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estinoseThis little fic was written around the time Power Rangers Turbo was airing. It features T.J., and is essentially what he was doing during "Passing the Torch" part 2. Its title references the fact that T.J. mentions that he wanted to be a Power Ranger when he grew up.
It's a scene interpretation, with the addition of one minor OC (the shopkeeper). I like it because it was one of my first attempts to understand T.J. and his POV. (To this day, he remains one of my favorite Rangers!)
Note: Some of the dialogue in here is taken from "Passing the Torch" part 2, written by Shuki Levy and Shell Danielson. The rest stop shopkeeper is my own invention.
What I wanted to be when I grew up
by Selma McCrory
copyright 1997
T.J. followed Cassie as she made her way towards the road. It had been a long, but exciting afternoon for them, and after their adventures T.J. was just as ready to get to where he was going.
Still, it was a day to write home about. Rescuing this girl and then her friend Tommy, and getting a visit from the Power Rangers. That had been worth all the effort alone. They had come in true style, rescuing him, Cassie, and the girl from the attacking monsters just in the nick of time.
He remembered being a little kid and idolizing the Rangers. Of course, people didn't grow up to be superheroes, and he eventually grew out of it, but he wanted to be one just the same.
T.J. stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Up ahead, Cassie dragged her baggage out from the bushes she'd thrown it in. It wasn't as if either of them was in a hurry. The bus wouldn't come anytime soon, and if there was something happening in Angel Grove, people wouldn't want to come anyway.
When they reached the bus rest stop, the place was empty. Figured. The shopkeeper was watching TV, with some kind of special report going on. The shopkeeper looked up. "Hey, weren't you on that bus a while back? The one that was going to Angel Grove?"
"Yeah," T.J. answered. "We stopped off to help someone and it left without us."
"You're lucky then," the shopkeeper answered. She gestured towards the TV. "I'll bet that bus got detoured. Angel Grove has another monster attack, and this one seems intent on burning the place to the ground. Half the city's being evacuated. You're better off waiting until the end of the attack before trying to get there."
"How about Stone Canyon?" Cassie asked. "I was going there."
"I doubt it got there, either, since it has to go through Angel Grove first."
Cassie frowned at T.J.. "Great! How am I supposed to get to Stone Canyon?"
"I don't know," T.J. replied. "I'd like to know that myself."
"Hey, look," the shopkeeper said. "I've got to go into Angel Grove myself after this is over. How about I give you a ride to the bus station, if it's still standing. That way, you can pick up your luggage, and you two can get to wherever you were going before all this happened."
"Thanks," T.J. replied, a smile on his face. He and Cassie made their way outside. "That was nice of her."
"Yeah. I'm sure my family can pick me up from Angel Grove. I want to go home."
Any further conversation was interrupted by the world suddenly turning white.
* * *
"T.J.?" Someone asked. Cassie. T.J. blinked, somewhat blinded by the darkness he found himself in.
"Where are we?" he asked, not expecting anyone to answer him.
"We were hoping you could tell us," a male voice replied. A Hispanic teenager, T.J.'s age or a little bit younger, walked towards them. A white girl emerged from behind him.
As T.J.'s eyes adjusted, he found himself in a void. No, not a void, for a void wouldn't have dimly-seen walls and a ceiling. "I'm T.J.. This is Cassie."
"I'm Ashley," the girl said. "This is Carlos."
"This day is turning out totally weird," Cassie said. "First we go to rescue someone, then we're set upon by these guys in fish suits, and then we get to rescue this guy being hung over this weird pit, and then while we're waiting for the next bus, we end up here! What's next?"
T.J. smiled. "I guess we just got our first taste of Angel Grove," he told her.
"You're just moving to Angel Grove?" Ashley asked. She sounded surprised.
"Well, he's moving to Angel Grove, I'm moving to nice, safe Stone Canyon," Cassie said.
"Heya, guys and gals, could I have you attention please?" a voice issued from behind them. T.J. swung around, and noticed the others doing the same.
Coming out of the darkness was a strange metal being, a robot, with a dome head (with those flashy funky lights like on Knight Rider) and a reddish and gold body with a lightning bolt lighting on and off.
"You've got an important choice ahead of you, and we don't have the time for introductions," the robot said, sounding like it had a New York accent.
The figure of a white clad woman flowed up out of the ground. "Greetings," she said, her voice reverberating slightly. "You have been chosen by the current team of Power Rangers as their replacements. This is a great honor, but one that will not be forced onto you. If you choose, you will each replace one of the current Rangers and assume their role of protecting this planet."
T.J. was thrilled. Meeting the Power Rangers that afternoon had been wonderful, but he'd never thought that he'd actually become one. After all, you didn't pluck someone off the street and inform them that they were going to become a superhero, did you? But, in this case, it had happened. He knew what his choice was going to be.
He turned to Cassie. She was frowning, and he knew she wasn't as enthusiastic about this whole thing as he was. Yeah, she'd been happy to help, but she'd also wanted to just go on several times. She'd been so reluctant. She was thrilled to meet the Rangers, but that didn't mean she wanted to be one. He touched her arm. "Come on, Cassie, it's a good way to repay them."
Ashley and Carlos has come quickly to their choice. It seemed the two were as enthusiastic as he was.
"I guess I'm in," Cassie said, a small, unsure smile on her face.
"Me too," Ashley replied.
"Who would have guessed?" Carlos said. "I'm in."
"You can count me in," T.J. replied, glad to see that he'd convinced Cassie.
It was hard to tell if the woman was smiling, but she seemed pleased. "T.J., you have been chosen to replace the Red Turbo Ranger," the woman said. A piece of metal appeared on his wrist and another in his other hand. Then the two flared and disappeared, and he was suddenly costumed in a helmet and suit.
The woman followed suit with Cassie, who had been chosen by the Pink Ranger, Carlos, who had been chosen by the Green Ranger, and Ashley, who had been chosen by the Yellow Ranger. He wondered why the Blue Ranger that he had seen that afternoon didn't have a replacement.
He took off his helmet, and the other three followed suit. "Welcome, Rangers," the woman said, a warm smile evident in her voice. I am Dimitria, and this is Alpha 6. We will assist you in your fight against evil. However, now it is time for your predecessors to be properly thanked."
She disappeared. "Right this way, folks," Alpha 6 said. They followed the little robot for a distance. T.J. could feel the ground going from flat to rocky. Finally, the robot stopped. He and the others stopped, too. The little robot continued while arranging them in a line. "There are a coupla things I have to take care of, so I'll leave you here. Just walk on up to the top when the lights start flashing so that the old Rangers can see ya."
Alpha disappeared. T.J. and the other three looked at each other. "Wow," Carlos said softly. "I wonder who chose me?"
"I'd like to know that myself," T.J. admitted.
"Me too," Cassie replied. "I mean, I haven't even set foot in Stone Canyon yet! Why would a Ranger choose me for her replacement?"
"I guess we'll know in a few minutes," T.J. replied. He, like Cassie, was wondering why he'd been chosen. After all, he'd never met the Red Ranger. He'd met the Blue, Green, and Yellow Rangers.
"I think it's starting," Ashley whispered anxiously.
Indeed, they could hear Alpha 6 speaking. "We were kinda expecting a couple of others to drop by and join in the celebration. Oh, yo, there they are!"
"Zordon!" someone cried.
"Rangers. It is good to see you again," a male voice responded. "Alpha and I are honored to participate in this historic transformation."
"Ay-yi-yi! We wouldn't miss it," a higher-pitched voice added.
"We have gathered here to honor each of you for your dedicated service as a Power Ranger. Your courage and loyalty has known no bounds. However, as any Ranger reaches your stage of life, it becomes our duty to set them free to discover all that life has to offer."
Suddenly, the back wall lit up. "I guess that's our cue," T.J. said. The others nodded, and they all walked up the steps until they reached the top.
Dimitria continued her speech to her audience. "To that end, you have been asked to select an outstanding individual to take over as your successor. We welcome them now, to the Power Ranger family!"
T.J. could finally see the five figures below. Two of them he recognized: Tommy, the guy that he and Cassie had rescued from the cave, and the girl that he and Cassie had helped protect. He didn't recognize the others, but he was willing to bet that they were the Yellow, Green, and Blue Rangers.
Tommy stepped forward. "I wouldn't be standing here today, T.J., if it weren't for your courage and strength. I choose you to lead the team as the new Red Ranger."
T.J. smiled. Now he knew why he had been chosen, even though he hadn't even made it into Angel Grove yet. He'd done what was right, to save another human being or two, and he'd been rewarded by being given one of the highest honors he could imagine.
He listened as the other Rangers gave his teammates their reasons for being chosen, and even the Blue Ranger (the only one who wasn't retiring) protesting that he'd been left out, and then being sent up with them.
Dimitria spoke again. "Where there is evil, beware! Where there is destruction, be warned! This new team of mighty warriors will know no rest. Power Rangers, the legacy continues!"
T.J. stood up even more proudly. Here he was, fulfilling a childhood dream, and now was his moment to celebrate. He knew the others were too, but he had his own special reasons. He had a great honor to live up to.
-End
It's a scene interpretation, with the addition of one minor OC (the shopkeeper). I like it because it was one of my first attempts to understand T.J. and his POV. (To this day, he remains one of my favorite Rangers!)
Note: Some of the dialogue in here is taken from "Passing the Torch" part 2, written by Shuki Levy and Shell Danielson. The rest stop shopkeeper is my own invention.
What I wanted to be when I grew up
by Selma McCrory
copyright 1997
T.J. followed Cassie as she made her way towards the road. It had been a long, but exciting afternoon for them, and after their adventures T.J. was just as ready to get to where he was going.
Still, it was a day to write home about. Rescuing this girl and then her friend Tommy, and getting a visit from the Power Rangers. That had been worth all the effort alone. They had come in true style, rescuing him, Cassie, and the girl from the attacking monsters just in the nick of time.
He remembered being a little kid and idolizing the Rangers. Of course, people didn't grow up to be superheroes, and he eventually grew out of it, but he wanted to be one just the same.
T.J. stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Up ahead, Cassie dragged her baggage out from the bushes she'd thrown it in. It wasn't as if either of them was in a hurry. The bus wouldn't come anytime soon, and if there was something happening in Angel Grove, people wouldn't want to come anyway.
When they reached the bus rest stop, the place was empty. Figured. The shopkeeper was watching TV, with some kind of special report going on. The shopkeeper looked up. "Hey, weren't you on that bus a while back? The one that was going to Angel Grove?"
"Yeah," T.J. answered. "We stopped off to help someone and it left without us."
"You're lucky then," the shopkeeper answered. She gestured towards the TV. "I'll bet that bus got detoured. Angel Grove has another monster attack, and this one seems intent on burning the place to the ground. Half the city's being evacuated. You're better off waiting until the end of the attack before trying to get there."
"How about Stone Canyon?" Cassie asked. "I was going there."
"I doubt it got there, either, since it has to go through Angel Grove first."
Cassie frowned at T.J.. "Great! How am I supposed to get to Stone Canyon?"
"I don't know," T.J. replied. "I'd like to know that myself."
"Hey, look," the shopkeeper said. "I've got to go into Angel Grove myself after this is over. How about I give you a ride to the bus station, if it's still standing. That way, you can pick up your luggage, and you two can get to wherever you were going before all this happened."
"Thanks," T.J. replied, a smile on his face. He and Cassie made their way outside. "That was nice of her."
"Yeah. I'm sure my family can pick me up from Angel Grove. I want to go home."
Any further conversation was interrupted by the world suddenly turning white.
* * *
"T.J.?" Someone asked. Cassie. T.J. blinked, somewhat blinded by the darkness he found himself in.
"Where are we?" he asked, not expecting anyone to answer him.
"We were hoping you could tell us," a male voice replied. A Hispanic teenager, T.J.'s age or a little bit younger, walked towards them. A white girl emerged from behind him.
As T.J.'s eyes adjusted, he found himself in a void. No, not a void, for a void wouldn't have dimly-seen walls and a ceiling. "I'm T.J.. This is Cassie."
"I'm Ashley," the girl said. "This is Carlos."
"This day is turning out totally weird," Cassie said. "First we go to rescue someone, then we're set upon by these guys in fish suits, and then we get to rescue this guy being hung over this weird pit, and then while we're waiting for the next bus, we end up here! What's next?"
T.J. smiled. "I guess we just got our first taste of Angel Grove," he told her.
"You're just moving to Angel Grove?" Ashley asked. She sounded surprised.
"Well, he's moving to Angel Grove, I'm moving to nice, safe Stone Canyon," Cassie said.
"Heya, guys and gals, could I have you attention please?" a voice issued from behind them. T.J. swung around, and noticed the others doing the same.
Coming out of the darkness was a strange metal being, a robot, with a dome head (with those flashy funky lights like on Knight Rider) and a reddish and gold body with a lightning bolt lighting on and off.
"You've got an important choice ahead of you, and we don't have the time for introductions," the robot said, sounding like it had a New York accent.
The figure of a white clad woman flowed up out of the ground. "Greetings," she said, her voice reverberating slightly. "You have been chosen by the current team of Power Rangers as their replacements. This is a great honor, but one that will not be forced onto you. If you choose, you will each replace one of the current Rangers and assume their role of protecting this planet."
T.J. was thrilled. Meeting the Power Rangers that afternoon had been wonderful, but he'd never thought that he'd actually become one. After all, you didn't pluck someone off the street and inform them that they were going to become a superhero, did you? But, in this case, it had happened. He knew what his choice was going to be.
He turned to Cassie. She was frowning, and he knew she wasn't as enthusiastic about this whole thing as he was. Yeah, she'd been happy to help, but she'd also wanted to just go on several times. She'd been so reluctant. She was thrilled to meet the Rangers, but that didn't mean she wanted to be one. He touched her arm. "Come on, Cassie, it's a good way to repay them."
Ashley and Carlos has come quickly to their choice. It seemed the two were as enthusiastic as he was.
"I guess I'm in," Cassie said, a small, unsure smile on her face.
"Me too," Ashley replied.
"Who would have guessed?" Carlos said. "I'm in."
"You can count me in," T.J. replied, glad to see that he'd convinced Cassie.
It was hard to tell if the woman was smiling, but she seemed pleased. "T.J., you have been chosen to replace the Red Turbo Ranger," the woman said. A piece of metal appeared on his wrist and another in his other hand. Then the two flared and disappeared, and he was suddenly costumed in a helmet and suit.
The woman followed suit with Cassie, who had been chosen by the Pink Ranger, Carlos, who had been chosen by the Green Ranger, and Ashley, who had been chosen by the Yellow Ranger. He wondered why the Blue Ranger that he had seen that afternoon didn't have a replacement.
He took off his helmet, and the other three followed suit. "Welcome, Rangers," the woman said, a warm smile evident in her voice. I am Dimitria, and this is Alpha 6. We will assist you in your fight against evil. However, now it is time for your predecessors to be properly thanked."
She disappeared. "Right this way, folks," Alpha 6 said. They followed the little robot for a distance. T.J. could feel the ground going from flat to rocky. Finally, the robot stopped. He and the others stopped, too. The little robot continued while arranging them in a line. "There are a coupla things I have to take care of, so I'll leave you here. Just walk on up to the top when the lights start flashing so that the old Rangers can see ya."
Alpha disappeared. T.J. and the other three looked at each other. "Wow," Carlos said softly. "I wonder who chose me?"
"I'd like to know that myself," T.J. admitted.
"Me too," Cassie replied. "I mean, I haven't even set foot in Stone Canyon yet! Why would a Ranger choose me for her replacement?"
"I guess we'll know in a few minutes," T.J. replied. He, like Cassie, was wondering why he'd been chosen. After all, he'd never met the Red Ranger. He'd met the Blue, Green, and Yellow Rangers.
"I think it's starting," Ashley whispered anxiously.
Indeed, they could hear Alpha 6 speaking. "We were kinda expecting a couple of others to drop by and join in the celebration. Oh, yo, there they are!"
"Zordon!" someone cried.
"Rangers. It is good to see you again," a male voice responded. "Alpha and I are honored to participate in this historic transformation."
"Ay-yi-yi! We wouldn't miss it," a higher-pitched voice added.
"We have gathered here to honor each of you for your dedicated service as a Power Ranger. Your courage and loyalty has known no bounds. However, as any Ranger reaches your stage of life, it becomes our duty to set them free to discover all that life has to offer."
Suddenly, the back wall lit up. "I guess that's our cue," T.J. said. The others nodded, and they all walked up the steps until they reached the top.
Dimitria continued her speech to her audience. "To that end, you have been asked to select an outstanding individual to take over as your successor. We welcome them now, to the Power Ranger family!"
T.J. could finally see the five figures below. Two of them he recognized: Tommy, the guy that he and Cassie had rescued from the cave, and the girl that he and Cassie had helped protect. He didn't recognize the others, but he was willing to bet that they were the Yellow, Green, and Blue Rangers.
Tommy stepped forward. "I wouldn't be standing here today, T.J., if it weren't for your courage and strength. I choose you to lead the team as the new Red Ranger."
T.J. smiled. Now he knew why he had been chosen, even though he hadn't even made it into Angel Grove yet. He'd done what was right, to save another human being or two, and he'd been rewarded by being given one of the highest honors he could imagine.
He listened as the other Rangers gave his teammates their reasons for being chosen, and even the Blue Ranger (the only one who wasn't retiring) protesting that he'd been left out, and then being sent up with them.
Dimitria spoke again. "Where there is evil, beware! Where there is destruction, be warned! This new team of mighty warriors will know no rest. Power Rangers, the legacy continues!"
T.J. stood up even more proudly. Here he was, fulfilling a childhood dream, and now was his moment to celebrate. He knew the others were too, but he had his own special reasons. He had a great honor to live up to.
-End
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