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<P><I>See my original story, "'Welcome to the Saga', for the disclaimer. And yes, for everyone who'll be asking at the close of this chapter, in Australia we spell the colour "'grey' with an "'e'.</P></I>

<h5><center> A Week to Remember<BR> Chapter Four<BR> By Peter J. Smith </center></h5>

<P>Teresa, Brendan, Scott and Sarah finished off the remaining putties quickly, and soon teleported into the Command Centre. After deftly explaining why the new recruit had passed out, Zordon congratulated us for not only fending off the putties but also managing to get Ian safely to the Command Centre, and was about to continue when the six senior Rangers suddenly materialised behind us in six bright flashes of light. After spotting Ian and I in the middle of the room and nodding their approval, they too congratulated us on our fight earlier in the week against Barracuda and the putties. I have to admit that, Ian was becoming decidedly heavier over time, and I was hoping by the second that he'd regain his senses sometime soon.</P> <P>Jason finished chatting with Teresa and Scott about the camp and, walking over to where I stood holding Ian, the leader of the Senior Power Rangers grinned. "Geez Peter, you were supposed to recruit him, not kill him."</P> <P>I smiled. "It's good to see you Jase," I replied.</P> <P>"Right back at you," he said. "How are you enjoying Tallebudgera?"</P> <P>"Oh, it's been really great," I replied. "I hate to admit it, but I'm enjoying the heck out of myself."</P> <P>Jason nodded. "That's good to hear. We heard all about your skirmish at SeaWorld on the news the other night. Well done, that was excellent," he stopped, then added with a wry grin, "for once <I>we</I> didn't have to come and bail you out of trouble."</P> <P>I stuck my tongue out at him and playfully jabbed him in the ribs. I was about to make a reply when, all of a sudden, Ian began to stir.</P> <P>"Guys," I said, and everyone quickly jogged over, "I think he's waking up."</P> <P>Slowly, his eyelids began to flutter open, and although unfocussed at first, his gaze soon fell on me. Not surprisingly, really, since I was the one holding him up.</P> <P>"Welcome back," I said with a soft smile. "You okay?"</P> <P>Ian smiled and nodded, then suddenly remembered the events of the last ten minutes before he'd blacked out, and the corners of his mouth fell. "Damn," he mumbled, half to me and half to himself. "That wasn't a dream, was it?"</P> <P>I couldn't help it, I laughed. "Afraid not. Listen, can you stand on your own, "'cause you're heavier than you look…?"</P> <P>It was Ian's turn to laugh. "Sure, I'm fine, I think."</P> <P>He stood back from me slowly, and found that his legs could hold him up. As he turned back to me, he suddenly caught sight of the other Rangers, all standing together behind me. His eyes immediately went wide. "You're the…" he began, looking at Teresa and Scott, before turning to Jason and the older teens. "And that means that you're…"</P> <P>"The Senior Team of Power Rangers," Jason finished for him. "Hi, I'm Jason. This is Tommy, Zac, Trini, Billy and Kimberly," he said, pointing to each Ranger in turn as he introduced them.</P> <P><I>Wow…</I> "Hi," he began nervously, slowly regaining his composure.</P> <P>"Ian," boomed Zordon, and everyone in the room immediately turned around to face our mentor.</P> <P>Ian held up his hand. "Zordon, right?"</P> <P>Zordon smiled and nodded. "That is correct. Now, I'm sure that at the present, the world must be spinning at a phenomenal rate. Please listen, and I'll do my best to help you understand this situation you've found yourself in." He paused, and when Ian nodded, he began his story.</P> <P>"First and foremost, yes, you were brought here because we wish you to become a Power Ranger. However, that's not all there is to this story. Not all the Power Coins were created with the intention that their owners would join a pre-existing team of Rangers, and such is the case of the <I>thirteenth</I> power coin, that which harnesses the power of the Grey Ranger. The Grey Power Ranger was created millennia ago to serve the forces of good as a solitary warrior. As such, all Grey Rangers since then have worked alone as individual champions of justice. Until now."</P> <P>Zordon paused, taking a breath, and continued. "I don't wish to alarm you, but the previous Grey Ranger lost his life in an explosive battle fought in a far away system. With his last breath, he teleported his power coin here, and we have kept it safe ever since. Now, with everything that has happened in the previous months, I strongly wished to tell the Rangers of this thirteenth coin, and modify it so that the grey power could be used again with the existing team. Are you following me so<BR> far?" Zordon asked.</P> <P>Ian nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I remember hearing on the news that you guys had lost a Ranger in a big fight."</P> <P>"That's not entirely accurate, as the media were forced to invent some of that story," replied Zordon, "but it's close enough. Getting back on track, the previous battle which I spoke of placed more of a strain on the grey power than we'd first thought, as several days ago, the grey power coin began losing power at a fantastic rate. I had no choice but to alert the other Rangers, and it was then I decided to modify the grey powers for inclusion within the existing Junior Team. We discovered that having the coin in use would effectively cease this power drain. That's where you come into play, Ian. We not only want you as a Power Ranger, we more or less need you to become one."</P> <P>Zordon paused then, and there was silence as Ian slowly digested what he'd been told. Finally, he looked up at Zordon and asked simply, "why me?"</P> <P>"You forget," replied the sage, "your noble actions yesterday during the attack brought you to our attention. Both your selfless bravery in such an extreme situation, and your extraordinary skills make you a perfect candidate."</P> <P>He shook his head in disbelief. "But <I>me</I>? I mean, you said before that you'd lost a Ranger in a fight. Why didn't you just use this extra coin then?"</P> <P>Zordon shook his head. "The grey power cannot be used by someone who has already bonded with power from the Morphin' Grid. Simply put, in the hands of any of the existing Rangers, the grey power coin would be a golden paperweight."</P> <P>Ian was still not convinced. "But I'm just a kid! You want me to fight demons and monsters and…?"</P> <P>"We wouldn't have asked you if we didn't think you could do it," I nodded.</P> <P>"Yeah," agreed Teresa. "And we're the same age as you. Not to mention, being morphed naturally increases our strength, speed and reaction times, and it's not like we don't spend time training."</P> <P>Ian looked away for a second, clearly torn, not knowing what to do. Needing to hear all the possible angles, he turned back to us. "What happens if I say no?" he asked timidly.</P> <P>Without missing a beat, Brendan spoke up. "We kill you," he replied with a deadpan expression.</P> <P>For a second or two, Ian wasn't quite sure whether to believe him, and he worriedly turned to look at me, visibly relaxing when he saw me shaking my head.</P> <P>"Ignore him," I said with a sigh, "you get used to Brendan."</P> <P>"Well, that's not quite right," murmured Teresa. "I mean, heck, <I>we're</I> still not used to him."</P> <P>"Hey!" Brendan replied, with mock-anger.</P> <P>"Well, it's true…"</P> <P>Zordon had seen enough of Teresa and Brendan's playful arguments in the past to know that if he didn't interrupt, they'd be there for hours. "If we can get back on track for just one minute," he boomed, smiling and catching everyone's attention, "if you decide not to harness the power, Ian, and it's totally within your right to do so, we'll simply perform a technique which will harmlessly bury the memories of this evening deep into your subconscious. In essence, you'll never remember this place, and you'll think that you were just sleeping off a bad cold all afternoon."</P> <P>He nodded slowly and stepped back, deep in thought, his eyes downcast. The next few minutes, everyone was silent, as we all stood there quietly and tried to guess what Ian was thinking. Finally, he looked up at us.</P> <P>"I, uh, I think I need some more time to think this through," he said hesitantly. "There isn't like an outdoors around here, is there?"</P> <P>Billy smiled, and stepped forward. "Just out the door," he said, pointing to the sliding doors beside the viewing screen. "Turn right, head around the corner and out the exterior doors. We'll keep the doors open, but when you need to come back in, you'll have to call out for us, since you won't be able to re-enter on your own."</P> <P>He nodded. "Thanks," he said with a nod and a smile, before turning and heading through the doors and disappearing from sight.</P> <P>There was silence again, as we all looked around the room at each other.</P> <P>Trini was first to break the silence. "Think he'll do it?" she asked.</P> <P>Kim shrugged. "I'm not sure," she said. "I guess he just needs some time. He seems like a nice kid though…"</P> <P>"Yeah, it'd be good to have him on the team," nodded Scott.</P> <P>Jason turned to me. "What do you think?" he asked earnestly.</P> <P>"I'm honestly not sure," I replied with a shake of my head.</P> <P>"Maybe you should go talk to him," he said. "See if you can help him…"</P> <P>I nodded, remembering the afternoon I'd spent talking to Jason back when I'd received my own power coin, and how much of an effect that'd had. "You're right," I said, and looked up to Zordon. "I'll go talk to him. He probably needs someone with him right about now."</P> <P>Zordon nodded. "Good idea," the sage replied understandingly. "We'll be here waiting. Both of you can take your time." And with that, the others wished me luck, and I turned and left the room.</P> <p><center>~*~</center></p> <P>The sun had slipped down between two triangular peaks on the horizon, framing the mountain range in a golden glow and setting the afternoon sky aflame. He shut his eyes then, basking in the golden rays and feeling the sun's warmth on his skin, and tried his best to get some sort of coherent mental grip on the thoughts spinning around and around in his head.</P> <P>Up until exactly twenty-four minutes and thirty-seven seconds ago, the world had been a nice, safe little place to live.</P> <P>Well, he thought with a smile, perhaps "'safe' wasn't <I>quite</I> the word that best fitted there. After all, in the previous six months, the entire planet had come under attack from some pretty strange forces, the kind of things you'd expect from a B-grade children's television show. But of course, that's where the heroes came into play. But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that one day he would not only personally meet said heroes, but also be asked to join them. Ian normally kept a pretty tight grip on his imagination, but right now, his thoughts and questions stretched infinitely in every direction. A whole new world of wonder had suddenly opened up beneath him, and what surprised him most was that he desperately just wanted to leap head-first in.</P> <P>He heard the gravel crunch behind him, snapping him out of his daydream. He quickly spun around, looking into the shadow of the great building.</P> <P>"Hi," I said quietly, walking over to him. "Sorry, did I startle you?"</P> <P>"No, that's okay," he replied quickly, happy to see me, "I was just off dreaming somewhere. C'mon over, sit down."</P> <P>I smiled and sat down beside him on the comfiest rock I could see. Immediately, the warm rays of sunshine hit me, and I turned towards the golden sunset. Ian smiled.</P> <P>"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked.</P> <P>I nodded. "Yeah, I bet you get a lot of these out west." There was a contented silence then, almost like a conversation in itself, as we both sat together. Finally, he turned to me and asked simply, "what's it like?"</P> <P>"Being a Ranger?"</P> <P>"Yeah."</P> <P>I shrugged. "It's not that different to being a regular kid, you know. To be honest, it's a bit freaky to begin with, but you soon get used to it." Ian nodded, and I smiled. "Just think of it as being in a very exclusive country club."</P> <P>He grinned, and waved his arm behind us. "With one heck of a club-house."</P> <P>We both smiled and laughed at that, and as we sat back to watch the sunset, I became increasingly glad that we'd found Ian. He was a good guy, I could tell. After a short while, he turned back to me, eyes serious, and tapped me on the shoulder.</P> <P>"This is probably going to sound like a stupid question," he began earnestly, "but, uh, is it dangerous?"</P> <P>I didn't reply at first, unable to think of something to say that wouldn't sound either callous or frightening. Finally, I turned to him, rolled up my left sleeve and watched him gape at the sight of the massive scar on my upper arm.</P> <P>"I'm gonna be frank – it's pretty dangerous," I said with a nod, realising that it was probably by now a moot point. "Every time you put on that uniform, and heck, even when you aren't morphed, there's a pretty good chance that you might get hurt."</P> <P>Ian sat back then and contemplated what he'd heard. It made sense, of course, but he hadn't given that side of the situation much thought at all.</P> <P>"Peter," he asked slowly, curious to know my answer, "if there's that much risk, then why do it?"</P> <P>I turned back to my new-found friend and looked at him levelly.</P> <P>"Because I can."</P> <p><center>~*~</center></p> <P>The sliding doors opened with a dramatic "'swoosh', and everyone in the Command Centre turned suddenly to see Ian and I striding into the room. I quickly ducked to the side of the room, and Ian continued on towards Zordon's plasma tube, stopping in the centre of the room and looking up at the interdimensional being. Jason turned to me with a raised brow, but I simply smiled and nodded. Suspicions confirmed, he grinned and turned back to Ian.</P> <P>Now with everyone's attention, Ian spoke. "I wanna do this," he said with a nod, and we all let out the breath we'd been holding in. "I know that it's dangerous, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I really want to be a part of it."</P> <P>Zordon fairly beamed. "Well done," he said, looking at Ian. "That was a brave decision, and I commend you for it. Alpha," and here Alpha stepped forward, holding a small silver box, "please present Ian with the grey power coin."</P> <P>Alpha nodded and set the box down. Flipping the lid, the robot picked up <BR> the glowing coin, turned and placed it lightly into Ian's waiting hands. Almost immediately, the light emanating from the coin died down to a low sheen, and Ian held it up wonderingly.</P> <P>"Just as I suspected," nodded Zordon. "The power, Ian, is yours to command. Alpha, a morpher, if you will?"</P> <P>Ian felt someone tapping on his shoulder, and turned around. Alpha stood there, holding a small circular device in his hand. "This is your morpher," explained the robot. He took the coin back with one hand and placed it carefully into the morpher. "It activates your morphing power," Alpha explained. "Just reach for it, and it will be with you."</P> <P>Ian smiled, never taking his eyes off the golden coin. "How do I use it?"</P> <P>"Just hold it out, and call the name of your chosen dinosaur," Alpha replied.</P> <P>Billy then came forward, handing Ian a familiar metallic arm bracelet. "This is your communicator," he explained, strapping the band around Ian's right wrist. "It allows you to teleport anywhere you wish, as well as keep in contact with the other Rangers and the Command Centre itself."</P> <P>Ian nodded. "Thanks," he murmured, then looked back to his power coin. The light had faded significantly by now, and he was able to make out the design on the coin. Three small wedge-shaped triangles, their bases facing away from a fourth triangle, the fourth about twice as large as the other three.</P> <P>"Zordon?" he began. "What does the symbol on my coin mean?"</P> <P>"It is the symbol of your dinosaur," Zordon replied. "The symbol is a handprint of the Iguanodon. The large triangle is the thumb-claw, a feature for which the Iguanodon is quite famous. And that brings me to my next point…"</P> <P>A tall hologram suddenly appeared in the air before Ian, the image showing a grey dinosaurian-shaped robot. "'My zord,' Ian thought.</P> <P>"This is your zord, the Iguanodon," Zordon confirmed. "Even as we speak, the zord is being modified so that it will be compatible with the other dinozords. The Iguanodon is a powerful fighting machine, and will serve you well. Finally," and the hologram disappeared, replaced by an image of two hand guns. "Your Power Blasters. They are your personal weapons, to be summoned at will."</P> <P>"Whoa," Ian muttered. He reached out to touch the holographic Power Weapons but they disappeared, and he looked back up to Zordon. "Is that all? Is there anything else I need to know?"</P> <P>Zordon smiled. "Just take your lead from the other Rangers, and you'll be fine."</P> <P>With that, Jason and I came forward, and put our arms around Ian's shoulders. He quickly turned around and faced the rest of us.</P> <P>"Welcome to the team," I said.</P> <P>"You'll do fine," assured Jason with a warm smile.</P> <P>Ian nodded, then suddenly turned to me. "Before, when you were fighting, you did that thing with your arms, remember?" he began, using his own arms to demonstrate. "What was that all about?"</P> <P>"A while ago," I explained, "on one of our adventures, no less, I came into contact with a magical medallion that gave me psionic powers like telekinesis and the ability to create force fields and energy shields. I can use those powers to fly, levitate the objects and people around me and boost my natural strength." I paused, letting what I was saying sink it. "I'm also supposedly capable of telepathy, but I haven't quite mastered that yet."</P> <P>"Cool," he replied with a nod.</P> <P>"My Rangers," began Zordon, and all twelve of us turned back to him, "you have no idea what it means seeing you twelve standing there before me. What more is there to say? At long last, the team is complete. You twelve will take a stand against evil wherever it may lurk and protect the innocent from the forces of darkness all over the galaxy. Your exploits will become legendary. I cannot predict the future, but I know destiny when I see it." He paused impressively, and took a breath. "This is indeed a great day Power Rangers, for you, and for the world."</P> <P>There was a second of awed silence then, as we all absorbed what Zordon had said, turning to each other in wonder. Finally, the sage turned to us and said quietly, "Rangers, it is getting late. I think that now would be a good time to return."</P> <P>Sarah looked at her watch/communicator and nodded. "Yeah, we'd better get back before we're missed."</P> <P>We all turned then, and said our goodbyes. "I'll see you in a couple of days," I said to Jason, and embraced the older teen in a bear-hug.</P> <P>"You'll be all right," he said, then grinned and playfully messed up my hair. "Just try to loosen up a little, and have some fun for goodness' sake! Sheesh…"</P> <P>I smiled, and stepped back to where the other Rangers were standing. Ian was still pretty much in shock, but everyone else waved goodbye to Alpha, Zordon and the older teens, before lightly tapping the top button on each of our communicators, and disappearing in six bright flashes of light.</P> <p><center>~*~</center></p> <P>We made it back to camp and found everyone still enjoying the afternoon's free time, so none of us were really missed. We all headed over to the soccer field, where a still very much shell-shocked Ian told Lochlan that the rest must have done him good and he was feeling better. Lochlan happily welcomed his best friend back into the game, and the rest of us joined the Currimundi team, making me the goal keeper only after I'd promised not to cheat by throwing up a forcefield around the goal. </P> <P>Dinner was served in the food hall about an hour later, and it was some unremarkable glob that was supposed to be spaghetti and meat balls. We all sat around the table in silence, watching as Ian slowly ate his meal, his eyes distant and unfocussed. After a while, Brendan subtly pitched one of his meatballs at Ian, using his fork as a catapult, and Ian looked up suddenly. Seeing our concern for him, he smiled and laughed, and from that point on, we were all okay.</P> <P>After dinner, everyone was told to gather in the main hall for Games Night. From my memory of the night, I can recall that the games involved loud music from the stereo system and a lot of running around and tackling people whenever they got out. We were never actually sure what you did in order to get out, but whatever it was, it was great fun, and we laughed and played for hours. About halfway through the night, I became involved in a friendly rivalry with Mr Potter, so when I did whatever it was that got me out, naturally, Mr Potter charged towards me with a gleeful grin, arms outstretched.</P> <P>Have you ever stood on a railway crossing and watched as a nine tonne freight train comes barreling towards you, realising that you're about to be creamed? I wouldn't advise doing so if you haven't already had the experience, but at that point in time, I could certainly sympathize with those who have – and it was then that Mr Potter smashed into me, lifting me off my feet and crashing to the ground on top of me. I lay there on the floor, panting and dazed, certain that all my ribs had snapped like match-sticks, but the jovial teacher soon pulled me to my feet.</P> <P>"You okay?" he asked with a grin.</P> <P>I nodded, then smiled. "Fine. Who needs a rib cage anyway?"</P> <P>He laughed and dived back into the crowd, searching out new victims. Really not wanting to be one of said victims, I quickly decided to sit this game out, and turned to the mural wall. Seeing Ian sitting alone in the corner, and deciding that he could probably use a friend, I walked over and sat down beside him, my back against the wall.</P> <P>"Are you doin' okay?" I asked quietly, as he turned to me. "You seem a little distanced tonight."</P> <P>He nodded reassuringly. "Yeah, I'm okay," he replied. "I'm not about to have a heart attack, if that's what you mean. I just need some time to think things through. You know?"</P> <P>I nodded, and suddenly felt a pang of remorse. "We shouldn't have dumped so much on you and expected you to magically deal with it all."</P> <P>"No," he replied suddenly, violently shaking his head. "It's totally cool. I completely understand why you guys picked me, and why you had to do it so quickly. It's just that, this morning I woke up as a regular eleven-year-old kid. Tomorrow morning when I wake up, I'll be part of some major galactic legacy. It's a little daunting, that's all."</P> <P>Remembering the feeling well, I nodded sympathetically. "You'll be fine, trust me. It might take some time, but it'll all be good. Now, c'mon," and I stood up, "we're going and getting something that will make all this seem downright frivolous."</P> <P>"And that would be…?" he asked, getting to his feet.</P> <P>"Two mugs of steaming hot chocolate."</P> <P>He laughed. "Now that's the best thing I've heard all day."</P>

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