The Day of Light
Note: The PRZ story sequences take place after “Power Rangers Zeo: Good as Gold”, while the MMPR story sequences take place after “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Green Candle”
It was the beginning of the perfect day for Adam Park, the birds were singing their joy, the grass was a bright shade of green, the sun’s brilliance shone down from over head. He had in his hand the one thing that mattered most to him, the hand of Tanya Sloan, the woman he loved more than life itself, the same woman he confessed his love to only one hour ago.
Walking along side her, on a little used bike dusty bike trail, he diverted his attention from the rocky path to the girl at his side, ensuring that she was perminatly burned on his memory. The way the sunlight played off her delicate ebony features, and long raven hair, the way her body moved with each step, the way her bright yellow shirt and stone-washed, blue jeans accentuated her slender curves. No wonder he’d fallen head over heels for her.
Still what he loved was not her perfect body, but also the mind that drove it,
the compassionate side that won him and the other rangers over. She had loving side that he adored and, a fire in her eyes that erupted whenever they face the hordes of the Machine Empire. It was much more than any physical love, but a deeper, purer, spiritual love, that bonded their souls in all situations.
Tanya was also busy staring. His obviously handsome features had her enthralled, his soft black hair, incredibly muscular build, well defined face,
and his flair for the dramatic. She couldn’t help but love him. It was like that from the beginning, when Aisha sent her into the future with the Zeo II crystal fragment, from the moment she laid eyes on the boy clad black, she knew she would never be alone again. Yet she could tell that their love was progressing fast, gaining the stature of Romeo and Juliet’s well publicized affair. So deep were her feelings for him, she almost knew what he was thinking before he uttered a word.
They sat on a near by bench, taking in the scenery. Adam had his arm around her, allowing the sun to beat down on his face as he rested it on the seat back. A million thoughts raced through his head on an unobstructed road.
“Adam?”
“Hmn?”
“Have you noticed Tommy acting strangely?”
“No. Has he been acting strangely?”
“Yes,” she said, almost scolding him for not noticing, “He’s been depressed,
moody. He even snapped at me for trying to help him in Chemistry.”
“Well, did he apologize?”
“Yes. But Tommy’s never done it before.”
Adam thought for a second. “Well, now that you mention it, he did say that he’d changed his mind about going up to my uncle’s cabin for the fishing trip,
Jace and I were planning for this weekend. I always thoght he and Rocky were going to do something, but Rock said that he was helping his dad do some work.”
“What fishing trip?” she said, a look of mock curiosity and shock settled into her eyes.
“Um…uh…uh, fishing trip?” he said between fits of nervious laughter, “Uh,
Jason thought_”
“Relax, Mr. Park. I knew about it. I don’t being kept in the dark though.”
“Well, we didn’t think you’d wanna go. It’s just gonna be a couple’a guys in a boat talking about football. Me and Jason have been planning for a month now.”
“And, Tommy was going to go before then? You had it planned before he and Jason their ‘problems’?” she said, her tone of vioce indicating Tommy’s recent run-in with Prince Gasket and Jason’s nearly dying because of the Golden power.
“Yeah, why?” Realization hit him like a hammer. “Oh, God. Do you think he hasn’t gotten over it yet?”
“No I don’t. I don’t think he ever will. Imagine, having you’re identity stolen, then being sent against you’re own friends.”
“He’s been through it before.”
“Yeah, but he knew who he was, he had a past when Rita put him under that spell. Or at least thats what Zordon says.”
“You have a point. Maybe he needs his friends right now,” Adam said thoughtfully.
“Y’know handsome, I think you’re catching on. Let’s go find him.”
“Hmm, I hope he’s at the Youth Center. I’m starving.”
“Don’t tell me forgot that we’re eating lunch with you’re parents today, did you?”
“Hmm? Oh no. I didn’t forget.”
Adam and Tanya got up, and started down the dusty trail once more, their inly thoughts, those of concern for their friend. In the bushes, a dark figure watched them silently, carful to stay far enough away so as not to alert the sences of the teens. It’s eyes narrowed as they walked out of site. “This is where it begins,” it thought.
four years earlier…
“Zordon?” called a deep booming voice from the ether, “what the hell is going on here?” he asked, his voice full of a fear that refused to be contained.
Jason Scott stood in a dark room, illuminated only by a red light above his head, that darkened the red shirt and black pants he wore. His heart sank deeper into the dispair that weighed it down, recalling how he made it to this point, deep within the bowels of the enormous Command Center where the Power Rangers base was located.
He remembered the TaeKwonDo tournament 3 months ago, where he fought the strange boy in the green tank-top, who would become his best friend, ally, and his greatest enemy, Tommy, the Green Ranger. He remembered how Tommy, against his will, jumped into the cockpit of the DinoMegaZord, and attacked them for the first time, his only words being, “Long live Empress Rita,” as he pummeled each ranger into the ground. Then his memory drifted further into the future,
where, after the destruction of the Sword of Darkness, Tommy became the most valued member of the team, coming into a battle when needed, and saving their butts each time. Then finally, the most painful of all memories, the day Rita Repulsa unleashed her most dastardly weapon, the Green Candle, which she used to rob Tommy of his power, an attempt that was foiled once more, as Tommy gave his Power Coin to Jason, stopping the power transfer.
“Crap,” he thought, scolding himself, “focus your mind on the here and now.”
The test will take as long as necessary, Jason, do everything possible to stop the simulation, except activating the Dragoncoin’s powers until the last possible minute, understood? You are still quite new to the power that comes from mixing of power of two of the coins , we must guage your performance,
said the deep familiar voice of the team mentor, Zordon
“Yeah, let’s do it,”
Then begin!
As the room began to lighten, a flash of incandescent white light entered the room at blinding speed, and stopped about ten feet from him. Hanging in lessening darkness, it began to change. The rays of light began slowly coaless, taking on a strangely human-like form. The void of light soon finished, changing into an exact likeness of Jason himself, except devoid of color, and in a strange looking jumpsuit.
Jason was amazed, Zordon said he would face his greatest enemy, but he didn’t expect this. He expected Goldar maybe, or King Sphinx, but himself? This was a challenge he never expected, his heart leapt into his throat, choking off words he desperately needed to say. His hand darted behind his back, searching desperately for the reassuring feel of the cold metallic surface of his Power Morpher, gripping it in his hand, he quickly released it as though it burned him, remembering the rules that governed the Power Rangers.
Drawing back into a basic fighting stance, he watched as his double did the same. They circled each other for a moments time, looking like mirror reflections of each other. The double finally took the initiative and lunged at Jason in full force. The blow was swift and hard, at least twice the strength of Jason’s normal punch, “So, there is a difference between the two of us,” he thought to himself, “maybe I could use it against him.”
“All right bud, let’s see what you’ve got!” he yelled in determination as he ran at double his top speed, moving to a jump kick position to test his opponents agility and speed. The kick almost connected, but there was a blurring movement that knocked his leg away, before the doppleganger did several astonishing leaps fifteen to twenty feet into the air, landing an easy ten yards away. Jason began formulating his plans. He would tire the double out, force it to waste energy by chasing after him, and engaging in meaningless fights, causing the twin to falter, he hoped.
Jason charged at his opponent, quickly, and effortlessly executing several moves he’d been working on for the past week, “The Signature” he called it.
Still with blinding speed and skill, each move was blocked, parried, and returned with amazing force.
During one of the “meaningless” fights, Jason ended up leaving his side open and after punch from his doppleganger he heard a faint crack, much like a pindrop, and the peculiar taste of blood, he then realized how hopeless this struggle was in these conditions.
Doing a series of painful backflips, Jason came to rest about fourteen feet away from the doppleganger. Reaching behind his back, he griped the cold morpher from his belt and pulled it forth, screaming the name of his dinosaur totem into the room.
“Tyrannosaurus,” his voice full of cold, iron resolve. Enveloped in a red flash of blinding light, a torrent of spectacularly deep crimson that hid the form of the man within. The light died, and, the form of Jason Scott was replaced by that of a man in a red spandex jumpsuit, with a large white diamond on the chest, with two opposing half-diamonds to each side. Upon his head was helmet of solid red, in the form of a snarling dinosaur, with it’s teeth clutched around an obsidian visor, while in a gloved hand, a sword,
approximatly five feet from tip to cross guard.
“OK, bud, you had the upper hand for a while, but let’s see how you handle this!”
Jumping from his position, he leaped fifteen feet from the ground, clutching the Power Sword hoisted above his head, ready bring it down over his opponents head. Comming down, Jason, high on the wave of increased adrenaline his powers were feeding him, failed to notice the doppleganger’s exact same transformation, while different in color, take place on his opponent, only instead of another Red Ranger, the color scheme of his costume was reversed. A “white” Ranger now stood to challenge him, with a sword of the exact same make.
Astonished, Jason missed his mark, and instead came down beside his twin, this time he would strike for the head, surely that would stop it. But this wasn’t to be, again, each move he made was once more met and returned, “This is not going like I planned,” he thought to himself, as he fought to meet the opponent who was now at least ten times stronger than him. Still, using all his strength couldn’t stop him, Jason could feel himself growing week, as he and his powers fought to stay alive from the onslaught that was being visited upon him.
Every so often, a blow from the doppleganger would get through, one sliced a good gash in Jason’s leg, another, breaking his arm, once more, despair filled his heart as he knew of his only alternative.
Instinctively, Jason rolled away from a blow that would otherwise take his head off, and rose to his feet only a few steps form the aggressor. His arm and leg both burned with a red-hot pain that took his concentration from the task at hand, allowing a last blow to hit him and smash his collar bone, the force of the impact thrusting him to the far-off, invisible wall. At once Jason was on his feet, though shaking uncontrollably, his vision blurring,
blood gushing like a geyser from the wound on his leg, “Only…one…chance,”
he thought, his head and heart full of intense pain, “have to call the DragonShield.”
Once more his double came at him, eyes full of rage, hitting Jason with the full force of the impact, knocking him to the ground. Jason tried to get up,
but his double stood with his foot upon Jason’s chest, crushing his ribcage.
Scanning about desperately, ignoring the pain his entire body was trying to call to his attention, he saw the Power Sword just out of his reach.
“D..D..Drag..on Zor…d Po…wer!” he wheezed, as a tiny golden beam of light exploded forth from his chest, which quickly enveloped the whole diamond that covered it. Across Jason’s shoulders, two large shields spread forth to connect to the diamond, and connected on his back. Another light shot forth from the shield, throwing the doppleganger from his feet and off Jason, who quickly rose to his feet, “I don’t believe it, Zordon was right, the shield will heal me!” he mused to himself, as the golden energy from the shield ravished his broken body, knitting wounds, mending bones, and invigorating him.
“I call on the power of the Dragon Dagger,” Jason yelled at the top of his lungs. A green energy enveloped his hand, and coalesced into that of a small dagger. Motioning his arm to his right, the Power Sword flew from the floor,
and into his waiting hand, “Try this on for size,” Jason said, his eyes narrowing in rage under the helmet.
“Tyrannisaurus-DragonZord Power!” Jason screamed at the top of his lungs, as he crossed the blades the Power Sword and Dragon Dagger and thrust them in the direction of his doppleganger. The weapons glowed and hissed with power. Two beams, one of dark crimson, and one of an even darker green, were joined by dark yellow beam from the DragonShield. The beams struck Jason’s twin dead in the chest, and spread out from the impact point, enveloping his entire body,
and then were absorbed into the monsters body. It began to glow, an eerie,
ethereal green, which then slowly intensified.
The doppleganger’s dying screams were lost on Jason as the world around faded away and was replaced by a red grid of inter-connected squares, and a small black door, which slowly opened, and revealed a shadow…
Angel Grove Gym and Juice Bar, now
Tommy Oliver sat lost in thought at a table over looking the martial arts mat of the Juice Bar, running the events of the past few weeks over and over again in his head. Adam and Tanya getting closer than ever, now officially in love,
Rocky off on a quest to the library, to find out more about his family line,
and getting help from his blind friend Penny, Jason and his friend Emily as well, were getting as close as they possibly could, unfortunately, Jason had also confided in him that something was causing them not to connect on the levels they wanted to, he was planning on asking her about it today, Tommy tried to feel compassion for his friend, but found only overwhelming self-pity.
A foot away, Kathrine Hillard, Jason Scott, his girlfriend Emily, and Rocky DeSantos walked to his table and sat down, Rocky’s mouth was already running ninety miles an hour. “Man, I’m telling you, Mrs. Applebee has it in for me,”
he said, noticing the disbelieving looks on the faces of his companions, “she does!”
“Oh, come on Rocky, she does not,” Kat retorted, “it wasn’t her fault you failed the exam.”
“Well I don’t know about that Kat,” Jason said, “she never has liked me, I’m surprised she’s put up with me for this long.”
“Actually you’re not that hard to put up with,” Emily stated, before Jason’s face turned several shades of red in two seconds.
“Hey pal, I hear Bulk and Skull need a new traffic light,” Rocky said laughing.
Hearing that, Jason had no chioce but to retort. “Yeah, at least my brain isn’t sitting in Billy’s future lab.”
“Ah, yes. But, what I lack in brain power, I more than make up for in looks!”
Rocky said, “Jace, no offence, but don’t give up your day job. Cut downs are my department.”
“Only ’cause the only job you’ll get that will match this incredible skill,
will require a name on your shirt.”
“Better. I give it a ten for originality, nine for execution, and a negative 60, for effectiveness.”
“I swear, I’ll get you one day man.”
“Yeah, when Delphine and Auico move to the Mojave.” Rocky’s mood quickly changed, from one of happiness to one of concern as he saw Tommy’s somber expression.
“Hey bro, why so down?” asked Jason, his voice full of concern.
“Huh. Oh, nothing Jace, just feelin’ my age I guess,” Tommy replied, his voice barely heard. Tommy glanced at his companions one by one, Jason at first, life-long friend, as he watched the boy in the in the onyx-black Taekwondo uniform looking at him thoughtfully, he wished he could say how much he envied Jason. He had everything he ever wanted out of life, and actually had a normal life, ever since he was forced to give up the Gold Ranger Power.
His eyes then moved to his good friend Rocky, the heart of the group, he was intrigued by how Rocky could have such an incredibly light outlook on life,
there was nothing anyone could ever do to bring him out of his sickening,
all-time happiness. He sat beside Tommy and ran over every old joke he knew,
the crack about feeling his age was a golden opportunity for the teen in the blue T-shirt, and old, worn-out jeans, that had so many slashes in them, Tommy was surprised the didn’t fall away with each step. Then his mind, and eyes settled on Katherine, whose wide, earth-brown eyes were looking at Rocky,
trying to shut him up. It was all he could do to turn his eyes from her, and even then to no avail, as they quickly raced back to find her, and burn her form onto his memory. Her blond hair, that shined like a moon on a clear night, all put up in a bun, her small face, every inch of her. “She’s beautiful” he thought in the back of his mind, unknown to his conscious mind,
which was still focused on his depression.
“All eighteen years of it, huh?” said Rocky, while poking Tommy in the ribs.
“Uh, yeah, I guess,” he replied.
Kat noticed Tommy’s obvious rut, she knew by experience that he was never, as long as she had known him, so depressed. She had spoken to Jason on many occasions about the old days, when the original Rangers had been the only line of defense against Rita Repulsa, and later Lord Zedd. She tried to understand what linked them all so closely in battle, what made them such a close-knit unit, a family. Jason’s answer was always simple, because they needed other.
Jason would talk about when Tommy became the Green Ranger, how he had bought them all even closer, and how they they began to drift apart after he lost his power. Jason told her that Tommy was always depressed after the incident with the green candle, that it hardened his determination in battle, and how it ultimately drove him from the rangers, only to return as the White Ranger. Kat had always imagined how he felt, she now knew, this rut was far worse.
Katherine knew the news she had would only worsen his mood. She forced back the words as she settled into her chair. Katherine knew that in four days,
Tommy’s first love, and her best friend would return to Angel Grove. Kim had,
in a letter she sent from Florida, that spoke of another man, a letter that broke his heart, and his world, apart. Tommy tried to hide it a thousand time under the helmet of Ranger V, hoping that his work, his love for the Rangers would bury his hurt over Kim. He was able to fool everyone, except, Kat, she knew too well, that Tommy was in pain. Kat had almost begun to hate Kim for doing this to him, but she knew that love is often a strange force that hardly ever shows hints of predictability.
Kat’s feeling for Tommy were genuine. He was the first to befriend her when she came to town, even though her heart and soul had been twisted into an evil subservient of Rita Repulsa. In, Austrailia, she had lived an almost storybook life. Her family was rich, her home was big, and her pockets were deep, she had everything she’d ever need. But, a tragic accident changed all that.
She was on the diving team at her school, and was almost a virtuoso. She was doing a routein dive when she slipped, fell in, and hit her head on the side of the pool. After six months in the hospital, her family came to Angel Grove,
where she met a woman who would change her life, literally. Rita Repulsa transformed Kat into a living weapon to use against the Power Rangers. After a few battles, Kim, unkown to her, helped Kat break the spell, and formed a friendship that would not break. She may have hated Kim, but only for the briefest of moments. Kat sat in her chair, and stared at Tommy, she knew that she had to be there there for him, but the question was, How?
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