Jason Lee Scott (Altered)'s Arc

Chapter 4 of 11

Jason woke before dawn and checked the perimeter. The wire was still taut, the scrap metal undisturbed. He made coffee over a small fire he'd built in a rusted can, letting the heat spread through his fingers while he thought about the next move. He needed to scout further east, but the patrols were dense near the checkpoint. He packed light — water, wire cutters, a small blade — and headed north first to loop around. The terrain shifted after a mile, concrete giving way to cracked earth and scattered rubble. He recognized the edge of the old training grounds. The headquarters rose ahead, its tower cracked but still standing, red banners faded to rust. He hadn't been back here since before Drakkon. The sight stopped him cold. Inside, the main hall was darker than he expected. Dust hung in the air. The statue stood in the center where it always had — all six Rangers posed together, hands joined at the base. He approached slowly. Something was carved into the stone near the Black Ranger's boot. He crouched and traced the letters with his finger. "JL + ZT — no matter what." Zack's handwriting. Jason remembered the day they'd done it, after the first mission that nearly killed them both. Zack had pulled out a knife and said they needed proof they'd made it through. Jason had laughed and told him it was vandalism. Zack carved it anyway. Jason sat back on his heels and let the memory settle. He'd come here looking for a route, but what he found was harder to carry. Zack had believed in something permanent back then, something that would outlast the fights and the fear. Jason had lost that belief somewhere between the rubble and the patrols, but seeing it carved into stone made it real again. He stood and walked back outside. The eastern route could wait another day. He had proof now that what they'd built once could be rebuilt, and that changed what he was willing to risk to find Zack. He'd go back to the depot and plan carefully, because rushing in would only prove the carving wrong.