Ranger's had been, but he wore the chest armour, gloves and boots of the White Ranger, and the blade at his hip was a hybrid of both the Dragon Dagger and Saba, the Tiger Sabre.
Omega 7 moved to the transporter controls and the Rangers disappeared in six columns of light. Jason's was a mixture of green and white, while the others were a single solid colour. Seconds later, several lights and computer screens shut down. "I hope they make it in time!"
Billy said nothing, merely guided over to Peter and began checking him over.