CALL TO ARMS PT 3

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Well, it was never supposed to be this long, but here you have it. Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the plot, subplot, and characters you don't recognize. Reference to "A New Shade Of Power".

In the Angel Grove Community Hospital, Ryan and Tracey Scott watched anxiously as Jason's chest rose up and down with every breath.

"Shouldn't he have woken up by now?" Tracey asked.

"Well, the doctor did say that he had lost a lot of blood and the transfusions would take a lot out of him," Ryan reminded.

"I know," she sighed. "It's just strange to see him lying so still," she continued. I just don't understand how this could've happened. How could he get into such a massive fight at a carnival, and how Katherine and the others haven't come to see him yet? she wondered.

"I know," he agreed with a sigh of his own. Come on, Jase. You've gotta pull through, he thought. Like his wife said, it was strange to see their usually active son lying so still on a hospital bed. The doctor came in and checked his vitals.

"Doctor, how is he?" Ryan asked.

"He's still stable, Mr. Scott. His vital signs look very promising," the doctor replied.

"So, how come he hasn't woken up?" Tracey wondered.

"I honestly don't know, Mrs. Scott. He's out of the danger zone and his brain activity's normal, but for some reason he's just not waking up," the doctor answered truthfully. The couple looked at each other worriedly. "Now, it could be that whatever he went through completely exhausted him and this is just his body's way of helping to heal itself, but that's just my own opinion," he continued. Jason looked around. Where was he? Well, wherever he was, it seemed to be big on the martial arts. What kind of trick is this? Jason wondered.

"Jason Lee Scott," a voice said. He turned to see a being that had the appearance of a female with a muscular build and dark, flowing hair.

"Who are you?" Jason asked, getting into a defensive stance.

"I am Lillandra, keeper of the Bardo World," she told him.

"What, you mean like that place the Soul Stealer sent Adam and Kat?" he asked.

"Somewhat. Only, they were not actually in the Bardo plane so to them it just seemed like a great amount of space. When a soul is truly brought here, the Bardo switches its surroundings to match the person," Lillandra explained.

"So everyone has a personal Bardo," Jason said.

"Precisely," Lillandra confirmed.

"So, why am I here? Am I dead?" Jason questioned.

"Very near it. You lost a lot of blood, though the doctors were able to stabilize you," Lillandra replied.

"And I'm here until you decide which direction I go in?" Jason surmised.

"In a sense. You're not so far that you'll automatically die," Lillandra responded.

"Okay, now I'm confused," Jason admitted.

"While it's true that your injuries have placed you here. You have the option of deciding whether or not you go back," Lillandra told him. Jason stared in shock. He got to decide whether he lived or died? Meanwhile, the Rangers had left the Command Center and had gone to the hospital to avoid suspicion.

"How is he?" Kimberly asked.

"Stabilized but resting comfortably," Mrs. Scott answered. "It's just so hard seeing him so still," she continued, her voice breaking.

"I know," Kimberly said, giving the woman a tight hug. "But Jason's a fighter. He'll come back to all of us," she assured. The woman smiled.

"Thank you for that, Kimberly," she responded. I'm glad she's being so positive, she thought. "Why don't you kids go on in? One at a time?" she encouraged.

"Kat, why don't you go first?" Kimberly suggested.

"Are you sure?" Katherine asked. After all, the last time he was in the hospital, it was my fault, she thought to herself.

"She's right. Go ahead," Zack encouraged. Katherine went into the hospital room and bit back a gasp at seeing her boyfriend lying so still. That's not normal, she thought. However, she merely took a deep breath and sat in the chair.

"Jason, I don't know what to do. Please wake up. We need you," she said softly as she leaned forward and clasped his hand. Unnoticed by her, a small spark of Brown energy went into him. Jason gasped as the brown energy latched on to him.

"It would appear that one of your friends is worried about you, Lillandra commented.

"It's Kat. Our brown Ranger. She's fairly new," Jason replied. "So how do I get back?" he asked. Lillandra started to respond.

"Why would you want to do that?" a voice asked. Jason turned and-came to face-to-face with a hooded figure. For the second time, Jason got into a defensive stance.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Who I am doesn't matter, the figure replied. "What matters is admitting the truth to yourself," it continued. Lillandra's eyes darkened and she charged at the figure. However, a wave of its hand caused her to disappear. Jason tensed, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Now then, Jason, if you want to leave, you're going to have to fight me," the figure stated. Then, he lunged at the Red Ranger, who quickly flipped him over his shoulders. What is going on here? he wondered as he prepared to fight the figure again. The figure jumped to its feet and then charged, this time barely giving Jason a chance to attack. In the hospital room, Katherine had pressed the call button and then had rejoined her friends in the waiting room.

"Kat, what happened?" Tommy asked urgently.

"I don't know. He was just lying there, and then all of a sudden, the machines just started beeping like crazy as if something had happened to him," Katherine responded, her voice breaking. She sniffled and Tommy quickly pulled her into a hug.

"Don't worry. He's strong. He'll pull through," he murmured. Kimberly smiled despite the situation. He's such a great man, she thought. His sweetness and willingness to shed his macho image by allowing his friends to show emotions was one of the many reasons that she loved him. Just then, their communicators went off. Tensing, the Rangers all went to the far end of the room where they'd be out of earshot of anybody else.

"Tommy here. What's up, Zordon?" Tommy asked.

"The situation with Dark Heart has gotten even more. Rangers, you must fight him," Zordon reported and the Rangers looked at each other worriedly.