The Purple Ranger
by Akiko

Adam sits in the park at Angel Grove waiting for Alexandra to arrive.

It has been a long two weeks and she has just recently agreed to see him again. He desperately wants to straighten things out and begin their relationship again on a stronger footing. He turns his large class ring around his finger as he thinks. His hand feels strange because of the added weight. Up to a week ago, the ring rested on Alex's finger. "I will never forget that night," Adam thinks to himself, still not sure how he is going to explain it to her.

The teens were walking home together from the Youth Center that fateful night. It was late and they had stopped to admire how full the moon was.

The romantic mood was soon broken as a flash of light grabbed their attention. A group of Cogs appeared from an opening from nowhere. Alex had no idea what these creatures were, but Adam knew. He took a fighting stance and yelled to Alex to run. But she didn't, she held her ground. "Grab the girl!" a metallically voice repeated the instructions that King Mondo had ordered. The fight that ensued was a violent one. Adam fought bravely, taking out one Cog at a time. Alex tried to help. Though her martial arts skills were not as strong as Adam's, she was still able to take out one of her attackers. Then it happened!

The shot landed in front of the teens and the resulting explosion sent them spralling backwards. Adam hit the grass with an audible thud, but Alex hit the rock that all of the children liked to play on. Adam heard the crack as her skull collided with the rock. She gasped from the pain and then darkness enveloped her. "NO!" Adam raged and though sore himself from the blast, made short work of the remaining Cogs.

The one that was left quickly retreated into the same hole from which it had come.

Adam craddled Alex in his arms until the ambulance arrived. He wiped his hands on his dark green shirt. The blood had come from a gash on the back of Alex's head. She had still not regained consciousness by the time they reached the hospital, so Adam was left to make the official report.

What was he to say? That King Mondo had sent Cogs to kidnap Alex to hold for randsom because he was a Zeo Ranger? Who would believe such a story? So instead, he lied. He told the police that they had been attacked in the park by a group of men in gray, that the group was trying to mug them.

Alex was slipping back and forth between consciousness and unconsciousness, she mumbled about metal men attacking them. No one took her seriously. The day after the event, Alex asked Adam what had happened. He couldn't divulge his secret, so he had lied to her too. He hated himself for doing it, but knew that he had to. She disagreed with his story and didn't understand why his story was different from hers. The doctors said that she must have had some brain damage--that would account for the hallucinations about metal men and the abnormal brain wave patterns their EEG machines were documenting.

She went home the following day. The doctors advised her to take it easy, to stop thinking about the ordeal and to get some rest. Alex hated to go to sleep though. Everytime she did, she would dream about that horrible night. Only she dreamed about the metal men, not muggers. She would wake up thrashing around violently. Then the sleep walking began. One night she had the reoccurring metal man dream, only this time it was different, she was helpless. She watched as they beat Adam and she was powerless to stop them.

She screamed and woke up screaming. Quickly switching on the light to chase the nightmare away, she noticed that there was glass all over her floor. Her favorite picture lay on her bedroom floor smashed. It was the picture of her and Adam from the Homecoming Dance. They had had such a wonderful night together that night. The love that they felt for each other was evident in their facial expressions. Now the picture had scrapes in it from where the glass frame had broken. For the first time since the incident, she allowed herself to cry. Her tears were of frustration and pain. She still had a searing pain in her head from the trauma and now she was afraid that she was losing her sanity too. Every night she dreamt about metal men. She didn't understand why Adam had lied to her. Or was he lying? Maybe she really was going crazy?

Adam came to visit her every day, but she continued to look worse and worse. She told him of her metal men dreams and how they tormented her. She showed him the growing pile of damaged pictures of the two of them. Each night after the same dream, she would find another picture broken. Another sleep walking accident, she thought. She hadn't slept well since the accident and it showed. She had large, dark circles under her eyes, her fair skin was pasty white, and even her normally beautiful black hair looked dull.

She was irritable and told him daily that she thought that she was losing it. It broke his heart to see her that way and every day he had to fight not to tell her the truth. Finally, after a week had passed and a deep depression had set in, she handed him back his class ring. She told him that their relationship had changed and that she thought it was time that they both moved on. Honestly, Alex thought that Adam deserved someone better than her. She seriously believed that her father would be shipping her off to the Funny Farm any day now and didn't want to have to put Adam through it. He protested, but she was adamant. Both teens parted in tears.

_What a horrible memory,_ Adam thinks, _This is my last chance. I have got to help Alex get it back together, even if I have to tell her my secret. She is too important to lose. If I have to, I will ask Zordon to transfer my powers to someone else so that Mondo will leave us alone._ It is a huge sacrifice for Adam to make, but he is willing to do it to win Alex back.

Then he sees her coming across the park and his heart skips a beat. She walks slowly, looking very tired. Her purple dress hangs from her now gaunt body. She does look slightly better though. Adam wants to run to her and hold her in his arms, but he doesn't. He is calm and patient.

Alex squints in the bright sunlight and gives Adam a small smile when she notices him sitting on top of the picnic table. Her heart suddenly feels a little lighter. The last week has been excrutiating for her as well. She thought that she was doing the right thing by breaking up with Adam, but she had no idea how difficult it was going to be. She missed him terribly and thought about him constantly, remembering all of the good times that they had shared together. When he called to ask her to meet him, she couldn't say no, even though she knew that she should. She wanted to see his handsome face for real and not just in her nightmares.

Suddenly, there is another tear in the sky and the Cogs reappear between the two teens, determined to finish the plan that they were originally sent to do.

"NO!" Alex screams as the monsters from her dreams seem to come to life. The metal robots crowd closer and closer to her from all sides. She shrinks in terror. She feels cold metal hands grab her arms. Alex tears around screaming but is unable to break their hold.

"Come and get me tin-heads!" Adam yells defiantly, furious that they have interrupted their homecoming. He moves backwards trying to draw the Cogs away from Alex. "Zordon, I need some back up," he says into his communicator. He wants to morph, but can't. Alex would know his secret if he did. If the others don't get there soon though, he isn't going to have any choice. Alex screams in terror and Adam looks at her. The Cogs take advantage of his momentary lapse of concentration and attack. Adam fights valiantly, but soon he is over-whelmed. There are just too many of them. Two Cogs grab him while a third pummels him. Soon his lip is bleeding and he is doubled over in pain.

Her nightmare is becoming a reality. The one she loves so deeply is being hurt and she is powerless to stop it. She panicks and yells, "Adam! NO!" A flash of light blinds her eyes. The Cogs holding her explode and disintigrate around her. "Do not touch him!" she yells, crossing her arms in front of her chest and then throwing them apart. The Cogs around Adam fly off of him and disintigrate. Adam stares in disbelief. The remaining Cogs stop their assault, trying to reprogram. Alex crumples to her knees and then collapses to the ground.

"Zeo Ranger 4, Green!" Adam yells the incantation that morphs him into his alter ego. The other Rangers teleport in to help finish the battle just as the transformation is complete.

"What happened?" the Pink Zeo Ranger asks.

"I don't know." Adam says still in shock.

"You take care of Alex," the Red Zeo Ranger says, "We'll take care of these guys."

The Rangers make short work of the rest of the Cogs until the battle is finished. Meanwhile, Adam rushes over to where Alex is crumpled on the ground.

"Alexandra? Alex?" Adam says rolling her over to her back. She doesn't respond. He takes off his helmet and places it on the grass. He knows that he is giving away his identity, but doesn't care anymore. He puts his cheek close to her lips. He can feel her shallow breath. The rest of the Rangers run over to the spot where Alex and Adam are on the grass.

"Is she okay?" the Yellow Zeo Ranger asks.

"She's alive, but unconscious." Adam reports.

"Alpha, Billy, teleport Adam and Alex to the Power Chamber. We need your help." the Blue Zeo Ranger says into his communicator. Adam gently lifts Alex off the ground. The Yellow Zeo Ranger grabs Adam's helmet off of the grass and everyone teleports from the park.

* * *
Adam places Alex down gently onto a gurney in a sterile, antiseptic room. He smooths a gloved hand gently down her cheek.

"Hold on Alex. You're going to be all right." Adam says softly and kisses her forehead.

Alex mumbles something inaudible as Billy and Alpha enter the room. Their friend looks distraught and they are not sure how to comfort him.

"Adam, please tell us what happened in the park today with the Cogs." Alpha's tinny voice asks.

"I don't really know. One minute I was in the park waiting to see Alex and then the next minute Cogs appeared out of nowhere. I was taking a pretty bad beating and they were dragging her off. Then the Cogs started exploding. I don't know...." Adam replies putting his glove to his lips. When he removes it, he sees that the glove is stained with his blood. The battle had caused his body to produce large amounts of adrenalin. Now that the adrenalin was beginning to wear off, he realized just how sore he was beginning to feel.

Billy notices how his friend is wincing and suggests, "Why don't you leave Alex alone here with Alpha and Zordon. They'll take good care of her. Looks like you need a little medical help yourself."

"I'm fine." Adam lies and looks down at Alex. She looks like a corpse and he chokes out, "Please don't let her die."

"C'mon Adam, let's let them get to work. They'll call us if there is any change." Billy says gently, leading Adam out of the room.

* * *
The next few days are agonizing for Adam. If Zordon's and Alpha's advanced medical techniques healed his bruised rib and busted lip in an afternoon, surely they could do miracles for Alex. However, Adam was not allowed to see her. Each day after school, he would immediately teleport to the Command Center. Each day he was denied access to her and given a cryptic, "She is doing much better today," but they would never elaborate. Even Billy was not allowed to see her to be able to bring news to Adam.

Adam thought that it was very odd and he was beginning to lose his patience with Zordon and Alpha.

"How is Alex today, Alpha?" Adam asks, "Can I please see her today? It has been five days. I can't stand too much more."

"Rangers, welcome." Alpha replies, "Alex is doing much better. But first, please report to the Training Room."

This is not what he wanted to do and he started to protest. Billy places his hand on his heart-broken friend's arm to keep him quiet. All the Rangers carry their helmets under their arms to the Training Room. It is a large, glass contained room with a heavily padded floor. The Rangers and Alpha are in the Control Room up above. The lights come on, illuminating the arena.

"Rangers, I have a surprise for you today. Please watch." Zordon's voice booms through the Control Room.

Adam would rather pass on the theatrics and go see Alex. He has missed her terribly. A hole in the floor opens up and a figure begins to rise up. It is a woman! She is finishing pulling up her white boot--smoothing it over the top of her form-fitting, purple jumpsuit trimmed in white. She stands straight as the ride comes to an end.

"Who is that?" Rocky asks. Her helmet covers her face and her identity.

"Commence fight sequence L-1-7-9 at 50%." a mechanical voice instructs. The purple figure takes a fighting stance. Replicas of Cogs come up from the floor.

"Begin." the voice commands.

The Cogs come at the woman. She engages in lightening fast hand to hand combat with the droids. She blocks punches like a pro. The Rangers are awe-struck. She does a roundhouse kick to decapitate the last droid with a "Hiyah!"

"Increasing level to 100%." the mechanical voice continues.

Twelve more droids appear. The warrior does a dizzying tumbling pass between the droid army, dividing them into halves.

"Please demonstrate full capabilities." the voice requests.

The mysterious warrior removes a small staff from her hip. It expands into a long fighting staff. Added to her strong kicks, the powerful hits from her fighting staff soon leave half of the droids in a heap, sizzling as they over-heat. She collapses the staff and places it back on her hip. As the second batch of droids prepare to attack, she does a short, balletic kata.

"What is she doing? She would be killed if she did this in a real battle." Tommy says.

"Please be patient." Alpha reminds him.

One droid is almost upon the woman when she finishes her kata with a "Hiyah!" and a punch. She does not touch the droid but it flies backwards, sparking, crashing, and taking down the rest of the army with it. The pile of burning droids becomes larger.

"What in the...?" Rocky says in disbelief.

The purple warrior bows to the droids and bows to the Control Room. She walks off the mat and disappears. The Rangers are dumb-founded.

"Will you please explain now Alpha?" Tommy presses. Then the purple woman enters the room.

"Rangers, I would like to present the newest member of your team--The Purple Ranger. Her hand to hand combat is still a little rusty, but she has a special natural talent--telekinesis. Amplified by a special mechanism in her helmet, you have seen how strong her mind is." Alpha explains.

The Purple Ranger slowly unhooks her helmet. Long, black hair comes tumbling out. Everyone gasps. Adam takes a step backwards, grabbing the control panel to keep from falling down.

"Alex?!" he says in a whisper of disbelief. Alex smiles and runs a hand through her hair to smooth it out. Zordon's and Alpha's medical treatments have done wonders for Alex. She is back to her radiant, healthy self; but most importantly, her mind is now healthy again. All of the Rangers except Adam crowd around her, hugging her and welcoming her. After a moment, she breaks free of the well-wishers and comes over to Adam.

"I'm back." she says softly to him, looking deeply into his dark brown eyes. He can't stand it anymore. He grabs her in his arms and spins her around.

"I have missed you so much," he says gently placing her back on the ground.

"Me too." she replies.

He gives her a large, long kiss to emphasize his point--wrapping his arms even more tightly around her and holding her closer to him.

"Excuse me," Tanya says, "But am I the only one a little confused here?" The other Rangers shake their heads "No."

"Return to the Conference Room and we will explain." Zordon booms into the Control Room. Adam slips his arm around Alex's waist and the two follow the others to the Contol Room.

"I thought we'd lost you." Adam says softly to Alex.

"I was a little worried there myself for a while." Alex admits.

* * *
The Rangers sit down at a semi-circular table facing the holographic image of Zordon.

"Let's start from the beginning." Zordon says, "Alex has always possessed her special telekinetic abilities, but she has never been able to tap into them until recently. This is why her seemingly abnormal brain wave patterns stumped the doctors. Her head injury helped establish the missing link between her controlled conscious mind and her repressed telekinetic one. The two areas began to bridge more and more as her injury began to heal, but she still kept a large block on. Only when she was asleep, was her mind able to work together. Alex wasn't sleep walking. She was telekinetically moving the picture frames in her sleep!"

The holograph of Zordon disappears and in its place is the scene where Alex disintigrates the Cogs off of herself and then saves Adam.

Zordon continues, "Because of the deep, strong bond between herself and Adam, Alex was able to break through her last mental block to tap into her inner strength. Adam's pain was too much for her to bear. Her deep love and care for him opened up the flood gate of her mind and her power came through in its rawest form. The sudden explosion of mental power into her conscious mind caused the dramatic effects we witnessed, but also overloaded her own mental circuits. This is why she slipped into a deep sleep after collapsing. Her body shut down to only its most basic functions in order to repair its mental 'fuses' and reroute some of her mental circuitry. After her awesome display of power and the brain wave tests that Alpha and I performed, I was convinced that we had a telekinetic on our hands."

The holograph of Zordon returns and the Rangers are silent in awe. Zordon continues, "I am sorry to be so secretive and to deny access to her the last couple of days, but I wanted to see if there were any lasting effects from the trauma. I also asked her to consider putting her special talents to use on our team. When she agreed, we began an exhausting, intensive study. By a special technique, I was able to increase her fighting skills 100%. We have worked hard to strengthen the bond between her body and her mind. She allowed me to place fighting skills into her subconscious mind while she slept. When she awoke, it only took a few practices to make the kinetic memory a reality. Her technique is still a little sloppy, but all of her major muscle groups know how to react. With further training from you Adam, she should be up to the Rangers' level in no time. Alpha and I will continue to do mental exercises and training with her until she reaches her full potential. Until then, we have modified a piece in her helmet which will amplify her powers ten fold. Still, she is to exert control of this power--using it mainly to protect herself in hand to hand combat. Trying to attack a full-grown monster is impossible. She could easily overload and collapse again. We do not have a Zord for the Purple Ranger at this time. Therefore, she will share Adam's Zord until one can be constructed. Alpha has also made a modification to your Zord, Adam, so that the special powers of your Zord will be directed and amplified by Alex's mind. Rangers, I would like to welcome our newest Ranger, Alexandra the Purple Ranger."

The End