Going Mental (Patreon)

For the Rangers, maintaining their mental health is everything. Between the pressure of having a double life between the facade of normal youngsters and the role of world-protecting spandex superheroes.

That being said, there’s always a baseline understanding of the world around the Rangers. They know who they are, they know who to trust, and they know that they have each other.

But what if it is all a lie?

Or is it?

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Time to get the straitjackets!

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“Let’s bring in the next patient,” said the doctor.

With him looking at the bookshelf, only his back was visible to the entering nurses. They were not alone as another person was with them. From the looks of it, that young man wasn’t so happy about it.

“Let me go!” shouted the boy with a side-swept haircut. He struggled against the restraining straitjacket that he was forced to wear. He couldn’t move his body as the nurses brought him in locked on a standing hand truck trolley.

“It is time for your regular therapy check, Jason. We need to know whether your time here really improves your condition or not,” said the doctor, still with his back toward the patient.

“Screw you! You’re nothing but Rita’s lackey. As a Ranger, I swear I will destroy you!” groaned Jason with a more violent attempt to break free. The nurses held his folding arms. Not that they needed to since the locks had done a pretty decent job in keeping the youngster in place.

Jason’s act made the doctor slam shut the book he was reading. “Your violent tendency will only bring you more intense treatment, Jason. Believe me, I am here to cure your delusions.”

“Delusions? The only delusion here is your pathetic belief that you can conquer Angel Grove and enslave everyone. I am the Red Ranger and I will never allow that to happen.”

“Is that so?” The doctor’s hand reached a metronome on the side. His finger ticked the needle and the regular movements started. “Let me go through your files and we’ll decide whether you truly are a youngster with attitude.”

The doctor picked another book from the shelf. He opened it and started reading the content, “Jason Lee Scott, senior at Angel Grove High School, student-athlete in martial arts. That is your main cover. In truth, you are the Red Tyrannoranger, the team leader of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers under the guidance of Zordon the space wizard.”

“You got that, right, Monster!” cut Jason with defiance. The revelation of his alter-ego wouldn’t do much for these mooks once he got out from the straitjacket and beat them all.

The doctor stopped for a moment, then continued. “Your archnemesis is Rita Repulsa and her minions, mainly Goldar, Squat, and Baboo. Am I correct until this point?”

Jason snorted. “Spot on, Freak. Now you know who you’re messing with. Get ready for a beat-down!”

The doctor tapped the corner of his book. He flipped another page. “Then my deductions are correct. You have a chronic case of delusion of grandeur.”

“Keep talking until I shut that-” Jason’s words were cut short when the doctor showed the book’s cover. It wasn’t a scientific journal or administration folder. It was a simple school-grade notebook. The title read “Ranger Project by Jason!”.

“Huh?”

“Recognize this, dear Jason?” The doctor flipped the pages to Jason to show the doodles inside. All told the details of his Mighty Morphin Power Rangers costume, weaponry, even backstory. There were even sketches of his friends in their color-coded superhero forms with several action poses. “Quite a sketch quality you got here. Did you make it in your lunch break?”

“I don’t know what that is, but it’s not mine. You can’t trick me into believing a lie.”

“So this is not your name on the cover?” The doctor pointed to the clear name of Jason. There’s even his full name of Jason Lee Scott. There’s also a signature known only to a few people. “Isn’t this your signature just to make sure that the notebook can be returned to you if lost?”

“That’s not mine,” repeated Jason. He fought the urge to gulp nervously. His enemies shouldn’t know anything about his fear.

He didn’t know what that notebook was about. He didn’t know how his enemies can make something so detailed. But it didn’t matter. Jason Lee Scott wouldn’t fall for it. “Try all you want, Villain, I will not break so easily. I’ll tell Rita myself about your failure after you explode.”

“A statement from your mother,” said the doctor as he showed a piece of paper. The logo of a health organization can be seen in the top right corner. “This letter is sent by me, the mother of Jason Lee Scott, as an official family statement of his mental conditions. It is unfortunate, but it is true that Jason has been suffering from an acute nervous breakdown. While the effects have been sporadic before, it has grown into long episodes of paranoia and delusional disorders. One of the most often used imaginary scenarios that my son has used is him being part of a superhero team, specifically the Power Ranger. When this state of mind emerged, Jason will lose contact with the real world and fight ‘villains’ that are actually not there. The situation has been problematic for our family. It is with the greatest regret that I have to shift the responsibility of taking care of Jason to your institution. Love-”

“NO! That’s a lie! My mom will never give me up like that! My mom will never give me up to freaks like you. I am a hero!” Jason tried to shout with defiance and heroism, but his eyes were watery with emotions. His words became stuttered. “A Ranger is a hero. We… We are heroes. We’re the defenders of Earth and there’s nothing you can do to take it from us.”

“Have you seen your friends lately? Trini for example? When was the last time you encountered her, Jason?”

Jason gave the doctor the death stare, but he was also concerned about his girlfriend. He recalled the last thing he remembered. The ambush was hard to break through, but they did. The waterfront area had always been the favorite hiding spot for these monsters and their accompanying minions. They were chasing one in particular to an abandoned warehouse.

Inside, they encountered…

Jason groaned. He couldn’t remember. Think, Jason, think!

“Were the five of you ambushed? Ambushed by ambulances?” asked the doctor with a question that broke Jason’s mental barrier. He was right. Inside the warehouse were five ambulance cars. With them, nurses were waiting too. And there was another person there.

“You,” growled Jason with rage. “You were there.”

The doctor simply chuckled. “Yes, yes, I was there, Jason. It is my duty to keep lost youngsters like you out of harm’s way, both for yourselves and for others. We grabbed the five of you there and brought you to the treatment facility.”

The doctor put down the paper and switched one book for another. The metronome continued its regular ticking movements. “So that’s your disguise, huh? Asylum doctors and nurses? Well, your practice license will soon be revoked, Doctor. Zordon will notice our disappearance and will send the cavalry to tear this place apart.”

“Your girlfriend, Jason. Focus on her.”

The words pierced Jason’s mind. Fear sunk into his heart. The metronome clicked and clacked, clicked and clacked. “Trini...”

“Yes, Trini. Did she fight well?”

The memories returned to the fateful day. The spandex-clad superheroes were surprised by the blinding lights that shone right at them. Behind the five youngsters, the heavy metal doors slammed shut to prevent escape. No matter, Jason would lead them to victory just like all the previous battles they had won.

At first, he felt doubt after seeing the ambulance cars. The burly male and female nurses burst out of the back door. Some of them displayed the straitjacket that they would force the Rangers to wear. They looked so human, yet they were as stiff as robots. They must be Putty golems in another disguise.

Even then, Jason wanted to play safe. He didn’t bring out his Power Sword. He took out his Power Blaster and told his teammates to do the same. Melee combat would be enough to take down these guys. The nurses charged forward to grab the Rangers.

They fought hard. The Rangers’ martial arts skills combined with their superhuman agility were no match for the nurses. Their adversaries were trampled and thrown back one by one. Each of them shrieked in pain.

Jason gasped. Those were the incomprehensible gurgle of Putty Patrollers or the angry rants of Rita’s monsters. Those were people hurting. These nurses… They’re humans!

But why? Why would they fight the Rangers? Didn’t they know that Jason and his teammates were here to save the day?

“What do you want?” asked Jason after Kimberly knocked away the last of the nurses.

“We want to help,” replied the doctor. His round glasses reflected the Rangers. The details of their tight and colorful spandex costumes were displayed with full glory. “I know that you are doing this for the sake of everyone, but look at what you have done here. You are hurting people. People that you are supposed to protect. I want to help you to take a step back and see the bigger picture.” The doctor stopped for a moment to let his words seep into Jason’s mind. “You are all sick and we can cure you. You’re trapped in a maze of superhero imagination. We don’t need to be heroes in spandex to fight monsters. We can still be humans.”

Jason snorted. He aimed his blaster at the wretched doctor. “Is that so? Nice trick with the controlled nurses, but we’re not gonna-”

“Jason!” called someone from behind one of the ambulance cars. It was a man he knew so well. Not in the best way, but the most familiar one.

The Red Ranger didn’t know how to respond. “D- Dad?”

“Come home, Sport. We need you back. Let’s… Let’s just finish this here and just come home, Son.”

Jason tightened his grip on the blaster. But hesitation clouded his mind. Was the doctor correct? The recruitment by Zordon, all the fights together against Rita’s monsters, the sadness and joy and excitement of being the protectors of Earth, were any of those real?

Jason heard a clanking noise from behind. It was Kimberly who dropped her Power Bow. The female Ranger sobbed inside her helmet. She then fell to her knees. “I never wanted to hurt anyone… We just want to protect everyone…”

It was Billy’s turn. “We were simply trying to employ the personalized strategy to establish a rapid response global defense team.”

“This is never in our lyrics,” added the broken Black Ranger.

Next was Trini. Like the Pink Ranger, she dropped her Power Daggers on the concrete floor. She then removed her helmet and discarded it to the floor like trash. Jason could see her eyes, widened and watery with regret. “I don’t wanna do anything with this anymore. Somebody, please… Somebody, please cure me!”

Her scream pierced Jason’s heart. This couldn’t be. The Rangers gave up? They were heroes, not some lunatics in costumes!

Or was it?

No! Jason steeled his mind. It was all tricks by Rita like everything else the Rangers had faced before. Jason shot the doctor who screaked in pain as his arm burned. He ignored the sound. It was simply another layer of disguise.

Jason summoned his ultimate weapon. “Power Sword!”

The Tyrannosaurus spandex warrior extended his arm. His muscles tightened in preparation for a final assault. He would save his friends from this ensnarement.

Yet, his Power Sword didn’t come. He failed to summon his weapon. “What-”

By then, doubt filtered into the Red Ranger’s mind. It should have worked. He always did that and it always worked. But today, his hand was empty.

“No more lies, Jason. Your Power Sword will not come because it doesn’t exist. It never existed before, it will never exist. You only imagine it.”

“No, no, no! Shut your venomous mouth, Doctor!”

The doctor smirked at Jason’s constant defiance. He knew that the youngster was getting confused. “You know me, Jason. Deep down under those layers of fantasy, you still can recognize the doctor who can help you, right? Please don’t disappoint yourself!”

Yes, Jason knew his name. It rang deep within his mind. It struggled to burst out of his consciousness. He knew this doctor. Whether the Red Ranger trusted him to cure him, that was another matter. “Yes…”

“Say my name then.”

“No…” replied Jason half-heartedly. He then repeated himself. “No!”

“Say it! Say my name!”

“No!”

“Say my name!”

“No, no, no!” the Red Ranger held his helmet in agony. His brain was burning. His head was about to explode. “Stop it!”

“Say. My. Name!”

“Doctor Zedd!” Jason let go of his helmet. His muscles stiffened. Something snapped in his mind. “You’re Doctor Zedd…”

The doctor smiled. He casually approached the Red Ranger. The spandex warrior didn’t resist him anymore. He put the talons of his hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Yes, that’s my name. Now, just relax. We will begin our treatment soon enough.”

Jason’s shoulders slumped. His Power Sword clanked on the ground. It was as if something inside him was plucked out.

Around the Red Ranger, the nurses followed the doctor. Each of the disillusioned Rangers accepted their fate. Zack, Billy, Kimberly, Trini, all of them put their arms and later their whole self into the prepared straitjacket. The straps tightened and suffocated them. Those who still wore their helmets had theirs forcibly removed. All of the head protectors were put in a big sack, then thrown into the back of the ambulance.

The nurses injected the Rangers with special syringes right on their necks. Immediately, the boys moaned with stimulation as the solution traveled down their bloodstream. Their heroic minds waned with Kimberly and Trini bent over on the concrete floor as they desperately tried to contain the weird invading sensation. They lamented themselves even when the nurses took them to the cars.

Jason was the last one. His helmet reflected the true form of the asylum doctor in front of him. But it mattered not anymore. Doctor Zedd easily removed the Red Ranger’s helmet from the young hero. Inside, the real face was crying, tears flowed down the clean cheeks. Jason was demoralized and disillusioned. He was nothing but a cuckoo in self-made fantasy land.

There were no Power Rangers. There was no Zordon. There was no Morphing Grid. The suits Jason and his friends wore were nothing but cosplay costumes.

Jason Lee Scott accepted his fate. He was sick and he needed to be treated. Even if meant to spend the rest of his life in a mental asylum, he would do it. His life as the Tyrannoranger was over now.

“Now, you will take your medications as always. It's for your own good, Jason,” whispered the doctor.

In Doctor Zedd’s office, the current Jason had lost it. No longer struggling with his heroic spirit, he instead drooled. The nurses carried him away to leave the good doctor alone again with his bookshelf.

Jason passed the main asylum hallway. On either side, the doors had slit windows that gave glimpses of the patients inside. Zack was being given electroshock therapy to wash away his dangerous daydream. A nurse pushed Billy’s head into cold water before pulling him back. Kimberly was in a wheelchair with drugs pumped into her system through the arm and mouth. Finally, the crying Trini was forced to stay inside a shower stall while gallons of water were blasted to her as hydrotherapy. Something better awaited Jason behind the door at the corridor’s end.

In the office, there was a chandelier of colorful candles. Grey, blue, yellow, pink, and red. Each one of them was burning bright with the defeated Rangers’ energy. There was another one though: a green one. The Green Dragon Ranger’s symbol was visible on its base before the doctor put up a new candle. It is translucent now, but it will change soon.

“Let’s bring in the next patient,” said Doctor Zedd with a smirk that displayed his fang-filled mouth. In his hand, the folder says “Tommy Oliver”.