"I, Ranger" Chapter THREE- a novel starring Tommy Oliver

[Ryuranger]

“I, Ranger,” -Chapter Three: Cry of the Falcon

When the falcon stared at me through his dark onyx eyes, I felt as if he was looking through my very soul. The falcon stared silently for what felt like ages. I was intimidated, something that didn’t happen to me often at all.

The falcon finally tilted her head and spoke. <Who are you?>

Her words were soft, but drove through me like daggers and compelled me to answer. <Tommy…I’m Tommy>

<Is that all you are? Symbols strung together to form a meaning that escapes even you?>

I shook my head. It felt like I was a Turbo Ranger again, talking to Dimitria. She always spoke in questions and it always bothered me. <No…I’m more than just a name…>

<Then who are you?>

I searched frantically through my mind for an answer to satisfy her question. I thought of my time as a Ranger, as an instructor at the Youth Center, as a student in high school and college, my short stint as a race car driver, my wife Kat, my son, my friends…

<So…> the falcon said, <You identify yourself based on how others perceive you?>

I nodded. <Partially, yes. Everyone does to an extent>

<Which is the real you?> the falcon asked as it tilted its head like the tiger and dragon before it. <Are all the perceptions other hold of you real?>

I shook my head. <No…some are more accurate than others…>

<One person’s perceptions are more real than another’s?>

I placed my hand over my forehead. I was growing tired of mind games, yet the falcon was forcing me to answer.

<Am I forcing you, or are you forcing yourself?> the falcon asked, once again looking into my thoughts.

I shook my head to clear the slight ache creeping through my brain from the falcon’s stare. <Both…I don’t know>

<If you do not know, then why did you give an answer?>

The point of the falcon’s game dawned on me. <I don’t know>

<Who are you, Thomas?>

<I don’t know> I said again.

The falcon nodded with approval. <Why is it you do not know? What makes it difficult?>

I shrugged. <We’re all many things. I’m a father, son, husband, friend…many things>

The falcon nodded again. She seemed far less intimidating and more interested in digging up answers than when she started. Or maybe I was just opening up. I’ll never be sure. <What is it that determines what you are in the now? In any given moment?>

<Where I am or what I’m doing> I answered. <It depends>

<On what?>

<On who I’m with…>

The falcon nodded again as its feathers wrinkled backwards. <So again…you are determined by others perceptions of you>

<Again…> I answered, growing impatient once more. <Everyone is to an extent. I…I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t see how it’s relevant to anything>

The falcon tilted its head, this time looking upon me as if I were its prey. <I believe it to be relevant, thus it is. You do not believe it to be relevant, thus it is not>

It was the first statement I had from the falcon since her greeting, so I knew it was important. I took a moment to reflect on what she had told me up to that point, and it all started to click.

A lopsided grin spread across my face as I looked at the falcon. <I’m whoever I chose to be. Whatever I believe I am>

<And what of others’ perceptions of you?>

I shook my head. <I am to them whatever they chose me to be>

<Which is the real you? The you yourself perceives, or the you they perceive>

My smile grew slightly larger. <Both and niether…>

The falcon nodded approvingly. <Now…> she said as she assumed a more relaxed position with her wings folded more comfortably down her sides. <Think back to the dragon and the tiger…>

I nodded. <Okay…>

The falcon leaned forward. <What is good and evil?>

I nodded before softly answering. <An illusion…>

The falcon nodded. <Anger, fear, aggression, justice, passion, righteousness, are nothing but words we use to classify truths that go beyond classification.

<Have you ever wondered what it would be like to look into the minds of the villains you fought against? Quite intriguing…even the machines were acting on their imperative: the preservation of their homeworld. They decided the best way to go about preserving their world would be to wipe out the mortals that squandered the planet’s resources, polluted its soils and air. In the machine’s reality, what they were doing was right. Was good.

<The world is not black and white, Thomas. It is not as simple as “good” and “evil.” Good and evil are only words used to describe truths that are indescribable.>

I nodded. I understood what she was saying, but it only complicated matters…especially since I was about to embark on the ultimate quest against “evil.”

<I do not intend for you to understand fully, yet, Thomas…but you will learn. What is important now is for you to understand this: do not think of yourself as good or evil, black and white…be a shadow. Cast yourself in shades of gray>

I shook my head. <But if I craft my reality in shades of gray…>

The falcon shook her head. <Start with yourself, Thomas, and go from there>

The falcon disappeared in to the light and I had to stop myself from chasing after her. I had more questions…

<Start with yourself…> her voice echoed in my mind.

I closed my eyes, drawing on every emotion in my being. My emotions were tools…tools I needed to use to guide myself. And who am I? Who did I need to be?

My thoughts drifted to the task before me. I needed to be a Ranger, of course. A champion of justice. And whatever I believed justice to be, that’s what it would be. My perception of Justice would be as right and as wrong as Zedd’s was.

The perception of justice I adopted was one of protection. It seemed too simple at the time, but I chose to fight for the safety of my loved ones. In doing so, I was as right and as wrong as the countless villains I had faced.

I was not a champion of good, and yet I was. I was not an agent of darkness, and yet I was. I was a Ranger who lived in the shadows.

[Ryuranger]

My eyes snapped open and I sat up on Angel’s Bluff.

The falcon must have been the last messenger, I thought to myself, thankful to have seen no sentient starfish or talking cars.

I stood up from the ground and realized my attire had changed. I was seeing the world through the black visor of a ranger helmet once again.

My armor appeared as a combination of every ranger suit I had donned. It’s dominant color was red, across my arms, legs, feet, and hands. This element was taken from my time as both Zeo and Turbo Red. The armor’s design was reminiscent of my old White Ranger costume. Gold bands were around my upper arms, and white cuffs outlined with gold ran across my wrists and ankles. The belt was identical to the White Ranger’s: solid gold with a maze-like design on the buckle. My chest and stomach were covered in white. A gold trim ran around my collar and down the center of my chest. My helmet was designed similar to the White Ranger’s as well, only instead of the tiger it had the golden face of the dragon.

“How is this possible?” I asked myself out loud.

The man in the dark kimono returned, looking me up and down as he smiled. “Good, Tommy. Very good indeed.”

“How?” I asked him. The only powers I still had access to were the Zeo Powers, and those morphers were nowhere near me.

The energy coursing through my veins felt like molten lava. I had experience with five different sets of powers, and none compared to the sensation I felt while wearing my new armor.

The Green Ranger always energized my body by drawing in energy from the Morphin Grid via my Power Coin. The White Tiger coin also infused my body with Morphin Grid energy, as well as the White Light of good. The Falcon coin had energized my soul, allowing my own animal spirit to draw on The Power. The Zeo and Turbo powers were by far the most simplistic. The Zeo Crystal bombarded my body with its own energy. The Turbo powers, created by Billy and Zordon, used small portions of Zeo energy and Accelerated that energy before pumping it into my system.

What I felt then as the red Dragon Ranger was different from all of those. It was like my spirit, my own life force had intensified to the point of spreading energy into my soul, body and mind. I also felt some sort of connection to another power. It was similar to the feel of the Morphin Grid, but far more intense.

“Few have been able to call upon The Power as you have, Tommy,” the black robed man said. “Tell me…what was the Morphin Grid? The Zeo Crystal? Your Power Coin?”

Thanks to a certain three guides from the spiritual realm, I had grown accustomed to answering such questions. “Sources of power…”

“Yes and no,” the man answered. “They were simple tools used to tap into an endless ocean of energy…the magicks. What you have done now, Tommy, is used your own energy, your own Ki to link directly with the magick. Since your past experiences with the magicks have all been through ‘morphing,’ that is how your body chose to establish its connection to the magick.”

I nodded as I looked over the deep crimson material across my arms. “The armor, though…were did it come from?”

“The various armors you have donned have always been nothing more than strings of spells embedded into your transformation devices. You’ve cast the spells hundreds of times without even realizing it. You did the same just now, only without the crutch of one of your…‘morphers,’” he said.

What he told me did make sense. I focused on the energy inside of me and powered down my armor. Even after returning to my normal form, I could feel the power, the magick, thrashing inside of me like a volcano waiting to erupt. It was one of the most intense feelings I had ever experienced, with a few obvious exceptions.

The man extended his hand and a golden portal appeared behind me. I turned and stared at the vortex, wishing I could see what lied on the other side.

“Where does it lead?” I asked the man whose name I still did not know.

“The first step in your journey,” the man said. “Good luck, Tommy…and may The Power protect you.”

I took a deep calming breath before stepping into the portal to face my destiny.

----to be continued in chapter four. watch for it.

---author's note: Greetings. Now that what I consider the prologue is out of the way, the real show can begin. The next chapter will be longer, so it will probably take a few days before it's up, since I'm also working on ThunderStrike as well. I just wanted to thank everyone for their feedback and readership. Every word, be it kind or otherwise, gives me great motivation to keep these fics rolling. Jana (later).

[PHAETON]

This was awesome. Cant wait to read the real thing.

[Ryuranger]

thanks for the feedback...it will be quite a ride.

[Qi]

Great Job.

[Lord ZEDD]

Simple awsome great job if the this was just the prolog I casnt wait for the actule story. Also I liked Tommy haveing suit combined of his others thats cool. Anyway great job cant wait for the rest.

[lana_christiana]

Very Interesting!
Keep em coming!!!:cool:

[Ryuranger]

Thanks for the feedback! Chapter Four will be up my mid next week at the latest, and it's working title is "Ghosts of Eltar."

Also, I've been thinking about restarting Ultimate Power Rangers this fall from scratch (by then, "I, Ranger" and season one of Thunderstrike will be complete). A lot of the episodes are rushed, as they're my earliest pieces of work. I was thinking of making each episode into a first person narrative like "I, Ranger." So for example, the first episode might be through the eyes of Jason, second through Zack, thirds through Trini...etc... would this interest anyone at all?

Anyway, thanks for reading!

my site: www.angelfire.com/extreme3/p_rangersx

[Qi]

Great job!

[Panty Strangled]

"My perception of Justice would be as right and as wrong as Zedd’s was. "

Now THAT is a line, well done, the Falcon telling Tommy to "look into the monster's minds" was an excellent way of finally showing that niether good nor evil exists in P.R, each side considers themselves "heros" to their cause

If this is the proluge, then the rest of this story will be superb, WELL DONE, another example of "Novels" done right.

[Ryuranger]

Thank you very much for the feedback, everyone. The first part of chapter four is up now. I hope you all enjoy.

This site is where I'll be posting each chapter after I'm finished: www.angelfire.com/extreme3/p_rangersx/IRanger.html