Let Me Think - One-Shot

Power Rangers #5


Kim examined herself in the mirror. She'd looped her belt through her Power Morpher, and although she looked faintly ridiculous – she was still wearing her smart work suit – she was actually quite thrilled by the strange item. It helped that merely having it attached to her belt had a physical effect on her body, improving her fitness, strength and stamina to levels she'd never experienced before.

This wasn't a prank. This was real.

+++

Trini knocked on her Uncle Howard's door.

"Come in," came his deep voice from inside. As she walked in, she was greeted by the familiar sight of her uncle tinkering with all manner of gadgets.

"Something new?" she asked.

He looked up, an almost manic grin on his face.

"New processor!" he said. "I'm hoping I can beat the big companies to the next upgrade this time." He turned the world's tiniest screwdriver with remarkable speed. "Love this thing."

This happened every so often. Howard worked for a local company that developed all sorts of processing units. When he brought his work home with him, it was a good sign that he was onto something.

Trini smiled, gave her uncle a hug, and walked back out. She'd hoped to have a word with him, but didn't want to disturb his exciting project.

"Trini!"

Trini nearly collapsed as two arms clamped around her. It was her cousin Sylvia. She rarely spoke without exclamation marks, and had the natural carefree joy of a fifteen-year-old who's always been surrounded by friends and family who love her; who'd never been treated badly.

"Hia," said Trini.

"You're safe!"

For a second, Trini couldn't work out what she meant. Then she remembered – her department of the college had collapsed in an earthquake a few hours ago.

"Oh, yes, sorry," said Trini. "I should've been in touch sooner."

Sylvia let go, and grinned.

"Dad didn't even notice the quake," she said. "Worked right through. I didn't bother telling him – he'd have worried."

Trini laughed. Howard wasn't easily distracted from his work, but if he thought there was even the slightest thing bothering his family, he became distressed and unable to function.

"I'm just going to head out again, Sylv," she said. "Still a bit shakey."

"Of course," said Sylvia. She squeezed her cousin's hand reassuringly, and dashed upstairs.

Trini's smile now faded. She had a lot to talk about. She needed to talk to someone on her wavelength. The others today hadn't understood her at all.

She picked up the phone and dialled Aisha's number.

+++

Angela wiped a tear from her eye. Her sides ached from laughing.

"And then, right, the Red Ranger really winds him up," said Zack. "He calls him a bully, basically, and Killer Cat Giant From Space names him his nemesis. Says he's going to kill his family, friends, casual acquaintances, postman, that kind of thing."

"Oh my God," said Angela, leaning forward.

"And then, right, a few seconds later, he's knocked uncoscious. A single blow. And GUESS who did it!"

"Don't tell me!" grinned Angela. "It was you!"

"As if."

"The Blue Ranger?"

"No," said Zack. "Think the most unlikely person."

"It wasn't the girl who wouldn't fight!"

"It was the girl who wouldn't fight!"

They both started to laugh again, mildly hysterically.

"Anyway, we got back, and that's where we talked about secret identities. Like I said earlier. The Red Ranger was an idiot about it, the girl who wouldn't fight – she's the Yellow Ranger, by the way – she was still worried about fighting and stuff. And I was just, like, wanting to get back and see if you were alright."

"Okay," grinned Angela. She calmed down, breathing deeply. "Right, I've listened to all of this. It all sounds pretty far-fetched ..."

"Killer Cat Giants From Space?"

"Stop it, you'll see me off again." Angela grinned at him. "Right. So. I'll be honest – I believe you. I don't think you're making this up. But just tell me anyway, categorically. Is every single bit of this true?"

Zack's smile faded. He didn't answer. He lifted his left hand for Angela to see.

"Oh," she said. "Oh, God."

"I know."

"Zack. Your finger's grown back."

+++

William sat in the silence. He looked around at the park, embracing the quiet. In front of him, on the grass, was his Power Morpher. He reached out, and touched it.

An explosion of sound. The laughing of children. The barking of dogs. A baby crying. Joggers breathing heavily. Bicycle tyres against the concrete paths. Traffic in the distance.

He took his finger off the morpher again. Not a sound. Silence.

And it didn't even need batteries.

+++

"It's stuck in my head," said Aisha. "And I don't know who sings it. Damned annoying."

"Can't help you out, sorry," said Trini. "Don't recognise it."

Aisha shrugged, and took another sip of her banana smoothie. They'd come to Ernie's Juice Bar for a chat.

"So," she said. "What was so urgent that you had to drag me away from a Mr Eko flashback episode?"

"Morality troubles," said Trini.

"Ah, alright," said Aisha. "What are your symptoms?"

Trini struggled to find the words. "Alright, you're a member of a lot of groups, aren't you?"

"Sure."

"Do you ever worry about them ... being inconsistent?"

"I don't follow."

"Let's say you're a member of an anti-war group," said Trini. "And then you wonder if you should join a group that fights for peace."

"I don't see the inconsistency," said Aisha.

"In the former, you're against fighting," Trini explained. "But in the latter, you fight – I mean, literally fight – to keep the peace. You're against soliders in one, and you ARE a soldier in the other."

"Still don't see it," said Aisha. "You're against war. That doesn't mean you think there shouldn't be armies. And it doesn't stop you being in one."

Trini frowned. She'd always seen Aisha as her most intelligent friend. How could she be this illogical?

"Okay," she said. "You're a vegetarian. Someone comes up to you, and tells you to eat a chicken. If you don't, they'll kill two more chickens."

"That's not a moral dilemma," said Aisha. "That's crap. I'd eat the damned chicken."

"But you're a vegetarian!"

"And WHY am I a vegetarian?" Aisha took another sip of her smoothie. "To maximise the survival and comfort of animals. If I eat this chicken, that's already dead, I save two living chickens."

"So you'd sell out your morals?"

"My morals are that I believe in the survival and comfort of animals. This is generally incompatible with eating them. The scenario you describe is a rare example that changes the rules – as well as something that never happens in real life."

Trini smiled. She checked to see if she had any of her strawberry smoothie left; she didn't.

"I've always struggled with those questions. Would I rather let a hundred bad men go free than imprison one innocent man?"

"I hate those dilemmas," said Aisha. "Because they're dumb. Yes, I would let an innocent man rot in prison before letting a hundred guilty men walk free. Yes, I'd eat a chicken to save two more. Yes, I'd kill ten murderers to save the life of a baby. I'd kill a baby to save a hundred men. Blah blah blah."

Trini looked shocked.

"These questions give us a bad name, Trini," said Aisha. "They're the reason Americans think hippies are filthy, weak-minded idiots. And I'm afraid the world doesn't work like that. It's easy to shout 'save the whale', but how easy is it to actually do something about it? It isn't. It's difficult. The things we campaign against are things that plenty of other people like and enjoy. We see ourselves as the good guys, because it's nice to think so. Being liberal is easy. 'No, I don't believe in the death penalty'. Well, good for you. But some people deserve it."

"The death penalty?" said Trini. "Seriously?"

"I don't mention my opinion on it often," said Aisha. "But we live in a world that contains thousands of people evil enough to deserve it. Humans aren't inherently good, and I'm not going to lose any sleep over the rapists on Death Row."

She finished her smoothie, and grinned.

"But, y'know, I'm not going to become an executioner. I'm still all about the fluffy kittens."

"So," said Trini. "Hypothetically. Do you fight hoards of monsters trying to kill and-or enslave everyone on earth, even though you don't believe in fighting?"

"I love you, Trini," said Aisha. "But you really are very foolish."

+++

"I've never even seen it before," said Angela, who was still running her fingers along Zack's new middle finger. "Except in baby photos."

"Novelty hasn't worn off for me either," said Zack. "But don't get too attached to it."

He removed the Power Morpher from his pocket. He placed it on the coffee table in front of him, and slowly, the finger melted back into his hand.

"If I'm not in contact with him, I get no added benefits – digital or otherwise."

Angela stared at the Morpher, still absent-mindedly stroking her boyfriend's hand.

"And I probably have to give it back," said Zack. "Since I told you. It's a breach of warranty."

"Do you have to tell them I know?" asked Angela. "We could keep it between us."

"I'm not going back and telling the Red Ranger my girlfriend doesn't know," said Zack stubbornly. "They take me on these terms, or they don't take me at all."

Angela smiled. She leant across the table and kissed him.

"You gave up your finger for me."

"Oh, shush," said Zack. "It's a lame finger anyway."

+++

Trini examined the Power Morpher. She'd have to swallow her pride to be part of the team. She didn't like that so much. She didn't like being wrong.

Was she wrong, then? Was it wrong not to want to fight? She'd always hated soldiers. If there were no soldiers, there'd be no wars. But then, those putty monsters were soldiers, weren't they? They needed to be cancelled out.

She never felt sorry for soldiers who died in war. Their families, sure, but not the soldiers themselves. They knew what the job entailed. And yet they still chose to do it.

So. This is how it would work. She was going to become the Yellow Power Ranger. And if she died, she'd have no-one to blame but herself. She was choosing herself to become the Evil Soldier Who Deserves To Die, to block the path between the monsters and the Innocent People Who Deserve To Live.

Someone has to do this job. And this way, she could keep an eye on the others.

+++

Angela gripped the mattress tightly, and bit the pillow to stop herself from screaming.

Minutes later, Zack had found a couple of peach yoghurts.

"Alright," said Angela, licking the lid, still out of breath. "You can give it back now, if you want."

Zack looked at the Morpher in mock grief.

"We've had some good times," he said. "But some things aren't meant to be."

He ate a loaded spoonful of yoghurt.

"Wonder how many aliens there are," said Angela. "And whether we're the least scary."

"Least scary?" asked Zack. "Humans are sinister. We wear camouflage and use guns. Give me a Cat Giant From Space with a Big Sword Of Death any day of the week." He paused. "Except Tuesdays. I have rehearsals."

Angela looked at the Morpher.

"Mind if I try it out?" she asked. "Just touch it, I mean."

Zack handed it to her. Angela felt every muscle in her body tense and stiffen, and looking down at her naked body, could even see her bones shifting slightly, the connecting tissue changing appropriately.

"Wow."

"Sexy," said Zack. He ran a hand along her newly-developed abs. "Oh, did I mention the robot? There was a robot!"

"Seriously?"

And the conversation continued.

+++

"Alright, guys," said Jason. "Keep up the good work. Nice work there, Tom."

He let his class rehearse the moves he'd just showed them, grabbed a towel, and entered the reception area.

"Sorry," he said, noticing that someone was waiting. "We're a bit understaffed today. Couple of our guys were injured in the quake."

He suddenly realised who it was.

"William."

"Hi," said William. "I want to learn to fight."