It's a lovely sunny day in suburban California, but all is not well in the little town of Angel Grove. Traffic has come to an absolute standstill on the roads. The cause: seven people fell asleep at the wheel at once, resulting in seven accidents.
It's seen on the streets as well: every so often, pedestrians have to step over someone who's suddenly passed out. It's almost as if there's an epidemic today, for some reason. And funnily enough, all the affected people seem to be wearing business suits.
Billy has made this connection, and he reports this into the watch-like device on his wrist. He's searching for anything unusual in the area...that blue police box could fit, but oddly enough it seems to slip out of his mind as quickly as it filtered in.
But he does spot a man in a brown suit poking around, seemingly unaffected. Strange. Billy approaches, concern crossing his face.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you feeling all right today?"
"Well, a bit under the weather, to be honest. You've too much sun here, ever notice that?" The Doctor turned to face Billy properly, inspecting him in turn. "Are you just extraordinarily polite or do I look that bad?"
Fair question, but asked especially because he had a slight suspicion for why he was being asked and if he was right about that, it could speed things up so he could solve this before aliens took over California, again, and before his freckles became more pronounced.
"I was born in Chicago. I had sun poisoning the first summer I lived here, but I adapted. It's difficult if you're new, though."
And he very well could be. The man's accent definitely isn't local. Billy stuffs his hands in his pockets, looking a little sheepish about his asking.
"It's nothing serious...actually, it could be. People have been falling ill alarmingly often lately, and I was worried. I don't think sun's the problem, though."
The Doctor considers that for a moment, then he pulls out his sonic screwdriver, points it toward the sky and uses it to take some measurements, quickly shaking his head. "Nah, don't think so either. But people falling ill, you say."
Excellent, no one enjoyed a boring holiday. At least the Doctor never did. "You couldn't by any chance take me to those people, can you?"
If there was anything odd about this scenario, Billy certainly wasn't saying anything. He was snooping too, so he really had no leg to stand on. Was it wise for Billy to join in when he had a secret to hide? Probably not. But he nodded and led the way anyway.
They soon arrived at the lobby of a nearby financial institution. All the victims certainly looked like they could work here. There are a few volunteers monitoring the situation and providing first aid, but it's looking grim.
"The ambulances are coming as quickly as they can, but the road blockages due to the accidents are causing trouble."
The Doctor knelt down next to several of the victims, measuring the energy levels around them with the sonic screwdriver and pinching his earlobe between two fingers as he tried to make sense of it.
"Tell the ambulances they can take their time. Fat lot of good they're gonna do." He shook his head and got up, turning around so fast his coat swirled just a little. "Alright, what do these people have in common, Billy? Come on, we can figure this out, I know it."
Billy squatted to peer at the victims, eyes occasionally flicking up at the Doctor. That device in the man's hand was clearly picking a lot up. He was intrigued by the device---if he had it, he had to be a secret agent, right? Special ops somewhere.
When the Doctor asked his opinion, Billy pressed his mouth into a thin line, forcing himself to concentrate. "From the financial sector, obviously. Maybe it stems from a certain neighborhood that only these people can afford?"
If the doctors couldn't help, was it supernatural? Everything else in this town was. So that made it his business.
"Oh! Oh, Billy, that is brilliant! I love the way you think! 'stems from a certain neighbourhood', oh, I love it." The Doctor turned a bright smile at Billy, even as he continued to talk. "Absolute rubbish, mind, but brilliant."
He moved around the room again, frowning as he thought. "You said the roads are blocked up? Let's go look at the cars, don't you think?"
Billy bristled just a little, but this was serious. No room for egos when lives are in danger. There had to be a common point somewhere.
The accident sites appear to be normal, at least. It was difficult to get in close, but there weren't any obvious signs of an unusual situation. If he had one of his energy readers from the garage, maybe...
"I don't know exactly what kind of energy you read with your device, sir, but are there any unusual fumes? Vibrations?"
He focused on a stray antenna, visions of too many B-movie horrors in his head.
For the Doctor it had been a few months, give or take, for Billy - if his calculations weren't off - about a year. Yet the Doctor looked exactly the same when he happened to touch Earth near him again. Touch earth, even, or sand, to be precise.
Because the Doctor had gotten out of the TARDIS not far from a certain headquarter, to kneel down on the ground and inspect the area. He did have questions, after all.
Naturally, the appearance of an alien spacecraft near the Command Center would register on Zordon's radar, shown live on his viewing globe. Most of the Rangers were gearing up to morph and fight it when...a relatively harmless-looking man stepped out of the box, looking curious.
Given that Lord Zedd's monsters had made a few attempts at storming the Command Center from that same area recently, the team was understandably worried. But Billy recognized that shape right away---he could hardly believe it, but there he was. So Billy stepped in front of his team, asking the others to stand down.
"He's the Doctor---the one who stopped the crisis in the business district last year, remember? I'll handle this."
Billy flicked the teleportation button on his communicator to touch down a fair distance away, then jogged into view. Best not to show off that tech right away.
"Doctor! It's great to see you again, but I think I should warn you it's dangerous out here," he worried, glancing over his shoulder. How many times had those mutant crows swarmed in the last week?
"So I see. You know, Billy, for your average American town, you have a lot of alien activity. Nowhere near Area 51, either, although that part is almost a welcome change." The Doctor straightened up, sending a smile Billy's way.
"Nice to see you again. Say, Billy, what's your last name? And if you just told me everything up front, that might save a lot of time. We could sit down somewhere though. You could offer me tea, it'd be very lovely. What do you think?"
If Zordon had wanted his teen warriorsto take such great care of their secrets, he could've given them a lot more in stealth training. For example: Billy really should've taken a backpack, or some tools, or anything that would make it less blindingly obvious that he'd teleported.
Billy looked rather pale despite the sun, meaning that he knew very well that he was caught.
"All right. But before you do anything else, I really have to advise that we leave this area. The aliens here? They have a tendency to teleport right in and start attacking the first thing that looks interesting."
For instance, there could be a mook attack...now. A telltale crackle filled the air, and then there were three clay golems staring them down.
Billy instantly lunged, punching and tossing one with an efficiency that had taken him plenty of practice. "Don't worry, this'll only be a minute!"
"...alright then." The Doctor really wasn't sure what to make of this, but different places had different customs. Apparently in this place innocent looking teenagers sometimes beat up... Whatever those were supposed to be. Alright, alright. He could roll with that.
He leaned back against the TARDIS, watching with interest. What was he supposed to do, anyway, cheer him on? He wasn't sure if that was really his style. Too violent, for one thing.
And true to his word, it only took a minute of grappling.
When they'd both faded to dust, Billy straightened and sighed. "You're all right, aren't you? Sorry. That tends to happen around me. So...tea sounds nice."
The timing couldn't have been worse, but thank goodness it was such a small swarm. Now there was only the bigger trouble to face: the cover he'd gone and blown open last year, and convincing this Doctor that the Rangers weren't a threat. Oops.
"You do that a lot, do you?" The Doctor made some vague fighting gestures that looked nothing like fighting gestures. It had been a while since he'd practiced anything similar. "Quite good. Comes in handy, I imagine, when you live here."
He raised an eyebrow at him. "Me, I've never been one for smalltown life. Or city life either, for that matter, I like travelling too much. But this place... Quite lively, isn't it?" He pulled out his screwdriver and pointed it at the nearby hills. "So where are we going to have our tea? I quite fancy a chat to go with it, don't you?"
Billy awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck---it was all he could really do against the rising panic he felt. Somehow he knew he'd have to share everything, but would the others understand? Would they let him stay? The secrecy oath felt so utterly pointless at times.
But he snapped out of it quickly enough. "The town's economy practically runs on martial arts tournaments, it always has," he joked. "People used to practice for more peaceful reasons, of course. Then the war started."
Which put him in a bind, again. Obviously, they weren't walking that in the desert. He became painfully aware of the weight on his wrist---hopefully the TARDIS was nearby. Or, as last resort, he could teleport another person. Hopefully not.
After everything else he'd done, gallivanting off with strangers and blowing their cover, Billy figured he really didn't need to anger Zordon any further. So he was making sure to fully explain the situation before dragging a guest into the Command Center. Surprisingly, though, Zordon agreed right away. It sounded like an order, even.
Billy was starting to get the impression that there were important things he didn't know.
So he sighed, stepped up to the Doctor, and offered his arm. "Zordon insists on talking to you, Doctor. So if that's all right, I'll teleport you in and leave you two to it."
"Leave us, eh?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow, considering the teleporter on Billy's wrist. Not quite his preferred method of travel, but it would do. The insistence was what worried him, although intrigued might have been a better word. He took Billy's arm as offered, rubbing his own shoulder as he kept his eyes on the teleporter.
"Giant head wanting to talk to me. I've had that before, strangely enough. Some things you never think could feel like a deja-vu."
"You must be popular," Billy joked, twisting the dial on the communicator for teleport mode. "Don't worry, it hasn't been known to cause motion sickness. Perfectly safe. Ready? We're going...now."
They disappeared in twin flashes of blue and white light, then re-emerged in a chamber that almost resembled a classic 90s laser tag arena. Neon lights glowed everywhere. The main hint of strangeness was the walls: there didn't seem to be any. Instead, it was a lit blue area in a black void, with twinkling stars in the distance.
And now they stood before the man himself. "Hello, Zordon," Billy greeted, his voice betraying some anxiety of his own.
The big blue head answered, his voice booming across the little chamber.
"Billy, I am pleased to see you've returned safely. And I'm most interested in your new acquaintance," he continued, eyes locking on the Doctor. "You're the Doctor, I presume?"
The one who had a rumored history of dealings with Earth humans. With an interest in Billy, apparently. That was worrisome, though there were other questions on his mind.
The Doctor shook himself out as he let go of Billy, looking around himself critically. "Who's your interior designed? Vanilla Ice?" He didn't reply to Zordon right away, instead strolling around, one hand in his pocket, the other looking for buttons to press and dials to switch. "I don't like it," he finally declared, making a face before spinning on his heels and facing Zordon.
"Hey there! Yes, I'm the Doctor, nice to meet you. How's your..." He indicated him with a vague movement of his hand. "...head?" Was that rude? Probably. Ah, well. "No relation with the Face of Boe, right? Because that's complicated enough as it is. I think I owe him a birthday gift. Well. More like a billion or something."
"It was all Alpha's idea---he's our robotic assistant, but he's busy with Zord work at the moment. I'll probably be going to help him soon," Billy offered, giving the Doctor a strange look.
Billy bit his lip and looked at Zordon worriedly. He couldn't help but get the feeling a shoe was about to drop.
"Yes, Billy, that would be an excellent idea. We'll discuss your transgression later," Zordon said, not unkindly. Didn't stop the boy from looking frightened, though he immediately left the room.
Once Billy was out of earshot, Zordon turned back to the Doctor. "I'm well, thank you. And there's no relation that I know of."
He thought for a moment. "You have a reputation for interfering with alien activity on Earth, Doctor. I must thank you for acting so quickly during last year's incident, though we've improved our operations over the last year. If something similar happens, my Rangers can handle it."
The Doctor turned to watch Billy leave, a frown on his face that didn't disappear when he looked back at Zordon again. "I am alien activity on Earth. Seems only fitting to interfere." He went back to inspecting the various pieces of equipment, not one to be idle. "Handle it? Well. I did notice that they're rather hands on in their approach." No, he wasn't all that thrilled with Zordon's methods and definitely not convinced of their effectiveness.
"How would they have handled it? Oh, let me guess. Whack it?"
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#1: Investimagation
It's seen on the streets as well: every so often, pedestrians have to step over someone who's suddenly passed out. It's almost as if there's an epidemic today, for some reason. And funnily enough, all the affected people seem to be wearing business suits.
Billy has made this connection, and he reports this into the watch-like device on his wrist. He's searching for anything unusual in the area...that blue police box could fit, but oddly enough it seems to slip out of his mind as quickly as it filtered in.
But he does spot a man in a brown suit poking around, seemingly unaffected. Strange. Billy approaches, concern crossing his face.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you feeling all right today?"
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Fair question, but asked especially because he had a slight suspicion for why he was being asked and if he was right about that, it could speed things up so he could solve this before aliens took over California, again, and before his freckles became more pronounced.
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And he very well could be. The man's accent definitely isn't local. Billy stuffs his hands in his pockets, looking a little sheepish about his asking.
"It's nothing serious...actually, it could be. People have been falling ill alarmingly often lately, and I was worried. I don't think sun's the problem, though."
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Excellent, no one enjoyed a boring holiday. At least the Doctor never did. "You couldn't by any chance take me to those people, can you?"
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They soon arrived at the lobby of a nearby financial institution. All the victims certainly looked like they could work here. There are a few volunteers monitoring the situation and providing first aid, but it's looking grim.
"The ambulances are coming as quickly as they can, but the road blockages due to the accidents are causing trouble."
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"Tell the ambulances they can take their time. Fat lot of good they're gonna do." He shook his head and got up, turning around so fast his coat swirled just a little. "Alright, what do these people have in common, Billy? Come on, we can figure this out, I know it."
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When the Doctor asked his opinion, Billy pressed his mouth into a thin line, forcing himself to concentrate. "From the financial sector, obviously. Maybe it stems from a certain neighborhood that only these people can afford?"
If the doctors couldn't help, was it supernatural? Everything else in this town was. So that made it his business.
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He moved around the room again, frowning as he thought. "You said the roads are blocked up? Let's go look at the cars, don't you think?"
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The accident sites appear to be normal, at least. It was difficult to get in close, but there weren't any obvious signs of an unusual situation. If he had one of his energy readers from the garage, maybe...
"I don't know exactly what kind of energy you read with your device, sir, but are there any unusual fumes? Vibrations?"
He focused on a stray antenna, visions of too many B-movie horrors in his head.
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#2: INTERROGATION
Because the Doctor had gotten out of the TARDIS not far from a certain headquarter, to kneel down on the ground and inspect the area. He did have questions, after all.
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Given that Lord Zedd's monsters had made a few attempts at storming the Command Center from that same area recently, the team was understandably worried. But Billy recognized that shape right away---he could hardly believe it, but there he was. So Billy stepped in front of his team, asking the others to stand down.
"He's the Doctor---the one who stopped the crisis in the business district last year, remember? I'll handle this."
Billy flicked the teleportation button on his communicator to touch down a fair distance away, then jogged into view. Best not to show off that tech right away.
"Doctor! It's great to see you again, but I think I should warn you it's dangerous out here," he worried, glancing over his shoulder. How many times had those mutant crows swarmed in the last week?
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"Nice to see you again. Say, Billy, what's your last name? And if you just told me everything up front, that might save a lot of time. We could sit down somewhere though. You could offer me tea, it'd be very lovely. What do you think?"
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Billy looked rather pale despite the sun, meaning that he knew very well that he was caught.
"All right. But before you do anything else, I really have to advise that we leave this area. The aliens here? They have a tendency to teleport right in and start attacking the first thing that looks interesting."
For instance, there could be a mook attack...now. A telltale crackle filled the air, and then there were three clay golems staring them down.
Billy instantly lunged, punching and tossing one with an efficiency that had taken him plenty of practice. "Don't worry, this'll only be a minute!"
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He leaned back against the TARDIS, watching with interest. What was he supposed to do, anyway, cheer him on? He wasn't sure if that was really his style. Too violent, for one thing.
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When they'd both faded to dust, Billy straightened and sighed. "You're all right, aren't you? Sorry. That tends to happen around me. So...tea sounds nice."
The timing couldn't have been worse, but thank goodness it was such a small swarm. Now there was only the bigger trouble to face: the cover he'd gone and blown open last year, and convincing this Doctor that the Rangers weren't a threat. Oops.
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He raised an eyebrow at him. "Me, I've never been one for smalltown life. Or city life either, for that matter, I like travelling too much. But this place... Quite lively, isn't it?" He pulled out his screwdriver and pointed it at the nearby hills. "So where are we going to have our tea? I quite fancy a chat to go with it, don't you?"
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But he snapped out of it quickly enough. "The town's economy practically runs on martial arts tournaments, it always has," he joked. "People used to practice for more peaceful reasons, of course. Then the war started."
His face darkened a little. "But I know a café in town. I've been stopping there often lately. It's...oh, I'd estimate about ten miles."
Which put him in a bind, again. Obviously, they weren't walking that in the desert. He became painfully aware of the weight on his wrist---hopefully the TARDIS was nearby. Or, as last resort, he could teleport another person. Hopefully not.
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#3: Blue Dudes
Billy was starting to get the impression that there were important things he didn't know.
So he sighed, stepped up to the Doctor, and offered his arm. "Zordon insists on talking to you, Doctor. So if that's all right, I'll teleport you in and leave you two to it."
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"Giant head wanting to talk to me. I've had that before, strangely enough. Some things you never think could feel like a deja-vu."
I'm gonna do b->z->doctor for now
They disappeared in twin flashes of blue and white light, then re-emerged in a chamber that almost resembled a classic 90s laser tag arena. Neon lights glowed everywhere. The main hint of strangeness was the walls: there didn't seem to be any. Instead, it was a lit blue area in a black void, with twinkling stars in the distance.
And now they stood before the man himself. "Hello, Zordon," Billy greeted, his voice betraying some anxiety of his own.
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"Billy, I am pleased to see you've returned safely. And I'm most interested in your new acquaintance," he continued, eyes locking on the Doctor. "You're the Doctor, I presume?"
The one who had a rumored history of dealings with Earth humans. With an interest in Billy, apparently. That was worrisome, though there were other questions on his mind.
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"Hey there! Yes, I'm the Doctor, nice to meet you. How's your..." He indicated him with a vague movement of his hand. "...head?" Was that rude? Probably. Ah, well. "No relation with the Face of Boe, right? Because that's complicated enough as it is. I think I owe him a birthday gift. Well. More like a billion or something."
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Billy bit his lip and looked at Zordon worriedly. He couldn't help but get the feeling a shoe was about to drop.
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Once Billy was out of earshot, Zordon turned back to the Doctor. "I'm well, thank you. And there's no relation that I know of."
He thought for a moment. "You have a reputation for interfering with alien activity on Earth, Doctor. I must thank you for acting so quickly during last year's incident, though we've improved our operations over the last year. If something similar happens, my Rangers can handle it."
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"How would they have handled it? Oh, let me guess. Whack it?"
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