Jason Lee Scott (Altered)'s Arc

Chapter 5 of 11

Jason walked the perimeter of the headquarters twice before going back inside. The carving had pulled him here, but he hadn't come for sentiment. He'd come because Rangers didn't operate without supplies, and if Zack had been here, he might have left more than just a message. He found the monument in the northwest corner of the main hall, half-hidden behind fallen support beams. The stone obelisk stood taller than him, carved with patterns he recognized — vines and butterflies that matched the ones on the old training manuals. He ran his hand along the base and felt an edge that didn't match the rest. A seam. He pushed, then pulled, and a section of floor beneath the monument shifted. Stairs led down into darkness. He grabbed a piece of rebar from the rubble and descended. The armory door was steel, thick and sealed tight with a wheel lock covered in dust. Jason gripped the wheel and pulled. It didn't move. He braced his foot against the wall and tried again, putting his full weight into it. The metal groaned, then gave. The wheel turned half a rotation before it caught on something inside and stopped cold. He pulled harder and felt the mutation in his arms flare hot under the skin. The wheel broke free and spun the rest of the way open. Inside, rows of morphers lined the walls — backups, prototypes, units he'd never seen deployed. Weapons were racked in order, each one labeled and cataloged. A map of Angel Grove hung on the far wall, detailed and pristine, showing supply routes and safe zones the Rangers had planned before everything collapsed. Jason stood in the center of the room and let the weight of it settle. This was what they'd prepared for — not the fall, but the rebuild after. Zack hadn't just left him a message. He'd left him proof that the team had believed they could survive this, and the supplies to make it real. Jason took the map off the wall and rolled it carefully. He'd bring it back to the depot and start marking the routes Zack might take coming west. For the first time since the explosion, he had more than hope. He had a plan someone else had trusted him to finish.