Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. Only my OCs.
Author's Note
I didn't post this in the first chapter, but I wanted to kind of give a side note here. I have been reading fan fiction for many years, but this is the first time that I've written any. I used to be good at writing (back when I was in high school), but that was a long time ago. So please, all criticism is appreciated. (Be Nice!!! Lol. Just kidding.) Thank you.
Chapter 2: Memories
Zoey jogged across the trail at a steady pace. Her thoughts on the coming days. After she had finished moving into her new bedroom, given to her by Sensei at Ninja Ops, she called her brother to check in. Zoey can't help but be concerned for him. Right before her high school graduation, Tommy was in a massive accident. The island he was doing research on had exploded, with him still on it. Thankfully, he was able to get almost everyone off. He landed in the ocean and had to swim to shore for safety. Apparently, someone took his experiments and reprogrammed them. After getting home, and then released from the hospital, he decided he needed to leave Angel Grove to protect their friends and family. No need to bring that sort of problem back to Angel Grove... again. This way, he can work on finding his experiments and stop whoever caused the explosion. Unfortunately, there were two scientists that are still missing.
Zoey walked back into Ninja Ops completely refreshed.
"Hello Sensei. Cam. How has your morning been?" She asked.
"Uneventful." Cam commented as he watched her come in.
"How about you Sensei?" Zoey smiled, as she grabbed a bottle of water and sat down on the table.
"I got to watch a mini martial arts marathon. It was quit entertaining." Replied Sensei, "How about you? Did you enjoy your run?"
"I did actually. It was quit refreshing. I love the mountains here. They are so beautiful. Reminds me of the mountains in Angel Grove. They're... I don't know, serene." Zoey stopped for a moment to think.
"You know, Angel Grove was monster central for over 5 years. And in all that time, it's people never stopped. They didn't stop living their lives. They didn't hide in fear worrying all the time. It's always amazed me what the people on this planet are truly capable of. Not just technology and inventions. But the capacity to care." She paused, "When I was running, I was thinking about my brother and an accident he was in last year. Scared me to no end. I mean, I ended up with tunnel vision. All I could think about was trying to get out to the site of the accident."
Zoey stopped for a minute to take a breath. "I thought I had lost him. He's been my rock growing up. The truly amazing thing is, that the both of us were adopted. Our parents couldn't have kids, so they adopted. We were related in name only. But that didn't stop him. He didn't care. I was his little sister from that first day. I was only 3, but I was so attached to him. He's the one who taught me martial arts." She laughed as tears started to fall, "I thought I had lost him. He was missing for over a week. When he was found, he was disoriented. He had 3rd degree sunburn, malnutrition, and severe dehydration. He was delusional, hallucinating, and covered in bruises from being attacked. I still don't know how he survived. But that's Tommy for you. Gonna take a lot more than that to take him down. Especially after everything he had already been through." Zoey sighed.
Looking up, she looked straight ahead. "When I talked about the capacity to care, my brother is the epitome of what human nature is all about. You see, my brother, and his friends, were the first team of Power Rangers."
Cam and Sensei looked at her in surprise, but they didn't want to say anything. Not yet.
"He was the new kid in town, on his way home from school. What a shock it was to find himself surrounded by aliens. I guess it was some sort of test. After defeating them, the evil space sorceress Rita Repulsa kidnapped him and put him under her spell. He was given the Green Power Coin and was ordered to destroy the Power Ranger's Command Center."
Zoey looked haunted as she continued her story. "I wasn't there for it, but I'd seen videos. The damage that had been done was horrible. The Power Rangers lost contact with their mentor. Their Zords had been damaged and they had temporarily lost the ability to morph. They eventually figured out who the Green Ranger was, and all they could think about was breaking the spell on him. Their mentor, Zordon, was eventually found and he told them how to break the spell. After a final battle, the spell on my brother was finally broken, and his friends talked him into using the Power for good. So, he joined the team."
Zoey looked over at Sensei, "I'm telling you this for understanding. My brother dedicated his entire high school life, four years, to protecting not only Angel Grove, but the world. Lost track of how many times he nearly lost his life in the process. He and the rest of his friends lost their powers on multiple occasions. He more than anyone else. He held 3 Power Coins, a Zeo Crystal, and a Turbo key before passing his powers after he graduated high school. It didn't matter how many times he put his life on the line, though. He always said that it was the right thing to do. The other Rangers were the same. They fought, and they fought hard. And they never gave up."
She looked around at the other three standing behind her. So, engrossed in telling her story, she didn't realize they had come in. "How long have you been standing back there?"
"Um, long enough to hear that your brother is a Ranger Legend." Dustin replied, grinning.
"Actually, it was before that. You were talking about the accident your brother was in last year. We just didn't want to interrupt. Well, we didn't know how to let you know we were here without breaking the mood." Tori looked a little sheepish.
"Sorry for intruding." Shane apologized.
Zoey gestured for them to come forward. "It's ok. Don't worry about it. I wasn't planning on hiding it. I was going to tell you. Just needed to find the time." She laughed. This wasn't how she planned on doing it, but she might as well finish.
"Everything I am, is because of my big brother. Not just in martial arts, but in life itself. From my self-discipline to my honor and integrity. I learned it all from him and his friends. The work they put in, not just as Power Rangers, but as human beings was amazing. They did so much for their community outside of those suits. From park clean ups, to building houses. From teaching younger kids at the Youth Center, to participating in charity events. Everything, I mean, everything I am is because of them." Zoey had to stop and take a deep breath.
After whipping her eyes, she continued. "When we got word of the explosion on the island, and that he was missing... it felt like my whole world had crumbled around me. All I could think was, impossible. This is Tommy. Big brother. After everything he's been through, how could this, of all things, be it for him. After the first 24 hours of him being missing, I became obsessed. I needed to find my brother. And Jason, my brother's best friend and fellow former Ranger, helped me. In fact, all his friends, all former Rangers, helped me. I don't think we got very much sleep that week. Everything clicked back into place when he was found."
Zoey took a moment to compose herself before continuing. "I don't tell you guys this to upset or distress you. I'm telling you for two reasons. First, I didn't want to hide anything from you. You will probably meet my brother at one point. Maybe some of his other friends as well. And I thought that you needed to know a little bit of your Ranger history. Second, is no joke. I wasn't lying when I said that I am the way I am because of my brother and his friends. A lot of people find me a little off putting. I can be a little intense when it comes to certain things. I've always been a firm believer in the right time and place. Which means, there's a time and place for having fun, and a time and place for being serious. I just wanted to make sure you understand where I was coming from. I didn't want something to happen or me say something, and you guys take it the wrong way. So... there you go."
After a moment of silence, Shane was the first to stand up. "Thank you for telling us. I'm sorry for what happened with your brother. I'm glad he's ok. Um, wow. A Ranger Legend. That's amazing. I would be honored to meet him. But I'm going to say something, and I don't want you to bite my head off for it. Your brother and his friends may have had a strong influence in how you turned out, that's true. But I think that no matter how much influence they had on you; you are your own person. And I can't wait to get to know you better as that person. And not just as a Ninja and Power Ranger." He paused for a moment, "But as my friend. So, don't worry about it. We got your back. In every aspect. No matter what. We're a team."
Tori, Dustin and Cam all stood next to Shane, and smile in encouragement. Zoey smiled back. She felt calmer. Because she knew, no matter what happened, past or present, she had her friends and teammates. That's all that mattered. The memories will still be there, but they're going to hurt a lot less now.
Hope you guys enjoyed this little side trip into Zoey's memories.