Jennifer24
03-22-2009, 10:05 PM
Not that there was anything wrong with the original, but I wanted a bit more. This isn't anything much -- just a little drabble I put together today for fun after re-watching the episode. I hope you enjoy it.
Power Rangers RPM: "Go for the Green" alternate ending
Once Ziggy removed his helmet for the very first time, things happened quickly, and he barely had time to appreciate the uniquely horrified expressions before him. Summer was stunned and Flynn looked like he'd just sucked down a mouthful of spoiled milk; Dr. K alone remained stoic, although that was to be expected, since she was a disembodied voice emitting from a computer screen. Scott's face was particularly pained, and if there had been time to come up with a name for it, Ziggy probably would have settled on something around "toxic nausea." It was two parts disbelief, six parts shock, and everything else a big, gaping pit of dawning horror. It might have actually been funny if Ziggy himself hadn't been standing there in a skin-tight green outfit that really seemed like spandex no matter what Dr. K called it, feeling even scrawnier than usual and trying to dredge up some semblance of a winning smile to counter the expressions of abject disbelief that met him on the faces of the core team.
Flynn was the first to speak. "This is a joke, right?" he managed, the accent thicker than usual.
"A bad one?" Summer added faintly.
Scott's face screwed into a deep scowl. "Look, Ziggy... you can't just be a ranger!"
Dr. K jumped in, her words nearly overlapping theirs. "There is a strict series of tests designed to assess the qualifications of an operator," she said brusquely. Scott waved a hand at the screen in agreement, his accusatory gaze still sharp and fixed with pinpoint accuracy on Ziggy's nervous form.
Facing the others, Dillon shifted and cleared his throat a little. "Well, he may not be the *ideal* choice..."
"I would say, far from it." Even without a face or body to speak of, Dr. K was radiating annoyance.
"But, you said he had to do anything to keep the morpher from enemy hands," Dillon added quickly. "Bonding with it himself was the only way he could do it."
"But that's permanent!" Flynn protested.
"That's right," Dillon shrugged, and Ziggy could see a hint of a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "This is a done deal, fellow Rangers... so we all better start getting used to it."
Scott was rubbing his temples, as though he could feel the world's biggest headache coming on. "Is that right? Well, somehow I missed the part where this became your decision, Dillon."
The Black Ranger tensed, his eyes narrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means this is a disaster, that's what," Scott snapped. "And we need to decide, as a group, how we're going to deal with this."
"What's there to deal with?" Dillon asked. "Ziggy's the Green Ranger now. You said yourselves, it's permanent."
Flynn ran a hand through his hair, still blinking at Ziggy as though trapped in a nightmare. "This can't work," he said aloud. "Can it?"
"Of course it can't," Scott replied, turning toward him and pointedly ignoring both Dillon and Ziggy. "We've lost Series Green, that's for damn sure."
Dillon's expression was murderous. "What are you talking about, Scott? Ziggy is right here; he's one of us!"
"That's the problem," Scott said, and when he cast a sidelong glance over at them, the look was filled with such disgust that Ziggy had to consciously keep himself from taking a step back. "What are we supposed to do with a ranger who can't fight? He's got no talent, no ability--"
Ziggy swallowed. "Uh, you know, I *am* standing right here."
"Well, what was he supposed to do?" Dillon demanded. "If it wasn't for him, that Venjix robot would have the green powers right now. That's the last thing we need."
Scott's eyes narrowed to slits, and he stepped forward, putting his face inches from Dillon's own. "Yeah. Because God knows we don't need two of you."
"Stop it! Both of you, and I mean it." It was Summer's turn now, and she stepped between the two, shoving both of them back bodily despite her small size. Scott jerked away, his shoulders tense, and Dillon glared at his back. "Dillon, what exactly happened out there?" she asked.
Dillon's gaze was still boring holes into Scott, but it softened a little when Summer spoke. "Tenaya... she was trying to get the morpher away from Ziggy. They were fighting." He glanced up at Summer, who listened intently, and at Flynn, who had stepped up to stand behind her. "For a pipsqueak, he was really holding his own."
"I didn't notice you helping out much there, partner," Ziggy muttered.
"She packed a punch," Dillon continued. "My power reserves got knocked offline. By the time I got myself together... Ziggy was the Green Ranger."
All eyes turned to him then, and Ziggy fingered the helmet under his arm nervously, rubbing his fingers over the smooth engravings there. "Look, I... I'm sorry," he finally said, at a loss for anything else. "I didn't know what else to do."
Silence followed.
Finally, Flynn sighed, deep and resigned. "You did the right thing, Ziggy," he said. "I guess there wasn't anything else."
"Let's not forget, it never should have happened," Scott muttered.
"But it did," Dillon hissed back.
"Did you even think about stopping it?"
"I did everything I could to protect him!"
"I don't care about him! I care about the powers!"
"Well, that's real kind of you, Scott."
"What's done is done," Dr. K interrupted. Even she sounded tired. "The DNA process is irreversible."
"Dr. K is right," Summer said. She glanced back at Ziggy, and he felt distinctly uncomfortable as her critical gaze swept over his narrow frame. "It is what it is."
"Fine," Scott said flatly. He looked ready to put his fist through the wall, and he turned to Dr. K, his jaw tight. "Here's what I want to know. This defense program was designed for five rangers, not four. How are we going to protect Corinth without the green powers?"
Ziggy glanced down at his uniform. "I... don't I have those?"
"Precisely my point," Scott replied darkly. "This is the last time he wears that suit. And I want the green morpher destroyed."
Summer's eyes widened. "What? Scott--"
"You can't do that," Flynn warned. "They're interconnected."
"That is correct," Dr. K said. "If the green morpher is destroyed, it will weaken the remaining four. As unfortunate as it is, Ziggy will need to retain and protect the device."
"Okay," Scott nodded. "But he's not morphing. Never again."
"What, you're saying he can't use his own powers?" Dillon demanded.
"They're not his powers!" Scott shouted back, then caught himself, taking a deep breath. "They shouldn't be."
"But they are," Dillon snapped.
Scott's eyes flashed with anger. "He's a liability."
"You didn't see him on the battlefield."
"Yes, I did! He was hiding behind a tree, and then he was hiding behind you!"
Dillon shook his head, muscles tight. "Tenaya could have killed him. Don't you understand that? He wasn't morphed when she attacked him. I mean, she identified herself as a Venjix infiltration attack bot. And he's--" Dillon twisted to look at Ziggy, who was staring back at him openly. "Well, look at him," he finally said, and Ziggy flicked his eyebrows wryly. "He went toe to toe with her. He wasn't even a ranger, and he looked her in the eyes. That's courage, Scott. That's loyalty. And as far as I'm concerned, that's a ranger."
The silence hung again, thick and palpable. Ziggy swallowed. "You know, this may or may not be helpful, but I did take a self-defense class with my mom once."
Scott sighed, deeply.
"So do the rest of us get a say in this?" Flynn asked, and both Dillon and Scott looked at him in surprise. "Listen, Ziggy's got a world of work to do, that's for sure. But I say... let him prove himself. For better or worse, he's got the green powers. He might as well use them."
"He could hurt someone," Scott protested, though much of the venom in his voice was gone.
Summer shrugged at the words. "I think Venjix could hurt us a lot worse."
"So nobody's on my side?"
"Well, I am," Ziggy said, and the expressions that turned on him then rivaled the ones that had come just a few minutes before, when his helmet went from protecting his head to resting in his arms. "I mean... guys, c'mon. You think I don't know what a screw-up I am? I know I don't have any business being a Power Ranger. I never wanted this, but what can I do? This isn't about what I want. It isn't about what any of us wants. It's about what we have to do."
Scott watched him for a moment, then nodded gravely. "I guess you're right. And, I guess... that's it, then."
"You have some training to do, Ziggy," Dr. K said dryly. "For starters, the Turbo Ax is not meant for car windows."
"It's top-heavy," he protested, managing a ghost of a smile.
Flynn chuckled and clapped Ziggy on the shoulder. "I know something about that. The Turbo Cannon gave me the same problem when we started out. C'mon, I can get you started with it."
Ziggy followed Flynn toward the door. "One more thing... when do I get my jacket?"
Flynn laughed outright, leading the way down the hall. Ziggy started to follow, but hesitated when he heard Scott's voice behind him, echoing from the room he had just left. "I know one thing for sure," Scott said. "He's going to be your responsibility, Dillon."
"Meaning what exactly?"
"Ziggy said you're partners. It sounds good to me."
"He's going to surprise you, you know," Dillon said, and Ziggy could hear the confidence in his words.
"Can't wait," Scott replied, but there was an easiness in his voice now, and Ziggy couldn't help but grin.
Maybe being a Power Ranger wouldn't be such a terrible thing after all.
Power Rangers RPM: "Go for the Green" alternate ending
Once Ziggy removed his helmet for the very first time, things happened quickly, and he barely had time to appreciate the uniquely horrified expressions before him. Summer was stunned and Flynn looked like he'd just sucked down a mouthful of spoiled milk; Dr. K alone remained stoic, although that was to be expected, since she was a disembodied voice emitting from a computer screen. Scott's face was particularly pained, and if there had been time to come up with a name for it, Ziggy probably would have settled on something around "toxic nausea." It was two parts disbelief, six parts shock, and everything else a big, gaping pit of dawning horror. It might have actually been funny if Ziggy himself hadn't been standing there in a skin-tight green outfit that really seemed like spandex no matter what Dr. K called it, feeling even scrawnier than usual and trying to dredge up some semblance of a winning smile to counter the expressions of abject disbelief that met him on the faces of the core team.
Flynn was the first to speak. "This is a joke, right?" he managed, the accent thicker than usual.
"A bad one?" Summer added faintly.
Scott's face screwed into a deep scowl. "Look, Ziggy... you can't just be a ranger!"
Dr. K jumped in, her words nearly overlapping theirs. "There is a strict series of tests designed to assess the qualifications of an operator," she said brusquely. Scott waved a hand at the screen in agreement, his accusatory gaze still sharp and fixed with pinpoint accuracy on Ziggy's nervous form.
Facing the others, Dillon shifted and cleared his throat a little. "Well, he may not be the *ideal* choice..."
"I would say, far from it." Even without a face or body to speak of, Dr. K was radiating annoyance.
"But, you said he had to do anything to keep the morpher from enemy hands," Dillon added quickly. "Bonding with it himself was the only way he could do it."
"But that's permanent!" Flynn protested.
"That's right," Dillon shrugged, and Ziggy could see a hint of a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "This is a done deal, fellow Rangers... so we all better start getting used to it."
Scott was rubbing his temples, as though he could feel the world's biggest headache coming on. "Is that right? Well, somehow I missed the part where this became your decision, Dillon."
The Black Ranger tensed, his eyes narrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means this is a disaster, that's what," Scott snapped. "And we need to decide, as a group, how we're going to deal with this."
"What's there to deal with?" Dillon asked. "Ziggy's the Green Ranger now. You said yourselves, it's permanent."
Flynn ran a hand through his hair, still blinking at Ziggy as though trapped in a nightmare. "This can't work," he said aloud. "Can it?"
"Of course it can't," Scott replied, turning toward him and pointedly ignoring both Dillon and Ziggy. "We've lost Series Green, that's for damn sure."
Dillon's expression was murderous. "What are you talking about, Scott? Ziggy is right here; he's one of us!"
"That's the problem," Scott said, and when he cast a sidelong glance over at them, the look was filled with such disgust that Ziggy had to consciously keep himself from taking a step back. "What are we supposed to do with a ranger who can't fight? He's got no talent, no ability--"
Ziggy swallowed. "Uh, you know, I *am* standing right here."
"Well, what was he supposed to do?" Dillon demanded. "If it wasn't for him, that Venjix robot would have the green powers right now. That's the last thing we need."
Scott's eyes narrowed to slits, and he stepped forward, putting his face inches from Dillon's own. "Yeah. Because God knows we don't need two of you."
"Stop it! Both of you, and I mean it." It was Summer's turn now, and she stepped between the two, shoving both of them back bodily despite her small size. Scott jerked away, his shoulders tense, and Dillon glared at his back. "Dillon, what exactly happened out there?" she asked.
Dillon's gaze was still boring holes into Scott, but it softened a little when Summer spoke. "Tenaya... she was trying to get the morpher away from Ziggy. They were fighting." He glanced up at Summer, who listened intently, and at Flynn, who had stepped up to stand behind her. "For a pipsqueak, he was really holding his own."
"I didn't notice you helping out much there, partner," Ziggy muttered.
"She packed a punch," Dillon continued. "My power reserves got knocked offline. By the time I got myself together... Ziggy was the Green Ranger."
All eyes turned to him then, and Ziggy fingered the helmet under his arm nervously, rubbing his fingers over the smooth engravings there. "Look, I... I'm sorry," he finally said, at a loss for anything else. "I didn't know what else to do."
Silence followed.
Finally, Flynn sighed, deep and resigned. "You did the right thing, Ziggy," he said. "I guess there wasn't anything else."
"Let's not forget, it never should have happened," Scott muttered.
"But it did," Dillon hissed back.
"Did you even think about stopping it?"
"I did everything I could to protect him!"
"I don't care about him! I care about the powers!"
"Well, that's real kind of you, Scott."
"What's done is done," Dr. K interrupted. Even she sounded tired. "The DNA process is irreversible."
"Dr. K is right," Summer said. She glanced back at Ziggy, and he felt distinctly uncomfortable as her critical gaze swept over his narrow frame. "It is what it is."
"Fine," Scott said flatly. He looked ready to put his fist through the wall, and he turned to Dr. K, his jaw tight. "Here's what I want to know. This defense program was designed for five rangers, not four. How are we going to protect Corinth without the green powers?"
Ziggy glanced down at his uniform. "I... don't I have those?"
"Precisely my point," Scott replied darkly. "This is the last time he wears that suit. And I want the green morpher destroyed."
Summer's eyes widened. "What? Scott--"
"You can't do that," Flynn warned. "They're interconnected."
"That is correct," Dr. K said. "If the green morpher is destroyed, it will weaken the remaining four. As unfortunate as it is, Ziggy will need to retain and protect the device."
"Okay," Scott nodded. "But he's not morphing. Never again."
"What, you're saying he can't use his own powers?" Dillon demanded.
"They're not his powers!" Scott shouted back, then caught himself, taking a deep breath. "They shouldn't be."
"But they are," Dillon snapped.
Scott's eyes flashed with anger. "He's a liability."
"You didn't see him on the battlefield."
"Yes, I did! He was hiding behind a tree, and then he was hiding behind you!"
Dillon shook his head, muscles tight. "Tenaya could have killed him. Don't you understand that? He wasn't morphed when she attacked him. I mean, she identified herself as a Venjix infiltration attack bot. And he's--" Dillon twisted to look at Ziggy, who was staring back at him openly. "Well, look at him," he finally said, and Ziggy flicked his eyebrows wryly. "He went toe to toe with her. He wasn't even a ranger, and he looked her in the eyes. That's courage, Scott. That's loyalty. And as far as I'm concerned, that's a ranger."
The silence hung again, thick and palpable. Ziggy swallowed. "You know, this may or may not be helpful, but I did take a self-defense class with my mom once."
Scott sighed, deeply.
"So do the rest of us get a say in this?" Flynn asked, and both Dillon and Scott looked at him in surprise. "Listen, Ziggy's got a world of work to do, that's for sure. But I say... let him prove himself. For better or worse, he's got the green powers. He might as well use them."
"He could hurt someone," Scott protested, though much of the venom in his voice was gone.
Summer shrugged at the words. "I think Venjix could hurt us a lot worse."
"So nobody's on my side?"
"Well, I am," Ziggy said, and the expressions that turned on him then rivaled the ones that had come just a few minutes before, when his helmet went from protecting his head to resting in his arms. "I mean... guys, c'mon. You think I don't know what a screw-up I am? I know I don't have any business being a Power Ranger. I never wanted this, but what can I do? This isn't about what I want. It isn't about what any of us wants. It's about what we have to do."
Scott watched him for a moment, then nodded gravely. "I guess you're right. And, I guess... that's it, then."
"You have some training to do, Ziggy," Dr. K said dryly. "For starters, the Turbo Ax is not meant for car windows."
"It's top-heavy," he protested, managing a ghost of a smile.
Flynn chuckled and clapped Ziggy on the shoulder. "I know something about that. The Turbo Cannon gave me the same problem when we started out. C'mon, I can get you started with it."
Ziggy followed Flynn toward the door. "One more thing... when do I get my jacket?"
Flynn laughed outright, leading the way down the hall. Ziggy started to follow, but hesitated when he heard Scott's voice behind him, echoing from the room he had just left. "I know one thing for sure," Scott said. "He's going to be your responsibility, Dillon."
"Meaning what exactly?"
"Ziggy said you're partners. It sounds good to me."
"He's going to surprise you, you know," Dillon said, and Ziggy could hear the confidence in his words.
"Can't wait," Scott replied, but there was an easiness in his voice now, and Ziggy couldn't help but grin.
Maybe being a Power Ranger wouldn't be such a terrible thing after all.