Power Rangers Chronic Storm 1: The Axis of Power

Chapter 3: Team

The news of Diane's capture spread like ripples over a pond. The Queen of the known universe, often deemed untouchable, unbreakable, was now a prisoner of war. Politicians and ambassadors alike scrambled to call up guards, officers, and specialized military forces to preserve the order in Neo Angles while they came up with a cover story: There was no need to be alarmed, they claimed. It was all part of the Queen's latest plan to end the Resistance. The people quickly bought in. Any and all panic subsided.

A white and silver colored laboratory rested underneath the palace grounds, home to some of the Queen's latest projects and technological advancements. Computer screens and holographic projectors lined the walls while scientists wearing dark green lab coats ran chemical experiments and analyzed various intergalactic weapons. However, the lab had a second function on this day: nursing the unconscious prince back to health.

Jason laid sprawled upon a white-sheeted bed in the corner of the lab, his eyes just now starting to wriggle. He slowly opened them to the sting of bright white lights overhead and the sound of whirling machines and beeping computer consoles. He'd spent a great deal of his formative years surrounded by these sights and sounds. It didn't take him long to figure out where he had ended up. He propped up his body and let off a relieved smile at the sight of the crazy, curly white hair that belonged to the chief of the Queen's research division: Professor Rowan N. Knox.

"Ah, Jason! Thank goodness you're alright." Knox tossed a touchpad to the side and ran to his bed. A concerned face swiftly replaced his typical whimsy. "You could have been killed out there! What were you thinking?"

Jason started to speak before a throbbing, pulsating pain in his head cut him off. He held tightly to his forehead while he winced from the relentless pounding. "Ughh... My mother... where... where is she?"

"Captured," said a voice from behind him.

Jason's heart skipped a beat before he looked behind him.

Carter sat on the adjacent bed with a bowed head and a somber expression. "My team and I... we failed... General Axis has her now. It's a miracle you survived your run in with him. He's as heartless as they come. What's worse, the Ranger Academy was also destroyed."

Jason's body quivered as his slowly returning senses engaged with a novel feeling of hollow helplessness. His mother had a plan for everything. His mother had a wall erected against any possible threat. His mother was indestructible. How could this have happened? He tried to push his confused thoughts into words, but his open mouth remained silent.

"Jason, listen to me," said Carter.

His words snapped Jason out of his internal musings. He slowly turned to face Carter.

"We need to save the Queen, but I can't do it alone. I'm going to need your help."

Jason's eyes widened. "Y-You need my help...!? But, you're a Power Ranger, and I'm... well... not."

Carter pointed down at Jason's wrist. "That Morpher you're wearing tells a different story."

Jason's latest memory gushed into his mind. He couldn't picture it clearly, yet the sound of incessant laughter sung inside his head; a chorus of deserved mockery. He stared at the Green Morpher still strapped firmly to his wrist. It seemed so light, but moving his arm up, it felt deceptively heavy.

"Carter, you can't be serious!" Knox raised his pointer finger to the sky emphatically. "I've known the boy all his life and I cannot allow you to put him through that level of danger!"

Jason clenched his fists and leapt off the bed. He gritted his teeth while a surge of pain radiated up and down his back. "I'll... do whatever it takes to stop General Axis! And I promise that I'll be the Ranger you need." Jason looked to Knox. "Sorry, Professor. I know you're looking out for me, but this is something I just have to do. Mother's done nothing but protect me, protect everyone. With this Morpher, I can finally do the same."