A Week to Remember: Chapter Three – The Transdimensional Archives

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</HEAD><BODY leftMargin=15 rightMargin=15 MARGINHEIGHT="15" MARGINWIDTH="15"> <CENTER> </CENTER> See my first ever fanfic, "'Welcome to the Saga', for the disclaimer.

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

It was early morning, and the camp was in deep slumber. The sun hung low over the ocean, a brilliant golden disc on the horizon, and a cool, grey mist rested lightly over the silent camp. Slowly, the door to the teacher's quarters opened with a creak…and the peace of the early morning was shattered by a high-pitched whistle that carried through the still air, invaded every dorm on camp and left about a hundred and sixty kids desperately holding their hands over their ears. Whistle in hand, Mr Chamberlain gleefully wandered out to the grassed area, the camp staff behind him – there was a run to be ran, and they were gonna make the kids like it. However, for Dorm 12, it was already empty, and had been for about a half hour. It was the morning that we were scheduled to help with the chores, and having been woken up early, we were all currently grouped in the dining hall, helping put out the breakfast things, packing lunches for whichever group was going to SeaWorld today, wiping tables, cleaning, and many other horribly mundane jobs which needed to be done regardless. Teresa, Scott, Sarah, Brendan and I all stood around a large bench in the kitchen, buttering bread rolls and filling them with salad toppings for the SeaWorld trip, being largely ignored by the people around us. "Mmm," mumbled Scott, placing ham and lettuce on the rolls with impossible delicateness. "These smell good. I wonder if they'd notice a couple missing?" Teresa laughed. "I don't think so," she smiled. "We'd end up with soggy ham sandwiches stuffed in our pockets all day." Scott paused, thinking that over, and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Still…" Brendan smiled, then turned to me, lowering his voice. "Did you talk to "'Z' last night?" I nodded, trying to decide whether or not cheese takes priority in the salad hierarchy over tomato. "Yeah, I did my ninja thing last night. We pretty much agree on what to do." Sarah glanced back over her shoulder to where Lochlan, Ian and the other Goondiwindi guys were enthusiastically wiping down tables. "So, what's the plan? And I know you have one, Peter Jason Smith." "Yeah," I replied with a small smile, deciding to go with the tomato. "But anything we do is gonna be tonight during free time. That gives us a couple of hours to take care of everything."	 "It's so weird though," said Teresa, busily grating carrot. "I mean, Goondiwindi is what, about five hundred kilometres away from Caloundra? How's it gonna work?" "Well yeah," replied Scott. "But when you think about it, they're closer to the Command Centre than we are, and teleportation negates all long distances anyway." His sister nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, I hadn't really thought of that. Oh, and Peter?" And at this, I looked up at her. "The cheese does go on before the tomato," she finished, grinning smugly. Everyone got back from the beach run soon enough, and the group was excused. After breakfast, we all gathered in the Main Hall and were told of the day's activities – for the Muddies (and I swear, I was liking that name less and less as the week rolled on), it was our turn to go canoeing up Tallebudgera Creek, where we'd find a spot to have lunch and then paddle back in the afternoon. At this, Scott and I glanced ominously back and forth – the sky had quite suddenly grown overcast. Still, provided we weren't caught in a hurricane or anything, it sounded like fun, and we all excitedly wandered down to the canoe shed. Each canoe held four people, so Mrs Manderson made everyone choose partners and then pair-up with another couple. Scott and I found ourselves with two Currimundi girls – Sarah Wilmott, a cheerful girl with wavy red hair tied in a long ponytail, and Peta Burrows, a friendly and usually very quiet brunette. The four of us went into the shed and chose the first canoe we saw – boat 6. Just as Jason had said, in the back corner of the shed sat boat 13. As we left the shed carrying our canoe, I couldn't help but overhear Matthew, who had been paired up with Damien Long, looking for a boat to take. "Guys," I began, not wanting to waste the opportunity, "look in the back. Boat 13 is still free." Matthew turned and saw the boat sitting there, unused. "Hey yeah! Thanks Smith." We continued down to the water, dropping the canoe in the water before going back to pick up some life jackets and paddles. "Peter," began Scott. "That was mean." I shook my head. "No, it wasn't," I replied. He paused for a moment, thinking. "Yeah, you're right, it wasn't," he grinned. <center>~*~</center> It was quite a relaxing trip up the river. To our credit, Scott and I only fell in once, and that was only because the canoe bumped up against a shallow sandbank, and when the two of us stepped out of the canoe to take a look, Sarah and Peta kept paddling. And Scott and I really couldn't be mad because they were laughing so hard at the sight of us tripping and falling flat on our faces. Meanwhile, Mr Di Certo paddled back and forth, alone in a canoe, and Mrs Manderson cruised around in a tin motor boat. We paddled a fair distance inland, stopping at noon on a large sand island in the middle of the creek. For lunch, hot dogs and a dazzling array of sauces were on offer – tomato, barbecue and tomato. Is it just me, or do all condiments have three or more syllables? Anyway, just as we began the trip back, it began to pour rain. It was about this time too that boat 13 mysteriously started to fill with water. Equipped for just such an emergency, Mrs Manderson pulled some thick twine out of her motor boat, roped all the canoes together and gave everyone a quick ride back down the creek. Once back at camp, everyone had a shower and got into dry clothes. As it was the second time in two days that our daily activities had been cut short, we were again given extended free time. Wary of what I knew I had to do this afternoon, I declined invitations to join the guys playing sport on the oval, as the weather had since cleared up, and decided to check out the library. Scott wanted to come with me, and we went into the main hall, up the steps and around the landing towards the door marked "'Library'. "Hey Scott! Peter!" we both heard as we walked into the room. Turning, we saw Petey and Luke sitting at a table along the back wall, a pile of board games behind them and what looked like "'Scrabble' on the table before them, both of them grinning mischievously. "Want to join us for a game?" asked Luke. We both nodded. "Sure," said Scott. "Sounds like fun." I pulled a seat out and sat down at the table, while beside me, Scott did the same. However, turning to the guys, I suddenly caught sight of the "'words' they'd already begun placing on the board, and nearly fell off my seat. Scott took a look at the Scrabble board, and to his credit, kept his cool, calmly glancing over the board. "Hmm," he said conversationally, looking at a seven-tiled word near the edge of the board. "I didn't even realise that was a word." Luke grinned even more wildly at that, and I glanced at Scott, not needing any telepathic powers to realise that he was thinking the same thing that I was – "'just what have we gotten ourselves into?' We started playing soon enough, and Scott and I stayed for about a half hour, nervously glancing up to see where the librarian was every few seconds and frantically shielding the board from view whenever she walked past, all the while with Petey and Luke giggling maniacally. At about four thirty, with a smile I got up and excused myself from the table, Scott right behind me. We had work to do. "Now?" he asked, his tone serious. I shook my head. "Not right now," I replied. "Just tell the others to be ready." He nodded, and said, "I'm on it," before dashing away. I watched him go, before turning and quickly browsing the shelves. Well, I was here anyway, I might as well make the most of it. Grabbing a couple of books, I checked them out, descended the stairwell and headed back towards the cabin. Once inside, I pulled a piece of paper out of my bag, wrote a small message on it, wandered over to the other side of the cabin and left it where I knew it would be found, before crossing back to my own corner of the room. I lay back in the bunk, resting my head on the pillow, and lay there a few seconds before opening my book. Now, things were gonna get interesting… <center>~*~</center> Across the road on the sports field, a game of soccer was being played between teams composed entirely of either Goondiwindi or Currimundi kids. Although either side would've quite happily told you otherwise, the score was a tie and remained that way for most of the afternoon. Despite the time of day, the sun was still high in the sky, and by half-time, everyone was feeling rather hot and sweaty. "Hey," began Lochlan, as he and Ian left the field for a glass of cold water, "I'm gonna run back and grab my hat from the cabin. I'll catch up with you in a couple of minutes." "Don't worry about it," Ian replied with a wave of his hand. "I was gonna do the same. I'll head back and pick up yours too." "You sure? I'd hate to put you out…" "No prob at all," Ian replied. Lochlan smiled a thank-you and headed over to the dining hall while Ian jogged over to the cabin. He knew that technically, students weren't allowed to be in the cabins at this time of the day, but he was only going to be a few seconds, straight in and straight out. Glancing around quickly, he opened the cabin door and ducked inside. Quickly scanning the inside of the cabin, he soon saw me, lying on the bunk with my back to the door. "Hey Peter," he began. Hearing him, I rolled over onto my back, looked up from my book briefly and nodded a greeting. "What are you doing here?" he asked curiously. "Just reading," I replied quickly. Ian grinned. "You're on camp. On the Gold Coast. And you're reading." I didn't look up from the book, but smiled. "I haven't read this one yet," I replied. "You know people aren't allowed to be in their cabins in the afternoons," he said with a small smile, taunting me. I waved my hand non-committally. "Pfft". Ian smiled wryly. He'd only come back to grab his hat, but had begun this verbal game and was enjoying it regardless. "'Let's see if we can break the guy,' he thought with a mental grin. "Do you make a habit out of breaking the rules?" he asked innocently, slowly walking over to my bunk. Again, the reply came fast without a break in my reading. "Only the ones I deem necessary enough to break." Darn. I'll have to try harder… "Isn't that a rather arrogant worldview?" This statement caught me, and losing my place on the page, I looked up, only to see Ian smiling. "Yeah, I suppose," I admitted with a slow nod, "but it gets me by." Ian smiled even more broadly, still without a hint of malice. Genuinely amused, he turned away and went back to his bunk. "I'll take your word for it." "Seriously," I said, putting the book aside and sitting up in my bunk, thinking about what he'd said, "you'd be surprised at how much life experience a kid growing up in Currimundi State School can get." He was about to reply when he noticed a small white sheet of paper sticking out from under his pillowcase. "'Funny,' he thought. "'That wasn't there when I left.' Leaning down to investigate, he pulled the piece of paper out of the pillowcase, and saw it had writing on it. Unfolding the paper in his hand, he slowly read the words to himself. His eyes went wide, and he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He reread the note, and put his hand on the top bunk to steady himself as the world suddenly began spinning rapidly around him. Resting his head on his forearm, he reread the words once again. "'Ian Thompson, the Power Rangers and I need to speak with you very urgently. Please meet us behind the cabin at five o'clock. This is not a joke, I assure you. Signed, the Orange Ranger.' Turning and staring out the window for a second, he quickly tucked the note into his shirt pocket and checked his watch. If the note was real, and not some prank, then he had five minutes. I noticed the shocked expression on his face when he turned around and smiled to myself, realising that he'd found my note. "Are you okay?" I asked, feigning ignorance. Looking up suddenly, as if he'd forgotten that I was in the room, he nodded slowly, eyes wide and mouth still hanging open. "Yeah," he said slowly, then turned and focused his gaze on me. "'Peter was already in here,' he thought to himself. Is it possible that maybe…? "Hey, how long have you been in here?" he asked. I glanced down to my watch/communicator. "Only about five minutes," I said, keeping a straight face and a level gaze. "I just got back from the library a few minutes ago. Why do you ask?" He shook his head. "Uh, no reason. Listen, I gotta go," he stammered, then turned towards the cabin door. He reached for the door handle, then turned around. "See ya round," he nodded. The door shut and I was again alone in the cabin, watching through the window as Ian quickly hurried away. "Yep," I murmured. "You will." <center>~*~</center> "Something's up," began Rita Repulsa, turning from her telescope to Goldar, who was standing beside her. "Those power brats are up to something, I can feel it. Why are they so desperate to meet that other boy? Why would the Orange Ranger expose their identities to him?" Goldar shrugged. "I'm not sure, my queen." "Well, no matter," the witch replied, returning to her telescope. "Send a troop of putties down to investigate. See if they can find out any useful information for us." Nodding obediently, Goldar quickly left the observatory. <center>~*~</center> His mind racing, Ian hurriedly ran over to the dining hall to find Lochlan, completely oblivious to the dozen or so grey figures that had suddenly materialised behind him and were watching him intently. Finding his best friend, Ian quickly told Lochlan that he wasn't feeling too well all of a sudden and was going to lie down for a while. At first, Lochlan was content to stay with him, but Ian hastily talked him out of it. Biding Lochlan farewell, he then looked at his watch and, noticing the time, raced back towards the cabin. Looking around nervously to make sure he wasn't being watched, he then ducked around the cabin, immediately receiving a shock. "Peter!" he exclaimed as he saw me standing there, leaning against the wall with my arms folded. Seeing Ian suddenly charge into sight, I smiled and took a step forward. "What are you doing here?" he continued, still surprised. "Someone's supposed to be meeting me." I nodded. "I know. That's why I'm here." His brow lowered in confusion. "Wait…you put that note on my bed? Man, I'm being set up, aren't I?" "No, not at all," I said, moving towards him quickly. "That was no hoax." Ian took a step back, feeling strangely light-headed. "So, you're the Orange Power Ranger?" he asked, his voice suddenly hoarse. I nodded slowly, understanding his need for time to process this information. "Is it that hard to believe?" I replied with a small smile. He laughed a little at that, a good sign. "Why do you need to see me?" I was about to reply when something caught my attention, and I held up my hand and gestured for him to be silent. With both of us quiet, I glanced from left to right, listening for something, anything – I couldn't put my finger on it, but could definitely feel that something was out of place. Then, it hit me – taking a step back and looking around the side of the cabin, I came face to face with two red eyes and a leering grey grin. Reacting instinctively, I grabbed the putty and threw him behind me. Before he had a chance to retaliate, I spun around and telekinetically smashed him into the cabin wall. I heard a noise behind me, and turned around – the grey warriors were suddenly everywhere, dropping down from roofs and leaping out from behind walls. I took a few steps back and turned to Ian. "Get behind me," I said quickly. I knew that, from what I'd seen yesterday, Ian could probably handle a few putties in one-on-one combat, but in his present state, I had no intention of risking it. "Guys," I began, raising my communicator to my mouth. "Bit of a problem here. I could use some back-up." "We're on our way," came the immediate reply, Scott by the sound of it. I nodded, and took a fighting stance, glancing from left to right as the grey warriors danced all around us, eager to avenge their fallen team-mate. Finally, one leapt forward, lunging at me with both arms outstretched. With natural strength and agility backed by manipulating my own telekinetic power, I sidestepped the warrior, spun around quickly and sent him crashing with a high kick. The other putties launched themselves forward, now on the offensive. I ducked under a forward swipe but grabbed the putty's arm and spun him into another of the warriors. Two more charged towards me, and I leapt into the air and knocked them both back with a high roundhouse kick. One after the other they recovered, but I was ready, smashing my fist into the first putty's jaw, before turning and extending my arm at the other – with a whirl of energy, the warrior was lifted off his feet and spun head-over-heels through the air before crashing to the ground. "Whoa," came a voice behind me, and I turned back to see Ian intently watching the fight. "How did you do that?" "Long story," I replied with a nod. "Oh, okay," he said, his voice understanding but probably still very much thunderstruck by what he was witnessing. I turned back to the putties, and suddenly found that I wasn't needed. The other four Rangers somersaulted into view, immediately leaping to our defense and engaging the remaining warriors. Working in unison, Sarah and Brendan leapt towards one of the grey warriors, each grabbing one of his arms and throwing him backwards, before spinning around and knocking him down with two powerful high kicks. Behind them, Teresa was nimbly flipping backwards and forwards, always staying a step ahead of her opponents and managed to lure them into place where Scott promptly took them out, wielding a piece of metal from the broken clothesline like a staff. Ian's eyes went wide. "They're Rangers too?" he asked, in awe. I nodded. "Yep, this is all of us," and I turned back to him. "Listen, we need to get out of here. I'm gonna teleport the two of us to the Command Centre." "The where?" "The Command Centre," I explained. "Kind of like our base of operations." He nodded, accepting that. "We'll be safe there?" "Definitely," I assured him. "You'll have all the time in the world to digest all this. So listen, you're about to be teleported. This is gonna feel a little freaky, but don't worry, you'll be fine," and with that, I took his hand and placed it on my arm, "here, hang on," and I gently tapped the top button on my communicator. Immediately, the pair of us became immaterial, flying up into the sky towards the western horizon in two distinctly coloured energy trails, one orange and the other a neutral grey. Hundreds of kilometres of terrain passed under us within seconds, towns, fields, forests and farms, and soon, the Command Centre appeared on the horizon, Ian and I materialising in the Central Chamber before Zordon's plasma tube seconds later. I turned to look at Ian. Despite the trip, he appeared to be fine. Slowly glancing around the room, he took in the control panels and their blinking lights, the dimmed viewing screen and the world map on the continuous, round wall, doing a double take when he saw Alpha. Finally, he looked up at Zordon's energy tube, and his gaze fell upon the interdimensional being's. "Welcome," boomed Zordon, smiling slightly as Ian jumped at the introduction. "My name is Zordon," he continued, "and you must be Ian Thompson." Still thunderstruck, Ian nodded dumbly, finding his voice wasn't quite working. Zordon beamed. "Excellent. I'm sure your mind is racing with questions at the moment, so please let me try and help you. Firstly, you were brought here because we wish to offer you the chance to become a Power Ranger, and fight alongside the other Rangers." "Oh," said Ian simply, "okay." Then, in instant later, his eyes rolled back and he toppled backwards into me, luckily giving me the chance to catch him before he hit the floor. Holding him, resting his weight against my left shoulder, I looked up at Zordon and shrugged. "Well," I began. "All things considered, that went well."

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