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When the first monster came, the only thing anyone knew was to be afraid.
The earthquake just hours earlier had left the people of Angel Grove quite literally shaken, and the AGPD had put out everyone available to check for damages, reign in any potential troublemakers, and help locate anyone missing. Some officers were designated to clean up duty, some sent in to back up the fire department in dealing with the two small fires that had broken out and in one case, a child who had climbed up into an alcove to hide, only to have the scaffolding he'd used to get to it collapse afterward. It was all standard procedure.
It was all standard procedure, until dispatch started getting reports of a winged monkey in gold armor destroying property downtown, surrounded by a gang of masked men in gray.
In a matter of minutes, downtown Angel Grove was full of smashed windows and broken tables, cracked walls and screaming people running over each other to get out the way. The four officers who happened to be in the area took point to cover them, shouting orders to the armored creature to stand down. Request for backup was issued, and a S.W.A.T. team was scrambled together to assist.
The Angel Grove Police Department didn't have a S.W.A.T. team.
Less than an hour later, the giant monkey was gone, the grey gang had vanished, downtown looked like a war zone, and the fire department was rushing to deal with the wildfire that had broken out after a shower of sparks from the giant robots battling each other hit the tree line. Three officers were dead, one in critical condition, and both the hospital and emergency clinic were flooded with people injured in the attack. Thirty-six people were reported missing, and emergency phone lines were ringing off the hook.
The vigilantes calling themselves 'The Power Rangers' were nowhere to be found.
****
By the time the second monster came, everyone began to realize that the first attack hadn't been a dream.
The amusement park was left in better shape than downtown, as most were able to get away the moment the skeleton was spotted. Unlike the armored monkey from before, this one seemed more interested in entertaining itself than attacking civilians and destroying property. And like the one before, the vigilantes - the Power Rangers - drew it outside the city, this time to the quarry.
When they disappeared again, the quarry looked no worse than before, the park was battered, but salvageable, and several hundred children were now terrified of being attacked by monsters in their beds.
The radio hailed the Power Rangers as heroes, while the remaining uninjured members of the police and fire department grimly set about cleaning up in the wake of the attack.
****
When the third monster grew, it became clear that the attacks weren't going to end any time soon.
Insurance claims were being denied, both for 'Act of God' and 'Earthquake', leaving business owners furious and desperate. The hospital and emergency clinic were overrun in the wake of each attack, forcing them to send patients with less serious injuries to private practitioners. Homes were put up for sale left and right as families fled town in fear. The mayor and media were touting their new heroes, ignoring the desperation of the situation when they should have been petitioning to declare a state of emergency.
And the Power Rangers still had yet to say a word to anyone.
****
It started small.
A young officer started carrying a camera with him everywhere he went, taking pictures after the attacks. He began a file of dated prints at the station, along with a stack of photocopied newspaper reports about the attacks. They were distributed for free to anyone filing insurance claims.
Another officer took a large canning jar, labeled it 'Disaster Relief Fund', and deposited half his paycheck inside. Others began to pitch in from their own pockets. Within a month, the money was deposited into a charity fund and the jar being slowly refilled.
A captain petitioned to have one of the newly-abandoned businesses repurposed as a children's shelter for those orphaned in the attacks. Construction crews were busy dealing with damage to the city, so he organized a team of volunteers to do the work. By the time the new year rolled in, 'Little Angel's Haven' was christened and staffed.
Another officer took the old earthquake evacuation plans to the fire chief. Between the two of them, they laid out a new monster evacuation plan, complete with designated shelter zones. They spoke to the city planning commission about building more shelters, discussed the needed supplies and workforce. The plans were distributed to every business and school, mailed out to residents, and posted in public areas.
By the time the officer made sergeant, they had moved on to developing new policies for the AGPD and AGFD for evacuation procedures and follow up.
It wasn't enough. It could never be enough. But it was something.
****
The Power Rangers did, eventually, give a press conference. In the wake of the Green Ranger attacks, in which hundreds died, they took a stand to tell the city that the Green Ranger was a victim, used against his will, and had sworn to fight beside them from now on to protect them all. The Red Ranger was the only one who spoke, the others lurking behind him silently, subtly keeping the Green Ranger surrounded between them and safe from the public.
"You believe him?" one of the officers in attendance murmured to another. They'd been on the force from the beginning of it all, unlike the wide-eyed rookies playing security on the sidelines.
Her partner took a long look at the group, taking in Green Ranger's stance, the way Pink Ranger briefly touched his arm when he flinched at Red Ranger's words. "I believe he's sorry," he said finally.
She nodded, and they left it at that.
****
It wasn't a perfect system, or really even any sort of 'system' at all. There was always a new type of disaster from a new monster no one had ever imagined would attack. There was always fallout damage, and lives to mourn from good servicemen who started out trying to do their jobs and ended up giving everything to protect the people of Angel Grove. There were always new tricks and spells, new strange reports to file.
And through it all, the city would survive.
They wouldn't allow it to fall.