First off, thank you to Psycho Tangerine, Ghostwriter, Jay Rosie, RedRangerBelt, Alex B. Goode, griffin blackwood, ANARCHY RULES, eagle219406, StarzGirl09, anyabar1987, project314, digiwriter1392, FantasyFan551, RPM Shadow, GinaStar, snake screamer, and Iron-Mantis for your reviews. I really appreciate comments and constructive criticism.

I'd also like to thank everyone who has been patient and still cares about this story. I'm trying to get the other chapters mostly done so it wont be so long between updates and finally get this story finished. Its going to the end of the season but wont be going over every episode. I am also currently writing five other stories at the same time. I havent started posting the others b/c I dont want them to end up like my poor Ryan story, neglected and unfinished.

Angel Grove, 1994

The brown bricked building lay on the edge of the city, far enough that the occupants didn't worry too much when the giant monsters attacked. A light brown jeep pulled up and a man in his early thirties jumped out, video camera and tripod in hand. As the man entered the building, he noted the small discreet sign beside it, reading, 'Hartford Research and Development'. He really needed to come up with some kind of symbol to go with it.

Entering the lab, three faces looked up from different screens throughout the room.

"They're gone." Andrew said, pulling the tape out of the camera and putting it into a VCR. "The battle ended at 5:34." The machine hummed as the computer began recording the information off the tape.

"Did they win?" The question came from Earl, who, in his late fifties, was easily the eldest in group. It use to be a joke, asked lightheartedly, because the Power Rangers always won. Then they had lost to the Green Ranger and then other monsters. More recently the zords had been destroyed. Each time was horrifying but the Rangers were able to return and eventually win.

"They won." Andrew said, with a smile.

Angela stepped next to Andrew, looking at the screen."Did we get anything?" She may have been only 22, but she already had a degree in medicine and two masters in engineering, the rest of the team couldn't help but respect her.

"Not much; the camera was knocked over."

"It couldn't have been put in a more secure place?" Earl asked.

Andrew sighed, this was turning into an old topic. "Not secretly. Unlike the park, there is no cover, no trees."

"Most of the Zord battles take place at the quarry, though."

Angela stepped in. "Which makes it a dangerous place. I'm just glad it didn't get crushed this time. We've already lost seventeen cameras out there." She turned to Andrew, "You're going to get crushed as well one of these days."

The man smiled, "Danger's part of the job."

"Actually," Earl said, moving back to his table, "the job is to set up cameras, watch the footage and sit at a desk all day analyzing data, hoping to learn more about the Power Rangers. Very little danger. Which is why I agreed to it."

Andrew smiled. The older man would complain and act like he had better things to do, but they could all tell that he was having to time of his life. "What about the footage from the youth center?" Andrew asked.

"Clark's going over it right now," Angela said, pointing to her older brother, who had put his headphones back on and was staring intently at the screen.

"You're sure there weren't energy spikes anywhere else before the battle?" Andrew asked.

"One in the park," Angela answered, shaking her head, "but not near our cameras." She let out a frustrated sigh,"It's like they know where they are and are purposely avoiding them."

"At least we're finally getting somewhere with their energy source." Earl put in, making notes on some paper.

"Angela."

The group turned to Clark, who was still staring at the screen, but his face was drained of color. "You better come take a look at this."

The team quickly moved over to the screen as Clark finished rewinding and pulled out the headphone plug.

The screen showed an empty, out of the way, hallway in the youth center. Suddenly five teens hurried into the corridor and huddled together as one of them fiddled with their watch."

"What's going on Zordon?"

There was a muffled reply that the microphone couldn't seem to pick up.

"We're on our way." The one in white looked around at the others. "Ready guys?"

They all nodded.

"It's Morphin Time!"

There was a flash of light and they were gone.

Silence filled the room. Angela stared at the screen, "Oh. My…."

Mariner Bay, 1996

"They're teenagers."

Capt Mitchell looked up from the file he was reading, to Ms. Fairweather. She had entered his office unannounced with a determined but hesitant look on her face. "Who?"

She took a breath. "The power rangers, they're teenagers." They never planned on telling anyone. Then the research unit was closed and the group was offered positions in the Lightspeed program. Andrew had, of course, declined. He didn't need funding or a job to continue his research; he had only joined the team because he wouldn't have been able to find anyone more qualified than the scientists the government had already chosen. Clark was now leading a development team across country and Earl was two states over focusing his attention on what he understood best, energy. Angela would have been a fool to turn down the position offered to her. Head of the Lightspeed Research and Development. She was going to be able to do wonders here. What she hadn't counted on was Captain Mitchell. He wasn't a government flunky given a position to keep order over a program he didn't fully understand. He was the reason it even existed. It wasn't obvious that they had left something out of their previous reports, but still, he had caught onto it. She would never have considered telling him if she hadn't already talked to Andrew first. She knew they were friends; and he had given her the 'go ahead'.

William paused. "You're sure?"

She nodded. "After a year of monitoring them during battle we were finally able to isolate the power signature that their suits and weapons gave off. We set the sensors, placed around Angel Grove, to search for that signature. We picked up energy spikes frequently in a few locations before a battle began. It was them transforming."

"And the locations?"

"The local high school, park, beach, and youth center."

"Teenagers," William mused. "Why wasn't this included in your report?"

"We were government funded not government run. We didn't completely trust what they were planning to do with the information. We thought the rangers deserved some anonymity."

"So you know their identities?"

She hesitated.

William tried to reassure her. "I imagine Andrew told you that he trusted me. But I'd like you to trust me as well. They have nothing to do with the objectives of the Lightspeed project. I don't see why anyone else would need to know about this."

She did trust him, she realized. Andrew had talked about how he'd worked with William Mitchell before the power rangers had showed up; before Andrew had joined the research team and before the government had begun to take William's work seriously. Andrew had thought he had just wanted to continue his wife's research. Angela could tell that he cared about Lightspeed but it seemed like something else was motivating him. "We found out," she confirmed. "We put cameras and sensors in secluded parts of those key areas. We were still speculating at that point, but then we recorded them morphing several times."

"Morphing?"

"Something they called out when they transformed. Seemed to be some kind of voice verification."

"A failsafe." Capt. Mitchell looked thoughtful, "That's something to look into. What about this new team, they're teenagers as well?"

"Well, yes, but for the most part they're the same group of teens. Some have left only to be replaced by more teenagers. They seemed to, simply, upgrade their arsenal."

William nodded, "Why teenagers? Are they more able to use the power?" He hoped not. That would make finding candidates much more difficult.

"It doesn't appear that way, sir, at least not yet. But I wouldn't rule out the possibility that if the power isnt accessed at an earlier age, it would be more difficult to form an conduit to use it." She paused. "Our current theory is that, whoever gave them the power, believed that teenagers would be easier to manipulate and control."

Williams mind went to his own daughter, Dana, who was now in her early teens. "Control?"

"They weren't given the power and told to do with it what they would. Their leader, Zordon," she shrugged, "We haven't been able to get any footage of him. Since these attacks seem to be coming from space, he's probably not even human. But he couldn't have picked a more responsible or mature group of teenagers. They are confident enough to accept the responsibility, but intelligent enough to know that they need leadership." She gave a small smile. "They're very brave."

"Would any of them be willing to help us?"

Angela looked at him sharply but before she could say anything he held up his hands and spoke, "I said no one else needed to know and I meant it. But, in your opinion, would any of the rangers be able to help us?"

Billy. Angela immediately thought, then frowned. She hadn't actually seen him in Angel Grove for a month before she left. She pushed the thoughts away. No. She wouldn't pull any of them into this, they already had enough to deal with. "They've already helped us. After we learned who they were, we tried to keep track of them. We accessed medical records and when any of them ended up in the hospital we were able to order a few more tests. We've learned a lot."

"Did that happen often?" Capt. Mitchell asked. "Them being in the hospital?"

Angela was surprised to see the captain looking a little disturbed. "Actually, no. The power seemed to protect them...for the most part." She spoke slower, "There have been, of course, more personal attacks and a few have gone to the hospital. Because of this we have been able to discover a similarity in brain waves that will be able to help us to find possible candidates for our ranger team."

Mariner Bay 1997

Angela stepped onto the dock, frowning, as she began walking toward Capt. Mitchell. He stood at the end, hands, holding some folders, behind his back, facing out into the bay; seemingly, watching the diving teams continue work on pieces of the soon to assembled Aqua Base.

She knew he wasn't paying attention to that though. His was staring passed the boats, at the open water, deep in thought. He gave no indication that he knew she was there, just continued to stare at nothing. He had been quiet for the past few days, worrying Angela; causing her, now, to seek him out.

"Captain," She said, moving next to him. "Is everything alright?"

He allowed the silence to fill the air for a few seconds then spoke. "I find it ironic that the most compatible candidates, so far, aren't military personnel. If it continues like this we will only be able to ask them to help. Asking people who, by choosing a different path, will have already made a choice not to fight." Civilians. All soldiers were already being tested; and in the city and the surrounding areas they had made certain brain scans mandatory for regular physicals, hoping to find more people. It wasn't going as well as they had hoped. Who would have guessed that Morphin Grid compatibility, especially at the levels they needed, would be so rare that they would have to rely on civilians.

"Then we will have to choose people that we know will help; that have good hearts."

"That would never turn their back if people needed help." William said, softly.

Angela stared at him, surprised. She had never heard him sound so deflated before.

William brought the folders in his hands forward and handed the top one to Angela, "We have found our most compatible candidates yet. They would make very powerful rangers."

Angela opened the file and smiled slightly as her eyes caught the results. "You're right. These are very much like the scans we took of the rangers. Carter Grayson?"

"Yes, he...he got a head start on the physical. He won't be able to apply to be a part time firefighter until this fall when he starts college."

Angela knew that kind of information wouldn't be in a report like this, so she couldn't help but wonder how he knew about it. "And the other is just as high?"

William hesitated, then handed her the other folder.

She opened it and immediately looked at the scan results. "We are being fortunate to find ones so high. Maybe..." Angela forgot what she was going to say as she looked at the name at the top.

Dana Mitchell.

She felt herself freeze in almost horror. She looked at William as he closed his eyes and lowered his head. She now understood. "Captain..." She began, trying to think of something to say that would help him, but he interrupted her, his voice quiet.

"She just turned 16." They weren't planning on using teenagers. Mainly, because what parent, in their right mind, would allow their child to become a power ranger? Especially if they had a choice. But this was different. He was in charge. If he wasn't willing to let his daughter do this then what right did he have to ask anyone else? He could use the excuse that she was too young but in his mind he knew that the power rangers in Angel Grove were just as young. She was 16 now, but the demons weren't free yet. June 14th, Ryan's 20th birthday. Dana would be 18 by then; 19, four months later. She would be more qualified than any other civilian. She had been studying martial arts since she was a child, she knew the work her father had been doing, so she would be mentally prepared. She was currently at a military school, for a short time at least; it wasn't the future she wanted. She wanted to be a doctor. She was already taking college courses so she could become a paramedic. If she knew she was eligible she wouldn't turn it down.

William looked up, staring across the water again, then turned to Angela. "She keeps telling me she wants to help." He sighed and she saw the quiet desperation turn to resolve. "We need to find her a job at Lightspeed. As a civilian, not being on any of the science teams, her clearance level would be low, but she would know enough that... if it came to it... she would be prepared."

"You're not going to tell her?" Angela asked, a little surprised. She wouldn't find fault in whatever he decided. She knew he loved his daughter dearly. Dana was the last family he had left. Angela had heard others mention his wife, son, mother; all dying within a few years of each other.

"Not if there is a chance that... she wouldn't need to know." He tried to clarify. "I don't doubt her ability. I just..."

Angela nodded, "I know, Captain." She smiled. "Anyone who doubts what Dana is capable of doesn't know her." She reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure this will all work out."