Strike Force

[jetfire85]

Yep, I'm going to start this again, as part of the upcoming mega collaboration. The MC is going to be the new team's first adventure, but I'm going to start with a story of the old team. Enjoy.


One: Everything’s As If We Never Said Goodbye

Five of them stood around the grave of Trini Kwan.

There was one missing, and that irked Kimberly. She knew Tommy was still an active Ranger; that wasn’t her problem. He knew that this was the second anniversary of Trini’s death. She had a lot of qualms with Tommy, but this took the cake. She placed a bouquet of pink carnations on the grave.

Zach stood next to Kim on one side. He admittedly was the one who knew Trini the least. Kim had been her best friend; Jason had been her sparring partner; Billy had been her boyfriend. And Tommy… he didn’t want to think about Tommy. He placed his bouquet of violets on the grave.

Jason stood on the other side of Kimberly, his new wife. Life after the destruction of Serpentera had been rough: the studio burning down, Emily running off with Rocky… but he finally found peace with Kim. Even if she did have her emotional baggage. Jason placed his bouquet of tulips on Trini’s grave.

Aisha came next. She had replaced Trini on the Dino Ranger roster after her death; she was the only replacement still in her original role. Kat, Rocky and Adam were all in Zeo. The other teams had already come to the grave, but as Aisha put her bouquet of yellow roses on the grave, she knew that no other team had known Trini.

Billy was the last. He placed his bouquet of specially bred Aquitian blue bloomers on the grave. The anniversary of the death of his first love was the only time he came back to Earth. He knew he had to return soon; he could feel the hydroponics garden in Aquata call out to him.

They waited a few minutes for Tommy. A shimmer of green energy appeared, and they prepared to morph as three spirits walked out of the portal. Silently, Kim held out her arm to stop her comrades.

“Let them say their peace,” she told them. “They always come here on Trini’s anniversary.”

“Trini Kwan,” said the Dark Warrior, bending down. “You were a worthy opponent. I salute you.”

“Trini Kwan,” hissed the Praying Mantis as he knelt beside the monster, “I bow to you as a defeated foe. You did well.”

Zach gasped when she saw the third one.

“Mr. Ticklesneezer. But he never existed!” whispered Zach.

“Trini,” the gnome cried. “I—oh!”

The monster fell down and began to cry.

“They came,” muttered Billy. “Dead monsters came… and he didn’t.”

“Billy, please,” urged Aisha. “Not today. We can talk to him tomorrow.”

They watched as Praying Mantis and Dark Warrior helped the gnome to his feet. Jason nodded to them, and they nodded back. Then the green shimmer took them away once more.

“I… I don’t get it,” Zach said. “I thought Ticklesneezer was only a dream.”

“I thought so too,” Billy added. “That’s odd…”

“You mean, you had that dream as well?” asked Kim.

“Me too,” Jason mused. “That’s weird. We all had that dream.”

Aisha looked at her comrades. “Did Tommy ever have the dream?”

“No, he wasn’t on the team then,” Jason replied. “The only person who would know about this is Zordon… and he’s in the same place as Trini.”

“I’d hope not,” Kim mumbled.

As they turned to leave the grave, a purple portal formed in the ground. An armored figure rose out of it. Kim, Billy and Aisha recognized him immediately.

“Ninjor!” declared Aisha, embracing the ninja.

“I thought you were locked away in the temple!” Billy said, shaking his hand.

“No, no, I’ve moved to a new base of operations,” he explained. “Where are Adam, Rocky and Tommy?”

“Adam and Rocky are in the Zeo team now; they were here earlier. We haven’t seen Tommy yet,” Kim explained.

Kim hugged Ninjor tightly and whispered, “Is she safe?”

“Yes,” he replied, “and she wants to see you and Jason.”

“So you’re Ninjor,” Zach said. “Zach Taylor, original Black Ranger.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Ninjor said, shaking his hand. “And Jason!”

“Good to see you, Ninja-Man,” the Red Ranger said, high-fiving him. “You ready to get beaten again?”

“Later on. I do have a few new moves… anyway, I’m here because I have news. The Dino Thunder team is on its last few missions.”

“Good, then maybe Tommy can have some time to visit his friend’s grave,” hissed Billy.

“That’s not important. I have some powers for the new team… I need you five to help recruit. Find five young men and women you can trust with your old color.”

“Ninjor, I’d love to help, but I have to get back to Aquitar,” Billy protested.

The purple ninja looked at him. “What happened to you, Billy? You used to be one of the most dedicated Rangers around.”

“Considering that I can only be morphed for an hour at a time now, I think I have the right to be bitter. And it’s not like you haven’t changed, Dudley Do-Right.”

“Dedication to an art can make you a serious person. I see that now. It happened to both of us. I became dedicated to mastering the mystic arts of Earth. You became dedicated to your alien society. This team deserves a new Blue Ranger.”

“Who? You?”

“Yes. Me.”

Billy and Ninjor glared at each other. Billy then removed his morpher and handed it to his former advisor. “Take it. And don’t call me next time you need the Megazord fixed. I won’t answer the phone. Up.”

With that one word, his spaceship beamed him up.

The roster had changed once again.

Changes… the original Rangers were accustomed to it. Changes in powers, changes in Zords, changes in who wore the suits… no matter what, the team always stayed together. They had Zordon to thank for that.

They had Zordon to thank for a lot of things.

But now Zordon was gone, and the Rangers had to think for themselves.