Walkabout – The Transdimensional Archives

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</HEAD><BODY leftMargin=15 rightMargin=15 MARGINHEIGHT="15" MARGINWIDTH="15"> <CENTER> </CENTER> Disclaimer: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers are owned by Saban, Inc., not by me. A fighting style (Joseph's) from the video game Soul Caliber is not mine. The game is owned by Namco. The plot for this story and the title come from an episode of Babylon 5, which is owned by J. Michael Strazynski (and if any fellow B5 fan knows how the Great Maker's name is spelled, please tell me.) More details in the endnotes. If it's not mine, I'm not making money of it. If it's original, than it's mine and you can't have it (unless you ask politely.) Author's notes: This one is actually a sequel, so read "Green with Evil, part 6" first. Timeline is a few days past Green with Evil, part 6. Rated PG for language.

<h5><center> ALIGN="CENTER">WalkaboutBR> By :Al Solomon</center></h5> Joseph's house, around midnight "What exactly are you doing, Joseph?" Joseph looked at his older brother, wishing he was the only one to be up late that night. "It's called a Walkabout. The theory is, you just start walking. And you keep walking, until you meet yourself." "O-kayyy..." Rick pretended to understand. His foster brother could be so damn confusing sometimes. "And then?" "And then you have a long talk with yourself, until you get what you need." "And what do you need, Joseph? Or should I even ask?" Joseph wanted to leave. He was going to leave a note so his parents wouldn't worry, but that wasn't necessary anymore. "Who knows? That's the whole point of this." Green Ranger held up a bundle. It was his dagger and saber, with the straps folded neatly around them. "Do me a favor and hide these, will you?" He asked. Rick nodded as he took the bundle, and Joseph unfastened his communicator. "Take this to. You don't have to worry about it going off, I told the others I'd be gone for a while. Although if Goldar suddenly appears again, hit the button on the right and call for help." "So how long do these things last?" Rick inquired as he took the communicator. "As long as it takes. Hours, days, weeks...whatever." Joseph answered. He left before his brother could say anything else, leaving Rick to look at the weapons his brother uses as a Power Ranger. It took him forever to get Joseph to tell him why he was so depressed after Rocky's miraculous recovery, but he had no clue how to help someone dealing with the prospect of growing old after staying 16 for decades. Rick heard the front door open and close, and then looked at his brother's communicator. He suddenly had an idea that seemed absurd and probably wouldn't work, but he hid his brother's weapons like he was asked. <center>~*~</center> Somewhere in Angel Grove, the next night Joseph had started walking and hadn't stopped when he left his house, and his legs were sore like there was no tomorrow. The Green Ranger didn't care. He just kept walking: around corners, down streets, through alleyways, anywhere. He was now in the more run-down part of Angel Grove, where most of the buildings were labeled "condemned." Still, he kept walking, even as night fell. What am I doing...He thought to himself, several times. Damn cure spell... you'd think magic wouldn't have any flaws... but no, it has to take away what I hold dear... Joseph had been depressed ever since he gave up being ageless to save Rocky. He didn't regret it; he just couldn't deal with the effects it had on him. Green Ranger was snapped out of his thoughts as he realized that something tiny had hit him. It hit him again... and again, and again. "Wonderful…" Joseph thought aloud it was starting to rain. He turned to his left to change direction, and was halfway up the stairs before he realized he was heading toward a church. Joseph pulled the door open and walked inside. He wasn't all that religious, but if he aimlessly turned toward a church during a walkabout, then that's where he was going. "What brings you hear at this hour, my son?" Joseph looked to his side. "That's... a rather strange story, Father... I'm not sure I know myself." he replied to the priest. "Well, if you have come to this holy place, there must be a reason. Is something troubling you?" Like you wouldn't believe... "Yea, you could say that." "Tell me about it then. Perhaps I can help." Joseph told the priest everything from attacking Rocky to his walkabout, sans the details of Lord Zedd, his powers, and his eternal youth. "So you simply chose what was more important to you? On both occasions?" "Yea, I never really thought of it that way, Father. Tell me, how would you feel in my place?" "I've never really been forced to give up something that means a lot to me, but if it saved a friend's life, I would be happy." Joseph thought for a moment. "That's how I think I should feel... how I want to feel. I guess you'd have to know what I gave up... I'm sorry I can't tell you." "It's okay, my son. Perhaps your journey will provide you with what you need. Why don't you spend the night here? The rain has gotten worse." Joseph wanted to get going, but he needed to rest some time, and not getting soaked in the process was very appealing. "Thank you, Father. I think I will." <center>~*~</center> Joseph's house, the next day Rick came home from school to find his parents away, and his brother still wandering around Angel Grove. He thought of the hole in the wall near the floor of his room where he hid Joseph's weapons so their parents wouldn't find them, and had an amusing thought of his mother finding a new musical instrument and accidentally summoning Dragonzord. He had worn Joseph's communicator on his own wrist. It would have fallen through the cracks in the hole where the weapons were, and Rick just made sure he wore a long sleeve shirt to cover it up. His parents were already worried sick about Joseph and they'd be libel to rip his head off if they knew Joseph had told them what he was doing. His thoughts wandered to the events of last week, and to the Command Center were he and his parents had suddenly ended up after being in Lord Zedd's dungeon. Not only did he almost give Joseph away, but he also met a big, floating head in a tube. He once again thought of an idea, somewhat more doable than the first he had. Rick was worried sick about his brother, and if that big head... Zordon he remembered, was as smart as Joseph had said, maybe he could help. "Let's see... which one calls?" he thought aloud as he eyed the communicator and tried to remember which button Joseph told him to push if he needed help. He pushed one, and suddenly realized he was wrong when a flash of green light engulfed him. <center>~*~</center> Command Center "Ai yi yi yi yi!" Alpha exclaimed as he suddenly walked into something that shouldn't have been there. "Oops... I guess that was the wrong button..." "Indeed." Zordon acknowledged. "What brings you here?" Rick looked up at the Power Ranger's mentor. "Um, Zordon, right? I tried to call... Well, anyway, my brother's on this walkabout thing... "Yes, he informed us." Zordon cut him off to spare Rick from having to uselessly explain. "Well, I'm kinda' worried about him..." Rick went on. "And I had this idea... it seems kind of ridiculous." <center>~*~</center> Somewhere in Angel Grove, that night This is ridiculous... Joseph had been walking all day again, thankful that he didn't have to sleep in the rain. It was still pouring, and he didn't mind walking in it, but it annoyed him. He rounded another corner. "Well, now that was smart!" Joseph exclaimed as he realized he had walked halfway into an alleyway with a dead end. "Yea, I guess it was." Joseph spun around to see the source of the voice, of his voice, thinking some gang had cornered him. "Okay, I'm going nuts..." he said, rather calmly, as he faced himself. Green Ranger, specifically. Right down to the Dragon Dagger and saber. "You said the point of this is to walk until you meet yourself, so here I am. Or rather, here you are." "Gee, I never knew I had such a sense of humor." Joseph replied sarcastically. "You know, if I'm supposed to give you what you need, I don't have it. Fresh out of manners, I'm afraid." "Now I know I never had a sense of humor." Joseph replied to what he believed to be a figment of his imagination. Joseph circled his counterpart, and Green Ranger did the same. "So, you're afraid of growing old?" Green Ranger asked as if it were nothing. "You're damn right I'm afraid!" Joseph shot back. "I've lived without aging for decades! Now, I'll get old, useless..." "That is so lame, it's not even funny." Green Ranger mocked. "It's not like you're the only one who's gonna' get old and crusty in 50 years!" "And how does that matter?" Joseph asked, his voice filled with anger. "It matters because you're acting like a pessimist. Think about it. Do you remember staying young while all of your friends grew old and died? Do you remember how painful that was? It would have happened again back home if they hadn't died before their time, and it would have happened here." Joseph had to admit that Green Ranger had a point. "But when you can see all the tomorrows... meet the next generation and still be a part of it... it's worth it." "Is it? Well, I guess that's up to you. So, why are you depressed if you saved you're best friend's life?" "You are kidding! You start this conversation and now you wonder why I'm depressed?" "That's not what I mean." Green Ranger retorted. "You yourself said that you'd be damned if you lived one more day without aging, with the knowledge that there would've been something you could have done. You don't have to live with that, much less live with it for far longer than anyone should carry any guilt. So I'll ask again; why are you depressed?" Joseph said nothing, and Green Ranger used it. "You don't know, do you? You've spent so much time being terrified of growing old that you didn't stop to think about the pros, that they outweigh the cons. So you grow old, so what!" he yelled. "As for being useless, you're not dead yet! You can have quite a fruitful life. Hell, you are a Power Ranger, what do you care how the world is when your dead? You've already helped ensure that there is a world for those who will come. Who cares if you can't experience it? Others will, and you can die content in the knowledge that you've helped to make sure of it, if nothing else." Joseph listened to what Green Ranger was telling him. "You know, you're right. Now that I think about it, it's really not such a big deal." "Well, there's your talk. Not all that long, but discussions about stupid things never really are." "Very true. Thanks." "What the Hell are you thanking me for? Thank yourself! Or did you forget who you're talking to?" Joseph walked out of the alleyway, and looked one more time to see an empty space between buildings, sans "himself." "Yea, that settles it. I definitely have no sense of humor." <center>~*~</center> Epilogue Zordon, Alpha, and Rocky watched as the bright light materialized into Green Ranger. "I think that went well." He said, taking his helmet off and pulling out a box from under his collar. "So do I." Rocky added. "Rick, you're the best actor I've ever seen. You do Joseph better than Joseph!" Rick glanced over the uniform that his brother usually wore. "Having the right costume usually helps." Alpha piped up. "It did seem to work... but shouldn't we have let Joseph really meet himself, so to speak?" "Normally, Alpha, people who walkabout usually do report meeting themselves, and the files I have show that this works almost every time. Joseph was the "'almost.' His despair was greater than most when they try this, and he probably would have come close to if not completely losing his mind if it took to long." "Um, can I ask something?" Rick said, still holding the helmet in his hand. "Now that this whole thing is over with, just how do I get the rest of this stuff off?" <center>~*~</center> <CENTER>This was a short one, but I didn't want to make things all fine and dandy again without showing how Joseph dealt with his depression (I HATE plot holes.) Actually, I wasn't going to write this (despite the last "coming soon") because the plot isn't mine, but I was content with having an original plot-twist for the end. As always, comments and constructive criticism welcome at: beater@bcn.net Coming Soon : No title yet, but it's going to be a crossover. With what? Wait and see! I guarantee you've heard of it, though.</CENTER>