Rewritten

[powrpurpl]

Ch. 1: Gaining Knowledge

“DOWN!” Commander Quentez shouted. “194. 195.” The B-Squad Rangers were doing their last three-a-day training of the day. Commander Quentez was very strict about training, in a way that Commander Cruger had never been. In fact, Commander Quentez was beyond strict; he was impossible. “Just five to go, Rangers. Just five to go.” One of his reasons he had stated recently was that Commander Cruger had been killed recently, when Dru Harrington, an old SPD Cadet gone AWOL had returned, as evil as possible and wreaked havoc on SPD headquarters. He had killed Commander Cruger personally, and it took all five rangers to take him in. Even so, it took a lot out of them.

The Rangers’s new training demanded a lot from them. First they ran the obstacle course ten times. Next they battled a 100 holographic krybots each, and then did 300 sit-ups and 200 push-ups. Here, Matt, the Blue Rangers’ training was over; the next part of training stressed their civilian powers, and Matt had none. But for Jack, Bridge, Z, and Syd, the training lasted another hour.

For Jack, training consisted of speed (jumping through as many walls as he could in a time limit), and strength (pushing the limit on how many he could). For Bridge, it meant strength of mind (training to read Commander Quentez’s mind [Dragarians had very strong minds]). For Z, this meant speed (duplication speed), strength (how many times she could duplicate), and strength of mind (how many she could control at once). For Syd, it was simply transform into different materials and how fast she could change it. And this occurred three times a day.

Another reason was that every time they fought Emperor Grumm, a part of the city was nearly destroyed. So Commander Quentez thought training might help. A third reason was that the rangers, still had not learned to fully respect each other.

The final fourth and final reason, was that a new evil guy had come to the city under Grumm’s flag, a power ranger that called himself the “Dark Sky Ranger”. From Commander Quentez they learned some very interesting things about this Dark Sky Ranger. He had once been known as Schuylar Tate, with the nickname of Sky. He was the son of a very famous SPD Red Ranger, Jonathon Tate, who had fought to the bitter end, protecting the city, saving thousands of lives only to be destroyed by the monster Mirloc who was in a maximum prison far far away on a Distant Planet.

Sky had always wanted to be a Power Ranger of SPD, just like his dad, but it was not to be. He did apply and beat out his best friend, Matthew Longton, or Matt, the current Blue Ranger (at the time, there was limited bed space at the academy and so only a few at a time could get in), because he wanted it more. Shortly after his acceptance and his father’s death, Sky went to Matt to say that he was sorry that Matt didn’t get accepted, but never arrived. He was not seen for another ten years. After his disappearance, and being declared dead, Matt got accepted in his place. Sky was trained by Grumm himself for 12 years. He also for some strange reason had a civilian power the ability to generate force fields. His pure good mind had been warped by Grumm.
“Done. Mr. Longton, you may take your shower. The rest of you, onto your civilian training.” Matt got up and ran into the HQ bathroom, while Jack and the others groaned. Ever since Commander Cruger was killed, SPD just hasn’t been the same. I mean look at us. We are falling apart. The A-squad Rangers are MIA. Commander Cruger was killed in battle, and Dr. Manx transferred to SPD Federation, by Supreme Commander Fowler Birdy. Boom was fired. We, the B-Squad, can’t even get along- we’re always bickering and fighting, and we can’t even fight the easiest battle without destroying something by accident. Now we’re reduced to three-a-day group training sessions, thought Jack. Why did I even join SPD in the first place? Oh yeah, to help people in a better way…

“B-Squad Rangers and Commander Quentez report to the Command Room.” Dr. Botoo’s voice rang over the intercom. Jack breathed a sigh of relief, and heard the others do the same. Bridge muttered, “Saved by the intercom.” Commander Quentez eyed them, irritated. “Don’t get too relaxed,” he retorted wearily. “We going to get right back to training afterward. Now go.” They pulled themselves up and ran in a single line formation into the building. Up the halls they raced, and the cadets and personnel hurried to get out of their way. This gets easier and easier, I must’ve about run 20 miles already today, and I am barely even breaking a sweat, thought Jack, as he led his squadron into the Main Hall containing the Main rooms of SPD, the Command Room, the Lab, the Interrogation Rooms, the Cafeteria, the Common Rooms, Training Decks and two of the Delta Zord Bays. Suddeny spots appeared in his vision. Huh? Why do I feel so light headed? Jack thought just before he blacked out.

He woke up in a long hall. Slowly, he stood up and looked around. In front of him, there were many large glass tubes, each containing a Power Ranger Suit of the past, as well as many he had never seen before. There must have been hundreds. From the past alone there were 61 suits. This he knew from the little studies he had had as a SPD Ranger.

There were the first five suits, and the Green Dragon and White Tiger suits from the Mighty Morphin’ Era, and over there the five suits, as well as the Gold Suit from the Zeo Era. By that wall on the left, there the five suits, as well as the Phantom Ranger and the Blue Centurion suits, and by that wall on the right, were the five suits and the Silver Suit of the Space Era. Beyond that, he could see the five suits and the Magna Defender Suit of the Lost Galaxy Era, the five suits and the Titanium Suit of the Lightspeed Rescue Era, and the five suits, as well as the Quantum Suit of the Time Force Era. Further on, there were the five suits and the Lunar Wolf Suit of the Wild Force Era, and the three Wind Suits, the two Thunder Suits and the Green Samurai Star Suit of the of the Ninja Storm Era, and finally at the edge of his sight, he could see the three suits and the Black Brachio and White Drago Suits of the Dino Thunder Era.

Where am I? Jack wondered. What is this place? For some reason, Jack, had attempted speak aloud, but it came out as a thought. YOU DO NOT KNOW, JACK LANDORS, RED RANGER OF SPD? The thought or thoughts, as it were, at him with force that nearly knocked his mind (for that was what he was, he realized; but his mind) backwards. THIS IS THE HALLWAY OF POWER, WITHIN THE MORPHING GRID (YOUR POWERS COME FROM THE MORPHING GRID) – THE HALLWAY WHERE RANGER SUITS ARE CREATED BY THE MORPHING GRID, STORED UNTIL NEEDED AND STORED AFTERWARD UNTIL THE FINAL BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, WHEN ALL WILL BE NEEDED.

What ARE you? – WE ARE THE SPIRITS OF POWERS OF GOOD THAT HAVE PASSED AWAY; WE ARE THAT WHICH FUELS THE MORPHING GRID. WE ARE THE WARLOCK THAT ENCASED THE DEMONS OF THE LIGHTSPEED ERA, WE ARE THE ONE WHO PLACED THE QUASAR SABERS IN THEIR STONES, WE ARE THE MAGNA DEFENDER AND HIS SON, ZIKA, WE ARE ZORDON OF ELKTARE, WE ARE ALPHAS I, II, III, AND IV, WE ARE COMMANDER CRUGER, WE ARE WARRIORS OF THE PAST, WE ARE THE PHANTOM RANGER, WE ARE FORMER RANGERS WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY. ONE DAY YOU AND OTHERS WILL WALK AMONG US. ONE DAY WE WILL ALL RISE AGAIN TO FACE THE FINAL GREATEST CHALLENGE OF ALL, THE FINAL BATTLE.

Why am I here? – WE HAVE CHOSEN YOU TO FIND WHAT IS LOST, TO SAVE WHAT IS IN DANGER, AND TO FIX WHAT IS BROKEN.

How do I do that? - LEARN FROM US THE SOUL OF THE MORPHING GRID, THE INNER WORKNGS OF THE POWERS OF POWER RANGERS.

Jack’s mind reeled when the information began to pour into him. Ahhhhh! His mind screamed in agony, it was as if his mind was overloading with information.

HE IS HUMAN. HE HAS LIMITS TO HIS CAPABILITIES OF UNDERSTANDING. TO COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THIS AMOUNT OF INFORMATION WOULD TAKE HIM PERHAPS YEARS, AND WE DO NOT HAVE YEARS, UNLESS HE WERE TO DIE AND JOIN US HERE INDEFINITELY. EVEN HERE AND NOW, IT MAY KILL HIM AND DESTROY HIS MIND FOREVER, AND HE WOULD NOT EVEN ABLE TO JOIN US OR THE SOULS OF ORDINARY PEOPLE. A voice split from the others to plead for him, and it sounded distinctly familiar.

THEN BREAK IT DOWN FOR HIM WE MUST. O ONE WHO SEPARATED HIMSELF FROM US, TEACH HIM, TEACH HIM WELL, THAT HE MAY UNDERSTAND.

The information was gone, as was the agony, and suddenly, who but Commander Cruger stood before him. Hello Jack. – Commander Cruger? This day just gets stranger and stranger. - If what WE hope comes to be, and what was to be, that will never be, will be again, then what is to come will be stranger than what has been. – Huh? Commander, why you are talking so cryptically? It is not like you. – True, but being within the GOOD makes changes, that once without it is difficult to revert. – So what did you say in English please? – If you compete your mission, and what was broken is fixed, you’ll find that your day will just get stranger as you go along. Now, it is time for your lessons to begin. Follow me.

Meanwhile, back at SPD, the body of Jack remained, and fell to the floor, headfirst. The other rangers stopped and asked him if he was alright, but he didn’t answer. “He’s unconscious!” Matt yelled. He fell to his knees and checking for breathing, he called for Dr. Bootoo on his morpher. “He’s not breathing!” Matt checked for a pulse. “He has no pulse!” Commander Quentez and Dr. Bootoo came running down the hall.

A few minutes later, the remaining rangers stood in the Command Room answering Commander Quentez’s questions about Jack, while Dr. Bootoo examined Jack’s body, finding no activity of any kind within the brain, heart and lungs, or anywhere else.

At the same time Commander Cruger’s spirit was leading Jack up to some empty Suit Holders. Jack, do you know why these are empty? Jack looked at the glass tubes. Is it because the suits are in use? They’re our suits, aren’t they? – Yes they are. Notice anything wrong here? Jack looked again. Hold on a minute, only four of them are empty. Matt’s Blue Ranger suit is partially there, and there are three others that I’ve never seen, that are fully there. – I’ll get to Matt’s Suit in a minute. Look again at the others that you have not seen, the Shadow Ranger, the Omega Ranger, and the last Ranger of our Era, who has not been named. A third time Jack looked. Are they decaying? I thought Power Ranger Suits could not decay. – Look forward to the Rangers of the Future. – They too are decaying. Why? – Sadly they will never be used, because of what was broken. – Are you saying that w-w-we are doomed to fail? - Most likely yes. Now follow me into this side room, the Forge Room. It is time for lesson 2, but we must hurry.

During that time of Jack, and Commander Cruger’s conversation, Dr. Bootoo was commenting to Commander Quentaz, “If he was a robot, I’d say that someone simply turned him off. All of his bodily functions have stopped, it is as if he is frozen in time. I don’t understand it. Nor can I find a cause.”

Meanwhile, in the Forge Room, Commander Cruger was showing Jack the Forges. This is the Forge of Power, where powers are forged, and this is the Forge of Suits where the Suits forged. But these two over here are the ones we’ll talk about today; The Forge of Souls, and the Forge of the Link.

There are two kinds of souls, Jack. Power Souls and ordinary souls. Power Souls are forged for one purpose, to be Power Rangers, so that others don’t have to fight. Power Souls are forged with Pure Good. Even if they start as evil, they will eventually became good. Power Souls are forged in the Forge of Souls. Not all rangers are chosen from the beginning, for there are three kinds of Rangers; Chosen, Earned, and Police. Chosen are chosen from the beginning. Earned are those ordinary souls who earn the Right to be Rangers by choices and actions. These are then re-forged. Police Rangers, what SPD originally started out to be, are not true rangers and therefore cannot access their full powers, and potential. They are ordinary souls that were not Chosen, nor have they Earned the Right. Matthew is a Police Ranger. That is why he can not access his full potential.

- But he has done his duty well, Commander. He has even gone above and beyond. I’d say he’s earned it many times over. - Yes, he works hard but not as himself. He knows he was never meant to be a Ranger, he does not know that he can earn the right, so does everything in the name of the one he took the place. Therefore, he has no deeds of his own.

YOUR TIME IS UP, CRUGER. THE RANGER WILL LOSE HIS LIFE IF HE CONTINUES ANY LONGER.

Very well. Jack, remember these three things: First tell no one of this except Dr. Manx. Second, Alpha V is coming with a message from Demetria of Inquirius, about your Power Link. This was to be your third lesson, so listen carefully. Finally, contact Dr. Manx and ask her about Project Power. Ask her to tell you everything, and tell her everything. Ask for help, if she refuses, say the name Aisynia. It was my wife’s name, and my code for help. NOW GO!

Jack opened his eyes to find himself in the Lab, on the Injury Repair Bed (IRB) with a massive headache. Dr. Bootoo stood with his back towards him, facing Commander Quentez, Matt, Bridge, Z, and Syd. “With heavy heart, I now pronounce Jack Landors, B-squad Red Ranger of SPD, on this day of August 25, 2025, at this time, 1535 hours, dead of unknown causes.”

Jack groaned and Dr. Bootoo slowly turned around to look at him. He sat up slowly, and put his hand to his head. Looking up in to the shocked faces of the other four rangers, Commander Quentez, and Dr. Bootoo, he put on a painful grin and said, “Man, I never knew rising from the dead hurt so much!”
Rewritten Ch. 2 Last Minute Mend

“I don’t know how you did it, Mr. Landors, but that stunt you pulled yesterday with dying all of a sudden and then coming back to life was not appreciated. That is not how a ranger, let ALONE HOW A RED RANGER ACTS.” Commander Quentez was furious. “You nearly gave Dr. Bootoo a heartsattack. Not just one heart, but all of his hearts. You could have killed him!”

Jack stood at attention and took the harsh and undue rebuke silently. Like a statue, he stood unflinching, even when Commander Quentez yelled in his face, and finally the commander stopped to take a breath. Quietly he said, “May I speak frankly, Sir?” “What?” Commader Quentez snarled. “I don’t either sir, because I didn’t do it. I… I had what humans call an out of body experience. These things happen rarely, and are uncontrollable. I only made the joke because I didn’t know what to do in that situation. I know now that I was in error, and I apologize.” Commander Quentez sighed, his anger gone. “Fine. Dismissed.” Jack saluted and marched out of the room.

Once out of the room, Jack went to find Matt, who happened to be in the room they shared together. “Yo man, how it go?” “Not too bad.” Jack turned away from Matt, a tear running his face. He and Matt had known each other for over ten years. They were like brothers. Yet even Matt, he was unable to tell.

“Yo Jack, what ya thinking about?” Matt and Jack always knew when something was wrong. “Just about the way we met.” Matt laughed. “Man, we had our selves a time, didn’t we? You jumpin’ in and out of the walls, and me thinkin’ you were a ghost. You had me very scared. I almost fell off a cliff, but you saved my life. Then I realized that you were no ghost, and I said yo man, you want to be friends and you didn’t know what a friend was.” Matt straightened himself up, and looked serious. “I didn’t understand that at the time. To not know what a friend was; that was unbelievable, sad, and scary. Now I do.”

Jack turned to look at him. He wanted so badly for his friend to be a true ranger. To be a Power Rangers among other Power Rangers that had civilian powers was bad enough, when he did not, was bad enough, but to try so hard and not be able to access his full powers, i.e. S.W.A.T. mode, that was just unbearable. For some reason, whenever Matt tried to activate his SWAT mode, nothing happened. It just would not activate. Dr. Bootoo had checked it numerous times, to find nothing wrong. Still it would not activate.
That settled it. He had to help Matt earn the right to be a Ranger.

“Hey, Matt?” “Yeah man?” “We gotta talk.” “About what, man?” “About Schuylar Tate.” This startled Matt, who jerked. “Yo man, why’d ya bring that subject up? You of all people know I hate to talk about that subject.” “Not exactly about Sky, Matt, but about you.” Matt’s eyes narrowed. “What do ya mean about me, Jack?”


Jack took a deep breath. “Ok, I’ll start at the beginning. You know you were never meant to be a ranger, don’t you? No, don’t give me that look. I know you do. Rangers that fight wars like us are chosen before we were born. I’m sorry man, but you weren’t chosen and you know it. You are nothing but a Police Ranger, and as long as you are, you will never be able to access your full powers.”

Matt opened his mouth in shock and then closed it. After a moment, he said angrily, “Glad to know ya feel that way man! I’ll be sure to…” Jack interrupted him. “There is a way that you can become more, though. Ever heard of Adam, Aisha, Rocky and Kat, of the Mighty Morphin’ Rangers?” “Yeah, duh, man, I learnt about them my first year here. What about them?” “What of Tanya of the Zeo Rangers?” “Yeah, what about her?” “And TJ, Ashley, Carlos and Cassie of the Turbo Rangers?” “Dude, man, where is this going?” “Finally, Karone of Lost Galaxy?” “Yes, yes, I’ve heard of them, I’ve studied them.”

“Do you know what they all have in common?” “No, what?” Matt said, irritated. “None of them were chosen to be Rangers. They earned it. They were earned Rangers. Adam, Aisha and Rocky saved the lives of Power Rangers as normal people. Kat overcame the evil spell that controlled her, with Goodness and Love. TJ, Ashley, Cassie and Carlos also saved the lives of Power Rangers as normal people. Karone was willing to risk her life to save the Pink Quasar Saber and Powers from falling into the wrong hands, even though she knew that she could die in the attempt, and it could all be in vain.”

“If we can earn the Powers, then how? I’ve tried so hard all my life and yet, nothing?” “You know, Matt, if it was up to me, I’d say that you’ve earned it over and over. Yet, you do nothing in your own name or that of the Blue Ranger, or even anonymous. You’ve done it all in the name of Schuylar Tate. You’ve done enough for him.” “Has anyone else from SPD earned the Powers?” “One. Jonathan Tate. However, Matt, you must do it your own way. When you do, you’ll know, you’ll know it well.”

The next morning, when Jack woke up, Matt was dressed and gone. Taking a glance around the room, he noticed that all of Matt’s belongings were gone. Puzzled, Jack got ready for the day and went to Morning Training. Matt never showed up for Morning Training. Commander Quentez never said a word about it, though he seemed distracted the entire time.

Finally training was over, and Commander Quentez lined them up for dismissal to showers and breakfast. Instead of dismissing them immediately, he brought them to attention. “Rangers, immediately after you finish your breakfast, you are to report to the Command Room. I have a very disturbing announcement to make. Understood?” “Yes, Sir,” came the reply. “Dismissed.” The Rangers saluted, turned in line and ran to the showers.

At breakfast, Bridge asked, “Hey guys, where’s Matt? I haven’t seen him all morning.” “Maybe he’s on some kind of secret mission. Maybe that’s what the announcement is about,” Z suggested. “No. He’s not on some secret mission, but I do think that the announcement is about Matt,” Jack said as a sinking feeling of guilt came into his stomach. Bridge, Z, and Syd looked at him with looks that plainly said, just what do you mean by that? Jack sighed. “When I woke this morning, Matt and all of his belongings were gone.” “What?!?!?” Bridge and the girls said, startled. “Do you he was…” “No, he alone works the hardest. It couldn’t be that. Jack?” “I don’t know.”

Later, when they entered the Command Room, a C-Squad Cadet that Jack recognized as Roger Kran was already standing there. He came to attention when the Rangers marched in. Commander Quentez was not in the room yet. Jack looked to Cadet Kran who wore a black Cadet uniform; very unlike the Full Color Uniforms that Jack’s Squad wore, showing that they were Earth’s main defenders. “Cadet, at ease,” Jack ordered.

It wasn’t long before Commander Quentez and Dr. Bootoo came into the room. “Attention,” Jack ordered his squad and Cadet Kran. “At Ease. Rangers, and Cadet, I have ordered you here to make an announcement. Early this morning, well before any of you even woke up, Mr. Longton came to me. He had not slept all night. He handed in his morpher, and told me he didn’t belong here, at least not right now. He also said that he may or may not be back, but has to do some soul-searching, whatever that means.

“He cleared out and left this morning, leaving his morpher. As you know, that leaves you without a Blue Ranger. I have chosen Cadet Kran to step up and take that position for the time being. His belongings are being moved to Mr. Longton’s former living space at this time and you will find your new uniform in your closet. Mr. Kran, do not celebrate too soon, I expect you to participate and participate well in the three-grueling three-a-day training sessions. The other rangers will tell you that now isn’t a happy time to be a B-squad Ranger, Main Defender. And this may last but a day, or may last the normal length. Take your position among your new teammates.” And like that Matt was gone. Jack never spoke to him again.

Several weeks later, just after dinner, Jack’s team was called to the Command Room, only to find out that the Dark Sky Ranger was attacking. They were about to move out, when Matt appeared on the Screen. He was talking to Sky, begging him to be good again. He told him of all the good things of the past that they had experienced together. And the Dark Sky Ranger struck him down. Suddenly the Blue morpher began to glow with a blue glow and vibrate. Roger nearly dropped it. “What is going on with this thing?” He cried. Jack stared at the screen mourning the friend who had become like a brother to him, and said quietly, “He has earned the Right to be a Power Ranger, he has truly earned the Powers, and if he lives, he will be able to fully access his powers.”

Then and there Matt did something that shocked Jack. He gave the two things that meant the most to him, his very life and his powers that he had worked so hard for. He sent them out swirling into Sky and showed him the truth. The effort killed Matt, but was enough to free Sky from evil, and restore him to good.

Suddenly everyone looked up and heard a beeping to the left. Dr. Bootoo looked at it confused, and then looked up alarmed. “Security Breach in the Zord Bay! Krybots have broken in and placed a bomb in the fuel compartment and the timer reads a minute. That’s not enough time to-.” The alarm went off. “Evacuate! This not a Drill! Evacuate!” Commander Quentez screeched.

Everyone fled the room, and started running toward the stairs. The floor shook violently all of a sudden, and the ceiling fell in front of the Rangers. They turned to run the other way, but an explosion of fire burst through the open doorways. They were trapped and the heat was intense. The shockwave slammed the Rangers back into the rubble. The last thing Jack saw and heard before losing consciousness, was the form of Commander Cruger and his voice saying, “Now is the time to act, Jack! Alpha 5 is on his way!”

Rewritten
Chapter 3
Final Briefing

Jack had been coming in and out of consciousness for the last few days. Pictures swirled in his head. No, not pictures, they were memories. Good ones, bad ones, all kinds drifted through his head. Talking with Matt for the last time, seeing Matt die, and getting yelled at by Commander Quentez were just a few. Sometimes he saw SPD Nurses, and Doctors. Often, he didn’t know if what he was seeing real or not. He barely ate, and he was in horrific pain when he was conscious, so most of the time it was just easier to just escape into oblivion. He did know that he was in a hospital bed, covered in bandages, and often his team and Commander Quentez came to look in on him. Several times he heard the doctor say, “He got the brunt of the explosion, I’m surprised that he has made it this long. He must have a strong will to live.”

On the fifth day, he lapsed into total unconsciousness. No sights, sounds, or memories entered his mind. And for once the voice of his mind was silent. There were no smells, nor tastes. There was a single feeling, that of being drawn out of his body. Soon he found himself in the morphing grid. There was a great ball of rainbow light in the center of the room. Somehow he knew that he was no longer human, he was but red light – his spirit. He also knew that the rainbow light was the spirits of the Good. His spirit was drawn to it, and he knew that he was joining the Good. WHAM! There was a barrier in front of the light. It was dark silver in color, and from touching it, he knew that it was Commander Cruger’s spirit.

Immediately Jack’s spirit returned his body, for Commander Cruger had given him to understand that he must live, that this was not the time for him to go. He came to with Doctors standing around him and his body jerked. By his side, he heard, “He’s stabilized!” Jack sucked in air and coughed violently. It hurt like crazy, probably from all the burns. A doctor placed his hand gently on Jack’s shoulder. “You sure are strong, young man, you’ve made through the worse. We thought we had lost you for a second. However, except for the scars that will cover your entire body, you will be fine.”

Jack smiled weakly and looked through the crowd of doctors and nurses. There in the back of the room stood Roger, Bridge, Z, and Syd. They had not been hurt as badly as he was. Yes their faces and hands were scarred, and their hair was all burned off, but other than that, they were fine. Commander Quentez was there as well. He and all of the cadets had safely made it out with minor cuts and bruises. However, evidently Dr. Bootoo had gotten trapped in the fire, and never had made it out.






Beyond the rangers was a glass window. Jack found himself staring at it. As he did, Commander Cruger’s face appeared within it. “Rest, Jack, rest. You’re going to need your strength. Rest.” And Jack did. When he awoke, he found himself alone, in a different room. Carefully he pushed himself to a sitting position, and looked around. There were many flowers, and there was a mirror on one wall. Slowly he got out of bed and crept to the mirror. His bandages were gone, but his scars painfully remained. They covered his body, he knew. His cherished dreadlocks were gone. No one would recognize him now.

A nurse walked in. “Oh! You’re awake! But you shouldn’t be out of bed sir!” “Yes, well, except for the scars, which probably will be tender for a very long time, I feel fine.” “Very well, I’ll get the Doctor.” She left. Sometime later, the doctor came in and checked to make sure that he was able to leave. “Well, young man, that two week sleep was just what you needed. You’re in perfect health, except for the scars that will always be there, and be tender. You may go.”

Jack reported for duty in the Command Room at Cadet Command that was still being repaired, a few hours later. His team was glad to see him, as was Commander Quentez. Sky was there too, using his powers for good, as the Light Sky Ranger. Cadet Command was damaged badly. Walls were cracked, mirrors shattered, computers down, and everything was burned. But still the Power Rangers fought. The war had grown more intensely difficult. And Jack saw where this was headed. He knew what he had to do.

The chance came later that day when Commander Quentez called all six rangers into the Command Room. “This war is getting bad. We need help. Communications are down, and we can’t send for help. Therefore, we need to send a person, preferably one with fighting experience, for help. Any volunteers?” Jack raised his hand. “Are you sure Jack? I mean after the trauma you’ve just been through…” “Sir, with all due respect, I’ve been in a hospital bed for three weeks. I want to do something, I want to feel useful.” “Very well, Jack. You’ll take the Peace on at 1300 hrs. Be sure to take your Delta Morpher, the Aqua Morpher, and RIC, you might need them.”

Soon, Jack was on his way. He didn’t know if he would ever return. He would complete the mission of course. But then he must fix what was broken, somehow. But first he must find out what was broken. He had tried without finding out first but that hadn’t worked; it had blown up in his face, literally. But this time there would be no shortcuts. Within hours of departing, the ship reached the orbit of Pluto and another ship approached. It was the ship of Alpha 5.

Alpha, once learning of Jack’s identity requested to board and to speak to him. Jack agreed, but when Alpha saw him, Alpha was shocked. Jack explained to him what happened, and Alpha began to explain his own mission.



Alpha said told Jack many things, but what was needed was this. The Power Link of Earth Rangers has been broken. It was broken many years ago. Only now are the effects visible. The Power Link begins with something all the Rangers have in common. It guides and protects the Rangers, binding them together in friendship, growing stronger with every battle. When the final battle of the Current War is fought, it makes them an unstoppable force. But now the Power Link is beyond broken, it is shattered and reformed – disfigured. The Power Rangers were doomed. And thus Earth was too. This Message came from Dimetria of Inquris now residing on the planet Eltaire.

Jack sent Alpha onto Earth, while he went onto SPD Federation himself. There he met with Supreme Commander Fowler Birdy, and gave the message to him. Commander Birdy, knowing that Dr. Manx and he were former colleagues, asked him if he would like to see her, and that was Jack’s chance. He replied that he did.

When he entered her office, she was startled. “I’m sorry, sir, I’m expecting an old friend, so unless this is an emergency, you’ll have to wait.” “May I ask who this friend is?” Jack asked, just now realizing the scratchiness in his voice. “His name is Jack Landors…” “Ahh yes, Jack Landors, Red Ranger of the B-squad of Earth. Oh, wait, they no longer call it the B-squad, they call them the Main Defense Squad of Earth, or just the MDS.” “Yes, how did you know…” Dr. Manx trailed off with a puzzled look on her face. Then she took a better look at his uniform.

She gasped and put her hand to her mouth in shock. “Jack? What happened to you?” So, Jack explained. He explained about Matthew reaching his full potential and using it to free Sky from the brainwashing, the break-in, and the explosion. “Oh, Jack. You and your team, that’s a lot to go through.”

Then he told her of the mysterious dreams. “That is a weird dream, Jack, but dreams aren’t real.” “Dr. Manx, what really freaks me out, is that they are coming true.” “Very odd, but again, dreams aren’t real.” Jack then asked her about their Link. “Well I would say that that would be your powers.” She then explained about the morphing experimentation back in 2001 and how their powers came to be. “And what happened to Sky?” “Sky was kidnapped by Morgana, many years ago. She’s one of the ones who got away. Had she been out for destruction, SPD would no longer even exist even in memory at this time, because we were not yet powerful enough to stop her.”












Jack nodded, thinking. Suddenly he jumped up in realization. “OH, MAN!” “What’s the matter, Jack?” Kat was startled. “It’s been under our noses the entire time!” “What do you mean?” “Computer, find Morgana in the History Archives on May 23, 2001!” Pictures appeared on the screen, of Morgana on the planet Sirius, fighting with the last of the first SPD, including one middle-aged warrior by the name of Anubis Cruger.

“Morgana was in the Sirius system at the time she also kidnapped Sky. How is that possible, she can’t two places at once, especially that far apart!” Kat exclaimed. “Think about it Kat. Two places at once, not out for destruction, just there to kidnap one young boy, who happens to be destined to be the Blue Ranger. She time traveled and destroyed the true timeline creating this horrific. I’ve got to stop her! But I’ll need your help Kat.” “I’m sorry, Jack, I just can’t help you…” “Aisynia.” “What did you say?” “Aisynia, Aisynia Cruger was the name of Commander Cruger’s wife.” “I’ll help you.”

The next week passed in a blur. The only thing Jack remembered clearly other than the massive training he endured, was the question Kat asked, “Would you prefer a Time Portal, or a Time Vortex?” “Uh, what’s the difference?”

“Well, a Time Portal occurs naturally. When you go through one, your human energy becomes crystallized. You would basically become a ball of light, in civilian form. Upon your return to this time, you would be reconstructed as though you had never left. Your memories, however, would remain intact, and you would have to undergo relearning of the past. Also, once closed, Time Portals do not reopen. You would have to find a new one when you were ready to leave. That could take years.

“Time Vortexes are artificially created. They can be reopened at any time. Upon return, you would find that there are now two of you, and you would have to Merge with each other, or time would unravel. Unfortunately, Time Vortexes are unstable as they are still in the early testing phases and probably will be for the next century.” “Hmm, difficult choice. I’ll take the Time Portal.”

Finally, they were ready. They found a time portal near Earth and took the Peace to Earth. Kat did the last minutes checks. “SPD Delta and SWAT Morphers?” “Check.” “Aqua Morpher and RIC?” “Check.” “Containment Cards 4.0?” “Check.” “SPD ID?” “Check.” “MED (Memory Erase-ment Device)?” “Check.” “Journal?” “Check.” “Good luck, Jack.” “Check… I mean thanks.”

And the next thing Jack knew, he was hurdling through time and space.
Rewritten Chapter Four

The Fight

As Jack hurdled through time and space, he felt his entire body be deconstructed by the Time Portal. Strangely, it didn’t hurt. In fact, he didn’t feel anything. Not air or clothing or ground. He had stopped hurdling and was now floating through the air as a ball of light. His vision changed, he could see all around him, but the view was slightly distorted. He knew that he could morph at the slightest thought, if there was need, but he also knew, that he couldn’t morph until needed, or he could destroy everything he was here for, for his own suit, had just been created and was only in the experimental phases in this year.

He found himself floating in an empty parking garage, and not even a car was there. So he started floating out into the world with RIC trailing behind; he had only 48 hours to find and rescue Sky, before it was too late. As he floated out of the parking garage, he heard the sounds of a fight. Curious, he went to take a look. In the street, there just happened to be a fight between four SPD Rangers (Blue, Green, Yellow and Pink) wearing old-fashioned suits and an alien he recognized as Lang-Low, from history class, but also from his memory.

For, although Jack had never even told Z or Matt, he still had nightmares of this day. This day was the day before he began life on the streets. It was the last day he lived at SPD. For he too had lived at SPD, with Sky, Bridge, Z and Syd long ago. Z no longer remembered for she had been too young, and her parents left SPD shortly after. Bridge and Syd were also too young. Sky had been going through his own crisis, as his own father had just been killed.

Jack’s father, Zack Landors, was the Blue SPD Ranger at the time that Sky’s father, Jonathan was the Red Ranger. He had been killed in the Line of Duty. He too was mourned, but had not saved as many people on his last day, and so the mourning was not as extensive. He watched it now live, as he had once watched it many years ago on the view screen in the Command Room; Lang-Low grabbed his father and wrapped his tentacles around him, poison oozing out of them, causing explosions on the Blue Suit that Jack’s father wore. The other Rangers couldn’t help. Jack breathed hard. Only a minute more did Zachary Landors have. Images of what was about to happen, ran through Jack mind, as they had many times throughout the years, in his dreams.

But it was his father’s screams that did it. “Oh heck no! I am not reliving this nightmare!” Jack yelled. Everyone in the area turned to look at this floating ball of light that had just yelled. Lang-Low dropped Jack’s father and turned to look. “SPD Emergency!” Jack yelled, and suddenly he was in his Ranger form. “Huh? A Red Ranger? But the Red Ranger was killed by Mirloc! They haven’t had enough time to choose a new Red Ranger!” Lang-Low shouted. “And that suit is still in the experimental phases!”


“Can you say ‘time travel’, Lang-Low?” “Yah, duh! Time Travel! How do you know my name, anyways?” “They teach about you in history class.” “So, I’m infamous?” “Don’t make me laugh. Don’t make me mad either.” “Why not?” Lang-Low asked mockingly as he attacked Jack. Jack blocked the attack easily and said coldly, “I’ve had a very horrific time the past half-year.” “Tell me about it, I just can’t seem to throw you Power Rangers off.” Lang-Low attempted in vain to knock Jack off his feet. “You’re comparing that to my horrific half-year? I better start at the beginning.

“Six months ago, we at Earth SPD had different Commander, than we do now. I believe that in this time, he has just begun his career as an SPD Commander. His name was Commander Cruger. He was a true mentor, a true guide and leader. To those of us who did not have fathers, he was like a father. To those of us who did, he was like a second father. If it weren’t for him, I’d be serving time right now; before I was a Ranger, I played Robin Hood. One day he attended a Commander’s Meeting on K-O35, leaving me in charge. An old Cadet that had gone AWOL, returned. We placed him in a cell, to await reassessment. Soon after Commander Cruger returned, the Cadet escaped from his cell and snuck into Commander Cruger’s quarters. Security went looking for Commander Cruger when he didn’t show up for any of his appointments, and found him lying dead on the floor, in his quarter, with signs of a fight, and a struggle.”

“Man! You must have felt mighty guilty about that.” “Sure did. He was replaced by Commander Quentez, who immediately placed us on two hour long each three-a-day training. In each one, we each have to fight 100 robotic soldiers, holograms of what our enemy uses. Then we have to run the obstacle course 10 times, do 300 sit-ups, and 200 push-ups. Finally, those of us who have Civilian Powers, train our Powers for an hour.”

“Dang, that sounds grueling!” “Sure was. Dr. Manx, who was a good friend, and our reliable technical support, soon found that Earth SPD without Commander Cruger was just not the same. She asked for a transfer, and received one to go to SPD Federation. She left without saying goodbye.”

“Ooh. That’s cold!” “Sure is. Dr. Bootoo was her replacement. He was a cranky, elderly Bang-ga. We always had to be careful of him. A small startle could send him into cardiac arrest in one or more of his hearts, and he and Commander Quentez were always yelling about something.”

“Humph, he sounds like he needed to be in a nursing home.” “Sure did. But we did get attached to him. Boom flunked out of the Academy, but stayed on to be Dr. Manx’s assistant. He oft seemed goofy, but was a good friend. He always wanted to be a Power Ranger, and told his parents that he was the Orange Squad Commander. When they came to visit him, he put on a homemade Orange Ranger Suit and attempted to save the day. Because of that, the battle was nearly lost. Even though we won it in the end because of him, that stunt cost him his job. He was fired by Commander Quentez at Dr. Bootoo’s request. We haven’t seen him since.”

“That’s sad.” “Sure is. But it gets worse. Matthew Longton was the Blue Ranger of my team. He was my closest friend. I’d known him for 10 years, since we were 10. Our bond bound us together closer than blood ever could. We were closer than brothers. He, however was not chosen by the Morphing Grid to be a Protector Ranger, he was just a Police Ranger, meaning that he could not access his full powers and potential, like the rest of us. One day he left SPD to do some soul searching. He never returned. Instead, when he earned the right to be a Protector Ranger and access his full potential and powers, he gave them and his life up to restore the true chosen one to good.”

“Stop! You’re depressing me!” “Why should I? I need to get it out!” Jack shouted, as he slammed Lang-Low into a wall. “While WE were DISTRACTED by Matt’s DEATH, enemy FOOT SOLDIERS broke INTO OUR BASE and PLACED a BOMB IN the FUEL TANKS. I DIED, BUT THEY brought ME BACK. DR. BOOTOO WAS TRAPPED AND NEVER GOT OUT. I AM SCARRED PAINFULLY ALL OVER FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. NOT A SINGLE HAIR WILL EVER GROW AGAIN ON MY HEAD. THE BASE IS ALL BUT DESTROYED.”

“IT GOES ON. I AM TOLD THAT OUR POWER LINK IS BROKEN AMID THIS, AND THAT EARTH IS DOOMED. I AM CHOSEN TO UNDO IT, BUT I HAVE ALREADY BLOWN THE MISSION.”

“Oh, dear that does sound bad.” “NO KIDDING!” Jack whipped him around, pulled his ear to his mouth. “Not to mention that every night I have the same nightmare over and over. The one where you killed my father while I watched and I could do nothing. I was only eight. He is the one you just attempted to kill,” Jack whispered.

“What? He’s your what?” Jack swung him around and threw him down. Out flung Jack’s arm with the Delta Morpher in his hand. “Judgment mode! You are charged with multiple crimes including obstruction of justice, robbery and the attempted murder of a Power Ranger.” As the X and O flickered back and forth, Lang-Low yelled, “What’s happening? What are you doing to me?” The red X showed. “Contain!” The red X wrapped itself around Lang-Low and forced him into a Containment Card, which Jack caught as it flew through the air, and slid it into the Containment Card Pouch strapped to the outside of his thigh.

“Whoa! That’s amazing!” The Green Ranger shouted. Yellow and Pink were busy helping Zack up, who grunted, “It might be amazing, but he has too anger in him.” It would have been better if Zack had yelled. Jack stood still for a moment; he had been yelled by Command Quentez many times, when Command Quentez was disappointed in him. He had been yelled at by Dr. Bootoo, and sometimes by Commander Cruger, and that had hurt, especially when he didn’t yell. But this was from his father, that over and over he had relived the death of, over the years.

He sighed and shook his head; he still had a mission to complete. He couldn’t let his emotions interfere again. Turning to Zack, he said, “Come, we need to get to the Base.” “Just who are you anyways?” Pink asked. “I cannot tell you that now. I am from the future, and right now, my younger self is watching. It will not do for him for to know his destiny or fate.” “There is not enough room for you to ride in the Squad Car with us…” said Green said, scratching his head. “That’s okay, I’ll meet you there, my civilian form has been crystallized into energy, or basically a ball of light. In that form, I’ll be there shortly after you. As for RIC…” “Rick? Rick who?” asked Yellow. Jack whistled, and RIC came running up. Immediately, he barked in a way he had never barked in front of Jack, except once. That was when he had seen Kat just recently for the first time in ages.

RIC turned his head to the side, and barked a confused bark. “Ruff?” RIC righted his head and barked excitedly. Jack laughed. He knelt and petted RIC. “So you recognize them from a while back, do you boy?” RIC barked his yes barked. “This is RIC, or Robotic Interactive Canine. Actually to be precise, he is RIC 2.0. He’ll be at the Base quicker than you. RIC, return home.” The eyes of Zack, Green, Yellow and Pink widened as RIC shot off like a lighting bolt. “See you there. Power Down,” Jack said as he returned to a ball of light and took off.

When Jack arrived in the Command Room, Green, Yellow and Pink were discussing the “angry Red Ranger” who “though extremely powerful,” was “extremely dangerous and angry” with Commander Cruger and Dr. Manx. “Hi honey, I’m home.” Jack used the age-old joke in a dry manner.

Commander Cruger jumped when he saw what was talking, his eyes wide. Kat hissed. “Am I imagining things, or did that ball of light just say something?” Commander asked.

“Actually, Commander Cruger, to be precise, I am not a ball of light but a ball of crystallized energy.”

“How do you know my name?” “In the year 2025, I am a ranger under you. Well, I mean, I was. I was sent to undo a time change and restore time. When I traveled through the Time Portal my human form became crystallized.” “So you’re the Red Ranger with so much anger.” Jack sighed, “Yes, sir, I am. Sir, I am human, and there is only so much emotional distress, we can take. I hit my limit there.” “May I ask why that particular scene caused you so much distress? I mean, it seemed almost personal.” Jack thought for a moment.

Then he asked, “Dr. Manx, can you bring up the fight on the view screen, to time index 5 14 93, and amp up the sound to um 12 decibels? That is my answer.” “Why certainly.” A picture of Jack whispering into Lang-Low’s ear appeared. The video played. Jack’s whispered voice came on loudly, “Not to mention that every night, I have the same nightmare over and over. The one where you killed my father, while I watched and I could do nothing. I was only eight. He is the one you just tried to kill.”

“That’s enough, Dr. Manx. You have my answer.” Everyone in the room was silent. Finally, Commander Cruger spoke up. “I understand, after years of nightmares of my world’s destruction, with six months of living nightmares, given the chance to save it, even at the risk of changing time, or failing a mission, I might take it. So, you’re Jack Landors.” “Yes sir, I am.”

“What was your mission? Perhaps we can help.” “What does it matter? My mission is blown any way,” Jack said bitterly. “My father was meant to die, not to live. Now his life stretches out before him, changing everything.” “Let me take care of that Jack, there maybe a way to fix that without killing him.”

Jack was skeptical about that, but said, “Alright. Morgana, a most dangerous criminal, will arrive in 20 hours. She will attempt to kidnap Schuylar Tate, the young son of Jonathon Tate, the late Red Ranger. He has been chosen by the Morphing Grid to be the Blue SPD Protector Ranger. If she succeeds, she will take him to Emperor Grumm himself to be brainwashed and trained to be the Dark Sky Ranger, and you can imagine what damage that will do.”

Jack spent the next 16 hours preparing for his encounter sleeping, training and regenerating. Finally, the call came. He reported to the Command Room.

Rewritten Chapter Five:
Protector

Jack reported to the Command Room at the time specified. Commander Cruger looked up and grunted. “Ah, yes Jack.” He turned to the cadet standing next to him. “Bring young Schuylar Tate to me.” “Yes, sir.” The cadet left. “Are you ready for this, Jack? This may well be the toughest battle even you have ever faced.” “As ready as I’ll ever be, sir.” “Remember, once you have engaged, our rangers are of no use to you, they are to Morgana, as normal humans are to aliens. Therefore it is up to you.”

“Right. No pressure.” “What do you mean no pressure? I just said…” “Sir, as you will learn during your years here, sarcasm is a dry humor, used by humans to state the opposite of what we mean. ‘No pressure’ is a common statement that means something like, “Wow, what more pressure could you place on me, since you’ve already placed all the pressure in the world on me?” “Oh.”

Jack’s thoughts drifted while he waited, and soon they turned to Matt. He wondered what life Matt would have in this timeline. “Dr. Manx, Commander Cruger?” Both looked up and growled, resenting being talked to at the same time; before the planets of Sirius and Leo were destroyed, they were great rivals. Though in time Commander Cruger and Dr. Manx would become close friends, almost like brother and sister, now they merely continued their age-old battle.

“I was wondering; Matthew Longton. In my timeline, you accepted him in Sky’s place. What will happen to him now?” Dr. Manx glanced at Commander Cruger and then looked at Jack. “Matt scored high on his acceptance test, only one point below Sky’s. We recommended that he be accepted to the Nebula Academy that just started.”

“In my time, that is the finest academy of all SPD academies! That’s awesome! Was he accepted?” Jack was ecstatic for Matt. “Yes, and we are sending the message with Sky, that with his parents’ permission, he is to leave immediately.” The realization struck Jack like a pile of bricks. He put his hand to the mouthpiece of his helmet in shock. “No.” He whispered. If he had been able to cry, he would have. “Jack, is there a problem?” Dr. Manx asked, looking worried. Jack looked up at her, then down again, sighing.

“I met Matt when we were ten, he an SPD cadet, and I a homeless street kid. In time, we became good friends. When he came into his final years of training, we stopped seeing each other for a long time. When we finally saw each other again I was playing modern day Robin Hood with Elizabeth Delgado, whom we now call Z. She was also a street kid at the time and like a sister to me. He was newly promoted to B-Squad Active Status, along with Syd, or Sydney Drew and Bridge Carson. You yourself, Sir, had, as their first orders, ordered them to bring in the Parkington Square Thieves – namely Z and me.

“They were going to use force, if need be, to bring us in, as SPD Regulations require. When Matt saw me use my power, he knew me, and refused to fight telling Bridge and Syd not to fight either, for just a moment. Then, for the sake of our friendship, he asked me to come quietly. And for the sake of our friendship, I did. In time, we become closer than brothers. He helped me to be a better leader. I taught him Martial Arts. He may not have had a civilian power, but his hard word made up for it. I was not given this mission by Commander Quentez, but by your spirit that was within the Morphing Grid. That is how I learned everything I do know, but at the time I didn’t know of the need to Time Travel, to restore time. I told Matt what I knew that referred to him. I did not tell him how I knew.”

Jack slowly clenched his shaking fist. “It was that conversation that prompted his soul-searching. If … if… if I … hadn’t spoke to him, he would not died … and the explosion that killed Dr. Bootoo … would not have occurred. I … I … k-k-killed them. My best friend and I betrayed him. Until now, I thought that friendship knew no greater betrayal, but there is. I’m about to make sure that our friendship never existed in the first place!”
Up until now, Commander Cruger, and Dr. Manx, had been quiet, when he told them the truth of his orders they glared at him, when he told of Matt’s death, they stared in shock. Now, Commander Cruger silently placed a paw on Jack shoulder. “You may be indirectly responsible for their deaths, Jack,” Dr. Manx said, quietly. “But that wasn’t your intent. You wished only to help Matt and fix what was broken.”

Then the cadet returned the young Schyular Tate. “Ah, young Schuylar,” Commander Cruger said. “Reporting for Duty, Sir.” Commander Cruger chuckled. “You don’t have say that, yet. You’re not moved in yet, nor have you gotten the uniform.”

“You’ve already chosen someone to replace my father?” Sky blurted out, looking at Jack. Jack knelt in front of him and placed his hand on Sky’s shoulder. In a lighter tone voice, he said, “Young Sky, I am not your father’s replacement. I am of a totally different team. I have traveled a long way to protect you – twelve years. I have traveled from the future, to protect you, for you have a great destiny.”

“Wow! But uh won’t people notice an SPD member walking with me? I mean that will draw more attention, right?” “Well, I have a little trick up my sleeve.” Jack stood up and took a step back. “Power Down!” He shouted. To a ball of light, he returned. “Whoa!”

“Schyular, I need you to deliver this to Matthew Longton’s parents.” “You got it, Sir.”

Sometime later, they made it to Matt’s house, unchallenged. Sky knocked and it was Matt who answered. This was a Matt younger than Jack had ever known. Jack, hating himself, hung back and watched. Sky handed the mail from the Nebula Academy to Matt’s parents and then took Matt aside to apologize to Matt, who by this time had recovered. Soon they were laughing and joking like old friends again. Jack watched sadly, knowing that in another timeline, this kid and he would have been good friends. Time passed quickly, and Sky looked at the sky and said, “Matt, I have to go home, now okay?” “Okay, see you later.”

Sky came out of the house, and said “I’m ready, let’s go home.” Jack didn’t say anything at first. Something was very wrong. He sensed something. “Jack?” Sky asked. Mr. and Mrs. Longton came out of the house with Matt. “Who ya talkin’ to, Sky?” Matt asked. The breeze picked up severely. “Get back into house,” Jack said, fear creeping up into his voice. “Who said that?” Mr. Longton asked. “Jack, what is it?” Young Sky asked looking up him.

Jack didn’t have time to answer, for suddenly Morgana appeared. “Well, young Sky, you’ve led me on quite a chase. Tell, which one of the rangers has returned to change your path. “That’ll be me.” Jack retorted floating in front of Sky, Matt, and Matt’s parents. Morgana sneered and said, “Well, if isn’t you, Sam!” “Sam? Who is Sam? I don’t anybody named Sam.” Jack said confused. “SPD Emergency!” He transformed.

Jack had only known one Sam in his life, Sam the boy with the civilian powers that had joined the academy a few weeks back, but that couldn’t be who she was talking about. Unless he went on to become the Omega Ranger and came back in time to save us, but only became Omega Ranger because, in which case I would never meet him, and that does make sense, Jack thought.

“What? They sent you? Jack? But why?” “Because the Shadow Ranger was killed before he got the chance to become the Shadow Ranger. The Cat Ranger left before she became the Cat Ranger, the Omega Ranger will never exist. The original one chosen as Blue Ranger was evil, the one that replaced he had no civilian powers, and died just recently, the one that replaced him is a rookie. The Green Ranger would just confuse everyone, and the Pink Ranger is too spoiled. That leaves the Yellow Ranger and me. While she is a good fighter and has a caring heart, things that might help in her battle, I am the only one left that wouldn’t be powerless against you. With my new Battilizer mode and my strenuous training, I at least have a chance against you.”

“Wait a minute, you are from the timeline I created by coming back! That means that I shall be victorious!” “Don’t be so sure. It’s time to AMP IT UP! RIC NOW! BATTILIZER MODE! AQUA MORPHER!” Jack received his Aqua Morpher from RIC; he pressed the code buttons and yelled. “Cyber Mode! AMP IT UP!” He pressed the other code buttons and yelled, “Lightspeed Mode!” Jack knew that he would need everything he had to defeat her, and so had skipped SWAT Mode as well as Cyber mode.

She lunged; he stepped aside and used the strength of her lunge to throw her back. The battle had begun, and Jack, as he always did now, he let his mind go and let his training, instinct and experience combine. The battle filled his reality; it was as if he had always been fighting and he always would; all he knew was the next move. He fought gracefully, his entire body flowing.
At Cadet Command, Commander Cruger and Kat watched in amazement, never had a ranger fought like this; without thought. Like he and his body were one, perfect coordination. Sky and Matt too were amazed; 360 flips, and tripping. Morgana began to be afraid of the fluid movement of Jack. Jack was good, powerful, but not perfect. Every so often, Morgana would get a blow in, a powerful at that.

The battle stretched on for 10 min, 15, and 20. Finally, Jack brought Morgana’s energy low enough to contain her. He judged her for her many crimes. She was found guilty. But just the containment was starting; she threw one last blow and gave it all she had. One moment Jack was standing there, the next he was on the ground, listening to someone screaming in agony, not knowing that it was himself. Pain, unbearable pain left his body convulsing, wreaking havoc on his internal organs.

He watched as if from afar, blanking out every few seconds. He heard his erratic heartbeat pounding away. BOOM! Breath. BOOM! BOOM! The pain, the sounds the sights were all distant. SPD paramedics arrived. They put him on a stretcher, and brought him to the SPD Hospital. Commander Cruger was there. The doctor talked to him loudly, but Jack could not hear them. They were so far away, four, no five feet, but it seemed so much further.

Commander Cruger, came to him and spoke. Jack barely heard him. “Jack, everything is taken care of here. Your father is not dead, but he is out of the picture. Your mission to protect Sky is complete. Morgana’s card is in your pouch. Everything is done. You though, are badly injured. Our Doctors can do nothing, at least while you are in your suit. If you don’t get help soon, you will die. I will take of the MED, the memory erase-ment device. Kat has successfully prepared a Time Vortex to return you to your own time, and it will reconstruct your human form natural, there will be no merging, but your injuries will remain.”

Jack blacked out at that point and began to dream of the Morphing Grid, wanting to join the GOOD, but Jonathan Tate was barring the way. Then Jack knew no more.

The End