Constellations

by Hagar

Summary:

"If you can't see beyond the myth of isolation/And the miracle of daybreak doesn't move you anymore/Connect the points and see the constellations."

On August 26, 2003, space ninja Lothor demolishes all of Earth's ninja clans. Within a year, he will throw open the Abyss of Evil. The mismatched crew that stands up to him has at first only one edge: the raw power provided by their morphers. By the time they will come to stand on the edge of the abyss, this will drastically change.

Beginning with canonic events and spinning farther and farther away, this Ninja Storm rewrite is packed with action, romance, hope - and the kind of situations in which hope is much needed.

Notes:

Ninja Storm, season rewrite. Ensemble story - all the characters get their place in the spotlight. Later chapters will also contain: some slash (one plotline among many), a cameo from an Old School character, and other surprises.

My love and gratitude to the Constellations Team: Navot, Japanese folklore and ninjitsu; Nurit, friendly local physicist; Opher, who is talking me through the final lap; Tami, near-endless listening and mechanical engineering support; Camille and Mara, friends and beta readers; and Roie, who was tremendously influential in worldbuilding and who made this possible.

Chapter 1: Storm Descending

Arc 1: Storm Descending

In which the team comes together

---

Tuesday, August 26, started as a normal day at the Thunder Ninja Academy in Southern California. The staff and resident students woke at daybreak, and the non-resident students joined them later in the morning. By 9 a.m. all the morning classes were in session, and the grounds were peppered with groups of ten to thirty students and their instructors.

Slightly apart from the other groups, two students were racing through an obstacle course, watched by an elderly teacher. The two were different in stature and style, but seemed evenly matched in skill: for a moment one of them was ahead of the other, and then the other would catch up to the first. Both sped as they approached the last hurdle. They climbed over it and landed on the other side with the agility and silence of two cats.

The two exchanged glances.

The teacher nodded. "Well done, Hunter, Blake," he said as he got up and approached them. "I do believe you have set a new record for yourselves."

"Thank you, Sensei," said the shorter of the two. The taller one inclined his head.

The teacher opened his mouth, but Hunter and Blake never found out what it was he was about to say, as at that moment a vortex opened over the main building of the Academy, and strange-looking troops appeared everywhere on the grounds. The students and teachers fought back, but they never stood a chance: white rays shot by the intruders trapped the defenders in white energy bubbles, cutting them off from their fellows and from the world.

The elderly teacher and the two students were not among those. The teacher grabbed his students as soon as the attack began, dragging them away from the fight.

"Sensei, we should fight!" protested the taller of the two.

"He must not find you and Blake, Hunter!" replied the teacher.

"Who are you talking about?" shouted Blake over the explosions.

The teacher didn't answer, though. He crouched behind a boulder and pulled Hunter and Blake along. He reached into the rock and pulled out a wooden box. He opened the box and thrust the two devices it contained into the boys' hands. "These are yours," he said. "Use them well. Now you must run."

"Sensei…"

The boulder behind which they were hiding exploded.

"Run, Hunter!"

One of the white rays grabbed the teacher, pulling him away.

"Sensei!" shouted Blake and Hunter in unison. They leaped to their feet and moved as if to give chase.

The teacher shook his head vehemently. "Run!" he shouted to them. "Protect…"

And then the bubble cut him off and floated above and away.

Blake took a step forward, but Hunter grabbed his arm and pulled him in the other direction: the teacher's last words, and the urgency behind them, had triggered something in Hunter. He had no intention of failing.

The two ran, but they didn't make it far before they were blocked by one of the intruders. This was a tall, heavily muscular man, dressed all in black, his face half-covered with a black leather mask and his long hair fanning in the wind. He smiled at them, his smile that of a hungry predator. "Ah, you," he said. He raised his arm, his palm pulsing with energy. Hunter pushed Blake out of the way, throwing himself in front.

The man smiled down at the two unconscious boys. "My Rangers," he purred. He raised his gaze: the Thunder Academy was all in ruins, all its personnel captured. "Marah! Kapri!" he shouted sharply.

The two girls who were herding the troops looked up at him. "What is it, uncle?" shouted the pink-haired one.

"Find Zurgane, and that incompetent idiot Choobo," ordered the man. "We're done here."

"Already?" complained the other girl. She walked towards her uncle as the other girl talked into a handpiece of some sort. "I was just beginning to have fun."

"There are more schools to destroy, Marah."

"Ooh, they're pretty," said the girl, looking down at the two boys. "Can I keep them, uncle? Please?"

"You already have George," said the men sternly. Then he smiled again, the same wolfish, self-satisfied smile. "These two are mine."

---

The room was bare and, as far as Hunter could tell, was made entirely of metal. It had no furniture, only two shelf-like bunks that protruded from the walls. The walls themselves, as well as the ceiling and the floor, were coloured in black and red. Hunter was lying on one of the shelf-bunks; Blake, still unconscious, was on the other. Hunter had only just woken, and he was yet to move. For now, he surveyed the room with his eyes only.

He and Blake were unharmed. The blast that had knocked them out left no aftereffects and, as much as Hunter could tell without moving, he had sustained no bruises from falling on the gravel. Blake, lying some eight feet away from Hunter, appeared to not even have a scratch. Both boys were still in their training uniforms, and the devices Sensei Omino had given them were strapped to their left wrists. This was, probably, what disturbed Hunter the most: he didn't remember whether he and Blake had strapped on the devices; last he remembered, he was holding his in his hand. Why would their captors not only let them keep those devices, but secure them to their wrists? What were those devices?

Who had attacked the Academy, and why? Hunter looked over at Blake, again. Blake appeared unharmed - when would he wake up already? Just as Hunter was about to get up and check on him, Blake's eyes opened slowly. He surveyed the room, his eyes coming to rest on Hunter.

"You okay?" asked Hunter quietly. His voice was strangely raspy - these were the first words he'd attempted to say since waking up.

"Yeah, Bro. I am." Blake's voice was raspy, too. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "Any idea where we are?"

"My guess is as good as yours."

Blake's eyes caught Hunter's wrist, and then traveled to his own. "Any idea what those are?"

"No."

"They have to be important, or…"

"Blake," said Hunter warningly. "Someone might be listening to us."

"Oh. Sorry, Bro. Wasn't thinking."

"It's okay."

At that moment part of the wall slid aside, revealing itself as a door. The person who came in was the same man as before, but his smile was warm and welcoming. "Hunter, Blake!" he greeted. "How are you feeling, my boys!"

"We're not your boys!" snapped Hunter, sitting up.

"How do you know our names?" demanded Blake, following Hunter's example and sitting as well.

"But of course I would know your names!" The man appeared unfazed by Hunter's attitude, his expression now sympathetic. "After that dreadful thing with your parents…"

Both boys froze for a moment. Hunter's fingers gripped the edge of the bunk so tightly that they turned white. "Don't you dare talk about our parents," he hissed. "Who the hell are you?"

The man shook his head. "Sensei Omino never told you anything, did he?" he asked sadly. "Tsk, tsk. I should've expected as much. Oh, well. My name is Lothor, and we are on board my spaceship."

"Your spaceship?" asked Blake. "We're in space?"

"He's just pulling our leg, Bro," said Hunter through gritted teeth. "Don't listen to him."

"I am not 'pulling your leg'," said Lothor. "Come and I'll show you." He stepped through the door - which had remained open all this time - then paused and looked back at the boys. "Well?" he asked. "Are you coming?"

"No handcuffs?" asked Hunter sarcastically. "No electronic collars?"

"If I wanted you prisoners, you'd be in stasis like the rest of the ninjas," snapped Lothor. "Now, do you want to see?"

Blake looked at Hunter. Hunter hesitated. Then he stood, drawing himself to his full height. "All right. We will see."

Blake stood at the same time as Hunter did. He said nothing, but followed Hunter and Lothor into the hallway.

"Not much to see on this level, I'm afraid," said Lothor as they walked. "But there should be a window right… there."

The 'window' appeared to be just a hole in the wall, with no glass or barrier that either Blake or Hunter could see. Through it, stars shone steadily, not blinking, and the Earth was visible like a giant jewel.

Both boys stared. Blake reached forward as if to touch the "window", but Hunter slapped away his hand. Blake said nothing as Hunter considered the apparently open hole in the wall, and then reached out himself and tapped the space where the glass should've been. The forcefield crackled under his fingers.

Lothor chuckled. "Pretty, isn't it?"

"Nice plasma screen," said Hunter, acting unimpressed.

"We can go down to the bay and open the doors," suggested Lothor, "now that would be quite the view. But really, if you still don't believe me, look around you." He spread his arms, gesturing at the long black-and-red metal corridor, the scurrying black humanoids. "Does this look like Kansas, Dorothies?"

"No," admitted Hunter after a moment. "It doesn't."

"What are they?" asked Blake, pointing at one of the black humanoids.

"And what do you want with us? Why did you attack the Academy?" asked Hunter sharply; Blake's open curiosity seemed to have reminded him of his suspicions.

"They're called Kelzacks. Drones, effectively: useful for fighting and some menial jobs, but very little else. And I want to reinstate the ways of the Dark Ninja, what do you think?"

Blake opened his mouth, but Hunter's hand landed on his shoulder. Blake closed his mouth.

"If you expected us to join you," said Hunter, "You can just forget it. Even if we ignore the Dark ninja thing, you still attacked our home."

"Attacking the Academies would make me unlikable to you, wouldn't it." Strangely enough, Lothor seemed amused. "I would've left the Thunder Academy to itself, actually, if I hadn't been so sure that Omino would've supported Watanabe through thick and thin."

"The head Sensei of the Wind Ninja Academy?"

"And the front man of the anti-Dark-Ninja campaign," said Lothor, rolling his eyes. "He's got a thing against quite many ninja sects, by the way. I believe you've heard of the Metal Claw massacre?"

They have, though not by that name: Metal Claw was one of the smaller ninja sects, but the other sects had deemed them deviants and turned on them. Not a single Metal Claw adept had survived. That campaign, like most recent campaigns against deviant ninjas, had been led by sensei Watanabe of the Wind clan.

"He killed a lot of other ninjas, over the years," continued Lothor, "Your parents as well, by the way."

"You're lying!" burst out Blake. "Sensei Omino…" Hunter's hand, which hadn't left Blake's shoulder, squeezed once. Blake fell silent.

"Omino never told you, did he," said Lothor. "He knew, though. I suppose he valued the unity of the schools over your right to know."

Silence reigned. Sensei Omino, head Sensei of the Thunder Academy, had raised Hunter and Blake since their parents had been murdered some eight years prior. He never had told them who murdered their parents, or why; the two boys had never stopped badgering him, certain that he knew what had happened. They also knew that he was on good terms with Sensei Watanabe of the Wind Ninja Academy, a friendship that hadn't extended to the rest of the Academies' staff - the schools had a too long a separatist tradition to be overcome in one generation.

"Sensei Omino raised us," said Blake in a low voice. "I don't believe you."

"Of course he'd raised you. He wouldn't hand you to the outside authorities, would he? That would be sacrilege of his duties as the Thunder Clan's chief. Apparently, he also thought the same of avenging your parents' death - and opening war on Watanabe's clan. The good of the clan first," Lothor spat out the words. "What a load of bull. Don't you agree?"

The sad part was, what Lothor said made perfect sense. Sensei Omino had always placed more emphasis on his role as chief of the US Thunder Clan than on his role as a father, even towards his own daughter; he was known as a ninja unionist; and he always refused to answer any question regarding the murder of the Bradley parents, even that it was obvious that he did know something.

"So you do want something from us," said Hunter. His voice was filled with loathing, but it was impossible to tell at whom it was directed.

"No, but I thought you deserved to know." Lothor shrugged. "The enemy of my enemy, as they say."

"As you say," muttered Hunter. "We still didn't say we believe you."

Lothor sighed dramatically. "Suit yourselves," he said. "You'll need a place to stay, at any rate. I told the girls to prepare you some rooms. The décor will probably be atrocious, knowing those two, but you can always change it to your tastes. They were also supposed to find you teleporter remotes, so you can come and go."

"The girls?" asked Blake suspiciously.

"Oh, I didn't introduce you to the girls, did I? My nieces, Marah and Kapri. They're about your age. They're quite incapable, and most of the time I don't know why I keep them around, but they are family."

A shiver went down Hunter's spine. He prided himself on his ability to judge character; all in all, Lothor struck him as a bad type, but his words just now, as he spoke of his nieces, rang of honesty. Lothor might think the two complete idiots, but it was very obvious that he held family in high regard. Everything else aside, caring for one's family was the ultimate definition of a good person in Hunter's eyes.

He felt Blake tense and shift next to him.

Anyone who honestly cared for their family would not cynically use someone else's family as bait, nor would they lie about something so important.

Blake looked up at Hunter; Hunter looked down at Blake; their eyes met. They didn't need words, or even a nod - they could read it in each other's eyes. Unconsciously, they shifted closer to each other, not noticing how hungrily Lothor's eyes lay on them.

Hunter's voice was terribly cold as he said: "We believe you."

---

"And I follow the tracks that lead me down
And I never follow what's right
And they wonder sometimes when they see all the
Sadness and pain the truth brings to light"
- "Black", Sarah McLachlan

---

"I told you they'd want to share a room," said Marah.

"Well, how was I to know?" retorted Kapri. "Some people like their space, you know."

"Not when so far away from home," argued Marah. "Remember, in our first week in school…"

"Okay, I think you're all set here," said Kapri, shutting up her sister with a glare. "You need anything, slam the buzzer," she told Hunter, pointing. "Some Kelzacks should come running. You'd want to speak clearly, they don't know English very well yet."

"But they're improving," said Marah brightly. "If one of them really messes up, Kapri and I get to use them for target practice, and then the rest of them improve really fast. And…"

"Do you ever shut up?" asked Hunter.

Marah's eyes widened and her lower lip began to tremble. Kapri rolled her eyes and grabbed her sister's hand. "See you tomorrow," she told the two boys and yanked her sister away.

"I thought they'd never leave," sighed Blake as soon as the door closed. He collapsed on the bed that had dark blue sheets. "This was a really long day."

"Yeah," muttered Hunter, sitting down beside his brother. "Felt more like a month to me."

It was about noon when they had waked up on Lothor's ship. After their conversation with Lothor, he introduced them to his crew and handed them over to his nieces, Marah and Kapri. The two girls turned out to be every bit as intolerable as Lothor had said, but they did help Hunter and Blake recover their possessions from the stasis bay. Most everything - even the dirt bikes - survived the trip to the ship without so much as a scratch. Next came fixing up their room - Kapri originally assigned them two linked rooms, but Hunter and Blake would not be separated even by a bulkhead.

"What time is it, anyway?"

"About six, I think." Hunter checked his watch. "Yeah, fifteen past."

"Dinner time," said Blake, but he didn't sound particularly thrilled about it. "But I'm not moving if I can help it. I really want to wake up and find that today was just a bad dream," he added.

"Same here," said Hunter, rubbing his forehead. "Don't think it's going to happen though, bro. I think we're stuck here for a while."

"And here I was hoping," said Blake, but there was no real sarcasm in his voice. "I feel like I don't know anything, anymore. Don't you? Nothing is certain. Everything's upside down." Blake stared, unseeing, through the bulkhead. "Stuff that was obvious in the morning turns out to be false. Dark ninjas are real, and some of them are actually decent. The Academy's gone and we're staying over with the person who did it. The person who killed our parents lived only a streak away all those years, and is now stuck as a big hamster." He looked down at his wrist. "And these. We forgot to ask Lothor what they are, but I almost feel… Bro? Hunter? You okay?" Hunter was staring him rather intently.

Most of Blake's words were lost on Hunter; he never heard them. His mind wrapped itself around one of Blake's earlier statements, examining it from all angles and not liking what it found.

"You know, Bro," said Hunter slowly, still looking at Blake with the same concentration, "there's one thing that hasn't changed, and it isn't going to, no matter what. Even if you can't be sure of anything else, this is the one thing you can count on." Hunter leaned forward, putting his hand on Blake's knee. "We're brothers, Blake, and no one and nothing is ever going to change that. We're like thunder and lightning, you and I. We're brothers, and brothers stick with each other. So don't go saying stuff like that again, okay?" Hunter's expression softened somewhat. "You had me scared there."

Blake swallowed and nodded, his hand closing reflexively over Hunter's. "I hear you, bro," he murmured. "With you all the way."

Chapter 2: Storm Descending

Lothor hollered in anguish as Mad Magnet exploded, and banished the monitor with a wave of his hand. Her uncle's temper was not the first of Kapri's worries, though. "How come we're still stuck?" she demanded.

"Don't you mean 'stuck up'?" sniggered Choobo.

Kapri shot him what she hoped was a death glare, and made a mental note to be meaner than usual to him later; but that, too, did not rate the top of her priority list. "Uncle, I know you're in kind of a crabby mood right now," she continued, "but if you could just give us some spell, or a potion…"

"Or some nail polish remover," supplied Marah helpfully.

"Silence!" roared Lothor. "Time has come to pump up the volume on the Power Rangers!"

Power surged in the room, triggering small explosions that made the still-joined girls, Zurgane and Choobo cower. The Power concentrated itself into two bolts of lightning, which landed in the hallway and materialized into two crouching figures. The lights flashed twice more as Thunder rumbled in the throne room.

Marah made a long, appreciate sound. Kapri was inclined to agree.

Lothor smiled. "And this time, no one will stop me!"

The two morphed figures rose. They strode forward, positioning themselves right in front of Lothor. The taller of the two, his uniform a dark shade of red, crossed his arms over his chest; the shorter one, in dark blue, positioned himself at a slight angle to his brother.

Even after ten days of cohabitation, Kapri was yet to see those two not expecting a fight, not constantly watching each other's backs. The confidence the Wind Rangers exuded when morphed had nothing on those two. For the first time, Kapri feared her uncle's plan.

"The Winds are going down," said the older of the brothers, as if echoing her thoughts. "It's only a matter of time."

"There are three of them and two of you," huffed Zurgane. "Don't be so arrogant."

The taller one inclined his chin slightly at Zurgane, a gesture that was probably shorthand for a glare. "It will be a pleasure to disappoint you," he said, his voice low enough to be menacing and accented enough to be taunting.

He's got the evil thing down pat, thought Kapri.

"Don't you want to explore those brand-new powers of yours first?" suggested Lothor.

The blatant favoritism made Kapri want to gag.

"We know all we need to know," said the younger of the two.

"You waited eight years," said Lothor, "What are a few more days?"

"Uh, uncle?" interrupted Kapri. This could go on for days, knowing Hunter's stubbornness, and she so wasn't going to wait that long. "Could you please help us out, here?"

The blast of Ninja energy singed her hair, but also knocked her and her sister apart. Finally.

"Oh, my hair is ruined!" complained Marah from where she landed on her butt. She touched her fingers to her cheek, and her eyes widened in horror as she examined them. "I have soot on my face!"

"Get out of my face!" said Lothor. "Go to your rooms! I have business to attend to."

"Yes, uncle," said Kapri, picking up her sister and steering her away. Favoritism sucks, she thought as she glanced back and saw her uncle advance at the two Earth boys with a smile. It sucks big time.

---

She was alone in the tech bay. Or so she thought.

"What are you doing?"

Kapri whirled around, dropping the wrench in surprise. The elder of the two boys stood there, half in shadow, regarding her coolly.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she snapped. "And it's none of your business what I'm doing."

"You're only going to get into trouble again."

"What do you care?"

"I don't," he said. He uncrossed his arms and began circling her slowly. "I like to know what going on, that's all."

"You're going to find out just like everybody else."

"Oh?" His lips twisted, but he didn't smile, and didn't stop moving, either. "Uncle dear doesn't know, either?"

"You keep my uncle out of this!" She tried to push him away, but he sidestepped her easily. "And get out of my face! Don't you have training to do or something?"

"Don't worry, I won't say a thing to Lothor," he said. Then the bastard had the nerve to smile at her, a small, cold smile. "It'd be much more fun this way." Then he stepped back and disappeared, leaving a shaking Kapri alone in the shop.

She looked down at the device she was building. She had never been great with mechanics - Marah was better than her; but explaining what she wanted built to her sister would be hell, and Kapri would rather build it herself.

She wasn't supposed to launch a mission of her own, without asking Lothor for advice - not to mention permission. But she really wanted to prove that she could come up with her own ideas, and asking for permission would spoil the point she was trying to make. She had to prove that she was good enough on her own.

Elements, but she hated those two boys. The elder one, particularly, seemed to have made it a point to bug the life out of her, appearing from the shadows with snide comments - though it was the younger brother, younger than Marah, even, that had the tongue that could burn holes in metal.

She hated them: they were just as bad as the Wind Rangers, overconfident jerks who never had to fight for anything, least of all for their place in this world. She didn't think the Earth boys Lothor picked belonged on the crew, but they had morphers, and that seemed to be all that everyone cared about; everyone except her.

She picked up her wrench and returned to her work, firmly pushing away the doubts.

---

"What does it matter to you
When you got a job to do
You got to do it well
You got to give the other fella hell"
- "Live and Let Die", Guns 'n Roses

---

"Oh, let's clone him!" begged Marah excitedly.

Kapri rolled her eyes. She and Marah were at the beach, hiding behind some convenient rocks and watching their target through Kapri's binoculars: the target being the blue Ranger, not the red. Even though Kapri really wouldn't mind a red Ranger lookalike who would do her bidding.

"Stick to the plan, Marah: it's gotta be blue," she sternly reminded her sister - and herself. The blue Ranger was the smartest of the lot on any given day. She was bound to notice if one of her teammates was switched. The boys, though, were more gullible, more likely to fall to the ploy. Or so Kapri hoped; she had spent a lot of time thinking this one up, and she really didn't want it to fail.

Or rather, to fail too horribly.

"I know," said Marah, shifting position and looking at her sister. "Just look at her, so perky and athletic. I just want to bury her up to her neck in sand."

"First you have to learn how to dig a hole," said Kapri, and tried hard not to roll her eyes at Marah's lost expression. Elements, the girl is even more stupid than those Rangers! Kapri turned, raising the binoculars again.

"Hey, let me see!" said Marah, reaching for the binoculars.

Kapri slapped her hand away. "Never, ever grab. Are we clear?"

"Sorry," said Marah, pouting.

Kapri rolled her eyes and resumed her watch. "Just remember who's running things around here, Marah, and nobody gets hurt." It was a low blow, really, but it wasn't like there was any other kind where Marah was involved. The girl was just asking to be mocked, ridiculed and generally made fun of. Besides, this plan was all Kapri's. She only dragged Marah around to keep her under Kapri's sight and make sure she didn't accidentally botch up the plan. Marah herself was disgustingly lucky, but that did not mean that she could not botch up other people's chances.

Kapri really wanted this plan to succeed. It had taken her days of watching to think up a bait, and several more days to get everything else set up. It was a good plan. Kapri knew her history. Clone-insertions had a pretty good track record, unlike evil-Ranger ploys. Her upper lip curled. Evil-Ranger ploys almost always backfired and despite what her uncle was saying, that was an evil-Ranger ploy he was running with the Thunder Rangers. He could claim all he wanted that he was not attempting to subvert the two boys, but was rather merely manipulating them, but Kapri was too smart to fall for that. He was turning the boys' anger into hate, and hate had a way of burning away everything else in a person.

The blue Ranger's van pulled away.

"Let's go, Marah," said Kapri, getting up and dusting away the sand that stuck to her. "We've got a shooting site to prepare."

---

Up on one of the cliffs, Hunter and Blake stood, morphed, and watched Marah and Kapri prepare the supposed shooting site.

"Remind me why we're here?" asked Blake.

"To watch."

"You're not thinking about borrowing ideas from these two, are you?" asked Blake skeptically.

"Of course not. Everything they do, we shouldn't do. Which is why we're here, watching them."

"With you, bro," said Blake, and added: "It's not like we don't know what's going to happen. Ten bucks they don't even capture her."

"Ten bucks?" Hunter seemed amused. "How about loser makes dinner?"

"Didn't know you can cook," said Blake pointedly.

"Got me there. How about loser grooms both bikes tonight?"

"Deal," said Blake. "You know," he continued, "Lothor was wrong about those two. There is something they're good for."

"Really?" asked Hunter.

"Aren't you going to ask what for?"

"What for?"

"Entertainment value."

Hunter snorted, imagining the deadpan expression his brother must have had behind the visor. "And you asked why we're watching them."

The lone figure coming up the path distracted them from their argument, returning their thoughts to a more serious track.

"This waiting is getting old," growled Blake.

"Chill," replied Hunter. "We have to do this right."

"With you, bro."

---

"And we have the blue Ranger trapped in this box, and the clone is on her way to their headquarters right now!" finished Kapri. She pointed to the monitor, where the Storm Chargers van was making its way with much-confused yellow and red Rangers and an equally short-tempered clone. The van screeched into a halt. There, standing in front of the van, was a seriously pissed off blue Ranger.

"But…" said Kapri, gesturing helplessly.

Marah opened the box. "She's not here," she announced needlessly.

"Well, duh, she's out there!" said Choobo. He pointed at the monitor, where the original and the clone were shown dueling.

"Yeah, but she was supposed to be in here," said Kapri. How the hell did this happen? She thought. The brat wasn't supposed to escape!

"Maybe she escaped?" asked Marah.

Kapri punched her sister's shoulder, hard.

"Of course she escaped!" roared Lothor. "I'd call you two incompetent, but that would be restating the obvious. Zurgane!"

The general approached. "Yes, sir?"

"I hope you have something constructive to contribute, Zurgane."

"I have a contingency plan, sir. I'll get on it right away." He bowed and left.

"You two!" Lothor turned on his heels and rounded on the girls, who were venting their frustration on Choobo. "Which of you came up with this half-minded plan?"

My plan is not half minded! Thought Kapri angrily. Lucky for her, Marah spoke first.

"We did it together, uncle," she said brightly. "And it almost worked!"

"Keyword being almost," pointed Lothor. "Oh no, you are not going anywhere. You're going to stay right here and watch Zurgane's alien of the week get trampled."

"Shiny!" said Marah.

Kapri felt like painfully murdering someone.

---

Kapri was fast discovering the sad truths of fighting Power Rangers. They could find a way out of the tightest of spots, for one thing. They also had a way of turning everything to their favor, and they were insanely capable of bouncing back from virtually anything within a ridiculously short time frame.

"Hold my hair, I'm gonna puke," she muttered, watching the blue Ranger flirt shyly with the surfer guy.

"I think it's kinda cute," said Marah. "I wish I could meet a cute guy like that."

"Any guy you're going to meet is going to have, like, eight legs and an exoskeleton," retorted Kapri. Marah, expectedly, rose to the bait and asked: "Why?"

"Because you're ugly," said Kapri, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Marah hurt so easily, and forgot about it so quickly, that she was too tempting a punching bag for Kapri to ignore; especially when Kapri really needed to vent, and Choobo was avoiding her studiously.

"I'm really beautiful!" protested Marah.

"Kinda plain," said Kapri, feeling guilty pleasure as tears welled up in Marah's eyes.

"No, I'm not!" she protested.

Lothor coughed loudly behind them, and both girls startled. "You have any idea of the consequences of your stupidity?" he demanded. "Can you even begin to comprehend how far back your little romp on the beach almost set my master plan?"

"What's the furthest back there is?" asked Marah curiously.

Unlike Marah, Kapri didn't think it even remotely amusing; but then again, Kapri couldn't get away with anything the way Marah usually did.

"Both of you go to your rooms!" ordered Lothor angrily. "While I can think of a punishment."

Marah, of course, ran off to her room in tears; Kapri hung back, lurking behind a bulkhead. Her suspicions proved correct as two figures stepped from the shadows.

"Lucky for you, we're ready to go," said the taller of the two, crossing his arms on his chest. "All the pieces are in place."

The other one stepped forward, and Kapri could almost see him smiling behind that damn face plate as he said: "Let the games begin!"

The game has already started, she thought as she retreated to her room, and I'm losing.

Chapter 3: Blink

It was a quiet Saturday morning in one of Blue Bay Harbor's quieter suburbs. Quite, that is, until the loud honk of a car blared through, triggering a loud round of protest from the local dogs.

Dustin winced at the sound and tossed aside the comb; he really didn't have time for this. "Coming!" he roared, hoping against odds that Kelly would hear him but him mom wouldn't. He grabbed his backpack and ran downstairs, jumping the stairs three at a time. Burst through the front door and letting it slam itself shut, Dustin practically jumped off the porch and almost straight into Kelly's waiting van. He slammed the van door behind him and reached for the safety belt.

"Sorry, Kelly," he panted.

"You're the one who wanted to be there early."

"Yeah. Sorry for kicking you out of bed."

"No problem." She turned out of the neighbourhood. "It only means I'll get more time to go through the books before I open the shop. If we won't be late coming from the track."

"Nah." Dustin shook his head, still slightly out of breath. "I can't be late for practice again, Sensei would have my head for it." Not to mention keeping Dustin doing laps well after Tori and Shane already cleared. "I'm parched. You got some water?"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "See that yellow bag?"

"Yeah," Dustin reached for the bag and opened it, rummaging inside. "Hey, that's a bagel!"

"Figured you'd be too late waking up to eat anything."

Dustin tried to smile and chomp at the same time. "Thanks, Kel!" he said, swallowing down a huge bite. "You're the greatest!"

---

They stood on the small mound just off of the track, waiting. The morning sun was in their eyes as they watched the road leading up to the track, but they did nothing to shield their eyes. Hunter and Blake had been waiting there for twenty minutes, and they were still to say a word.

The track was surprisingly packed for so early on a Saturday morning. It was so early, in fact, that they were probably in for quite the wait before their quarry would arrive. They had patience, though. What was another hour, after eight years? They would wait.

A van appeared from around the bend.

"That's him."

"You sure?" asked Hunter. He shielded his eyes. "It's a white van, but that's all I can see from this distance."

"You should eat more carrots, bro."

Hunter shoved his shoulder.

Blake grinned. "What? I was just saying!"

Hunter pretended not to hear. Blake was annoyingly chirpy this morning - not that Hunter could fault him for it, really. He looked at the van again. "It's that shop's van," he admitted. "Probably him."

"Isn't that nice? He's early, especially for us." Then Blake's smile vanished. "So close…" he whispered.

"I know." Hunter's voice had gone very quiet. To a stranger he would've sounded unemotional; even Blake could hardly hear the slow-burning anger.

They stood and waited, watching, until it was time.

"You ready?" asked Hunter; not that he needed to.

"Let's do it."

---

"Masquerade!
Seething shadows,
Breathing lies…

Masquerade!
You can fool
Any friend who
Ever knew you!"
-"Masquerade", from "Phantom of the Opera." by Andrew Lloyd Weber

---

"Man, have you seen these guys before?" Dustin took the bottle and took a good, long swallow.

Kelly shook her head. "They ride like factory pros," she said. "I would've remembered."

"Man, I'm just glad they don't race 125s." He closed the empty bottle, and was about to ask Kelly for another one, when he noticed the two mystery riders nearby, taking off their helmets.

"Hey there," he said, approaching. "How's it going?"

"Track's a little soggy," said the taller of the two, getting off the bike and leaning against it.

"Didn't seem to slow you guys down."

The shorter of the two walked around the two bikes and offered his hand. "Hi, I'm Blake."

"Nice to meet you."

Blake threw a careless thumb over his shoulder. "My brother, Hunter."

Hunter was tall, blond and fair-skinned. Blake was shorter than Dustin and had clearly Hispanic features. Dustin's smile was mostly surprised. "You…" Dustin blinked and shook his head, trying to figure it out. "You guys are brothers?"

"Adopted," said Hunter shortly.

"Oh, right. Hey, cool." Did they have to look at him like that? It was unnerving. Like he had his fly open or something. "Well, my name's Dustin. I've never seen you guys out here before. Where's your home track?"

"Stone Canyon," said Blake, the same time Hunter said: "You wouldn't have heard of it."

Hunter looked down at Blake. Blake only rolled his eyes.

"Easy, bro," he said. Turning to Dustin, he added: "And he wonders why we don't have any friends."

"Listen, man, you were pretty fast out there, before," said Hunter.

Trying to be nice, Dustin figured. "Yeah, right, man. I must have been giving up a couple of seconds a lap to you guys."

"You get too much air on your jumps," said Hunter. "It slows you down."

Blake shrugged. "He's right: dark and broody, but right. Listen, what are you doing right now? Wanna follow us?"

"Actually, man, I kinda have to take a raincheck," said Dustin, glancing back at the van. What time was it, anyway? Damn, he was in such a hurry before, he forgot to take a watch. "I've gotta be somewhere."

"Yeah," said Hunter, "no worries." He punched Dustin's shoulder lightly. Something was odd about that. "Next time."

"Yeah, cool," echoed Dustin as Hunter rolled his bike away. "Next time."

"See you around," offered Blake with a smile, and then he was off, too.

"Say, Kelly," called Dustin, watching Blake's and Hunter's retreating backs. "What time is it?"

"Ten, I think," said Kelly. "Why? You late again?"

" 'fraid so."

---

He was lying on his back, in the middle of the woods, totally alone save for a squad of Kelzacks who were pointing spears to his face.

Okay, this was not good.

At first the noise didn't register; he was too busy trying to wriggle his arms free. The Kelzacks actually heard it first, and drew back the spears in surprise. Then two great shapes practically flew over the Kelzacks, blasting them to pieces in the process.

"Awesome!" roared Shane's voice.

Dustin pulled himself to his feet. Those were Shane and Tori, all right, morphed and - Dustin blinked - riding bikes. Big bikes. Really, really big bikes. He put his hands on his head, unbelieving. Where'd the bikes come from? "Oh, dude!" Shane and Tori were kicking major butt, slashing through the Kelzacks and cheering all the while.

Somebody touched his arm and Dustin started, but it was just Cam.

"Hi, Dustin."

"Hey, man!"

"You know," said Cam, irritable as usual, "I told those guys not to engage the enemy until the bikes were ready. Of course, no-one ever listens to the guy with glasses."

"Du-" then his brain caught up with Cam's words. "Whoa, those are the Tsunami Cycles?"

Tori took a jump right over their heads, and Cam and Dustin had to duck. "Those are great!" she shouted at Cam. The thud her bike made when landing resonated through the ground, almost knocking Dustin and Cam off their feet. "Thanks!"

"Whoa-ho-ho!" cheered Dustin. "I thought those these things were months away from being ready!"

"So did I."

"Wait." Something just occurred to Dustin. "You've got something for me?"

"No," said Cam neutrally, "should I?"

Okay, that expression on Cam's face was seriously discouraging. But he was just kidding, right? "Oh, come on. Quit joking around, man." He tried to pout. Either it didn't work, or Cam really didn't have anything for him, because Cam said: "No, seriously. I don't know what you're talking about."

"So what, you're saying - " this day was going from bad to worse " - you're saying the motocross guy is the only one that doesn't get a Tsunami Cycle?"

"All right, all right, fine." Cam produced a joystick, seemingly out of nowhere.

Dustin started. Where did the truck come from? It wasn't there a second ago.

"Meet your new mobile command center," Cam told him. He fiddled with the stick some more. "Check this out."

That smile was going to cut his face in a half, but Dustin couldn't help it; it was his very own Tsunami Cycle rolling out of the back of that truck, and it was beautiful. "Oh, dude!"

"Well put, Dustin."

Dustin shifted. "So, anything I need to know?"

"Yeah," said Cam promptly. Not that Dustin was listening. "Just make sure…" He rolled his eyes at Dustin's retreating back - the yellow Ranger was already halfway to the bike. "Why bother?" he wondered aloud. He couldn't help but smile, though, as Dustin leaped and morphed in the air; on Shane this would've been showing off. Dustin, though, was just Dustin.

Cam idled by the truck while the Rangers took their sweet time getting rid of the Kelzacks. Then, finally, it was over, and the three dismounted their bikes, demorphed and approached where Cam was waiting for them.

"Hey, guys."

"Yo, man," said Dustin, punching Cam's shoulder ever so lightly.

"What's up, Cam?" added Shane.

Not that Cam was listening; he was already checking the gearbox on Tori's bike. Those were some pretty wild turns she took out there, and hers was the bike he had the least time to work on before.

"Those bikes are really good," he heard Shane say.

"You know, Shane," said Cam, his head still inside Tori's bike, "you were pretty lucky. They still need some fine-tuning." Really lucky, but the morph would've probably protected them from the worst of it. He straightened, and noticed Dustin's backpack at his feet. "Hey, Dustin!"

"Yo!" Dustin caught the bag with one hand. "Hey, thanks, man!"

Cam reached inside his pocket. "You know, Dustin," he said, fishing around. It wasn't such a big pocket, how could a CD get lost in it? "Since you're the bike expert, why don't you take a look at these specs and tell me what you think? The auto-jet systems in particular." Ah, there it was. Dustin made a grab, but Cam pulled back his hand. This was Dustin, after all, even if he had his moments of lucidity. "Don't try to play video games with it," warned Cam.

"Dude!" protested Dustin. "I'm not a complete doofus!"

"Well," said Cam, "here's your chance to prove it." He handed Dustin the disk and jumped into the truck. "See you guys at Ninja Ops," he told them. By now he knew that they'd need some time to chill before they'd be calm enough to be allowed inside. The Wind Rangers had way too much energy. At times, Cam found it endearing; most of the time, though, it made him want to throw up - or throw them out.

He'd use his few moments of calm if he could get it.

---

Shane Clark was not happy as he reached for Storm Chargers' door. They'd scheduled a sparring session on the beach, earlier - just the three of them, no Sensei and no Cam. When it was ten minutes past time and Dustin was not there, Shane and Tori figured he was just late as usual, and started sparring in his absence. At some point, though, they realized that it had been over an hour. Tori, practical as always, insisted on checking Storm Chargers before driving up to the track.

By the time Shane pushed open the door, he spotted Dustin by the helmet display, and his worry turned into anger.

Dustin caught sight of Shane and Tori, and his expression brightened. "Hey, you guys!" he called, pushing between the two customers he was talking to and slapping Shane's shoulder in greeting. "You guys get to meet! Shane, Tori - Hunter, Blake."

Those were the moto riders that made Dustin late to practice? Dustin hasn't stopped babbling about them all morning, but they were not what Shane expected. They gave off a vibe - a bad vibe, Shane decided, eyeing the taller of the two: the guy's expression was even less readable than Sensei's.

"Hi, nice to meet to you," offered the shorter of the two, offering his hand.

Shane took it, trying to hide his reluctance. "How's it going," he asked.

"Dustin's told us a lot about you," offered the blond one neutrally.

"But not everything, obviously," said the younger one - how old was he, anyway? Didn't look a day older than sixteen to Shane. Shane glanced over his shoulder, trying to figure out what the guy was studying so intently. Tori. He was staring at Tori - and Tori was blushing.

"Hey, Dustin!" shouted Kelly from the register. "Found what you were looking for!"

"Great!" shouted back Dustin. "C'mon," he told Blake and Hunter, putting his arms on their shoulder and almost dragging them. "You gotta see that…"

Shane sighed the moment Dustin and the brothers were out of earshot. "Dustin needs to pick better company," he said. "Right, Tor?"

Hey, where'd she go?

---

"I have not moved since the call came
Since the call came I have not moved
I stare at the wall knowing on the other side
The storm that awaits for me"
- "Parasol", by Tori Amos

---

She practically fled out of the store the moment she could. She didn't need Shane and Dustin asking questions - okay, they probably wouldn't notice anything, but Kelly sure as hell would, and if she showed interest, the guys would, too.

Tori leaned against her van and took a deep breath. What the hell just happened now? She'd never reacted like this before. This was not the first pretty boy she had noticed, and certainly not the first who had noticed her. She'd handled guys making passes at her before. Then why was she standing in the street, physically shaken because a guy had leered at her?

Because it wasn't a leer, she decided. It was something else. The eyes that had measured her were so intense, that they were impossible to not react to. Tori shook her head. She wasn't any girl, and she knew it. She was immune to the tricks that made most girls melt. Still, those eyes shook her. She closed her eyes, recalling his expression, calling to memory every single detail. Appreciative, yes, but not just: surprised, as if he had a mental image of her, more detailed than Dustin's words could've painted, and her flesh-and-blood self had beat that image. Appreciative, and surprised, and also weirdly knowing: as if he knew something which he wasn't telling, something she didn't know, either; deceptive, too - as if who he pretended to be was not who he truly was. She snorted to herself. That much was obvious - no one who walked with that fluid grace, who had eyes like that, could be just a random biker boy. Blake Bradley was someone, and he knew it.

Or maybe, she thought, he was just thinking how silly I was, blushing like a twelve-year-old. He's probably used to girls throwing themselves at his feet, with that pretty-boy look of his. She'd never reacted to the pretty-boy attitude before, though. It was usually the shyer ones who caught her attention, the ones less confident and outgoing. Then again, Blake wasn't exactly boisterous, was he? He hardly said anything except 'hi'. All he did was look at her.

And she couldn't meet his gaze. That look put her heart in her throat. It made her want to impress him, want to keep his attention focused on her. Instead she went coy.

"Hi, Tor?"

She opened her eyes and raised her head sharply. Shane was standing in front of her, raising his arms as if to say 'I'm harmless'.

"I didn't hear you," she said blankly.

"Figured," he said, putting down his arms. "You okay? You kind of disappeared on me."

"A bit off," she shrugged. "Probably something I ate."

"Or saw," said Shane wisely - too wisely. He leaned against the van with his side. "I saw the look that Blake dude gave you."

"You saw…?"

"Hey, no chewing me out! That was pretty obvious."

She relaxed a little. "It was, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Two guys in one week? Not bad, Tor."

She actually smiled at that. "Aren't you going to tell me which one is better for me?"

"Well, since you asked…" he rubbed his hand against his nose in a gesture he must've caught from Dustin. "Dill."

"Any specifics?"

"Hunter gives me the creeps," he admitted. "Anyone associated with him can't be anything but bad news."

She had hardly noticed Hunter at all. "I'll keep that in mind."

"You coming back inside?"

"In a minute."

"Okay. But don't take more than a minute. I'm going to need your backing, telling Dustin to stay the hell away from these two."

"Sure. A minute."

---

Blake waited until yellow Wind disappeared into the stock room before saying: "Boy, that Tori is fine."

Anyone else would've rolled their eyes, but Hunter never bothered; still, Blake's fascination with the blue Wind Ranger was obvious a mile away. Blake tended to get overenthusiastic, and there was no reason why this tendency shouldn't apply to smart blond girls. Still, he needed to cool off a bit.

"She is," agreed Hunter, "Question is, why does she hang with a goof like Dustin?" It wasn't exactly a rebuke, but it was supposed to remind Blake that said pretty-face was an enemy.

"Dunno," shrugged Blake. "Maybe she likes doing charity work."

Blake's comment was probably meant to be funny, but Hunter hardly heard the last few words. Red Wind, who'd left a moment ago, was now back, standing at the other side of the store from where Hunter and Blake stood. He was looking directly at them and, judging by his expression, he heard every word. His eyes caught Hunter's.

Blake kept on talking, not noticing that Hunter's attention was focused completely on the other person. For Hunter, the moment had frozen: red Wind staring at him across the crowd, his eyes hard with fury, and himself, his expression wiped into indifference, his eyes locked with red Wind's over Blake's head.

"Bro? You there?" The light touch on his arm made Hunter look down, breaking the eye contact. "What?" he asked. Blake was frowning a little, but nothing serious. He hadn't noticed.

"You all right?" he asked. "You spaced out on me for a second."

"Yeah, I'm cool," said Hunter. "Was just thinking."

"Brooding, more like."

"Yo, guys!" yelled yellow Wind from the register. He was dangling some keys in his hand. "I'm heading back to the track. You want a ride?"

"You bet!" called Blake back.

Hunter scanned the crowd. Red Wind had disappeared into the clothing section. He acted as if he hadn't heard the exchange, which wasn't likely considering the racket they were making. Why wasn't he acting? Wasn't he going to come and pull his teammate away?

Hunter held the door for his brother and yellow Wind, his eyes purposely searching for red Wind's. It was as if red Wind was waiting for him to do just that. Their eyes locked again for three whole seconds. Then Hunter turned away, pretending not to care, and exited the store after his brother, who was already calling to him impatiently from the van.

---

Dustin took off his helmet and smiled brightly at Hunter and Blake. "Cleared it no problem, this time."

"Keep that up and you may be ready for the two-fifties," said Hunter, in all seriousness.

"Hey, I'd remember this moment," said Blake.

Dude, but he needed to hear that. "You know," he said, "it's really cool, hanging with you guys. It's really hard to find dudes that actually get what you're into, you know?"

"I heard that," said Hunter. Blake just smiled. Anyone who wasn't Dustin would've turned and run at that smile. Dustin, though, never noticed; he was further distracted by the ground shaking, knocking him off of his feet.

"What was that?" demanded Blake, the first of them to get on his feet again.

"I don't know," said Dustin, allowing Hunter to pull him up. "Weird, huh?"

His morpher beeped.

Hunter's grip tightened uncomfortably on Dustin's wrist. "Hey, freaky watch." Hunter twisted Dustin's arm, and for a moment it felt as if he was going to break it. "Does it have a compass?"

Dustin wriggled his hand free before Hunter could press anything on the morpher. "Yeah, it has a bunch of cool stuff," he said hurriedly. "I'll show you some other time. Actually, you know, I gotta head off."

"Hey, how come you always gotta bail?" demanded Hunter. He sounded almost hurt.

"Yeah, Dustin," added Blake. "You want to ride like a pro, you gotta practice like one."

"Come on," continued Hunter, "let's see if we can shave a few seconds off your time."

"You know what, guys," said Dustin, backing up slowly - Hunter and Blake were advancing on him. "I really gotta leave." And he ran off; he never heard Blake yell, "Wait!" after him.

Blake looked at the yellow backpack in his hands, and then at his brother.

"So," he said conversationally, "think there's anything interesting in there?"

Chapter 4: Premonition

Cam paused at the bottom of the stairs. Could've been worse, he admitted to himself. No more than a couple hours' worth of patching, and none of the critical systems damaged.

"Cam?" asked his dad quietly from where he was sitting on Cam's shoulder. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," said Cam. "I was just thinking if this is what this place looks like now, how bad it might've been if they were aiming to trash the place."

"Indeed."

"You know," said Cam, moving forward again, "I was right all along."

"Oh?"

"Do you know what was my first thought when I woke up today? This day is only going to go wrong."

---

He was woken up at four-thirty in the morning by a headache. He got up, took two aspirin and returned to bed, but the headache wasn't impressed: it only got worse, if it changed at all. At five-fifteen Cam's patience had run out and he got up, thinking that he might as well get some work done if he was awake. That was his first mistake. His second mistake was turning on the lights in the hallway. He dimmed them almost immediately, but it still took a few seconds before he felt like he could move without throwing up. That should've been his cue to head back to bed and pretend the day hadn't started yet, but he figured it couldn't get much worse than it already was. That was his third mistake.

He made it to the main room without falling and without throwing up, and sat down in front of the laptop as the main console seemed ridiculously far. He blinked at the screen. He had apparently left the Tsunami Cycles directory open last night. That wasn't typical of him. He usually made sure to close whatever he was working on at the end of the day. It felt safer, even if no one had access to his mainframe but him. Might as well review those last adjustments to the on-board telemetry systems, he figured, and reached for the keyboard.

The windows collapsed into themselves and disappeared, replaced by the Academy logo. Cam's hands instinctively flew to his ears, trying to shut out the ear-splitting noise of the computer alert. Who turned up the volume? He pried his eyes open, but the laptop was still showing just the Academy logo. So did all the screens lining up the walls. What…? They're not supposed to do that! He got up and stumbled towards the main console. He had to shut down that infernal alarm, and he also needed to figure out what was wrong. He collapsed in the chair and stared at the screen. Academy logo, too: the system had completely frozen up on him. It isn't supposed to do that, he thought as he tried typing in several commands; no response. Maybe he'd been able to figure out what to do, if the headache wasn't threatening to shatter his skull into so many pieces. He closed his eyes and carefully massaged his temples, wishing the headache away. Some days, he thought, start bad and get better later. Today is not one of these days.

---

"What's going on?" called Shane after a few moments of searching the quarry.

"Not a whole lot," shouted Tori.

"Nothing here," reported Dustin.

"All right." Shane tapped his morpher. "Cam? This place is like downtown Deadville."

"I'm getting these reading from an Air Force satellite," said Cam's voice, sounding iffy. "It's usually accurate."

"Don't we have more sources to compare with?"

"No." Yeah, Cam was having a really bad day, all right. "There was a power surge this morning that knocked half the systems down. I'm still fixing the damage."

"Dude," asked Dustin - he and Tori approached while Shane and Cam were speaking - "isn't that why…"

Shane never heard the tail end of that question. He felt something, a sense of danger, and instinctively turned his head to look for it. His eyes widened. He didn't have enough time to shout a warning before the ball of fire and electricity knocked into the three of them, throwing them a ten foot distance before they crashed to the ground.

"Note to self," grumbled Shane as he picked himself up. "Never, ever doubt Cam!"

The dust and smoke cleared, revealing two crouched figures, slowly straightening, their backs turned on the Winds. Shane swallowed. Yeah, he'd seen right before: these guys were Power Rangers, too. Shit. "Who are you?" he called out loud.

"What's with the attitude?" demanded Tori.

"Hello!" called Dustin, as no answer was forthcoming. "Anybody home?"

"Obviously, you didn't get the memo," growled the taller of the two, wearing a dark shade of red that Shane mentally tagged as 'Crimson'.

"Old Rangers out," continued his teammate - whom Shane tagged 'Navy' - as he turned towards them, "new Rangers in."

"What," blurted Dustin, "you expect us to fight you?"

They got their answer as the strange Rangers shifted to shadow spar without so much as a warning. Next thing Shane knew, he, Tori and Dustin were on the ground again, with the strange Rangers watching them from a good distance.

"Doesn't look like they want to talk," he mentioned as he picked himself up.

"I go for kicking their wannabe butts!" added Tori.

"I hear ya!" said Dustin.

"Hey!" called Shane at the still figures. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to play nice?"

"We don't do nice," growled Navy.

Shane launched into an aerial attack, but Navy intercepted him halfway, kicking him twice in the chest and sending him smashing into the quarry's wall. It took Shane's lungs a moment to get started again. That was brutal! he thought dazedly. He struggled to his feet. Half the quarry away, Dustin and Tori were fighting Crimson, and not faring very well - the guy was almost as fast as Navy was. Shane charged forward, and got Crimson all to himself - for all the good that did, as the guy deflected nearly anything Shane threw at him. Still, it gave Tori and Dustin a moment to catch their breath before rejoining the fray. He heard a shout, and then something hard and crackling hit his back, sending up sparks.

---

Cam winced as the three Winds were sent down to the ground, again. He panned the angle of the visual feed until he could see both the strangers and the Winds, checking the time as he did so. Ten minutes before he'd lose this satellite. He bit his lip as he considered the strangers' staff weapons - long, modular, apparently heavy. These things can do serious damage. On screen, he saw Dustin using his sword to push himself up - Tori and Shane lost their grips on theirs when they fell.

"Anybody has any ideas?" called Dustin, he voice carried by the passive function of the morphers' comm units.

"You want an idea?" asked one of the strangers harshly. "How about - 'give up'?"

"Trust us," added the other one, "it would be much less painful."

"As if," said Cam under his breath. He and Shane appeared to be thinking along the same lines, because the red Ranger shouted: "Never!"

The taller of the strangers looked at his companion. They nodded at each other, and refolded their staffs.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

They brought forward their right hands, and… Cam straightened in his chair. "Hey!" he called out loud. "Those are my Tsunami Cycles!"

"Oh, I get it," said Shane. "This is a training thing, isn't it?"

Cam's fingers, grabbing the armrests of his chair, turned white.

"Cam, you got us!" laughed Tori.

"Guys, I think this is for real!" shouted Dustin.

Who'd have thought Dustin would have more common sense than Tori?

"You wish we weren't real," said the taller of the strangers - and then they rammed into the Winds.

---

He tried to get them to sit down. Dustin had taken a nasty hit to the head, Shane's torso was probably black and blue under his shirt, and Tori's morpher was damaged, for crying out loud - but no. As soon as they retreated to Ninja Ops, the three of them demorphed, and instead of crashing down like sensible human beings, they badgered his father with questions - speaking all at once and at top speed, naturally.

"Sensei, did you see…?"

"Why did they…?"

"They were exactly like us, but…"

"What did they want…?"

The headache was still present, still not responding to painkillers, and much aggravated by the cumulative noise level produced by the three Winds. Cam wanted to find a pillow, and bury his head under it. Unfortunately for him, Tori's morpher needed fixing.

"Rangers." His father's voice had a clipped edge. "One at a time. Please."

The Winds exchanged looks.

"Sensei, who were those guys?" asked Shane finally.

"They fight in the style of the Thunder Ninja Academy," said Sensei. "That is all I know for certain."

That explains the speed of them, thought Cam, and the melodrama, too. Thunder ninjas were notorious for - he'd missed Tori's question.

"Their fire comes from deep within," said his father. "Whatever force is driving them is greater than Lothor's. Such is the way of the Thunder ninjas - to fight with passion."

"But Sensei, everything you ever taught us…"

"The ways of Wind and Thunder are different, Tori. The School of Wind teaches one to harness their emotions; the School of Thunder teaches one to harvest that energy. It is a subtle difference, but a meaningful one."

"Look, I don't care what their problem is," said Dustin, "but these guys almost smoked us."

"Yeah, but they didn't," said Shane darkly. "And I want to know why."

---

"Rangers, Rangers, Rangers. That's the only thing everyone seems to care about. I am sick and tired of hearing about Rangers. Not only Rangers can fight and win. Not only Rangers are capable. I swear, whoever says one more words about Rangers to me, I will blast them to smithereens!"

Hidden in an alcove, Kapri watched Zurgane passing by, howling at no one and blasting the walls at random intervals. She understood his frustration: he kept trying to assert himself over the Thunder Rangers, and they kept treating him like dirt. Like they treat everyone. She couldn't blame him for losing his patience. Of course, he'd be in serious trouble if he vented his frustration where Lothor could hear. Funny that Lothor would threaten Zurgane with annihilation if he'd heard the general saying those things to his face, but he merely nodded and said, "carry on" when she reported to him. He specifically ordered her to follow Zurgane - "to ensure his loyalty," he said. Yet he did nothing with her reports.

"You are my eyes and ears, aren't you, girls?" he'd told them in one of his nicer moments, his arms around their shoulders. "I can't be everywhere at once, but I don't need to, because I have you."

Zurgane's voice degenerated into a mumble. Kapri tensed. Zurgane was terribly predictable: first he yelled and blasted, and then his anger came under control and he either let it go or acted on it. If he would do anything stupid, he'd do it now, and then she'd have to interfere on the spot and report later.

He turned left, towards the bays. Elements! she thought, abandoning her alcove and following him as quickly and silently as she could. Uncle would really have his head, if he's going to do what I think he is! Zurgane stormed past the doors, giving her plenty of time to slink through. She breathed a silent thanks as he didn't climb up the scaffolds and into the cockpit, but rather harassed the Kalzacks. Trouble averted. For now.

---

The sunlight was deceptively bright as they ascended from Ninja Ops. Shane frowned at Dustin and Tori, fully taking in their state for the first time since they had escaped the quarry. "Hey," he asked as they began walking towards the portal. "Are you all right?"

"Dude." Dustin was decidedly subdued. "They only got their own Tsunami Cycles 'cause they found the disk I lost. How do you think I'm doing?"

"I hate to break it to you, but they fried us even without the Cycles. So when it comes down to it? No real harm done." It wasn't much of a cheer, but it was the best Shane could come up with seeing as the compromise of the Tsunami Cycles was a blow. "How about you, Tor?"

She smiled weakly. "I'll be all right. Cam says having to take down my morpher for repair would make me feel under the weather for a couple of hours."

"You want one of us to drive?" suggested Shane.

"For one thing, I am not letting one of you speed demons drive my van; for another, I'm perfectly fit to drive. Do you think Cam would've let me out of Ninja Ops if he thought my reflexes are slow? Or that he wouldn't at least give you a heads-up about it?"

Shane raised his arms in mock-surrender. "Point taken."

"Dude, I'm a perfectly okay driver!" protested Dustin.

"Dustin, you're a racer."

"You rode with me in Kelly's van couple of times, and you never had a problem!"

Shane rolled his eyes. "Dustin, she's just getting to you."

"She wouldn't! She's Tori!"

"Oh?" Tori didn't seem too pleased. "And what is that supposed to mean? Are you going to tell me again that I'm 'the reliable one'?"

Shane groaned dramatically. "Are you ever going to stop bringing that one up?"

"I'll stop bringing that up when it stops making you cringe," she retorted. Then she stopped suddenly and snapped her fingers. "Oh! I completely forgot!"

"Forgot what?" asked Shane.

"I should call Blake and cancel our date," she explained, fishing her cell phone from her jeans pocket. "I'm too wiped."

"Date? What date?" Then Shane's mind caught up with what Tori had actually said. "Whoa - you have a date with Blake Bradley?"

"I was supposed to have a date with Blake," she corrected, "but I'm going to call him and ask for a rain check, because I'm really too down to have a good time."

"How'd he even get your number?" demanded Shane. Great, now both Tori and Dustin were giving him Looks.

"He and Hunter are in and out of Storm Chargers all the time, man," said Dustin. "Blake could've asked Tori out anytime."

"Shane, you're totally overreacting…"

"Look, I'm just getting really bad vibes from the two of them, okay?" How many times did he have to have t his argument with Dustin and Tori? They just wouldn't listen. "You used to agree with me on that, remember, Tor?"

"Yeah, but then I got to know Blake, and he's really sweet."

"These two are nothing but bad news," insisted Shane. "Blake's too smooth to be worth trusting, and Dustin's been late twice as much since…"

"Hey!" Dustin, apparently, had had enough. "Just because you're red, it doesn't mean you can tell us who to hang out with. Hunter and Blake are great people, and great riders, and I've improved loads at the track just hanging with them. So don't diss Tori and my friends just because they aren't your buddies. You have your skating buds, and I never say a word but dude, they're total posers."

"Maybe my 'skating buds' are posers," said Shane quietly, "but I know when to quit the ramp and head to practice."

"I…"

"Just don't forget what's important here."

"Okay, that's enough," said Tori. "Shane, you're overreacting. So unless you want to walk back to town…"

"…Or face off against the Thunder Rangers on your own", added Dustin.

"Then I suggest you deflate your head," finished Tori. "Now, I'm going to call Blake and ask for that raincheck, and then we head back to the van. Okay?" Faced with silence, Tori flipped her cell open. "I'll take that as a yes."

---

Cam sighed in frustration and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose again. Tori's morpher had taken a direct hit from one of the Thunder Rangers' lightning strikes, and Tori only just managed to escape the quarry before she force-demorphed. Still, the damage didn't take long to figure out, and by now Cam had the morpher almost completely fixed. He would've had it completed already, except that the headache made handling the small parts much harder on him.

The sudden noise of someone running downstairs made Cam wince in pain, hands instinctively tightening on the morpher. I'm going to kill Dustin, he thought. I told him time and again to stop running about the place! The footsteps didn't sound like Dustin's though - and indeed, it was Tori who burst into the room.

"Cam!" she said breathlessly, holding the wall for support. "Blake's hurt - I need your help - "

"And you brought him here?" demanded Cam. "Haven't you heard of a hospital?"

"There was an alien - he tried to help and…"

Cam raised his hand. "Hold it for a second," he told her. There was an alien and the scanners didn't pick it up. He'd better find the source of the EM disruptions fast. "Rewind. Start from the beginning. Where was that alien?"

"Down on the beach. It targeted me, and I wasn't holding well, and then Blake arrived out of nowhere and fought it, too, and he got hurt and then the alien disappeared and a hospital wouldn't know what to do with him so please, Cam?"

Cam hesitated, then put down the morpher. Yes, alien-inflicted injuries could be hard to explain to hospital staff, and if Blake had helped Tori when she wasn't capable of handling the alien on her own, then they owed him that much. "Where'd you leave him?"

"Outside, by the lake."

"Okay." He picked a handheld scanner and tucked it in his belt, getting up. "Let's get this done with as quickly as possible. We don't need any more security breaches." Okay, so far they've only had the one breach - but it was one too many, and this situation could be seriously compromising.

Tori all but dragged him across the perimeter and over the lake, in her anxiousness to get back to Blake. Kneeling by the apparently unconscious figure, Cam couldn't exactly blame her. "What can you tell me about the alien?" he asked.

"It called itself Amphibiator, I think. It looked like a huge, ugly mutated toad."

Cam nodded, setting the scanner. "These larvae are parasites," he decided after a moment. "They feed off of Blake's water and 'lytes. We're going to have to take them all off. That should be the safest." He put down the scanner, grabbed one of the larvae, and pulled. It came off without too much trouble, and Cam snapped its back before putting it on the grass. Blake moaned and stirred. "Can you handle it?" asked Cam. "I want to finish fixing your morpher."

Tori nodded, pale-faced and tight-lipped.

"I'll get back here as fast as I can," promised Cam. "If he begins to wake up before I return, get him away from here as fast as you can. We don't need him seeing one of us walk across the lake. My dad's going to freak when he finds out you brought him here, anyway."

Tori lowered her eyes, looking at Cam through her eyelashes. "Does he have to find out?"

"Tori…"

"Please, Cam? I couldn't just leave him there!"

She couldn't, Cam knew. She wouldn't abandon someone who had helped her any more than she would willingly betray her team. It had nothing to do with whatever she felt for Blake. It was part of what made her a Ranger. "Okay," he muttered - and tried hard not to blush as Tori kissed his cheek, fiercely squeezing his hand.

"Thanks," she whispered.

Running across the water as fast as he could, Cam thought of how easily he emphasized with - and reacted to - Tori's distress, almost as if he directly sensed her emotions. Men as a species, he decided, are doomed.

---

Cam made it back with Tori's now-operating morpher just as she finished taking off the last larvae. He accompanied her as she carried Blake back to the van, reminding her time and again that this incident had to be kept quiet, and that Blake would need Gatorade when he woke up to replenish the water and electrolytes that the larvae leeched from him.

She entered the first gas station on the way down the mountain. She stopped the engine, looking worriedly at Blake, unconscious in the passenger seat. She didn't like leaving him alone, even for a moment, but she had to in order to get the Gatorade from the convenience store. She settled for making it in and out of the store as fast as she possibly could. He was still unconscious when she got back in the van. She hesitated, not quite sure what to do. She had to wake him up. "Blake," she called softly. "Blake." He didn't respond. She tried nudging his shoulder, but that didn't help, either. Nervously, she wetted her hand with a little water from the bottle she always kept and touched his cheek lightly. He stirred, but didn't wake.

Later, she wouldn't be able to explain to herself why she did it - not only that it was against the rules, but she was never taught how to do such a thing. But in that moment, reaching with her ninja powers through the water connecting her skin and his was the most natural thing to do. She felt her power spread through all of Blake's body before it echoed back to her, now colored with the essence of Blake's life force. It was the return signal that made her jerk back her hand, suddenly realizing what she'd done. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she needed all her self-control to maintain any illusion of semi-composure as Blake woke.

He shifted before opening his eyes, slowly, blinking a few times before his eyes seemed to focus enough to take in his surrounding.

"Hi," said Tori.

"Hi," said Blake. He turned his head gingerly, taking a better look at where they were. "What happened? The last thing I remember is that freak at the beach."

"You took a hit for me," she told him. "It knocked you out. Luckily, the alien chose that moment to leave - I have no idea why." She opened the Gatorade and handed it to him. "You should drink this. You're dehydrated."

"Thanks." He managed to hold it and drink on his own, even if he needed both hands to do it. By the time he finished drinking, he wasn't as pale and he seemed properly awake.

"I'd better get you home," said Tori, buckling her seatbelt. "Where do you live?"

Blake grimaced. "Better make that the track. I was supposed to meet Hunter there…" he considered the van's clock "…half an hour ago. Ouch. Hunter's probably totally freaked by now. I just hope he didn't tear up anything, or anyone."

"Can't you call him?"

"No cell phone."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

---

The ride to the track passed mostly in silence, after that. Tori was still too uncomfortable, and Blake wasn't very talkative, either. She'd never seen Blake this quiet, this subdued. He was always so alert, always interacting and acting. Then again, she'd only known him for a week. They didn't really know each other all that well.

"How come you were at the beach, before?" she asked suddenly. "Blake?" she prompted, as he didn't answer. She glanced in his direction - he was still awake. He caught her eye. Tori looked away, cheeks burning.

"I was hoping to run into you, actually," he admitted, hesitantly. "I mean, you said you had a really horrible day and I figured, hey, where would you go to unwind? I guess I thought maybe… I just wanted to make sure you're all right, and to see you. I guess I was hoping that even if you were too out for a proper date, maybe still…"

She didn't know whether to be flattered or worried. Blake's behaviour could be interpreted as either sweet or alarming. He sounded sincere, though, and appropriately embarrassed, so Tori opted for the former. "I'm really glad you came," she said.

"Do I need to bring aliens along for future dates, too?"

"No," she said, perhaps a little too vehemently. "No, you don't need to," she repeated, more softly.

---

"Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels, the dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real, I've looked at love that way"
- Both Sides Now, by Joni Mitchell

---

They arrived. She didn't realize they had already arrived at the track until she finished parking and was actually reaching for the seatbelt clip. She couldn't remember the ride - she remembered turning right out of the gas station, and she was reasonably sure that she was attentive of the road while driving, but the rest of it wasn't even a haze.

"Hey." Blake's hand on hers made her startle, almost swatting it away. He unbuckled his seatbelt while she was lost in reverie, and moved closer to her, his other arm in midair as if he was going to put it over her shoulders but aborted the gesture at her startled reaction. "You're really spaced out, aren't you?" he asked concernedly. "Maybe you should go home, get some sleep."

"Maybe."

"Blake!"

Suddenly Hunter was there, nearly tearing out the passenger door in his anxiousness to get to his brother. Blake got out of the van, and had managed to survive a painful-looking hug without showing too much discomfort - that is, he was still breathing.

"What happened?" demanded Hunter, hands still gripping Blake's shoulders firmly. "You look like hell." Hunter glanced at Tori, and she winced. The intensity behind Hunter's eyes could physically knock a person off their feet.

"Easy, bro. I'm all right. Just a little dehydrated. Tori took good care of me."

"Yeah?" If before Tori only suspected that Hunter considered this to be her fault, now she was sure of it. That look Hunter had just given her was downright hostile.

"Yeah, bro." Blake carefully removed Hunter's hands from his shoulders. "Really. I would've been in a real fix if not for her."

Blake wouldn't have been in any fix if he hadn't helped her to begin with, but Tori was not going to mention that. Hunter Bradley was taller and heavier than her, looked like he could handle himself and was more overprotective than Shane at his worst.

Hunter's intensity shifted. He no longer seemed quite so hostile. "In that case, I guess I owe you one," he said. He offered his hand. "Thanks for taking care of my bro."

"Anytime," she said sincerely, taking the offered hand, "but I hope never again."

"Yeah."

"Hell, yeah."

Chapter 5: Going Under

This could develop either way, decided Cam, keeping an eye on Amphibiator on screen and waiting for the Rangers' arrival. The Winds had had a bad day, as was obvious by their clipped tone when they answered his hails. Experience taught Cam that mostly, frustration turned the Winds into inefficient fighters - but rarely, when they've really had enough - then, woe to the alien who would wander in their path.

Three strokes of colour landed by the river. Cam held his breath as they rose to a standing position - and let it out in a curse as Amphibiator moved faster.

---

"I can't move!" shouted Tori, trying in vain to break three of the chains.

"Going up!" shouted Amphibiator gleefully. "Next floor, housewares and sporting goods!"

Ten, twenty, thirty feet they rose, spinning and spinning around, until a flick of Amphibiator's wrist-like fin tossed them sideways and downwards. "Hope you can't swim!" he shouted, watching as the three Rangers fell into the river, chains and all. "I knew they'd make a splash!"

---

"Come on, guys," whispered Cam. He could hear his dad's footsteps on the table behind him. "You can do it." They should be able to, all three of them, even if Tori alone was a water ninja. Cam knew something about the way the morphers operated, what they did for the people who held them, and the three Winds should be able to…

…there. They came flying out of the water, shouting their usual would-be wisecracks - well, we can't all be comic geniuses - and landed perfectly right in front of Amphibiator, who seemed to have deflated some. Cam smiled tightly. Good.

---

They should've known better than to give it less than their best and deadliest, after that first trick he pulled on them, but Amphibiator's vanishing act took the three of them by surprise. Their second of confusion cost them dearly, as Amphibiator came hopping straight at them, knocking them down by his sheer mass and then turning around and raining them with cybernetic larvae. They picked themselves up, nodding on their feet as the larvae sucked energy straight out of their suits.

"This guy is tough," growled Shane, tearing down the parasites, crushing them in his fist. "Okay guys, let's…"

Lightning flashed behind them. Shane turned around, knowing that there was only one thing it could mean. Sure enough, there were the two Thunder Rangers. Shit. "Like fighting a giant frog wasn't bad enough."

Slowly, eerily synchronized, the two reached behind their backs and pulled out their staffs. Shane tensed; in his peripheral vision he could see Tori and Dustin reacting the same way. The Thunder Rangers shouted, coming straight at them…

…Or rather, past them. Shane spun around and watched as the two Thunders attacked Amphibiator, viciously and effectively. Damn, if those two were on our team!

"I thought we were on the same team!" whined Amphibiator, as if echoing Shane's thoughts. A combined hit from both Thunder Rangers sent him flying backwards. He picked himself up, obviously miffed. "I guess not. Polytrons!" The air was filled with metal as what looked like hundreds of the cybernetic leeches launched themselves at the Thunder Rangers - and were deflected, and apparently electrocuted, by two glowing energy shields, framed within the Thunder staffs.

---

"By all that is incoherent and stupid in this world," said Cam, staring at the screen, "did he just say what I thought he did?"

"It would appear that Amphibiator said, 'my preciousses'," said Cam's dad, now standing on Cam's shoulder.

"Yeah," said Cam faintly. "That's what I thought I heard."

There were fireworks, a brave - but quickly quashed - comeback from Amphibiator, some more toying around from Crimson Thunder, and then the two Thunders apparently grew bored with their game, and blew Amphibiator to pieces. Cam shook his head. "I wish I could get inside these guys' heads."

---

"Hey!" shouted Shane once the smoke from the busted alien cleared enough to see that the Thunders were walking away. "What's up with you guys?"

They didn't slow down. They didn't even turn their heads. They just kept on walking, so synchronized that Shane wondered if there were really two minds there. Could two separate individuals be so in sync?

"Hello," called Dustin. "Anybody in there?"

They halted. Navy looked up at Crimson, Crimson looked down at Thunder. Words were almost tangible in the air between them. Then Navy took a few more steps in the direction away from the Winds, while Crimson turned to face them. "We're even, Wind Rangers," he said. And then they were gone.

"What was that all about?" wondered Tori.

I wish I knew Shane wanted to tell her, but a bang and a great flash of light made him turn his head. Sure enough, Amphibiator was back, now as large as a small skyscraper. Shane raised his morpher to his helmet. "Cam! Send in the Zords!"

---

"Dude, that was almost too easy!" laughed Dustin as they descended down the stairs to Ninja Ops.

"Yeah, it was like all his special attacks were gone once he got turned into a giant!" laughed Tori, shaking her head. "But still, we got really lucky that the Thunder Rangers decided to help us out."

"Yeah, after they made us eat dust this morning!" countered Shane. "I wonder what that Crimson dude meant by…" They came into Ninja Ops, and the words died on his lips.

There had been a fight there, no mistake. The table was upturned; the habitat cart was bent and charred, thrown aside; and by the far wall, lying under the broken monitors, covered in a spray of broken glass…

"Cam!"

They rushed to his side, practically leaping over the obstacles. Shane's heart hammered as Tori kneeled by Cam - careful not to get injured by all the glass bits - and put two fingers against his neck and her other hand over his mouth. "He's breathing," she said a moment later, "and his pulse is steady. I don't see blood, so if he had any head injuries, they have to be internal."

"Okay. Let's move him away from the glass…"

"Don't!" said Dustin sharply. "Whoever did this, they tossed Cam against the monitors and dude, he's not wearing a helmet. We can't move him without making sure he doesn't have a spine injury or something."

"Can you do that?" asked Tori.

Dustin, the eternal fixer, had taken the most classes in ninja healing of the three of them. Before they had become Rangers, Dustin was actually better with healing than with fighting; but Shane had no idea if Dustin had kept practicing after Lothor's initial attack, with all the teachers gone, or, if he had - how far he had progressed.

Tori's question hung in the air.

"I think so," said Dustin. He dropped into a crouch, and Tori shifted aside. Dustin moved his morpher hand over Cam's body, twice, before bringing together his two hands and scanning some areas more carefully. Shane thought he could see yellow light emanating from Dustin's palms.

Dustin's arms dropped by his side. Shane helped him up.

"He's good to move," said Dustin, "Just don't ask me to wake him up 'cause I don't know how."

"I can do that," said Tori. "Just help me move him away from all this glass, it's really dangerous."

"Right. Dustin, any chance you can bring up Cam's security cameras? We need to see what happened here."

"Dude, me and computers is a no-go. Besides, Cam would so kill me."

Shane tried not to roll his eyes at Dustin's raised arms and apologetic smile. "You fix engines. Don't tell me you can't handle cameras."

"No, you see…"

"I see you're the person Cam hands his blueprints to for review," interrupted Shane, "So just do it. Come on, Tor, make some space so I can help you with him."

Together they moved Cam to the empty space in the middle of the room. Shane turned to hunt up a cushion to put under Cam's head and when he returned, Tori was holding her hand just over Cam's face, droplets hanging at the tips of her fingers. She looked up at Shane, her eyes wide and anxious.

"I've only done this once," she said. "I don't know…"

"Just do it," Shane told her, sitting on Cam's other side and sliding the cushion under Cam's head. "It'll be okay."

She bit her lip, but nodded and carefully put her hand against Cam's cheek.

"Got it," announced Dustin suddenly. "Cam put a really silly password on the thing."

Shane was over his shoulder before he finished that sentence. "Knew you can do it. What've we got?"

"Well, I've got the feed from the two cameras in this room. I don't have a clue how to search, though, so we're just going to have to watch it in rewind." The screen split, showing the current feed from the two cameras. Then the images started rewinding on high speed. It was weird, watching the three of them pulling away from Cam, running backwards out of the room. For two or three seconds nothing moved on the screen, and then two coloured figures appeared when in reality they had disappeared, and Shane felt a sudden surge of anger and, surprisingly, betrayal. "I knew there had to be a trick!" It was the Thunder Rangers - it was they who demolished Ops, who hurt Cam. Shane and Dustin watched the battle progress backwards, Cam fighting the Thunders for a white, translucent basketball-sized sphere. The tape continued to rewind, and then the Thunders were unmorphed.

Shane's breath hitched. His fingers dug painfully into Dustin's shoulder, but Dustin didn't seem to notice as he exclaimed, "Dude, no way!"

"I take it you hacked into the security feed," said Cam's voice behind them - weak, but otherwise normal. Shane turned his head, and saw Tori helping Cam sit up. "Obvious in retrospect, isn't it?" continued Cam.

"What's obvious?" asked Tori.

Shane's throat tightened. "Come and see," he said simply, before any of the others could say anything else. Tori had to see for herself. She helped Cam up, and supported him the short distance to the main console. Dustin vacated the seat, and Cam sank into it without a word.

The feed on the screen was paused, now, showing a pre-battle Ninja Ops with Cam sitting by the computer. Cam pressed a key, and the tape began to roll forward, soundlessly, at normal speed. Shane counted heartbeats as he waited for the inevitable. At twenty, two figures stepped in from the left of the screen and Tori gasped, hand rising to her mouth. Shane put his arm over her shoulder, instinctively pulling her close.

"Blake?" she whispered. "It can't be."

On screen, Hunter and Blake were now battling both Sensei and Cam - who, Shane noted, was giving the Thunders quite the fight.

"Sorry, Tor."

Then there was a flash of light on the screen, and Hunter and Blake morphed, fighting Cam for the white sphere. Shane had already seen that part - but now he knew what the sphere contained.

Cam's hand pressed that key again, and the image froze. "My father," he said, his voice shocked and frighteningly empty. "They took my father." Then he shook himself and, before any of the Winds could say anything or, indeed, move, Cam swung into action, fingers dancing on the keyboard and screens flashing faster than Shane could figure them out. "The protective shield - I should be able to trace it, so long as - " The screen now showed a map of the area about twenty miles away from where Ninja Ops was. There was a blinking orange dot near the edge of the screen. "That's them," said Cam, jabbing his finger at the screen, "but they're almost out of range. I'll lose them at 25 miles." Cam's hand dropped. He twisted around in his chair, looking up at the Winds. "I don't know what to do!"

A moment ago, Shane had been as lost. Now, though, he was acutely aware of Dustin looking at him, of Tori still leaning against him, and of Cam - arrogant, self-assured and composed Cam - looking up at him with eyes that seemed to cut straight into Shane's soul; and suddenly, Shane knew.

"But I do," he answered quietly, squeezing Cam's shoulder as he did so. Cam didn't recoil or slap his hand away, as he normally would've done, but just nodded, hanging on to Shane's every word just as Dustin and Tori did. "We're going to need the mobile command center and the Tsunami Cycles. Tori - grab anything you think is relevant from the library; we need to know where they're taking Sensei and why. We'll do the research on the way." He took a deep breath, and announced: "We're going after them."

---

"But now it's just another show, you leave 'em laughin when you go
And if you care don't let them know, don't give yourself away"
- Both Sides Now, by Joni Mitchell

---

Cam tried to drive, but Dustin pushed him to the passenger seat in a rather no-nonsense manner. Now they were riding through the mountains, Dustin driving, Cam sitting next to him and tracking the Thunders on his laptop, and Shane and Tori sitting in the back of the truck, browsing through scrolls.

"It's all my fault," muttered Tori, putting down another scroll and rubbing her eyes.

"How'd you figure that?" asked Shane.

"Come on," said Tori. "How do you think they found the way into Academy grounds? Where do you think I took Blake today, when he was infected with alien larvae - to the hospital? I brought him to the shore of the lake, and then got Cam. I thought Blake was unconscious, that it was safe. Well, apparently he wasn't unconscious, and now Sensei's gone because of me."

"Wrong," said Shane. He put aside the scroll he was in the middle of reading and looked at Tori intently. "For one thing, Tori, you did the right thing. Remember how we became Rangers - why we're still here when the rest of the school had been kidnapped?"

"It's not the same…"

"The hell it is."

Tori's mouth snapped shut. Shane continued. "Anther thing. Remember what the Crimson Ranger - what Hunter said, after they took care of Amphibiator for us? He said, 'now we're even, Wind Rangers'. What was it he told you after Blake said you helped him? 'We owe you one'. So maybe it wasn't all planned. Blake took a real risk for you, against someone who was supposed to be his ally. And," Shane leaned forward, "the only person to blame here is Lothor. Okay?"

"Still, if I'd listened to you… you never liked either of them."

Why does she hang with a goof like Dustin?

Maybe she likes doing charity work.

Shane thought of Hunter's eyes, challenging him across Storm Chargers. He hadn't mentioned that incident - or what Hunter and Blake had said - to either Dustin or Tori. "I was probably just being jealous," he told Tori, "just like you and Dustin said. You were right, I shouldn't push you around."

"You're doing good, Shane," said Tori with a soft sigh. She picked the scroll she dropped before. "Anyhow, I think I know where they're headed with Sensei. It has to be the Mountain of Lost Ninjas."

"No way. That creepy place with all the violent dead ninja ghosts?"

"Yeah. That's why they call it that, you know."

"Better tell Cam and Dustin." He got up from the floor of the truck, stuck his head into the driver's cabin and relayed Tori's findings.

Cam nodded. "The Gem of All Souls is there," he said, "hidden in one of the caverns. It should be powerful enough to shatter the protective shield my dad put around himself - it's one of the most powerful ninja talismans in existence."

"Great," said Shane.

Cam fiddled some with the display of his laptop. "You'd better get off here," he said. "The truck can go a little more, but the Cycles would be faster."

"But you can track…"

Cam shook his head. "Not once they're close enough to the mountain. Which would be any second now."

Shane nodded. "Better get going, then."

Dustin parked in the middle of the dirt road, and the Winds gathered in the back of the truck to morph. Cam stood by the cabin's door, looking at them, his face withdrawn. "Please find my father."

Shane nodded. "We will."

---

Intellectually, Hunter knew that they'd been walking through this forest, trying to sense their way towards the sacred mountain, for only about half an hour. It felt like much longer, though. At moments, he felt as if he'd always been walking through this forest, and always would be. It was a disconcerting feeling, but Hunter firmly told himself that it was a good sign: it meant that they were drawing closer to the realm of the mountain, which was said to be not entirely within the realm of the living.

"How much farther?" asked Blake.

The soft noise of their boots was the only sound; Hunter couldn't hear birds or other animals. They had to be really close, now. "Almost there," he told Blake.

"Good," muttered his brother.

Later, he wouldn't be able to describe the sound. It was the sound of something being torn, or perhaps a far-off wail; either way, it made Hunter and Blake halt their steps.

"Did you hear that?" asked Blake tersely.

"Yeah," answered Hunter.

The air before them warped, darkened. Grey forms materialized, landing into battle crouches with unnaturally liquid grace. They wore faded grey tattered ninja suits, their faces only a mockery of a human face. Their hands - the only organ of their body visible other than their faces - were rotted. The smell of decay carried from them on a nonexistent breeze, making Hunter's stomach turn. Next to him, he felt Blake stiffen.

"Ready, bro?" he asked, and was answered with a grunted "yeah". Carefully, he put down the sphere with the rodent and straightened. He didn't need to look at Blake to know that they were perfectly synchronized as they assumed their morphing position.

Lucky for them their morphing sequence was quick; the ghouls were on them almost before Hunter's vision cleared. One of them launched a spinning kick straight to Hunter's head, and he only just narrowly avoided it, stooping down to pick up the sphere before straightening and hitting another ghoul in the gut. The blow was effective, even if not as effective as it would've been on a living opponent. He'd hit another ghoul with his left arm, then grabbed it and tossed it over his shoulder. Then a dozen of the things tried to mob him, and he was forced to use a quick sequence of kicks - hardly his favourite maneuver - just to gain some breathing space. He'd managed to knock the legs of one ghoul from under him and kick two others straight in the head, but then a kick to his chest sent him stumbling backwards, colliding back-to-back with Blake. All thirty-something ghouls overwhelmed them, keeping them from moving. The rodent still tucked under his arm said something, but Hunter couldn't make out the words over the growls of the ghouls and the explosions.

The explosions came out of nowhere, scattering the ghouls and making it possible for Hunter and Blake to breath again. What the…? Thought Hunter, and then he heard someone shout "Coming through!", the roar of engines, and three brightly coloured bikes positioned themselves defensively between the two brothers and the ghouls.

"Wow," said Yellow Wind, "who do we fight?"

Red turned his head, looking back at his teammate. "Anyone not wearing a primary colour?"

"Good idea," said Blue Wind - just before a ghoul jumped at her, knocking her off her bike.

That was the cue for all hell to break loose. If Hunter thought the ghouls were vicious before, it was nothing compared to the ferocity with which they attacked now; Blake and he hardly managed to stay on their feet. One ghoul grabbed Hunter's torso, making Hunter raise his arms instinctively. Wind rustled his hair, and the weight of the sphere disappeared from his hand. Pissed off, Hunter shook off the ghouls, just in time to see Blake somersaulting over yellow's bike, reacquiring the sphere. Yellow ditched the bike, running towards Blake, and Blake tossed the sphere to Hunter, who caught it easily.

Then the ghouls - seemingly many more than they were before - swarmed all five Rangers, pushing them closer and closer together until Hunter found himself with Blake to his left, and Red Wind pressed against him from his right, his arm against Hunter's body as if shielding him.

"Those guys are fearless," remarked Red.

Hunter rolled his eyes under his helmet.

"They're dead," pointed out Blue Wind. "It's not like they have a lot to lose."

"So that would be the glass half-empty, right?" quipped Yellow, and Hunter would've hit him if he could. "Back off!" he shouted at the ghouls. To his surprise, they retreated a little, but they advanced again almost immediately.

"How about a truce?" suggested Red by his side. "Let's do this together."

Hunter almost didn't hesitate. Maybe he and Blake could take care of those buggers, but they could be rid of them faster with the Winds' help. "Fine by me. Going from now!"

The five of them burst forward together, driving back the ghouls with their sheet momentum. He found himself fighting side by side with Red, switching between offence and defense. It was an alien feeling, fighting by the side of someone who wasn't Blake. Red's style was similar to Blake's classic Thunder style, so long as he fought empty-handed, and the smoothness with which he fit into Hunter's rhythm was unnerving.

The coordinated attack was effective, and they were slowly gaining on the ghouls. Then, without warning, the ghosts of the dead disappeared in puffs of putrid smoke, leaving five Rangers stunned into stillness.

"Got 'em," said Red, his grim voice strangely flat in the utter stillness. Then he turned to Hunter, hand raised for a high-five. "Good one!"

For a fraction of a second, the enthusiastic tone, the gesture of trust, had almost got to Hunter; but he was holding Red's sensei under his arm, and they were rivals again. He moved forward, elbowing Red hard enough to make him fall. Blake, Hunter noticed, offered Yellow a similar treatment. Blue ran to her teammates.

Blake was at his side again.

Hunter nodded. "Let's go."

---

He turned to Hunter, smiling broadly under his helmet, and he hadn't realized how certain he was they had worked things out by fighting side by side until Hunter betrayed that trust by hitting him. By the time Shane got on his feet again, Hunter and Blake were gone, as was Sensei.

"They got away!" cried Tori.

"No, they haven't," he growled. "We're going after them."

Tracing a streak was a tricky business, particularly with the Mountain of Lost Ninjas so close by. Shane suspected that they'd only been able to streak at all because they were in their morphed state. Streaking was hard even this way, though, and after only a short streak the five of them landed by the shadow of a cliff, and the fighting resumed. It was a replay of their previous scuffle against the brothers: they were too fast, too brutal for the Winds to counter. Soon the three of them were forced to regroup.

"Why are you doing this?" demanded Dustin.

"Simple," said Hunter, his voice flat and cold. "Revenge."

The ground shook, enough to make them stumble but not enough to make any if them fall. The shaking lessened, and then they could see what caused them: a giant green and black Zord, its shape disgustingly familiar.

"Zurgane!" cried Dustin. "Who gave him the keys to a Zord?"

"Guys!" Cam's voice broke out of nowhere, coming from all their three morphers together. "They're getting away!"

Shane's head snapped - indeed, the Thunders were running away. "Not again!" He grabbed Tori's wrist. "C'mon, let's go after them. Dustin, can you take Zurgane?"

Dustin saluted loosely. "You bet!"

That was enough for Shane. Tugging at Tori's hand, they ran forward. Behind him, he could hear Dustin calling: "Cam, what about those Zords?" and Cam's voice answering.

The Thunders had too much of a head start on them. He and Tori had to risk a short streak - hardly stable in the mountain's shadow - and landed practically on Hunter's and Blake's backs. Shane left Blake for Tori, and focused on Hunter. Trying to land a blow on Hunter was like trying to hold an oiled eel - the guy managed to sidestep or dodge nearly anything Shane threw at him, landing his own blows almost too fast for Shane to block. It was a dizzying experience, fighting against an opponent who was fast as an air ninja and adaptive as a water ninja. Hunter managed to lock and twist Shane's arm, and Shane only just managed to break the lock without getting his arm broken in the process. "What was that about revenge?" he demanded.

"Shane, look out!"

Tori's warning came too late. Pain exploded in his lower back as Blake must have landed one of his nasty flying kicks there, powerful enough to make Shane and Hunter both stumble. Shane used the momentum to try and grab Sensei's sphere, but Hunter had tossed him away. Blake didn't have more than a second to gloat, though, as Tori's kick caught him between his shoulder blades. Still, he managed to double over the sphere, roll forward and pick himself up.

A large crash and a tremor through the ground made Shane raise his eyes. Only one Zord was standing - and it was the wrong Zord. Zurgane's Zord was standing tall and proud, right arm raised, while only the chest of the prone Wind MegaZord was visible.

"Dustin!"

His moment of distraction cost him, and he'd only just managed to avoid getting his neck broken by Hunter's staff. He didn't even bother pulling his sword out of its sheath, but called his Hawk Blaster, somersaulted over Hunter's head to put some distance between them, and tried to shoot down the annoyingly evasive crimson Ranger - without luck, naturally. Rolling aside to dodge Shane's blasts, Hunter had managed to draw his blaster, and the shot caught Shane straight in the chest, bringing up sparks and leaving Shane feeling as if both Thunder Rangers had just slammed into him.

A terrible screeching noise made Shane switch attention to the Zord battle again. His heart sank: Zurgane had apparently speared the megaZord.

"Dustin!" he heard Tori cry.

He shouldn't have taken his eyes off of the Thunder brother. The barrage of fire sent both him and Tori flying in the air, landing close to each other. The Thunder brothers advance on them, still eerily synchronized. Abruptly, Shane realized that Hunter had lost Sensei in the fight: the sphere was lying on the ground between the Winds and the Thunders. He couldn't summon the strength to get up on his feet, though: his suit was still smoking, and his muscles trembled as if he's just received an electric shock; which, considering who they were dealing with, wasn't all that unlikely.

Hunter and Blake stopped just in front of the sphere.

"Having fun yet?" asked Blake lightly, friendly.

"Don't you care about anything?" demanded Tori. Judging by her voice, she was crying under her helmet.

"We care about family," said Hunter. His voice was frozen with anger. "We care about honour. Your sensei killed our parents." He looked down at the sphere. "You deserve anything that's coming to you." He stooped, picked up the sphere with the protesting Sensei, and he and Blake were gone in seconds, leaving Shane and Tori still struggling to their feet.

---

The megaZord was down, the spear of Zurgane's Zord pressing down on the cockpit of the lionZord. Shane was shaky on his feet, trying to help Tori haul herself up. Safe within the mobile command center, painfully helpless and removed from events, Cam closed his eyes. It didn't help. He could see the tip of that humongous spear as if it was pointed at his face; could feel his muscles trembling as if he'd been the one blasted over and over again; emotion was spinning, overwhelming, making his chest constrict until he could hardly breathe. Please, he thought desperately, willing strength to the fallen Rangers, please bring back my father. Please bring back my father…

---

Later, they wouldn't be able to explain where the strength had come from; how they somehow managed to pick themselves up - Dustin sending the lionZord in a desperate and effective blow to Zurgane's Zord's privates, Shane and Tori suddenly breaking into a run; the determination rose as if out of nowhere, a force compelling them to move and act even though their tired bodies protested against it; Shane would simply say they promised, and Dustin would only shrug. Tori alone would remember the fleeting image of Cam standing next to them, offering his hand, again begging please bring back my father; but she would say nothing, unsure of herself, thinking that it was just an image conjured by her subconscious.

---

Dustin had called forth the power spheres, and was wrecking Zurgane's Zord with typical Earth straightforwardness. Cam had no idea what made the self-repair systems resurrect, but that didn't make him any less grateful for it. Glancing at the other screen, he saw that Tori and Shane were gaining on the Thunders, who, still oblivious to the chase, slowed down - apparently the day's toll was heavy on them, too. The two Winds managed to catch the Thunders by surprise, and Cam cried both in alarm and delight as Shane practically kicked Cam's dad out of Hunter's hands and picked up the sphere.

Cam's joy was short-lived, though. Blake virtually flew into the two winds, electricity crackling around him and Thunder staff waving. Cam winced. Personally, he thought Blake to be the more dangerous of the two brothers, an opinion supported by the number of times Blake had had to come to Hunter's help during the battles. Blake was bad news for the Winds, who were not equipped to deal with the fast and brutal Thunder style, nor with Blake's level of skill. Cam watched with terror as Blake managed to face off against Shane and Tori both.

---

He had the Winds in the crosshairs. His finger was on the trigger. Hunter lowered the barrel of his blaster. "Blake!" he shouted. "Get out of there!"

Blake diverted blue's kick with a kick of his own, and slashed with his staff across Red's chest.

"Blake!" shouted Hunter again. What the hell does he think he's doing? "Come on, get out of there!"

"Can't!" shouted Blake after a moment - red tried to impel him on his sword. "Take your shot!"

Damnit, little bro! thought Hunter. You know how destructive this is!

"Hunter!" shouted Blake. He wasn't moving away. "Just shoot!"

Slowly, reluctantly, Hunter raised the barrel of his blaster again, and trained it on the three fighting Rangers, so terribly close to each other. His finger found the trigger. I'm going to have nightmares about this one.

He aimed the blast to the side, not hitting them directly. It didn't knock the Winds flat out like a direct hit would've done, but it minimized the damage to Blake. Still, his suit was smoldering as he picked himself up, picked the sphere with the goddamn rat, and ran to Hunter's side. Hunter swallowed as he took notice of the blackened spots on Blake's Ranger suit. "Don't you do something this foolish ever again, you hear?"

"We've got what we came for," panted Blake, ignoring Hunter's rebuke. "Let's get out of here."

Hunter swallowed his sigh. "Yeah."

"Blurring and Stirring the truth and the lies
So I don't know what's real and what's not
Always confusing the thoughts in my head
So I can't trust myself anymore"
- Going Under, Evanescence

---

Shane swallowed as they stepped into the dark passage. This was it, then. The final conflict would take place in the very Cavern of Souls, the Eye of the Mountain. It was a terrifying thought: anything that would come to pass at this holy place would send powerful shockwaves - they couldn't afford a single wrong move. The ambience of the mountain hung thickly around them, a feeling of timelessness, of a limbo: the line that separated the dead from the living was at its thinnest, and blurred more with each step they took towards the hall of the cavern. Shane's ninja senses, enhanced by his morpher, quivered like a bow's string.

There was a bend in the tunnel, and green light shimmered from around it. Shane hastened his steps, Tori and Dustin right behind him. They came around the bend just in time to see Blake and Hunter, unmorphed, Hunter's arm pulling up sharply, holding a glowing green gem - the source of the light - over Sensei's protective sphere, as if it was a dagger.

"No!" Shane cried out.

Hunter's hand paused at the top of the arc. He looked over his shoulder, at Shane. He didn't seem angry, or vengeful, or even indifferent: just tired, strangely beaten for one who was this close to winning.

"Put it down," said Shane quietly. The ambience of this holy place amplified the implications of all actions carried out here. What would it mean for Hunter, if he killed an innocent at this place? Suddenly, Shane realized that Sensei wasn't the only one here in need of saving. "Put it down," he repeated, pouring as much authority and calm as he could into his voice. "Our sensei didn't do anything."

"Your sensei killed our parents," said Hunter.

"Lothor saw the whole thing," said Blake, his voice carrying all the venom and the anger that Hunter's did not.

"And you believed him?" demanded Tori.

Shane winced. As much as he agreed with Tori, this attitude was not helpful.

"Why shouldn't we?" snapped Hunter. His hold on the gem tightened. The anger was sipping back.

"Well, dude, he's not exactly one of the good guys," pointed out Dustin.

Hunter's expression closed off. "We're done talking," he said, and raised his arm again.

Tori cried out, Shane moved forward, but both they and Hunter were stopped by a woman's disembodied voice softly saying: "Hunter, don't."

Hunter's hand trembled. Blake, suddenly white, turned on the spot. All five Rangers gazed, transfixed, as white mist appeared and gathered into the ghostly forms of a man and a woman, standing in midair, dressed in a white version of ninjas' ceremonial dress.

"Mom?" whispered Hunter. "Dad?"

"Dude," breathed Dustin softly.

The ghost-man pulled away the fabric from his face. "Yes, Hunter," he said seriously. "This is the Mountain of Lost Ninjas. We will be here for all eternity."

"Because of him, right?" demanded Blake, pointing at Sensei.

"No, Blake," said the ghost-woman. Her thick curls bounced as she shook her head. "Sensei Watanabe was not the one who killed us."

"Then who did?" demanded Hunter, and yes, his hand was shaking.

The brothers' father looked down at them. "The one they call Lothor."

"There's a shock," muttered Tori quietly.

The ghostly forms began to fade.

"Wait!" cried Blake.

"Come back!" said Hunter.

"Make us proud," said their father.

"We cannot linger," said their mother, even as she reached her hand longingly. "We'll always be looking after you."

Hunter reached his hand, trying to touch the departing ghost. "Come back," he whispered brokenly, "don't leave us again."

But the spirits of the dead were already gone.

---

Blake turned aside; Hunter's head was bowed, hands clenched to the sides of his body. The scene was frozen for what felt like forever, until a mocking voice made all five of them whirl.

"What a sight: the Thunder Rangers, crying for their mommy." Lothor sauntered into the cavern, not flanked by either his nieces or Zurgane, for a change.

Anger rose in Shane's chest like a wave of molten steel; behind him, he heard a sharp hiss coming from one of the brothers.

"My ears were burning," continued Lothor lightly. "You've been talking about me, haven't you?"

"You!" snarled Hunter. "You lied to us!"

"Not the brightest bulbs on the tree, are you?" said Lothor pleasantly. Then his tone hardened: "Now hand over the hamster. We have business to attend to."

"Dude, he's not a hamster," said Dustin seriously. "He's a guinea pig. You should know, as you made him one."

"And we're not giving him to you," added Shane darkly, shifting into a stance.

"Well, then," said Lothor lightly, rolling up his sleeves. "I'll just have to take him, then. It's not like you can stop me."

The blast of dark ninja energy was fast, powerful, much more than any of them could even hope to block. Hunter threw himself in front of them all, and Shane didn't have time to hold him back or even shout out, before the blast was reflected back to Lothor, and the dark ninja disappeared. For a long moment they were all frozen, Hunter kneeling and the four of them standing behind him; then they rushed forward, too many hands reaching to help Hunter to his feet.

"Dude," said Dustin. "You nailed Lothor!"

Hunter looked down. He opened his right hand, and in it they could see glowing green shards, pulsing slowly together. "The gem," said Hunter blankly. "It's broken."

Shane reached for Hunter's shoulder, but Sensei's voice, coming from behind them, made all five Rangers turn.

"For better or for worse, the power of the gem may not be destroyed."

The five teens gathered around the sensei as he finally lowered the protective shield.

"Speaking of power," said Tori, "What happened to Lothor?"

"I am afraid that he has not been destroyed," said Sensei seriously. "The gem, however, must be. It may prove too dangerous, should one of its shards fall into the wrong hands. Hunter, if you would give the shards to Shane, then I would have my son dispose of them."

Hunter hesitated. "Must it be destroyed?" he asked at last.

"I believe it would be for the best," said Sensei.

Hunter didn't seem convinced, and deliberated before finally dropping the shards into Shane's palm, and then quickly stuffed his hands in his uniform.

"So," said Dustin lightly, "all's well that ends well, right?"

"Right," said Blake, but he didn't sound too convinced.

---

Cam paused at the bottom of the stairs. Could've been worse, he admitted to himself. No more than a couple hours' worth of patching, and none of the critical systems damaged.

"Cam?" asked his dad quietly from where he was sitting on Cam's shoulder. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," said Cam. "I was just thinking if this is how this place looks like, how bad it might've been if they were aiming to trash the place."

"Indeed."

"You know," said Cam, moving forward again, "I was right all along."

"Oh?"

"Do you know what was my first thought when I woke up today? This day is only going to go wrong."

---

"It's love's illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all"
- Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell

---

It was a windy, overcast day, but that didn't stop Tori from her pre-school surf routine. The day before had been hell, and the stress of it damaged her sleep. The morning time spent alone with the waves did wonders towards making her feel like she could face the new day.

Blake was waiting for her by the van. She stopped in her tracks, too surprised to take the towel - her towel - that he was holding out to her. They stood like that for a long moment, him in his biking jacket and her in the wet swimming suit, the wind blowing sand about them.

"Would you please take the towel already?"

She snatched it from his hands. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, drying her hair quickly and wrapping the towel about her shoulders. Her clothes were in the van, and Blake was blocking her way.

"I came to apologize. For yesterday."

"What part of yesterday?" She pretended to think for a moment, and then started ticking off on her fingers: "Betraying my trust, trashing Ninja Ops, hurting Cam, kidnapping and trying to destroy Sensei, trying to destroy us…"

Blake cringed under her gaze. "All of it," he said, "but especially the betraying your trust part."

He looked sincere, but that didn't mean she could believe him. If there was one thing she learned about Blake Bradley, it was that he was a damn good liar. "Give me one good reason to believe you."

"Hunter and I were wrong, and we know it now," he said. "Our parents were murdered eight years ago, Tori, and we never knew who did it or why. Sensei Omino, the chief of the Academy, raised us after that. We've always known that he was hiding something from us, but…" He shrugged. "Lothor said things, things that made sense. Can you imagine what it's like, living with something like that for so many years, and then someone hands you a chance?"

Her heart constricted in sympathy, but she tried hard not to let it show. "A chance to do what, Blake?" she asked. "Do you think destroying the person who killed your parents would've made it better, somehow?"

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know," he admitted, "but when we thought Lothor was offering us this chance…" Blake grimaced. "We know the truth, now," he said quietly. "No reason to hurt any of you. Please, Tori? Can you forgive me?"

He was telling her the truth; and she understood, now, that yesterday had been harder on him then on her; but he had consciously manipulated her, and she couldn't let it go that easily. "Did you really care, Blake? Did you really care about me, for even one moment?"

Emotion flashed across his face, too fast for her to recognize. "Would I be standing here otherwise?"

"How would I know? I don't even know you, Blake."

The same emotion flashed again, and now she could recognize it: hurt. "I'm sorry."

"So am I."

"So…?"

"I need time," she told him simply.

He nodded. "We're going to be gone for a while; Hunter and I," he elaborated. "We need some time to think things through, get our heads together. But we're going to come back."

"Will you, really?"

"Do you want me to?"

She hesitated, but eventually answered truthfully: "Yes."

He smiled. "Then you bet I will."

Chapter 6: Eris' Apple

A wisp of blonde hair was the first thing she saw when she woke that morning. Kapri swallowed her disappointment. It didn't hold. Again. She never managed to make the spell last overnight. Each time she went to sleep she meditated and prayed, determined that this time she would succeed; and each morning, she woke up to discover she had failed again. During the exams marathon at school, she had to remain awake for three days, and the spell held throughout: she knew that the problem was not one of stamina. Her mind was not strong enough, and it let go of her wish in her sleep. Kapri woke to failure each morning anew.

She pushed herself out of bed and walked over to the mirror: pale hair and paler skin, clear eyes slightly too far apart, black silk pajamas. The plainness of it all was disrupted only by the painful reminder of the red dragon emblem on the shirt's left sleeve. She snapped her fingers. With a single swirl of colour, she transformed: thick pink curls, perfect makeup and a black body suit moulded around her curves. The pajamas lay on her bed, black upon black: Kapri liked the contrast of the neatly folded clothes on top of the unmade sheets. She examined her reflection carefully, as she did each morning. It had taken her a long time to design the makeup so that it would make her appear younger, not older; to design an outfit that would both compliment her and be comfortable to fight in. Her altered appearance was a work of art. If only she could make it last overnight…

She turned to the door and left her room: her day would begin with practice, then breakfast, just like any other day. Routine was closely observed on Lothor's ship, and Kapri followed it diligently. First practice, then breakfast, and after that to the bridge; Kapri frowned to herself as her high heels clicked on the deck. There was some special event today, she was pretty sure of that: but what? Not an internal affair, if she recalled correctly: the crew's schedule was comfortably rigid. Something on Earth, then, that would be important to Lothor. She chewed on her lip thoughtfully, but couldn't remember. Asking Marah during practice was pointless: Kapri's younger sister always got by without memorizing stuff like that. She sighed. She'll just have to find out during breakfast, then.

---

"An environmental conference?" demanded Lothor. He turned on his heel and strode towards the throne. "Why wasn't I invited?"

"Um, maybe because you want to destroy Blue Bay Harbour instead of preserving it?" suggested Choobo.

"Details." Lothor waved his hand dismissively, then scowled. "I'm still part of their environment. They'll be sorry they didn't invite me."

Standing behind the throne with her sister, Kapri knew that this was the moment: anyone who had a plan to crash the conference was now welcome to speak. She stared at the monitors, thinking furiously. She was never good with impromptu planning: that why she always tried to prepare beforehand. She'd thought of a few sketchy plans over breakfast, but she now knew that none of them would work - and for a factor that she should've anticipated.

"But what about the Power Rangers?" asked Choobo, always first to put his foot in his mouth. He pointed at the middle monitor. "They're there to guard the conference."

Kapri caught her breath. That was a sore spot with Lothor, ever since the Thunder Rangers fiasco.

Lothor tensed, his eyes narrowing. "What did we say about the P word?"

"Um…" Choobo scratched his head. "Nobody mentions it?"

"Precisely. And what did you just do, Choobo?"

"I said that the…" Choobo clamped his hands over his mouth. "Oops."

Lothor leaned back in his throne. "I suggest you do not make such a mistake again. Now, I want to hear suggestions."

How could I forget that the annoying kids would come to guard the conference? Thought Kapri angrily. Pointless, now: she'd missed her chance for today.

"Sir," said Zurgane smugly, "I found the perfect ninja to disrupt their conference." He stepped forward, a stranger in tow. "From the planet Erissia, I present - the Snipster!"

The mercenary bound. "At your service, Sir."

Snipster's appearance was not too out of the ordinary - two feet, two arms, one head, height between half a meter to three meters. He had only one distinctive feature: each of his arms was a double-edged blade.

Lothor rose from his throne. "Well, let's have a look, shall we?" He approached Snispter, and raised one of the mercenary's arms to his ponytail. "I suppose I can use a bit off the back."

"Oh, no, Sir," said Zurgane smoothly. "Snispter cuts the Ties that Bind, making everyone he encounters unable to agree on anything."

Lothor's expression changed. He let go of the alien's arm and straightened, viewing the mercenary with interest. He then turned to Zurgane, his forefinger pointed forward like a gun. "Good work, Zurgane."

"Thank you, Sir."

"And if he fails…" Lothor shrugged, then leaned forward, put his arm on Zurgane forward in a conspiratory manner, "well, I suppose we can always use these blades on you!" He released Zurgane and rocked on his heels, laughing.

---

Zurgane had an actual plan, for a change: he sent a troop of Kelzacks to attract the Rangers outside from the conference building, enabling Snipster to sneak in and bust up the conference uninterrupted. By the time the two pests were done with the Kelzacks, the conference had deteriorated into a brawl. The two left the conference and chased Snipster to the street - only to have him cut the ties between them. The two Rangers seemed to be evenly matched: it would be a while before one of them would triumph over the other. In the meanwhile, they were effectively neutralized.

"Wonder of wonders, Zurgane. Your plan seems to be working."

"I live to serve, Sir."

Lothor waved his hand. The left monitor, showing the conference room, and the middle monitor, showing the red and yellow Rangers, blinked out of sight. Then, finally, he noticed what Kapri had noticed a while ago: on the rightmost monitor, a lone figure was running through a field.

"What's that?" asked Lothor sharply. "The blue Ranger, alone and vulnerable? Why is everyone just standing here? Get to work!"

This was what Kapri had been waiting for. Grabbing her younger sister's wrist, she leaped in front of Uncle's throne. "Uncle, we've been practicing really, really, hard…"

"Yeah!" said Marah enthusiastically. Kapri hadn't informed her of the plan, but it didn't matter: Mara absolutely hated the blonde Ranger. "Can we do it for you, Uncle?

"Please?" added Kapri.

"Please, Uncle?" repeated Marah. "Please say 'yes'."

Kapri held her breath.

Lothor considered them for a moment. "Yes."

"All right!" laughed Kapri, returning Marah's high-five. "Go us!"

---

Blue was on a search for something. Kapri had noticed that while everyone else was still watching Snispter. Now, she insisted that she and Marah wait until the Ranger found whatever she was looking for before they attack. Judging by Lothor's sharp hiss of recognition when the Blue Ranger pulled the turtle figurine out of the shrine, it was the right decision. Kapri squeezed her sister's arm once, and they teleported down.

The Blue Ranger had just closed the lap of her knapsack over the turtle.

"Hold it right there, sister!" shouted Kapri.

The Ranger rose to her feet and turned towards them.

"What's in the bag?" demanded Kapri, as if she hadn't known already.

"You might as well tell us," said Marah sweetly, "Because we can just use our powers and take it away from you."

The blonde arched one eyebrow. "Would those be the powers of really bad perfume?"

Kapri snickered and let Marah field that one; the Blue Ranger hadn't gone hand-to-hand with them in a long time, and was in for quite the surprise. Kapri wasn't lying when she said that she and Marah had been practicing really, really hard. This was Kapri's chance to show off, and she was going to make the most of it.

The stupid girl tried to run for it.

"Oh, no you don't!" cried Kapri. She pulled out one of her blades, and aimed it at the running girl. The first blast hit the Ranger's leg; she stumbled, and then somehow managed to shift into somersaulting, making herself a harder target. Kapri scowled, but kept her hand steady. The third blast was intercepted by a counterblast, and the two bolts of energy sped towards Kapri; Marah hid behind her back. Kapri managed to catch and contain the combined power of the Ranger's and her own blast in her sword, and sent it back at the blonde with vengeance. It hit her in her stomach, and she fell ungracefully, only just avoiding hitting her head on the rocks. Marah laughed in glee as she and Kapri advanced on the injured girl.

The Ranger rolled on her side, raised her hand to her mouth; Kapri joined Marah's laughter as the Blue Ranger's plea for backup went unanswered. Slowly, the Ranger pushed herself up on one elbow and then all the way up to a crouch. She considered the two sisters gloomily, her face smeared with dirt. "I guess it's just us girls," she said.

Marah and Kapri charged forward, but they were too late. By the time they reached the other girl, she was already morphed and on her feet, batting away their purple-and-orange energy blasts. Kapri stepped back, supercharged her sword, and sent it flying through the air. It hit the ground at Blue Ranger's feet, and released its charge in a powerful blast, knocking the Ranger to the ground. Kapri closed her fingers as if around a hilt, and the sword rematerialized in her hand. She shouldered it, feeling quite proud of herself.

"A flying sword, that's really original," said Marah. Then she smiled mischievously. "Can you do this?" She produced two bone-blades with unnecessary flourish and launched a shadow-spar attack at the Ranger just as she dragged herself to her feet. By the time Marah was through, Kapri had her hands on her hips. "Please!" she said, rolling her eyes for effect. "Flying is so passé!" She closed her right fist and held it over her left open palm. "Let's talk size."

This was her prize trick, the one she had spent countless hours perfecting. Flying swords and energy blasts were nice, but generic. This was a pure, old ninja trick: it was impressive, hard to master and required enormous amounts of energy for each second during which it was maintained. Kapri knew full well that no one would expect this from her - not Uncle Lothor, and certainly not the Earth girl. It was more than worth the eight-hours migraine it would give her. She slammed her fist into her hand, and rose in her giant form. She made two playful swaps at the Ranger, just to intimidate her, and then blew wind at her, sending the poor thing rolling - and separating her from the precious knapsack. At five seconds Kapri transformed back to her normal size, sauntered over to the bag and picked it up. Smiling viciously at the beaten Ranger, Kapri reached inside the bag. "What do we have here?" she asked, knowing full well what she would find.

Marah picked the figurine from her sister's hand. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "It's so pretty!"

"Give that back!" cried the Ranger; she sounded nearly in tears, and Kapri couldn't help a smirk. It was a bad idea, as the smug expression seemed to have angered the Ranger enough to get on her feet and start fighting in earnest. Kapri was quite glad Marah had the figurine; Blue Ranger, damn her, knew what she was doing with that sword. Still, Kapri managed to land a high-power slash across the Ranger's ribcage, sending her to the ground again. Kapri heard her sister's footsteps behind her back. Without warning, the Ranger's sword glowed blue - When did she learn to supercharge? - and she cast it forward, imitating Kapri's earlier move. The blast rocked the two sisters; the turtle figurine flew from Marah's grip, and landed smack middle between the sisters and the Ranger. The three girls glowered across the field.

Kapri was thinking really, really fast. Her plan had depended on the Ranger being unfamiliar with her and Marah's abilities. That part worked well. However, she hadn't counted on the Ranger's adaptability, and her ability to learn certain tricks real fast. Being a Ranger, Kapri knew, gave the Earth girl far more raw energy to draw on, and vastly improved her learning curve. Kapri knew all that, theoretically: up until the other girl had supercharged her sword, Kapri hadn't realized what it meant. Now she was reevaluating her plans, trying to figure if she still stood a chance. Mostly, she decided, it depended on whether or not the Ranger thought she and Marah had more tricks up their sleeves. Kapri had exhausted her resources, and the migraine from her 'super-size me' trick was sinking in; Marah's hands had to be burning from the bone-blades she produced earlier; but if the Ranger had truly never encountered either move before, then she wouldn't know that.

"You know, this is taking us nowhere," said the Ranger.

"Is that a way of giving up?" asked Kapri, injecting all the confidence she could muster into her voice.

"I'm not giving up," said the Ranger sharply. "Unless…"

"Unless we punish you with a humiliating defeat?" interrupted Kapri. She had to convince the Ranger that they could still give her hell.

The Ranger snorted. "Yeah, like that'll happen." Maybe she was acting out too, maybe she wasn't: Kapri had no way of knowing. "No," continued the Ranger, "I thought maybe we could work something out."

"Work something out?" Kapri didn't have to feign her surprise. Where did that come from? That Ranger is totally screwed in the head!

"Yeah," said the Ranger, "work something out. Like a deal."

"Why would we make a deal with you if we can just take the turtle?" asked Marah.

"But you can't just take the turtle," said the Ranger. "I'll fight you for it."

"You're one, we're two," pointed Kapri.

"Yeah, because that had been really helping you so far," said the Ranger sarcastically. "In case you haven't noticed, we're pretty even here, and I don't think you enjoy being beaten up any more than I do."

Less, Kapri wanted to tell her. The Earth girl seemed to have no idea of the unfair advantage her morphed state was giving her. "So?" she asked. "We're mortal enemies. Beating each other up is what we do."

"You two are into fashion, right?"

"What?" asked Kapri, even as Marah squealed. The question was totally unexpected.

"I saw you on Chestnut street a couple of times," explained the Ranger. Chestnut was Blue Bay Harbor's leading shopping street. "I know the kind of stuff you like."

Kapri worked hard to keep the shock off her face. Yeah, she and Marah went shopping often. It was their best excuse for shore leave. It also worked towards the image they were ordered to project - silly, spoiled brats who didn't really belong in a war. She knew the ploy was working, but what the Ranger seemed to be offering was something else. "Are you suggesting what I think you are?" she asked suspiciously.

"If you think I'm suggesting we trade, then yes." The Ranger raised her chin defiantly. "Do we have a deal?"

"But your taste is, like, so plain!" said Marah.

"I can surprise you," retorted the Ranger.

Kapri thought quickly: they gave a good fight, they proved their worth - and they made a Power Ranger believe they could match her for stamina. Time to consider the Grand Plan, and cut their losses for the day. Kapri made up her mind. "All right," she said, "but only if we like what we find. Otherwise, no deal."

She could almost hear the Ranger roll her eyes as she said, "Obviously."

---

"He says he reckons I'm a watercolour stain
He says I run and then I run from him
And then I run
He didn't see me watching"

- Father Lucifer, Tori Amos

---

Kapri hated having to keep up appearances; in particular, when it required humiliating herself - washing Kelzack clothing, for example. Still, Lothor had dismissed Zurgane and Choobo rather quickly, and with those two gone there was no need to keep the show going. Kapri and Marah quit the laundry and rose to their feet.

"Ow, my hands!" said Marah, making a face. "They're all wrinkled up!"

Personally, Kapri thought Marah was getting too much into the spoiled brat act.

"Isn't that what you have hand cream for?" demanded Lothor. Apparently, he agreed with Kapri.

"Hand cream's so not gonna be enough!"

Sensing an approaching argument, Kapri decided that this would be the time to take pity on her sister. "Here," she said, "Give me your hands."

Obediently, Marah put her hands in her big sister's. Kapri reached out as carefully as she could, soothing the soaked, wrinkled skin until it was almost normal again. Marah's face brightened with wonder. "Thanks, sis!"

"You are disgusting," said Lothor. "Go to your rooms. Not you, Kapri," he said, as both girls turned to leave. "I want to have a word with you."

"Showing off, aren't we, Kapri?" he said pleasantly once the two of them were left alone. "That's quite the bag of tricks you emptied on the Blue Ranger's head, today."

"Um…" unsure if she was being complimented or reprimanded, Kapri didn't know what to say.

"I'm surprised," continued Lothor, circling around her. "I do not recall you having any considerable aptitude for Advanced Ninja. It would seem I was wrong."

"Thanks, Uncle."

"Or maybe," continued Lothor, now standing in front of her, "It has something to do with all the time you have been putting into magic in general."

Kapri felt the heat rising in her cheeks.

"You know how I feel about sorcery, Kapri. You know I don't think we need any of that in the family."

"Uncle, I'm sorry. I'm…"

"Silence!" He waited for her to lower her gaze, and then continued. "You're a bright girl, Kapri; a very bright girl, I sometimes think. Good grades in school, as I recall, though more often in the theoretical classes than the hands-on ones. Except, as we both know, for the sorcery classes. I had discussed that with your teacher, as you remember, and he had said that your achievements were due to extraordinary amounts of hard work and not the result of any natural aptitude. Thus, when I hired tutors to continue yours and Marah's practical education here on the ship, we did not hire a sorcery teacher for you."

He paused. Kapri waited.

"I'm not going to reverse that decision. I can tell, even now, how much your boasting display had cost you. You overtaxed yourself. If the Blue Ranger hadn't offered that deal, you would have been painfully humiliated. You know that. However, you also proved that regardless of what I say, you will continue to invest in those skills."

Another pause.

"I'm not going to change your schedule, Kapri. I still think you're quite stupid for investing so much in a field you have no considerable talent at. It's disregard to your true abilities."

And those would be? Kapri wanted to ask. All Lothor had ever told her was what she wasn't good at, what she couldn't do, what she wouldn't be taught. Still, she wasn't going to ask. Her uncle was angry with her; she had to intention of risking being sent away, back to her parents; thus, she would do nothing that would annoy him further.

"I am curious: why do you care so much for magic?"

She hesitated before answering: "Because I want to."

"Ah. That." Her answer seemed to take him by surprise, and Kapri had no idea what it meant. "One more question, before you go to your room."

"Yes, Uncle?"

"I noticed you didn't order any publications recently."

"I read mostly history, Uncle."

"So?" He waved his hand dismissively. "It seems to give you fairly good inspiration. Order whatever you want."

History was her favourite topic at school, other than magic, and Lothor knew it. Kapri didn't even try to wipe the grin off her face. "Thanks, Uncle!"

"Yeah, yeah," he grunted. "Off you go, now. And in the future, don't spoil Marah too much."

Chapter 7: Betrayel I

The day they set out to destroy sensei Watanabe, they cleared all their belongings from Lothor's ship. Hunter had insisted; Blake was not so keen. Hunter was prouder than Blake, and he did not want to take anything from Lothor that they didn't have to; Blake had favoured the access to teleportation and free food, and the lack of rent. Plus, Blake argued, staying close to Lothor might enable them to free their fellow Thunder ninjas; Hunter argued that Lothor would be rid of them anyway once Watanabe was out of the way, unless the two aligned themselves with the Dark Ninja ways completely; Blake argued that they could lie. Hunter sealed the argument with a single question: "We would be fighting the Winds," he had said, "would you kill that pretty girl you fancy, so you can keep appearances for Lothor?"

In retrospect, Hunter had been right. Blake was loath to think how they would've managed had their belongings remained in Lothor's possession. The first days after the events at the Mountain of Lost Ninjas were a blur: shaken, shocked and nearly eaten up by the need for revenge, the two boys set camp just outside the Mountain's perimeter. All they had wanted was to train, to become better so that they could execute the vendetta that was burning up in their blood. After two and a half days of ghouls and waking nightmares, though, Blake had managed to convince Hunter to check into a camping ground and visit a Laundromat. They stayed close to Blue Bay Harbor: it went unspoken that their business there was not yet finished. The new surroundings allowed them better sleep, but practice and training still took most of their waking hours, overshadowing questions of income and proper dwelling.

On the sixth day, things changed. It was after dark: they had finished their evening training session, and have just finished dinner. They went back into their tent, thinking to go to sleep for the night. A large sheet of paper was lying in the middle of the tent. In large, childish print letters it read: "Meet me tomorrow at midday, five miles north to the quarry and three to the east, if you want to get back at Lothor." The note was signed, "The Bitter Employee."

They stayed awake all night: they discussed, argued, sulked at different sides of the tent, and talked some more. It was only an hour before dawn when Hunter finally put his foot down and made a decision, so Blake suggested meditation may be a better idea than sleep. It worked well - for him. By the way Hunter looked when they met up again, Blake suspected that his brother didn't even manage to rule his mind. Blake didn't like what this said of Hunter's state.

For that matter, he didn't like Hunter's choice, either.

---

"Are you sure it said here?" muttered Hunter. "This is the middle of nowhere."

"The note said here," said Blake. "But who knows; it's not like anybody from that crew is an intelligent life form."

It was ten past midday. Hunter and Blake were standing at the area specified in the note they had received. It was a sandy, almost desert-like area, with only some low shrubby plants to break the monotony. They had been standing there for twenty minutes.

A single ray of light shot from the sky. Choobo had tried balancing himself on top of the dune he'd landed on, nearly fell but eventually managed to stay on his feet. Blake and Hunter exchanged glances and then walked towards him.

"So, what's all this about?" asked Hunter.

"What, no hello to an old friend?" asked Choobo.

Blake rolled his eyes at the alien's professional hurt-tone, and reached out an army to steady him. "Maybe after you explain to us how this isn't a trap."

"Really," Choobo rolled his eyes, "you thought I asked to meet you so I can betray you?"

"That's what evil guys usually do, yeah," said Hunter.

"Uh-uh," said Choobo, waving a finger, "evil guys usually betray each other."

"So," said Hunter briskly, "what's all this about?"

Choobo straightened. "I'm tired of them constantly making fun of me," he complained. "I'm their punching bag, up there. I've had enough of that!" Leaning forward, he added in a hiss: "I want revenge!"

"And we fit into your plans how?"

"Oh, come on! I thought we could help each other!"

"That sounds familiar," said Blake wryly. "I think we heard that from your boss, a while ago."

"He's not my boss, anymore," scowled Choobo. "I told you I'm bitter. This is why I came to you and not to the Winds. You should know I'm telling you the truth. You were there."

Blake looked at Hunter; Hunter looked at Blake. Yes, they were there: they knew that Choobo was indeed the punching bag to Lothor's crew, the one everyone looked down upon. They just hadn't realized that Choobo might actually be intelligent enough to notice.

"Okay," said Hunter. "We'll listen. But let's make one thing clear." He leaned forward and jabbed a finger into Choobo's chest. "We're in charge of this, not you. We're all going to get back at the dirtbag of a ninja up there, but I'm the one calling the shots. Clear, Choobo?"

"Crystal, Crimson Ranger."

---

"And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest thing to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now"

- Iris, Goo Goo Dolls

---

There were times Blake had left camp without telling Hunter where he had gone. While Blake was grateful that Hunter allowed him the privacy, he was somewhat worried that his brother had never asked. None of this matters, now, thought Blake as he walked the street. Soon we won't have to keep any more secrets. The hour was half past two in the afternoon; at two, Blake knew, Dustin had started his shift at Storm Chargers and Tori was almost certain to be there as well. Shane wouldn't arrive until three. Blake knew this, because he had invested time in studying Tori's schedule, so that when the time would come to find her, he'll know exactly when and where she would be. He hadn't told Hunter that that is where'd he been, whenever he disappeared in the last week; but when Hunter had said that they needed to tell the Winds, in person, what was going on, and Blake had said he knew where Tori would be, Hunter didn't ask any questions. Perhaps, thought Blake ruefully, it's because he already knew.

He crossed the street and entered the store. Predictably, Dustin was behind the counter. Unpredictably, his face lit up when he saw Blake.

"Blake!" Dustin crossed the store in two quick steps and engulfed Blake in a hug. Somewhat surprised, Blake still managed to hug Dustin back and slap his back. "Dude, I'm so glad to see you!"

"It's good to see you, too," said Blake. He was even sincere.

"I've been wondering when you'd show up," said Dustin, "Now Tori would finally cheer up."

She missed me? Blake fought back the grin. "Speaking of," he said, looking around the store and frowning, "Where is she?"

"Dude, you wouldn't believe." Dustin made a face. "She took my bike."

"She what? Tori knows how to ride?"

"She's better than Shane," shrugged Dustin, "not that that's saying much. Doesn't like to stick to the track, though. I told her, if she puts a scratch on the bike one more time…"

"Okay," said Blake quickly; if Dustin was anything like Hunter and he, then he could go on forever about his bike. "So where can I find her?"

"Ask at the track where she went to." Dustin waved his hand. "She doesn't usually go far. Besides, she just left here a minute ago. You're not far behind."

"Thanks," said Blake.

"Hey, Blake," called Dustin as Blake was already at the door.

Blake paused and turned around.

"Are you and Hunter gonna stick around?" asked Dustin.

"I don't know," answered Blake. It was even the truth.

Dustin seemed put down. "I hope you'll stay," he said, "but, really. Whatever you think's good for you, man."

For whatever reason, this made Blake's throat constrict for a moment. "Thanks," he said, "I'll see you around."

---

Dustin wasn't kidding around when he'd said that Tori wasn't too bad with the bike. She was obviously more used to the territory than Blake, and put him through quite the chase before he'd managed to catch up with her - and even then, she only stopped because she flew off her bike. Blake made a mental note to help her fix the thing.

"Hey, what's the deal?" she demanded as she picked herself up from the ground. Her hair flew everywhere as she took her helmet off. He took off his own helmet, and saw her frown change into a surprised smile as she asked, "Blake?" Then she scowled again: "You totally freaked me out! I thought you were one of Lothor's goons!"

"Since when do they ride dirt bikes?"

"You never know," she said. "Where have you been, anyway? You don't call, no letter…"

He felt his face stretch in a smile. He remembered well their last conversation, at the beach: this was better a reception than he'd expected. "You missed me, didn't you?"

"No," she said, but her cheeks turned red.

"Yeah, you did," he said, smile stretching further. "I can tell."

She looked away. "I don't like you anymore," she said - but her tone was light, and she was smiling. "And I'm not talking to you ever again."

"Hey!" The protest was almost automatic.

"I'm just kidding, Blake."

"Please don't joke about stuff like that." He looked at her seriously. "At least, not for a while, okay?"

"Okay," she said. "So, what happened for you to appear out of the blue?"

Resisting the urge to improvise a pun, Blake explained.

---

Choobo had loaded his teleporter code unto Blake's and Hunter's remotes. Nobody followed the access logs, he explained; they could get on board the ship without anybody noticing. It wouldn't have seemed likely, except that Hunter and Blake knew what security on that ship was like: it seemed, weirdly enough, that Lothor trusted his crew. At four in the afternoon, as Blake scheduled with Tori, he and Hunter teleported themselves to the ship where they'd lived for three months. They materialized below decks, as Choobo said they would. A movement behind them made them turn around, Hunter quickly throwing the intruder to the ground - before realizing it was Choobo himself. The two picked him up.

"That's what you get for sneaking up on us," said Hunter, merciless as usual.

"You really need to work on your entrances," said Blake.

"Sorry," said Choobo. "Follow me: he's taking a nap!"

They followed Choobo silently throughout the corridors, up the to decks. Choobo picked a winding course, and they did not run into even a single Kelzack. Hunter and Blake exchanged looks: so far, so good. At the doorway of the throne room, Choobo took a step back. "Good luck," he told them.

"Thanks," said Blake. Hunter just nodded.

Cautiously, they stepped inside. The room was deserted, except for Lothor, asleep in throne just like Choobo had said. Excitement rose in Blake's chest. He'd told Tori that he and Hunter would only take a look, and if everything looked good they would return and fetch the Winds as well. But here was Lothor, asleep and alone, too tempting a target. They couldn't turn back now: this was their chance. Breathing as shallowly as possible, they approached the throne: this was an experienced ninja, after all.

When they were two feet away from their target, Lothor's eyes opened. Rather than seeming surprised at their presence, he smiled. "Surprise!"

There wasn't enough time for them to morph. The white beam descended immediately, immobilizing the two brothers.

A trap! Thought Blake desperately. For a moment, he regretted that they had gone in alone. Then he thought better of it: this way, at least the Winds are free. They know we went up here. When we don't come back, they'll know something went wrong.

"Hello!" a green hand waved in front of their faces. "Anybody home, Mr. Thunder Ranger?"

Blake really wanted to turn and hit Choobo, but he could not so much as move his eyeballs. He couldn't even grit his teeth as he heard the laughter - it seemed that all of Lothor's crew had gathered in the throne room.

"Well done, Choobo!" Rang Lothor's voice merrily. "Or should I say, General Choobo?"

"General? Did you say General Choobo? I can't believe it!"

"That makes it two of us," growled Zurgane's voice in the background.

"Yes, Choobo. Now, tell me the rest of your plan."

"The rest? Uh… I kinda figured that was it."

Pause.

"I'm waiting, Choobo."

"Uh…Um… I know! How about we put a Mind Warp on them and make them think the Winds are their sworn enemies?"

Blake's heart leaped into his throat.

"Ridiculous!" declared Zurgane. Blake couldn't see him, but he got the impression that the General was quite angry. "They've failed us before. Throw them out the air lock and let them drift in space for all eternity, I say."

If he wasn't trapped in a stasis beam, Blake knew, his hands would be clammy and he would be breathing hard. This is taking 'between a hammer and a hard place' a bit too far! He tried fighting against the stasis field, but failed: he couldn't even summon his ninja powers.

"I like it," ruled Lothor after a moment. "Let's go with it!"

"What?" spluttered Zurgane.

Blake had missed out the rest of the argument. His accelerated heartbeat seemed to block his hearing. Blake fought against it, trying hard to hold into the world around him. He had no idea what this Mind Warp thing was, but it could only be one of two things: bad, or worse. We can't go against the Winds again! I can't do that! But he would, he knew: he had no doubt that if Lothor thought he could make him and Hunter do that, then he could. They know we're here, Blake reminded himself. They'll realize what happened. Question is, he thought gloomily as he heard Choobo and Lothor discussing how, exactly, they would 'program' the two Rangers, will they find a way to free us before we hurt them too much? Even trapped as he was, he could almost feel tears gathering in his eyes.

I'm sorry.

---

"I don't see anything," said Shane.

"I hate to bring it up, but this is always how it starts", pointed out Tori.

The three Wind Rangers, morphed, prowled the construction site. The alien had to be there: they had seen him on screen, chasing away the workers. Now he was probably hiding, biding his time, stretching their nerves… as usual.

The faint hiss of gas was the only warning they got before the area around them was flooded with smoke, so thick that they couldn't see more than a feet ahead.

"Brutal smoke alert!" declared Dustin. "Where is this dude?"

"Yo, alien!" called Shane. It got him an alien claw hit directly to his chest. He heard two more bodies landing next to him, and Tori muttering "I rest my case," and then the smoke cleared. There was no alien in sight.

"So, who is it if not the famous Power Rangers," growled the alien's voice, hidden somewhere among the scaffolds. "Have anyone ever told you you look taller on TV?"

"Have anyone ever told you you look uglier in person?" Shot Dustin as the alien had come out from the shadows.

"What is this?" continued Tori. "Attack of the giant snail?"

"No problem!" snarled Shane. He, Tori and Dustin lined up in front of the alien, swords in hand, ready to attack. Slowly, the alien advanced on them. They knew to expect the smoke screen, this time around, but it didn't help them much.

"Hello!" called Cam's voice over the comm.. "You do remember you have IR view installed in those helmets of yours, right?"

"Load of good that does!" called Shane.

"Dude, this guy's body temperature is really near the ambient temperature!" called Dustin.

"I'll see if I can write an update!"

"Thanks, Cam!" called Tori.

Then the alien was on them again. Up close, though, the infrared view - now that Shane remembered its existence - did prove helpful, and the Rangers managed to actually land a few blows, and avoid most of those that were directed their way. Then the smoke changed: from grey it became green, and the smell become distinctly fouler.

"Ew!" declared Tori.

"I second that, sister!" added Dustin.

Through a gap in the smoke, Shane noticed a ramp leading into the building under construction. "This way, guys!"

"Come back!" called the alien's voice gleefully behind them. "I'm just getting started!"

They ran as fast as they can, jumping over beams and avoiding other obstacles. The cloud of stinky gas was behind them, as was evident both by the smell and, also, whenever one of them dared cast a look behind: it was always just a mask of greenish-grey. Eventually, though, they've hit a dead end.

"You can't escape my furious fumes, Rangers!"

"This guy's stinking up my whole day!" said Shane. It wasn't just the stench: Shane was willing to swear that the gas was somehow poisonous, and not entirely filtered by their helmets. He didn't want Dustin or Tori - or himself - exposed to that more than was absolutely necessary.

"I say he needs to be smog-checked!" declared Tori.

The alien, standing on a catwalk above them, snickered. "Don't like my fumes, Rangers?"

Under his helmet, Shane barred his teeth. "How about we put the Wind in Wind Rangers?"

"All right!"

"Really," drawled the alien, "like I'm afraid of wind."

Shane struck out a pose. "Then come on down!"

"Don't be chicken!" said Tori.

"Don't be shellfish!" added Dustin.

Mentally, Shane groaned. Still, the taunting did its job, and the alien came down at them. Once the smoke attack was fully on, Shane declared "Let's put him in the spin cycle!" and reached his arms to the sides. He felt Dustin and Tori link their arms through his, and their powers combining. Then they started spinning. At first the wind was weak, barely felt in the thick smog. Slowly it became stronger, though, until various bits of equipment were flying the small tornado they had created - as well as the annoying alien. Carefully, the three Rangers directed themselves - and the alien - back to the open territory. They dropped him from quite the height, and used the few seconds it took him to reorient themselves to assemble the Storm Striker. As per usual, one shot did it. Not as per usual, though, this was not followed by the appearance of a giant alien: instead, the three Winds stared, dumbfounded, at the two Zords rolling down from the hills.

"No way," mumbled Tori.

"Well," said Shane grimly, "it's not like those guys were ever reliable." Still, he couldn't help the heavy feeling that settled in his stomach: he didn't want to fight the Thunder brothers again - he hadn't thought he would ever have to. "Cam, you watching this?"

"The Zords are on their way, Shane."

The Thunders attacked as they always did: fast and brutal. Hand to hand, the Winds were a match for neither. In a Zord fight, the chances were usually not as one-sided. Today, though, Shane noticed that he was not the only one hesitating before hitting, and pulling back those punches his did throw: he couldn't fight without restraints. He knew the faces behind the helmets; he knew that this was wrong, that this should not be happening. Get a grip, he told himself. Whoever knows what's real and what's not, with those two? They've been liars right from the start. It doesn't matter that you don't want to fight; it matters that they do.

The two Thunder Zords slowed down and came to a halt next to one another.

"Here comes the MegaZord," muttered Tori. "I can't believe this!"

"Maybe they got out of bed on the wrong foot this morning," suggested Dustin.

"Or maybe they're just a lost cause," snapped Shane.

"They're not transforming," said Tori. "Maybe we should talk to them or something?"

"Tori, the guys are after our necks!"

Two red beams descended from the sky, each hitting a different Thunder Zord. The two Zords charged again, even more brutally then before.

"See, I told you!" exclaimed Shane as the two Thunder Zords initiated a MegaZord sequence. His stomach had already turned into lead.

"So you were right, once in a blue moon," grumbled Tori. "You're still wrong. They need our help."

"After we've saved our necks, okay?" said Shane through gritted teeth. "Power Sphere!"

At first, it was just a flash of white-blue white in his peripheral vision. Then it rose, growing until it became a giant shell, glowing and pulsating. Both teams of Rangers ceased to fight, and turned to look at the display: within three pulses, the shell burst, and everything turned into light.

---

He was hurting all over. That was the first thing Shane noticed when he woke up. He could feel the rock under his hands - he must have demorphed - and he could hear what was possibly the ocean in the background. He opened his eyes. He was, indeed, lying on rocks; pushing himself to his knees, he looked sideways and saw that there was, indeed, an ocean nearby. This is not Blue Bay Harbor, he thought grimly: there was a proper hill rising to his other side. Blue Bay Harbor had cliffs by the shore, not anything even resembling a hill. Also, the air smelled strongly of something foul. Shane stood up. Tori and Dustin were lying not far from him, both still unconscious. He looked first at them, then at the hill, and back again. Eventually, he decided to climb: he had to get some idea of where they were. Alone, he knew, he didn't stand much chance of protecting Dustin and Tori from more than a handful of Kelzacks - and Lothor was not likely to be as gentle with them.

He didn't have to climb very high before he realized the truth of where they were; which was good, because the hill had no tracks and was quite the rough and unsafe climb, what without ropes or anything. The bad, however, was that they were on an island - he could see to the other side, even if not very clearly. They were in the middle of nowhere. He tried the comm. switch on this morpher. He'd tried it before, downhill, but it was worth it trying again from the higher ground. All he got was static, though.

Dustin and Tori were already awake when he finally made his way back down to the shore: awake - and frantically calling for him. "Right here!" he called. They halted in place, and waited for him to come closer. "I hiked up a hill," he explained, once he was close enough that he didn't have to shout, "to check things up." He took a deep breath. "We're on an island."

"An island?" asked Tori.

"Yeah. There's no other land or people around as far as I can see."

Dustin reached for his morpher.

"Don't bother," Shane told him. "I already tried."

"Last thing I remember," said Dustin slowly, "we were playing bowling Zords with Blake and Hunter."

"Yeah," grunted Shane. "Don't remind me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Tori sharply. "There's an explanation!"

"I think that was pretty clear! We know those guys for what, a month? And how much of that time they didn't actually try to kill us?" Shane stopped, surprised at the bitterness in his voice. Strangers, he reminded himself. Even if they were Rangers and Ninjas, too; even if…

"You didn't see Blake the other day!" protested Tori. "Something must have happened to him and Hunter on Lothor's ship!"

"When you're ready to get real come and talk to me, all right?" He turned away. "I've got to find a way out of here."

He had actually walked some distance before he heard Tori and Dustin coming up behind him. "Wait a minute!" Tori called. Shane slowed down, giving his teammates a chance to catch up with him.

"All right, I admit this is brutal," said Tori as she came closer, "but you have to allow the possibility that maybe there's some logical reason for all this."

Shane was about to retort, when he saw a flash of colour in the vegetation nearby. "You guys saw that, right?" he asked sharply.

"I did!" said Tori.

"Good," muttered Shane.

He saw it again. This time he also managed to hear the telltale sound over the roar of the waves.

Streaking.

"Over there!" called Dustin.

"Let's go!" Shane ran forward. He heard the other two coming after him. They ran for maybe ten minutes straight, following the faint signals of sound and colour, until they came to a small clearing. There, waiting for them, were Hunter and Blake. Blake's arm hung to the sides of his body; Hunter, as usual, had his arms crossed, standing at a slight angle to his brother. Expressionless, they stood and watched as the Winds approached them cautiously.

"Hi, Blake," said Tori tentatively.

No response.

"What's going on with you guys?" asked Dustin. "We're not supposed to be fighting each other, remember?"

Still expressionless, the two Thunder ninjas attacked. Shane went straight for Hunter, having already learned that this was the better strategy: Blake seemed to have a problem fighting two opponents simultaneously, and both Tori and Dustin lacked what it took to take on Hunter directly. Shane even managed to land in a punch or two, before Hunter started fighting in earnest. Within seconds, though, Shane realized that something was wrong: Hunter's sequence of punches and kicks was not as fast as it usually was, and Shane managed to block or deflect half the blows. This was not normal. The lack of taunts in the pre-fight moment was unusual, too. Maybe Tori had a point, he thought as he deflected a kick from Hunter with a kick of his own.

For a second, the two stood and watched each other.

Then Hunter launched a spin kick, and Shane had to somersault in order to get away in time. The following sequence was pure kicks, fast and brutal, and Shane found himself with his face in the dirt before he managed to get his bearings again. He shook Hunter's foot from off his back and stood up. His powered-up fist clashed directly with Hunter's, the blast knocking them both back. Shane managed to twist in the air and land okay - one advantage he had over his rival - but Hunter recovered faster, and knocked him into two separate trees before Shane recovered and, with a quick sequence of punches, managed to throw Hunter to the ground. Hunter was on his feet in no time. In a flash of colour, he was gone. Shane streaked after him.

---

They met again at the beach, though at a different point than were they had started. The trio of Tori, Dustin and Blake landed between them seconds later, cutting short Hunter's and Shane's exchange of high kicks. Within seconds, though, the trio disbanded, with Dustin and Tori lining up behind Shane, and Blake next to Hunter.

They looked at each other.

"We don't want to hurt you," said Shane slowly, "but you're not exactly giving us a choice, are you?"

The Thunders only response was to morph.

"I knew we'd come to that," muttered Dustin.

Shane felt Tori tense to his left, and let her call that one.

Now morphed, the teams of three and two faced off against each other. The Winds pulled out their ninja swords, and the two teams attacks simultaneously. For a few seconds, they held a five-way shadow spar, and then they reverted back to normal space. Shane had managed to keep Hunter to himself, though Blake made quite the attempt at separating them. Hunter's staff landed on his chest three times in a second and a half: still, Shane managed to lean back, cutting short the effectiveness of the blunt attack. He somersaulted back after the third strike, landing on higher ground than his rival, and pulled out his Hawk Blaster. He landed five bolts: one hit off mark, two hit the target and two Hunter deflected with his Thunder Shield. When the smoke cleared, Hunter had his own blaster drawn: the first shot landed right by Shane's feet, forcing him to jump, and the second caught his side as he was mid-air. As he pulled himself up, Shane saw Dustin zooming in circles in the air, gripped by a leash of lightning that was held by Blake: the Navy Ranger, it seemed, was pulling nastier tricks by the minute. Then Tori charged in, with atypical ferocity, forcing Blake to cut his elemental attack and focus on her. Hearing steps behind him, Shane rolled aside first and looked back later: good thinking, considering that the blast had hit precisely where he lay before.

Rolling brought Shane to where Tori and Dustin were. Blake took a couple of steps back, lining up with Hunter again. For a second, there was no sound but the waves and the five teens' heavy breathing.

"Why aren't they attacking?" asked Dustin quietly.

Shane was wondering the same thing. Unlike Dustin, though, he wasn't going to stand and wait. The three of them already had their weapons drawn; it took all of a second to assemble the Storm Striker, and land two quick hits on the Thunder Rangers. They've never pulled two hits, before, but it threw the Thunders in the air, hard, and they were decidedly dazed as they pulled themselves to their feet. This gave the Winds a chance to do something they had never before managed to pull against the Thunders: a coordinated team attack. They forced the Thunders with their backs against the rocks, and then reverted to what had become their usual attack formation - Tori and Dustin keeping Blake busy, while Shane tried to handle Hunter.

Yet again his and Hunter's duel was cut short: this time, by Dustin landing in the mud between them. They both instinctively looked in the direction from which Dustin came, and saw that yet again, Blake's viciousness towards Dustin had triggered an unusually aggressive attack from Tori: the blue Ranger was actually driving back her rival, landing blow after sword blow at a rate Shane knew she couldn't keep for long.

Hunter doubled over.

Shane's head snapped. What was going on? Neither he nor Dustin had laid so much as a finger on him. Shane kneeled next to him. His instinct was to reach out, to help, but he couldn't be sure that this was not some ploy or the other -

"Hunter?" he asked tentatively.

The Crimson Ranger didn't respond. Not verbally, at any rate: his visor pulled back, and Shane could see that his face was contorted in pain. Shane reached out to him.

"Shane, look!"

Shane raised his head.

Blake was kneeling, the tip of Tori's sword only an inch away from his neck; he was holding the blade between his hands, forcing it away from him. He looked up at Tori and, surprisingly, demorphed. His expression was weirdly frightened, as if he had no idea where he was.

Shane's attention was redirected as Hunter's breathing eased back to normal: whatever seizure had held him has passed. Shane tightened his grip on his sword. In his peripheral vision, he saw a flash of blue, and Dustin running towards Tori. Hunter raised his head.

"Shane?" he asked. He seemed disoriented. "What's going on? Where…?" he shook his head. "Where are we?"

"You don't know?" asked Shane, just as confused.

"No, I…" He allowed Shane to help him to his feet. "Why are we morphed?"

"We were fighting," said Shane slowly. Casting a quick look, he saw that Tori, Dustin and Blake had all demorphed. "Power Down."

Hunter demorphed with him. "Why would we be fighting?"

"Because of Lothor, why else." Blake approached them, side by side with Dustin and Tori. He seemed grim and determined.

Hunter's eyes widened. "He was going to - "

"He had," said Blake.

"He had what?" asked Shane.

"He used some kind of brainwash on Blake and Hunter," said Tori gently. Her hand was on Blake's shoulder. "They went on the ship to scout, just like Blake told me they would, but Choobo turned on them."

"It was a ploy all along," said Hunter darkly. "And we fell for it."

"Hey, so long as we're all in one piece," said Dustin.

"Where did you say we are, again?" asked Hunter.

Shane exchanged looks with Dustin and Tori. "We don't know," he said. "On an island, somewhere. Cam would find us, eventually," he added. "We just need to give him time."

Chapter 8: Betrayel II

Notes:

As there's a reference for the Rangers' ages in this chapter, i'd better say this here: while fanonically Cam is older than the other Rangers by a good few years, here he is younger by 2-3 years. (The Winds are in senior year in high school; Hunter will turn 19 in a couple of episodes, though it's never mentioned; Blake and Cam are 16-17.) I know that Cam impressed most people as acting older than the others, but to me he seemed totally 16. (An opinion which may be influenced by the striking similarity in temperament and manners to by best friend through my teens, but.)

"Where did you say we are, again?" asked Hunter.

Shane exchanged looks with Dustin and Tori. "We don't know," he said. "On an island, somewhere. Cam will find us, eventually," he added. "We just need to give him time."

"Or I can answer that question for you," said a booming, gleeful voice from the top of the nearest cliff. The five Rangers looked up.

"Choobo," hissed Blake.

"That's right," said Choobo, his apparent good mood undeterred by the venom in Blake's voice. "So, do you or do you not want to know where are we?"

"Because we're believe you if you'll try to give us the time of day," said Hunter sarcastically.

"Your choice, Crimson Ranger."

Choobo's tone was still cheerful, and Shane was getting worried. This had to be bad.

"This isn't really an island," said Choobo. "Unless you consider island dimensions to be real islands. This is why you can't call anyone: because you're not on Earth anymore! You're not even in the neighbourhood!"

"Like that's going to stop Cam," muttered Tori in a tone not meant for Choobo to overhear. "Dream on."

"By the way," continued Choobo, and the carelessness in his voice had Shane tightening his grip on his sword's hilt, "I do believe you weren't properly introduced to the master of this lovely piece of property?"

"Huh?" said Dustin.

Something exploded behind their backs. They whirled. A dark shape rose from the ground.

"Say hi to the super Toxipod!" shouted Choobo from the top of the cliff.

"Missed me, Rangers?" asked the giant snail, who was now wearing - of all things - a billowing black cape.

"Why can't they ever stay down?" asked Shane.

"Because that might make our lives boring," muttered Hunter.

"Because fighting the same alien twice is interesting?" shot back Tori.

"Dudes, can we discuss this later?" said Dustin.

"Yeah, let's get rid of this guy," said Shane. He made a face. "God, he smells even worse."

"Everything about me is worse!" announced Toxipod.

The five Rangers threw themselves to the sides, morphing in the process, in an attempt to avoid the fireball Toxipod launched at them - and landed straight into the Kelzacks, who were now swarming from all directions. The fight was quick and brutal, like any Kelzack scuffle. The drones had no advantage over the Rangers other then their numbers: this led to the Kelzacks giving it their all, and to the Rangers having a semi-official tournament of who would take down the most Kelzacks per minute.

Then the fume vents went on.

Shane avoided the fumes on instinct. A quick look revealed that the other four were doing the same - in fact, even the Kelzacks seemed to be avoiding the fumes. When the next Kelzack launched at him, Shane grabbed the thing and tossed it directly at one of the vents. Then he stood and watched the result, amazed: the Kelzack picked itself up, apparently unharmed - and promptly began attacking the other Kelzacks.

"The fumes must be toxic!" shouted Tori.

"Right!" shouted Shane back. He was about to join the fray again, but the Kelzacks retreated, taking their maddened fellow with them. Toxipod, too, stepped back as Choobo strode forward.

"Listen to me, Crimson Ranger," he said seriously. "Your brother has betrayed you."

---

Standing close to the monitor, together with her sister and Lothor, Kapri held her breath. This was the most delicate phase of Choobo's plan: timing was of the essence here. They had to send down the beam at precisely the right moment, or they would miss - and a single human was quite the small target, when one was aiming from orbit. That was not the most sensitive thing about this phase: though quite aware of the effectiveness of their Mind Warp model, Kapri doubted that such conditioning would get a strong hold on the Crimson Ranger's mind. There were two things Kapri had learned of the two brothers in the weeks they'd lived on the ship: one was that they were disproportionably inexperienced compared to their skill level, and the other was that they depended on each other to a degree that she couldn't quite perceive them as separate individuals. The idea of turning one of them against the other was - ridiculous, to put it mildly.

She didn't voice her opinion, of course.

"That's crazy!" spat out the Crimson-clad figure on screen.

"Is that the best you can come up with?" demanded the red figure to his side.

"Dude, you need better plans," said Yellow.

The figures on the screen shifted minutely. Not waiting for her sister to respond, Kapri reached past her and slammed the button. A fraction of a second later, they could see the purple-white beam descending at where the two Thunder brothers were standing close together. Predictably, Hunter pushed his brother aside.

"Perfect timing," mentioned Lothor. "Good eyes, Kapri."

Marah pouted, but Kapri wasn't paying attention: the other Rangers gathered around Hunter - his brother touching his shoulder and the others one step behind him - and now Choobo began the litany he had rehearsed earlier. This was it.

"Here's the real deal. You can't trust your brother, anymore. That pretty blue Ranger convinced him to join up with them."

Hunter turned aside, even as Blake stepped up angrily to Choobo. Marah panned the zoom on one of the sensors, and on the other screen they could see the purple shadow flames dancing across the Crimson Ranger's faceplate, indicating that the Warp was getting a hold.

"What are you babbling about?" demanded the blue Ranger, oblivious that he was losing his one chance to win back his brother. "I'd never turn on my brother! You're the one with evil plans!"

"You should tell him the truth," said Choobo lightly. "He deserves to know the truth of how you betrayed him, and why…"

"What? Are you out of your…"

The Navy Ranger never finished the sentence. His brother's staff came down on his back, crackling white with electricity, too fast for any of the Winds to stop. Blake fell.

"Perfect," said Lothor.

On screen, the Wind Rangers lined up against Hunter. Blue Ranger was helping Blake to his feet, even as Yellow opened cover fire for Red, who was trying to take on Crimson one on one. Predictably, Red failed - inhibitions shattered under the Mind Warp's influence, anger boiling as a result of Choobo's accusations, Hunter was as destructive as a force of nature. The Winds Rangers' lineup changed in seconds, as Yellow stepped up to help Red and Blue took up the cover fire. This lineup didn't last long either, as Hunter barged forward to reach his brother - and Blake met him halfway, trying to talk reason with him.

"What's wrong with you?" shouted Blake desperately even as Hunter's hand grabbed his collar. "Don't you remember anything that's happened? Don't you remember…"

The Navy Ranger was tossed against a rock. Blue's quick elemental attack threw Crimson against a different rock, on the other side of the sand clearing. Again the Winds tried to form a barrier between the two brothers.

"I love how they keep making it worse for themselves," remarked Lothor. "Don't you, girls?"

Kapri wasn't really listening. The battle had just become considerably more interesting, as Choobo allowed Toxipod and the Kelzacks to rejoin it.

They're going to remember they can fight like that, thought Kapri. Zurgane was also in the room, lurking in the shadows, and that meant she couldn't speak freely. They're going to remember that and they're going to be more dangerous for it. Her uncle would say that they would become more dangerous by the sheer virtue of being Rangers and still alive; Kapri, though, thought that that was precisely the reason not to provide them with incentive to become more dangerous even faster. Unless, she admitted to herself, he wants Marah and me to improve at the same rate.

The fume vents opened again. Everyone made sure to avoid them - except, of course, the Crimson Ranger. He managed to step directly into one within five seconds flat.

"Look!" said Marah, pointing at the screen that was still showing a close-up on the Crimson Ranger's faceplate.

"Wow," breathed Kapri. The fumes seemed to have a corrosive effect on the Ranger's suit - the golden lines of the faceplate seemed partially melted and turned green, the black visor was now distorted. When the steam calmed down, the violence of his attacks seemed to have doubled.

Blue abandoned the Kelzacks, which she was fighting together with Red, and joined Navy's side. Yellow was fighting Toxipod on his own, and faring rather well: neither of them was the fastest of warriors, so it was Yellow's knack for getting under his opponent's defenses against the greater brute strength of Toxipod. Red, in the meantime, was moving at a speed Kapri was yet to see from him before, trying to drive back the fifteen-odd Kelzacks. At the same time, Blake's attempts to talk his way to his brother were getting him more and more charred spots on his suit. He was beginning to fail and falter, now: he'd been doing a poor job of deflecting his brother's blows for the past few minutes, and Hunter was hitting harder by the second. Eventually, Hunter kicked Blue aside then used his staff to haul Blake up in the air and against the sharpest pile of rocks around.

By the time Blue called for help, Hunter was standing over Blake, staff raised. Red threw himself at him, knocking him physically away, and giving Yellow and Blue the second they needed to haul Navy back to his feet. A second was all they got, though - the Crimson Ranger was advancing on them again.

He never made it.

"This has gone far enough," snarled Red, then did the one thing Kapri would've never expected from him - other than giving up: he retreated. Raising two fingers in the classic Chi position, he summoned a smoke screen. When the smoke cleared, the three Winds and the Navy Ranger were gone.

---

When Shane had climbed up the hill earlier, he had noticed a tall, narrow crack in the rock surface leading into a small cave. That was where he took his team when they had to retreat.

Tori and Dustin unloaded Blake and laid him gently on the ground. The three Winds demorphed together. Blake remained morphed, though.

Tori, who was crouched next to him, touched his shoulder. "Blake?" she asked.

Blake moaned, and his head moved a little, but he didn't answer.

"Blake?" prompted Tori again. "Blake, please wake up."

Blake's ranger suit crackled, power dancing all over it. Shane and Dustin took a step back; Tori fell on her haunches. In a flash of light, Blake demorphed.

"Blake?" tried Tori again. This time she reached for his cheek, her thumb tracing his cheekbone. Shane could see the faint blue glow around her fingers. "Wake up, Blake."

Blake's eyes opened. He tried to sit up in a sharp movement, perhaps not realizing that he was away from the battle.

Tori caught his shoulders. "It's all right," she told him. His eyes focused on her. "It's all right," she repeated. "You're all right."

Slowly, Blake's shoulders sagged. Tori's hold on him loosened.

"Where are we?" he asked quietly. His expression was stoic as ever, but his voice was different: subdued, dejected, devoid of energy.

"Still on the island," said Shane, "a couple of miles away from where we were before. We're inside a cave on the hillside. It might take Hunter a while to find us here."

At the mention of Hunter's name, Blake flinched. He drew his knees to his chest, curling into a ball. Tori tried hugging him, but he didn't exactly respond. Shane was strongly reminded of his first impression of Blake: young, he had thought then, no older than Cam.

"We're going to get him back," he said aloud. "Nobody's going to give up on him."

"I don't get it," said Blake quietly. "Even with that beam, even with the fumes… I can't get it. It can't be."

"Dude, it can be and it did happen." Dustin kneeled next to him. "If you'd have asked me two months ago, I'd tell you that space ninjas aren't real. If you'd have asked those two - " he threw his thumb first at Shane and then at Tori " - two months ago, they would've told you that Power Rangers aren't real. And hey, it turns out that it's all real." Dustin reached for Blake's shoulder, not caring that Blake flinched away from the touch. A second, and Blake relaxed again. "So you can say that it can't be, but that's not going to help Hunter, and it's not going to help you. So, dude, what's it gonna be?"

Shane counted heartbeats. At eighteen, Blake sighed. "Okay," he said quietly. "Okay."

---

Once he was sure that everyone would be okay, Shane went out to take a look, make sure they were still alone. Seconds later he was joined by Tori.

"We should've known we're not on Earth," she said as she appeared soundlessly next to his shoulder. "Look at the sky."

He looked up. "It's cloudy."

"It's more than cloudy," she said. "Can you see the sun?"

"No." He squinted. "I can't even tell where it is behind the clouds."

"Exactly. The light is directionless - there is no sun."

"No sun?"

"It's a pocket dimension." Tori shrugged. "Who knows what the rules are here?"

"Yeah," said Shane, looking up again. After a moment, he asked: "Why aren't you in there with Blake?"

Tori hugged herself. "It's all my fault."

Shane counted silently to ten before he asked: "How come?"

"'You can't trust your brother, anymore'," she quoted. "'That pretty Blue Ranger convinced him to join up with them.'"

"Tori…"

"What, Shane?" She turned to face him, anger written on her features. "Even spells, or whatever it is that Lothor's used, need something to hold on to. Do you think this ploy could work if Hunter didn't believe, somewhere deep inside, that Blake might have a reason to abandon him?"

Shane tried to think fast. This was not his realm: Sensei was wise and Dustin had a way of seeing through the most complex of issues, but Shane had no idea how to tackle such things. He could tell Tori, yet again, that it was all Lothor's fault and not anybody else's - save maybe Choobo's - but he knew it wouldn't help if he couldn't offer her something more solid to hold on to.

"Would you rather that they'd have only each other?" he asked her finally.

"What?"

"All they have is each other, Tor." Now that he understood it, it was obvious. "That's not good. You're good for Blake, I think. You two could be good together. You shouldn't keep your distance just because it might take Blake away from Hunter. That wouldn't be good for anyone."

Slowly, Tori nodded. "Still," she said quietly. "We need to find a way out of this somehow. And I'm afraid of what would happen when Blake…" she swallowed. "When Blake realizes what I told you earlier."

"Then you tell him that he shouldn't be alone, and neither should Hunter. Come here." Shane pulled her in for a hug. "Don't look like that. We're going to make it right."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because we're the Power Rangers," he told her.

"You're just quoting Dustin's comic books," she accused, her voiced muffled by his t-shirt.

"What's wrong with that? Those comics were dead on so far."

She laughed a little and pulled back and yeah, her expression wasn't completely gloomy, now. "Isn't that amazing?"

"Like Dustin just said, life's been amazing in general lately."

"Speaking of…" She indicated behind his back. Shane turned, and saw that Blake was standing at the edge of a bluff not far from the cave's entrance. Dustin was some distance behind him, possibly unsure of what to do.

"Let's go."

---

Blake turned when the three of them approached him. He seemed to have matured by a few good years in the twenty minutes since Shane last saw him.

"Hunter is the only family I have," he said without preamble. "I'm not going to give up on him."

"Nobody's giving up on him," said Shane, repeating what he'd said earlier.

"He's always been there for me," said Blake, glancing towards the ocean. "Now he needs me. For the first time in our lives, Hunter needs me." He turned to the Winds again. "I'm not going to let him down," he said quietly. "No matter what happens."

"You're not alone, Blake," said Tori.

"We're right with you, dude," added Dustin.

"Okay," said Shane, taking a deep breath. "Let's go find him."

---

They went down to the beach again, as the terrain anywhere else was quite difficult, and started in the direction they had come from. They didn't call out, but they made sure to create as much noise as they could, making it easier for anyone to find them. It was a long shot, but they didn't have any better ideas. So they walked.

Shane wasn't sure how long they'd been walking, but it was a long time. The shore changed from a narrow, sandy strip to a wider strip, and then became narrower and narrower again, until eventually they had to climb over some boulders to continue. There they saw before them a large rock surface, furrowed as if it'd been plowed and slick with sea spray and algae. There, waiting for them, was Toxipod.

"Not you again," moaned Shane.

"Yes, it's me!" shouted the giant snail.

"Dude, we already beat you once today!" complained Dustin.

"Let's see you do it a second time!"

"Well, if you ask so nicely, how can we refuse?" asked Tori in typical fashion.

Shane nodded. "Let's do this, guys."

They switched into shadow battle as soon as they morphed, all four of them launching at Toxipod at once. Blake was last to tackle him, and so when they emerged back to normal space, Toxipod was still grabbed by Blake's antler, lightning running across his body. Blake tossed him into a nearby pool, making a big show of being disgusted. The Winds were already waiting with their Storm Striker, and Toxipod was blasted out of existence before he even got on his feet.

"Well, that's out of the way," said Shane. "Now we just need to…"

"Hey, there!" shouted Dustin.

Shane turned, following Dustin's pointing finger: there, descending slowly down the slope, was Hunter, still morphed. In the grey light, his dark suit acted almost like camouflage against the rocky surface.

"Let me," said Blake quietly. "Please."

"Man, you don't need to…"

"Wrong," said Blake. "I have to."

Shane hesitated, then nodded curtly. "We'll be watching your back."

Blake nodded, too. "Thanks."

Then Hunter was level with them, and charging forward at full speed. There wasn't any point trying in to stop him - he tossed the Winds aside like rag dolls. They picked themselves up, intent on backing Blake up - and found themselves face-to-face with Choobo.

"Not so fast," snarled the alien. "I worked too hard on this for you to mess it up. Now I want to play too!"

---

Years ago, Blake and Hunter had been each other's regular sparring partners: first because as brothers, they were nearly always together and later, because Sensei Omino had pushed both of them ahead of their age groups. Once, though, when Blake was twelve and a bit and Hunter nearly fifteen, an accident happened. It wasn't the first time that one of them had hurt the other, but Hunter was adamant that it would be the last: he had broken two of Blake's ribs in one blow, and nearly landed another before he realized how much damage he did with the first. He would not spar with Blake after that. Nothing Sensei Omino said made Hunter change his mind. Even the Sensei's wife Maeve, who was usually better with Hunter than her husband, couldn't talk him out of it. Hunter would not spar with Blake at all. Blake was assigned to Leanne, the Sensei's daughter; the Sensei himself often sparred with Hunter.

Blake remembered that as Hunter's staff landed on his ribcage twice: the first blow made Blake arc backwards, and the second sent him flying, only just barely twisting in the air to break his fall without breaking his neck. The helmet protected him from the worst of the shock, but still his head pounded as he dragged himself to his feet. Hunter was at him again in no time, using his staff like a club and landing it on Blake's shoulders.

"Hunter, snap out of it!" shouted Blake over the roar of the waves. "You're stronger than that!"

"Liar!" snarled Hunter. He landed his staff again, and Blake caught it.

"Lothor's used some kind of brainwash on you!" tried Blake again. "You have to fight it, Hunter!"

"No more lies!" Hunter pushed forward. Using his greater weight he threw Blake to the ground and pinned him, his knee pressed against Blake's abdomen and his staff pressed down against Blake's windpipe. "I've had enough," he said, his faceplate almost touching Blake's. "Now you're gonna pay."

"Hunter!" choked Blake. The material the suit was made from was somehow evening out the pressure, allowing Blake to breathe a little through the pressure Hunter was applying. "Choobo and Lothor! They're the ones who betrayed us, don't you remember? Think, Hunter, please!"

"You're just lying like you always do," said Hunter. "Using me like you use anyone else. You think I never noticed how you do that, Blake? How you always make everything turn out to your favour, wrap anyone you want around your finger? I know you, Blake. You can't lie to me and get away with it."

"Hunter! You're under some kind of…"

"No more tricks!" Hunter raised his staff and aimed the sharp end at Blake's throat.

Blake threw his head to the side, wrestled one arm free of Hunter's weight, caught the descending staff and, using every ounce of force he had, threw Hunter aside and struggled to his feet. The first blow from Hunter's blaster came almost immediately, and Blake only just managed to avoid the rapid fire his brother was sending his way.

"Hunter, I'm your brother!" he shouted as he rolled aside.

"I don't have a brother!" shouted Hunter back. "Not anymore!"

Something snapped in Blake. Beyond the beating, beyond the harsh words, Blake heard a different message: Hunter's voice hadn't been a cry of anger, or of hatred. It was the cry of a wretched animal, a howl of heartbreak and sorrow. The realization was crisp, shattering: it wasn't resentment of any sort Choobo had used to twist his brother against him: it was hurt. It wasn't fury blinding his brother: it was anguish. Hunter was in pain.

Drawing his staff and blinking away the tears, Blake charged forward, forcing his beaten and sore muscles to move as if they were fresh. Hunter was stronger, more aggressive than he, and knew Blake too well for skill to be a factor. Speed was the only advantage Blake had, and he pushed himself to the maximum, until finally he managed to tuck his foot behind Hunter's and force him to the ground.

"Now you're gonna listen, and you're gonna listen good," he said through gritted teeth, holding Hunter very much like Hunter had held him a moment ago. "Your name is Hunter. We're brothers. Lothor tricked us. Once when he told us Sensei Watanabe killed our parents; twice when he sent Choobo to talk to us; and thrice when he zapped you with that beam. Now, you're a fighter, Hunter, and you always have been. I'm your brother and I know you and you never lose. You hear me?" Hunter was still struggling to break free, to toss Blake away, but Blake was holding him with a force born of a depth of despair and fear he had no idea he was capable of feeling. "Don't let Lothor win this one, bro," he said, the words only just coming out of his tight throat. "I need you. You have to break through this, you hear?" He let go, rolling away quickly as Hunter rose to his feet with a roar.

Biting his lip, Blake demorphed. He stood strong, well aware of the tears running down his cheeks. "Don't bail out on me, bro."

Hunter raised his staff. Live lightning was crackling and spiraling around it, building up to a bolt that would kill an unprotected person. Maybe Blake could redirect it, even unmorphed as he was, but he wasn't going to try. If Hunter wasn't going to break through… Blake stuck up his chin, and waited.

Hunter moved forward. Suddenly the lightning was everywhere, ropes of electricity snaking around his body as he cried out in pain, back arching. The staff fell from his hands. Blake ran forward. In a flash of Crimson light Hunter demorphed. Swaying on his feet, he locked eyes with Blake, and Blake knew that Hunter had broken free. Then Hunter dropped on the wet rocks, unconscious.

---

Hunter was breathing on his own, so Blake turned him on the side, laid his head in his lap, and waited. There wasn't much else to do. The Winds were still fighting Choobo, who was proving to be not too bad a fighter. Sensing a movement, he looked down.

Hunter woke slowly, blinking a couple of times before finally turning slightly and looking at Blake. "Bro?" he asked, his voice raspy.

"Yeah," answered Blake. His throat was so constricted he could hardly speak. "I'm right here, bro. Shhh," he added as Hunter tried to move. "Don't get up yet. Take it slow."

"Blake, I'm…"

"It's okay," said Blake - and he meant it. He put his other hand on Hunter's shoulder, squeezing gently. "I don't want to hear a word about it. You just rest until the guys finish off with Choobo, all right?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right," repeated Blake.

"Blake, I'm sorry."

"Nothing to forgive, bro."

Hunter squeezed his hand. "Just say it, Blake. Please."

"Nothing to forgive, Hunter."

"Bro, please." Hunter's eyes closed, as if just talking was an effort for him.

Blake swallowed. "Nothing to forgive," he said again, but he could tell just from Hunter's expression that it wasn't going to be enough. He bowed his head. "Forgiven," he whispered, only just forcing himself to say it. "I forgive you."

---

Maybe the Storm Striker didn't destroy him, thought Shane darkly as he watched Choobo scurry away, but it doesn't mean he liked it.

"Time to do like a banana!" announced Choobo over his shoulder, "And split!" He halted, and teleported away.

Finally rid of the green nuisance, Shane looked around, but couldn't see any telltale specks of colour.

"There!" cried Tori, pointing. Shane followed her finger, and realized why he didn't see Hunter and Blake: they were unmorphed, and close to the ground.

"Ninja form," he muttered, and saw Tori and Dustin demorph as well.

The three of them ran towards the brothers, pausing at a small distance. Blake was kneeling, and Hunter was lying down, his head resting against his brother's knees. The three Winds approached more slowly. Hunter seemed aware, Shane noticed. Lucid. He was watching them with alert eyes, lying perfectly still. There was no sign that he was going to attack. In fact, the way he was lying suggested exhaustion.

Those eyes caught Shane's, like they had three weeks prior. Then they were like two chips of stone, cold. Now the blue irises were warm and very human, almost approachable, and rimmed with red. Compassion rose unexpected, making Shane see not the man who had tried to kill him until moments ago, but a boy about his age, tired and vulnerable. Stepping forward, Shane kneeled in front of him, not breaking eye contact.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked quietly.

The blue eyes didn't blink once. Shane even thought he saw the hint of a smile as Hunter reached out his arm and grabbed Shane's.

"Yes," he said, and his voice was clear. "You're my friend."

A wide, relieved smile stretched across Shane's face. He shifted his hand, grabbing Hunter's arm in a Roman handshake. Hunter struggled, tried to get up, and Blake and Shane helped him to his feet.

"Maybe you should take it easy, bro," said Blake concernedly as Hunter's legs proved still a little shaky, and he had to lean on his brother and Shane for support.

"Nonsense," said Hunter, "I just need to walk a bit and I'll be fine."

Personally, Shane thought that Blake had a point, but he could get why Hunter couldn't lie down. "Now we just need to wait," he said. "Sooner or later…"

His morpher beeped. Carefully, he shifted Hunter's weight over to Blake, and answered the hail. "Cam? Is that you?"

"No, it's your phone company," came the sarcastic, familiar voice, "calling to ask if you're happy with your long-distance service."

"All right!" cheered Dustin.

"By the way," continued Cam, "Dad's asking if the Thunder Rangers are with you."

"They are," said Shane.

"Good."

"Cam, do you know how to get us home?" asked Tori.

"It depends," came the prompt reply. "What is the status of Toxipod?"

"Destroyed," said Shane with dark satisfaction, "for the second time."

There was a small pause. "Should be safe enough, then. Hold on tight."

"What…"

The ground shook violently. Over their heads, the sunless sky cracked. The five Rangers fell - but rather then hitting the wet rock surface, they fell on a wooden deck. Looking up, Shane realized that they were in Ninja Ops, and Cam was standing over them, holding half a broken shell in each hand.

Cam smiled. "Welcome home."

Chapter 9: Edge of Honour

Arc Two: Kiss and Tell

Kisses don't lie; people do.

---

"What the…?" Cam's fingers flew across the keyboard. "They're gone!" He heard the thud and the thump that indicated that his dad had just somersaulted from the table to the command console, but didn't turn his head. He had spectroscopic readings to consider.

"What do you mean by, 'gone'?" asked his dad.

"I mean not there," said Cam shortly. "All five of them."

"Perhaps their disappearance is linked to the appearance and disappearance of the floating shell?"

Cam rolled his eyes. "Why didn't I think of that on my own?" Sometimes, his dad had a way of stating the mostly obvious things as if they were fascinating revelations. "So we have three Wind Rangers, two Thunder Rangers and one giant levitating shell dropping off the face of the Earth at the same time. What does that tell us?" He considered the readings for another second, omitted all spectra from the display except for the gamma spectrum, and rewound it. Sure enough, the telltale peak was there, thirty seconds exactly prior to the disappearance. Cam jabbed his finger at the screen. "There!"

"May I ask what is there?"

"That's the signature signal for an incoming teleportation beam, less than half a mile from where the Rangers had been, half a minute before they disappeared."

"One of Lothor's men?"

"Most likely; but, that's not the most interesting thing."

"What is?"

"Teleportation events leave very clear signatures in the gamma range, as you can see here; but, the Rangers and the shell didn't leave any gamma signatures."

"Are you suggesting that the mechanism of their disappearance was not teleportation?"

"Either that, or…" Cam clicked open the 'edit filters' menu, opened the relevant filter file, and started rewriting it. "Or there was something very unusual about the exact kind of teleportation used. So far, the only teleportation beams I have recorded went either from Lothor's ship to Earth, or from Earth to the ship." If something or someone were there one moment and not there the next, that meant teleportation; and teleportation always left a signature. One only had to know how to find it.

His dad paced back and forth across the table as Cam rewrote one filter after another, readjusting the entire spectroscopic array. "What's the deal with those two, anyway?" asked Cam. "I thought the only reason they came after us was because of the misguided sense of revenge. Now what?"

"The Dark ninja powers can do many terrible things, Cam."

Cam paused his typing and turned to look at his dad. "Are you saying Lothor brainwashed them?"

"It is possible," his dad said seriously. "As you are aware, Hunter and Blake had planned a scouting mission on board Lothor's ship. It is possible that they had been discovered and captured."

"And Lothor figured he could get extra miles out of them," said Cam slowly. Then he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and turned back to the computer. "Personally, I think those two are not exactly the most reliable ever."

"That may be so. Yet, they are Rangers."

"Please," breathed Cam. "Just because they are Rangers…"

"The morphers would not have accepted them if their hearts had not been true."

"Dad, the morphers are just a bunch of really, really advanced electronics, making use of several bizarre quantum effects," said Cam. How many times had they had this argument? "Nothing mystical about it."

"The mystical and the scientific are not as different as you think, Cam."

"Yeah, whatever." Cam pushed up his glasses again, and leaned back in his chair. "I'm processing all the sensory data from scratch," he told his dad. "This may take some time. Coffee?"

"Perhaps some tea."

---

He made himself coffee, got back to the console, drank the coffee as slowly as he could and went back for another round. At forty minutes, the program was still running and Cam had worked himself into quite the case of nerves. His father was settled in his habitat pagoda, deep in meditation, miniature tea cup long cold. When Cam next glanced at the console, the monitor was showing five distinct, colour-coded peaks. Cam ran to the console, coffee nearly spilling on the deck. He sat down and switched from the graphic display to the raw data matrix. The data points he needed were coloured same as the peaks. Cam's brows furrowed. The five were obviously grabbed by the same kind of teleportation; the question was, what kind?

What doesn't fit? Cam wondered. He'd learned a long time ago that the data that didn't fit was always more interesting than the data that did. The hole defined the web, not the other way around. He sat like that for a while, alternatively staring at the screen and scrolling the tables, until it hit him.

There were very obviously only five teleportation traces: three that matched the original locations of the Winds, and two that matched the original locations of the Thunders. There was no trace for the shell - at least, no teleportation trace. Cam considered: he could either write a program that would search for different kind of traces, or he could…

He pushed himself up and headed for the door.

---

The ride to the site of disappearance was quite short, but he couldn't bring the truck close enough. He hesitated for a moment, considering all the equipment he'd packed, before finally settling for the GPS and the handheld EM detector. It was a fifteen minutes walk to the actual site. He located the center of the ellipse with the GPS and marked it with a broken branch. Unfortunately, he'd never done this kind of scanning before, and therefore didn't know how good his ellipse was. Based on the presumed magnitude of the original signal, and on the known characteristics of his equipment, Cam estimated a radius of fifty yards. That was damn good, of course, but still meant a considerable area to be scanned by foot, looking for an object that could be quite small. He turned on the detector and started walking in very small circles.

---

He had just reentered the truck when the comm. finally beeped. Cam placed his precious finding on the workbench and answered the hail. "Yes, Dad?"

"Where are you, Cam?"

"At the mobile command center," he said, already realigning the sensors he'd need.

"And where is the mobile command center?"

"About one mile away from the disappearance site."

"Cam, you know that…"

"Dad, I have to track the Rangers," said Cam. "I had to collect some physical evidence. I can't do everything by pure telemetry."

"Cam…" His dad sighed. Cam waited. "Stay safe."

"Of course, Dad." He already had all the scanners aligned, warmed up and ready. He let the system roll.

The shell was completely negative on all wavelengths. Obviously. Cam brought up a display of all previous data and considered it again, going over the peaks in greater detail. It had taken a while, but eventually he identified those characteristics of the peaks that we missing. The lack of these particular characteristics on teleportation traces could mean only one thing: phase shift.

He let the computer back-calculate the exact coordinates of the Winds from the trace data, and then triangulated it with their actual coordinates, as recorded from their morpher signals, and the exact coordinates at which he had found the shell. From this, he could calculate the phase shift.

It had taken forever for that script to run, but once he had the exact shift realigning the sensors took only seconds. Cam's breath caught as the monitor blossomed with live data. The automated routines took over, and Cam watched as the flood of data sorted itself into seven traces.

Seven? Cam leaned forward. Five were the Rangers traces, already colour-coded; the sixth he could correlate with the incoming teleportation event that had preceded the disappearance - whoever it was, they teleported themselves alongside with the Rangers; and the seventh…

Cam's mouth dried as he realized what he was seeing. He swiveled around in his chair, staring at the shell as if it was going to detonate any second - which, in a way, it could. The safe thing to do would be to seal it off with a containment field, but then he'd lose the signals from the Rangers, and he couldn't afford that. He couldn't afford the security risk of leaving the shell unsealed.

Cam's lips tightened. Fine. He would just have to think up something.

---

He solved the problem, eventually, and vowed that he'd keep the truck better stocked in the future. The ride back to the academy grounds was a delicate task, as he tried not to knock anything out of place. He managed, though, and brought the shell safely inside.

Compared to the long and complicated process of figuring everything out, explaining it to his dad was blissfully short and straightforward.

"They're in a pocket dimension," he said shortly. "The shell is the entryway. We have to keep it under the containment field because otherwise it could turn into that alien without any warning. Also, he and whoever it was from Lothor's crew are in there with the Wind and the Thunder Rangers." He crashed in his chair. "I'm logging everyone who's inside. Once the Rangers finish off the alien, it's safe." And if the Rangers lost, he could destabilize the pocket and destroy everyone inside. His stomach lurched at the thought. It wasn't an option he wanted to consider, but the possibility was there. He had no idea what the Rangers were dealing with, inside the pocket dimensions: what the conditions were like, what were the threats, whose side the Thunders were on… Just because the Winds had come out on top so far was no guarantee that they would always come through. He wasn't going to mention that option out loud, but it didn't mean that he didn't consider it.

His father nodded, taking his outward optimism at face value.

"Then there's the issue of the Thunder Rangers," added Cam.

His father considered. "Contact the Wind Rangers once the threat of the alien has been removed. They will know best."

Cam nodded.

"It's getting late," his dad added. "The Rangers' parents will be getting worried."

Cam rolled his eyes.

---

Track seven disappeared. Track six was still there, though. Without an operational teleportation system, Cam had no way of removing only select people from the dimensional pocket. Sitting very straight in his chair, Cam waited. Within minutes, track six disappeared - not destroyed, but teleported out: its destination was far from the location of the shell, and thus not blocked by the containment shield. Cam made the necessary adjustment to the comm. - the phase shift required that the adjustments be made live - and hailed.

Shane's voice came through within seconds. "Cam? Is that you?"

His dad snapped awake.

"No, it's your phone company," Cam had to fight to keep the smile out of his voice, "Calling to ask if you're happy with your long-distance service."

---

He cracked the shell open. There was no sound, but suddenly there were five Rangers sprawled on the deck, looking as if they just fell off of their feet. The smile finally escaped him. "Welcome home," he said.

"Dude, that was one rough landing!" complained Dustin.

"Lay off him," said Tori, helping Blake to his feet. "Thanks for getting us home, Cam."

"You're quite welcome, Tori."

Blake's expression was the most amusing thing he'd seen all day.

"Well, I'm still sore," said Dustin. Rather than standing up like the other Rangers, he dragged himself to the table and settled on one of the cushions.

"Are you all right, Rangers?" asked Cam's dad.

"We can stand on our own," said Shane. "Other than that, I think we've all had better days."

That counted as 'all right' with Cam. He turned to Hunter. "So, are there going to be any more repeat performances of the Evil Rangers gig, or can we finally leave that behind us?"

"Cam!" protested Tori, even as Blake said, "Behind us. Definitely."

"Good," said Cam shortly. The Winds seemed comfortable with the Thunders, indicating that whatever issues they've had earlier were now solved, but Cam was going to hold on to his suspicions for a while.

"We have talked to your parents, as the hour was growing late," said his dad. "You may stay here for the night."

"Huh?" Tori checked her watch. "Oh my god, it's 8:30. We've never run this late before." She collapsed on a cushion across from Dustin. "Thanks, Sensei."

Blake, Cam noticed, remained standing, though he tried to position himself halfway between Tori and Hunter.

"So that's why I'm starved!" said Dustin, suddenly more alert. "Anyone else for seafood?"

"Seafood?" Shane's expression was half terrified, half amused.

"Yeah, I have this sudden craving."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'll eat just about anything right now," said Tori.

"So seafood it is," ruled Shane. "So, where do we order out from?"

"I think we'll pass," said Hunter.

The atmosphere in the room went from relaxed to charged in a heartbeat. Cam looked from Hunter to Blake, from Blake to Tori and then to Shane, trying to gauge how this would turn out.

Hunter's shoulders sagged. "Fine," he said, turning towards the staircase. "Call me when the food's here."

All eyes followed him on his way out - Dustin's curious, Tori's disturbed, Shane's intense and Blake's hurt. Cam waited until he was sure Hunter was out the trap door at the surface, and only then asked: "Anyone care to tell me what, precisely, happened?"

"Cut your pride and watch it bleed
You can't deny it
Pain you know you can't ignore
I don't remember"

- Remember, Disturbed

---

"Go away."

Shane paused. He should've realized Hunter would sense his approach. "Do you mind at least stepping back?"

"What?"

"The edge," clarified Shane. "You mind stepping back?"

Hunter, standing at the very edge of a tall bluff, looked down as if he'd just realized where he was. He stepped back and turned towards Shane. "Happy now?"

"Yeah."

They stood silent for a moment, the mountain breeze blowing gently between them.

Hunter drew himself up. "So," he said, "aren't you going to ask if I'm okay?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"So what are you doing following me around?"

Shane swallowed back the several angry retorts that leaped to his mind. He wasn't here to antagonize Hunter further. "I didn't think you should be alone."

Hunter turned away. "I'm not one of your team."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You have your team and I have mine," said Hunter, gazing into the night.

Shane shook his head, reminding himself that there was no point feeling disappointment with Hunter. "So I'm not supposed to give a damn about you because I can't order you around in battles?"

"Why should you care?"

Shane swallowed another spike of disappointment. That's what the guy's like, he reminded himself. No point getting angry. "I don't get you at all, you know?"

Hunter turned towards him. "What are you doing out here, Shane?" He was surprised that anyone had bothered to follow him, to be honest. The question was honest, and probably more complex than Shane realized.

Shane spread his arms. "Why are you trying to drive me away?" he asked, and his voice was almost helpless.

Hunter looked down. "Bad day," he muttered finally.

"Yeah," said Shane quietly. Hunter heard him step closer, slowly and cautiously, as if afraid that a too-fast approach would make Hunter startle and run. Hunter knew he wouldn't be able to run, though: just like he hadn't even considered it before, when he'd first heard Shane approach.

They were one foot apart, gazing at the dark forest below.

"Why here?" asked Shane. "You don't strike me as the jumping kind."

Hunter swallowed. It didn't even occur to him that this was how it might look, until Shane had asked him to step back, moments before. "It's the closest-looking to home," he said finally. "Something by the sea would be closer, but…" His voice died off.

"Yeah," agreed Shane.

"Too green," said Hunter softly. "Too many trees. The Thunder Academy is practically in the desert, south from here, where the hills turn into mountains." Thinking of the dry, open landscape of his home, Hunter took a step forward, not thinking about it bringing him closer to the edge.

Shane's hand was on his shoulder. Hunter froze, barely daring to breathe. He couldn't even remember the last time someone other than Blake had touched him. That had to be the reason why Shane's light touch went all the way down his spine, making his mind go blank for a moment. The warm hand on his shoulder made him suddenly aware of the chill of the night, bringing with it the impulse to turn towards and closer to the other person.

Shane's thumb moved across Hunter's shoulder blade, almost a caress, and he stepped closer as if he's sensed Hunter's thoughts. Hunter stood erect, motionless. It was strange to him, the ease with which Shane was offering support to someone who was, effectively, a complete stranger. He knew that some people were like that, but it didn't make Shane any easier to deal with. It didn't tell Hunter how to deal with the ambivalence of wanting to push away and pull towards at the same time.

Tiredness descended on him suddenly, as the full weight of the day came crashing down on him. Knowing that he would do no more running today, Hunter closed his eyes against the night.

Chapter 10: Awakenings

Notes:

This chapter's name is brought to you by Mara Aoifa.

She woke suddenly, as she always did. Tori lay with her eyes closed, trying to remember where she was: the feel of the mattress under her was wrong, the air different. It came to her in seconds: she was at Ninja Ops, and the mattress felt weird because it was a futon. Lying still, she kept her eyes closed, using this opportunity to examine how much information she could gather by ear. The hum of the computers was, naturally, the most prominent sound. There were also the sounds of breathing: she could tell, by the different rhythms, that only one other person was awake.

Last night they had placed their futons against the wall opposite to the monitors. Or most of them had, anyway: Cam put himself between everyone else and the main console, and Hunter had positioned himself so far to the side that he was effectively against a different wall. He hadn't really wanted to stay, but Blake seemed unwilling to leave for wherever it was they were usually staying. Blake was also the one closest to Hunter, with Dustin and Shane next in the row, and Tori the one closest to Cam. She opened her eyes, and found that she was looking straight into Shane's sleeping face. On her other side should've been Cam - but now that she could orient herself, she knew that he was the one awake. Turning to her other side she saw that indeed, Cam was already by the monitor.

She smiled at the large soundman-style headset that he was using. It had caused quite the argument the night before - Cam had tried going to sleep with regular earphones, and the escaped noise had kept everyone else from falling asleep. Eventually Shane had put his foot down, telling Cam that not trusting them enough to leave them alone with the computers overnight was one thing, and forcing his questionable musical taste on them was another.

She was too awake to lie in bed, so she pushed aside the covers and sat up. Cam turned as soon as her feet touched the deck. She smiled at him and mouthed "Good morning." Cam smiled in reply, touched something on his keyboard and took off his earphones.

"Morning," he said quietly after she'd padded over. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah." She leaned against the corner of the console, as there wasn't another chair. "You?"

"Once I fell asleep." He tapped his earphones. "I take it these isolate the sound well enough even for you guys with the super-hearing?"

"Yes," she said, and added, "Look who's talking, Mr. I-can-sense-your-feet-on-the-floor!"

He grinned. "The deck was my idea, when Dad and I designed this place."

"To allow you to block your other senses from your surroundings?"

"To assist in security," he replied with a straight face. "You should see what Dad can do with this. Not that he needs it, nowadays."

"Rodent hearing?"

"Definitely."

"How well can he hear?"

"Better than you," said Cam. The sullenness in his tone made Tori grin.

Dustin rolled in his sleep.

"Speaking of which," said Tori, dropping her pitch even lower, "we'd better take this out of here before we wake everyone up."

Cam pointed at the monitors, giving her a look.

"Come on," coaxed Tori, "Don't tell me we can't get the security feed in the kitchen."

"Do you think I'm that paranoid?"

"No," she replied with a straight face, "I know you are."

He rolled his eyes, but got up. "Coffee doesn't sound too bad, actually."

"How long have you been awake?" she asked once the door closed behind them, glad that she didn't have to whisper anymore.

"About half an hour ago."

The monitor had said 06:30. "Wow, you wake early."

"So do you," he said, "and you were way more active than me, yesterday."

"I slept six hours."

"And that is enough how?" Cam demanded as he swept into the kitchen.

"No, I mean…" Tori slowed her step, trying to organize her thoughts. "We sleep less," she said, "All three of us, since we became Rangers. I sleep three or four hours on a regular night. So, six hours, that's a lot."

Cam nodded, turning from the counter to the fridge. "What do you do with all the extra time?"

"Homework," she said dryly, catching the fridge's door from him and examining the contents for herself.

"How much homework do you have?" asked Cam, pouring milk.

"Too much," she admitted. "I have a couple of AP classes. I'd have to drop them, if not for the sleep thing."

"AP." Cam frowned, handing her the milk carton to return to the fridge. "Advanced Placement, right?"

"Yeah." Cam knew so much about most things, it was easy to forget how much he didn't know about normal everyday life. If he'd ever had one day of formal education, it had to be years ago. "So, what do we make for breakfast?"

"I usually just have coffee."

"Really?" She smiled, despite herself. "How unhealthy of you."

He shrugged. "We can't all be perfect. That was off the record," he added hurriedly.

"No problem," she said. "So, how about pancakes?"

"It would placate the wolves when they wake up," he said dryly, "which should be in about half an hour."

"How do you know?"

"They fell asleep about half an hour after you. I checked the IR records first thing when I got up this morning."

She arched a questioning eyebrow. "Do I want to know why you record everything even when you sleep in the same room with us?"

"Precisely because I was asleep. Can't watch over you when asleep, can I?"

"Cam, that's ridiculous - "

"No, it's not," he snapped. "Who else would watch over you who actually knows enough to help, if anything were to go wrong? Who else do you have for backup? My watching over you is the only safety net you guys have."

He startled her, and she tried not to show it. She knew that Cam had a way of always being there, that he always seemed to anticipate what any of them would need and have it ready before they'd ask. She hadn't thought, until that moment, about what it meant for him, or realized the full weight of the responsibility he carried.

Cam looked away. "Forget I said anything."

"Cam." She stepped away from the fridge and towards him, realizing for the first time that he'd made her coffee, too. "You're part of the team just like everyone else. You know that, right?"

"I can't be a part of the team just like everyone else," he said in a low voice, still not making eye contact.

"You are to us," she said simply, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We're all in this together."

He broke contact, turning around and picking up the two mugs, offering her the one that had to be hers. "So, pancakes?"

Inwardly, she sighed. "Pancakes."

---

Lothor was strict about meals. Everyone was to be present and no one was to be late, no exceptions. Usually, everyone was waiting by their chairs a few minutes before meal time, waiting for Lothor to arrive. No one touched the food and drink until Lothor had arrived and sat down. 'Everyone', though, was now just the sisters and Zurgane: Choobo had not been present at meals for three days, now. Not banished, yet, but diminished. Kapri wondered, sometimes, if he would meet the deadline Lothor set him but mostly, she didn't really care. It was just Choobo, and she and Marah had known all along that he wouldn't last.

Lothor sauntered in with his usual punctuality, not so much as batting an eye at the empty space. "Morning, everyone," he said with his usual morning cheerfulness as he sat down. "Bon appetite."

"Bon appetite," they replied, a well-trained choir, as they sat down.

Marah, who sat to Lothor's left, was usually the one to pour him tea. That morning, though, she only stared at her plate. Kapri reached quickly for the jug and poured her uncle his tea.

"Thank you, Kapri," he said, but did not look at her. His attention was focused on Marah. "Sleep well, Marah?"

"Yes," she said in a choked voice of sorts.

Kapri bit her lip. Displaying weakness in front of Lothor was always a bad idea, as she'd tried to explain to Marah earlier, but apparently her younger sister couldn't help but wear her heart on her sleeve.

"Fruit, sir?"

"Thank you, Zurgane," said Lothor absently, taking the basket and putting it next to his plate without touching the fruit. He was still considering Marah intently. "Then what is wrong with you, girl?"

"It's - it's George," said Marah, twisting her napkin violently.

"George?"

"Her blowfish," explained Kapri.

"Yes, yes, I know." He was still looking at Marah. "What ever happened to him?"

"He's…" Marah's lower lip began to tremble. "He's…" She began to cry.

Zurgane ceased eating, considering Marah with interest.

"She found him doing a backstroke," explained Kapri awkwardly, "Only he wasn't stroking, if you know what I mean."

Lothor finally looked at her, a sharp look that nearly made her squirm. "Ah," he said. Then he finally picked up his mug and tasted his tea. "Really, Marah," he said as he put down the cup, "it's just a pet. I'll get you a new one."

"But I loved him!" protested Marah, still crying. She was accumulating quite the pile of tissues. Kapri waved for a Kelzack to clean it up. "Don't any of you know what love is?"

"Maybe that's your problem, Marah," suggested Kapri. "You love people."

Lothor considered her again, at that, and this time his gaze was nearly appreciative.

Marah wailed louder.

Zurgane considered Marah, his impassive visage somehow condescending. Shifting his attention back to Lothor, he had apparently decided to ignore her and continue the conversation as he had any morning for the past days.

"If I may ask, Sir, how is Choobo handling his assignment?"

"He should be executing his plan today."

"Really, now." Naturally, Zurgane seemed dissatisfied: his animosity towards the lower-ranking Choobo was almost comical, at times. "And his plan would be…?"

"Doing what he does best, other than being a fool," said Lothor, munching on a bit of toast. He cleared away the crumbs with a napkin, and finished: "One may say he's gone fishing."

Kapri grabbed the arm of the Kelzack who had just placed the fresh bread on the table. "Get a new tissue box," she told it, "and fast, or you're my next practice target."

---

"That's the last of the new stuff," reported Blake as he and Hunter emerged from the back room, having unpacked and shelved all the new goods. "Anything else?"

"I think you're done for today," she told him.

He nodded. "Thanks, Kell." Behind him, Hunter nodded shortly.

"You're welcome." She wondered how long it would take him to stop thanking her at the end of each shift. She also wondered what his and Hunter's situation was, that the part-time opening she'd had meant so much to them. She didn't ask, though - Dustin vouched for them. She'd known Dustin since he was eleven, and his sense for people was uncanny.

"See you on Monday!" she called as the two were already at the door - Dustin was already waiting for them in the van. Blake turned and waved, flashing another smile. She smiled back despite herself - apparently the kid just had the charm turned on at all times. Which was probably a good idea, considering his brother's unwavering brooding expression.

She shook her head and went back to her customers.

---

The first sign of trouble was the van's cargo doors, wide open. The second was Dustin's bike, lying abandoned on the ground. Hunter picked it up, and so retrieved the third and last sign: Kelly's keys, which Dustin had held, had been on the ground next to the bike.

"This is not like Dustin," said Hunter. "Something's wrong."

"And we don't need to ask who's behind it," agreed Blake. He fished his cell phone from his pocket, and called Tori. After a few seconds, though, he shut it and put it back. "Either her cell is off, or she's somewhere with no reception."

Hunter's look grew darker. "So whatever got Dustin got her as well. Chances it got Shane?"

"Pretty damn good, I'd say."

They looked at each other for a moment. Then, with a minute sigh, Hunter tapped his morpher and raised it to his mouth. "Hunter to Ops."

"Cam here, go ahead Hunter," came Cam's voice after a second.

"We think somebody got the Winds."

There was a short pause, and then Cam said: "Care to explain this?"

"Dustin's bike and keys were lying next to the van," said Blake, "and wherever Tori is, her cell phone has no reception."

A shorter paused. "Get here as fast as you can," said Cam finally. "See you here. Cam out."

---

Cam was seated in front of the main monitor when they came in, and the monitor was showing Choobo, alone in a forest clearing.

"What's going on?" asked Hunter as soon as they stepped into the room.

"I still don't know for sure, but I'm pretty certain it has something to do with this," said Cam, indicating the screen.

"Yeah," agreed Blake. "I don't think he's there for the view."

"Anything else we need to know?" Hunter asked.

"I'll let you know if there's anything," said Cam simply. "Good luck."

Hunter nodded. He looked at Blake. "Let's do it."

---

They had taken their Tsunami Cycles to the edge of the grove, and continued on foot from there. Some ninjas were sensitive enough to sense other ninjas' streaking, and they had no intention of finding out if Choobo was one of these ninjas. Finding the quickest path through the trees was not a problem, as Cam had calculated a track based on the satellite feed and had transmitted it to their helmet display by whatever electronic voodoo he was practicing.

"I have good news and bad news," said Cam's voice, very quietly, when they were about one third of a mile from their target.

They paused.

"Go on," said Hunter.

"The good news is that I know where the Winds are. The bad news is that they're inside yet another pocket dimension, located within Choobo's back pack."

"What's the catch?" asked Blake.

"The pocket is actually within the box," explained Cam, "not just the portal to it. It means that if you smash the box, like I did with that shell, the Winds will likely be destroyed."

"How about we just force it open?" asked Hunter.

"Most likely you'll just get sucked in."

Hunter nodded, though Cam couldn't see that. "We'll figure something out. Keep us updated if you find anything more."

"Try not to get caught," said Cam. "I haven't cracked the phase shift yet, so I can't contact those who are inside."

"We'll try," said Hunter dryly. "Thanks. Hunter out."

The comm indicator light on Hunter's morpher went off. The two brothers walked on, until they came within view of Choobo. They had arrived from Choobo's right. Hunter indicated for Blake to move to Choobo's other side. When they were both in place, they attacked.

Perfectly synchronized; they didn't need to coordinate their moves. Hunter provided the cover fire of thunder and lightning, and Blake moved easily between his brother's bolts, staff crackling as he utilized one of his quicker combination moves. By the time Choobo recuperated enough to hit back, Hunter had already moved in, shooting the alien ninja's chest point blank. Blake grinned under his helmet: Hunter's tendency to work up close has had more than one opponent surprised, as they expected him to make use of his long limbs.

After the high-energy opening sequence, they reverted to mostly hand-to-hand combat. Blake used this opportunity to evaluate their opponent. Choobo didn't have the raw brutal strength that they did, but he packed mean chi attacks that Blake would rather not experience again. He was slower than they, but annoyingly resistant.

Ducking under a blow, Blake aimed for where he hoped Choobo's privates would be. Either he guessed wrong, though, or Choobo had the best balls shield ever. Switching tactics, Blake rolled aside, drew the antler and grabbed Choobo's shoulder - the torso was just too thick. Hunter cleared away in the blink of an eye, and Blake started pumping out electricity through the amplifier that was the antler.

Choobo writhed. Crying out in pain, he tried to remove the antler with his other hand. Hunter wasn't going to take any of that, though: the charge from his blaster hit Choobo's hand before he so much as touched the cable.

Holding on against Choobo's attempts to break free, Blake maintained the current for as long as he could before retracting the antler and flipping backwards, before Choobo could aim anything at him. Hunter, who had stayed clear of Blake's high-voltage attack, moved in promptly. Making heavy use of his staff, he alternated between regular and charged blows. Seeing that his brother was holding his own, for now, Blake tapped his morpher. "Cam! Any leads?"

"Nothing we can use, yet!" was the quick reply. "The phase shift has some sort of randomized cycling - I didn't manage to crack it, yet."

"Can't we break in somehow, without cracking the code?" He hardly knew Watanabe's son, but the guy gave off an intelligent vibe that was palpable. Plus, he'd seen the blind trust the Winds had in him, and had seen the technology of Ninja Ops. Putting all these together, Blake was sure that Cam would supply him with the answer he needed - if he just pressed enough.

"Only by breaking the linker - the item connecting the pocket dimension to the outside."

"Okay. What's the linker?"

"I can't lock on it without the phase shift," - Blake was about to say something - "but if I had to make a guess, I'd say the tubes. You can see them yourself."

There were two white tubes, running from the pack to Choobo's chest.

"Should I tear them out?"

"No, you'll probably just get sucked in."

What else could he do? "How about if I electrocute them?"

Slight pause. "Maybe if you applied the voltage from your antler directly to one of the tubes," said Cam finally. "They seem to be pretty well-insulated. Nothing less would so much as tickle these."

"On it," said Blake simply. "Blake out."

Using the antler required relatively a lot of energy - there was a reason Blake had never used it twice in the same battle before. If that were the best chance they had, though, then that was what he would do. He considered his target: the tubes were relatively narrow, a small target, but nothing he couldn't handle. It was be best if he could apply the voltage from as short a distance as possible, as that would maximize the amplifier's output.

Hunter ducked. Blake didn't wait for a second chance, launching himself into a flying kick aimed at Choobo's chest. Choobo stumbled back. Pushing his reflexes to their limits, standing no more than two feet from his prey, Blake grabbed one tube with the antler and applied the most violent voltage he could control, as the highest current he could supply. The wave of energy went directly to Choobo's pack, causing the lid to rattle.

It wasn't enough. There was only so long Blake could maintain such a power spike, and when he finally had to stop he was too tired, too slow, to block Choobo's punch. Choobo must've packed everything he had into that blow, because Blake flew back in the air, hitting a tree. When he picked himself up he saw that Hunter had moved in, fighting hand-to-hand and disturbingly close to the green monstrosity.

Hunter tripped Choobo; Choobo gripped Hunter's collar while letting himself fall, clearly intending to roll back and toss Hunter away; Hunter, though, seemed to have expected precisely that, before he pulled out his staff in record time, passing it through the loops of both tubes. The two combatants fell on top of one another, waves of crimson electricity running over them. Blake cried out: while Hunter was relatively immune to electricity, more so in his morphed state, there was still a limit - and judging by the smell of ozone, he was pushing it.

Hunter and Choobo were both smoking; the tubes were glowing, the lid of the pack nearly opened several times, but Choobo had forced it back each time. Then, with a cry of sheer defiance, Hunter pressed down, upping his output. The crackling cascade of energy grew so bright that Blake had to close his eyes. He heard an explosion, Hunter crying out in pain, and three thumps.

"Hunter!" he called. The clearing was filled with dense smoke.

"Blake, it's all right!" called a familiar voice - though not Hunter's.

"Tori!"

"Let's do it, guys!" called Shane's voice.

Even through the smoke, Blake could see the flashes of light created by the Winds' morphing. Running in that direction, he saw three shadows fighting a larger shadow - and another one, lying on the ground. Blake kneeled next to his brother. "Hunter?"

Hunter, still morphed and apparently conscious, turned his head. "It worked."

"Yeah," agreed Blake. "Try not to scare me so much next time though, okay?"

"Sorry. That's what it took to make it work, though."

The smoke was clearing. Blake could now see that Choobo had been considerably damaged by the explosion: he had charred spots all over him, and other areas were red and very obviously burnt. The Winds, apparently, were unharmed by their stay in the prison dimension - and heavily laying into Choobo. It was a short, intensive fight, ending with the Winds assembling the Storm Striker and blasting the green nuisance out of existence - or almost. Blake wasn't the only one swearing when the glowing kanji descended from the sky, followed by the rise of a skyscraper-sized Choobo.

---

Kapri winced several times during the zord fight. Choobo wasn't exactly a bad warrior, and had a powerful motivation to fight, what with the threat of banishment hanging over his head, but it didn't look like he was going to make it. He was facing off against two Megazords, and all five Rangers piloting said zords seemed to really have it in for him. Choobo seemed to know that he was doomed. He, too, had seen the fate of every ninja who went against a Megazord. His efforts were becoming more and more desperate as the fight went on. When both Megazords drew their swords, Kapri knew the battle was over.

"What do you say, girls?" asked Lothor, "Should I put up an ad for a new lieutenant?"

"Will he be as amusing as Choobo was?" asked Marah. She was not too thrilled about Choobo's expected demise - she, more than Kapri, had taken to teasing Choobo as a pastime, and it seemed she considered the loss of her pet and her favourite toy on the same day to be too much.

With typical synchronization, the two Megazords brought down their swords then turned their backs on the resulting explosion. For a moment, the bridge was silent. Then Kapri's PAM beeped. Surprised, she glanced at the display.

"He survived," she said.

Lothor leaned back in his throne. "Beam him up, then."

Zurgane stepped forward. "Sir, but you specifically said - "

"I know what I said, General. Bring him up, Kapri."

With the stroke of a key, Choobo appeared in the room. It took Kapri a moment to process what she was seeing, and then she burst out laughing; it was just too precious. Marah, too, took a moment to realize what she was seeing, but her reaction was to run forward, squealing loudly, "Oh, Elements, he is so cute!"

Six-inch-tall Choobo cried out and tried to run away, but was no match for the full-sized Marah. She picked him up and cuddled him. "Are you just the cutest?" she purred. Suddenly she looked up at Lothor, eyes wide with hope. "Can I keep him, Uncle? Please? Can he be my new pet?"

"No! No!" cried the miniature Choobo, trying in vain to escape from Marah's firm grip.

Lothor covered his ears against the shrill sound. "Keep him in your room," he warned, "or get him a muffler."

Beaming, Marah squealed again, ran forward, kissed Lothor on the cheek and ran out, new pet hugged protectively.

"Well, at least it's better than her constant wailing," muttered Lothor.

Kapri was inclined to agree - though she made a mental note to check if the Scroll of Empowerment Choobo stole was not tampered with.

---

Shane was waiting for him in the short hallway outside Ops' med room, lounging against the wall. "Cam told you to rest," he said.

"I did," said Hunter, trying to be civil. The red Wind Ranger had a way of getting on his nerves just by being there. Hunter tried walking past, but Shane moved to block his way. Hunter raised an eyebrow.

Shane crossed his arms on his chest. "For all of ten minutes," he said. "Did you time how long it takes Cam to go down to the Zords bay or something?"

"What are you, my nanny or something?" Really. Did Shane have to involve himself in everything Hunter did or said? Hunter had no idea why he kept letting Shane get away with it.

Shane was still blocking his way. "Listening to Cam is usually the smart thing to do," he said, seemingly oblivious to the venom in Hunter's question, or the way Hunter was considering him. "Take it from someone who's learned it the hard way."

"Well, I'm going home to rest, okay?" They actually had a place with a roof, now: it was a single room and not in the best part of town, but it wasn't in the worst part, either, and it wasn't a total dump.

"And you intend to get there how? Streaking?" Shane took a step forward, bringing him and Hunter nearly chest to chest. Hunter could nearly feel Shane's breath on his face. "You spent so much energy you nearly fried your morpher. Take it a little easy on yourself, all right?"

"Leave me be," said Hunter. He'd really had enough of Shane and his attitude, and he'd certainly had enough of Shane not letting him move. "I mean it, Shane. Get out of my way."

"I really appreciate what you did today," said Shane, out of nowhere. "Saving us and all that. But that was enough crazy shit for one day, okay?"

He was tired, he was sore all over, with a headache on top as a result of the effort he'd expended earlier, and Shane had just pushed him too far. Hunter moved suddenly, intending to trip Shane and send him to the ground, preferably with a dislocated shoulder. Somehow, though, he ended up pressed between Shane and the rough stone wall, wondering when had Shane gotten so fast.

"See?" said Shane through gritted teeth, pressing his arm harder against Hunter's chest for effect. "I never would've been able to do this to you if you weren't halfway to burnout."

"Fine," said Hunter, through gritted teeth as well. "You proved your point."

"Does this mean you're going to stay put for half an hour?"

"What do you think?"

"I think not."

"So you're not a complete fool."

Shane paused. When he spoke again, it was everything but what Hunter had expected: "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, no anger in his voice, just plain curiosity, and something else, which Hunter wouldn't name. He'd heard that from Shane, before, the tone of voice that was warm and approachable, making Hunter want to lash out.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he spat. He tried to break free but he must have been really tired, because he didn't get anywhere at all, and Shane just pushed him against the wall even harder, leaning against him with all his body, pressing the two of them together.

He hadn't been ready for this. Not for this. For three heartbeats they stood like that, so close together that clothes were the only distance between them, Shane's face practically in his, warm brown eyes so close that Hunter couldn't possibly look away. Then Shane's lips closed on his and Hunter closed his eyes, instinctively letting Shane in. It felt strange - vulnerable, exposed, distracting. He felt as if the only thing keeping him up was the steady pressure of Shane's body.

Then, suddenly, that pressure was gone and Hunter stumbled, taking a moment to find his balance again. When he looked up, he saw that Shane seemed frozen, as shocked as Hunter. For a moment they stood like that, Shane in the middle of the hallway and Hunter leaning against the wall, and then Hunter pushed himself away and walked past Shane, biting his lip as their sleeves brushed against each other in the narrow hallway.

Chapter 11: Easier to Run

"It's easier to run
Replacing this pain with something numb
It's so much easier to go
Than face all this pain here all alone"
- Easier to Run, Linkin Park

---

It was, possibly, the fastest streaking he'd ever done. Hunter streaked to the safe spot he and Blake had established and then walked to their apartment as fast as he could, trying to not draw attention from passersby. He leaned against the wall once he was inside the building: his head was spinning so hard he could hardly stand. Once he was more-or-less stable on his feet again, he climbed the three flights of stairs to the apartment.

Blake opened the door as soon as Hunter reached the landing. Even against the backlighting, Hunter could see that Blake's forehead was creased with worry. "You look like you need to sleep," said Blake succinctly as he moved aside, letting Hunter in.

Hunter nodded and turned towards the mattresses. Passing out seemed like a good idea.

Blake caught his arm. "Not without eating something first, Bro."

Only turning his head, Hunter looked at his brother. Nausea and food mixed badly together.

"Don't even think about it," said Blake firmly, pulling Hunter towards the kitchen area. "You're going to put some calories in, even if they're just sweetened tea."

It took two cups of tea and some crackers before Blake chilled, and agreed that Hunter probably wouldn't go hypoglycemic in the next couple of hours. It was a good thing that Blake, too, thought that Hunter should rest, and that he was rather tired himself, and so he didn't bother Hunter about his silence.

---

He seriously contemplated not getting out of bed when his alarm clock went off. Getting out of bed meant going to school; going to school meant Tori and Dustin would see him and know he wasn't sick, and then he wouldn't be able to avoid practice after school; going to practice meant facing Hunter, and Shane felt he'd rather go hand-to-hand with Lothor while unmorphed.

Ditching school was very, very tempting. Unfortunately, he probably won't be able to get away with it. He had never managed to get a lie past Tori, for one thing; for another, Sensei and Cam firmly maintained that Rangers could not get sick. He couldn't avoid practice without raising attention, and he wanted that about as much as he wanted to face Hunter.

What would Hunter do? Shane wondered. What was he thinking? Would he look for ways to avoid Shane, or would he seek confrontation? Hunter struck him as the kind of guy who met things head on - but so was Shane, usually. Perhaps Hunter, too, would rather forget what happened outside the infirmary room.

Shane buried his face in his pillow. Just thinking about that was enough to make his body react again, and it confused him more than he felt he could handle. On the one hand, he'd never been attracted to a guy before; on the other, he'd never really been attracted to any girl, either. What happened outside the infirmary was everything he had thought a kiss would be like - until he had realized what he was doing.

He looked at the clock, and groaned. Four a.m.. Damn it. Can't morning at least come now?

---

In retrospect, she should've known something was up when Shane had been nearly late to class that morning. She had overlooked it, then, because it wasn't that unusual. Only later she realized that it hadn't happened since they had become Rangers. After lunch break she definitely knew that something was up, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. It bothered her through the afternoon school hours. She got her first real hint when it was time to go to practice, and Shane's expression turned apprehensive for a second. That gave her something to think of during the ride to Academy grounds. When the three of them finally joined with Blake and Hunter, things became apparent.

She really hadn't expected Shane and Hunter to get along. They were both too strong for that. Shane wasn't quite as overbearing as he'd been, but that didn't mean he wasn't possessive and domineering. He'd also hated Hunter since he first laid eyes on him. Hunter, for his part, was not exactly making himself likable, either. So Tori didn't expect them to play well together, and had actually anticipated a measure of rivalry.

She hadn't expected flat-out hostility. She hadn't expected them to not make eye contact, to not even speak to each other directly. Shane was going out of his way to ignore Hunter as much as possible, and Hunter was being as mean to Shane as he could without speaking to him, or even mentioning him in conversation. It drove her insane, and she wasn't the only one: Cam was growing more and more impatient by the minute, and Blake was frowning so hard that she had the irrational fear the expression would stick. Dustin was predictably oblivious, and Sensei had to be practicing his control very hard.

Blake and Hunter all but fled after practice - quite predictably, as Hunter probably wanted to get away and Blake looked like he was going to have a talk with his brother. Shane, too, was itching to leave - which was understandable as well, as Sensei was bound to corner him if he would've lingered. For once, Tori was glad that Dustin lived in a different neighbourhood than her and Shane: it meant she and Shane got some alone time after dropping off Dustin.

"So," she said conversationally once they got moving again, "You and Hunter had a fight?"

Shane started. "What?"

"Come on." She rolled her eyes. "You didn't so much as say hi to each other."

"Yeah, because we were such great friends all along."

"So okay, you disliked the guy at first sight." Shane shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat. "But you could at least stand to look at him, before." He had also seemed to warm up to Hunter during their misfortune on Toxipod's island, but she didn't bring that up. It could've been just Shane reacting to someone who seemed to need him.

"Didn't have to see him every day for practice, before."

"Shane, you two were still all right with each other last practice, the day before yesterday," she said, letting a touch of exasperation into her voice. "You've had a fight, sometime between then and this morning." It was a likely scenario: she knew Shane had hung back yesterday, and she knew Cam held Hunter for a while. It had to be the first time those two interacted unsupervised, and it was no surprise that it blew up.

"We didn't fight."

"Come on, Shane." It wasn't like she expected him to fess up immediately, but he usually gave after realizing she had figured everything out already.

"We didn't have a fight, okay?" he repeated, his tone clearly upset. "Nothing's wrong."

Tori blinked. 'Nothing wrong' was bull, all right, but the other part rang strange compared to that - as if Shane wasn't flat-out lying. She didn't really get it.

"So what happened?" she asked, just to keep the conversation going while she thought. If Shane and Hunter had had a fight, and Shane was angry with Hunter, then it was pretty weird that he had ignored Hunter during practice. Shane tended to express his anger. The silent treatment was totally not Shane's style.

"Nothing happened."

Unless Hunter had bruised Shane's pride really badly: that was one of the higher offences, in Shane's book. He was such a typical guy, sometimes.

"All right, so you didn't have a fight; but something did happen between the two last practice sessions." She gave it a second, and continued: "Look, Shane, what could've possibly happened that you can't tell me?"

Silence. She sneaked a look, and saw that Shane's look was cast down.

Moments passed. They had arrived at their neighbourhood and entered the street where Shane lived, and still he didn't answer her.

"Shane?" she asked tentatively.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I figured as much," she said. "Let me know if you change your mind."

"I will."

She stopped the car in front of his house. "See you tomorrow?"

"Sure. See ya."

Her frown followed him into the house.

---

Blake raised his eyes from the pot of cooking pasta. "Out for a jog?"

His hand on the door handle, Hunter nodded. So they'd had practice with the Winds earlier. So? They were used to training harder than this.

"Do some miles for me, too," said Blake, and that was it. Hunter headed out.

They lived a couple of miles away from the sea, but that wasn't a considerable distance, to Hunter: within twenty minutes he had sand under his shoes, rather than pavement. The wet, close-packed sand felt good to run on, and the sea breeze was pleasant. So long as he stayed away from the swimming beaches, there was nothing and no one to interrupt him: it was just him, the breeze and the sunlight scattering over the waves. He hadn't realized how much he'd needed that until the tension lifted off of him, his body finally finding its right rhythm. The track used to be his escape, but Blue Bay's track was busier than Stone Canyon's; practicing katas used to be his meditation, but he hadn't been able to school his mind in a while. Perhaps if he worked off some more energy he'd win his concentration again.

Breathe; one foot up, one foot down. It was a simple rhythm, one he could maintain. The seaside was good, even if the salty air was humid, heavy and hard to breath: that was why he waited for dusk to go out. It didn't hurt that here he was away from the near-tangible pressure of people looking at him, considering him. Of the Rangers and everyone involved with them, Dustin and Cam currently ranked the top of Hunter's list simply because they were the only ones not looking at Hunter as though trying to look inside his head.

Except for Shane, who wasn't looking at him at all.

Hunter gritted his teeth and kept his pace. He didn't want to think about that. He shouldn't have let it happen. Who knew being attracted to Shane would prove more of a problem when working with the guy, instead of against him?

He realized his attraction to Shane after the way the guy had distracted him the first time they met, that day at Storm Chargers. It wasn't exactly expected - few people got past Hunter's determination to ignore them - but it didn't come out of the blue, either: he'd been physically attracted to guys before. The first time it happened he had been confused, granted; he didn't understand it. He tried to work it out in his head for a while, until Maeve Omino's next visit. He had to be very careful about approaching the topic, not wanting to betray the reason for his interest. If Maeve understood his motive she said nothing of it, but her answer had given him what he needed. In the four years that passed since, Hunter had learned to quench his interest in other guys and culture the little interest he had in girls into something that maybe could be worked with.

He thought he could ignore Shane, too, as he had ignored the handful of other guys who had caught his attention in the past. It shouldn't have been a problem. He would've done it, too, if Shane hadn't…

Hunter slowed his step, stopped, and rested his forearms against his thighs, breathing hard and staring into the setting sun. What happened the day before had caught him unprepared. Thinking about it made him feel as he had in that moment: a mix of conflicting emotions he didn't understand and didn't want to experience again - except that he couldn't get it out of his head.

Shane just had to keep being unpredictable, too. Hunter didn't know what to make of his behaviour at practice. Shane totally ignoring him wasn't something he could just put up with, regardless of whether or not the previous day's events were acknowledged. His attempts to goad a reaction out of Shane failed completely.

He straightened his back and got running again. The purpose of the exercise was to work off steam, not to stand in place and catch a cold from the chilly autumn air.

---

Two days after the conflict between Shane and Hunter blew up, Hunter came to Sensei and asked permission to jog on Academy grounds outside of practice hours, by himself. Cam's dad had naturally agreed. When Hunter checked in at Ops each day before beginning his jog, Cam took it for common courtesy. When Hunter had taken to dropping by after his daily jogs, too, Cam started paying attention. Hunter was the team's black hole, answering when interacted with but hardly initiating any contact. Watching him interact with the others, Cam often thought that Hunter stood out like a bruise.

Once Cam realized that dropping in and out of Ninja Ops was Hunter's way of reaching out, he started thinking of ways to cultivate that spark. He made sure there would be a water bottle waiting for Hunter when checking in, and some fruits when he returned from his run; he downloaded a pulse-meter to Hunter's morpher, and showed him how to use it; he listened to Hunter a little more than he did to the others, and resigned to sometimes working with Hunter sitting or pacing in the background. It was worth it, if it gave Hunter a sense that there was someone he could turn to if he ever needed it.

Surprisingly, Hunter's presence wasn't a burden. Maybe it was because he didn't speak much, and just hung around. Maybe it was because hearing another human being's breathing was soothing, even for a withdrawn person like Cam who usually avoided other people if he only could. Either way, he found himself looking forward to Hunter's visits rather than resenting them.

He watched Hunter's interaction with the others, wary. Hunter didn't seem to change, but it was too soon to expect everything. So Cam kept up the small gestures and the open door, and hoped.

---

She was used to Shane and Dustin occasionally doing their homework in the TV alcove. It was more unusual to see Tori and her notebooks there, but still Kelly didn't really notice anything had changed until she spotted Tori doing her homework there two times in the same week. That gave Kelly a heads-up: Tori, unlike the boys, genuinely cared for her schoolwork. For her to do her homework at Storm Chargers, during what was - for her - hanging out time, meant that something was up.

Getting a solid idea of the kids' schedules was harder than Kelly thought it would be. While the kids didn't resent her extra attention, and actually seemed to welcome it, they were incredibly vague about what they were doing with their time. Still, Kelly managed to get the picture: between group martial arts practices and solitary practice time at whatever their chosen hobbies were, the time they spent at Storm Chargers - the boys working and Tori hanging out with them - and the hours they had to spend at school, Kelly was surprised that they weren't showing the stress more than they were.

Carefully, she approached Dustin and Shane about their work hours. Dustin, who spent hours each day fixing bikes in her shop, blew off her suggestion, saying she was blowing things out of proportion. Shane, though, seemed relieved - if guiltily so - to cut down the time he spent behind the counter. It seemed to do him good, and the rest of her sales staff filled up his time, no problem.

Being more involved with Dustin's friends highlighted those things she didn't know of the kids who sometimes seemed to practically live at her store. She knew, of course, how Blake and Hunter got involved with the other three, but she had no idea why or to where they had disappeared about two weeks back. She didn't know how they got involved with the martial arts madness that seemed to overtake the entire gang's time. Then there was the mystery of the rift between Shane and Hunter - but then again, it wasn't like anyone else knew what had happened there, either.

---

The conflict between Shane and Hunter - which they both refused to admit - was driving Tori nuts. It was annoying enough in the beginning, when Shane had flat-out ignored Hunter's existence, but since then Hunter's snide comments had driven Shane to adopt a similar behaviour. This, of course, escalated Hunter's behaviour, which in turn made Shane up the nastiness as well. It really irritated Tori, and not just her: Blake, too, had suffered from the rift. He also admitted to Tori that he had no idea what had happened, either. Cam seemed to ignore the entire situation, and Sensei kept trying - and failing - to get Hunter and Shane to play nice during practice. Dustin stubbornly refused to admit the fight, preferring to gloss over it, as if pretending that nothing was wrong would somehow fix things. Sooner or later, Tori knew, he would snap.

It finally happened one random day at Storm Chargers. Tori was in the alcove, alternatively doing her homework and watching a race with Blake; Hunter and Dustin were on the floor of the shop, Hunter fixing something on his bike and Dustin on a customer's; and Shane was alternatively working as cashier and helping customers. It was a pretty safe constellation, and Tori thought they'd be able to make it through the afternoon quietly, for a change. That was why she didn't follow the guys too closely, her attention shifting between her work and Blake's close presence.

Neither of them noticed anything was up until Shane started getting loud. Blake put down the remote, she put down her pen, and they walked over to where Dustin and Hunter had been working: apparently Shane went there to ask Dustin something, Hunter just had to goad him, and it spiraled out of control from there. It seemed strange to Tori that they remained a good few paces apart - she would've expected Shane and Hunter to draw closer and try to physically intimidate each other. Poor Dustin was stuck in the middle.

"All right, guys, really," he said, ruffling his hair in the gesture that said he was really stressed, "Knock it off."

"Stay out of it, Dustin," said Hunter.

"Not your fight," said Shane.

"Really," insisted Dustin. "Can't you just kiss and make up or something?"

The effect was dramatic: Hunter and Shane both stepped back, Shane looking as if he'd been burnt and Hunter's cool mask cracking for a second, revealing a whole jumble of emotions. The atmosphere, which was charged and heavy before, became even thicker, almost electric.

What just happened? Tori wondered.

"What did I say?" asked Dustin.

Hunter was first to move, eyes firmly downcast as he resumed working on his bike. Shane lingered for a few seconds, watching Hunter with a look that was strangely devoid of hostility, before returning to the store's main area, shoulders slumped. He didn't say a word as he brushed past Tori and Blake.

Blake frowned. Tori shrugged. He nodded, then touched her shoulder and jabbed his thumb towards where Shane had gone while indicating with his head towards the shop: you take care of yours and I of mine? his gesture seemed to say.

Tori nodded. Dustin liked Blake, and anyway Blake was the only one who knew Hunter at all. He could handle them. Shane was her problem to solve.

---

She found Shane at a short distance from Storm Chargers, sitting on the pavement and staring into the wall on the other side of the road. He had to hear her approach, but he didn't say anything until a good few seconds after she sat down next to him.

"So," he said, "Now you know."

She didn't actually, but she figured it would be wiser not to say that.

"And you're cool with it, which is what I should've expected, really," he continued. "I'm still - I don't get it, really. I really don't. Can't make it better if I don't know what 'better' is, right?"

None of it made sense to her, but she didn't say so aloud.

"What do you think?" Shane asked.

"Hard to tell you if I don't know exactly what happened, right?" she answered. It seemed safe enough - even if she had understood whatever it was he thought she did, it wouldn't give her the details.

He looked at her sideways. "You're not going to run off to Blake, right?"

"What? Shane, come on." Not that she didn't get where he was coming from.

"You two talk about everything, as far as I know."

"I promise not to tell Blake," she said.

She thought he didn't believe her, and was just about to reiterate what she'd just said, when finally Shane started talking.

"It was right after we kicked Choobo's ass," he said, "when we returned to Ninja Ops. Hunter looked like hell and Cam dragged him down to the infirmary. I stuck around because Hunter always does stupid stuff, and I figured someone had better be there to make sure he did as Cam said."

Pause.

"He tried to leave just about the second Cam took off, and I heard Cam telling him to stay put for at least half an hour, and something about the amount of energy he'd exerted to knock Choobo's box open. So I blocked him when he got out of the infirmary. I actually tried to talk to him, but there's no talking reason with this dude. So I blocked him, and he tried to tackle me, and then it happened."

"Then what happened?" she asked gently.

He shook his head.

She hesitated for a moment, then put her arm around his shoulders. "Come on, Shane. Just say it."

He shook his head again. She waited. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, almost beginning to speak. Finally, he blurted: "I kissed Hunter, okay?"

It was so the last thing she expected to hear that she had no idea what to say. After two seconds or so of shock she hugged him, simply because he looked like he needed it. All the time, her mind was racing furiously, putting the pieces together: small things about Shane that didn't make sense, throughout the years; the strong way he'd reacted to Hunter; Shane's insistence that they didn't fight, per se; and how Hunter seemed to search for Shane's attention, even if in a negative way.

She drew back, searching his face. "Oh my god, you had no idea, right?"

"Had no idea that what? That I'm gay?" he retorted. His expression was hard, angry. "No, I had no idea and I still don't get it."

"You may also be bi, you know."

Shane didn't seem too convinced, but didn't say anything. Instead, he sounded almost plaintive as he asked: "But Hunter?"

She shrugged. "You like challenges. Hunter's as tough as it gets."

He grumbled, but said nothing.

"You didn't notice anything?" she asked carefully. "Before - before what happened, that is?"

"No. Not really."

Pause.

"Now what?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said simply. "A day or two right after, I think he really just wanted to talk to you. Now?" she shrugged.

"You say it like you think I want something to happen."

"Don't you?"

Shane tightened his lips. "No. I don't."

Chapter 12: Gestalt

Climbing down the ladder, Tori surveyed her handiwork. "Banner's looking good, Kelly!" she called out.

"Good!" called Kelly back. "I don't suppose I'll see you participating, huh?"

Tori put the ladder aside. "If you'd added surfing I'd be all over it."

"Dude, because competing against you on the water is so fair to everyone else," said Dustin, passing through with a can of motor oil.

Tori just rolled her eyes at him, silently glad that Kelly took comments such as this as humor.

"What about you, Dustin?" asked Kelly. "Are you going to sign up?"

"No way," said Dustin, raising both his arms in mock-apprehension. "I'm still sore from last year's skating!"

Kelly shook her head, 'but put the stack of forms she'd been holding down on the counter. "Think any of the others will sign up?"

"Not Blake," said Tori automatically. "He won't go within three feet of a skateboard."

"What is it with moto guys and skate-phobia?" demanded Kelly. She threw up her hands, half exasperated and half amused. "Besides, that's what the team competition is for."

"Well, maybe," Dustin relented. "I'll ask Shane once… Oh, there they are!"

And indeed, Shane and Hunter stepped in. Tori surveyed them surreptitiously: their sparring sessions, closely supervised as they were, still tended to get too violent too fast. Today, though, it seemed they'd managed to keep from bruising each other in visible areas - they weren't even wearing long sleeves.

"Shane! Hunter!" Kelly's face lit up. "Any chance you'd like to sign up for the Total Track Tournament?"

Hunter glanced up at the banner, and then at the board detailing the events. "Sure," he said.

Shane shot him a sidelong glance. "I'm in."

"Great!" Kelly reached out to the stack of forms, hand hovering over it. "Individual, or team competition?"

"What?" Shane's sneer wasn't as good as Hunter's, yet, but he was improving. "Individual, definitely."

"Yeah," agreed Hunter, giving Shane a look of disgust.

"Hey, Shane, man," started Dustin, "I thought maybe we could…"

"Individual," reiterated Shane. He took the offered form from Kelly's hand. "You are so going to get it," he told Hunter before turning his back and walking away.

Hunter pressed his lips together for a second, and Tori wished yet again that she could read him: what small signs of emotion he showed were always too faint for her to decipher. Then his expression relaxed into the familiar cool mask, and he said: "Wait, did you hear that?"

She hated that tone of voice. It made her feel as if the temperature in the room just dropped.

Shane paused, turned around. He looked wary as Hunter approached him, each step a silent declaration of skill to a ninja's trained eye. "No, I didn't," he said.

One step away from Shane, Hunter paused. "It sounds like your hopes and dreams coming crashing down around you," he said, his tone still smooth, still icy. "I'm gonna tear your ass."

"You wish," said Shane, haughty tone just this side of controlled.

Hunter raised his eyebrows questioningly, and then turned and walked towards the back room, where Blake already was, setting crates in their place. Shane remained standing for another moment, then snorted deliberately and disappeared into the crowd of customers.

"Two alpha males in their natural habitat," said Tori neutrally, hoping to ease the tension in the air, and quite conscious of Kelly's confusion at Shane's behaviour.

Kelly smiled sympathetically. "Boys," she agreed. "Some of them remain five-year-olds forever."

"Yeah," agreed Tori, faking a smile. It had gone far enough. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Hey, where are you going?" called Kelly after her.

"Forgot something at the dojo!" called Tori back. "Twenty minutes, I'll be back!"

---

Cam was at his perpetual perch by the computer. He wasn't the one she was looking for, though.

"No, I don't know where he is," said Cam. "All he said was that he's gone to meditate on some things."

"Oh." She hadn't counted on Sensei being unavailable. "I guess you don't know when he'll be back, either."

"Sorry." Cam considered her for a moment. "What happened? You guys just left here less than an hour ago."

"It's about Shane and Hunter."

Cam's lip pressed into a thin line. "What happened?"

Tori shrugged. "The usual: insulting each other, nearly brawling. Nothing special."

"Nearly brawling?" Cam seemed torn between alarm and skepticism. "You don't really think they would, right?"

"No, but they scare me still."

"Dad's doing what he can."

"Cam, this sparring together thing isn't working," she said exasperatedly. That's what she wanted to tell Sensei. "It's only making it worse. I don't think their problem is not being used to each other. I think they need to ignore each other as much as they can for a while." It only made sense if one knew what caused the explosion, and she was pretty sure she was the only one who knew. "They'll do just that if he'll leave them be, and after a while they'll be able to be civil to each other again. But forcing them to interact is only aggravating the situation."

"I told him that."

"You did?" That surprised her. Cam didn't tend to openly disagree with his father, and he tended to believe in banging people's heads together.

"Yes."

"And he didn't change his mind." She sighed.

"He treats it like a regular conflict," said Cam after a moment. "It's hard to explain to him why it isn't."

She gave him a weird look. That sounded too much like what she'd been thinking. "How do you figure it's not a regular conflict?"

Cam shifted in his chair. "It just seems that way."

"Sure," she agreed. "It's so obvious that your dad, who's pretty good with people, got it right away."

"So I've had a hunch."

"You don't get hunches, Cam. Or if you do, you don't trust them until you have you gut feeling backed up with facts." It was a long shot, but it was worth it. "You know."

"Know what?"

"Come on." A smile was tugging at the corner of her lips, now. It was so obvious, now that she actually thought of it instead of just panicking over Shane's denial. "Nothing can happen in Ninja Ops without your knowing. You had cameras running outside the infirmary, or something."

"Voice sensors," he said, "which didn't record anything that would justify all this hostility." His lips twitched. "There are cameras now, obviously."

She waited.

"Hunter," he said finally.

Her eyebrows shot up. "He actually knows how to talk? Wow."

"Mostly, he broods," said Cam dryly, "but Dustin got under his skin once."

"Got under Shane's, too," she said.

Silence. There wasn't much they could say without betraying trust. She was dying to know what Hunter was thinking and feeling - it would've made it easier for her to work things out with Shane, regardless of her own plain curiosity. She didn't ask, though, because Cam's expression clearly said that anything he knew, he wasn't sharing. As for her, she would've risked it and shared with Cam, if only she knew where Shane was standing - if only Shane had known: he had not yet worked beyond grudgingly accepting that he wasn't straight.

"I'll tell my dad what you said," said Cam, "and I'll give you a call when he's back, see if you can drop by again and tell him yourself."

"Think it would help any?"

"Worth a shot."

"He didn't listen to you," she pointed.

Cam nearly snorted. "Yeah. Because he holds my ability judge to people in such a high regard. You, on the other hand, have a good track record. Maybe he'll consider it if it comes from you, too."

She didn't know what to say to that, so she simply said: "Thanks."

Cam nodded. "Anytime."

He returned his attention to the monitor, and she turned to leave.

"Tori," he called when she already had her foot on the first step.

She turned around.

Cam considered her seriously over the rim of his glasses.

"Why is Shane doing it?" he asked. "It's not the kiss that did this. You don't have to answer," he added hastily.

She shook her head. "They're not talking, so maybe you and I should," she said. After a long pause, she added: "I think he's afraid, Cam."

Cam nodded. "I'll call you when Dad's back. And good luck," he added, "You're going straight back to the lions' den, right?"

"Right," she confirmed. "And thanks. For everything."

He smiled. "Anytime."

---

The boxing Bop-a-Roo was probably Kapri's least-liked trainer. His programming was a masterpiece, but still he was a robot, with all the advantages and disadvantages it implied: strong, fast and impossible to tire, a good practice for facing off against Rangers, but not the most inspired when it came to tactics. Still, stamina and raw force were Kapri's and Marah's greatest weaknesses against the Rangers, thus Lothor's purchase of the Bop-a-Roo.

The buzzer sounded, indicating the end of the training session. Kapri stepped back. She, Marah and Bop-a-Roo bowed to each other.

"Good, but not good enough," said Lothor. He came to watch the girls' session with Bop-a-Roo at least twice a week, and never failed to point out at least five things each of them needed to improve.

"Ew, Uncle, come on!" complained Marah, gingerly testing her freshly-bruised shoulder. "Bop-a-Roo is brutal. We can't be as strong as he, and you know it. You should send him against the Rangers, they won't stand a chance."

Lothor opened his mouth, quite possibly to tell her off, but then closed it, looking quite surprised. "Was that an actual idea that came from the empty space between your ears, Marah?"

Kapri, too, was surprised, though probably less than her Uncle. She knew that her sister was far from stupid: she was incredibly unmotivated, which Kapri considered to be even worse.

"It's a good idea," ruled Lothor. "I like it. Get changed, girls. I'll see you on the bridge in ten."

"I'm never going to get showered and ready in ten minutes!" protested Marah. "I'm all stinky and filthy! Look at my hair!" she held out a damp, sweat-soaked lock.

"I'll hurry if I were you, then," called Lothor behind his shoulder. "You've already lost fifteen seconds."

Kapri smirked. With a snap of her fingers, her sweaty training suit was replaced with fresh clothes from her closet, her makeup corrected and her body cleansed of the sweat and dust. Her hair was immaculate. It was hard for her not to laugh at Marah's look of surprise - Kapri didn't usually boast her few, hard-earned sorcery skills. "See you on the bridge, sis," she teased as she turned towards the door.

"You're just jealous because it was my idea, for a change!" shouted Marah at her back. "We're together in this, Kapri, in case you've forgotten! We're…"

The door closed behind Kapri's back, cutting off the rest of Marah's words.

---

"There must be a thousand things you would die for
I can hardly think of two
But not everything is better spoken aloud
Not when I'm talking to you"

-Mystery, Indigo Girls

---

He calculated odds as he ran. He and Hunter were pretty equal in stamina and general fitness: the running and urban climbing competitions would be pretty close. He'd best Hunter at the skate ramp, no problem, but was bound to lose at the moto track. It didn't matter, though, so long as he sucked with a bike less than Hunter would with a board. Shane figured the chances of that happening were pretty decent: he had at least some experience with bikes, while as far as he knew Hunter had never stepped on a skateboard. He didn't have to win the tournament: he just had to beat Hunter.

He had to end this issue, somehow, because it was taking over his life. Hunter's eyes were haunting him, Hunter's voice constantly playing in his ears. Sensei was practically building training sessions around the two of them. He had to resolve this. Maybe if he managed to beat Hunter at something, strike a blow at that insufferable arrogance…

It wouldn't change anything for the better. Shane knew that, if he was completely honest with himself. It wasn't about who was the better Ranger, the better fighter, the better leader. It was about how they stood with one another. All chances to pretend he had never kissed Hunter were long gone out the window - if such chances ever existed. All chances to fold that incident into the fabric of their lives without a trace were gone, because he couldn't bring himself to not care.

The sight of Hunter coming out of one of the alleyways was a near-physical shock. Their eyes met, but Hunter's body language betrayed nothing. That was what Shane hated about Hunter from the beginning - that uncaring attitude.

They turned up the same stairway. Shane looked straight ahead, ignoring Hunter and hoping their paths would separate soon.

Maybe Hunter's cold attitude drove him nuts because it didn't gel with anything else. It didn't fit with the passion with which Hunter protected Blake; with that burning need for vengeance that had to stem from a love as great; with the intensity with which he watched Dustin at the track so he could offer advice later, practically coaching him. Now that he was thinking about it, Shane also realized that Hunter had also adopted Tori's habit of drawing Cam into conversations.

If only he could crack the indifferent mask, damn it.

---

It wasn't so much the falling into step that bothered him, as it was how fast it had happened. Hunter knew that running with someone meant falling in step with them, but he hadn't expected to sync with Shane in seconds. That was just freaky - and the sense of comfort that stemmed from it even scarier.

Being horrible to Shane annoyed him because he didn't get why they had to go through that. He was pretty sure that Shane wasn't really a jerk. Shane was no Blake - he didn't have what it took to be sympathetic towards someone while planning to screw them over. The way Shane usually acted, bringing people in, easily keeping track of everyone, that had to be the real Shane - not the guy who would not even look at him. Hunter felt a pang of guilt whenever he thought of those times Shane cornered him after a battle or a tough training, demanded to know how Hunter was really doing and not letting go until he was sure Hunter was all right.

He was angry with himself for that guilt, for yearning for Shane to act that way again; angry with the way he kept excusing Shane's current behaviour; and he was angry with Shane.

That was when the teleportation beam hit.

---

When it came to evil space ninjas, Shane had learned that their bark was usually as bad as their bite: the more annoying they were, the more dangerous they were likely to be. This particular nuisance had verbal diarrhea, so Shane figured it was probably going to be a tough one.

And the guy at his side was the single least cooperative Ranger on the team. Perfect.

"What are you doing?" he snapped at Hunter, seeing that Hunter was raising his morpher hand.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" shot Hunter.

"It's not time to morph yet."

"Are you going to wait until he blasts us and see how we survive it unmorphed?"

The ball of fire roared as it shot towards them. Hunter and Shane dove to the sides and rolled in opposite directions, making themselves two separate targets instead of one.

"Now it's time to morph," said Shane, rising from his crouch.

Hunter's look was sour, but he morphed along, launching himself at their foe together with Shane. They nearly got in each other's way.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" shouted Shane angrily.

"What do you mean what I'm doing?"

Another ball of fire. The stupid boxing kangaroo-like robot was apparently not one to waste time. Shane rose with his blaster in hand and started looking for the thing's weak spots by the trial-and-error tactic - shooting rapid fire and hoping to hit anything sensitive. He cursed aloud as Hunter ran forward, staff drawn. What the hell was he thinking, running into a volley like that?

"Can't you stay put for three seconds?" he demanded as he holstered the blaster and drew his sword, joining the close-up combat.

"Can't you accept help from anyone?"

"Like you're one to talk!"

Sidestepping a cutting blow from Shane, their opponent moved straight into Hunter's waiting staff, falling forward. He threw himself into the fall, though, rolling in the air and sending a massive energy blast almost before he'd landed. The blast was so bright it nearly blinded Shane even through his visor.

Then a shadow came between him and the light. Hunter had rearranged his staff into its shield form faster than Shane could think, and was holding off the steady current of energy the kangaroo-robot was pumping out. Step by step, Hunter moved forward, shoulders hunched as if he was pushing against a terrible weight. Then their opponent was gone. Hunter stumbled forward, but didn't fall.

Shane ran towards him, visor pulled back. "What the hell were you thinking, walking straight into a blast like that?"

Hunter glared at him, having pulled back his visor as well. "Because you can't shield for shit and that was too fast to dodge!"

"I don't care, just stop giving me heart attacks like this!" Shane bit his lip, realizing what he'd just said.

"Fine, I'll let you get blasted to pieces next time!" snapped Hunter. Then he, too, realized that for the first time in over a week, Shane hadn't run him down just for the sake of it - and had actually showed some of the concern he'd used to, before.

Shane saw it, this time - the fraction of a second in which Hunter's fury was gone, replaced by that expression which made Shane nearly kiss him again.

He took a deep breath and turned his head, demorphing so that the sparks would hide his expression. "Let's get running," he said, knowing there was no way Hunter missed the tremor in his voice. When he looked again, Hunter had demorphed as well and was considering Shane with unreadable eyes.

---

Blake remembered looking down at the Winds, because they only began practicing in their teens, while he and Hunter had lived and breathed ninjitsu since they'd learned to walk. After two weeks of training together almost every day, Blake wasn't nearly as cocky. There was the issue of adaptability, for one: Blake had always trained against Thunder ninjas, and fighting against people of different schools and styles was not something he was used to. The Winds, though, had been trained to fight against styles not their own from their very first class. Then there was the issue of the morphers: Blake had learned that different morphers gave their holders different advantages the first time he and Hunter had sparred morphed. He knew Hunter's abilities like he knew his own: he could tell that the morphers strengthened different things to slightly different degrees for each of them. 'Slightly' was the keyword: he hadn't realized how different morphers could be until his first training session with the Winds. Speed was the most prominent factor: morphed, it was Blake's greatest asset. Unmorphed, it was hard to remember that he couldn't rely on his reflexes alone. That was why Sensei Watanabe kept assigning him to spar against Tori or Dustin: Tori's fast thinking and ability to improvise more than made up for her relative lack of experience, and Dustin's true Earth Ninja knack for knocking his opponents legs was a nightmare for Blake, who tended to rely on flying maneuvers. Sensei's insistence to pair Hunter and Shane meant that Blake often found himself sparring against Dustin and Tori simultaneously. It was hardly a fun experience, but it forced him to improve - and fast.

The three of them returned to Ninja Ops after Tori's watch beeped, indicating the end of their allotted sparring time. Cam was there, of course. So was Sensei - but Hunter and Shane weren't.

"What's going on?" asked Blake. "Where are Hunter and Shane?"

"Sensei, you didn't let them spar unsupervised, did you?" asked Tori.

"I did not, Tori," said Sensei calmly. "I released Shane and Hunter early, today, so that they may prepare for the tournament they are soon to participate in."

"Hey, Sensei, that's really cool of you," said Dustin.

Tori, though, didn't seem as pleased. She crossed her arms on her chest and demanded, "What's the catch?"

"Why do you assume that there is a 'catch', Tori?" asked Sensei pleasantly.

"Come on, Sensei." Tori breathed a lock of hair away from her face. "Shane and Hunter don't need to train for the Total Track - not to beat the other competitors. We run all the time. We do push-ups and sit-ups all the time. We're all stronger and faster than we should be, even when we're not morphed. They only need to train if they're competing against each other. I didn't think you'd approve of that."

"You are right, Tori. However, something interesting happened yesterday."

Blake, Tori and Dustin exchanged looks.

"The only thing that happened yesterday was the new alien," Blake said.

"Right, the robotic kick-boxing kangaroo," said Dustin. "What's so interesting about him picking a fight with Shane and Hunter?"

"It's more interesting that they fought it instead of each other," said Cam wryly.

"Oh, no, not this again," said Tori. She sounded quite exasperated. "Really, Sensei, are you sure it's necessary?"

Blake looked between Tori and the guinea pig. "Did I miss something?"

"Back in the really early days of us being Rangers, Shane pretty much sucked as a leader," said Tori. "He was really impossible to work worth. So when Shane found himself fighting an alien on his own, Sensei held Dustin and me back from helping him, until Shane asked for help. That's what this is about, right?" she asked Sensei.

"Indeed."

"Great." Blake found himself echoing Tori's tone. "Just great."

"They're not really out there on their own," said Cam. "I'm keeping constant surveillance on them. You can stay here and watch, too. This way, backup will only be seconds away, when they need it."

The three of them exchanged looks again. Tori said it for all three of them: "You didn't really think we wouldn't stay, right?"

Cam placed his laptop of the table, and they settled around it.

"They're jogging together," said Tori. "Did you tell them to do that, Sensei?"

"No, I did not, Tori"

Blake shook his head. "The end is nigh."

"Dude, you don't know that," said Dustin, "It could be the vision of peace. What?" he added at Tori's and Cam's twin Looks. "I was just saying."

---

Running had never been one of Shane's favourite sports: it was boring, and solitary. The skating ramp always had a crowd, and every move was a new world to be discovered. Ninjitsu held a similar allure, with the secrecy of the Academy being an added bonus. Running, though, was monotonous and boring, and Shane only did it for sports when Sensei assigned them laps.

Running with Hunter was everything but boring. Shane could remember battles when he'd felt less on edge. Partially it was caused by unspoken competition - each of them trying to get ahead of the other without opening too much of a distance. Mostly, though, the tension was caused by the short looks they kept exchanging: they'd ignore each other for a minute or three, and then Shane would sneak a look at Hunter, or he'll catch Hunter looking at him. They kept looking, and they kept avoiding direct eye contact - on the few occasions that had happened, they both jerked their heads sideways and avoided looking at each other studiously for a few moments, until one of them got the dance started again.

Five miles into their run, they spotted a large, dark figure walking around a truck parked some 400 yards from them. Recognizing the shadow of the figure, they stepped out of sight, between two buildings.

"Looks like somebody paid for an upgrade," said Hunter.

"Yeah," agreed Shane. Bop-a-Roo's boxing gloves seemed significantly larger than they had been the day before, and sported studs. "Time to morph."

Hunter's lips quirked, but the wry smile disappeared almost before it appeared. He nodded. "Let's do it."

Morphed, Shane cast a cautious glance around the corner. Bop-a-Roo showed clearly on the helmet display, and Shane really didn't like what the specs were telling him. "Any ideas?"

"Hit hard and block harder?"

Shane smiled tightly. "Works for me. And let's make it fast."

Hunter's voice was grimly amused as he said: "Gotcha."

Shane nodded and drew his sword. "On my mark: three, two, one… Ninja shadow spar!"

They were lucky: Bop-a-Roo hadn't seen them before they leaped at him, giving them five seconds straight. In shadow spar terms, this was almost forever. When they broke back to normal space, though, Bop-a-Roo was still standing on his feet, seemingly unaffected by the barrage.

"I can't believe it!" cried Shane.

"Damn this guy," growled Hunter. He unholstered his blaster. "Let's give him some real fire."

"I hear ya," answered Shane.

Together, they pulled the triggers of their weapons, but the brilliant energy beams of their blasters were scattered by the luminescent wall of energy that suddenly appeared in front of Bop-a-Roo.

"My shield worked!" called a female voice delightedly.

Shane turned his head sharply. There, on top of one of the buildings, were Marah, Kapri and Zurgane. Marah was clapping her hands and jumping up and down, and Kapri was looking sour. It didn't take Cam to figure out what just happened.

"My shield worked!" repeated Marah. "How cool am I?"

"How lucky are you?" shot Hunter.

Four to two. While Shane was pretty certain he and Hunter could pull it off on a good day, he had no intention to find out if today was a good day. He raised his wrist to his mouth. "Cam!" he called.

The answer was prompt. "I read you, Shane."

"I think some backup will be nice, here!"

"All you had to do was ask," said Cam.

Later, Shane would remember that sentence, would realize that the cavalry had arrived within three seconds of his call, and would grill Cam for it. At that moment, though, he was just glad for the quick reply.

"Dudes, you started the party without us?" complained Dustin the second he, Blake and Tori became more than blurred streaks of colour.

"Plenty for everyone," said Hunter. The girls and Zurgane had jumped down from the building top, and the four space ninjas circled the Rangers slowly. In response, the five Rangers formed a circle, standing back to back.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Tori.

"No plan," said Shane. "It's a free buffet today."

"Hey!" protested Kapri.

"You got a problem with that?" retorted Hunter.

"No," said Kapri, "I have a problem with you."

As if it was a signal, all nine combatants moved simultaneously. Shane, in typical fashion, headed directly for the threat of the day. Quickly, though, he found out that he was alone against Bop-a-Roo. Jaws set, a blaster in one hand and a sword in the other, he dove forward, determined to teach the space robot the definition of 'hell'.

---

He didn't like Kapri. Once upon a time he may have felt a hint of sympathy towards her, which quickly changed to indifference and then to cold indifference. Now, though, that emotion was quickly turning into active loathing. She was toying with him - he could tell as much. She was dodging him expertly, pulling him forward, away from the others. He tried overturning the game, but she was better at it than he. It annoyed him, because he was pretty sure that she did not stand a chance against him in an honest fight. She probably knew that, too, which was why she was playing this game.

Even under his helmet, he did not let his frustration leak to his face. He kept his expression cool, schooled, and tried to think up a snare for the big-mouthed space ninja.

---

It wasn't that she disregarded Dustin. Tori liked to think that she had a pretty realistic grasp of her friends, talents and pitfalls alike. Still, picking herself up after a bad hit, she was a bit surprised to discover that Dustin was holding up fairly well against Zurgane and his two swords. For a moment she stood in place, just watching: Dustin and Zurgane were stepping backwards and forward, like in a fencing tournament, Zurgane slashing and hacking, Dustin rolling, dodging and throwing punches. Her mind raced forward, analyzing and categorizing, fascinated by the display. Then she shook herself, remembering where she was and what she was doing, and she threw herself at Zurgane, her sword raised at an angle relatively hard for her enemy to block.

---

He failed to dodge a ball of fire, again. Shane rolled behind an overturned car, hoping to catch a few seconds' breather and using the time to take a look around. Dustin and Tori were handling Zurgane pretty okay, Kapri didn't seem to give Hunter too much trouble, and Marah and Blake appeared to be having a round of drunken boxing. Then Marah stepped back, breaking contact. Blake hesitated, possibly suspecting a trick - and two energy beams shot out of the huge jewels in Marah's hair, wrapping around Blake and spinning him in the air, in an undeniable mockery of one of Blake's moves. Shane stared. A sudden cry redirected his attention to Hunter and Kapri - the latter was actually standing on Hunter's staff, a position she maintained for a full second before doing a back flip and sending out her own fireball. Hunter rolled away - behind another car, close to Shane.

"Stupid bitch," spat Hunter.

Shane was inclined to agree. "That Bop-a-Roo's a pain, too," he said. "I could really use your Thunder attacks against him."

Hunter shook his head. "It takes a sword against him."

"Pity we can't combine our attacks, or something."

"Maybe we can." Hunter raised his wrist to his mouth. "Cam! Is there some way for Shane and me to combine our energies against Bop-a-Roo?"

One second. Two.

"Give me a moment," said Cam. Seconds later, his voice came on again: "I've got it. Hunter, you're going to have to direct the energy from your morpher to Shane's. The morphers will supply the calibration needed, and the energy will be redirected to Shane's sword."

"Got it." Hunter lowered his arm, holding it as if in a morphing position. "You'd better make this one good," he said.

Shane thought it sounded more like a blessing than a warning. "You can count on me. Let's go!"

Hunter brought down his arm in a sharp movement. "Thunder Power!"

Shane raised his arm, intercepting the arc of sizzling energy. It almost hurt, like a hit directly to a nerve. Still, the energy went almost immediately to his sword, like Cam said would happen. He rose to his feet, jumping on top of the car and then - without pausing to hesitate or consider, knowing that he only had seconds - launched himself directly at Bop-a-Roo, hoping that some miracle would prevent the robot from blocking him. Bop-a-Roo sent a last-second fireball, and Shane caught it with his sword, adding it to the blast he delivered to his rival upon impact. Everything seemed to explode when his sword cut through Bop-a-Roo's armour, sending him flying back through the air. He managed to land on his feet, but the momentum would've sent him to the ground if not for the strong pair of arms that grabbed his shoulders, not letting him fall. It was the most natural thing to do, to put his hand on top of Hunter's as he turned to face him.

The others were running towards them. "Let's put them together!" shouted Dustin, and Shane reacted on instinct, forming the Storm Striker with Tori and Dustin as Hunter and Blake formed the Thunder Blaster. "Now!" he called out, and the two subteams shot simultaneously at Bop-a-Roo.

The energy was absorbed into a glistening shield. Lothor's nieces and Zurgane were standing next to Bop-a-Roo.

"You thought hers was good," said Kapri. "Try mine."

"It looks strong," said Tori quietly. Unlike Marah's translucent shield, Kapri's was opaque, nearly solid-looking.

"Ideas, anyone?" Shane asked.

One heartbeat. Two. Three.

"What if we put them all together?" asked Hunter. "Combine all of our weapons."

It was the right solution - and Shane knew it, because he felt Dustin and Tori moving before he even spoke, because he felt the Power in his blood responding to it, because it was what Rangers did.

Carefully he supported the base of the massive canon, as the other four gently directed it.

"Try this one on for size," he told Kapri, and then ordered: "Fire!"

When the smoke from the explosion cleared, and the fire made way, none of their enemies were visible.

---

After the briefing at Ninja Ops, Dustin was in a real hurry to get to Storm Chargers without being too late. Somehow all of them ended going into the store, 'just to say hi', and somehow Tori and Blake got sucked into the whirlwind of activity. Hunter, still in his workout clothes, really didn't want to just hang around. Tori was the only ones with wheels, and he didn't feel like interrupting her and Blake, so he figured he'd just jog back to the apartment. It was just a couple of miles; no biggie.

He hadn't counted on Shane following him out of the store. Instead of running, like he had planned to do, he walked into that useful alley just right of the store. Then he turned and faced Shane. "What?" he asked, not bothering to sound nice.

Shane looked a bit embarrassed, but also determined. "I just wanted to apologize."

Hunter considered. "For which part?"

He could tell that Shane was taken aback with that response, and felt a pang of satisfaction. Good. Let him writhe a little.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," said Shane finally. "I hoped… maybe we can be friends."

Hunter was tempted to draw this out, to make Shane squirm some more. But it wasn't fair, he knew: not if Shane really meant what he'd just said. Hunter thought he did - it was in Shane's eyes, in his posture, in the way his jaw was set. He was also turn between the need to ask more questions, to define exactly what Shane had meant by 'friends', and the need to preserve his pride, to not show what he wanted.

Besides, he could tell what Shane wanted. He'd seen the truth in Shane's eyes the day before, had felt it earlier, when he caught Shane after the explosion.

"Don't be a jerk," he finally said, "Ever again."

"Promise."

"Good."

They remained standing. Hunter wasn't sure what to do.

"I was just going home," he finally said.

Shane raised an eyebrow. "Which is why you went in here?"

"I heard you, stupid. Didn't want to have this conversation in full view of the others."

"Point."

Silence.

Damn. He really wanted out of that alley, but just walking past Shane didn't seem the right thing to do.

"We can go around the block couple of times," suggested Shane. "Tori will get bored of the video by then and will be ready to head out. If you want to," he added. "You probably really want to go home already."

Hunter considered him. Sincere.

"Couple of laps would be cool."

As Shane's face lit up, Hunter thought that maybe this wouldn't such a bad idea after all.

Chapter 13: Carpe Diem

Arc Three: Mind of My Own

Own your past and it will be your wings; let it own you, and it will be the weights dragging you down.

---

He supposed that it counted as a quiet afternoon. There had been no alien intrusions - yet - and the Rangers hadn't wrecked anything he had worked hard to create - yet. Still, having company was not Cam's favourite way to spend an afternoon. He could live with just Hunter, who was sitting in a corner and solving a Tangram puzzle; he could semi block out Tori and Blake who were equal parts flirting and sparring; Shane and Dustin, though… Well, he figured as Dustin made a big show of preparing to crawl under the table, at least they're good for laughs.

Dustin crawled under the table, and Shane presented him the cables with a solemn expression. Then Dustin emerged on the table's other side, deliberately dusting himself off - Cam had cleaned the deck just that morning - and finally plugged in the cables to Shane's enthusiastic clapping.

They were just installing cable, for crying out loud.

"Thank you, Dustin," said Cam's dad deliberately, switching on his miniature TV screen.

"No problem, Sensei. But, isn't this a little low-tech?" he added, and Cam - who knew what was coming - rolled his eyes. "Cam gets, like, a thousand channels on that thing."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Dustin," called Cam from the other side of the room, "The satellite surveillance system is not a home theatre."

"Oh, dude, you're no fun!"

"I'm taking it easy on you!" called Blake's voice in the background.

"Don't let the blonde hair fool you!" shouted Tori back, too merry and not enough out of breath for someone who'd been engaged in an aerobic activity for the last twenty minutes. "You're going down!"

"Oh yeah?"

The slightly louder thud indicated that Blake just launched himself at Tori, and Cam spun around in his swivel chair just in time to see the Navy Ranger being tossed halfway across the room by a grinning Tori.

"That's it!" he called as he picked himself up. "Now you're going to get it!"

"What are you doing?" Abandoned by Dustin - who joined Sensei for the comic movies marathon - Shane had apparently decided to bug Cam.

"Are you bored?" asked Cam, who didn't feel like being bugged.

"Yes," said Shane. "Does that bother you?"

"You know, there are a few corridors that need to be mopped…"

Something beeped. Loudly. Then it beeped again.

"My watch!" said Tori. She and Blake broke apart. "Come on you guys, time to move."

"Two more minutes," said Hunter. "Let me finish this."

"Dude, you have a shift to start as much as I do," said Dustin.

Hunter made a face.

"Boys," muttered Tori, just loud enough to be heard.

"What is it with you and stating the obvious?" asked Hunter. He moved two pieces. "There, I'm done. Happy?"

"Yes. Are you coming now?"

---

She looked like she didn't belong there, and that was precisely what she'd aimed for. She didn't want anyone chatting to her, being friendly. She wanted the other people in the store to ignore her as much as possible. If she looked like one of them then they might want to interact, and that wouldn't do at a place frequented by Rangers. So Kapri wore high heels, white low-rider pants and a tight pink blouse, and nobody spared her a second look.

"Boo!"

Blake looked behind his shoulder and smiled. "Very scary, Bro."

Hunter produced two rectangular pieces of carton and smiled. "See what I've got."

"Bro, no way!" Blake reached out for whatever Hunter was holding, but Hunter raised his hand over his head, too high for Blake to reach.

"Yes way," he told his younger brother. "Two tickets for the Action Films Festival."

"But I thought they were sold out two weeks ago!"

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Who says I got them now?" he retorted. "Am I not allowed to prepare in advance for my baby brother's birthday?"

It was as if Hunter had dropped a bomb - only the other way around: instead of people running away, Dustin, Tori and Kelly popped into existence at the Bradley brothers' shoulders, talking simultaneously.

"Tomorrow's your birthday?"

"Dude, why didn't you tell us?"

"So, how old are you gonna be?"

"Guys, guys!" Blake raised his arms, trying to rein in the chaos. "Yes, tomorrow's my birthday. And it just never came up, that's all. It's not like I know when any of yours are."

"April twentieth," said Tori promptly. "And that's no excuse."

Kapri was willing to bet good money that Tori would give Blake hell for this later. She also noticed, though, how Blake avoided the question of his age - good call for a minor with no real legal guardian.

Tori was inspecting the tickets. "Oh, I can't believe it!" she complained. "Show starts at the same time as Shane's demo!"

"You can't possibly miss the demo," said Kelly, "Shane has been going on about it all week."

"Well, obviously," said Tori, "But I don't like not having a choice."

"Hey," said Hunter, "I'm allowed to arrange my brother a little birthday surprise, all right?"

"All right guys, cut it out," said Kelly, all but pushing Hunter and Tori away from each other. "Blake, you have packing slips to file; Hunter, there's still stuff to be shelved; Dustin - okay, I don't even want to know how much more work you've got. Back to work, you guys."

Having heard all she needed to, Kapri left the store. The Winds and the Thunders would be separated the next day at three in the afternoon. The Thunders would be relaxed, off-guard, and the Winds distracted and surrounded by civilians. And Kapri just happened to know of one of Zurgane's new recruits who was just perfect for this mission that she began constructing in her head.

She smiled at the empty alleyway, and teleported.

---

"Hi."

Tori looked up from her game of solitaire. "Hi."

Kelly sat down next to her. "You're really blowing this out of proportion, you know."

"I don't even know what you're talking about."

The kid was a good liar, Kelly would give her that. "Which is why you haven't so much as looked at Blake in the last hour."

Tori slumped back against the sofa. "I know it's a really stupid thing to fight over," she said, "but I can't believe he didn't tell me."

"I've seen people fight over sillier stuff," Kelly told her. "I've had fights over sillier stuff."

"We are not fighting."

"Not yet, but you're definitely heading there. Look," added Kelly before Tori could protest that, "Imagine Hunter had gotten a third ticket. What would you do? Go to the movies with Blake and Hunter, or to Shane's demo?"

"But at least I wouldn't have someone else choose for me!"

Kelly sighed. "Imagine Hunter had bought a third ticket, and had let you in when he did so. Imagine you had agreed to keep it a total secret. Then, a week before Blake's birthday, Shane asks you to come to the demo."

"I'd tell him about the birthday," said Tori promptly.

"Do you think Shane would've understood?"

"Sure."

"Like you understand Hunter right now?"

Tori opened her mouth, and then closed it. "That's not fair!"

Kelly just looked at her. The kid was smart, had a good heart and was quite wise for someone so sheltered and inexperienced. Kelly knew she'd get it.

Tori slumped deeper into the sofa. "I never thought I'd be jealous," she said. "I am being so ridiculous. I guess… I guess I just want to be a part of Blake's birthday, that's all."

"Well, I don't know about you," said Kelly, "But I actually read what was said on those tickets. Blake and Hunter will be out of the theatre by half past six. You and Blake can still go out."

"Go out where?" said Tori skeptically. "Going to a restaurant feels too awkward, and I'm not really into clubbing."

"There's the Mermaid Café," suggested Kelly. "The new place at North Beach."

"The new dance bar?" asked Tori, quite unenthusiastically.

"I was there last week. It's not that loud, and there're a lot of people about your age there. It's not so much of a bar, and the dance floor is out by the water."

"Well, I'll go take a look tonight. Thanks, Kell."

Kelly patted the younger girl's knee. "Anytime."

---

Being the one to bring the critical information, Kapri was awarded the honour of running the primary operation. It was quite the production: trace all the people who had bought tickets for the same session as the Thunder Rangers, capture them, insert Kelzack doubles in their stead, and replace all the staff at the cinema.

Everything was in place well before the Thunder brothers were due in. Dressed in the appropriate attire, Kapri stood behind the counter of the theatre's cafeteria, and waited. Twenty minutes before the start of the movie, her earpiece - designed to look like an earring - chimed.

"They're here," reported Marah. She was in charge of the secondary operation: distracting the Winds.

"Mine aren't here yet," said Kapri into her subvocal microphone that was her collar's pendant. "No, wait. Here they are. It's showtime."

Predictably, the two Thunders made their way directly to the cafeteria. Kapri plastered a smile on her face. "Yes, please, what can I get you?"

"A large bucket of popcorn, please," said Hunter.

"Right away!"

There were two piles of large buckets next to the popcorn machine. One was all regular buckets. Kapri picked the bucket from the top of the other pile, her fingers tracing the emblem on it, activating the trap. Then she filled the bucket with fresh popcorn, handed it to the Rangers, took their bills and gave them back their change.

"Enjoy your movie!" she called after them.

Blake turned his head. "Thanks!"

Kapri glanced down at her watch, which had started counting down once she activated the bucket. She touched her pendant, activating it.

"Nine minutes, fifteen seconds," she told Marah.

"Diversion will go off in eight."

"Have fun," Kapri said. Her part of the operation was nearly over - Marah's was just beginning.

Marah giggled - a sound those around her must've heard, unlike the subvocal conversation. "Thanks," she told her older sister. "I will."

---

Nine minutes after the activation of the popcorn bucket, Shane got off the skating ramp. One minute after that, ten minutes to the second from its activation, the popcorn bucket turned into a dimensional trap, capturing those who had eaten from it - namely, Blake and Hunter. Simultaneously, Marah's Kelzacks attacked.

---

"What was that all about?" asked Shane as soon as the last Kelzack disappeared.

"Lothor wanting us dead, as usual?" suggested Dustin.

"But he doesn't want us dead," countered Tori. "He wants the power, which is why he usually tries to force us into morphing. Kelzacks are usually backup, or a diversion."

"Well, those Kelzacks right now weren't backing up anyone," said Shane.

"Oh my god." Tori's hand rose to her mouth. "Blake and Hunter."

Shane stared at her for a moment, then slapped the comm. button on his morpher. "Shane to Hunter."

Static.

"Hunter, this is Shane."

Static.

Tori tried hers. "Tori to Blake."

Static.

"Shane to Ninja Ops."

"This is Cam."

"We can't get a hold of Hunter and Blake."

"What do you mean by 'can't get a hold of'?"

"We only get static when we hail their morphers."

"Hold on," said Cam. After a few seconds, he said, "I'm having trouble locating them. You three had better come over here in the meantime."

"We'll be there in a few."

---

"I can't believe it," muttered Blake, raising his arm and considering the sleeve of his jacket, which was dripping yellow, oily substance. "After everything we've been through, we're going to be destroyed by the powers of artificial flavouring."

"An end too yucky to be imagined," agreed Hunter, who was leaning on his haunches against the carton wall. "So let's not imagine it. Let's get out."

"We tried jumping," said Blake. "We tried morphing. We tried climbing out. We repeated all of these several times. Do you have any other ideas?"

"Other than not giving up?"

"After we get out of here," said Blake, looking above at the narrow opening, "I am never eating anything with artificial flavouring ever again."

"I hear you, Bro," said Hunter. He straightened up and started walking towards Blake, but slipped up on something and fell into the ankle-high yellow fluid. "Aw!" Carefully searching with his hands, he lifted a small, brown object. "Un popped corn. Lovely."

"Hm." Blake considered the kernel in his brother's hands, and then abruptly got on his hands and knees.

"Blake, what…?"

"If we can find more of these," said Blake, frowning and moving slowly through the thick substance, "If we can pop them… think the blast will carry us out?"

"I don't know," said Hunter, rearranging himself to a position similar to Blake's, "But it's worth a shot."

---

"What is it with Lothor and pocket dimensions, anyway?" complained Cam as his hands flew across the keyboard.

"Huh?" asked Shane.

"Lothor and pocket dimensions," repeated Cam. "He seems to have a special liking for them."

"Perhaps because they are so useful for capturing people," suggested Sensei.

"Thanks, Dad, I couldn't have thought of that myself."

"Wait, so Hunter and Blake are held captive?" asked Tori.

"I think so," sighed Cam. "The signals from their morphers seem to be blocked by something, and I think by now I can recognize a dimensional redirection when I see one."

"So what do we do?" asked Shane. "Can you break through it?"

"Not yet," said Cam, "But I traced its source. It's currently on top of the Harbour Office Tower." He pointed to the blinking coordinates on the monitor.

The three Winds exchanged glances, and nodded at each other. "Let's go."

---

"Hey, you!" shouted Shane as they landed on top of the building, having dropped off from their ninja gliders.

"Yeah, you with the bad breath!" added Dustin.

"Why do you evil space ninjas always have bad breath, anyway?" asked Tori. "Is it, like, a professional requirement or something?"

"Well, well," snickered the brute, ugly as usual. "You must be the Wind brats. I am General Traif. Are you ready to surrender to the power of the pig?"

"The only powerful thing about you is your smell," said Dustin.

General Traif chuckled. "Also, if you wanna find your Thunder buddies, you'd better follow my curly tail through the porky portal." Behind him, a large portal appeared. He stuck his tongue out at them. "Come on Rangers, come and get me!" Then he turned and jumped through the portal.

"Come on, let's go!" said Shane, striding forward.

Tori grabbed his arm. "Shane, hold on a second!" She tapped her morpher. "Cam?"

"The signature from the portal is not quite identical to the one blocking Hunter's and Blake's signals, but it's definitely of the same origin. I don't think I'll be able to contact you once you're on the other side. Also, judging by the portal's energy readings, I'm predicting that it'll stay open for exactly ten minutes from the second it opened."

"So we better be fast about this," said Shane grimly. "Thanks, Cam."

"Good luck."

---

"Well, I think that's it," said Blake, surveying the small pile of brown kernels.

"Yeah," agreed Hunter. "I can't find any more of the little buggers."

Blake nodded. "Let's do it, then."

He and Hunter crouched over the unpopped kernels and clasped their wrists together. "Power of Thunder!"

---

"Is that it?" laughed General Traif as the Winds regrouped. "Is that all you've got?"

"Where are our friends?" shouted Shane, stepping to the front.

Traif laughed. "They went out to get popcorn. You look tired, Rangers," he added, "Why don't you take a lie-down?" He brought his broadsword down, striking the ground. The resulting shockwave threw all three of them off their feet. "Time to put the lid on it!" declared Traif and, out of nowhere, produced a large, spinning, metal lid.

Shane straightened. "Now you're gone!" he declared. Running forward, he jumped on top of the spinning lid. The metal disk spun, shook, twisted in the air, trying to cast off its rider. Shane managed to not fall off, quickly figuring how the thing responded to movement. Then he twisted his body, throwing the lid in the opposite direction. He could hear Tori and Dustin cheering in the background. He threw himself off at the last possible second, rolling in the air and landing next to his teammates. The lid hit Traif and exploded. When the smoke cleared, Traif was nowhere to be seen.

---

They made it back to the top of the office tower to find it not as they left it: Hunter and Blake, unmorphed, were lying in a heap of popcorn, surrounded by puddles of yellow goo.

"What happened to you guys?" wondered Tori as she and the others approached the Thunders. "And what is this stuff?"

"Artificial butter flavouring," said Hunter darkly. His hair was slick with it. "Don't even ask."

"Whoa." Dustin's faceplate slid open, and he knelt down. "That pork dude wasn't kidding when he said you went out to get popcorn."

Blake slapped his hand away. "I wouldn't touch that if I were you," he warned.

Maniacal laughter made all five of them turn around. "I have an appetite for destruction!" declared the giant General Traif as he rose. "And this town is gonna be the main course."

"Hope you like your pig extra big!" called someone from behind them. Shane didn't need to turn around to know what he'd see - Marah, Kapri and a troop of Kelzacks.

"Shane," said a quiet voice just over his shoulder. He turned his head and found Hunter looking at him. "You take the Zords and get him," he pointed towards Traif. "Blake and I will keep those wannabes busy."

Shane smiled, forgetting that Hunter couldn't see it. "Have some frustrations to work out?"

Hunter's smile was downright menacing. "Yeah."

Shane nodded. "Let's do it. Come on, you guys!"

With the Winds gone, Hunter and Blake stood back to back, watching the Kelzacks as they formed a circle around them.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Blake, gathering a handful of flavouring from his jacket.

"I think so," said Hunter, carefully testing his sneakers against the flavouring-coated concrete. "Now!"

They let the battle start normally: Hunter dealing boxes and kicks right and left, Blake weaving in and out of the crowd of Kelzacks. Then, once they drew their enemies close, the fun started. Hunter rolled aside, leaving a trail of slick flavouring behind; the Kelzacks who stepped onto it slipped and fell. Blake filled his hands with the stuff, tossing it into Kelzacks' faces, effectively blinding them. Betting on the Kelzacks' proven inability to learn, Hunter let himself fall a few times, nearly at the same spot, and then rolled across it. Standing up, he motioned for the Kelzacks with the classic "Come and get it" gesture. Half the things ran at him, slipping up and falling over each other. Looking around, he saw that Blake was having fun with the rest of the creatures, spinning through them like a miniature tornado. Within seconds, they were alone on top of the roof. Looking up, they saw that Traif was holding up against the Wind Megazord.

"Time to morph?"

"Time to morph."

---

When it was over, they gathered on top of the roof and demorphed.

"Oh, man," said Blake, considering his jacket. "I thought morphing took this stuff out."

"Yeah," agreed Hunter. "I couldn't feel it when I was morphed, either."

"You two had better not show up at Ninja Ops like this," said Dustin. "Cam'll kill you."

"Probably," agreed Hunter. "Better hit the showers."

"Hell yeah," agreed Blake. "I'm going to take a full hour in the shower, I think."

"So long as you're out and ready within two hours," said Tori flippantly.

"Huh?"

"You and I are going out."

Shane snickered - he couldn't help it. Blake looked mortified.

"Oh, for crying out loud," said Tori impatiently, tossing her hair behind her shoulders. "A date's not gonna kill you. And I'm allowed to take my boyfriend out on his birthday," she informed Hunter, who seemed about to speak.

Hunter closed his mouth.

Tori smiled sweetly.

---

There was a knock at the door. Hunter figured it was probably the neighbours' door: there was nobody who had business knocking at his door.

There was a knock at the door. Hunter figured it was a mistake.

When the knock on the door sounded the third time, Hunter got up and looked through the peephole. Masking his surprise, he opened the door and leaned against the doorframe, looking as casual as he could. "Yeah?"

Shane smiled, ignoring Hunter's feigned indifference. "So, I figured you didn't get to catch a movie after all," he started to say.

"So?"

"So, how about a movie night?"

"I don't have a DVD player."

"But I do. And I also have Fists Of Fire parts one, two and three." Cam had dropped that Hunter really liked the trilogy. Shane had no idea what triggered that moment of helpfulness - Cam tended to frown at Shane whenever he so much as looked at Hunter - but he was quite thankful for it. "There's also brownies," he added, as Hunter didn't move, "and three pints of ice cream. And not a shred of popcorn in the house," he promised. "I checked."

Hunter smiled a little at that, but didn't move.

"So?" asked Shane again. "Please?"

Hunter considered him. Then he turned around, but left the door open. Shane got a quick look of a small, messy single-room apartment with practically no furniture. Hunter picked something up from the kitchen counter and returned to the door. Stepping into the hallway, he closed the door behind him.

"There'd better be pizza, too," he said as he locked the door.

"Two large, with pineapple, mushrooms and extra cheese," said Shane. "They should arrive in ten minutes."

Hunter's eyebrows shot up. Shane smiled.

---

It was late when she finally stopped the van in front of the apartment again, later than she had thought they'd stay out. It was a good thing that her parents didn't really believe in curfew.

"Thanks for everything," said Blake as he unbuckled the seatbelt. "It was really great."

"You're welcome," she said sincerely. They really did have a wonderful evening. At first Blake was too preoccupied and she too nervous, but the music and the crowd did good for both of them, helping them put aside the day's turmoil and pretend, for a few hours, that they were just like everyone else around them, just two teenagers out celebrating. She was also glad that she hadn't given up on dragging Blake to the dance floor: the chill of the night air wasn't felt among the crowd, and the hour they had spent on the floor felt like magic to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Saying good night properly, you silly." She had unbuckled her seatbelt, too. She had no intention of saying good-bye in the car.

He smiled warmly at her as she approached him around the car. "Thanks again," he murmured.

"Anytime," she answered. "Happy birthday."

"Do this again sometime?"

"Definitely."

They were standing so close, almost close enough to touch, and Blake's eyes appeared so dark in the faint streetlight. The November night was cold, but that was not why Tori shivered.

Blake almost said something - she could tell it in the way his lips parted, in the way he made eye contact and then dropped his gaze. It was so strange to her to realize just how shy Blake could be. It was comforting at times - because she wasn't the only one not really knowing what they were doing - and frightening at others, because it meant she often had to take initiative, if she wanted things to progress.

He raised his eyes suddenly, as if he made up his mind and was not going to back off. "Kiss me good night?"

Tori smiled so widely her cheeks hurt, and leaned in. She was gentle, careful, and Blake opened up to her easily, his body relaxing against hers, so trusting she could cry. She put her arm over his neck, drawing him in, and felt his open palm against the small of her back. Then they exchanged roles, him carefully exploring her mouth, and her easing into the sensation, marveling at how easy it was to let go.

She didn't pull back when the kiss broke, but held him closer, resting her forehead against his shoulder. Blake held her just as tightly, his breath short. Driven by instinct and curiosity, she dragged her fingers across his shirt, over his spine.

Blake's breath caught. "God, Tori…" He shifted, his hands over her waist, and she would've protested the small distance he put between them except that he kissed her again and one of his hands had traveled to her thigh and she couldn't think straight, could hardly think at all.

"We definitely need to do this again," she whispered when she found her voice again.

"Aren't you afraid?" asked Blake, his voice just as hoarse as hers. "I know I am."

"I'm afraid of one of us not making it out," she said, not really wanting to admit it but unable to lie or hide the truth. "I'm not afraid of Us."

"You're braver than I am."

"I don't think so."

"Oh, no?"

"No," she answered. She took her hand off his shoulders and intertwined her fingers with his. "Because you're standing here together with me."

"We're going to make it out fine," he said, like a promise.

"Don't promise what you can't deliver," she told him.

"Trust me."

She considered him. "All right," she finally said. "I do. I trust you."

"Good. Because I trust you."

Chapter 14: Birthright

Go away, thought Cam silently. Go home. Please, just go already.

He was sitting in the library, pretending to read a scroll. Behind him, his dad was lecturing the Rangers about true strength stemming from the mind, and not the body. They knew the lecture by heart, of course, which was why they were pushing each other, giggling. His father, of course, ignored the Rangers' lack of attention. They'd had an extra-long training session; they were bound to be giddy. He knew that as active Rangers, their adrenaline rose fast, to high levels, and returned to normal very slowly. Still, sometimes he wondered if they weren't using it as an excuse.

Never mind; the demonstration would sober them up fast.

"Shane, if you would be so kind as to fetch me a brick."

"Fetch you a what, Sensei?"

"A brick." Sensei indicated with his hand. "There are several next to the other wall."

"Oh, right. Sure thing, Sensei."

Shuffling of feet. Footsteps. A deep breath. Footsteps again. Cam didn't need to watch if he could listen. A soft thud as Shane set down the brick.

"There you go, Sensei."

"Thank you, Shane."

The faintest movement of air as his dad somersaulted, placing himself on the brick's other side. "Observe, Rangers."

That was all the warning they got. They didn't get a chance to utter so much as a single syllable before the loud crack echoed in the underground room.

"Dude, no way!"

"There's no way he could've done that!"

"The brick has to be fake, or something."

"I don't think it's fake."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Amazing."

"I never thought you meant that so literally," said Tori. "The strength coming from the mind thing."

"And now, your turn."

"What? No way, Sensei."

"Yeah. Even I don't think I'm that good."

"You're like, a super ninja master, Sensei."

"You are all capable of achieving this," said Cam's dad resolutely. "The last months showed you how fast you can progress. Yet as your skill improves, new challenges are required to continue to stimulate your learning curve. This is your challenge. There are more bricks by that wall. Proceed."

Silence. Complete silence. Cam could picture their faces, their stances - the confusion and the doubt, the hesitation. He knew, of course: he knew that doubt was the only obstacle in their way. Normally, ninja cadets required approximately three years of training before being faced with this kind of tasks. The Winds had had less than one year before Lothor's attack. Being Rangers, though, allowed them to advance at an accelerated rate: the morphers fed knowledge into their minds, encouraged their bodies to develop in certain ways. Cam wasn't surprised at the Winds' disbelief; the Thunders surprised him, though.

"All right," said Hunter. "I'll try."

Cam turned his chair a few degrees, watching the scene. Hunter walked over and picked up a brick; Dustin cleared the stand; Hunter put down the brick. Then, Hunter sat in front of it. His facial muscles relaxed as he cleared his mind. He held up his hand, preparing, concentrating, and brought it down.

Then hissed in pain. The brick was whole.

"I'll try," said Shane.

Shane was no more successful then Hunter. This held true also for Blake, Dustin and finally Tori. The five Rangers stood in a circle around the piece of stone which had beaten them, staring at it. Half of them were still cradling their hands.

It's not that hard! Cam wanted to yell at them. You're just getting at it the wrong way. He could tell they weren't doing it right the second each of them had sat down; they weren't channeling their energy to the right path. It was so simple, so obvious. If he could sense exactly how his dad was doing it, then certainly they - ninjas, Rangers - could. But it was as if they were blind to the buildup of energy, to its twists and patterns.

He could do it. Cam raised his hands to his temples, massaging them as a sudden headache hit him. He'd been getting those headaches more and more, lately. Painkillers were no good, but green tea and solitude helped some.

"Maybe we're not ready yet," said Tori.

"That's really advanced stuff, Sensei," added Dustin. "It's really cool that you think we can do such stuff already, but…"

"The brick will remain here," said Sensei firmly. He jumped, somersaulted over the Rangers' heads, landed on his cart.

The Rangers stared at his back.

Cam got up, blinking against the buzzing in his ears.

His dad activated the cart, heading out.

He walked over to where the Rangers were standing, pushing between them. Too occupied with what had just happened, they didn't notice him - until the sharp crack resonated through the room.

His dad stopped his cart, turned around.

Five Rangers and one guinea pig stared at Cam, standing over the broken brick.

"It's not hard," he said through gritted teeth. "You're just not looking at it right."

"Cameron…" said his dad, and Cam knew that tone.

You cannot be a ninja. You cannot be a Ranger.

The headache intensified. So what can I be, Dad? Cam pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going out," he told everyone. "I need some air."

---

"This is ridiculous," stated Lothor.

On screen, the five Rangers were battling a troop of Kelzacks. Lothor was sitting on his throne, the two girls at his feet, Marah idly filing his nails. They were the only ones on the bridge.

"We haven't made any progress in weeks, now. It's just the same old routine over and over again."

"Well, what do you expect?" asked Kapri. "That's very limited room for tactical creativity you left us, Uncle."

"I'm not talking about that," complained Lothor. He got up from his throne and began pacing. "I'm talking about the Rangers. They're stuck in a rut, that's what they are."

"But if they're stronger, they'll be harder to defeat," said Marah.

Lothor clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Really, Marah. We have discussed this before. The more powerful they become, the more power for me to harvest."

"Okay. So how do we force them to become more powerful?" asked Kapri. "We can't just go down there and say, 'Hey, Sensei Watanabe, you need to step up the training for your students so they'll be more worthwhile to kill,' can we?"

"No, I suppose we can't," agreed Lothor with a sigh. Suddenly, he stopped pacing and his face brightened. "That illusionist Zurgane introduced to us last week, what was his name?"

"Madtropolis?"

Lothor snapped his fingers. "That's the one! Fetch him from the barracks and give him the jar."

"The jar? Which jar."

"The jar, Marah."

"That jar? But Uncle, you said it's not time yet…"

Lothor strolled back to his throne and lounged in it. "That's the beauty of the plot, girls. Either what's in the jar stays in the jar and we win, or they find a way to break the jar open… and we'll collect on everything later on." He smiled fiendishly behind his mask. "Now, get going, girls. Chop-chop."

---

He wasn't surprised that someone came after him. The Rangers, as a whole, were completely incapable of letting go. It didn't surprise him, either, that it was Tori's light steps he's heard coming up behind him.

"Hi," she said. Her tone said, so clearly he can hear the words: Are you all right? Should I leave you alone?

"Hi," he answered. Thanks for caring. I don't think I enjoy loneliness so much, anymore.

"I thought you never attended any of the ninja-specific classes," she said, "just the martial arts."

"Yeah," he said, and the one syllable is a dagger in his throat.

"I don't understand." Her tone is genuinely confused. It's one of the things he liked about her: her mouth and her heart were equal. "Why?"

"Because." I don't know.

"You're, like, a born ninja. Your dad's the head sensei. Why…?"

"Because my dad prohibited me."

"He what?" From the first to the second syllable Tori proceeded from confusion to indignation. "Your father is a logical man, Cam. There's no way he'd just…" She motioned with her hands. "Why?" she asked again, more quietly, and the word was a warm hand on his shoulder he could almost feel.

He didn't answer.

"Is this why you ran out?" she asked.

"Yes," he admitted. "We've had this argument so many times before. I'm so sick and tired of it. And it's been especially worse since…" He couldn't say it. Had it really been only four months since he thought their world was doomed? Sometime between August 26 and December 23, he'd come to believe that Shane, Dustin and Tori were worthy of the mantle of Power Rangers. "You guys are good Rangers," he said finally. "I don't think I ever told you that."

Tori's eyes became sharp, assessing. Still, her voice held nothing but compassion as she said: "You want to be a Ranger."

Cam closed his eyes and looked away. "Yes."

"Cam…" Gently, she laid her hand on his shoulder. "Everything we're able to do is because of what you're able to do. You're a part of the team to all of us."

"It's not the same." Cam blushed at his choked voice.

"For what it's worth, you're not the only person who wishes it would be otherwise."

He opened his eyes and turned his head, looking at her.

"Dustin practically worships you. Hunter would kill for you. Shane never stops bugging me about how you're doing. Blake keeps complaining you're pushing him away. And me…" She smiles a little, in an embarrassed sort of way.

"If I had a sister," he told her, "I wish she would be like you."

She must've understood what he really wanted to say, because she hugged him. It was a brief, light hug, but Cam received it like an electrical shock: while Tori had dared touch his shoulder or hold his hand in the past, she'd never hugged him. As a matter of fact, he couldn't recall the last time he'd been hugged.

"So, about your dad?" she asked after a moment.

"He says my mom made him promise," he told her. He'd never told anyone - but who'd ever asked? "She made him promise I wouldn't become a ninja."

"Wasn't she a ninja herself?"

"That's what I asked him. He only ever said that she wasn't a ninja first; and no," Cam added, "he won't say anything more."

"It doesn't make any sense."

"I know," he said, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.

She touched his shoulder again, touch and go. "For what's it's worth…"

"I know," he said. "Thanks." For treating me just like you would Shane, Blake or Dustin.

"Anytime," she said sincerely. For a moment, her gaze swept over the lake. "Come on. We'd better get inside. It's getting dark. Academy territories or not…"

"Yeah. Getting chilly, too."

"True!" she laughed as they turned away, heading back to Ops. "It's almost Christmas!"

"Don't remind me," he muttered.

"Oh?" she looked at him sideways.

"I don't like holidays," he told her. "Family holidays in particular."

"You," she accused, "are not telling the truth."

"I am not lying."

"Well, you're definitely not being totally honest here."

She's had too much practice calling people's bluffs. "Tori," he said, lending just the edge of warning to his voice. Enough for one day.

She raised her arms. "All right, fine. Whatever." Her eyes twinkled in the dying light. "Race to Ops?"

His eyebrows shot up. "Oh, that's fair. A Ranger against a civilian?"

"A civilian who can break rocks with his bare hands?" she countered.

He considered her. "Loser cooks dinner."

"It's a deal. Going in three, two, one…"

---

Kapri's hands traced the designs on the jar. It was a spherical object, made of several different kinds of metal and embedded with precious gems. It was one of the most precious artifacts on the ship, designed with the sole purpose of holding a great amount of power. The greater the amount of power held within it, the harder it was to open it without the key. There were two keys, and Lothor was wearing both of them on his person.

Madtropolis was a true Dark Ninja, one who had specialized in the forbidden art of Shadow Mastery. Like all Shadow Masters, he could manipulate minds and bend other wills to his own. He also had the relatively rare skill of creating tangible illusions. With one like him, they only had two options: use him quickly, or promote him. As Lothor was adamant that it was not yet time to promote anyone, casting him against the Rangers was the only option.

But to give him the jar! Kapri was pretty certain there was something Lothor wasn't telling them; or perhaps, something he was waiting for her and Marah to understand on their own. They had both assumed that the jar would be reserved for use at the time of the final battle, as Lothor's ultimate purpose was to capture the Power, not the Rangers. It frustrated her to no end that she could not decipher Lothor's mind.

Her hands tightened on the jar she was about to deliver. The Power Rangers weren't the only ones being played, being brought up to strength.

She played along, but she didn't have to like it.

---

Cam eyed the table. "What," he asked, disdain dripping from his voice, "is that?"

"Dude, it's Christmas!" said Dustin. He was helping Tori set the table.

Cam gave him a withering glance.

"Why are we celebrating Christmas?" asked Hunter. He and Shane were sitting in the corner farthest from the table, playing checkers.

"Don't you celebrate Christmas?" asked Tori.

"Never have," informed her Blake, who was nonetheless folding napkins. "We grew up in a Ninja Academy, you know."

"I told you," called Shane.

"Shut up or you're hanging ornaments!"

Cam closed his eyes briefly. "No ornaments in Ninja Ops."

"Hey." Tori was right in front of him, looking timid. "Does this really bother you? I just thought, we're here anyway for training, and it's Christmas Eve today, and I just thought it would be nice, you know?"

"Christmas is for family," said Dustin earnestly. "We're practically family, aren't we?"

They were both staring at him, eyes wide and innocent.

Blake winked at him. "Don't fight them," he advised. "It'll hurt less."

"I figured that," said Cam dryly.

Tori brightened. Dustin pumped his fist in the air. Shane chuckled.

That was a mistake.

"You!" Tori rounded on him. "Both of you." She held him and Hunter by their sleeves, dragging them up. "Come on, you can…"

The alarm went off.

"Obviously."

"Well, looks like Lothor doesn't celebrate Christmas, either."

"I don't know, this is probably his idea of a celebration."

"Hey, is that the Academy portal?"

"He's got nerve, all right."

"Never mind," said Shane resolutely. "Let's go."

---

"Okay, I've heard them say that cities come to life," said Dustin "but this is ridiculous!"

"I am Madtropolis," declared the alien, who indeed looked like a statue of a city skyline. "Prepare to be trampled!"

"I'm bored," said Kapri. "Kelzacks, attack!"

"And this isn't boring to you?" asked Marah as the black-and-red soldiers ran forward. "We do this, like, twice a week."

"This time is different," said Kapri. "This time, the Rangers are going to get it."

"Pfft." Marah patted her pockets, and then brought up a small carton box. "Chewing gum?"

"In the middle of supervising a battle?" demanded Kapri.

"Mm-mm." Marah nodded. "Sure you don't wanna? I also have another flavour if you don't like strawberry."

"No, strawberry's cool."

Knowing they'd be facing all five Rangers, the sisters brought three troops of Kelzacks along. So far, the combat was going as planned - the Rangers were hacking their way through the Kelzacks, trying to get to Madtropolis, who was taking his time assessing his enemies. Finally, when over half the Kelzacks were already down, he nodded at the sisters.

Marah pressed the button on her PAM. She, Kapri and the Kelzacks disappeared. Madtropolis cast his illusion.

---

Dark. It was dark, and it was empty: just an open, endless dark wasteland stretching forever around him. Hunter couldn't see anyone, couldn't make out any details. The white fog whispered at his feet, clinging to his suit like a strange snake, glowing faintly.

"Blake!" called Hunter. "Guys!"

No answer. No echoes. Nothing.

"Blake!" he tried again. "Dustin! Shane!" No answer. "Tori!"

It was as if the fog was absorbing his voice. He felt that a person standing at a ten feet distance wouldn't hear him even if he shouted his lungs out. Hunter raised his wrist to his mouth. "Cam!"

Nothing. Not even static.

Hunter's heart hammered in his chest. This was crazy. It was impossible.

"Shane!" he cried out, one last time.

Through the darkness, he could see a large shape walking towards him. His hope didn't last long: the figure was obviously no human. Hunter brought out his staff and attacked. The charged staff hit the mark, Madtropolis stumbling backwards…

…Dustin caught himself just before falling, his surprise obvious even through the expressionless visor.

Shocked, Hunter reached out to his teammate.

Dustin vanished before his eyes.

Madtropolis crashed into him from the side, sending Hunter to the ground by the sheer force of his weight. Hunter got up quickly, charging back, but Madtropolis got under his defenses. They struggled for a few moments, until Hunter had enough. He pulled out his blaster and shot.

Blake stumbled back, suit smoking.

---

"What is going on there?" demanded Cam, not really expecting his father to answer. The battle scene was a total chaos - the Rangers were stumbling through the field, attacking the air, random trees and occasionally each other. Cam's attempts to reach them through their morphers failed repeatedly: the signal was getting through, but the Rangers just weren't hearing him. All the while, the alien stood to the side, watching the scene in silence.

"It would seem that Madtropolis has trapped the Rangers within a false vision of reality," said his dad, coming to stand next to the keyboard.

"You mean he's an illusionist."

"Indeed. And a skilled one, too."

"Great. And I can't reach the Rangers and tell them what's going on, because they're trapped inside the illusion and can't hear me."

His father cocked his head to the side. "I will attempt to reach them through ninja telepathy."

Cam nodded tensely. He knew how much his father was loath to use these aspects of his ninja powers. He knew that his father had a deep-seated resentment towards the Shadow Masters, and anything that resembled their dark skills. While ninja telepathy was legit in the eyes of most ninjas, even the traditionalists among them, Kanoi Watanabe considered it grey at best.

Cam's dad closed his eyes, stilling his mind. Cam could practically hear the silence spreading in the room as his father entered the light trance required for the transmission.

Shane.

Obviously. His dad would try to reach the team leader first.

Shane.

He could feel Shane's mind, now. It was faint and distant, like the blurry vision of a person standing on the other side of a wide canyon. Shane didn't seem to notice them, though, even when his father called out to him again and again.

"Try Dustin," suggested Cam. "He's the one with the strongest grasp on reality, of all of them. Thunders included," he added in an afterthought.

His father nodded without opening his eyes.

Dustin was slightly more responsive than Shane - he seemed to notice the call, for a moment - but then his attention returned to the imaginary threats surrounding him.

Tori.

Cam's heart ached as he heard his dad call out to her, again and again. Surely she realized that she was trapped within an illusion, by now? She was smart, and good at analyzing situations.

Tori! he cried out, knowing she couldn't hear him. Only the masters were allowed to learn the skill of speaking directly from mind to mind. Snap out of it!

In the mental image he had of her, Tori turned her head.

Discipline your mind, Tori, said his dad. This is nothing but an illusion.

This isn't real? she repeated, and this time they saw tilting her head, as if conversing with a person standing next to her.

No, said Cam together with his dad. It's not.

I see, she whispered. I see. Break the others. I'm free.

It was easier after that. Within half a minute, all the Rangers were free. They formed half a circle, advancing on Madtropolis.

The alien chuckled.

Cam's chest constricted. "Something is wrong," he said. He flipped the comm. switch, hailing all Rangers at once. "Guys, it's a trap!"

Too late. Madtropolis opened the metal sphere he was holding. The screen of colours was dazzling. Cam raised his arm instinctively, protecting his eyes.

"Cam?" inquired his dad.

When the bright lights cleared, Madtropolis was gone. The five Rangers were lying on the lake's shore, unmoving.

"Guys!" called Cam through the still-open comm. "Guys!"

Shane stirred. "Cam?" he asked. His voice was drowsy. "What happened?"

The others were beginning to move, too.

"Dude," moaned Dustin as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Did anyone take the number of the Zord that hit me?"

"You better get back here," said Cam. "All of you."

---

"What happened to us?" demanded Hunter. He and the others had returned to Ops ten minutes ago. Cam wasn't surprised that Hunter was the first to lose patience with Cam's repeated scanning.

"It seems Madtropolis placed some kind of a bind on your morpher's link to the grid," he said. "Naturally, you'll feel drained."

"Binds are usually bad, aren't they?" asked Tori. She was very obviously woozy, struggling to keep her head up.

"Yes," admitted Cam. "And this one's no exception. It'll slowly drain your morphers, making them useless."

"So we can't morph?" asked Blake.

"You can," said Cam. "For now. But it'll speed the draining process."

"But if we don't stop that freak, we can't stop the drain," said Shane.

"Let's find that freak first," said Hunter.

The alarm rang.

"You were saying?" asked Cam dryly. He returned to his console. "He's in the industrial area, wreaking havoc in one of the warehouses."

Shane pushed himself to his feet. "Let's go!"

"You're not strong enough!" protested Cam.

Shane looked at him. He had to support himself against a wall, but his eyes were clear. "We have to," he said simply.

Shane's resolve crashed again Cam's protest like one of Tori's tsunami waves, absolute and overwhelming. Cam swallowed. "I'll adjust the flow of energy from your morphers," he heard himself say. "It'll give you a power boost, but it'll also speed the drain, so you should hurry."

"We promise," said Hunter.

---

The warehouse was empty of people when they arrived; empty, except for one ugly alien standing in front of the metal sphere.

"Back for more?" he sneered.

"We're here to take back what's ours," said Shane, stepping in front of the others.

"If you lost it maybe it shouldn't have been yours to begin with."

"Yeah, because your opinion matters so much to us," said Tori, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Well, then, if you want it, come and get it."

"Just remember you asked for it," said Hunter.

"Is this a debate club or a battle?" demanded Blake, and the fight started.

---

Cam kept one eye on the feed from the battle scene, and another on the Rangers' vitals. Thirty seconds from engagement, Dustin's signal went haywire and the yellow Ranger stumbled, supporting himself on a crate. Cam adjusted the energy flow, but he knew it was barely a temporary fix. The Rangers had very little time - less than he originally estimated. They would never defeat Madtropolis in time.

They didn't have to defeat him. Cam straightened in his chair. They only needed the jar - it was the focus of the drain, the vessel containing the stolen power. Cam's mind raced. The system was less than experimental - he'd never, ever used it before, not even to transport a pebble. There was no way to know it would work, except that nothing he had built in the past had failed even the most preliminary testing.

Shane doubled over. Blake tripped.

Cam made up his mind.

"Guys, I have an idea," he said urgently into the comm. "I need you to distract Madtropolis. I need him completely distracted for about five seconds."

"What's on your mind?" asked Hunter.

Cam debated telling him, but he was afraid Madtropolis would overhear the conversation - or worse, that Lothor was watching the scene, too. "Something new," he said. "You'll have to trust me."

"We know better than to doubt you," said Shane. On screen, Cam saw him pulling himself up. "You'll get your five seconds. Starting from now."

Cam's fingers flew across the keyboard faster than he ever had before. Behind him, he heard the new system buzzing as it came to life. Numbers scrolled down the screen. He had the initial lock. He should wait for the final lock before engaging, but -

Four seconds. Cam slammed his hand down on the red button.

The jar dissolved into prismatic sparks.

"Get out of there!" he shouted through the open comm. "Fall back!" Then he returned his attention to the numbers still scrolling down the screen, now so fast that he could barely read them. He didn't have a complete lock. The jar was in limbo, in netherwhere, and he had to acquire it. He didn't know how much strain the teleportation system could take - his calculations conflicted with one another, and the only way to know was to try. He wasn't going to lose this jar. Behind him, the system's buzz turned into a whine. He didn't have much time. The system was going to give any second now. He didn't have time to answer his father's questions, time to put his thoughts into words, time for anything except acquire the lock -

The numbers froze. The whine died away.

Cam's ears were ringing. His had swam. A spontaneous lock. His prototype teleportation system acquired a spontaneous lock on the target. He turned his chair: there, on the table, was the jar, glowing with power. Sighing with relief, Cam turned back to the monitor, wondering why the Rangers hadn't arrived yet - had they collapsed in the middle of a streak?

No. No, they didn't.

The fools hadn't gotten out. They were still in the warehouse and Cam watched, horror-struck, as they assembled the Thunder Storm canon and shot. Idiots! He wanted to scream, as Madtropolis disappeared in a cloud of smoke and fire.

Within seconds, the scroll of empowerment descended, bringing Madtropolis back to life and turning him into a giant.

"You won't survive a Zord fight!" he told Shane sharply, even as he released the Zords from the holding bay.

"What were we suppose to do, turn tail and leave him there?" snapped Shane.

"Yes!" said Cam angrily. "Then we could've cracked the damn jar open first and you wouldn't be in mortal peril just from morphing!"

The two seconds of silence told him that Shane - and, presumably, the other Rangers too - got the message.

"The Zords are on their way," said Cam, wrath faded to exasperation. "My dad and I will see what we can do. Try and stay alive."

"We're the Power Rangers," said Dustin. "We'll ace this."

"Try and stay alive," repeated Cam, then turned to his dad.

The guinea pig shook his head. "Even had the Rangers returned, it would not be of much use," he said. "The jar us held closed by the power it holds."

"So the Rangers can't open it, anyway. They'll be fighting their own strength." Cam shook his head. "There has to be a way around this." He was about to turn to his computer, but two words from his dad stopped him.

"There is." The guinea pig looked at him gravely. "I was hoping we wouldn't come to this, but…" He signed. "There is another."

"What?"

"Another power source. One that will enable us to open the jar and release the other Rangers' powers." He turned his head away. "You must take the Scroll of Time."

Cam stared at him. The Scroll of Time was only to be used for the gravest emergencies, when all other means had been tried and had failed. "Are you sure?" he asked finally.

"Yes." His father's voice was sad, but confident. "It will take you to where and when you must go. You must retrieve this artifact and return here. Time will not progress in your absence."

Cam nodded. He got up from his chair and walked towards the library. "Where am I going to? What kind of artifact am I looking for?"

"You will know," said his dad. "That is all I can tell you."

Cam retrieved the scroll from the shelf and turned towards his dad. "Are you sure about this?" he repeated.

"Yes," said his dad, again with the sadness. "You will understand."

"I hope so," muttered Cam. He held the scroll in front of him, ready to open it.

" Cam?"

He looked at his dad.

"I have full trust in you and in your abilities."

Cam's throat tightened. "Thanks, Dad," he said. Then he opened the scroll, and the light swallowed him.

Chapter 15: Mother's Blood

Landing hurt. Disoriented, Cam grabbed the first thing his hands caught - the trunk of a tree. His vision cleared after a few seconds, and Cam blinked in amazement. He was looking at the entrance to the Wind Ninja Academy: the trees, the waterfall - it looked precisely the same. For a moment, he thought that it hadn't worked, that he was still in the present. Then he really caught up with what he was seeing: there were fifth-year students standing by the edge of the lake, scrutinizing young people in civilian clothing and transporting them one by one across the lake. This was a recruitment day for the Academy - whenever he was, this was not the present. Cam's grip on the tree tightened. He considered the scene before him. Judging by the civilians' clothes, Cam estimated that the year was sometime in the 1980s. He looked down at his own clothes - a green polo shirt, plain jeans and sneakers. He wouldn't stand out too much in the few minutes it would take to be allowed in and change into a test uniform.

Cam stepped out from the shadows of the trees and got in line. His heart hammered. The 1980s: this meant that his father was probably already at the Academy, having arrived there in 1982.

The guard gave him a searching look, and then nodded at him. Cam allowed a third-year student to transport him across the lake; he could cross on his own, of course, but it wouldn't do to reveal that. A teacher was waiting for them on the other side, as Cam had expected; procedures seldom changed at Ninja Academies.

The teacher, too, considered him intensely. "Name?" he finally asked, and Cam knew he'd been accepted.

"Cameron Saito," he said. He'd seen pictures of his dad in his twenties, and they looked pretty similar. It was safer to identify by his mother's maiden name.

The teacher's eyebrows shot up, but he said nothing as he wrote down the name Cam had given him. "That way," he said, pointing. "Get a test uniform and change. You will wear no colour until you are sorted into your element."

"Yes, Sensei."

The changing pavilion was hard to miss, both because it was large and because it was nearly at the exact same spot as Cam remembered. He received a grey test uniform from the second-year student at the entrance and changed quickly, his fingers easily managing the loops and folds. He glanced at the mirror before leaving: new students often had trouble managing the uniform, which was why the mirror was there. He had put it on correctly, of course, even if it was the first time he had been allowed to wear one.

He looked away from the mirror. He would never be allowed to wear a ninja uniform after today.

Cam stepped outside.

He could just as well be invisible. He was just another trainee, nobody's son, just another novice face: half the novices never made it into the Elemental stage and became true ninjas, so hardly anyone but their teachers paid any attention to them. For a moment he stood there, blinking against the sun, reveling in the sense of his anonymity and the freedom it offered.

He could almost believe that he was on the first holiday in his life, if not for the scroll tucked into his belt.

---

Cam stood at the edge of the grey mass of novices, right next to the black mass of Elemental-stage students, wondering at how little things had changed. The demo stage was set up just where he remembered it; the speech delivered by old Sensei Kobe was identical, almost word for word, to the one delivered by Cam's dad every year. Cam counted the seconds at the end of the speech, knowing exactly when Sensei Kobe would name the student chosen to give the demo, knowing exactly the barking tone of speech he would use…

"Kanoi Watanabe!"

Cam's heart stopped.

The young man climbed to the stage from the far edge of the Elemental students' group. Cam's shocked mind dimly registered that spot as the area the fourth-year students usually occupied. Hoping his emotions did not show on his face, and quite glad he had registered as Saito, Cam watched his dad - young, proud, his mane of black hair slicked back - walk to the center of the stage, his steps long and fluid, looking every bit as a ninja should. If he was a tad bit too eye-catching, if his chin was held too high - well, then, it worked well to captivate the imagination of the novices, to give them something to aspire to, and that was just what the first-day demo was targeted to achieve.

The nine seconds that passed between Sensei Kobe's call, and Kanoi's arrival to the center of the stage, were enough time for Cam to recover from his shock and start reevaluating the situation again. He was glad for his glasses, his short hair and most of the students not being of Asian decent: all these lowered the chances of someone wondering at how similar the novice was to the advanced student who was quite possibly the Sensei's pet.

Kanoi picked a wakizashi from the weapons rack. Cam blinked. This was unpredictable: on the rare chance the student giving the demo picked a weapon, they usually picked something small and concealable, like a tantō. Ninjas had a tradition of using wagizashi, and advanced students were taught its use, but Cam had never seen a student pick the short sword of their own choice.

Two seconds into the demo, Cam understood. His dad was good with the sword, exceptionally good for a fourth-year. Kanoi's display was not just eye-catching, but impressive even to the trained eye. Cam's assessment was supported by the volume of the clapping as Kanoi's movement finally stopped.

Sensei Kobe raised his hand, silencing the students. "For the next part of our demonstration," he said, his eyes traveling over the audience, "We will need a volunteer." Pulling another wakizashi from the stand, he walked across the edge of the stage, eyeing the people standing before him. Finally, he paused his step and handed out the sword.

The person who stepped up was small and lithe, the face cover of their uniform pulled up. This unusual feature, though, was not the cause of the whispers passing through the crowd like electricity: this was a novice, wearing the grey test uniform.

"But Sensei," protested Kanoi, "this is a new student!"

"Nonetheless, Kanoi," said Sensei Kobe as he stepped aside. "You may begin."

Kanoi was a good swordsman for an advanced ninja student. He never stood a chance. The novice outmaneuvered him with disturbing ease, not even drawing their sword. This obvious gesture of disrespect annoyed Kanoi, as evident by the fury in his eyes, but he remained in control.

"About time," said a quiet, familiar voice next to Cam's shoulder. "Kanoi could use a lesson in humility."

Cam turned his head, and froze: the person standing next to him, in an Earth ninja's uniform, was the spitting image of the Air ninja on stage.

The Earth ninja smiled at Cam's expression. "Yes, we're brothers," he confirmed with a smile. "Twins, in fact." He looked at his brother, and his gaze became sour. "My brother, the rising star of the Academy."

"He's quite good," said Cam quietly.

On stage, the novice still hadn't drawn their sword, and was still blocking everything Kanoi dished at them with perfect calm.

"He's not used to being challenged," said Cam's uncle.

The novice backhanded Kanoi.

"I think that just changed," said Cam.

"Seems so. Kiya," Cam's uncle offered his hand.

"Cameron."

"Nice to meet you."

Outraged by his humiliation, Kanoi changed his tactic: it was far more offensive, now, and his moves became more complicated and structured. The novice was still giving him a hard time.

Kiya's eyes followed the novice. "Think he's a transfer student from another Academy?"

"No." The word left Cam's lips before he had time to consider. He shook his head. "That's no ninja style." He was certain of it, though he wasn't quite sure how. His father had never allowed him into any of the weapons classes. "This person is not a ninja."

"He's darn good."

"Samurai." He was quite sure of this. He'd never seen a samurai before - not that he knew of - but this novice before him, they were just what a samurai ought to be like.

"Samurai." Kiya pronounced the word with distaste. "At a ninja school. And Sensei Kobe seems to approve."

"Samurais have always sent some of their own to ninja schools," countered Cam. "They have always been reluctant to admit it, though."

"As are the ninjas," muttered Kiya. He shot Cam a quick look. "You know a lot about ninjas. Birthright?"

Cam shook his head. "Neither of my parents is a ninja," he lied. "I've been fascinated with ninjas since I can remember, though."

Kiya's smile was soft, and yet it seemed mocking. "Is the Academy like you dreamed it?"

"No," said Cam after a split-second hesitation. "It's far more ordinary than I had thought it would be. But they," he nodded towards the stage, where his father and the novice were having quite the power display, "They're not ordinary."

"Yeah, well." Kiya seemed about to add something, but just then the novice tore Kanoi's sword from his hand and forced him to the ground, ending the match. Then they stepped back, allowing Kanoi to get up.

Sensei Kobe strode to the center of the stage, positioning himself between the two rivals.

"Bow," he reminded them.

They bowed to each other. Then, the novice removed their face cover, revealing delicate Asian features and a curtain of black hair.

Pain shot through Cam's temple. It wasn't - It couldn't be -

"A woman?" whispered Kiya incredulously. He wasn't the only one - all the students seemed shocked, some outraged. Cam was sharply reminded that this was not the twenty-first century, or even the 1990s.

"A girl?" demanded Kanoi, loudly. "I've been defeated at swordplay by a girl?"

"Let it be a lesson to you all," said Sensei Kobo, not even looking at his star student. "Never underestimate any opponent. Never think that another person is not as good as you are, just because they are who they are."

Cam counted the seconds, knowing exactly what would come next.

"Dismissed."

Cam dared look behind his shoulder, watching the woman walk away from the stage, her head held high.

Mother?

---

The novices weren't given any orientation, of course. No effort was made to make the first day at the Academy any easier. The sink-or-swim attitude was intentional - a person who couldn't find their way from the training grounds to the mess hall was less likely to make a good ninja than someone who had the brains to ask.

Not needing to ask for directions, Cam was the first of the first-years to arrive at the mess. He picked his food from the buffet and sat down at a corner table: he wasn't going to stay here for long, and he wasn't going to make any friends. It was best if he interacted with as few people as possible. If he was lucky, no one else would want to sit at such a faraway table.

"Is this seat taken?"

Raising his eyes from his plate, he saw her standing before him, holding her food tray and looking quite hesitant.

"No," he forced himself to say. "You can sit here."

"Thank you," she said as she sat down. Cam noted that she did sound relieved. Of course, he thought after a moment. Everybody would recognize her, after the demo, and it's just her first day.

"I'm Cameron," he said, holding out his hand.

"Miko." She shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too."

They ate in silence. Slowly, the mess filled up. As the minutes passed and no one seemed inclined to join their table, Cam began to relax.

"I never got why some people like to sit right at the middle of the mess," he said. "Crowds always give me such a headache."

Miko smiled. "Me too. Lucky us that we're the only ones here who think this way."

He returned her smile. "True."

"There are so many people here," she said. "I didn't realize."

He nodded. "It's amazing that a place this big manages to remain a secret," he agreed.

"I knew it was one of the larger Academies. That's one of the reasons I came here, actually: I hoped to blend in."

"With your skills?" Cam couldn't keep the wry amusement from his voice. I can't believe Dad never told me. "Ninjas as a whole are pretty limited with swords. You'd stand out in an academy three times as big."

A gentle blush coloured her cheeks. "Thank you. I think."

"If you were looking into different Academies, if you knew what you were getting into, you should've known that you wouldn't be able to hide from the teachers. Even I know that."

"I know," she acknowledged. Her smile was rueful. "I didn't expect to be outed in front of the whole school on my first day, though."

"For what it's worth, I think many of them didn't realize what they saw."

Her eyes became guarded. "And you do, I take it."

He hesitated. Minimizing interaction or not, he didn't want to hurt her. "You're a samurai," he said. "But I'm not going to say another word about it, if that's what you want."

She looked into his eyes for a long moment. "It's all right," she said finally.

His smile was genuine. "Good."

---

He confused her. Cameron was no more an ordinary ninja novice than she was, but she was unsure what he was, exactly. He wasn't the one she had sensed before, she was pretty sure of that.

She had come to the Wind Academy to learn, but her mission had changed the moment her gaze swept over the student body, and she sensed someone who shouldn't be there, someone who shouldn't exist: a Shadow Master. The Ninja Clans were known for their zero tolerance policy towards Shadow Masters, or "Dark Ninjas" as they were called here. A Shadow Master would have to live a life of lies and deceit to survive in an Academy - but then again, lies and deceit were what Shadow School was about.

There was a Shadow Master on the grounds, and Miko Saito would not let him walk free. He might avoid his fellow ninja students, he might mislead even the masters of his school, but he could not hide from one like her.

The young man sitting in front of her was another matter. She targeted him because he was, quite obviously, not a normal. Yet, after a few minutes of conversation, she was positive that there was not a trace of the Dark Power about him. In fact, he didn't even seem to be aware of what he was projecting. He reminded her of herself, when she was younger.

The touch of coldness didn't register with her, at first. After a moment, though, she realized what she was sensing - the person she was hunting had entered the mess. She was sitting across from Cameron, though, which meant she had her back to the food line - she couldn't turn and watch without attracting attention. She cast the web of her awareness, as carefully as she could, hoping to pinpoint the person so that she could take a good look at them on her way out, later. Within seconds, though, her concentration turned to alarm: the other had sensed her. He must've sensed her earlier, as she had sensed him, and now she had foolishly given her position to him.

Or not so foolishly, she corrected as the feeling of coldness shifted. He must've known who she was from the first moment - she had been standing on a stage in front of the entire school, after all. Now, though, he would come to her - she would not have to hunt for him. They were on equal ground, now.

Cameron's eyes focused on someone behind her shoulder, and though his expression didn't change Miko could sense his frown.

So Cameron had already met with her quarry. Interesting.

"Hey, Cameron," said a cheery, completely false voice behind her shoulder. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," said Cameron, though his thoughts said 'I'd rather if you got lost, Uncle.'

Uncle? The man standing next to Miko was the spitting image of the student she had beaten earlier, except for the yellow-trimmed Earth uniform and the aura of a Shadow Master. Her surprised must've leaked to her face.

"Care to introduce us?" he asked as he sat down.

"Miko, this is Kiya. Kiya, this is Miko."

The Earth student sat down, sent a charming smile her way, and held out his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Miko."

She smiled politely and shook his hand, gritting her teeth against the cold shock his touch sent up her arm and down her spine. "Thank you."

"Hey," he surveyed her face, pretending to only just recognize her. She wondered if he knew that he fooled neither Cameron nor her. "You're the student from the demo."

"There are only two female new students," said Cam matter-of-factly, "and Sarah's blonde."

If Kiya was bothered by his lie being busted, it did not show in his still-smiling expression. Miko was not used to people she could not read, and it unnerved her.

"Got me there," he said. "I admit: I very much wanted to meet you. After all, you are the only person except for Sensei Kobe who beat my brother in swordplay in two years."

"Twins," said Cameron, answering her unasked question. I can't believe how many secrets Dad kept from me.

It took all of Miko's control to not frown. She tore her mind from the mystery that was Cameron to the threat that was sitting next to Sensei Kobe know what she was? Did he suspect what Kiya Watanabe was?

"Your brother is a very good swordsman," she said.

He leaned forward, touching her hand lightly. "But not as good as you."

The gesture put her at ease. He wouldn't touch her at all if he really knew what she was, what she was capable of. He probably thought that she was - like Cameron: full of potential, but untrained and possibly unaware.

Prey. That's what she and Cameron were to this man. He thought them gullible, helpless against his mastery. Determination twisted and settled in her stomach, like a katana blade on a swordsmaker's anvil. She was not helpless, and neither of them was gullible. Neither she nor Cam would become trophies for this madman, she would see to that.

You will be banished before the moon wanes, Kiya Watanabe. I swear upon my father's memory.

---

The scroll of time burned against his skin in his uncle's presence. It also burned, even more strongly, in the presence of his mother. Cam wasn't sure what to make of it. The scroll was supposed to direct him towards his goal, but also to warn him against threat. But which was which?

He had to retrieve an artifact, his dad had said. It logically followed that either Kiya or Miko had the artifact - if his father had been truthful with him, which Cam wasn't sure of anymore. The day's discoveries had shaken Cam's world.

All those thoughts spun in his head as he lay in his bed. The other novices he was sharing a room with were long asleep, their breathing slow and rhythmic. Judging by the shift in where the moonlight spilled on the floor, Cam figured it was way past midnight. He'd need his strength the next day, but too much had happened. Too many noises and voices were buzzing in his head, making it impossible to relax. He had forgotten what it was like to be around people: the Academy of his time had been empty for so long that he forgot the cloggy feeling he got just from being near masses of people, not even having to interact with them. Even without the day's strange revelations and the task he had to complete, falling asleep in a room not his own would've been hard enough.

Then he heard it - like a screen torn by a dagger, like a lightning just outside his field of vision. He jumped from his bed, barely bothering to put some decent clothes on before running outside.

Noise - someone crashing against a wall, and Cam knew other people had heard that, too, and were getting out of their beds even as he ran to the next building, and then upstairs, to the room at the end of the hallway - Miko and Sarah's room, he realized with a start.

He stopped running when he reached their floor, walking as quietly as he could. He could hear the sounds of struggle all this way - people were fighting in that room - and he did not want any assailant to hear him approaching. He paused at the door to the room, which was - strangely enough - closed. Straining his ears, he tried to decipher how many people were moving inside the room. There seemed to be only two, and one of them was too heavy to be either Miko or Sarah.

He tried the door, and it opened with a faint click. The first thing that caught his eye was Sarah's hair, glistening in the moonlight, as she lay on her bed, unmoving, her open eyes staring unseeingly. Then he saw the storm of shadows in the middle of the room, moving, shifting and twisting. Even as he looked at it the cloud seemed to lift, and he could see two figures fighting - Miko in her pajamas, eyes reflecting the glow from a pendant that hung on her chest, and another person, a man, in a novice's garb with his face covered. As Cam watched, Miko reached to tear the man's veil and he spun, avoiding her, turning towards the door -

The man's eyes were completely black.

Cam started.

The man disappeared.

Miko stood in the middle of the room, breathing hard. "Cameron - you shouldn't be here - "

"I heard noises," he said, stepping in. Her eyes were wide, her breathing ragged. He reached for her shoulders. "I came to help."

"You shouldn't be here!" She almost pushed him away but her hands stayed on his arms, holding him just at an arm's distance from her as she studied his face with eyes that were now wide-awake and almost calculating. "The teachers will be here any moment - "

Right on cue, footsteps thundered in the hall: people approaching in a run. Cam turned, just in time to see Sensei Kobe stride into the room, three other teachers on his heels.

"What happened here?" he demanded, his eyes traveling from Sarah's dead body to Cam and Miko. He nodded at the other teachers and they entered the room, surveying it. Then he returned his attention to the two novices.

"I woke up and saw a person in the room," said Miko. Her voice sounded small, terrified, and Cam knew she had to be faking. "I sat up. He heard me moving and - and he tried to attack me. We fought."

"I heard noises," said Cam. "Like someone crashing against a wall. I came to see what was going on, if anyone needed help. When I arrived…" Cam hesitated. "He and Miko were fighting. Then he saw me, and he… disappeared."

"He was dressed as a ninja," said Miko quietly. "He is of medium height. That is all I know."

Sensei Kobe regarded them warily. "A student is dead. This room - this entire building - reeks of the Dark Ninja powers. Do you even know what those powers are?"

"Shadow Mastery," said Miko, and there was no fear in her voice, only distaste.

Cam looked at her in surprise.

Sensei Kobe gave Miko a long, measuring gaze. "I underestimated you," he finally said. "My apologies."

She bowed her head. "Accepted. Sensei, if I may, I know who the Dark Ninja is. I sensed him earlier today, at the demo."

"I believe I know who the one you suspect is."

"I do not suspect. I know."

"Do not speak his name. We will discuss this tomorrow." Kobe's gaze was piercing. "You two wouldn't happen to be cousins, would you?"

"Sensei?"

"A student is attacked by a Dark Ninja, and is successful in holding him off. The only person who hears the struggle happens to be sleeping in the next-door building - and sharing a last name with the attacked student." Kobe's lips quirked. "Quite the coincidence, don't you think?"

Cam turned to Miko, feigned surprise on his face. Her expression mirrored his own, and he found himself smiling a little at the situation. Busted.

The curve of her lips seemed to say: almost.

---

The next morning, at breakfast, he spotted Miko sitting alone at the same table where they had sat the day before. She smiled when she saw him, and didn't seem to mind that he joined her.

"Thank you," she said in a low voice, "for yesterday. I believe he wasn't expecting you."

"You're welcome," he said. "You were quite insistent that I shouldn't have been there."

"I was afraid for you. I knew he would come after us, because of what we are."

"What do you mean, what we are?"

Her hand, holding the toast, stopped in mid air. "You don't know?" she asked in surprise. She studied him. "You don't know," she repeated, her voice laden with something akin to pity.

He took a few seconds, trying to put it together. "Sensei Kobe knows. What he said yesterday - "

"Exactly." Her gaze was strangely clear, as it had been the night before when she said the teachers would be there soon. "Why are you here, Cam?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Now. Why are you here?"

Keeping his cup of tea from slipping from his hands was suddenly very hard. "I'm looking for something," he said finally.

"I see," she said after a moment. She bit into her toast. "Sensei Kobe will address the student body after breakfast. You saw the notice?"

"Yeah," he said quietly. "A student died. There has to be an announcement."

Miko's face darkened. "She was innocent."

Cam sighed. "Aren't they all?"

That gave her a pause. "Yes," she said, deflated. "They are."

---

They gathered at the same place as they had for the demo, but the mood was much different. Anger, fear, grief - all of them were vibrant in the air, so clear Cam could almost see them. He and Miko stood at the edge of the crowd of novices, as far as possible from the elder students. Kobe stood on the stage, all the teachers lined up behind him.

"Last night," he said, "A student was murdered on the grounds. She was murdered for no reason other than being at the wrong place, in the wrong time. She was murdered because she was in a Dark Ninja's way, and Dark Ninjas care for no one.

"This person is among us, standing here before me. This person is one of us, practicing a forbidden, evil craft. I call upon this person to step forward, and meet their due."

For a moment, everything was quiet. Then, like a ripple moving through the air -

Kobe held up his palm, and the wave crashed around him. "Try harder," he said.

"What - ?" said Cam, rubbing his ears.

"That's what you heard yesterday," said Miko, very quietly. She paused. "Was this really what woke you up?"

"No," he said. "It was…"

It wasn't a wave, this time. It was targeted, glowing with purpose. Miko threw out her arm, and the arrow of energy dissipated.

Another telekinesis wave came their way, crashing aside students. When it cleared, there was an open path between Miko and Cam and their attacker.

"You!" shouted Cam, moving forward.

Miko grabbed his arm and pulled him back violently. "Don't be stupid!" she snapped.

"On the contrary," said Kiya, his smile as pleasant as it had been the day before, when he expressed his admiration for Miko's skill with a sword. "Let him come to me."

Power surged at Kiya's words, and Cam it could feel it. It would have compelled him towards his uncle, if not for -

Looking at Miko, Cam saw that she was wearing her amulet outside her shirt, and her chin was set high.

"If you want it," she told the furious Dark Ninja, "Come and get it."

Everything happened at once: Kanoi threw himself at his brother, Miko and Kiya sent powerful waves at each other, and Cam reacted instinctively, trying to toss aside his uncle's attack without hampering his mother's.

Kanoi managed to distract Kiya enough that Cam's counterstrike worked, but it cost him: Kiya grabbed the front of his uniform, shocked him with a bolt of energy, and tossed him aside. Miko and Cam used that moment to charge forward, physically attacking Kiya. Cam had never before participated in a battle that included more than the physical but he managed to hold his own, holding off the physical attacks and dodging the psi ones. He even managed to assist Miko, once or twice.

Then Kiya switched tactics, aiming for Cam instead of the amulet. Cam and Miko didn't realize what he was doing until it was too late, and Kiya had a firm hold on Cam.

"What are you going to do now, samurai bitch?" asked Kiya, and Cam could hear the smile in his voice. "Going to sacrifice your precious little friend?"

"Let him go," said Miko through gritted teeth, "or you will pay for it."

"Not so easily," drawled Kiya. "How about…"

The world tilted as someone attacked Kiya, and Cam got tossed in the process.

"How about you do as the lady says," growled Kanoi. Turning his back on his brother, he helped Cam up. "You all right?"

"Yeah," said Cam. "Thanks."

His dad smiled, and the familiarity of the smile cut straight into Cam's heart. "Anytime."

He heard Kiya attack before he saw him, but the attack never landed: Miko launched herself at Kiya, a storm of shadows and power like she had been the night before. The fight was brutal, destructive, and now Cam knew better than to interfere between those two. He held back his dad when he moved as if to step forward.

"Fight fire with fire," said Cam.

Kanoi looked at him, and then nodded.

All the colours went wrong. Straining his eyes, Cam saw that Kiya had grabbed the cord of Miko's talisman. She was struggling, trying to break free without losing this obviously precious possession. She let herself fall backwards, and the talisman flew up. Kiya reached for it, trying to pull it towards him with his mind. Miko threw out her arm, forcewave so powerful that -

The amulet fell into Cam's hand so hard that Cam was sure it would bruise. Without thought, he tied the cord around his neck. As the amulet came to rest against his chest, the scroll started burning, becoming so hot that Cam pulled it from under his shirt, afraid it would burst into fire.

"Go!" Miko was holding off Kiya with a wall of sheer power. Kiya was struggling, clawing, trying to break his way through the block.

"You've got what you came for!" shouted Miko. "Go home!"

It didn't make sense. None of it was making any sense at all, except that the scroll had starting glowing so hard it burned his skin the moment the amulet had become his. Acting before he could change his mind, before something went too wrong, Cam tossed the scroll into the air and stepped through the portal.

Chapter 16: Mother's Sin

Notes:

I hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I tried writing another sentence here at least five times and erased it each time, so I think i'm giving up.

The silence was the loudest thing he'd ever heard. For a moment, Cam stood in the middle of the room, senses reaching out for any sign of life - anything - and then he'd picked up the soft hum of computers, the almost subliminal noise of the fluorescent lamps, the feeling of another living being.

"Cam?"

His father was sitting on the library's railing, the exact same spot where he´d been sitting when Cam left, holding his paw almost exactly at the same level. Of course. It had been a day for Cam, but only seconds had passed here - if any time at all.

"Cam?"

"Yeah," said Cam slowly. He felt so strange, almost surreal. "I made it."

His father smiled slightly. "The wonders of time travel," he said. "I saw you stepping into the portal, and promptly returning again."

"We have a lot to talk about."

"I am aware. But first…" He inclined his head towards the monitor, which showed the two Megazords taking a beating from the giant-sized Madtropolis. "I believe the other Rangers need some help."

"Yeah," said Cam automatically as he began walking towards the command console. Then his mind caught up with his ears, and he stopped. Turning his head sharply towards his dad, he demanded: "The other Rangers?"

---

For the first minute of the battle, it looked as though the Rangers were going to get it. The two Megazords stumbled like drunken men, barely managing to stay upright, let alone hit their opponent. Kapri watched the scene with mixed feelings: she was not sorry to see the Rangers lose, but she was disappointed that it had been so easy.

Then - not quite a tremor, not quite a ripple, but something. She would've dismissed it as something in the engines, if not for the wide-eyed expression on Lothor's face: triumphant, victorious.

"Well, what do you know," he said, sound imminently pleased. "The old rat actually had the guts."

"Huh?" asked Marah.

She didn't sense it, realized Kapri. Aloud, she asked: "Uh, Uncle, what just happened?"

"That, my dear, was a temporal echo." Lothor's smile was slow, predatory. "Someone opened a temporal portal, traveled through it, and returned to the precise moment from which they had left."

"And that's good news because…?"

"Because Kanoi has had the sense to send his son to fetch the only thing that could save the other Rangers," said Lothor. "Because it means there'll be that much more power for me to harvest when we finally defeat the Rangers. Because," his expression changed, betraying a deep hunger, almost lust, "I've been waiting for this particular power for a long, long time."

"Sir!" Zurgane's cry was startled. "The Rangers - they have backup!"

At first it was just a shadow, gliding over the battlefield. Then they could see that which cast the shadow - a huge flying machine: a chopper-like zord. It descended like an attacking fighter plane, maneuvering easily despite its size, blades tearing up the ground and energy cannons blasting at five different frequencies.

The other zords were retreating, now: five specs of light indicated the departure of the Wind and Thunder Rangers, and then the zords sped towards the mountains, returning to their lairs. The new zord sped up into the air, high enough that it came within range of the ship's sensors. The readings clearly indicated that it was shifting. When it returned to the ground it no longer resembled a chopper but a man - a samurai, to be exact. Wielding a sword, it proceeded to finish what it had started.

---

"It doesn't look half as good on screen as it does for real," grumbled Hunter.

"Hey," Tori poked him in the shoulder, none too gently. "I'd rather watch it from here than have my ass handed to me out there."

"But he's right," said Dustin. "It's no fun from here."

Shane considered them tiredly, and then shook his head and looked at Sensei.

"Rangers," said Sensei. His voice was gentle, but the message got through nonetheless.

"Sorry, Sensei," said Tori.

"Yeah, sorry," said Dustin, though his expression clearly suggested that he had no idea what he was apologizing for.

Hunter just grunted.

The Samurai zord had disappeared from the monitor while they were speaking; within seconds, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The five Rangers turned their heads.

A Ranger - that was all they knew to expect. He was dressed in green, which wasn't that surprising if one paid attention to his zord. He wasn't very tall, but his build was impossible to tell because of the heavy, golden shoulders-and-chest shield.

Taking off his helmet, Cam smiled at them.

Naturally, they tried to run over and crowd around him, but it was kind of hard as they all needed to support themselves just to stand up.

Cam shook his head. "Come on," he told them. "Let's open this jar before one of you passes out."

"How do we open it?" asked Blake.

"Well, that's not so hard," said Cam easily. He directed the team, positioning them in a circle around the jar. "It's held closed by the power of five Rangers. I'd say we need a greater power to open it."

"Like the power of six Rangers?" suggested Tori, a smile blossoming on her pale features.

Cam returned the smile. "For example."

"So let's do it," said Shane, putting his morpher hand on top of the jar. One by one, the others put their hands on top of his. Cam was the last in the sequence. As soon as his palm touched the back of Blake's hand, the lid became translucent. It popped aside in seconds, letting out five brightly-coloured ribbons of light and a whole lot of sparks. Then it was over, and the jar fell on its side, empty.

Everyone was shouting, back-slapping, cheering. Dustin and Shane, always the most energetic of the lot, were nearly bouncing off the walls. Cam's head was spinning under the sensory attack of five exuberant Rangers loudly expressing their happiness - and that was even before the hugging started. First Tori - then Hunter crushed the air out of his lungs - Shane - Dustin nearly tackling him to the ground - Blake. Cam of three minutes before wouldn't have been able to stand it. But in that first split second when the jar's lock gave, when the first tendrils of power touched the Winds and the Thunders, Cam had felt something - like an empty space filling up which he hadn't known existed, like an ache soothed away that he wasn't aware of before - a feeling not unlike the moment when the amulet first touched his skin. That was why, instead of pulling back, he gave into the onslaught of touch.

Then it passed, and he was standing in the middle of a circle of bright-eyed, red-cheeked Rangers, and he knew he looked like them - finally, he looked like them.

"Dude," said Dustin, "You so owe us a story."

---

She walked below decks, and she walked alone. She didn't desire company, not now, not with his words still ringing in her ears, with Marah's round-eyed expression still swimming in front of her eyes. Kapri wanted no one's company so she slipped away from the congregation Lothor had called, for once not caring what his opinion might be. She went below decks, where only on-duty engineers and the occasional kelzak went.

Lothor addressing all the troops was a rare occurrence; he'd done so only three times before that Kapri remembered, the last being the day they had come to Earth. Even the Thunder Rangers' defection did not rate such an address. The appearance of a sixth Ranger probably didn't rate that high, either; it was the identity of the Samurai Ranger that had Lothor so anxious to make a formal address.

Naturally, considering his relationship to said Ranger.

Oh, Kapri had known. She and Marah had known since that day, shortly after their graduation, when Lothor had first confided in them, revealing to them his struggle, his mission, asking them to be his hands and eyes. Kapri had known about that since then. That was not what sent her looking for the darkest, loneliest hallway she could find. The reason she was below decks was not the public revelation of something she had known for years, but a question she did not know the answer to, a question that had tormented her since the day Lothor had told Marah and her of his brother. Knowing what she had known since she were three, the question seemed obvious, begging to be asked - but Kapri could only lose from raising that particular issue. Marah, though, who had nothing to lose, who didn't already know the answer…

The question had never occurred to Marah.

No more secrets between us, Lothor had said.

Kapri kicked the bulkhead.

---

"There comes a time we all know
There's a place that we must go
Into the soul, into the heart
Into the dark"

- Into the Dark, Melissa Etheridge

---

The telling of the story had taken hours. The other Rangers interrupted him with questions every couple of
sentences, for one thing, and they had to take frequent food breaks, for another. The downside of being a Ranger, thought Cam wryly as he finally gave in and let Dustin order pizza, after they emptied the kitchen. Being constantly hungry. It was a small price to pay, though, for that wonderful feeling of being alive, for the ability to go out there and make a difference.

When he told them of Sarah's death, though, complete silence reigned. Cam's voice hitched; it was as if he hadn't realized what he'd seen until it was confirmed in the utter silence of his teammates, in the way his father turned his head aside. Cam continued, in a subdued voice, telling them of the battle, of Sensei Kobe's address the next morning, and of the final confrontation. He described in detail Kiya's use of the Dark Ninja powers; he omitted the way he and his mother had responded in kind.

His father's eyes bore into his. Cam had to work hard to not look away.

"What happened then, Dad?" he asked. "What happened after I left?"

"Sensei Kobe intervened," said Kanoi slowly. "He had never revealed to me why he had not acted before, but I always believed he had had a good reason. In any case, he invoked the Banishing Act, trapping the one who had been my brother in a bubble not even he could penetrate."

"The one who had been your brother?" asked Hunter, lightly stressing the words.

"Yes." The single syllable was laden with determination, and with sorrow. "As part of the Banishing Act, Sensei Kobe denounced Kiya from the clan, stripping him of his name and heritage. The one who had been my brother thanked Kobe for that, and said that one day he would return, under the name he had chosen for himself." Kanoi hung his head, and then raised it again, slowly. "That name was Lothor."

---

She had been three and a half years old, at the time. It was just a few weeks after Marah was born. Her child's mind was not happy with her new sister, but angry and resentful: Marah's birth was a bad thing, their mother's pregnancy was a bad thing. The adult Kapri didn't remember what her parents' marriage had been like before, but she knew they had become increasingly worse during the pregnancy. Even the three-year-old toddler she was had realized that, and had hated her sister passionately for that.

She was three and a half, and Marah was barely one month old. She wasn't sure if it was the first time her father had hit their mother; she was pretty sure it was at least one of the first times, as she thought she would've remembered if he had hit her during her pregnancy. Even a three-years-old would remember that, she thought.

She was three and a half and she just wanted a cookie, but her parents were arguing, shouting, and they didn't even notice she was there. Between their yells, the sound of tossed-around furniture and Marah's wails, the two adults didn't notice their daughter, didn't hear her shocked gasp when she heard the one sentence that made her world make sense.

Two years later, when Lothor first made himself known, Kapri spit on him and punched his leg. He'd laughed, and before he looked up at her parents he'd said: "You're not afraid of me, are you, daddy's girl?"

That was the day her father first hit Marah.

---

They left, eventually. The Winds had Christmas dinners to attend, and the Thunders didn't linger. It was just he and his dad, sitting in the main room with their tea, surrounded by the thousand and one plates left by the locust known as the Ninja Storm team.

"Congratulations, Cameron," said his father after a while. "I believe I did not say that before."

"Thanks, Dad."

"I know how much this means to you."

Silence.

"The amulet is much more than a morpher, as you might have realized by now." His father was staring at a wall. "Your mother should've been the one to teach you, but she had taught some of it to me, knowing she would not be able to be here for you at this time."

Cam looked at him sharply. "She knew?"

"Even then," said his dad softly, "Though she did not tell me that until she was dying."

Cam looked away.

"If you need help with anything, Cam…"

He thought of hearing the telekinetic wave from the other building, when even Miko's and Sarah's neighbours heard nothing; he thought of Miko answering things he had not told her, and of her challenging Lothor to wrestle the amulet from her; he thought of the way the world expanded when the amulet touched his skin.

Kanoi had seen all that. The young man whose brother became a Shadow Master grew to be the Dark Ninjas' greatest enemy.

He looked into his father's eyes. "Thanks, Dad, but I'm doing fine."

---

Shane had never been happier that his parents believed in having the Christmas meal on Christmas day itself; or he'd never been more disappointed - he wasn't sure. On the one hand, he wasn't sure if he could act normal through a family meal right now. On the other, he found himself craving for some Christmas spirit. The neighbourhood was quiet, the house only minimally decorated, and Shane terribly needed something to offset the knowledge that Lothor was Sensei's brother, and the memory of his life force leaking out of his body.

He gave up pretending to read the book assignment they'd received at school and went downstairs. The house was quite - no surprise. Sometimes Shane felt that the house had been completely still ever since the day Parker left for college, and had never really returned. Christmas was a bad time to think about Parker.

His mother was in the living room, watching some old movie on TV. The volume was set so low that he wondered how she could possibly be hearing anything.

"Be quiet," she told him, voice not raised above a whisper. "Your father's already sleeping."

"I'm going out," he heard himself tell her. "There's a caroling marathon downtown, and Tori just called and offered me a ride."

His mother shrugged. "Have fun. You have your keys if you return late, right?"

"Yeah, Mom."

Tori hadn't called; she was probably still sitting at the dinner table with her family. But Shane couldn't stay inside, and he certainly couldn't stand the thought of being alone. There was always downtown, where there were bound to be people, and if that wasn't enough to feel alive - well, he knew where Hunter lived.

---

There was a figure walking across the lawn. Tori's pulse shot up, preparing for a burglar. Then she recognized the figure, and the breath she'd been holding came out in a sigh. She opened her window wide, not bothering to turn on her desk lamp: the moonlight was enough for the likes of them.

Blake looked up from below her window.

"Still awake?" he called, soft enough that only another Ranger could hear.

"Already slept," she replied, just as softly. "Two hours."

She could see his smile, even in the darkness. "The wonders of Ranger metabolism."

"Yes," she agreed. "You going to come up, or what?"

He gave her window a critical look. "Landing on that windowsill should be interesting."

"Oh please." She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "We're both ninjas. Think we can't get you through the door without waking anyone?"

"Porch door?"

She shook her head. "Front. The porch door needs oiling."

It was the strangest way to get Blake into the house, she thought as she crept downstairs: through the front door but past midnight, both of them moving more silently than two moths. They exchanged smiles again as Blake slipped through the front door, but they didn't said a word until she closed her room's door behind them.

"Definitely better than a window," said Blake.

"Told you so."

"Sorry for dropping by so late. I…"

"I know," she said, simply. "Same here." There were obvious advantages to needing no more than four hours of sleep per night. The biggest disadvantage was that those extra waking hours were not always easy to fill. There was only so much training that could be done, only so much homework to catch up on: sometimes, Tori found herself sitting by her window late at night, staring into the tops of the trees and thinking.

Some nights were worse than others: the nights after big fights, when they'd taken more hits than was normal or when one of them pulled a more risky trick than the usual. Tonight was probably the worst night in a few months.

"I'm glad you came," she said. On a whim, she touched his cheek. Sensing his reaction she let her hand linger, her thumb tracing the lines of his face. "Why are you always so afraid?" she whispered. "What are you so afraid of?" He didn't answer her so she took half a step forward, her thumb still tracing his face, but otherwise not pushing it.

"You're so beautiful," he said, and it wasn't an answer to her question. For a split second, his hand flitted next to the collar of her dressing gown. Tori caught it with her other hand and returned it, pressing his open palm against her collarbone.

"What do you have to be afraid of?" she asked again, more softly.

He shook his head, shutting his eyes tightly for a second. "Everything," he said, and his voice was barely a breath of air.

She considered him for a moment, and then let her hand drop from where she was holding his. "Okay."

"Okay?" he repeated, and the skepticism in his voice gave her hope that she could pull this one off. "Just like that?"

She smiled briefly, thinking that he knew her too well already. "No." She removed her other hand from his face and tugged him. "Come on."

"Tori…" he said warningly as she sat on the bed and pulled him down to sit beside her. Still, he sat.

She laughed a little, knowing what it looked like. "Not going to go too fast."

"Not too fast for you may be too fast for me," he pointed out.

"Too fast for either of us is too fast for Us," she retorted, and added: "Would you rather if we stood the whole time?"

"No," he relented. "This is all just too weird sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah," she agreed. "Close your eyes?"

He looked at her doubtfully.

"Blake…" She gave his hand a short squeeze. "I can't see you like that."

"Sorry," he murmured. "I…"

She put her finger against his lips. "Close your eyes?" she asked again. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." The answer was quick, instinctive.

"So close your eyes."

He did.

It wasn't so much a long kiss, as it was a close-spaced series of short ones. She kept her tongue firmly behind her teeth, using just her lips against his. She kept her hands in her lap until she felt him leaning into her, just so slightly, and then she put one hand against his waistline and one hand on his shoulder, drawing slow, long lines. Still nibbling on his lips and the corners of his mouth, she kept her touch slow and light even as her hands traveled to Blake's back and outer thigh. She kept at it until she finally felt him relaxing, no longer afraid to let their bodies touch through the layers of fabric.

She knew what he was afraid of, even if he never said it out loud, even if he didn't fully admit it to himself. Letting go was hard for Blake, and losing control - terrifying. They were never going to get anywhere, though, if Blake didn't get it in his head that the world wouldn't crumble to pieces if he didn't hold it all the time. So she didn't hurry, didn't reach for tender spots, didn't do anything that Blake would somehow find threatening; she kept conscious, almost calculated, keeping him focused on her but careful to not overwhelm him.

Not at once, anyway. When she put gentle pressure against his shoulder he didn't resist, lying back with his eyes still closed, and she lay next to him, half holding him down, half caressing as she let go of his mouth and kissed against his pulse, ever so lightly. Blake tilted his head, giving her better access, and she thought that the careful control she had to exercise was totally worth it for the expression on his face, for being able to draw her fingertips against his chest, applying just enough strength to get through the thick t-shirt. Having to hold herself back was worth it, to have him raise his hand and tentatively pull at her dressing gown. She undid the belt that kept it closed around her waist, and the thick wool fell around them like a blanket as she lay half on top of him.

His arm rested against her lower back, just holding her close, and she put her head against his shoulder, no longer moving except for the finger of her one hand against his belly.

"Do you want to open your eyes?" she asked after a few moments, her voice as soft and low as she could keep it.

"I don't want either of us to move at all," he answered, his voice just as faint.

"So stay."

"I'll fall asleep."

"So? It's two a.m., Blake. We'd both wake long before my parents or my sister would."

She knew he opened his eyes because he moved his head, probably to look at her. She moved her head also, meeting his gaze.

"If I tried to get up now," he said, "you'd kiss me again, wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

"And then I'd stay."

"I hope so."

He smiled, and she knew he didn't want to get up any more than she wanted him to. "You're beautiful," he murmured. "But can I at least take off my shoes?"

She laughed a little and rolled aside. "I think we may want to get a proper blanket, too."

---

By the time she was seven, things had settled down. Maybe the situation became more bearable, and maybe Kapri had just learned to walk between the drops. By the time she was nine, her sense of the power play between her mother, her father and Lothor was quite developed, and she'd learned that being nice to Uncle Lothor earned her books instead of dolls. It also meant losing her father's favour, for a while, but that was compensated by her mother not giving her so hard a time and with Marah getting a break, too; by then, Kapri was mature enough to understand that Marah hadn't asked for any of this, either.

Then Marah turned twelve, and Lothor announced his intention to send her - to send both girls - to a better school than Onyx had, better than her parents could ever hope to pay for. The threat of her or Marah not living up to Lothor's expectations and being sent back to their parents hung over their heads was explicit, a constant sword hung over Kapri's neck, but at least after the first half a year Marah stopped being homesick, and Kapri no longer had to fear that her little sister would cost them both this chance.

Despite all the money he'd spent on them during the three school years, Kapri was still surprised by the celebrations he'd thrown for their graduation - while he always made sure they had enough, he'd never splurged before. The month after graduation was a whirlwind of excitement, culminating in a fancy dinner by one of the most famous chefs of their side of the galaxy. It was a mystery to Kapri until that moment, late that night, as they were sitting in the private lounge with glasses of sweet wine, and Lothor seemingly confided in them, telling them of what he intended to achieve and why, asking them to help him. She understood, then, that they were an investment to him, and that the care he'd showered them with was to make sure that he'd reap what he'd sown in their education.

She played along, of course. She told herself that it was like an internship, a chance for her to gain experience, and that when it was over she'd find herself a real job, get herself a life that didn't depend on Lothor providing for her, as he had provided for her drunk father and pampered mother during Marah's childhood.

But ever since then, the question didn't leave her. Lothor had told them of his brother, not even trying to explain how his supposed sister fit into the picture; he just ignored their mother altogether, and Marah never asked. Kapri knew, as she had heard her father calling her mother a whore when she was three years old and went downstairs for a cookie; she knew why Marah always got the prettier toys from Uncle Lothor, and why their mother's husband hated the little girl with a passion. She knew the secret betrayed by Marah's dark hair - incriminating evidence when put next to her own parents' fair hair.

She wondered about that, sometimes. Wondered about the difference between sweet, innocent Marah, so incapable of judging people's motives, and the manipulative son of a bitch who sired her. She wondered if Marah's wide-eyed stare was pretence, if her clinginess and insecurity were tools designed to keep Kapri close. She lived in constant fear not just of Lothor casting them out, but also of Marah turning out to be another lie; half the time, she believed that she was.

But when Marah found her in the training room, after Kapri had beat the punching bag for so long that the back of her hands was torn and bleeding, Kapri did not send her away with sharp words; and when Marah ignored the rage on her sister's face and moved in to hug her, Kapri didn't push her away. She put her head on her half-sister's shoulder, and she cried for all the secrets she kept.

Chapter 17: False Dreams I

Notes:

Warning: this chapter is the nastier non-Disney version of I Love Lothor and may be slightly more disturbing then your regular chapter.

"What, in the name of the Unholy Elements, is that?" asked Lothor, surveying the person in front of him with obvious disdain.

Marah fidgeted. "Uhm, Mr. Ratwell wanted an interview with you, and I thought…"

"Mr. Ratwell is a media person, Marah." Lothor smiled unpleasantly. "You know what I think about media people, don't you?"

"But he has a really good offer!" said Marah. "I talked to him before I scheduled this appointment, Uncle, really I did!"

"Hm." Lothor leaned back in his throne. "You have thirty seconds to explain yourself," he informed the alien before him - a sleek figure in expensive black clothes, whose dark red eyes reflected the light. "I reserve the right to chop you to little pieces if my niece's judgment was wrong, which is quite likely. You may begin."

"Your name has recently become famous, Lord Lothor," said Ratwell. "Yet precious little is known about you. There are those who would pay considerable sums for an interview with you, even if it reveals only little that is new. Your dislike of the media is well-known, though. Therefore, I propose a deal."

"Save your gold - or whatever it is you want to pay me with."

Ratwell gave a small bow. "I did not think of any material possessions. I would like to offer you my services."

"Why would these be of any value to me?"

Two rows of perfect white teeth shined as Mr. Ratwell smiled. "Suppose the people of Earth had handed you rule of their planet, Lord Lothor?"

"You must be very sure of your ability to deliver on that, if you're ready to bet your life on it." Lothor leaned forward. "Which you will. You are aware that Earth is defended by a team of Power Rangers, aren't you?"

"Even Power Rangers are human."

"Interesting attitude, even if somewhat naïve." Lothor stood up abruptly. "You've got yourself a deal, Mr. Ratwell. Let us hope that you succeed."

---

Sometimes she was really disturbed thinking of everything they couldn't take for granted, anymore.

Some lessons were learned earlier then others. Safety was undoubtedly the first lesson they had learned: the damage Lothor had inflicted on the Academy Grounds during all of ten minutes, and Sensei's present situation, had taught the Winds that nothing and no one were safe. Sleep was another thing they'd learned to respect: Tori had learned the hard way that even the tiniest agitation was enough to keep her from sleeping - and there were days she sorely missed being able to sleep a solid seven or eight hours. Then there was identity: the experience with Tori's clone had instilled a deep fear in all three of them.

Of all the things she couldn't take for granted anymore, food was probably one of the more disturbing ones. Maybe because each day was peppered with reminders of it; maybe because they never talked about it; or maybe because it didn't take evil space ninjas to make it happen - all it took was common unluckiness.

She didn't remember who had started it anymore. She was pretty sure, though, that Cam hadn't gotten in the habit of dishing out stir-fry after practice before the Thunders had joined them. She certainly knew that Shane hadn't carried around apples before that, or so many energy bars - and he certainly hadn't left them scattered all over the place, before. She had the parallel habit of hiding sandwiches in Blake's and Hunter's bags, and Dustin had taken to ordering pizza much more frequently, and he always ordered more than he could eat. Kelly must've noticed what they were doing, because she always seemed to have leftovers in the back room's fridge nowadays, and she always made sure they knew they were welcome to it.

They never talked about it, partially because Hunter and Blake had never brought it up, either. Any of them could do the math, though, and realize how tight the brothers' situation had to be - and they all knew how hard it was for a Ranger to not feel constantly hungry. Feeding Blake and Hunter was a team effort, albeit a hushed one.

That was why, when her mom offered her the tickets, Tori's first reaction was to take them and ask for a few more; yet, when she produced the tickets in Ninja Ops and made the offer, she felt that she was pushing a limit.

"Oh, by the way," she said, fishing in her pocket for the tickets. "My mom gave me these. They're for this cooking display by Allan Summers, you know, author of the 'US Cuisine' cooking books? Well, his 'California Cuisine' book just came out, and he's doing this promotional tour, giving displays and cooking lessons, and I thought it would be cool if we went together."

"Cooking lessons," said Shane skeptically.

"Sounds cool," said Cam.

"Dude, it's cooking," protested Shane.

"What kind of cooking?" asked Blake. "Fancy stuff, or more like everyday?"

"More like everyday," she said. "I mean, that's what the series is about."

Blake shrugged. "Then I'm game."

"These are VIP tickets," said Hunter, who picked one up and was surveying it. "How'd your mom get these?"

Tori smiled. "She works in the PR office. She gets me tickets for promotional stuff whenever she can."

"Cool."

That seemed to seal it: Shane gave in quickly after that, and Dustin didn't seem to mind so long as it didn't interfere with either his track time or work time - both constraints shared by other team members. Everything was good.

Her mom thought it was somewhat odd for a bunch of teenagers, mostly boys, to be interested in such an event. Tori thought it made more sense if one knew that half of these boys had to cook for themselves.

---

The light at Marah's door was orange, indicating the screening lock was on. It slid open at Kapri's approach, admitting her. Marah was sitting in front of her mirror, legs curled beneath her, brushing her hair. She brightened at the sight of her sister.

"Kapri! You practically never come in the evenings, now that we don't share a room anymore. I'm so happy!"

"Yeah, well." Kapri lounged against the wall, visibly uncomfortable. "What did he pay you, Marah?"

Marah's hand stopped mid-motion. "What?"

"Ratwell," said Kapri bluntly. "You know the rule Lothor said about Outsiders in general and public-space personnel in particular. What did Ratwell say or do to make you let him in, Marah?"

For a moment, Marah stared at her sister. Then she deflated and picked a small object from her toilette table. "This," she said in a small voice. "He gave me this."

Carefully, trying not to further intimidate Marah, Kapri stepped forward and took the object from Marah's hand. It was small, rectangular and of pale red colour. Kapri hissed as she recognized it. "Blood magic? What in the name of the Spirits, Marah?"

"Love potion tablet."

"Love potion…" Kapri's eyes became round as she realized. "For one of the Rangers?"

Marah nodded.

"Marah, this is crazy!"

"It's great!"

"You'll get yourself into so much trouble - "

"No, I won't!" Marah straightened her back. "It's a great idea. I'm going to get myself a boyfriend and the Rangers are going to be one person short because the one I chose will leave them for me! Even Uncle is going to love it!"

"Marah… You know it won't work, right?"

"It's blood magic, Kapri! I'm not you but I do know that in stuff like this it's virtually unbreakable!"

"Virtually," said Kapri quietly. "They've done stuff that's virtually impossible before. These are Power Rangers, Marah."

Marah pouted. "I thought you didn't buy into the Power myth."

"That was before I had to fight them," Kapri muttered. "But it's not just that. There's the prophecy. This won't work, Marah."

"It won't last," Marah corrected her. "But it'll work. For a while."

Kapri stared at her. "You're only going to get yourself hurt."

"No, I won't."

"Yes, you will! Look at you, Marah, doing business against strict orders just to get yourself the illusion of a boyfriend for a while, and you've never even had a boyfriend or a girlfriend before! What reason have you got to miss one? After you've had this, for however short a time, you're only going to be more miserable than before."

"But I'd have had something!" Marah blinked furiously. "It's my choice, Kapri!"

"Yeah, and I'm your big sister!"

"Doesn't give you any right to tell me right from wrong!"

"Fine." Kapri turned on her heel. "See if I care next time. And don't come running to me when you get hurt. I won't wipe the tears off your face anymore, sister."

"Fine," whispered Marah at Kapri's back. "Fine," she said again, after Kapri's booted footsteps had faded. "It's not like you have a heart to love with, anyway."

---

Whatever worries Tori had dissipated ten minutes into the demonstration. Blake and Cam were both absorbed, Cam's hand fidgeting as if he wanted to take notes. She knew full well he had a recorder on him somewhere, and probably a miniature camera, too. Hunter's disinterest seemed mostly feigned, and Shane didn't seem too badly bored: that is to say, he kept his mouth shut.

Then the first demo was over, and they all got up from their seats, knowing that the tables with refreshments were already set. Blake put his hand on her arm. "Thanks," he said. "Great idea." He leaned forward and kissed her - just a brief touch, but still the first public display of affection he'd ever initiated.

That grin was going to make her cheeks hurt.

---

Fitting in was easier than she expected. Nobody bothered to check her ticket - apparently they only did that if you came through the front door, not if you arrived from the bathroom - and for all that anyone could tell she was just a face in the crowd. It felt good - being just another girl, just another person, someone people could look at and smile and talk to. It was so much easier than lying and deceiving and blowing things up.

Approaching Dustin was easier than she'd thought, too. All she had to do was smile, and ask if he could pour a glass of juice for her, too, and he just talked to her as if it was the most natural thing in the world, as if he wouldn't try to kill her if he'd known who the pretty brunette really was.

However, within minutes it became apparent that he wasn't going to drink so long as she was standing there, distracting him from the cup. With another smile and a toss of her hair she excused herself, disappearing from his sight among the crowd and then finding a convenient spot to watch from.

Dustin raised the cup to his lips -

The green Ranger tapped his shoulder, pointing him somewhere. Dustin nodded, turned, then turned back, handed her cousin his cup, and only then walked off.

She could barely breathe. Seconds ticked by.

Her cousin raised the cup to his lips.

---

He hadn't realized something was wrong until he swallowed, and by then it was too late. Cam knew it as he set down the cup, hands shaking. Dustin's juice had been tampered with. One of Lothor's vile plans - Cam could feel the dark power crawling through his body, carried by the single mouthful of sweet juice. This was bad. This was seriously bad.

Hand on his shoulder.

"You all right?" muttered Hunter quietly.

Cam shook his head. Bile rose in his throat, and he didn't trust himself to speak.

"Let's get you out of here."

One hand on Cam's elbow, Hunter maneuvered him out of the room as quickly as possible. Cam's sickness and nausea were probably reflected on his face, because people were quite quick to get out of their way. He practically collapsed on his knees once they were safely in the bathroom, vomiting and retching until there was nothing left in his stomach.

"Lothor?" asked Hunter once he was through.

"I think so," said Cam, accepting the offered hand and allowing himself to be dragged to his feet. He felt extremely weak. He walked over to the sink and washed his mouth. "Something in the juice."

He could see Hunter frowning in the mirror. "Blake drank from that and he was fine."

"Maybe it was just Dustin's cup."

"Maybe."

Cam turned around. "I'll go back to Ops, run some tests on myself. My Dad should be able to contain me if…"

"Don't say that," said Hunter sharply. "Do what you feel is right," he added in a more normal voice. "I'll go alert the others."

Cam nodded. "Thanks."

"We're in this together," Hunter reminded him. He clasped Cam's shoulder before heading out. "Take care, will you?"

---

Kapri took one look at her sister's expression. "Let me guess. It went wrong."

Marah hugged herself tighter, and nodded.

Kapri considered her sister, then sighed. "Sit down. Sit down, Marah," she said more sharply as her baby sister didn't move. She patted the bed in emphasis. "You have to tell me exactly what happened and it's going to take a while, so you might as well sit."

Marah sniffed, but sat on her sister's bed. "Do you maybe have some tissues?"

"Always, unfortunately," said Kapri. Thankfully, Marah was too wrapped up in whatever went wrong to notice the jab. Bit by bit, she relayed the story.

"First question," said Kapri when Marah seemed to be through. "Spells like this usually bind the subject to the first person to cross their path. This one was different, right? Targeted to you somehow?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"I put a drop of my blood on the tablet. That's how I activated it."

Kapri whistled. "That's going to make this one hard to break, even on Blood Magic scale."

"I told you it was strong."

"Yes, you did," agreed Kapri reluctantly. "Now, question two. Is your problem that it's not Dustin, or that it's Cam?" She was loath to use the Rangers' names, but it saved her from having to argue with Marah.

"Both."

Kapri sighed in frustration. "Well, duh."

Marah sniffed. "I really, really wanted it to be Dustin," she said. "He's just so cute! But if it had to be one of the other Rangers - I'd rather it be any of them, any, just not him." She shuddered. "Do you know what he is? He's going to know - if I try to approach him, he'll know that it's me, and…" Marah's crying turned into hysterical sobbing. "Oh, Elements, Kapri, what am I going to do?"

Kapri produced some more tissues, and summoned a pitcher of water and a glass with a snap of her finger. She poured some water and forced the glass into her sister's hands. "You're going to follow through with your plan."

"What? But he'll know!"

"Yes, he will," agreed Kapri. "But he's not going to get a choice about it. He's still going to want you desperately. He's still going to wake up at night dreaming about you. He's still going to do anything and everything you ask of him. That's powerful Blood Magic you invoked, Marah. It doesn't matter what he thinks or feels, his body will leave him no choice in the matter. Don't look at me like that, Marah, you knew what 'love' potions really are."

"Yeah, but I didn't intend to use it on someone who'd know - "

"But it's going to work on him just the same. And if you play it right, he'll stop caring about it. You are a kunoichi, Marah. Top of the class, remember?"

Marah stared at her, wide-eyed. "He's going to know," she whispered. "And you say he won't be able to fight it off…"

"Yes," agreed Kapri, "And no. I'm pretty sure he'll fight it off. We both know he will, just like we both knew Dustin would've, if your plan had worked right."

"The prophecy. They're going to keep winning until it's time, and it's not time yet."

"Exactly." Kapri patted her sister's knee. "So you're going to follow through with your plan, and it'll fail just like you knew it would, but Uncle will like it better because the green Ranger makes a more valuable target than any of the others, even their leader. It's going to be fine, Marah, even if it's not the little joy ride you wanted it to be."

Marah wiped her nose. "You promise me it'll be fine? If you promise I'll believe you."

"Yes, Marah. I promise."

---

His medical scanners failed to pick up anything, and his father claimed that there was no Dark Ninja power about him. Cam thought his dad had to be wrong, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He adjusted and re-adjusted his scanning parameters, but all the scans came up negative. Eventually, Cam gave up and went to bed.

He woke up early, tired from dreams he couldn't quite recall, and with a feeling of dread at the pit of his stomach. His body felt strange as he dragged himself out of bed and got dressed. Some sort of tension, like a coil, waiting. Perhaps Lothor's spell was waiting for some signal to fully activate. It seemed like the kind of thing Lothor would do.

If he hoped the short walk from his room to the main Ops room would clear his head, he was wrong. He arrived there slightly more awake, but his muscles were so tight they hurt. Ignoring the feeling the best he could, Cam sat at his chair and got to work. It was nearly impossible to focus on what he wanted to do, though - his mind kept wandering and drawing blanks as the unrecognized spell undoubtedly interfered with it. Perhaps that was the extent of the spell, but somehow, Cam doubted it. Too easy, too simple.

At least one of his instincts was right: the feeling of dread that woke him up was not entirely without basis. There was some sort of EM transmission that was anything but normal. It had begun sometime during the night, and it was attached to all the public communication wavelengths. Anyone watching TV, listening to the radio or talking on their cell phone was exposed to it. Cam ran one analysis script after another, until the purpose of the transmission became clear to him. Then he called the other Rangers, glad more than ever before that the morphers used an obscure part of the spectrum.

---

"He's brainwashing the population," said Cam simply. "This message is attached to all the EM frequencies used for communication. Anyone listening to the media or using a phone is exposed to it, which means everyone is. Given enough time, it will entrench itself in the minds of every person in Blue Bay Harbor, giving Lothor control of them."

"What exactly is this message?" asked Shane.

"'Lothor is your Master,'" said Cam simply. "There's a part of the transmission that translates to an audio message over the appropriate channels, and another part of the message intended to warp human minds to make them more susceptible."

"Can he really do that?" asked Tori. "Through radio waves, I mean."

"Human minds are just a bunch of electromagnetic signals, Tori," said Cam. "It stands to reason that they may be manipulated by other electromagnetic signals, powerful enough to override the mind's natural pattern."

"It means we're all susceptible too, doesn't it?" asked Blake. "It's damn hard to stay away from all sorts of receivers."

"I programmed a counter-signal. I've already uploaded it to all your morphers. We're clear."

"What about last night's attack?" asked Hunter. "The potion in the juice. Did you work it out yet?"

Cam shook his head. "Nothing."

"Your dad…"

"Sensed nothing," said Cam. "Whatever it is, it's not Dark Ninja."

"Would Lothor use something that's not Dark Ninja?"

"Maybe one of his servants would."

"Maybe…"

"Guys." Shane raised his voice a little, silencing everyone. "Cam. Where is this signal coming from? Lothor's ship?"

"No, thankfully. He sat up a transmitter downtown, on top of the City Hall building."

"Should be easy to take out."

"Shane, what if he turns the people against us?" asked Tori. "That area is full of people. Imagine if he gave them a command to stop us - we can't hurt innocent civilians."

"Then we move fast," said Hunter. "We move now. Can't give him any more time."

"Hunter's right," said Shane. He turned to Cam. "I hate to say this, but - "

"But I have to stay behind," said Cam. "I understand."

"Until you and Sensei break this spell," said Shane. "I'm sorry."

"I understand," repeated Cam. "Now go take out that transmitter. And guys?" he added as they climbed up the stairs. "Shoot a few kelzacks for me."

---

"Sir?" said Zurgane. "The Rangers are approaching the transmitter, sir."

"Are they?" asked Lothor. "All of them?"

"No, Sir. The Samurai Ranger is missing."

Lothor looked meaningfully at his nieces. Marah flinched under his scrutiny, but did not look away.

"Very well, then. Take two troops of kelzacks with you. Mr. Ratwell, this is your plan. I suggest you go down to the surface, too."

After the two teleported out, Lothor leaned forward. "Anything you want to tell me, Marah?"

---

"Cam! There are kelzacks here!"

"Surprised?" retorted Cam. He surveyed the IR view. "Zurgane's waiting for you on the roof. There's someone else with him - probably the Weekly Alien; I've never seen his signature before."

"Copy that!"

---

Something was wrong. Cam didn't need the alarms to tell him that; didn't even need his gut instincts to know that. Fresh kelzacks kept streaming into the fight, enough of them that all five Wind and Thunder Rangers were needed at the City Hall. Then the alarms rang, warning of an intrusion to the Academy Ground; an intrusion that Cam, in his compromised state, had to handle on his own.

"This is a trap," said his father quietly. He had returned from his dawn meditation shortly after the other Rangers had left.

"I know," said Cam. "Which is why I'm activating this."

"What is 'this'?" asked his father as the hologram became solid, perched on the console's edge.

"My backup plan," said Cam. "Actually, just my backup."

The hologram blinked, smiling. It looked totally real. "Yo, Dude. What's up?"

Cam's dad started. "Cam, what is that?" he asked again, more sharply this time.

"He'll explain," said Cam quietly. Then he pushed himself up from his chair and grabbed the amulet. "Let's hope you won't really need him."

"I'll take good care of our family, Dude," said Cam's look-alike in utter earnestness. "You made sure I would."

"Yeah," agreed Cam. "But I'd rather do it myself, so watch my back too, okay?"

The doppelganger smiled, giving Cam two thumbs up. "If you're not my family to watch over, then who is?"

---

He morphed before exiting the bunker, hoping against odds that it would protect him from the unknown danger he was facing. Well, not entirely unknown - the signature the sensors picked up was probably one of his cousins. The only question was which - and what exactly she would try to do.

Cam stopped in his tracks as that thought nearly sent spasms through his body - there was something there, something regarding one of his cousins - that was the key to the mystery spell. Cam frowned. Which cousin was it, then? Kapri, or Marah? The answer was apparent - the thought of Kapri did nothing to him, but the mental image of Marah nearly made his knees buckle, made his head spin. He couldn't rid himself of the image, now. It was so clear that she might as well be standing before him.

She really was standing before him or else he was hallucinating, because he could smell the sweet perfume she always wore, could hear the sand shifting under her boots. With a sudden sickness he realized what the dreams that dominated his sleep were, what the tension in his body was - what the purpose of the spell was. His groin was aching. He couldn't think. Language was leaving him. All he knew was the woman approaching him, and the way his muscles contracted at the sight of her, the way his body responded. It was wrong to feel this way - why? Cam struggled to remember. He wasn't supposed to want her. She was the enemy. This was deliberate - something she had done to him, not an attraction of his own volition…

These thoughts were just a weak undertow to the powerful current of his need, though.

"Demorph," she said.

He responded to that word in at least three different ways. The sound of her voice reinforced the spell, pushing the rational part of him further back. That part knew that obeying her would be not much different than sealing his doom. Those parts of him that had succumbed to the spell, though, quivered at her voice and took even more pleasure at the thought that he would be submitting to her.

Cam fought it. He really did.

He demorphed.

"Good," she whispered, and that single satisfied syllable sent a wave of pleasure through his body so powerful that he almost fell.

He had to fight it. He had to remember who she was, who he was, but it was all he could do to maintain some semblance of consciousness. Until she finally lifted her head and he met her eyes. It was as if his mind had divorced his body: he saw her stalking Dustin, saw her distress at her plan going awry, saw her explaining things to her Uncle, careful half-lies that her sister dictated to her, saw her waiting for him, knowing his reaction would be that much more powerful because she had let it fester. Then the stream of images vanished. He was standing on the burnt-down Academy Grounds. His mind was clear but his body was an alien thing, and Cam had no desire to test his control over it.

Marah was standing just before him. He could tell, now, how uncomfortable she was. She seemed close to tears, in fact.

She put a small disk in his hand. "This is a virus," she said. "It will destroy Ninja Ops' mainframe. Install it, and I will take you to me."

Strange how obvious it was to him that she loathed the thought as much as he did.

"Will you do it?" she asked. "For me?"

Cam hesitated, then relaxed his control. "Yes," he heard his voice say.

"Good," she said, but her eyes said 'Oh no, please no, I'm counting on you to be stronger than that.'

She disappeared.

Feeling his body beginning to turn towards Ninja Ops, Cam fought as hard as he could.

He fell to the ground, convulsing.

Chapter 18: False Dreams II

"Ten bucks this is just a big diversion!" shouted Tori, kicking yet another kelzack, sending him straight into three others.

"No bet!" shouted Blake. "You win!"

"Guys!" Shane's voice, loud and clear. "They're beginning to thin out. Hunter, you and Blake mop up these guys. Dustin, Tori, with me. Go!"

Ditching the kelzacks, Tori ran after Shane, Dustin by her side.

"The City Hall is the other way around!"

"I know!" Shane shouted back, ducking behind a corner. "Didn't want them to listen in on us," he explained in a low voice as they joined him. He tapped his morpher. "Cam. We need the gliders."

"Three gliders coming up."

Tori tensed. "Something's wrong."

"I wouldn't have guessed."

"Shane, I mean it." She grabbed his arm. "Cam doesn't sound right."

"I dunno, he sounded fine to me," said Dustin. "Which is weird, because he was totally sick when we left."

"Maybe he worked it out - "

"And didn't tell us?" challenged Tori. "Fat chance, Shane." She tapped her morpher. "Cam, this is Tori. Everything all right?"

"Cam is not here right now," said Cam's voice.

"Rangers, the situation is under control," came Sensei's voice. He didn't sound all right, though - he sounded worried. "Cam left to investigate a potential intrusion to the Academy Ground. He left a hologram in his image to assist you in battle."

"CyberCam?" Dustin's voice was incredulous. "But dude, he said it wasn't ready yet."

"I'm better than nothing," said the voice that was like Cam's, and this time Tori managed to pick up on the subtle differences in intonation

"Is Cam all right?" asked Shane.

"I do not know," came Sensei's voice after a moment. "There have been no signs of attack."

Shane nodded tersely. "Right. Sensei, if Hunter and Blake finish up with the kelzacks before we take out that beacon, send them after Cam, all right? I think he'll need the backup more than we will."

"Understood, Shane."

"Thanks, Sensei. Now let's go, guys."

---

"Oh, for crying out loud," hissed Kapri as the door of Marah's room closed behind her. Her sister was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees. "Now what, Marah? You managed to pull it off without hardly touching him. Nobody saw you. Uncle's damn proud of you. Now what's wrong?"

"I didn't realize it would be like this," said Marah, her voice choked. "It was awful, Kapri. Awful."

Kapri cleared some tissues from the space and sat down next to her. "What was?"

"It was worse than the Shadow Mastery."

"Huh?"

Marah closed her eyes. "When you Shadow someone's mind, there's at least something of it left."

"You know how Blood Magic works, Marah, you said it yourself. Body over mind."

Marah hugged herself tighter. "I didn't realize it would be like this."

Kapri thought quickly. The green Ranger's reaction was a bit extreme, true. "It'll probably wear off a little later on. You left him alone for almost twelve hours. The spell works constantly, so it built up all this time, and sorta exploded when he finally saw you."

"So when he sees me again…"

"It won't be as bad. I think." She squeezed her sister's knee.

Marah wiped her cheeks, though they were dry. Force of habit, Kapri assumed.

"I'm glad I didn't get Dustin."

Kapri started as if hit. "Tell me you didn't mean that."

"Of course I do. If I'd done that to him…"

"Marah, tell me you didn't mean that." Kapri leaned forward. "He's a Power Ranger, Marah. We're sworn to kill him." She couldn't afford to have Marah doubt the mission. She couldn't afford to have Marah abandon her. Without Marah, she had no right to be on Lothor's ship.

"You don't understand anything, Kapri!"

"The hell I don't! I understand you're being completely irrational - "

"You don't understand caring, Kapri! You don't understand anything!"

"I don't understand caring, do I? Isn't that why I always help you out of these corners you put yourself in? Isn't that why I always cover up for you so Uncle doesn't know how hard you're taking everything? Isn't that why I covered up for you in school?" Kapri took a deep breath; there were some memories she treasured. "Why I never told Dad where you were hiding when you ran away from him? Because I don't know how to care?" She spat that word out.

Now it was Marah who looked as if she'd been slapped. Oddly, though, she didn't back off. "But you still don't understand."

"I understand you've got some fantasy that this guy whom you'd been trying to kill for the last five months might like you, as a person, or at least find you attractive enough to not care about the killing part." It was a brutal way of saying it but Kapri had to get the point across. Speaking very clearly, she said: "You can't do this, Marah. You're only going to get yourself hurt."

Marah sat straighter. "What if I don't care about being hurt?" she asked.

She hadn't been prepared for this feeling, like being hit, like having the air knocked out of her. What if you don't care about being hurt? How could she answer something like this? What could she say to make Marah not leave her?

She touched her sister's cheek. "So care about me not wanting to see you hurt. Okay?"

Marah bit her lip, hesitating for a long moment before nodding. "Okay."

---

With new kelzacks no longer streaming in, wiping the floor with them was almost a fun exercise. It was, Hunter thought distractedly as he tossed a kelzack over his shoulder, slamming it straight into three more of the stupid things, practically routine: he and Blake were at their most destructive hand-to-hand, which usually left them mopping up kelzacks while the Winds got a head start against the gigantic aliens. Only today, thought Hunter, we haven't even gotten to the make-my-monster-grow phase yet.

He saw Blake smash the ribcage of a kelzack, then kick another where its pelvis bone should've been. They were through.

Blake dusted his gloved hands. "Clear?"

"Clear," confirmed Hunter. He tapped his morpher. "How are things going, Cam? Anything we need to know before moving in?"

"Cam is not here, Rangers," came Sensei's voice. "He left some twenty minutes ago to investigate a possible intrusion to the Academy Grounds. I have not heard from him since. Shane left instructions for you to go after him."

Hunter and Blake exchanged looks. "Like we'd do anything else," said Hunter. "Do you know where he is, Sensei?"

Brief hesitation. "The coordinates to which he was dispatched are being sent to your morphers," said Sensei finally. "Good luck, Rangers."

"Thanks, Sensei. Hunter out."

---

Shane just loved it when Lothor used rooftops as temporary bases. It gave them the chance to use the gliders, which meant a chance to descend on his enemies from above. He always felt the spirit of the hawk crying out in pleasure as he did so, and this time was no different. He landed straight on top of the rat-like alien, kicking it in the ribs then rolling away and landing two shots.

The alien turned on him, red eyes glowing. Suddenly, Shane was disoriented. What was this place? What was he doing?

Something blue knocked into him, slamming him hard into the cement surface and breaking the eye contact.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" screamed Tori straight into his face. "He had his blaster trained on you and you were just sitting there!"

"Eyes," breathed Shane. His vision was still a little blurry. "Hypnotic."

Tori's anger faded into normal battle alertness. "Got it." She hauled him to his feet. "We'll have to watch each other's backs, huh?"

"Like we always do."

"Let Dustin handle Zurgane," she said. "He's pretty good at pissing him off."

"Noted. But first," he tapped his morpher, "CyberCam, you saw all that?"

"Absolutely, fearless leader. One anti-hypnosis party trick coming your way… Now." He sounded pretty smug. "AIs do it faster, yo."

"Artificial intelligence," whispered Tori.

"Whatever," muttered Shane. "Thanks a bunch, CyberCam. Now, I believe somebody called the exterminator?"

---

They found Cam exactly at the coordinates Sensei had sent them. He was lying on his back on the ground, unmorphed, seeming even sicker than he was before.

"You look awful," said Hunter as he kneeled next to Cam. Cam was staring up, and Hunter wasn't even sure he was awake. Blake was standing over them, blaster at the ready. "Let's get you back to Ops."

"No," said Cam.

Okay, he's with us, though Hunter, relieved. What the hell kind of spell is this?

"Don't be ridiculous. Now - "

"No," insisted Cam. His hand fastened on Hunter's wrist with all the strength a Ranger could muster. "Don't bring me into Ops. Whatever you do."

"Probably the spell," said Blake. His voice turned sharp. "What's that he's holding there, Hunter?"

"I don't know. Cam, open your hand."

The hand that gripped Hunter's wrist let go.

"The other one, Cam."

"Can't," was the hissed reply. "Can barely control…" His voice broke, nearly turning into a sob. "I can't control this, Hunter."

"It's okay," said Hunter, not remotely believing it. He smoothed away the creases on Cam's forehead. "We're going to make it okay." He stood up.

"Hunter…"

"I'm not leaving you," he promised. "We're staying right here, okay?"

"Okay."

He got a little distance between himself and Cam before he called Ops and explained the situation to Sensei. "Any ideas?" he asked when he was finished.

"He is able to speak," said Sensei thoughtfully, "Yet he was unable to open his hand?"

"Yeah," confirmed Hunter. Then something else occurred to him. "His face was weirdly expressionless, too. But not his voice."

"It would seem that Cam is affected by Blood Magic," said Sensei. "It is known to affect the body more than the mind. Therefore, Cam would retain more control over those actions that bear a closer association to the intellect."

"Like talking," realized Hunter, "But not moving."

"Precisely."

"How do we break this, Sensei?"

"I will have to conduct further research. In the meantime, do not leave him alone."

"No such intention," Hunter assured him. "Hunter out."

He returned to where he'd left Blake and Cam. Blake was crouched next to Cam, his hand on his teammate's shoulder, rhythmically pressing and letting go, trying to convey some comfort through the touch.

"He's in pain," he told Hunter.

"Figured as much," said Hunter. "Cam? Sensei says it's probably Blood Magic. It affects your body but not your mind. He's going to research how to break this."

"Body… Makes sense." Cam sighed - or hissed, it was hard to tell.

"We're going to solve this," Hunter promised him. "Lothor's not winning this round, Cam."

But the look he gave Blake wasn't nearly as confident.

---

"Makes you feel like the good old days, huh?" said Shane as the three of them found themselves back-to-back, faced off against Zurgane, Ratwell and a small horde of kelzacks. "When was the last time it was just us three?"

"Dude, I don't know about you," panted Dustin, "But I could really use some backup right now."

"I guess Cam's in real trouble," said Tori.

"All the more reason to wrap this up real quick," said Shane. "We need to get the beacon, guys. Everything else is second place. Ideas?"

"Yes," said Dustin. "If you can keep the kelzacks and the rat out of my hair."

"I'll take the kelzacks," said Tori. "You like taking on the Head Honcho yourself, anyway."

"The Head Honcho?" demanded Shane, but Tori had already sprung into action and Dustin had already launched at Zurgane - who was cursing out loud. Smiling under his helmet, Shane charged at Ratwell.

---

She was going to be in major trouble if she was caught, but Kapri didn't see any other way. Marah flatly refused to do it, and anyway she probably didn't have the mental discipline required for this; and obviously, the green Ranger wasn't going to work out this riddle on his own. Mara should've moved last night, instead of giving the potion so long to settle in his system.

Too late for that. Kapri strode out of the bushes, as confident as she could manage. "Well, well," she drawled. "What have we here? Three little Rangers out to play?"

The navy Ranger put his hand on his brother's arm. "I'll take her," he said. "You watch Cam."

"Blake - "

"She's too good at getting to you, Bro. And you stand a better chance of restraining Cam if it comes down to that."

After a brief hesitation, the crimson Ranger nodded curtly.

The navy Ranger rose to his feet and turned to her. "I hope you like to swing," he said, "because I'm really not into tango."

She smiled tightly. "Pity."

---

Ratwell didn't like close combat. Shane was perfectly okay with that, so the two of them settled down, each behind a shelter and took shots at each other. So long as it kept Ratwell out of Dustin's way it was okay, and it gave Shane the possibility of watching Tori's back if the kelzacks tried to get smart.

He never saw it coming. He'd heard Dustin shouting, and the next thing he knew the roof shook and crumbled under his feet. He cried for his glider as he fell, twisting his shoulders and wishing for a warm wind to lift him. Soaring up, he hoped Tori managed to catch the breeze, too - he didn't think Ranger privileges extended so far as to allow her to summon a current on her own.

He landed on a tile-sized piece of the roof that somehow had stayed intact, only barely not falling. "Warn me next time, damnit!" he shouted at Dustin. "I would've been red Ranger pulp now if I didn't still have the glider pack on me!"

"Sorry," said Dustin, sheepishly holding his Lion Blaster behind his back. "I guess I got a little carried away."

"Dustin, you tore the whole building apart," said Tori, landing with annoying grace. She sounded half exasperated, half shaken.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't sure of my aim, so I overcompensated a bit."

"A bit," muttered Shane darkly.

"Well, at least the beacon is destroyed," said Tori. "And Ratwell is splattered."

"Which so doesn't mean he's dead," said Dustin.

Right on cue, a giant figure rose on the horizon.

"I hate it when they do that," said Shane.

"Same here," said Tori. "Now can we call the zords and get it over with, please?"

---

"Why did she come?" wondered Blake as he returned to Hunter and Cam, having chased off Kapri. "I mean, she didn't even try, or anything. It's like she just wanted to pass the time or something."

"I don't know," said Hunter. "Cam? What's wrong?" The green Ranger was shaking, almost convulsing.

"Amulet," said Cam through gritted teeth. Hunter figured he couldn't open his mouth properly. "Need to hold it - help me - "

Hesitantly, Hunter put his hand on Cam's still-closed hand. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't care if you break my bones," said Cam. "I'll heal in a day. Help me."

Hunter looked at Blake. Blake nodded.

"I think he knows what he's saying, Bro," he said quietly. "I'll help, too."

It took both of them to pry Cam's fingers open, then force his hand to his chest. Once close to the amulet, though, Cam's fingers closed on it with terrifying force. His features relaxed a bit. "Almost there," he murmured.

His blade appeared in his other hand.

"Help me sit," he said.

"Cam, what…?"

Blake tried to lift Cam's torso. "Just do it, Bro."

Together, they hauled Cam to a sitting position, his knees bent under him.

"Don't let me fall."

"Cam, what the hell are you planning?"

"You won't like it, but I think it'll work." He turned his head to look at Hunter, the small gesture obviously costing him great pain. "Please."

"Okay," said Hunter. A moment ago Cam wouldn't have been able to manage that much voluntary moment. Whatever it was he was up to, he obviously had it right. "Promise."

"Thanks."

Cam's arms trembled as he prepared for movement. Without warning, he entire body convulsed, and it took the strength of both brothers to keep him from falling over.

Cam's right hand left his amulet, and he sliced it open.

Both Hunter and Blake swore.

"No, it's all right!" said Cam. "I meant to do that." He placed his cut palm so that it was parallel to the ground, facing down. His left hand let go of the blade and fastened around the amulet. It took Hunter a moment to realize that Cam moved almost freely.

He loosened his grip.

"Mind over body," said Cam. "Blood given freely." He closed his palm. "I denounce the claim that has been made and reclaim my body to myself."

The next drop of blood to leave Cam's hand burned in midair, disappearing completely before it touched the ground.

Cam slumped, unconscious.

---

Cold breeze on his face; familiar voices, hushes; dim lights through his eyelids. Most importantly, muscles that felt limp and exhausted yet responded when he thought at them. Over, thought Cam hazily. It's over.

He opened his eyes.

He was in Ninja Ops, as he had guessed. The other Rangers were on the other side of the room, talking quietly. CyberCam was with them. His father was nowhere to be seen.

He tried to roll onto his side, and discovered he was weaker than he had realized.

"Easy, Cam," said his father's voice.

Cam turned just his head, and discovered that the guinea pig was sitting disconcertingly close.

"You have survived quite an ordeal," said his father gently. "It takes tremendous force to break through a Blood Magic potion."

"It worked?" asked Cam. He expected his voice to crack, but it sounded almost normal.

If guinea pigs could smile, his father would've. "I believe you will tell me."

Cam closed his eyes, relaxing into the mattress. "It worked," he said. "I don't feel it anymore."

"Good."

"Cam!" The talking had alerted the team, and they were now moving towards him. None of them looked worse for the wear - Cam thanked their lucky stars that no sixth Ranger had been needed in battle that day.

"I'm okay," he told them, hoping to prevent the attack of questions. "It's over."

"Good," said Tori.

The sincerity and relief in her voice were almost tangible to him, like sage in warm sea water. He wrenched his mind back into the actual world and smiled at her. "Thanks."

"You wanna watch out," said Hunter. "You don't want to break my record of getting in trouble." Dustin laughed, Tori put her hand over her mouth, and Blake and Shane glared at him.

"I'll try," said Cam.

"Oh, and hey, why did you say CyberCam isn't ready?" asked Dustin. "He seems okay to me."

"There are still a few glitches," said Cam. He squinted, trying to get a proper look at CyberCam, who had settled himself by the console. "Didn't I program you out of wearing that hat?" he demanded.

"Nope."

"It's atrocious."

"You gave me a taste of my own, Bro. Deal."

"I did want to ask you," said Shane. "What's up with his act?"

"Yeah," said Tori, "Why would you program a double of yourself to act that way?"

"Didn't want you mixing us up."

"Well, it worked," said Hunter.

Sensei cleared his throat.

"Guys, I think we'd better leave and let Cam sleep," said Tori.

"Thank you, Tori," said Sensei.

Cam frowned. "So what were you guys doing here?"

Shane looked at him like he was the dumbest person on the planet. "Making sure you're all right."

"You didn't think we'd just walk off, did you?" asked Hunter.

The thought hadn't occurred to him. It was as if part of his exhaustion disappeared with this warm realization. "Thanks," he said quietly.

Hunter reached forward, squeezed his shoulder. "Sleep well," he said.

"And eat a large breakfast when you wake," advised Dustin, adding a familiar light punch.

"Dude, it's going to be one a.m. when he wakes."

"So? Breakfast's whenever you wake up."

"No, breakfast is in the morning."

"I don't know, one a.m. is morning enough for me…"

He let the voices carry him to sleep.

---

A nightmare woke him. He knew that much. His muscles were burning and his lungs tight, and some emotion hung about the room like a bad perfume. Cam forced himself to take a deep breath, forced his shoulders to roll, made every muscle in his body contract and relax, proving that it was still answering to his mind.

Just a nightmare, he told himself firmly, but it was hard to shake away. The five months since Lothor's attack had given Cam plenty of memories that pushed like shards under the skin of his control, waiting for an opportunity. Marah approaching him, the Rangers powerless, Tori demorphing on the battlefield, his dad being kidnapped, first seeing the guinea pig form…

His dad lying outside his door. Cam blinked. The image - sense - was fuzzy, but he was quite certain that his dad's habitat cart was just outside his door, and had been there for hours. Intent was hard to read from a sleeping mind, but Cam perceived a sense of protectiveness, of waiting. Watching over me, he realized.

He was just imagining things. He had to be. He couldn't possibly be sensing things with senses other than his five corporeal ones - he shouldn't. Only Dark Ninjas used the power of their minds against other minds. This was wrong. It was also as natural as breath and as impossible to avoid. His focus widened, but the academy grounds were empty, and for the first time Cam realized how much he'd missed the hum of many minds.

Where was the music coming from? Tori, watching music clips on her computer. The feeling of moving muscles was Dustin, practicing katas in his room. Hunter was asleep…

Stop! Cam clenched his fists, willing the widening scope of his senses to still, to retreat. He was aware, though, that the haze the nightmares had left was replaced with the same semi-annoyed peace he got from being in the same room with the others; that completeness he had first felt when the others' powers were released from that jar.

This was dangerous. This was forbidden. He needed it so much that he had to stop breathing to stop himself from expanding, and eventually he had to refill his lungs.

Hunter's dreams were like drowning during a storm, but there were the others and they were so real that it was hard to believe they were so many miles away.

This wasn't Shadow Mastery. It couldn't be. It was something that came from within, a need - but was that what so many dark ninjas had claimed, throughout the generations? That their path was a 'calling'?

It was getting harder to think. The presence of the other five smoothed away the remains of the nightmare, and he was drawing closer to sleep with each passing second. It could be so easy…

He fell asleep.

Chapter 19: Cut Out I

Notes:

This chapter originally posted a month and a day to this story's first birthday.

This Weekly Alien is brought to you by Camille, who named it.

There were certain advantages to being a Thunder Ninja. For example, one could hard-boil eggs even without possessing a stove. Lately, Blake had found that to be a particularly useful advantage. He placed the eggs down on the counter, peeled them and cut them into thin slices. The slices were then arranged on top of the already-sliced bread, and the tomatoes went on top of the eggs.

Four-fifteen in the morning. A late breakfast for Blake, who'd been awake for an hour, but right on time considering that Hunter usually returned at about half past four. Blake could take being hungry for an hour if it meant he got to have breakfast with his brother. He filled the small pot and clasped both his hands around it. This was usually Hunter's job, but Blake wanted the tea and boiling water took time.

What was it with Hunter and running lately, really? Blake remembered that Hunter used to quite hate running as an activity, but lately he seemed to go out for a run whenever he got the chance. Blake suspected that it had to do with the fact that running was a solitary activity, and Hunter had been growing increasingly closed off. Hunter had always been guarded, but this was getting out of hand. Blake couldn't even remember when the last time was they'd had a decent conversation. It had to be about the time they'd settled in this apartment, perhaps a week or two after that. That was - what, two months ago?

Something was off, and there didn't seem to be anything Blake could do about it.

He put down the pot, rubbed his forehead and then reached for the tea, dumping a bunch of leaves in his cup. Hunter could make his own coffee; it was enough that Blake made the sandwiches and boiled the water.

When Hunter stepped in, at four thirty-five, Blake was halfway through his tea. Hunter nodded and sat down.

"Thanks for breakfast."

"No problem. You'll give yourself cramps."

"I did my stretching before coming up."

"Oh." Blake knew Hunter never liked the small one-room apartment, but that was a new one.

Hunter picked up a sandwich and took a bite. "When does our shift start today?" he asked.

"Six. Two deliveries."

Hunter nodded. "Piece of cake."

"Yeah."

What was there for them to talk about, really? Shifts, training sessions, grocery shopping. Life was even more limited than it was back at the academy. Blake swallowed around the lump in his throat. They never talked about that. They never talked about Lothor, either, unless it was the attack of the day. Blake felt that they should be talking about those things, but Hunter wasn't cooperating. Blake had tried, several times. Hunter either changed the topic or ignored him altogether.

Blake watched silently as Hunter got up and made himself coffee. He looked fine. He didn't look exhausted, or depressed, or in any way under the weather. Yet Blake felt that something was wrong: this wasn't the brother he knew. Something had changed.

"What's up with the running, anyway?"

"It burns off steam." Hunter turned around and returned to the table, both hands clasped around the coffee mug. He had to notice the way Blake was watching him, but he didn't comment. That was wrong, too.

Blake was doing the math. It was just taking him time.

Silence, so much silence. Blake could drown in it, and not in a good way. Maybe Hunter wasn't any less talkative than usual, but rather Blake had less people to interact with, and therefore needed his brother more. Maybe.

Or maybe Hunter was hiding a secret or five.

---

The winter morning was chilly, particularly at six in the morning with a breeze coming straight from the ocean, but Blake wasn't cold. He and Hunter were in the street behind Storm Chargers, hauling crates off of a truck and into the shop. Morning deliveries were really one of the better parts of the job, so far as Blake was concerned: better than weight lifting, outside in the fresh air, and he and Hunter were virtually alone.

In more than one sense, thought Blake as he stepped inside with two more crates. It wasn't just that he and Hunter were there on their own, except for the truck drivers, usually content to stay in their cabin and smoke. It seemed they were alone in a deeper sense, disconnected from one another. Blake couldn't remember ever feeling this sense of loneliness in Hunter's presence, despite that they had spent the better part of their growing up just training next to each other. This couldn't be so much different.

Something was missing.

Stepping outside of Storm Chargers, a part of that riddle became clear to him. Before him, Hunter was standing in the back of the truck, lifting crates and throwing them down to the roadside, moving in a smooth rhythm that was as familiar to Blake as his own breath. Yet, Blake could suddenly clearly see what had changed. The countless hours spent training together had given Blake and Hunter an uncanny sense for interpreting each other's moods and thoughts from the tiniest gestures and muscle fluctuations. As he now looked at Hunter, though, it was all gone. All the subtle physical cues that constituted the silent connection between them were absent in Hunter, from the way he held his shoulders through the angle at which his feet were positioned to the telltale economic turn of his body.

Blake paused just outside the door, realizing for the first time the cause of his loneliness. Yes, Hunter was even less talkative than he used to be, but Blake wouldn't have ever noticed that if this channel of communication would've remained uninterrupted.

Hunter wiped his brow. "You coming down?" he demanded. "Those crates aren't going to get up on their own tiny feet and walk inside, you know."

Blake jumped down the three stairs to the sidewalk. "You're spending too much time with Cam," he said, the lightness of his voice automatic. "You're beginning to sound like him."

Hunter scoffed. "I was sarcastic before we ever came to Blue Bay, in case you've forgotten."

"Exactly."

---

"Hey!" the sheer volume of Kelly's yell made Blake cringe. "No ditching school, Shane. Turn yourself around, right now."

Shane? From his perch in front of the TV, Blake turned his head. The red Ranger had just entered the shop, an hour earlier than scheduled, but he didn't cower under Kelly's reprimand.

"Old Grayson is sick," he informed their boss. "English got cancelled. No classes ditched. Chill, Kelly, you're not my mother."

"I see more of you than she does," muttered Kelly, but her anger had vanished as quickly as it came. "Come drop that school bag already."

"Need another pair of hands, if I'm here already anyway?"

"Not now, but I might holler for you later."

"Holler away. Yo, Blake."

"Hi, Shane."

"What're you smirking about?"

"No school."

Shane rolled his eyes. "Lucky you. Anything good on?"

Blake shook his head. "Just basketball. Boring."

"Yeah," agreed Shane. "Hi, Hunter."

Hunter, who was tending to his bike, just grunted in response.

Used to this kind of warm welcome, Shane was hardly fazed. Instead, he removed a paper bag from his school bag and went over to sit next to Hunter.

"Still the brakes?" he asked.

Hunter shook his head, almost imperceptibly. "Just giving her a good tune up. Regionals are up in three days."

"Just try to not crash into anybody else this time, okay?"

Hunter scowled. "I didn't crash into anybody! That idiot came straight at me, couldn't steer his bike to save his life."

"Not literally, luckily," muttered Shane. "And I don't care who crashed into whom so long as you're on neither side."

Hunter smiled. Shane, correctly interpreting the expression as that of a predator who just spotted blood, groaned out loud. "I should've kept my trap shut."

"Yup," said Hunter easily. "Anything interesting happen at school today?"

"Yes, now that you actually mention it. We had kelzacks again. I heard the Shotokan club actually took less than half an hour to clean them up this time."

"You missed the action?"

"We're not supposed to attract attention in a civilian setting, remember? Besides, I had Trig. It's the devil's favourite subject, I tell you."

"I'll take your word for it." Hunter put down the screwdriver, picked up the paper bag, examined its contents and then put it down and looked at his hands. "Get me a clean rag?"

"Sure."

Shane patted Hunter's shoulder and got up. Hunter's eyes followed him as he left in search of the requested rag. It seemed to be another lifetime in which he and Hunter had not so much as made eye contact. Now it seemed that Shane was forever not far from Hunter, and that Hunter always had an eye out for Shane. Blake wondered when it happened, how and why. Oh, he'd missed the exact moment in which Hunter stopped wincing at Dustin's enthusiastic good-to-see-you hugs, but that was at least a friendship that made sense - Hunter could never resist a chance to teach someone, particularly one as eager and grateful as Dustin. Even the silent alliance between Cam and Hunter made sense, what with their common loathing of company and abrasive sense of humor. Shane, though… Since when did Hunter like the outgoing, caring type? Since when did Hunter put up with being constantly looked after?

Hunter deftly caught the rag Shane tossed him from the other side of the room, and by the time Shane sat down next to him Hunter was already pulling the sandwiches and soda from the bag.

"Where'd you get avocado this time of the year?"

"One of the precious good things about my mom."

"Say thanks in my name."

"Next time I see her. She has a big case coming up; she keeps coming home only at hours I'm supposed to be asleep."

"Dude, she always has a big case just coming up. Both your parents do."

"Tell me about it. Hey, at least I have an easy time evading them. Not like Tori and her parents."

"Oh, is that why she's always asking you why you're not coming to Sunday lunches anymore?"

"No, that would be because it would be too weird with Blake there also. How about you come too?"

"Don't even go there."

"Hey."

Blake looked up, and saw Kelly considering him from the cash register.

"Hey."

"You all right?"

Kelly always asked that in a way that implied she knew there was more going on than she was being told; Blake always answered with a nonchalant "Yeah" and an easygoing smile that fooled most people but had Kelly frowning.

"Just thinking," he said, not bothering with the smile.

Kelly's expression relaxed a bit, though still not quite casual. "Don't overthink," she said, before returning to managing the front counter.

Blake considered her back, surprised. Who knew that honesty was all it took to get Kelly off his back?

---

Shane felt, more than saw, when the man came into Storm Chargers. Shane's eyes narrowed as he watched the stranger. In his twenties. In good shape. Knows how to handle himself. The stranger had an overlarge coat, making his build hard to make out, but Shane wasn't a ninja for nothing. The stranger also had a hat, and had his chin tilted downwards. Doesn't want to be recognized. Shane shifted his weight. This couldn't be good. There was something about this man, as if Shane was supposed to know him or something -

Then he realized why the man was familiar to him, and why he was hiding. Shane relaxed. Let the guy have his privacy. He turned his attention back to the cashier, only watching the guy out of the corner of his eye.

Seconds later, though, Dustin's shout rang across the store.

"Dude! Is that really Adam Park?"

Busted, thought Shane as Dustin - and a number of other fans, most of them girls - circled around Park, talking animatedly and holding out various items to be signed. Adam Park wasn't famous - not yet, Dustin always said - but he was pretty well-known among the action crowd, especially the extreme folks who liked actors who did their own stunts. Watching Park's perplexed expression, Shane wondered why had he ever come into a place like Storm Chargers, where he was bound to have a disproportionate number of fans.

Dustin's lucky day, thought Shane. Adam Park was easily Dustin's favourite actor, and he could play out whole hand-to-hand sequences out of his movies. And as if Park walking into Storm Chargers wasn't enough, it was rather apparent that he was paying more attention to Dustin than to the other fans.

Until Park's eyes focused beyond the chattering crowd - beyond Shane - and he called: "Blake! Hunter! Is that really you, guys?"

Shane's head snapped. Hunter - who'd just come out of the back room - had a perfectly blank expression, the sign of a great surprise. Blake - on the shop floor = was sporting a similar expression. Tori, too, seemed shocked. She caught Shane's eye and mouthed: What?

Shane shrugged in response.

The second this silent exchange took was all the time Park needed to cross the store, ditching the fans and fangirls. He was smiling warmly, eyes glittering. He paused at a small distance from Blake - the closer of the two brothers - perhaps sensing their apprehension. "You grew up so much, I can't believe it."

"Eight years, Adam," said Blake. "I was nine when you moved to Angel Grove."

"It seems like another lifetime."

"Yes," said Hunter quietly. "It was."

Park's expression sobered. "I heard," he said. "I'm sorry."

Startled, Shane looked to Tori.

She shrugged, but he could tell she was as perplexed as he.

Dustin, though, was ecstatic.

"This is so sick! You guys know each other?"

"We used to be neighbours," said Hunter.

"Before I had to move to Angel Grove," said Park. "What are you guys doing here, anyway?"

"Following the moto circuit," said Hunter. Shane wondered if Park saw the warning glance he shot Blake, too. "You?"

"I'm on vacation," said Park, and Shane - who'd heard Hunter and Blake lying on more occasions than he cared to count - heard the same tone in his voice. Do they teach them that in the Thunder Academy or what? He didn't miss the way Park's eyes seemed to take in their little group, nor the way his gaze lingered on their wrists. A shiver ran down Shane's spine.

"You friends?" asked Park casually. Too casually.

Shane stepped on Dustin's foot.

"Yes," he said curtly.

Adam considered him for a second, then raised his arms in a surrender-like gesture. "Just an old friend," he said. "I don't bite."

"Prove it," said Tori quietly. So quietly, in fact, that most people wouldn't have been able to hear she's said anything at all.

"How about we all go for some ice cream later?" suggested Adam. "Catch up some." He wasn't looking at Hunter and Blake as he's said, though, but at Shane. "Bring all your friends." He fished a card from his pocket and scribbled a number on the back. "That's my cell phone number," he said. "Call me when you're ready."

"Yeah," said Shane. "We will."

---

"Hi, Kelly, have you seen Dustin?"

"He and Tori left about half an hour ago. Something about helping a friend with a project?"

"Oh, they must have gone over to Cam's."

Kelly put the last receipt book on the shelf and turned to him. "Is that your engineer friend? The one with the sick dad?"

"Yeah."

"You really should convince him to get out of the house every once in a while."

"Cam doesn't like company much."

"So I heard."

"They didn't say when they'd be back, right?"

"No, they didn't. You can take the van up to the track yourself, you know. You work here as much as Dustin."

Blake blinked, surprised. It was the first time Kelly had ever offered him the van. "Thanks, Kell."

"Sure. Oh, and Hunter said to not wait for him. He went jogging."

"Again?" said Blake exasperatedly. He only realized his mistake when Kelly's expression turned into a frown.

"How much does he jog?"

Blake hesitated for a split second, then said: "Too much."

"Mostly in the early morning and late afternoon?"

"Yeah. How'd you…"

"Keep an eye on him."

"I am," he said. "He's not making it easy."

Kelly smiled faintly. "Neither are you." She tossed him the keys. "Have fun."

---

It happened while he was driving up to the track. At first, he thought that the radio had broken - there was nothing but static on all frequencies. Moments later, though, it began to snow. Blake parked the van on the road's shoulder. This might be the end of January and the area might be elevated from sea level, but it was still California and it wasn't supposed to snow, particularly not out of a perfectly blue sky.

"Blake to Ninja Ops."

Static.

"Blake to Hunter."

Static.

"Blake to Tori."

Static.

"Blake to Dustin."

Static.

"Blake to Shane."

"Go for Shane. You've got the weird snow flakes, too?"

"Yes. I can't contact anyone."

"So how come we can talk?"

"I don't know. Hey, wait a minute." Blake opened the cabin door and went out. "Damn, it's cold up here."

"It's not balmy here, either."

"Wonder where the snow's coming from," muttered Blake, walking into the field until… "Ouch!"

"What happened?" asked Shane sharply.

"There's a force field here or something. It's snowing on this side, but not on the other one."

"You think the others are on the other side of it?"

"Could be." Blake ran his hands across the invisible field. It didn't hurt to touch - it only hurt when he walked right into it. "I know Dustin and Tori are with Cam at the Academy. I've no idea where Hunter is, though, except that he's jogging."

"He likes to jog up there. Gives him more of a challenge than the beach. So you think this thing goes around the city?"

"Maybe."

Shane swore softly. "The snow's already up to my ankles."

"Really? The ground's not even white up here, and I'm at a higher elevation than you."

"Maybe whatever's causing this is down here."

"Maybe," agreed Blake. He turned back to the van. "I'm going to return the van to Kelly."

"Call me again when you're in town," said Shane. "Meanwhile, I'll start looking."

"How do you know what to look for?"

"Where the snow is heaviest."

---

Hunter stepped into Ops, a thin layer of sweat glowing on his skin, to find Cam by the main console with Sensei on his shoulder and Dustin and Tori right behind him. "What's up? You sounded really urgent on the comm."

"Dude, Blue Bay's a snow globe!" said Dustin.

Hunter blinked. "What?"

"Dustin's description of the situation is rather apt," said Sensei. "It would seem that Blue Bay Harbor and its nearer surroundings are encircled by an invisible, impenetrable dome, which also constitutes a climate barrier."

Hunter nodded. "Where…"

"They're inside," said Tori. "Blake and Shane are inside the dome. We can't contact them."

Hunter froze. "Are you sure?"

"The signals from their morphers are blocked," said Cam, "and I can't track anything inside the dome. I'll breach it, but it'll take a while."

Hunter nodded slowly, reassessing the situation. "Something's generating this snow globe. Any idea what?"

"No, but I know where it is. You're not going to like it."

"On Lothor's ship?"

"Almost," was the grim reply. "It's inside the dome."

"The dome that we can't get inside of."

"Precisely."

"Cam, Shane and Blake are in there," said Tori.

"I know."

"Can they morph?" asked Dustin.

"I don't know."

"Any more bad news, or can we get to the good news already?"

"There is no good news," said Cam, "except that there is no more bad news."

"For now," said Hunter.

"For now," agreed Cam.

---

The streets were nearly deserted as Shane hurried home. He figured that it wasn't just the cold that made people hide. After four months, everyone with half a brain can tell there's going to be a battle today. Some places emptied more slowly than others, though. Thank goodness I already left shift, thought Shane as he hurried home. Storm Chargers is probably swamped with people looking for pullovers and what not. Kelly would've never let me leave. He could see her in his mind's eye - curled up in a sweater or three, managing the chaos with loud effectiveness.

By the time he reached the house, though, Blue Bay was a ghost town. He went straight up to his room and dug around for his warmest pullover. Ranger metabolism or not, it was freezing cold and Shane saw no reason to spend energy on avoiding hypothermia. He also picked up a knife from the kitchen: if the comm. problems were anything to go by then he might not be able to morph, and any weapon was better than going empty-handed. Checking the knife's' balance, Shane made a mental note to talk Sensei into allowing them to keep proper weapons in their houses.

His morpher beeped.

"Go for Shane."

"Do you have a map of Blue Bay Harbor?"

"Say what?"

"I'm examining the borders of the barrier," said Blake, voice overly patient. "I think it's a circle."

"Okay," said Shane carefully, "So?"

"So there's a decent chance that whatever's generating this will be in the middle. If we could plot it on a map - easier than finding the coldest spot, don't you think?"

"Gotcha." Shane thought quickly. "We'll set up a meeting point by the barrier. We'll each cover half a circle, then put the two halves of the map together."

"Sounds like a plan. Meet me on the road to the track. You can see where the snow stops - slow down when you see it. That barrier's painful to slam into."

"Understood. See you in ten."

---

"Do you think they'll find a way in?" asked Hunter quietly.

"I don't know," said Cam. "It's a tough dive, dirt or ocean."

"Yeah," agreed Hunter.

They were in Cam's workshop, Hunter taking the place that was usually Dustin's in helping Cam build one of his designs. Dustin and Tori were both out, each of them trying to breach the snow dome a different way - Tori from the ocean side, and Dustin through the deeper layers of the earth. It was a long shot, but until Cam's algorithms finished their run there wasn't much else they could do.

Hunter cursed as a corner of the foil cut his thumb.

"Just how worried are you?" asked Cam, though he already knew the answer.

"Beyond sick," muttered Hunter. The superficial cut was healing before their very eyes. "Of all the people to get separated from the team…" He pressed his palms down, leaning forward so as to hide his face from Cam.

Not that Cam needed to see to know Hunter's anguish.

"Blake's resourceful," he said, laying his hand on Hunter's back. He gritted his teeth against the sensory onslaught, glad that Hunter couldn't see it. "You know how he always comes up with something. And Shane has a knack for making the right judgment calls, somehow. They can make a pretty good team if they try to."

"It's killing me that I can't talk to them."

"I know."

Hunter spun, nearly throwing Cam off-balance. "How can you be so damn calm about this?"

"Been there, done that," said Cam. "Then done it again."

Pause.

Hunter turned. "Of all the people to get lost…"

"Blake and Shane are not lost," said Cam sharply. "Stop thinking about the bad things that could happen. Come on. Let's build this thing."

---

"Should've brought you a sweater, too."

"Got anything that's not red?" said Blake through chattering teeth. "I'll live. C'mon, let's put those maps together."

They kneeled on the ground and put the two halves of the map next to each other. Blake held them in place as Shane fished out the sticky tape and glued them together.

"Damn thing goes into the sea."

"Yeah, but we can still find its center." Shane's finger traced lines on the map. "Here."

"The plaza?" Blake's brows furrowed. "There's nowhere to hide anything in there."

"But it's the lowest point in the city," said Shane. "It's not going to be fun, fighting there in this snow."

"This unnatural Dark Ninja snow that grows worse as you go down," muttered Blake. "I see your point."

Shane nodded and rolled the map. "Then let's go. You sure about that sweater?"

"You sure you have one that's not red?"

"I think I can dig up a black one, yeah. It might actually not be two sizes too big for you."

Blake rolled his eyes, but said: "So let's pick it up on the way."

---

"Are you or are you not an Earth Ninja?" demanded Cam as he and Hunter returned to Ops' main room to find Dustin there, covered with dirt all over. "You're not supposed to get that dirty."

"You try dirt-diving that deep," said Dustin, in an uncharacteristic foul mood. "I nearly got burned by lava, man."

"No way in?" asked Hunter.

Dustin shook his head. "Where's Tori?" he asked. "She had less ground to cover. I mean…"

"She ran into some trouble," said Cam distractedly, taking his place by the main console. "She's fine now."

Hunter looked at him strangely. "How do you know that?"

"Scanners."

"Dude, we have underwater scanners now?" asked Dustin.

"You didn't even check the scanners," said Hunter suspiciously. "I was with you the whole time."

"Rangers," interrupted Sensei. "I believe we have more pressing matters to discuss. Such as your plans to breach Lothor's dome."

"Why are you looking at me?" asked Hunter.

"Like, duh," said Dustin. "Do you see someone else?"

"Shane's not here, Hunter," said Cam quietly. "I think you're team leader."

"Me? You're the smart one."

"You were the leader for you and Blake," said Dustin.

"Blake was the one with the plans, usually."

"We're Rangers, Hunter," said Cam simply. "This is how it works. You wouldn't take orders from me if I tried giving them to you, and you know it."

Hunter stared at them, long and hard.

"Okay," he said finally. "That dome should take an awful lot of power to maintain."

"True."

"Where is it coming from?"

Cam brought up several data arrays on displays. "Not from whoever's generating the globe," he concluded.

"So you are sure that it is an alien, and not a machine, maintaining the dome?" asked Sensei.

"Yes," said Cam. "And I think - " the tables of numbers changed into a colourful three-dimensional graph " - that I know how he's getting the energy. He's converting the kinetic energy of everything that hits the barrier."

"Dude, people aren't exactly running into the dome."

"But air molecules do," said Cam, "and all the electromagnetic radiation that's not passing through, like radio and satellite TV and our comm. This alien is absorbing it all."

"Can we cut it out somehow?"

Cam considered. "I think," he said. "I can certainly minimize it."

"At least it's something." Hunter rubbed his forehead. "And you say visible light surveillance should work okay?"

"It won't do us much good in this snow,"

"When Blake gets into combat," said Hunter grimly, "There will be bright lights. If they can morph, we'll get bright lights from Shane, too."

Cam nodded. "CyberCam?"

"Surveillance on," reported the voice so similar to Cam's.

"Do we have an ETA on Tori?"

"Couple of minutes," said Cam. "She's on dry ground, now."

"Do you think Lothor knows which of us are trapped inside and which aren't?"

"No clue."

"Well, we'll just have to do without. Okay, guys. This is the plan."

Chapter 20: Cut Out II

They alternatively walked and ran from Shane's house to the plaza, only streaking for short distances, when they were sure that they wouldn't be seen. Blake kept glancing behind, up at the mountains.

"How the hell do you do it?" he asked Shane.

"Right now I need to get you and me out of this," said Shane. "Aside from saving the city. I'm every bit as worried as you are, I'm just trying to do something positive with this. Like not giving Hunter a reason to flay my skin."

Blake had to choke a chuckle at that. "He'll flay both of us alive. Doesn't matter if we come out of this without a scratch. Just for getting out of his sight."

"And people tell me I'm over protective."

"Yeah, right."

"I don't get angry with people just for getting out of my sight."

"Yes, you do. The other day at training when Hunter took too long to return from the jog?"

"Don't remind me. I thought he got kidnapped again or something."

Blake looked at him pointedly.

"It's Hunter. His luck is almost as bad as Cam's. Besides, you freaked out over it, too."

"He's my brother. What's your excuse?"

Shane shrugged, not looking Blake in the eye. "We all look after each other, here."

"Bull." If before Blake just wondered when these two had become friends, now he was truly suspicious.

"Get off my case, Blake. We're nearly at the plaza."

Blake swallowed his words. "How are we going to find anything in this snow? Any wind and it'll be a blizzard."

"Or all the snow will go up instead of down," said Shane. "Hide somewhere."

"What?"

"For all we know they still don't know there are two of us here. I'm going to attract attention and get our target in the open. You're going to destroy it." His eyes were hard. "There's a decent chance we can't morph. If that's so, then there's not much I can do except blow things around. You're the one who can blow them up." Then his expression softened. "And if anything happens to you, Hunter and Tori will both be after my blood."

"Because Tori won't be after mine if anything happens to you," retorted Blake. "Team, remember?"

"Yeah." Shane stopped moving. "How long do you need to hide?"

"Give me two minutes."

"Two minutes sharp. Then the snow won't be a cover, anymore."

"Good luck."

"You too."

---

"Guys! Something's moving!"

They were around Cam's chair in seconds.

"There's a disturbance around the plaza," explained Cam. He brought up different angles on the various monitors on the wall. "It looks like some wind started there - the territory under the dome is completely still air."

"Shane," breathed Tori.

"It would seem that way," agreed Sensei.

"But where the hell is he?" demanded Hunter.

"Wait - I think it's clearing - " Indeed, the area above the plaza seemed to become clearer with every second. With a keystroke, Cam chose a single image and enlarged it on the entire monitor wall. "There. If he's there, we'll see him."

"Unless he's under cover or something," said Dustin. "What? It's a ninja thing."

"Shane wouldn't hide to save his life," said Hunter. "There," he said, pointing to a small dot of colour on the middle-right monitor.

"And up there, also," said Tori, pointing to the top-middle one. "This would be our alien."

Hunter's eyes were still scanning the image. "But where's Blake?"

"I can't find him anywhere, yo," said CyberCam. He materialized behind Cam, shaking his head. "Must've crawled under a rock, the little beetle."

"Hey," demanded Hunter.

"Hunter, I think he has a point," said Tori. "Blake packs a lot more raw power than Shane. What if they're doing it on purpose?"

"It's just like your plan," said Dustin. "I wonder if it's a red Ranger thing."

"Crimson," corrected Hunter.

"Whatever, man. It's a shade of red, y'know."

Cam coughed.

Hunter shook his head. "Right. We've moving out now. Let's keep Lothor's attention anywhere but on Blake and Shane. CyberCam, monitor things from here, let us know if there's any news."

The AI gave him two thumbs up.

"And not a whisper of rap music on the comm.," warned Cam.

"It's called hiphop, Bro, and it's no worse than that metallic noise you're listening to."

"Whatever. Off the comm. or you're off the mainframe."

CyberCam put both his hands on his chest and stumbled backwards, as if hit by a bullet. "Oh, that hurt."

Dustin snapped his fingers. "Oh, so that's why you created him! So you'd have a brother to fight with! Can I get one, too?"

Tori shot him an exasperated look. "Dustin, saving the world, hello?"

"Oh, yeah. Right."

Sensei massaged his forehead.

---

A few stray flakes rolled by Shane's feet. Cold wind blew at his face. If the buildings were made of wood and if it wasn't freezing, he thought, this could be one of those old Western movies.

"So," sneered the alien - tall, lean, with a huge globular head - "You're one of them Power Rangers."

"Damn right I am. And you're one of them aliens."

"I'm the Globester. How do you like my snow globe, little Ranger?"

"I liked it better without the snow."

"Too bad I didn't give you a choice."

"I don't need you to give me a choice. I'm taking it." He pulled at the air, sending a current right into Globester's back, making him fall flat on his face.

"Is that the best you can do?" snarled the alien as he got back to his feet.

"Is that the best you can do?" asked Shane coolly.

Globester smiled.

Shane only looked up in the last split second. He rolled aside, the massive mound of snow only just missing him.

He got to his feet, estimated the distance between Globester and the target. "Try again," he said. "Give it your best shot."

---

Where Globester's dome touched the beach, two Wind Rangers were hard at work.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded a voice behind their back. "That's private property in there."

Tori turned, glaring at Kapri through her visor. "Oh yeah? Says who?"

"Says Uncle," said Marah, "And he's the boss."

"Your boss, not ours."

"Doesn't make much of a difference, does it? You can't get through."

"Oh, is that why you brought your little friends along? To make sure we won't do something we can't do anyway?"

"No. We brought them as pest control. Kelzacks, attack!"

Dustin and Tori maintained their positions until the kelzacks were nearly upon them. They only rolled aside in the last second, making the drones clash into the barrier.

Kapri laughed. "Way to go, guys! That's two hundred more pounds of snow!"

Tori and Dustin exchanged looks. Dustin dove into the earth. Tori somersaulted over the kelzacks, landing right next to Marah and Kapri.

"Learned any new moves recently? Because I have."

A column of water rose from the ocean, landing right on the two sisters.

"My hairdo!" screeched Marah.

"Oh, knock it off," said Kapri. She pulled out her sword. The blade shone a deep purple. "Let's roll."

In the meantime, the kelzacks were still huddled together, wondering where the yellow Ranger had gone to. They found their answer as suddenly two of them were pulled under and a second later Dustin shot out of the sand, kicking two and punching the lights out of another one.

"Missed me?" he asked, ducking under a kick and pulling a different kelzack into its trajectory. "'Cause I didn't miss you, uglies."

"Didn't you learn your lesson about blowing things up?" demanded Tori of Kapri as the two played energy ball tennis with their swords. "It doesn't work."

Kapri smiled.

Something exploded behind Tori, sending her flying through the air.

"It does when three play," said Marah, dusting her hands. "That was for the hairdo."

Tori pushed herself up. "Sonic Fin," she commanded. "I'm done playing."

---

High in the mountains, Hunter and Cam were battling Zurgane and another troop of kelzaks.

"This plan had better work," panted Cam as he and Hunter were pushed back to back.

"It will," said Hunter, "If CyberCam will get his gear in time."

"I heard that!" cried a voice over their communicators. "It's not up to me, yo, you need to aim better."

"Easier said than done."

---

He was bleeding. He had a black eye, several bruises and a number of frostbites where hail the size of chicken eggs had hit him. He would be lucky not to lose any teeth. He also knew for a fact that he couldn't morph inside of the snow globe.

He was also unsuccessful in bringing Globester any closer to the target.

So went plan A, thought Shane as he ducked under another barrage of hail. Time for plan B. He needed a diversion, but he wasn't going to get one. He rolled away from a mound of snow the size of a small car and tossed the small fillet knife, relying on the wind to carry it to its target, as kitchen knives made crap projectile weapons.

"Missed me!" called Globester.

Shane pulled himself straight, hissing as a number of new bruises made themselves known. "I wasn't aiming at you," he informed the alien.

"Huh?" The alien turned around. The fillet knife was lodged in the pavement, right next to a lamppost. The alien approached it, bending over for a better look.

"So long, Globe-head," said Shane under his breath.

Navy lightning arched from the lamppost, trapping the alien with glowing vines. The alien twisted and writhed, but he couldn't break free: using the lamppost as an anchor, Blake could use the city's whole grid to amplify his power. Shane could see him, a small figure on one of the rooftops, just outside the whirling circle of snow that kept them invisible to the civilians.

Then, without warning, the lightning vanished.

"Fools," snarled Globester. "How nice of you to feed me. Thanks to you, I can now maintain this snow globe for months!"

Shane stared at him. Then, having no other idea, he charged.

---

"Damn it!" swore CyberCam over the comm. "We were almost there and then something went wrong!"

"Lower the gamma factor!" shouted Cam.

"Are you nuts? It can blow this whole place up!"

"You have a better idea?"

---

Blake joined him, after that. There wasn't much they could do, though, as the alien was stronger than they and Blake's lightning attacks were out of question. It wasn't long before Blake was nearly as bruised and battered as Shane.

Avoiding a blast of hail, he rammed into Shane. They fell in a heap. "Let go of the wind," he said, very quickly.

"We'll be blind."

"Do it."

Shane thought it was a stupid idea, but Blake had a record for thinking on his feet, and Shane was out of ideas. He let it go. Almost instantly, heavy snow began to fall in the plaza. Blake was on his feet instantly, not nearly as exhausted and uncoordinated as he seemed to be a moment before.

"Tired, little Ranger?" asked Globester, his voice distorted by the heavy snow. "Can't control your element?"

Blake's hand fastened in a viselike grip on Shane's arm. "Don't," he hissed. "Let him think you're too tired to do it."

"It's not far from the truth," admitted Shane, whispering as softly as he could.

Blake's grip relaxed, though he didn't let go. "Get out of here."

"I'm not leaving you alone."

"Go to the edge of the plaza. That fat balloon is going to blow up."

"I'm not leaving."

Even through the snow, Shane could see Blake's eyes hardening. "This place is going to blow up bad," he said, "And you're not a Thunder Ranger. You're not immune to it." He squeezed Shane's arm, almost gently. "Hunter will flay me alive if you get electrocuted, so move your frozen ass as far and as fast as you can."

Shane swallowed. "Good luck."

Blake nodded, letting go. "See you in a few."

Shane turned and ran as fast as he could to where he knew the edge of the plaza would be, and a coffee shop with plastic tables and chairs that might provide something of a shield if the previous winds hadn't blown them all over the place.

"Hiding, little Rangers?" echoed Globester's voice, only barely muffled by the snow. "Realizing you can't win?"

"You're the one who can't win, Globester." Blake's voice wasn't as loud, but it was clear and confident. "Do you know why?"

"Why?" asked Globester, mocking.

"Because you don't have an extra pair of eyes in your back."

Light flashed, shining blindingly through the snow. Shane dove behind the safety of the one plastic table that remained. Holding his breath, he counted the seconds. At fifteen, the light stopped. At twenty, the snow stopped falling. He got up.

The plaza was covered with knee-high snow. What was visible of it and the surrounding streets looked like a tornado had blown over it, which wasn't far from the truth. And there, slightly to the side, was a shallow pool of water where the heat had melted the snow, and in it stood Blake and Adam Park.

Shane blinked. Then he tried running towards them, battling his way through the snow.

"What the hell?" he demanded.

"I followed the snow," explained Adam. "Until you started that little hurricane. That was much easier to locate."

"He was hiding just at the edge of the plaza," said Blake. "I only saw him because I knew exactly what to look for."

"You knew he was there?"

"Not until after we failed with the lamppost."

Adam offered Shane a small, blackened object. It took Shane a moment to realize it was his knife.

"There was a weak spot between his head and his neck," said Adam. "You must have seen it. I stabbed him there. This enabled Blake and me to release all the energy he accumulated."

"Too much energy to handle," said Blake. "I couldn't do it alone - not without…" He paused.

"Morphing," said Adam, very quietly. "It's all right. I realized you're Rangers back in that shop."

Shane eyed him warily. "We still don't know we can trust you. Even after you helped us against this alien. We've had stuff like this before."

Adam nodded. "I understand. I don't suppose there's anything I can do to earn your trust?"

"Lay low for a while," said Blake. "Give us reason to believe there isn't an evil overlord behind you anxious for us to trust you."

"You can tell us how come Lothor didn't get you," said Shane.

Adam smiled. It was a quick and lopsided smile, but it seemed genuine. "My offer of ice cream for the whole team still stands. Unless you guys prefer Chinese?"

Shane smiled, almost in spite of himself. "Pizza usually works best for this lot. But trust me, you don't want that on your tab."

"I know how much teenaged Rangers eat," said Adam. "I was one." He turned to Blake. "You've got my card, right? Call me when you guys want to meet."

"Hey!" called Blake, after Adam had already put some distance between them.

Adam paused and turned.

"Thanks," said Blake.

Adam smiled. "Anytime."

"Come on," said Shane, putting his arm on Blake's shoulder. "Let's go get flayed."

---

"So Cam and Hunter built that special generator which was supposed to suck Globester's energy away, but somehow Globester got recharged - "

"That would be when we blew up that lamppost - "

"You mean when I blew up that lamppost - "

"Hey, I'm sharing a failure with you - "

"And Cam told CyberCam to try some dangerous trick that got the generator blown up - "

"Only because it overloaded like crazy - "

"That would be when Adam stabbed Globester and we bled him dry."

"What do we do about him?" wondered Tori out loud. "Is he for real? Blake, you know him, right?"

"We used to," said Blake. "His parents were both Thunder ninjas. His mom was a teacher also. They used to live right next door to us."

Hunter snorted. "He used to babysit us. Taught us stuff our parents thought we were too young to know."

"And soccer," added Blake.

"And soccer," agreed Hunter.

"Then he went to Angel Grove for a martial arts competition, and shortly afterwards his family moved there."

"Another student went with him to that competition," said Hunter. "His family wasn't from the Academy, but I know we stopped seeing him around the same time Adam moved."

"So both of them became Rangers?" asked Dustin.

"Looks like it," said Blake.

"His parents moved back to the Academy about four years ago," said Hunter, "But Adam didn't come with them. He's already moved to LA by then."

"So he never graduated?" asked Cam. "From the Thunder Academy, I mean."

Blake shook his head. "He still had a year or two ahead of him when he left."

"Maybe that's why Lothor missed out on him?" wondered Dustin.

"It's a possibility."

"The question remains," said Sensei, "Whether Adam can be trusted in the here and now."

"I should meet him," said Cam quietly. "I - the amulet - " He floundered for words, acutely aware that the entire team was watching him intently. Not for the first time, he regretted pulling back from them in recent weeks - it only made them pay more attention to him. "I can sense things," he said. "I think it's the amulet. If he's under some kind of control, I'll know."

"And if he'd been lied to?" said Hunter.

"Then we'll find out when we talk to him," said Shane. "Cam's right." He rubbed his forehead. "Another day, though. I'm flattened."

"You would be," said Tori, rolling her eyes. "You've been hanging with Hunter too long; his suicidal tendencies are rubbing off on you." Hunter glowered at her, but she ignored it. "I'll give y'all a ride home. C'mon."

---

"Hunter?" asked Blake as they locked the apartment door behind them. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You and Shane."

Hunter turned around very slowly, facing Blake. "Yeah?"

"You're not just friends, are you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Hunter, I spent several hours alone with Shane today, okay?" Blake chose his words very carefully. "He was more worried about you than the rest of the team put together." Hunter still didn't move. "And I see you two all the time, just like I see you and Dustin, and it's not the same. He's…" Blake couldn't say it. "He's not thinking of you as a friend," he said finally, "Not like he does about Tori or Dustin. You know that, right?"

"Yes," said Hunter after a long moment. "I do."

"What do you feel about this?" Hunter didn't need to say anything; Blake could see it in his eyes. He let out a long breath. "He hurts you and I kill him." He only gave Hunter enough time to relax before adding: "And you didn't tell me anything because?"

"Because there's nothing to tell, yet."

Blake just looked at him.

"Because I was afraid of how you'd react," murmured Hunter. "I'm sorry."

"Don't," said Blake, moving in to hug him. If a hug couldn't solve this, nothing would. "Just don't do it again, okay?"

"Okay," said Hunter, returning the hug.

Blake didn't believe him, but he just said nothing and held his brother tighter.

Chapter 21: Binds

Notes:

This chapter had been uploaded on the story's first birthday, 17 November 2007.

While Arc 4, It Takes a Village, will not begin until after this mini-arc, in may way its themes are first presented here.

It was the weekend, he was groggy, and why was his alarm clock ringing? Dustin's disorientation faded as he remembered why he had only fallen asleep at four in the morning, and why he had had his alarm set. Saturday, January twenty-fifth. Yeah! He leaped out of bed and was dressed before he noticed that the alarm was still going. At least Mom's a sound sleeper. He shut it down, jammed on his shoes and skipped downstairs. He had plenty of time to spare, enough to sit down and eat breakfast, but he was just too hyped to stay put. Oh man, why can't the Power make us less hungry instead of constantly starved? He grabbed a bunch of energy bars and the car keys and headed out.

It was six in the morning and there was zero traffic, but his mom's car was a right piece of junk - I wish she'd let me fix it, after seven years she could stop minding that I'm fixing stuff - and so it still took him half an hour to get to the airport. He left the car in the first parking spot he found and went inside, biting on the last remaining bar and hoping there were some cafeterias that were open yet or at least some decently-stocked vending machines. By seven o'clock he'd had a large sandwich, a coffee and a Mars bar, and was pacing all over the place.

Then, finally, he ran forward.

"Dad!"

---

Cam said thanks upon receiving the first tea; nodded at the second; and made the third himself. "Kindly explain," he asked Tori, taking a sip and making a mental note to bring more kinds of tea to Storm Chargers, "What am I doing here?"

"Dustin's father's coming in today," said Tori. "And he can't check in until eleven. They'll probably come in straight from the airport; Dustin loves showing his work to his dad."

Blake, leaning on the counter, frowned. "Check in? Like at a hotel? Why isn't he staying with his family?"

"You didn't know?" asked Shane.

"Didn't know what?" asked Hunter.

"Dustin's parents are divorced," explained Tori.

"His dad lives in Philadelphia. Dustin only gets to see him two times a year or so," said Shane.

"So it's a pretty big deal for Dustin when his dad's here," completed Tori. "You really didn't know?"

Hunter shook his head. "He never said anything," he said. "Well, he said that his dad got him his first tool kit and taught him how to handle a bike, but…" He shook his head again. "I can't believe he never said anything." He turned to Cam. "Did you know?"

"Yes," said Cam quietly. "He mentioned it about a week after the attack on the Academy."

"He doesn't talk about it a lot," said Kelly, coming up from behind them. "It was an ugly divorce and not the prettiest of marriages, either. I'd hear Sandra and Jack yelling at each other quite a lot."

"You guys were neighbours?" asked Cam.

"Well, that explains a lot," muttered Blake.

Kelly shoved his shoulder affectionately. "Yes, we were neighbours until I moved out of my parents' house. Now be quiet, here they come."

"Hey, guys!" announced Dustin cheerfully as he pushed open the door, followed by a balding man in a flannel shirt and a vest.

"Hello, boys," said the man - Dustin's father - flashing them a smile which Dustin must've inherited directly from him. "And girls. What's up, Shane? All bones still in one piece? How are your parents, Kelly?"

"Yeah," said Shane with a smile, shaking Jack's hand. "How's it going?"

"Same old, same old," said Jack.

"They send their regards," said Kelly with a smile.

"And you must be Hunter, Blake and Cam," said Jack, surveying them. "Dustin told me a lot about you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," said Blake, flashing a smile and holding out his hand. "Dustin says you taught him a lot."

Jack shook Blake's hand. "A lot?" he said, mock-punching Dustin's shoulder. "Everything he knows about fixing stuff, I taught him. Now, Dustin tells me you and your brother both race, too?"

---

When Dustin and his father left, Cam let out a sigh of relief. "Does he always talk that much?"

"He likes to feel he knows what's going on in Dustin's life," said Kelly, "That he knows his friends."

"So why does he live across the country?" asked Hunter. "He's a mechanic, there's work everywhere."

"I think he moved away on purpose," said Cam.

Hunter seemed startled. "Why…?"

Pause.

"To punish Sandra," said Kelly bluntly. "I told you it was ugly."

"Kelly!" yelled one of the salesgirls from the other side of the store. "Come here a sec!"

"Coming!" shouted Kelly, before leaving Hunter and Cam alone in their corner.

"More than one way to lose a parent, I guess," said Hunter under his breath.

"Yeah," agreed Cam.

"But you still have your dad."

Cam just looked at him.

"Okay," said Hunter after a moment. "It's somewhere up there on the suckiness chart, huh?"

"Sure is."

"How did he get stuck like that?"

"Lothor used too much power," said Cam. "And it's pure Dark Ninja, not a single bit of Elemental work involved."

"So what does it take to break it?"

Cam's arms tightened around his body. "I'm working on it," he muttered.

Hunter seemed surprised. "You are?"

Cam nodded.

"How…?"

"The amulet," said Cam, so quietly that only Hunter - standing close and a Ranger - could hear. "It reacts oddly with Dark Ninja powers, I noticed that when I fought my uncle in the past. It can channel and convert incredible amounts of energy. If I infuse my dad with enough properly-modulated energy, he can transform. Theoretically."

"Theoretically?"

"It has never been tried."

"And if it fails?"

"It has never been tried," repeated Cam, but his expression told Hunter the real answer.

"Hey." Hunter touched Cam's arm, very gently. "He may be a guinea pig but he's still alive. Don't risk it."

"He may be a guinea pig but he can still make his own choices," said Cam.

"And?"

Cam looked away. "He didn't say yet. He told me to ask him again when it's ready."

"When will it be ready?"

"Any day now. The final computations are still running."

"Cam? Promise me one thing, okay?"

"Depends."

"If he agrees, don't be alone when you do it." Hunter gave him a hard look. "I mean it, Cam. I don't care which of us will be with you and if the rest of us won't know until later, but have at least one of us be with you."

"We'll see."

Hunter sighed. "How long do you think it'll take Dustin?" he asked.

Cam shrugged, visibly relieved by the topic change. "It's about ten minutes' ride from here to the hotel, but they'll probably take time to say goodbye. We're not supposed to meet Adam until twelve-thirty, anyway. I think Tori and Blake took a large safety interval when they scheduled it."

"They would," agreed Hunter. "What a day."

"How do you feel about it?"

"About what? Adam?" Hunter shrugged. "It's been years."

"Come on, Hunter."

Hunter looked away. "I hope he's for real," he said. "I hope he's not Lothor's and I hope he really was a Ranger. Let's go out for a walk," he said suddenly. "Get our jackets?"

"Sure."

"Hey, Shane, Kelly! Cam and I are going out for a breather!"

"Take your jackets!" shouted Kelly.

"Don't get kidnapped by aliens!" shouted Shane.

"Will do and no problems!"

Cam was back with the jackets. "Shall we?"

---

He returned to Storm Chargers to find the guys already waiting for him in Tori's van.

"About time," said Tori as she started the car. "I was wondering if we should pick you from the hotel."

"Nah," said Dustin, strapping on his seatbelt. "I would've called you if I was running late."

"Yeah, right," said Shane. "What time is it?"

"Ten to twelve?"

"Try twenty past," said Blake.

"Whoa." Dustin checked his watch. "Man, you're right."

"Why do you wear that watch if you never check it?"

"I do check it! Usually."

"Come on, guys," said Tori. "Try not to shout, I'm driving here."

"Oh, come on, Tori, it's easier than driving a zord," said Blake, all innocence.

"Zords don't have to worry about other zords getting in their lane."

"Really?" asked Hunter. "I didn't notice."

"Don't even go there," warned Shane.

"Oh? Or what will you do to me?"

"Don't give me ideas."

"Hey, enough of that, guys," said Blake.

"I believe it was you who brought up that topic?" asked Cam mildly.

"Guys," said Tori sharply. "Enough. We'll be there in two minutes, I believe you are capable of being quiet that long."

"Yes, Sensei," whispered Hunter into the sudden silence, making everyone but Tori dissolve into giggles.

"All right," said Tori as she parked the car right in front of the Blue Seal. "Everyone ready?"

Cam put his hand over his morpher. "CyberCam? Begin surveillance."

"Up and running," said CyberCam, unusually professional. "Good luck."

"Good luck, Rangers," added Sensei in the background.

"Thanks, CyberCam. Thanks, Dad. Cam out." He removed his hand. "Let's go. Is he here already?"

"I can't see him in the crowd," said Dustin.

Tori rolled her eyes. "Guess he's here, then."

---

"Beevil!" squealed Marah, running across the bay to greet her friend as she emerged from the small spacecraft.

"Hello, darling," said Beevil affectionately, bending down to hug her friend. "I'm so sorry for the short notice."

"I'm just glad you called! I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Since graduation," remarked Kapri, coming up behind her sister. "What's up, Bee?"

"Keeping busy," said the kunoichi. "And you, Kapri?"

"Much the same."

"What's this, girls?" asked Lothor, coming into the bay. "Zurgane told me we have guests?"

"Beevil called and said she was in the neighbourhood, and I told her she could come visit. Isn't this great, Uncle?"

"Marah and I are friends from school," explained Beevil, correctly interpreting the situation. "I happened to had a job in the area, and I thought it would be nice to see Marah again."

Lothor's expression, which cleared at Beevil's mention of school, became calculated at her last words. "A job, hmm?"

"Kunoichi with a minor at bioforming," said Beevil offhandedly. "I find that my skills are in high demand."

"I'd imagine, as bioforming was outlawed most everywhere two years ago," said Lothor dryly.

Beevil smiled. "I'd be wanted on twelve different planets, except that they don't know it was me."

"Impressive." Lothor smiled. "Would you like to join us for lunch, later?"

"I'd be honoured."

"A party of five, then. Oh, and Beevil?" he added over his shoulder as he was about to leave. "You are quite welcome to take a look at the kelzacks if you'd so like. Bioformers with imagination are so hard to find, nowadays."

---

Adam was indeed waiting for them, and they managed to get their ice cream in less than half an hour - mainly due to Cam and Tori herding everyone else. Armed with their cones - and with plenty of napkins bearing the image of a blue puppy seal - they made their way to the beach just below the ice cream parlor and then south towards the rocky patch where they weren't likely to be disturbed - at least not by civilians.

They were nearly on top of the bluff before anyone spoke.

"Great waves," said Tori. "Pity to miss them."

"You surf?" asked Adam. "That explains it."

"That explains what?" asked Tori.

"I came to Blue Bay to look for the Rangers," said Adam, "And I knew you guys werelikely to be athletes and young. I've been here for weeks. I guess I was just looking for the wrong kind of athletes."

"Extreme all the way, dude," said Dustin.

"I get that now," answered Adam with a smile.

"Why were you looking for us?" asked Shane.

"To find out what's going on," said Adam simply. "I was in New Zealand during the attack - filming - and I hadn't known anything was wrong until after I returned."

"Your parents," said Blake suddenly.

Tori covered her mouth. "Oh."

Adam nodded. "Both lived and worked at the Academy. All the people who worked at the Academies, particularly those who didn't have non-ninja relatives - nobody ever realized they went missing. I returned from New Zealand and found nothing but cold ashes. I tried tracking down other Thunder Ninjas, but they were all gone - all of them who could help me, anyway."

"Which means?" asked Shane.

"Everyone who had been in regular contact with the clan," said Adam. "All the qualified ninjas, even those who lived quite far from the Academy."

"But you're a dropout," said Cam bluntly.

Adam looked him in the eye. "Yes."

"Did you really leave the Academy to become a Ranger?" asked Dustin.

"Why did you think you'd find more answers here?" asked Shane.

"I saw the reports of Power Rangers in Blue Bay even when I was still in New Zealand," said Adam. "I saw footage of your fights and I realized you're probably ninja. I knew the US Wind Academy was close to Blue Bay Harbor. I thought if anyone could tell me what's going on, it would be you guys."

"You're awfully calm for someone whose parents are missing," said Shane.

"Would you be less suspicious if I was panicking?" asked Adam wearily. "It's been a month, Shane. I worried myself out of my mind a long time ago."

"He's telling the truth," said Cam abruptly. "I can't sense a hint of Dark Ninja about him. He's never been near Lothor or any of his goons."

Adam's eyes went wide. "Dark Ninja? I knew the Academy reeked of something."

"His name is Lothor," said Blake. "He was banished from Earth twenty years ago."

"He's also my uncle," said Cam dryly. "Or was, before he was banished."

"Damn, we should have brought a camera," said Dustin. Adam's expression was too precious.

"You'd think that after three years of being a Ranger I would've seen it all," said Adam. "Apparently not."

"Three years?"

"What colour where you?"

"Black," said Adam, "Then green. I've held three morphers, total."

"Dude, you have got to tell us your story."

"I'd rather hear yours first," said Adam. "The ninjas - do you know if…?"

"Most are alive," said Hunter. "Some are injured. They're all held captive in stasis on Lothor's ship."

Adam nodded, visibly relieved. "Thanks. Everything was burned down - I was afraid that…" He looked away.

"So how did you become a Ranger?" asked Dustin.

"I was kidnapped by an evil overlord and left in a cave for a snake to bite," said Adam, deadpan. "You?"

"Kidnapped by the guy who flattened the Academies and talked into thinking he's the good guy," said Hunter dryly.

"We were late to class," said Shane.

"Because we helped these two old dudes with their car," added Dustin.

"Which, in my dad's eyes, qualified them to be Rangers," said Cam.

"Or maybe it was because we were the only ones left," said Tori. "And he went back in time to get his morpher."

"Really? I did that too, once."

"Yeah," said Dustin, "But did you meet your own mother?"

---

"Okay, Dustin," said Hunter as they hauled their equipment off the van. "That's enough. You need to concentrate on the race."

"I know, I know, but it's just too cool," said Dustin, brushing his hair out of his face. "I mean, maybe to you he's just the guy next door but to me he's like an idol, you know? And I wish he'd come watch us race."

"Considering what happened in Storm Chargers, I can't blame him for not wanting to come up here," said Blake from Dustin's other side. "Besides, there's someone else here to watch you race."

Dustin followed Blake's gaze, and his eyes lit up. "Dad!"

Hunter and Blake watched as Dustin ran towards his dad.

"He's going to be totally unfocused out there," said Blake quietly.

"I don't have the heart to curb his enthusiasm," said Hunter.

"Yeah," agreed Blake. "I just think he'd also like for his dad to see him race well, not just race."

Hunter shrugged. "We'll have a few minutes without interruptions before the race starts. I'll try calming him down then."

"Good luck with that," said Cam dryly. He's approached them from behind while they were talking. "Just came to wish you good luck."

"You're not staying?" asked Blake, surprised.

Cam shook his head. "Something came up at Ops." Looking directly at Hunter, he said: "What we talked about before."

"Not on your own," said Hunter sharply. "You promised."

"Well, half the team's racing and I'm not going to prevent Tori or Shane from watching you two out there."

"So wait until after the race," said Hunter. "Come on, Cam. Just one more hour."

"Hunter…" said Cam warningly.

"Not alone," said Hunter firmly. "I'll ditch the race if it means being with you for this; I mean it."

Cam pursed his lips. "Okay," he said finally. "Fine. After the race."

"What was that all about?" asked Blake once Cam was out of earshot.

"Either Cam's going to get very lucky," growled Hunter, "Or he's going to regret this for the rest of his life."

"Don't you think you're being a little melodramatic, bro?"

"No, I don't."

---

"No." Marah covered her mouth with both her hands. "Beevil, please, no, tell me you didn't."

"What's wrong, Marah?" said Beevil, tossing her ribbons behind her head. "Can't take a little competition?"

"Tell me you didn't sign up to work for Uncle!"

"I just told you I did."

"You're going to get yourself killed!"

Beevil's eyebrows shot up. "So much faith. Just because I was second in class, you think I won't survive?"

Marah stomped. "It's not about that!" she said hotly. "You kicked my ass in the combat workshops, and I never said you didn't. But if you go out there and fight the Rangers, you're not going to make it out alive." Marah swallowed. "Nobody else has, so far."

"Oh, please. Ask your sister, the history buff, how many undefeatable teams were defeated like that," she snapped her fingers, "by the right opponent's hands."

"Please," begged Marah. She had tears in your eyes. "You can still tell him you won't do this."

"Sorry, darling," said Beevil. "Your Uncle's paying very nicely, and in advance. Plus all that promised glory, if I beat them. I'm not bailing out on this job." She patted Marah on the shoulder. "I'll see you around." And she walked away.

Marah stood alone in the hallway, shaking, tears in her eyes.

"Fine," she whispered, long after Beevil was gone. "Fine. I'm going to save you from yourself, and I don't care if you hate me for it. Uncle can do what he wants, but he's not touching my friends."

---

"So," asked Tori, "What's going on?" Cam had basically kidnapped her and Hunter to Ninja Ops as soon as the race was over. He'd tried getting Dustin, too, but the yellow Ranger seemed too occupied with his dad. Cam had buried his head in the innards of some machine as soon as they'd arrived at Ops, fifteen minutes ago, and Tori had had enough with not knowing what was going on.

"He's going to try and change his dad back into a human," said Hunter.

"What? How?"

"Using the amulet."

"The amulet?" Tori turned, staring holes at Cam's lower half - the only part of him visible. "Cam, is this for real?"

"Yes, it is," came the muffled - but stubborn - reply.

"What if something goes wrong? What will happen to your dad, or to you?"

"Nothing will go wrong. None of my designs have ever failed to work."

Tori exchanged looks with Hunter. His expression seemed to mirror her own.

"There is always a first," said Cam, mocking. "Thank you for having so much trust in me."

"It's not about trust, Cam. It's about not wanting to see you hurt."

Cam pushed himself out and looked at them angrily from his position on the deck. "Thanks for the vote of support. Remind me, why are you two here? Right, for moral support."

"So you can take out your anxiety on us instead of on your dad," said Hunter simultaneously.

Cam just glared.

Hunter raised his arms as if pledging surrender. "You said yourself that you don't know what will really happen," he reminded Cam. "'Theoretically' is not a word you use when you're sure of yourself."

Cam deflated. "Can you at least be quiet while I'm doing the final calibrations? This is really driving me nuts."

Tori nodded. "We'll go outside. Call us when you're ready. Come on, Hunter."

---

Cam called them back inside almost half an hour later. When they entered they found Sensei already there, standing inside an open metal barrel about one foot tall and more than wide enough for a standing human. His whiskers were twitching, but his voice was calm as he greeted them. "Tori, Hunter. Thank you for your presence."

"Sure thing, Sensei," said Tori. Her easy tone contrasted with her worried expression.

"I drew a safety line on the deck," said Cam quietly. He was sitting on the deck, the console he'd just calibrated next to him. The amulet lay on a small metal plate on top of said console, and Cam's fingers were toying with its cord. "Around the barrel. Don't cross it once I start the process, until it ends."

"Understood," said Hunter. He and Tori walked across the room so that they were next to Cam. Tori sat down at Cam's side, but Hunter remained standing.

"We're ready," said Tori.

"I am ready," confirmed Sensei. "You may begin, Cameron."

Cam nodded tersely. He let go of the amulet's cord and flipped a switch on the control panel. Promptly, the amulet and the barrel began to glow. Cam's laptop - positioned next to the amulet's plate - came to life, data tables scrolling down faster than the eye could follow.

"Okay," muttered Cam. "Going good. Dad, you should start feeling the change about…" He coughed. Hard.

"Cam?" asked Tori. Cam had doubled over, and was coughing hard. Abruptly he stopped coughing, straightening and gasping in air. His pupils were so contracted they were barely visible.

"Cameron!" said Sensei.

"We have to stop this," said Hunter.

"How?"

"You're the one who knows how he thinks."

"Me?" demanded Tori, incredulous. She didn't argue further, though. Cam was having too much difficulty breathing. She considered the panel, and pulled the amulet off its plate.

Brilliant green light flashed, momentarily blinding everyone. When Hunter could see again, Cam was picking himself off the deck, and Tori and Sensei both seemed unconscious. Hunter kneeled and helped Cam into a sitting position. "You all right?"

"I will be. What happened?"

"You stopped breathing," Hunter informed him. "We stopped the process."

Cam nodded. "Check Tori, I'll get my dad."

Hunter let go of Cam - who managed to get to his feet without too much difficulty - put two fingers against Tori's neck. He checked her breath and her head while he counted up to twenty. "Breathing's normal," he called out. "Steady pulse - strong but slow. No swelling, so I think she was conscious when she fell and didn't hit her head. She'll probably come around in a few seconds."

"Same here, mostly," said Cam. Returning to where Hunter was crouched next to Tori, Cam sat down and laid his dad's unconscious form on his lap.

Tori stirred. Her fingers moved as if she was trying to grip the floor. "Human," she muttered.

"No, it failed," Hunter reminded her gently.

"But…" She opened her eyes, blinking slowly until her vision focused. Her pupils widened as she took in Cam, with the guinea pig on his lap, but her expression remained unchanged. "Dear Elements."

Hunter and Cam exchanged worried looks. On the rare occasions that Tori swore, she did it after the fashion of common Americans, not like one who lived all their life among ninjas. Something was seriously wrong.

"Tori?" asked Cam tentatively.

She sat up in one fluid motion and regarded him seriously. "No, I am afraid not, Cam."

Hunter jaw dropped. "Sensei?"

The guinea pig on Cam's lap stirred. "Why's the deck so warm?" he asked sleepily, "And since when it is soft?" Opening his eyes, he sat up - and promptly fell with a terrified squeak as he saw Tori's body regarding him. "Oh my god!" The guinea pig turned around, first looking up at Cam then down at its own paws. "Oh, we are in so much trouble!"

"That's one way to put it," muttered Hunter. Cam seemed frozen with shock.

The alarms blared.

Chapter 22: Transitions

Cam leaped to the main console, bringing up the visual on the menace of the day. "Can you morph?" he asked urgently, not bothering to look; it was obvious whom he was asking.

"No," said Sensei after a moment. "I am unsure whether it is because I am an Air affinity or because of the gender switch, but the result is the same."

"Yeah," muttered Hunter. "Blake and I will go."

Cam nodded, then pushed back his chair and got up. "I'll come with you. This one's bad. CyberCam?"

The hologram blinked into existence right behind the terrified Tori. "Online and functioning. You want damage analysis too, while I'm at it?"

"It would be nice."

"Ask and your wish will be granted."

Cam gave him a sour look.

"Blake's ready," said Hunter, trying to divert Cam's attention from the developing argument.

With difficulty, Cam looked at Hunter. "Let's go."

---

"There was an accident."

Shane's heart leaped. He flattened his back against the wall. "What happened?" he demanded of his communicator.

"Cam tried something," said CyberCam carefully. "It didn't work. Not as planned."

"How bad is he?"

"What?" The AI seemed bewildered. "No, Cam isn't hurt. Nobody's exactly hurt, actually."

"Then why am I talking to you and not to Cam?"

"Cam and the Thunders are handling an alien."

Shane took a deep breath and tried very hard not to curse. "Rewind," he told CyberCam. "Go back to the beginning, tell it slow, and don't omit any important details."

There was a very long pause. "You'd better come here," said CyberCam finally. "And bring Dustin. I could use a pair of hands."

---

CyberCam was slouched in Cam's chair. The battle - as visible on the monitors - didn't look too good, but not awful either. And the pile of equipment in the middle of the room was weird even by Cam's standards.

Dustin was on his knees by the pile of junk in seconds. "Dude, what was he trying to do?" he asked, suspiciously lifting what looked - to Shane - like an innocent connecting cable. "Blow the place up?"

"He was trying to harvest energy from his amulet," said CyberCam.

"What for?" asked Shane.

CyberCam coughed.

"Something weird," muttered Dustin. He'd opened the console and was poking inside of it. "Something a morpher's just not supposed to do."

Shane looked at CyberCam. The hologram looked sheepish. "He was trying to transform Sensei," he said, looking straight down at his shoes.

Dustin's head snapped up and around. He stared at CyberCam wide-eyed. "Did it work?"

"Obviously not or we wouldn't be here," said Shane. "Where's Sensei? What happened?" The situation was becoming creepier by the second.

"Like Dustin said, a morpher's not exactly supposed to be used like this. It - Cam was affected badly. Tori pulled the plug. There was an accident."

"Tori?" Suddenly, Shane had gone cold. Cam's experiment got Tori, not him or his dad. "She was here?"

"She and Hunter. Hunter insisted."

Hunter too. Shane's stomach was turning. No, Hunter was out there fighting, the visual feed playing before Shane's very eyes. But Tori isn't.

"Sensei and Tori switched," said CyberCam abruptly.

"They what?"

"Switched," said a voice that sounded like Sensei's except it was very wrong.

A little head poked from under the turquoise pillow, and the guinea pig crawled out, looking thoroughly miserable. "We switched," it said again, and suddenly Shane realized.

"Tori?" he asked.

The guinea pig nodded.

Dustin lost his balance and fell back on his bum. "Dude! This is just freaky!"

"Yeah," agreed Tori, "It is."

Shane walked over and kneeled in front of her, offering her his hand, palm up. "How did it happen?"

"Something backfired when I unplugged Cam's amulet from the console," she explained as she climbed up on Shane's palm. "That's all CyberCam has been able to understand from the energy records. Cam hadn't been able to do any analyses because she attacked."

"She?"

"Alien of the week. Name's Beevil," supplied CyberCam. "Arrived accompanied by super-kelzacks of some sort." He glanced up at the monitors, a needless gesture meant to put his human companions at ease. "They gave Hunter a nice target practice and now they're all handling Beevil. They're fine for now."

'For now' being the keywords, thought Shane, but that wasn't the priority yet. "Where's Sensei? Why isn't he out there with them?"

"Can't morph," said CyberCam simply. "And waiting in the living area 'cause he didn't want to freak you guys out too badly before I explained."

"Yeah," muttered Shane darkly. "Hey!" Tori's claws had dug into his palm. She looked at him innocently. Shane shook his head. "Okay, this is what we're going to do." He took a deep breath. "Dustin, you're going to have to stay here and help CyberCam figure things out. You're the only one who can, and Cam's more needed out there for now." It went unsaid that Cam was the most destructive in combat. "I'm sorry," said Shane. "I know your dad's here and all, but…"

"It's okay," said Dustin, even though he didn't quite look it. "I'll make some excuse, it'll be fine."

"Thanks, Dustin," said Tori.

Dustin looked at her, nestled in Shane's palm, and his expression changed, softening a little. "We'll sort this out, no problem," he promised her. "Hey, where's Sensei? Maybe he can help with this too."

"I'll call him," said CyberCam. "Anything else?"

"You tell me," said Shane. "Anything you guys need?

Dustin looked up from the innards of the console. "Pizza. And something with a lot of sugar."

Shane looked down at Tori. "Mind riding in my pocket?"

She climbed up his sleeve.

---

"What happened here?" demanded Cam as soon as he and the brothers stepped into Ninja Ops. "This place looks like a junk yard!"

"Dustin and CyberCam attempted to understand the nature of the accident," explain Sensei. "I failed to keep up with Dustin's use of the various tools."

"Dude, he can't tell a wrench from a screwdriver," said Dustin in exasperation. "No offence, Sensei."

"None taken, Dustin."

"Elements," muttered Cam, rolling his eyes and carefully stepping over the empty pizza cartons. "I'm not going to be able to find anything for weeks, am I?"

"This Beevil's bad news," said Blake, completely ignoring the stream of Cam's muttered comments as he walked towards the low table and sat down on his pillow. "CyberCam? Did you have the time to analyze her, too?"

The hologram blinked into existence, seated across the table from Blake. "I did, actually. Can't say much about her except that she's another kunoichi, but the upgrades she did to the kelzacks are quite cool."

"Are you sure she did the upgrades?" asked Hunter, stepping around so that he'd face CyberCam, too.

"Yes. She redesigned their tensile matrix working up from…"

Hunter raised his arms. CyberCam got the hint and shut up.

"Kunoichi," said Hunter thoughtfully. "Damn good at face-to-face combat, for one."

"She's a regenerator," said CyberCam. "If the blow doesn't kill her on the spot, it'll hardly hurt her at all."

"So what do we do, cut her head off?"

"It's a possibility," said Cam. "CyberCam, what's the status on the Gold Mode extension?"

CyberCam perked up. "I was wondering when you're going to bust these out. Two hours if I do nothing else."

Cam bit his lip. "Do it," he said. "I'll handle this." He gestured towards the gutted console, still lying on the deck. "And you," he glared at Dustin, "Clean up the garbage."

---

He'd left the transformator console where it lay in the main room and retreated to one of the labs. When that wasn't enough, he went down to the zord cavern. Shane had taken Tori out of Ops - thankfully - but it was impossible to think even with just his dad in proximity. The switched minds gave off an echo that made Cam's spin, and there was no way Cam would figure what went wrong with that buzzing in his head.

He was sitting at the feet of his zord in a seiza posture, eyes closed. Meditation had helped some, and now he was running over the theory in his head, trying to figure out what he'd done wrong. I stopped breathing, Hunter says. Why? If they hadn't pulled the plug, would the transformation have proceeded and everything would've been fine, or would I have suffered damage first? He'd gone over the recordings but he'd found no clue there. Whatever went wrong, it was nothing that his instruments could record. They can't record thoughts, either, whispered a traitorous voice in the back of his head. You can't solve this like an elusive phase transition. It's not. It's something else. The temptation to use his bane to solve this - to harness evil to a good cause: Cam pushed back that voice, ignoring it as firmly as he could. It was a path he refused to walk.

You already are, said that voice. This is what you are, this is who you are. If this is evil then so is your being a Ranger.

My dad didn't want me to be a Ranger, thought Cam. Maybe he knew why.

Your dad married your mother, said the voice, and she was the same way.

Cam flinched, mentally and physically. He never told me how she died.

The thought pushed the voice away. Cam felt empty, drained. The silence was stunning - just his breath and the ventilation system, nothing more. No whispers of others' minds, no emotions caressing his skin. He hadn't had such a respite since - since before his journey through time.

He gasped, desperately trying to suck in air. When had he stopped breathing? His lungs were laboring but his head was spinning, as if he wasn't taking in air at all -

His palms hit the floor as he fell forward and he coughed, trembling all over. He shuddered as the mental noise invaded again, trying to push it out again, but he'd failed. Then suddenly his muscles relaxed and his lungs stopped burning and he could breathe again.

Stop fighting it! said a voice he could almost recognize. Cam was tempted to push it away but he knew better now. Still breathing heavily, he lay on his side on the cold metal floor, gazing up at the form of his zord.

I have to solve this before I lose my mind.

---

They were sitting at the most secluded picnic table they could find, enjoying some ice cream, when suddenly Tori squeaked and disappeared into Shane's bag. Shane turned his head, and saw Blake approaching.

"Tori, it's just Blake."

"Just Blake?"

"Yeah, it's not like he's a kelzack or something. Or even a civilian."

The tip of a furry nose emerged through the zipper. "I can't let him see me like this!"

Then Blake was nearly at their table and Tori retreated fully out of sight.

"Hi," said Blake. "I'm looking for Tori. The guys told me she's with you?"

"Yeah."

Blake looked around.

"She's kind of hiding," said Shane.

Blake seemed startled. "From me?"

It was the most awkward Shane had felt in a long time. "It's kind of obvious why, no?"

"Well, I guess, but…" Blake stuffed his hands in his pockets, not even bothering with a blank expression to cover up his emotions. "I was kind of hoping… you know. That we're cool enough together by now that… That she'd know it's okay. That she doesn't have to hide even if something this freaky has happened."

A furry nose emerged as Blake spoke, and then two tiny paws became visible as well, followed by the rest of the guinea pig's upper body. "Sorry," said Tori. Shane had never heard her sound so small, so shy.

Blake's expression softened. He sat next to the bag and, very carefully, stroked Tori's fur with his finger. "It's okay," he said. "This is probably scarier for you than for any of us."

Tori crawled out fully and stood on her hind legs. "I think it's scary for everyone."

"I'm sure Cam will figure it out soon," said Shane. "You'll be back in your own body before nightfall."

Tori's whiskers twitched hopefully. "You think?"

"It's Cam," said Blake. "He won't leave any of us hanging."

"I hope you're right," said Tori, "But it's really big, this time. I'm scared."

"It'll be all right, Tori," said Shane as Blake raised her curled form to his cheek. "It'll be all right."

---

The door at the top of the cavern made the lightest of sounds as it closed, such that only a Ranger's ears could pick it up. Cam had no idea if he could hear it all the way from where he was lying, or whether he had heard it through Hunter. It was so hard to tell, sometimes, particularly as he wasn't sure just how sharp his senses were supposed to be, and he'd never dared ask any of the others. Hunter's shoes made no sound as he descended the stairs, but once on the same level Cam could feel the vibrations, barely perceptible but nonetheless noticeable if one knew it was there. Of all the things Cam shouldn't know but still did, this was one of the more harmless ones.

Just at the distance at which Hunter had to know he'd be heard, the footsteps stopped. "Cam?" he called out softly.

Cam wondered if his form was that hard to discern in the semi-darkness; probably not, he decided, just the over-developed sense of privacy that seemed to come with silenced secrets, super-sharp senses and spending way too much time together.

Hunter shifted in place, a noise loud enough that even a non-Ranger would hear it.

Cam sighed, and though that was probably audible he was deliberately noisy as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Here," he called, shifted so that it would seem as if he'd been sitting all this while and hoping Hunter would let him get away with this little pretence.

The other Ranger sat down next to him, close enough that they almost touched, and it took all of Cam's restraint to not flinch away from the contact. His bane made it dangerous, even through two or three layers of clothes.

"You've been gone a while," said Hunter.

"Thinking," muttered Cam, which was even true. What he'd been thinking about, though…

"Can't blame you for wanting to hide."

Cam said nothing. He had to watch Hunter's lips so that he'd know what Hunter said out loud and what not, because this close it was impossible for him to tell just by ear. At least Hunter was most certainly here, and not in two places at once.

"It's confusing up there," said Cam at last. Two places at once… what about it?

"It usually is," agreed Hunter. "You never got used to it either, huh?"

"It's only getting weirder with time." What if they really are? wondered Cam. What if his dad and Tori truly were both in their right body and in their borrowed one? It was a thought - it was something he could use to rectify the situation without risking another seizure.

"Bane of being a Ranger," said Hunter. "Or of being a ninja, really."

"Ninja life seems perfectly normal to me."

"You never even went to an outside school, did you?"

"Maybe preschool. Did you?"

"Yeah, until my parents died."

"Really."

"Yeah."

He'd known all that before, of course, and was just making idle conversation to keep Hunter busy as his mind raced forward, estimating what it would take to harvest the mental resonances to return Tori and his dad to their bodies. If he gave up trying to transform his dad, he could probably do it.

"You really are thinking."

"What?"

"I thought you were just brooding down here."

Cam gave him a look that was supposed to express his opinion on the possibility that he was "just brooding," and said: "How do you know I'm thinking?"

"You're talking in sentences that have less then five words."

Cam blinked. Hunter smiled smugly.

Cam got to his feet. "Come on, let's go."

Hunter pushed himself up. "You got it?"

"Maybe. I'll need to redo all the equipment, though. This is nothing like the old design."

"Well, you've another pair of hands, if it'll help you any. Or a bouncer to keep your dad out, take your pick."

And Cam laughed; he had to, because Hunter understood too much, and lying to him was becoming harder all the time.

---

Everyone but Dustin came, much to Cam's annoyance. He would've rather kicked everyone out, but Shane and Blake would not leave Tori alone and Hunter hovered like he couldn't decide whom he wanted to protect more. The cloud of worry and anxiety made Cam want to vomit, but he couldn't tell them that. So he gritted his teeth and told them to stay away from the console, claiming it could malfunction if too many CNSs were next to it - and then amused himself by berating everyone but Tori over not knowing what CNS stood for.

Finally, though, everything was ready. His dad and Tori were both standing within their respective rings, and all the other three were standing against the far wall, flattened against it as if to stress how much they were trying to comply with his request for space.

"I'm going to turn it on again," said Cam. His avoidance of eye contact had to be noticeable. "I'm not going to try the transformation again, not until I know for sure what went wrong. This is only going to return you to your bodies."

"Doesn't the machine needs an energy source?" asked Blake.

"There's a dissonance from them not being in their right bodies," Cam told him. "That's energy enough. When they're returned to their bodies the tension will alleviate on its own and the transformator will cease working."

"Built-in safety," said Hunter.

"Kind of," agreed Cam, and flipped the switch.

---

He'd said goodbye to his dad at the hotel, and was walking home. It'd take him two hours, but he told his mom to not wait up for him, and it wasn't like he needed the sleep hours. So Dustin picked the longest possible route, and was kicking pebbles when he spotted them.

That was when he heard someone crying.

A woman, relatively young but not a child; the sound was coming from the grove, and Dustin crossed the road and jogged in the direction from which the crying came. Once he saw her, he slowed down. She was sitting on a bench, a young woman or a girl roughly his age, it was hard to tell, hugging her knees and her long hair shaking with her sobs. Trying to not startle her he didn't walk quietly, but she ignored him and he sat down next to her, at a loss of what to do.

"Hey," he said after a moment, lightly touching her shoulder. "What's up?"

She straightened, looking at him, and Dustin was caught unprepared. Messed up as she was and with her mascara running, she was still breathtaking. She had the largest, most expressive eyes he'd ever seen, and her features made him want to cup her cheek in his palm. She was beautiful.

She pushed herself back as if scared of him. "It's you!"

"I think you're confused, we don't know each other." He offered his hand. "I'm…"

"I know who you are! Don't you recognize me?"

There was something familiar about her voice, her inflection, but he couldn't quite place her. "Well, you sound familiar, but I don't think I've ever seen you."

She sniffed. "Of course you have. I just never looked like this." She gestured at herself. "I was always dressed up."

She was dressed in a jeans and a T-shirt with butterflies printed all over it, and even if he tried to imagine her in smart clothes and her hair pulled up Dustin was still certain he'd never seen her. He would've remembered that face unless she was hiding behind a mask; he told her that.

"Well, almost," she said. She seemed guarded but not quite scared, anymore, and at least she's stopped crying. "I really wish I could talk to you, you know? You seem nice. I can almost believe you'd care."

"Of course I'd care," he told her earnestly. He inched closer to her and she didn't pull back. "Come on, give me a chance. I'm not going to attack you or anything. I only attack evil space ninjas."

He'd meant it as a joke, but her face grew solemn and tears streamed down her cheeks again. "What if I am?"

"What? An evil space ninja? You can't be. You don't have swords tied to your back or…" Or giant blue jewels in your hair. The words died on his lips as suddenly he knew why she'd seemed familiar, and it was his turn to jump backwards. "Marah?"

She nodded.

For a moment, he almost morphed, almost called for backup, almost attacked her. Then she was just another girl his age, sitting on a park bench after dark and crying her heart out. He sat down next to her.

"You don't care?" she asked incredulously.

"I don't know," he told her honestly. "I do know that right now, there's no reason for me to fight you, and it doesn't look like you want to fight me either. So why don't you tell me why you're crying?"

She sniffed again. "I think my friend is going to die, and she's one of my best friends ever. I don't want her to die and I can't stop her!"

He'd put his arm around her because he wasn't sure what to do and, amazingly, she curled up against him.

"It's okay," he told her, stroking her hair and thinking that this was, hands down, the most bizarre thing that had even happened to him. "It's going to be okay."

---

He was quite serious when he'd said that mental presences would throw off the transformator, not just trying to buy himself some space. He flipped the switch as he got to his feet and made to join the others where they stood. He thought he'd have enough time.

He's never made it. The vibrations got him halfway across the room, distorted voices that made his vision swim. He was only dimly aware of hitting the floor - the explosion inside his head out of nowhere, and every little thing was overwhelming. Maybe he was crying out, maybe it was somebody else, he didn't know. Then it was over - the noise was as loud as ever if not more but at least it wasn't distorted, and slowly Cam's eyes focused again. He counted heartbeats, slowly forcing the migraine away until Hunter touched his shoulder and Cam pushed without thinking.

Shouts - everyone was shouting - Cam covered his ears with his hands, not understanding what was going on. He's heard his dad's voice over the racket but there were too many voices and Cam couldn't make sense of them anymore. Only when the noise died off did Cam uncover his ears and open his eyes.

His dad - in his guinea pig body - was standing on the deck not far from him, regarding him seriously. "Cam," he said, "What just happened?"

"You tell me," said Cam automatically. "What were you all shouting about?"

"You just Hunter across the room," said Shane. He and Hunter were not far from the entrance stairs, and Hunter was semi-leaning on him - perhaps Shane had just helped Hunter to his feet.

"Yeah, and you didn't even touch me," said Hunter.

Cam blinked. "What? That's ridiculous."

"It isn't," said Tori. "We all saw it, Cam."

She was very pale, Cam noticed. All of them were shaken. He could hardly hear them now - perhaps he'd overloaded to the point where his accursed extra senses shut down a little.

"I can't do that," said Cam. "I must've pushed without meaning to - "

"Yes, with your mind," said Blake.

Cam shut up. Anything he could say now would only be used against him. By now they had to realize what he was.

He pushed himself to his feet, slowly, carefully. He wasn't quite stable but he could stand without holding on to something, and that was more than he'd expected.

"Cam…" said his dad.

Cam closed his eyes and turned away his face. "I know, Dad," he said. "I know."

As he walked out of Ninja Ops and away across Academy Grounds, Cam didn't have to wonder or worry whether any of his team would come after him. He already knew they were too afraid to.

Chapter 23: Betrayal III

Notes:

This chapter is the 100,000 words mark.

Tori found him, eventually. He could've avoided her if he wanted to, but he was loath to abuse his bane any more than he already had. So Cam stood in place and waited for Tori to find him.

"There you are," she said, brushing the branches from her path as she walked towards him. "I thought I'd have to chase you all night."

He shook his head and said nothing.

She stopped at a four-foot distance from him.

"Thanks," she said quietly. "For switching me back."

Cam shifted uneasily. "It was my mistake to begin with."

"Did the amulet have anything to do with this?" she asked.

Cam bit his lip at the echo he heard behind her spoken words: Or was it just a lie for you to hide behind? "It only started after I got the amulet," he said.

"So you think it's part of your Ranger powers?"

Cam recoiled as if burned. "Don't say that."

She took a tentative step forward. "Why not?"

"Because it's wrong." Biting his lip, he looked her in the eye. "I can read minds," he told her, forcing the words out of his mouth. "If I wanted to I could avoid you all night. If I wanted to I could…" Balling his hands into fists, he took a deep breath before continuing. "I tossed Hunter like a rag doll in there, you saw that. This isn't natural, Tori. What kind of people do you know who can do such things?"

"No one."

"Oh yeah? Come on, Tori. Who do we know who can make things fly around with his mind? Who do we know who can reach inside people's minds?" He knew when she realized, not just because he could sense her terror but also because her eyes went wide and for a second - for a fleeting second - she moved as if to turn away from him and run.

Then the terror was gone, and before Cam knew it Tori closed the distance between them and slapped him.

"Don't you dare say that again," she hissed, voice trembling. "Don't you dare ever suggest that you're a Dark Ninja," she spat out the last two words. "That you can even think that is an insult…"

He pushed her away, not caring that it allowed her indignation to nearly knock him off his feet. "It's an insult to anything my father every taught me that I can do these things!" he shouted at her. "This is wrong!"

"You didn't ask for it!" she shouted back.

"I can't make it go away!" he shouted, acutely aware of the burning trickling down his cheeks. "I tried earlier, and I…" Cam turned away his face, breathing hard.

"Cam?" asked Tori gingerly after a moment.

"Just don't touch me," he said very quietly. "Please. It makes everything explode."

He could hear her making a mental note to pass that to the rest of the team. "Anything I can do to help?" she asked, voicing her earlier thoughts. "It hurts to see you like that, Cam." This is wrong also. You shouldn't be making yourself hurt.

"I won't say that again," he said. "What I said earlier." It's still true, though, he thought, grateful that she couldn't hear him. "I don't know how to explain this to the others. To…" To my dad.

"I'll talk to the guys," she said quietly. I'll make Blake see reason. "I'll tell them that it came with the amulet and that you're still learning to control it."

He nodded.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"You don't want to go back to Ops, do you?" She made it more a statement than a question.

"Not really."

"Do you want to stay over at my place tonight? I promise I won't bug you."

To delay having to face his dad… Elements, it was a tempting thought. Still, Cam shook his head. "Too many people around. I don't know how it'll go."

She nodded. "I don't suppose you can build something to block out the noise?"

He smiled wryly. "You've seen today how well I understand this. And I don't want to study this."

"Maybe you have to."

"That's the path to…" He caught himself. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about it."

"Cam…" Tori moved as if to hug him but she caught herself. How can I be your friend if I can't touch you?

"I'm sorry," he said. "I really am sorry, Tori."

"Yeah," she said, looking away in hope of hiding her glistening eyes. "So am I."

---

Shane's heart sank as he watched Tori approach, alone.

"No luck?" he asked.

"No," she said, arms wrapped around herself. "I found him, all right."

"Then what happened?" Hunter's tone was harsh, colder than Shane had heard from him in months.

"I think he's a bit scared of us right now. He's really confused." She managed to square her shoulders while still hugging herself. She'd turned to Blake, who'd earlier been the only one openly hostile regarding Cam's strange powers. "It came with the amulet, Blake. You shouldn't judge him."

"I don't think that he's really… y'know," said Blake uncomfortably. "But you have to admit it looks bad."

"He knows that," said Tori. She blinked as she suddenly realized something. "What are you all doing outside?"

"It felt too awkward in there," said Shane. "I thought it'd be easier, especially if Cam would've returned with you." Shane frowned worriedly. "He's not going to stay out all night, is he?"

Tori shook her head. "He'll return after we leave."

"Too scared to face us?" asked Hunter, again with the same tone. Shane touched his arm gently, steadily meeting Hunter's angry stare.

"He needs to talk to his dad," said Tori simply, "And we don't need to be there." Then she made a face. "I don't know about you guys, but I really don't want to go home right now."

"I hear you," said Shane emphatically.

"Eat, sleep, meditate." Blake made a face. "Yeah, I could use a distraction from that routine, too."

"I'd ask if anyone's for pizza, but…" Shane shrugged.

"No," said Hunter firmly. "No going out."

"We don't need to go out," said Tori. "I'll call and tell my parents the gang is coming over. We can have that pizza delivered, make ourselves some hot cocoa and camp out in my room."

"You sure your parents would be okay with this?" asked Blake.

Tori only rolled her eyes. "How do y'all like your pizza?"

---

"Cameron…"

Cam paused at the doorway and turned around. He'd hoped his father was meditating and would be unaware of his son's entrance. The ninja master's mind was nearly opaque to Cam, had always been.

"Cam," said his dad quietly, rolling his habitat cart towards his son. "I asked you once, shortly after you retrieved your amulet, whether there is anything you'd like to talk to me about."

Cam swallowed. "I don't want to talk about this, Dad."

Sensei halted the cart. "I will not impose on you," he said gently. "But should you want to speak, I am here for you."

"Thanks, Dad," said Cam, "But I don't think so." He turned away. "Good night."

"Good night, Cameron."

---

He couldn't sleep. That is, he'd slept even less than usual. He only returned home after 1 a.m. - thank goodness he'd told his mom to not wait up on him - and by four in the morning he was awake again, all nervous energy and bouncing thoughts. He somehow managed to restrain himself to his room until five, then went downstairs, had some hot chocolate and headed up to the mountains, to the Academy.

Ideas, possibilities, implications; his head was buzzing. He knew he should pay attention to his surroundings but it was hard, so hard, with snapshots of last night popping in front of his eyes in living colours, images of things that could be colliding with them and forming a kaleidoscopic mess.

It was still dark when he crossed the lake and ran across the grounds and down to Ninja Ops, where time never seemed to move. The large room seemed precisely as always, colour-coded cushions around a low table, the monitors wall to the far side. Dustin smashed his palm to the reader, hopping in place as the door took forever to slide open and admit him to Ops proper.

Second turn to the left, turn immediately right, then third door from the end on the left side. Dustin banged on Cam's door, waited barely four seconds and tried again. "Cam!" he called. "Cam, wake up!" He stopped the racket once he heard movement from inside. Seconds later, the door slid open and Dustin faced a tousled and grouchy Cam.

"Dude, you have to hear this," said Dustin. "You'll never believe what happened."

"Dustin, it's half past five."

"No, no, Cam, you don't get it." Dustin grinned. "Marah's going to help us beat Beevil!"

Cam stared at him.

"Uh, Cam?" asked Dustin tentatively after a few seconds. This was not the reaction he was hoping for.

Cam blinked once and pushed past Dustin into the corridor. "I need some tea." After ten steps he paused and turned around. "Are you coming?" he demanded of Dustin.

Dustin trotted, caught up with Cam - who resumed motion as soon as Dustin began to move - and started talking. "So, last night, I was on my way back home after dinner with my dad and I was walking past the park and…"

---

"…and she was crying, totally messed up, saying that she doesn't want her friend to die." They were sitting in the kitchen, a pot of tea between them. Cam was nursing his second cup and Dustin had barely touched his first, too busy talking; Cam hadn't said a word since they'd left his room.

"So I told her hey, y'know, it's not like we enjoy killing people. She said that Beevil's not going to pull back, just like everyone else sent against us, and I asked if she and Beevil are such friends maybe she knows something we can use so we can just subdue her or something and she'll take it from there and she said she does and she'll get the disruptor for us."

Cam sipped from his tea. Dustin beamed at him. "Isn't this totally wicked?"

"Have you thought that maybe it is?" asked Cam. He turned his cup in his palm and took another sip. "Have you considered that this could be a plot?"

"What plot? Either it works or it doesn't!"

"Or it works to Beevil's advantage."

"Come on, Cam. Marah's miserable there. She says Lothor and Kapri keep running her down for being an emotional wuss and not a real Dark Ninja, and now he set up her best friend to die."

"Have you talked to the others since yesterday?" asked Cam abruptly.

"No, why? Oh, man, you fixed Tori and your dad, right? I was so sure you'll get it I totally forgot to ask."

"They're both fine. You should probably talk to Tori as soon as possible, though."

"You sure everything's all right?" Dustin reached out to Cam's hand. Cam pulled back sharply. Dustin looked at him, weirded out. "Dude, now I know something's wrong. What's up?"

Cam shook his head, looking more miserable than Dustin had ever seen him - even more than when Hunter and Blake were still evil and had kidnapped Sensei.

"Anything I can do?" he asked tentatively.

Cam shook his head. "Talk to Tori," he repeated. "It's probably better that she explains."

"Okay."

Cam rubbed his forehead. "There's something I want to tell you. It's to stay between you and me."

"Okay," said Dustin, even more puzzled than before.

"I mean it, Dustin."

"Hey, no problem."

Cam finished his cup, poured a third, took a sip and put it down. "Do you remember, almost a month ago, when we went to that cooking show and my drink was poisoned?"

"Yeah, what's up with that?"

"Then you may recall that it wasn't my drink. It was your cup which I was holding for you."

Dustin blinked. "Right. Totally forgot about that."

"The potion," said Cam, very slowly, "was meant for you." He looked down into his tea, avoiding Dustin's eyes. "It was put there by Marah. It was a… a passion potion, I suppose. Very powerful. It was supposed to…" Cam swallowed. "You understand why this has to stay between us."

"Totally," agreed Dustin. "How do you know it was Marah?"

"When you guys were out fighting Ratwell, the sensors picked up a disturbance. I went to investigate it. It was her." Cam swiveled his tea, still not making eye contact. "I got the distinct impression that she was unhappy with the way things turned out."

"Impression? What…?"

Cam cut him off. "Talk to Tori. I really don't want to talk about that."

There was a long pause.

"The potion was meant for you," Cam repeated. "It was you she wanted, and quite possibly she still does. She was very sorry that it was me, and didn't want to follow through on her plan. There's a quirk in my powers, sort of, that made it easier for me to fight it off. It would've been much harder for you throw off her control." Finally, Cam looked up. "I think she was horrified by what she'd done, then. I think she's capable of remorse." He raised his hand to silence Dustin and continued. "I also think she doesn't quite understand the consequences of her actions, and that makes her dangerous. People are playthings to her, Dustin, this is how she'd been raised. Don't forget that. There's only so much a person can change in one month." Cam's expression softened. For the first time that morning he looked like the friend Dustin had come to talk to. "I don't want you to get hurt and I think that if you trust her, you may get terribly hurt."

"I think I trust her, Cam. It's not a spell or something. I just think she's for real."

"I didn't say I'm going to stop you. I don't think I can. You need to talk to Shane, though, before you see her again. He is team leader, you know."

"Yeah," said Dustin. Cam had him thoroughly freaked out, but he had seen Marah last night and he had to believe her honesty. "Maybe I should talk to your dad, too."

Cam shrugged. Something about the dejected way he moved rang all sorts of bells in Dustin's head. "Did you guys have a fight or something?"

Cam's expression froze. "In a manner of speaking."

"Dude, you have a way of making things hard on your friends, you know that?"

Cam smiled faintly. "Tori said that, too."

"Fine, fine, I can take a hint."

They both got up.

"Dustin?" called Cam when the other was already by the door.

Dustin turned.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of this."

"What the hell do you mean, Cam? You're scaring the shit out of me."

Cam shook his head. "Just remember I said I'm sorry."

---

He called Tori as soon as he was out of Ops and in the fresh air again. He was surprised to find out that the rest of the team had stayed over at her place last night. He mentioned that Cam said he needed to talk to both her and Shane, and so twenty minutes later he found himself sitting in the Hansens' kitchen as Tori and Blake made waffles for everyone. By then he was anxious to hear what gone down with Cam the previous night and so Tori explained, as awkward as Cam had been.

"Oh, dude." Dustin made a face. "Sensei totally hates this stuff. No wonder Cam's miserable about it."

"The rest of us aren't exactly thrilled, either," muttered Hunter. He'd declined the offer of breakfast and stood guard at the entrance to the kitchen, listening for any sounds of either Tori's parents or her sister having woken.

"What happened to you last night?" asked Shane, quickly changing the subject. He glanced worriedly at Hunter, but the other was steadily avoiding his gaze.

Dustin relayed his tale.

"We said 10 a.m. today, same spot as yesterday, so there's still plenty of time." He looked at Shane hopefully.

Shane gave him a very pointed look. "You're totally into her."

"Am not!"

"Say that to someone who doesn't know you," said Shane. "I'd tell you to forget the hell about it, except that Cam didn't."

"What does that have to do with anything?" demanded Hunter.

Shane looked straight at him. "When has Cam's judgment ever been wrong?"

Hunter turned his head, making eye contact for the first time since Dustin's arrival. "Yesterday," he said bluntly.

"Blake," said Tori very quickly. "You and Hunter used to live on that ship, right? What do you remember about Marah? Could she have been telling Dustin the truth?"

"Well, Lothor really was constantly running her down for being too emotional, and Kapri didn't spare her either." He rubbed his cheek. "Kapri's the more vicious of the two, if you ask me. Marah always seemed like a tagalong. Didn't she, bro?"

"It doesn't make her any less evil."

Blake shrugged. He turned to Shane. "Could be either way, if you ask me," he said honestly. "She could be for real or she could be faking, I've no idea."

Shane sighed. "Dustin, what did you say her plan was?"

"She said that Beevil is some sort of biological engineer, and she made herself a regenerator. Marah knows how she did it, because it was when they were still at school together, and the downside of it is that it makes her neural system really sensitive. So Marah will build us a gadget that'll mess up Beevil's brain and take her out. She'll bring it to me, we use it in the next battle so that it looks like Ca- our idea, and Marah will handle things from there."

"Either it works or it doesn't, huh?" muttered Shane. "I still don't like you meeting alone with her."

"Well, whether she's with us or against us, she'd want the meeting to pass without a hitch," said Tori, "And CyberCam can keep an eye on Dustin, just for safety."

"Yeah." Shane looked at Dustin. "Bring the disruptor to Cam," he said, "Have him take a look at it and confirm that it's precisely what it's supposed to be. And have a look at it yourself first, make sure we're not bringing a bomb into Ninja Ops."

"Will do."

Shane nodded. He got up, walked over to Hunter and tugged on his sleeve. "C'mon, put your shoes on. We're going jogging."

Hunter sulked off. Shane looked back into the kitchen. "Don't bother with more waffles," he told Tori, "We won't be coming back here. I'll bring him home safely, don't look at me like that," he added, addressing Blake.

Blake scowled. Tori rolled her eyes.

---

There had been many times in Marah's life when she was afraid. There had even been times she was afraid for her life, or otherwise afraid out of her wits. Yet she couldn't recall even one time when she was an anxious as she was during the hours after her brief meeting with Dustin, waiting for Beevil to launch another attack.

The plan was failsafe. Beevil wasn't a general; therefore, she didn't have to die. She was a smart girl, liked to live well, and was very much attached to her self-made abilities. An attack launched against her worst soft spot would scare her, make her realize who she was fighting against. Marah knew her uncle's contracts, and she knew there was an escape clause. Beevil didn't have to die.

So Marah avoided her sister - who would know that something was off - and chewed her nails, and waited.

Finally, the attack came.

---

Shane cursed as his communicator went off precisely as he sat down to lunch. Good thing his parents didn't believe in family meals. He wondered how Tori was going to excuse herself this time even as he pressed the button. "Go for Shane."

"It's that Beevil again, all right," said a voice that Shane thought belonged to CyberCam. "Cam's already there and waiting for you guys."

Shane looked down at his plate. "I'll be right there."

---

He was the last to arrive on the scene, and the battle was raging in full. Predictably, Beevil had arrived accompanied by kelzacks, and everyone had their hands full.

"Glad you could join us!" shouted Hunter.

Shane didn't bother answering. He unholstered his Hawk Blaster and started shooting down kelzacks.

"Are they getting stupider with time, or are we actually getting better?" he called out.

"Don't jinx us!" shouted Tori. She aimed her Sonic Fin at a nearby parked truck, causing it to fly backwards and smash several kelzacks into a wall. "Five for the price of one!"

The kelzacks vanished. Before Shane had time to shout out an order, though, a new troop of kelzacks appeared - and these were red.

"You never did tell me, dears," called Beevil from where she stood by the flowerbeds, "How do you like my kelzack furies? Aren't they gorgeous?"

"We like them loads, all right!" shouted Blake. "When they're dead!"

"Really, now. No need to be so rude."

"CyberCam!" called Cam. "Activate Gold Mode extension, now!"

"I wondered what was taking you so long!" answered CybarCam, his voice echoing as it sounded from all their communicators simultaneously.

Shane's ninja sword felt warm against his back. Dustin had his drawn, and Shane could see that it was glowing. Then the glowing and the heat stopped, and Dustin's blade had indeed turned golden. Shane drew out his sword. It, too, had changed its colour.

Cam shrugged off his chest shield, revealing the design under it. "Samurai Ranger, Super Samurai Mode!" Flames danced across his faceplate as it transformed, and Shane strongly suspected that he was grinning under it.

"Attack!" he bellowed.

His team didn't need to be told twice. Whatever it was that Cam and CyberCam had done to their swords, they now cut through the kelzack furies like butter; and Cam in his enhanced mode seemed twice as fast as his usual transformed state, a tornado of motion even faster than Blake.

Shane smiled grimly as he hacked and slashed through the kelzacks. It wasn't a very fine job, but it was necessary. Around him, the others did the same. Within a minute, the kelzacks was gone and the team formed a line as they walked towards Beevil, who waited for them with her arms crossed against her chest.

Shane clicked open the helmet comm.. "Dustin," he said, "You have the disruptor?"

"Sure thing."

"And it checked clear?"

"Yes," said Cam. "It's a highly refined electromagnetic resonator, nothing more or less. Precisely what Marah said it should be."

"It doesn't pack a lot of power, though," said Dustin. "I have to get close to her. As in, real close."

"Well, we're not ninjas for nothing," muttered Shane. "Hunter, you're Dustin's bodyguard for this one." A new batch of kelzacks materialized around Beevil, regulars and furies alike. Shane hesitated. He really wanted to take on Beevil himself, but it was more important to have her as overwhelmed and swamped as possible. "Cam, you and I take these suckers. Tori, Blake, I want Beevil as distracted as possible. You know the game plan, guys. Rock it out."

They had never faced off against such enormous amounts of kelzacks before. Within moments, he and Cam had worked out a job system: blades were the only thing effective against the furies, and so Cam focused on them while Shane had the target practice of his life shooting out the regular kelzacks. Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead as he ran and jumped, somersaulted and rolled, shooting all the while, trying to not miss a mark and to keep the enemy from swarming his friends. Beevil was a formidable enemy, even against the team from hell that was Hunter, Blake and Tori. The latter two complemented each other well, keeping Beevil constantly on edge and out of balance, making it easier for Hunter and Dustin to land their most destructive blows on her; Shane had seen Dustin actually crash his Lion Hammer against the alien's chest.

Beevil's regenerative system had to be in full swing for the plan to work. Otherwise, there was no guarantee that the disruptor will knock her out properly.

The kelzacks surrounded him again.

"Now, Dustin!" he heard Hunter cry out, and then Dustin cursing.

He dared look up and saw that Kapri and Marah had joined the fight, and that Kapri was holding up a small silvery device. "Lost something, yellow Ranger?" she drawled.

Shit.

Marah looked at him, straight over Kapri's shoulder, and nodded once. The kelzacks disappeared. Beevil seemed startled. Shane didn't think twice - he rushed forward. In his peripheral sight he saw that Cam did the same.

Hunter and Dustin went for Kapri. Marah turned to Tori. This left Blake, Shane and Cam to keep Beevil busy.

Though he'd seen her battle the others, Shane hadn't realized how brutal she was until she hit him in the chest, drawing sparks. He stumbled back, gasping for breath. Cam stepped up, knocking her back - Shane didn't want to know how - as Blake helped him up to his feet. "She's a mean one."

"Yeah. Did Marah draw back the kelzacks or was that my imagination?"

"No, I saw that too. Lothor's going to hate her guts for this."

"Yeah."

They were going to join Blake when they heard Dustin cry out and then he was running towards them, the prized disruptor in his hand. "Stay out of the way," hissed Blake and joined Cam, the two of them moving so fast that their forms blurred. Then Dustin was there and -

---

Beevil wreathed, screamed. Marah bit her lips as she watched her friend collapse in a seizure. I'm sorry, she said in her head. It'll be over soon, I promise. This is for your own good. I'm saving your life.

Beevil collapsed, body flaccid like a boneless sack. Marah counted the seconds until the pre-programmed teleporter would pull her out…

Kelzacks appeared which Marah hadn't summoned. Beevil rose to her feet. Marah opened her mouth to shout, to scream her protest, but Kapri gripped her wrist and magic flowed through her body, paralyzing her. "Don't," her sister hissed in her ear. "I will not have you executed for this."

"Marah!" rose Dustin's voice over the sounds of battle. "Marah!"

"Uncle will be so very proud of you," said Kapri softly. "A masterpiece of deceit, having the yellow Ranger himself plant the device that'll give Beevil an extra boost, leading him on. Finally you're acting like the kunoichi you are, like he always knew you would."

"I hate you," choked out Marah, fighting the words through her forcefully tight throat. "I hate you."

"I saved your life," said Kapri bluntly. "I followed you last night when you ran out in tears. This plan wouldn't have fooled Lothor, Marah. He would've found out the truth. He would've killed you for it."

Marah closed her eyes, tears running down her cheeks.

The Rangers assembled their gestalt blaster.

"Stop fighting your destiny, silly girl," said Kapri. Her voice was oddly gentle. "It'll hurt less this way, and it's going to unfold whether you accept it or fight it."

Beevil was swallowed in smoke and fire. Kapri must have activated her PAM, because kenji descended from the sky and Beevil rose, doomed to die again. The scene disappeared as Kapri teleported them away.

She pushed her sister away as soon as Kapri let go of her hand. "I hate you!" she screamed in the darkness of Karpi's room. "I hate you!"

"Neither of them is worth your life!"

"That's my decision, not yours!"

"Because you even realized that you may die. Yeah, right."

"You still shouldn't have done it. I'm my own person, Kapri; I'm not a baby anymore!"

"Damn right you aren't," sneered Kapri.

"He'll think I betrayed him," whispered Marah. She didn't bother to wipe her tears. She swallowed, hard. "While in fact, you betrayed me." She turned to the door.

"I did not - "

Marah had already left.

Kapri swore.

---

He had no idea how many hours he had sat there but it had to be quite a few, as sunset had not yet began when he arrived at the bluff but it was complete darkness when he heard the footsteps coming up behind him. Dustin didn't bother to turn around or acknowledge the presence in any way. One did not need to be a genius to know who would follow whom on this team.

He was quite surprised, then, when the voice wasn't one of the guys.

"I saw the battle on the news today," said Adam as he sat down next to him.

"What are you doing here?" asked Dustin, quite suspiciously.

"I heard what it was you shouted there," continued Adam, ignoring Dustin's question. "I don't have any of your phone numbers so I stalked around the beach where I'd seen Tori before, and she and Blake confirmed that it's what I thought it was."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"They also mentioned that you were avoiding everybody, to the extent of calling in sick on your dad," said Adam, his tone falsely light. "But depressed Rangers seem to have a thing with bluffs and cliffs so I drove by the shore and looked for the most desolated of them all."

"Leave me be, all right? If I don't want to talk to my team I don't want to talk to you either. I mean, don't take me wrong, but…"

"Dustin, what do you know about yellow Rangers?"

"Huh?"

"What do you know about yellow Rangers?"

"What do you mean, what do I know? What, there's anything special about yellows?"

"There's something special about every colour," said Adam. "Not everyone can hold all colours. Reds have a knack for making the right calls when pressured. Blues are usually pretty obsessive about solving problems. And yellows," he smiled gently and touched Dustin's shoulder, "are incredible judges of character."

"Well, I was wrong today," muttered Dustin. "She tricked me all right, just like the guys said she would."

"I didn't drive around for four hours to tell you that you're a sucky Ranger," said Adam. His voice became firmer. "You saw something in Marah that made you believe in her. That something was real, Dustin. She'll turn around before this war ends. Maybe you were a little premature, that's all. But I don't believe your trust was misguided."

Dustin's shoulders slumped. "You think?"

"Yes, I do. And I do have some experience in the Rangering business, you know."

"Thanks, man."

"Anytime." Adam rose to his feet. "You want a ride back to town?"

"I think I'll stay here a while more."

He could see Adam nodding in the moonlight. "Stay safe."

---

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Go away, Shane."

"Okay, so you don't. Fine."

"That was, like, the twentieth time I told you to go away. You're really slow today."

"Hunter." Shane's tone was infuriatingly patient. "We've passed the point where you can scare me away, you know."

"We have? I haven't noticed."

Shane grabbed Hunter's shoulder, forced him to stop. The city was dark and quiet around them. "You're taking this thing with Cam real hard," he commented.

Hunter glared at him. "This has been going on since he became a Ranger, Shane. That was how long ago? Aren't you a little bit angry that all this while, Cam hasn't bothered to let any of us know that he's a telepath?"

Shane looked at him steadily. "Stop bullshitting me, Hunter. It's not about Cam not telling us, it's about Cam not telling you."

"Remind me why I'm not telling you to get lost?"

"Because you like me. Which is the same reason I'm taking your attitude without punching you in the face."

"Wouldn't you be angry?"

"Did I say or do anything to suggest I think there's anything wrong with you being angry?"

"You've been treating me like I'm wrong all day!"

"No, I've been trying to be there for you. Sheesh, this is the mother of all misunderstandings."

Hunter scowled. "Don't - "

"Don't you dare push me away," warned Shane, and he hugged Hunter.

For the first moment Hunter stiffened, which was to be expected: he was okay with offering touch but suspicious when it was offered to him. Then, somewhat to Shane's surprise, he stepped closer, pressing them together. Shane's hold tightened on instinct.

"Don't let me push you away," muttered Hunter.

Shane stroked his back. "I won't," he said quietly. "I promise."

Chapter 24: In Flew Enza

Notes:

If you had an intention of taking a break soon, it's now or in three chapters' time. Trust me on this one.

There were a thousand things I wanted to say when I first uploaded this chapter over at ff.net, and every single one of them is a spoiler. That hasn't changed. The events of this mini-arc are one of the core things that Constellations had been planned around.

Arc Four: It Takes a Village

It is only under the greatest pressure that diamonds are born.

---

"God, Tori, can we please get out of here already?" Shane glanced nervously about him. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Really, Shane, come on," said Tori. "It's just a mall. You've faced worse."

"It's the mall on the weekend before Valentine's Day," corrected Shane, "and I'm pretty sure I haven't."

Tori stopped, turned towards him and smiled. The crowd parted around them. "Well, we can't leave yet," she said. "I still haven't found anything for Blake."

"Tor, I don't know how to tell you this, but I doubt Blake's gonna want anything of the kind you can find here." He gave the red, pink and white decorations a distasteful look. "You want to get him something he'll enjoy, get him a new helmet. Or a food processor."

She laughed. "A food processor with a red bow on top. Very romantic, Shane. Is that what you're getting Hunter?"

"What?" The question caught him off guard. He should've expected it yet he hadn't.

Tori gave him an exasperated look. "Come on, Shane. Valentine's Day is for you too, you know."

"Tori," said Shane uneasily, wondering what she meant by that. "It's not that simple."

"How, exactly? Everyone who matters knows there's something going on with the two of you. Even Kelly knows by now. With the way you've been nearly joined at the hip for the past two weeks, you're Out to the world. What's so wrong with celebrating your relationship?"

Shane was still trying to figure out how she'd made it about that rather than about his disgust with the cheesiness of Valentine's Day merchandise when they heard the crash. They both turned their heads sharply, locating the source of the disturbance within a fraction of a second: a large, black bird-like alien at the floor below them.

They exchanged looks.

"Where the hell can we - "

"The elevator."

They ran towards the nearest elevator, vacated by the fleeing crowd. Shane punched the buttons and the door closed behind them. Seconds later they emerged two floors up, fully morphed, Shane arguing tactics with Sensei. "Yes, I know it's nuts and that it's a really tight space in here. That's why we're going to do it," he said hotly. "CyberCam, get the others. Shane out."

"Did you just hang up on Sensei?" asked Tori.

"Yes," said Shane shortly. "I'm here to assess the situation, he's not, less people are going to get hurt if we do it my way. End of discussion."

"He's right that we never trained for something like this."

"Then we should've. Not that it matters. We were this close to being expelled when we became Rangers, remember? We managed then and we'll manage now."

A familiar voice below, shouting insults and come-ons at the alien.

"Good, our cover's here. Now we're just waiting for…"

Dustin materialized ten feet from them, morphed as well. He waved and jogged towards them. "Teleporter's more reliable every day!" he said cheerfully.

"Later," said Shane. "CyberCam filled you in on the plan?"

Dustin nodded.

They lined up by the railing.

Shane's comm. beeped. "We're in position," reported Hunter. "Ready when you are."

"Then let's roll. Ninja gliders!"

The three Wind Rangers descended from the top floor, gliders guided by currents summoned and maintained by Shane. Below them, the alien was distracted from its duel with Cam - which cost him some more feathers - and rose into the air to meet what seemed to be the greater threat.

"Hello, Rangers!" it croaked. "You've come to play with Little Bird Enza?"

"Was that a fun house mirror you looked into?" shouted Dustin. "Because you're not so little!"

"Haven't learned your history, have you, Rangers?"

"It's you who didn't learn!" called back Shane.

The moment there was enough distance between Enza and the civilians, Hunter opened fire from his hideout on the second floor, knocking the surprised alien towards Blake's perch. Blake seized it with the antler, electrocuting it and holding it in place as Hunter kept firing at it. The Winds hovered above. The moment the brothers released Enza, they charged.

"Ninja Shadow Spar!"

They came at it with swords drawn, not bothering with finesse. When they withdrew Enza crashed, sending black feathers and red petals everywhere as it fell into a flourist's display. It tried to get up but Cam - who'd been waiting - knocked it back and placed the length of his sword against Enza's neck.

Enza laughed. "You won the battle," it said, "but you haven't saved the day."

"Save that for someone who cares," said Cam, and beheaded it.

---

The next day, Tori's morpher went off while she was in the bathroom. "Go for Tori."

"I need you here," said Cam. His tone was short, clipped.

"What about school?"

"Ditch it," said Cam, surprising her. "Tell you parents you have the flu. Get here as fast as you can. Cam out."

Tori frowned at the now-silent communicator. Cam sounded terribly worried. She took a deep breath and considered herself in the mirror. Well, she wasn't a ninja for nothing. She turned her attention inwards. Within seconds she was pale, her eyes too bright, and her body temperature raised. She headed downstairs. Her mother had already left, giving her sister a ride to her school. Her dad was still in the kitchen.

"I don't feel so well," she told him.

He considered her. "You don't look so well, either." He approached her and put his palm against her forehead. "You have a temperature. I think you caught the flu."

She made a face. "Ugh."

"I'll call you in sick at school," he said. "You'll be all right home alone?"

She rolled her eyes. "Dad, I'm not six anymore."

"You're still my daughter."

Ten minutes later he was heading out to work as well. "Call your mom or me if you need anything," he instructed, "And remember to drink a lot. Feel better, Tori."

"Thanks, Dad. Have a nice day!"

She waited until she saw the car get out the driveway, and then regulated her body to normal and streaked to the Academy.

CyberCam greeted her at the main room. "Cam's in lab three," he told her.

"Thanks, CyberCam." If Cam hadn't spooked her enough during their earlier conversation, CyberCam's unusually sober attitude sure did. She headed inside.

Cam was indeed in lab three. There was a map of the town with glowing dots all over it displayed on a whole wall. The room was littered with holographic consoles, showing all sorts of complex molecular structures. She recognized a bunch of viral particles and a general model of an antibody, and frowned. "Cam, what's going on?"

"You're taking AP Biology, right?" he asked distractedly. He was downloading files - they looked like scientific papers - and his attention was obviously not focused on her.

"Yeah," she said carefully, making her way to him. "What's going on?" she repeated.

"Sometime tonight," he said, bringing up a table on one of the monitors, "People started showing up at the hospital. A whole lot of people. All of them had severe flu symptoms - respiratory distress, muscle pains, fever."

A hospital chart, Tori realized. A list of the people who'd been admitted during the night. Not just during the night, she understood a second later. The list was lengthening before their eyes.

"People are still coming in," she said. "It's like an epidemic." But what does it have to do with us? she wondered.

"Not 'like'," corrected Cam. "The hospital staff conducted an epidemiological survey. All the people who contracted this virus were either at the mall yesterday evening, or have relatives who were."

Her hands flew to her mouth. "The alien…"

Cam confirmed with a curt nod. "I ran a few searches. I found something interesting regarding the name 'Enza'. Maybe you've heard it."

Something stirred in the back of her head, a faint memory. It came clearer as she focused - Dr. Swanson's voice, so it had to be freshmen or sophomore year; it was winter, because she clearly remember the wind against the windows, and the class half empty…

"My, my," said Dr. Swanson, her grey curls bouncing against her head as she shook it with dismay. "A lot of kids have a bird called Enza, it seems." She smiled at her students' questions. "It's an old skipping rhyme. It was quite popular at the beginning of the twentieth century. It goes, 'I had a little bird, its name was Enza. I opened a window…"

"…and in flew Enza," whispered Tori. "That's what it meant, didn't it? We killed it, but we didn't stop the virus from spreading."

"I'm afraid so."

"But Cam - we're not sick. Or at least you and I aren't."

"The others are healthy as well. CyberCam's monitoring their vitals. I think that just like we heal faster, we also have a better immune system."

"Makes sense," she agreed. "But - our parents, and Daphne…"

"Are probably quite safe," said Cam. "Or at least didn't get it from you guys. Briefing ran long last night. You probably weren't contagious by the time you returned home."

She nodded. "Okay. But we still have a city to save." She looked at all the data displays around them. "Where do we start?"

---

Blake whistled softly at the data Tori and Cam presented. Shane was inclined to agree.

"Okay, it's bad," he said. "So what do we do?"

Cam and Tori exchanged glances. "We should probably contact the hospital staff," said Tori. "They figured it out already, better let them know that we're aware of the situation."

"There's nothing we can offer them, though," countered Cam. It seemed that he and Tori had already been through that argument before, and were only repeating it for the others to hear.

Hunter shifted where he was standing against the wall. "Can't you create an antibody or something?"

"We can't," said Tori. "We don't have the equipment, or the time."

"Maybe the hospital has the right equipment?" asked Blake. "We could cooperate with them."

Cam shook his head wordlessly.

"It doesn't work like that," said CyberCam. He started ticking off fingers. "One, we don't have an isolate of the virus. Two, creating an effective but not dangerous antibody by trial and error takes way too much time. Maybe I could run a timely simulation if I shut down everything else, but then we'd run into three: there's no way to synthesize enough antibody in time. Oh, yeah, and don't forget four: do you have any idea how complex it is to create an antibody that's safe for a genetically varied population? I'm totally not sure I could run that simulation in time, even if we could do everything else."

"Is there a five?" asked Shake warily.

"No."

"At least there's that."

"We considered isolating an antibody from one of us," said Tori, "then doing the rest based off of that. But there's still the problem of production - and we don't even know if that's how we're immune to it. I don't know if the Power makes us develop antibodies faster, or if it's got a roundabout way."

"Are there any good news?"

"It depends," said Cam. He leaned back in his chair. "It could be good or it could be bad. It's a very short term virus, and it's not lethal."

"The first to be hospitalized have already nearly fully recovered," explained Tori. "It's not even a twenty-four-hour bug. And for all that the initial symptoms are severe, nobody seems to have died or suffered serious damage. Not even babies or elderly people who contracted it, and they're the most susceptible."

"How's that bad news?" asked Dustin. "That's great!"

"Why would Lothor unleash a non-dangerous virus?" questioned Cam.

"Maybe he miscalculated," said Hunter. "Wouldn't be a first."

"Enza sounded pretty certain of itself," argued Tori.

"Maybe it was wrong, too," said Hunter.

"Can you compare this virus to known ones?" asked Blake.

CyberCam rolled his eyes in a gesture not unlike one of Cam's. "One, we do not have an isolate of the virus," he repeated.

"And from the partial data we have so far, it seems to be a pretty standard corona virus," said Tori. "It doesn't seem to be temperate - it's not likely to have long-term effects," she amended, seeing the blank looks on everybody's faces.

"Wait, so it's like an Earth-based virus?" asked Dustin. "Wasn't Enza an alien? That's too weird."

"That's what I think, too," agreed Cam. "I think we're missing something."

The alarms blared.

"Dude, lunch break's halfway over!" said Dustin.

"You're complaining about the prospect of missing class? Are you sure you're not sick?" asked Cam. But his expression was somber, worried. "They're attacking the hospital."

Shane cursed softly as he considering the tactical display, ignoring Sensei's protest. The ER was swamped with kelzacks. There were aliens all over the place, Marah and Kapri were at Medicine and Zurgane was at - of all places - the Pediatric department. His lips tightened into a thin line as he considered their options.

"Priorities. Minimize collateral damage and don't wait for anyone. Dustin, go get Zurgane away from the kids. Call for directions when you're through or if you've had enough."

"Why do I always get Zurgane?" complained Dustin as he headed out.

"Because he hates your guts!" called Tori after him.

"Cam, Hunter," continued Shane. "You two take the ER. Yes, I know you hate the idea, but the place's swamped and you two can mop it up the fastest. Call CyberCam for your next target once the ER is secured."

They left without a word, Hunter's scowl as evident as Cam's frown, both making sure to keep a two-feet distance between them. Tori watched them worriedly: they hadn't spoken to each other since the Beevil affair. Sensei had uncharacteristically kept from interfering with the conflict - but Shane seemed to be developing some very Sensei-like character streaks.

"Tori, Blake, start on the aliens. Move separately and move fast."

"And you'll take on both Kapri and Marah on your own?" demanded Blake. "The hell you will."

"They're doing the least physical damage," said Shane harshly. "They love twisting yours and Hunter's tails too much and the ER is a top priority. I'll hold until someone's free to join."

"Blake, come on, let's go," said Tori, tugging on her boyfriend's sleeve. She expected an argument like this sooner or later - Blake was too frustrated over his tactical skills being ignored and Shane was not one to notice. "Cam and Hunter will probably move on fast," she said as they climbed the stairs. "Shane won't be alone for long."

"It's a totally inefficient constellation - "

And this, Tori reflected, was why Shane kept ignoring Blake's opinion. "The priority is to minimize damage to people and to hospital facilities," she reminded him. "We'll be very limited with our weapons and elemental attacks. This isn't how we usually do combat."

Blake made a face. "C'mon, let's get this over with."

---

She packed the least brute force of any of them - a fact she was painfully reminded of in every training sessions - and she had only a small liking for weapons. She was usually assigned to teamwork and support - Tori couldn't even remember when was the last time she had gotten a solo assignment. She was terribly surprised, then, when she had her sword through the first alien's ribcage within twenty seconds of engaging.

"Is Lothor losing his touch or what?" she muttered as she ran upstairs, following the map on her helmet's display to the next target.

"I should run you a recording of this one," said CyberCam on the helmet comm. He sounded terribly amused. "You're twice as nasty as Blake and nearly as fast."

Tori smiled behind her face plate. "Nobody's as nasty as Blake. Not even Hunter."

CyberCam snorted. "You're a woman. You take the cake by definition."

She would've grilled him for that except that her target came into view and damn, but it was way too large and hardly humanoid-looking. It turned around at the sound of her running. Tori threw herself down and rolled, daring a narrow-focus shot at what appeared to be a fat bony limb. She rose to her feet empty-handed, punching her opponent twice and adding a high kick for good measure as she assessed the damage from her shot. One limb indeed seemed broken but there were six more still whole and the corridor had too many carts for her taste. Two limbs grabbed her. She let herself fall, twisting backwards. She succeeded in breaking the limbs holding her, but she absolutely needed more space. She left a fake uniform behind her and reappeared behind a half-open door she had spotted earlier and managed to shoot twice before the alien was at her. This time she was ready with her sword and managed to do some bodily damage to the alien's torso. It withdrew - possibly in pain - and she kicked at it, rolled, kicked again, driving it down the hall. It cried in frustration and she cartwheeled away, putting as much distance as possible between them before summoning a sheet of ice, sliding on her stomach and slicing the creature from the bottom sideways.

She rose to her feet. "Next target, please," she asked breathlessly, not bothering to activate the comm., trusting CyberCam to be always listening in battle situations.

A new trail lit up. "Have fun," he said, and added a muttered "Hell hath no fury" just loud enough for her to hear.

She decided to save her breath for running.

---

"Next target, please," she breathed into the comm. She was going to be black and blue for hours, she knew - not to mention how close she had come to snapping her ankle - but there was a hospital to decontaminate and everything else would just have to wait.

"Zurgane or alien number six?" asked CyberCam. "Or you can join kelzack scuffle number two down at the ER. That would be sword work though - there are kelzack furies down there."

"Furies?" she asked exasperatedly. "How many of the things did Beevil leave behind?"

"Too many."

"Figured that one by myself." She chewed her lip. "Who most needs a change? Is Dustin still stuck with Zurgane?"

"Dustin and Shane are handling the kelzakcs, Hunter's making mincemeat of Zurgane and Blake and Cam are on the zords."

She smiled in spite of herself. Oh, so that's what those explosions were. "I'll take the kelzacks. I'm beat and Shane's probably had enough of brawling."

Her map lit up. She considered it. "It's just six floors below and turn right."

"Just about."

"I'm tired of running." She walked to the nearest window, opened it and jumped out. Her right ankle hurt like she had stabbed a sword through it but she could walk. Like six flights of stairs would've done her any good.

"Are you trying to get your feet broken?" demanded CyberCam, sounding more like Cam than she'd ever heard him. "You realize you could've used the elevator."

"In a building overrun by aliens? No thanks." She was by the ER's front doors almost immediately. The mob of kelzacks and furies flooded the reception hall - she could only barely make out Dustin's yellow through the mob. They may be tougher but they're not smarter, she thought. The kelzacks occupying only one space made it that much easier for the civilians to hide or run away.

"Yo!" hollered Dustin. "That was fast!"

"Took a shortcut!" she shouted. Then she had no more time for banter - the enemy had noticed her and she was swamped. "What do those things cost, a dime a dozen?" she demanded of no one in particular. Every fury going down was replaced by two regular ones. She threw a kelzack at a wall and turned around just in time to handle the three furies who tried to ambush her while she was distracted. She thrust her sword at just the right angle and managed to rip one open, slash the other and knock the pommel into the third one's jaw - which gave her enough time to twist her sword down and pierce his abdomen. By then others formed a circle around her and she dropped low and knocked two of them into three others to clear herself some space to use her sword again.

If time was measured in dead enemies, then something like thirty kelzacks passed when her comm. beeped. "You're going back to Ops!" roared Shane's voice. He sounded - worried? "Stand by for teleportation!"

"I hate - " the world dissolved into turquoise and reformed into Ops " - teleportation." CyberCam was nowhere to be seen and Cam was kneeling by the table, possibly handling something there. "Power down." She walked over to him. "Cam, what…" Then she saw. She dropped on her knees next to him. "Oh my god. What happened?"

"He came down with fever while we were away," said Cam. "It happened fast - by the time CyberCam fetched me here, he had already collapsed." The guinea pig form lay on the table on top of Cam's cushion, unconscious and shivering. He coughed, and then Tori finally understood.

"The virus…" she whispered. The terribly contagious virus that was non-lethal to humans. The previous day's post-battle briefing had taken hours. "Oh, no."

"Yes," said Cam heavily. His face contorted. "Can you cool him down?"

"I can try." Gently, she took the small form in her hands. She'd never tried to do something like this, had only the vaguest grasp on the theory, but she had to try. Moments later, though, she put him down and shook her head. "He's too small, it's too sensitive." Then she snapped her fingers. "I need some kind of a box or a small tub, about this big," she indicated with her hands. "Do we have something like this and wh…"

An old, beaten wood crate of roughly the appropriate size appeared on the table, materializing out of the prismatic glow.

"Will this do?" asked CyberCam's disembodied voice.

"Yes," she said. She placed both her hands over the pile and carefully constructed a thick layer of ice inside of it, forming an ice bed of sorts.

"I'll get a towel. The cushion's too thick and we can't just put him on the ice."

This time the prismatic glow came from within the pile, as CyberCam got the towel exactly where it was needed. Cam placed his dad inside. "Thanks," he said.

Tori just nodded.

Cam reached, almost touching her shoulder. "You're tired."

"That's five aliens I took out there," she told him. "Speaking of which…" she started pushing herself up.

"Don't bother." CyberCam's hologram blinked into existence. "They retreated as soon as we pulled you two out. Must have had an estimate of time and wanted the team distracted when it was critical." A pitcher and six glasses appeared on the table.

"You're abusing the teleporter," said Cam.

"You're too tired to move," replied CyberCam.

By the time the rest of the guys returned, CyberCam had refilled the pitcher twice and fetched a couple more.

"How's he doing?" asked Shane the moment they stepped in. He must have briefed the others on the way, judging by their expressions.

"On ice," said Cam. "There's nothing else to do."

Blake and Dustin collapsed on the cushions. They seemed as tired as Tori felt. Shane and Hunter seemed slightly better off - or at least Shane did: Hunter's expression was darker than she'd seen in months. Of course, realized Tori slowly. It's Cam's father.

Lunch stuff began appearing on the table.

"What..?"

"Nicked from the school cafeteria," said CyberCam. "Two of you have fifteen minutes before they need to report back to class and it'll be odd if they collapse with hypoglycemia."

"With what?" asked Shane, even as he loaded himself a plate.

"Dude, it's not just a gangsta look with you, is it?" asked Dustin.

CyberCam produced a feathered hat, took it off his head in a flourish and bowed. Then he pouted, because the Rangers were already digging in and had completely missed it.

---

Hunter and Blake had to go, but Tori stuck around "You don't need to stay alone," she told Cam and she refused to be told otherwise. Eventually they settled for him staying with his dad in the main room while she and CyberCam retreated with their research to one of the labs. When Tori emerged they still hadn't found anything useful.

"I have to go," she told Cam. "Daphne went to a friend after school to try and stay away from the virus, but our parents will be home soon and they expect me home sick. Any change?"

He shook his head. "Same as before. Maybe coughing a little more."

"Cam…" She was loath to say it but she had to. "Maybe you should take him to a doctor."

"I'm not taking him to a vet," he said flatly. "It's just the flu. It's not like drugs can help."

She shrugged helplessly. "Let me redo the ice before I leave. I won't be able to get back here before late at night."

"Thanks."

---

Shane's morpher went off. He retreated away from the platform and answered the hail. "Go for Shane."

"It's Cam." His voice was tight.

"How is he?" asked Shane.

"Worse," said Cam. "The cough's becoming really bad." He paused, possibly hesitating. "I don't want… It's not safe for him to go through the night like this."

"What do you want to do?" asked Shane, though he already had an idea. There weren't too many options.

"CyberCam already located a doctor," said Cam slowly. "It's not safe to side-streak him in this state, and the teleporter can still make even healthy people sick."

"You'll need a car."

"I have the mobile command centre, it looks innocuous enough. But I don't want to - I can't just put his bed on the floor of the car."

"Gotcha." Tori had to play sick and the others were on a shift. "I'll be right there."

"Thanks."

He called Tori and Hunter to update them - Hunter would keep Blake and Dustin in the loop - and streaked up to the academy. Cam was already waiting in the car, wooden crate on his knees. Shane strapped on the safety belt and they got on their way.

It was after dark, and the road leading down from the mountains wasn't lit. It was a gloomy ride, dark with shadows and with an overbearing silence not at all lightened by the hum of the engine and Sensei's laboured breathing. Shane's heart contracted with every cough. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Cam occasionally reaching out his hand - perhaps to stroke his dad's fur - and pull back each time.

Shane's hands tightened on the wheel.

Dark shape in the middle of the road, dark even in the brilliance of the headlights. Shane slammed the breaks before he even realized that it was Lothor looming in front of them, blackness swirling around him like something tangible. Shane hit his morpher. "CyberCam, we need…"

Cam cried out. Blackness and colour exploded. Shane shook his head until he could see. Lothor was gone. So was…

"Did we get him?" he asked. His voice was oddly shaky.

"No," said CyberCam and Cam in eerie synchrony. "Shadow Mastery," added Cam. His voice was… Shane could find no words for it. Cam was white, possibly more than halfway to shock. "I can sense it," he said, "But I couldn't block it. I couldn't…"

Shane didn't think. He just reached out and pulled Cam into a hug, ignoring his resistance.

The empty ice bed fell to the floor of the car.

Chapter 25: For All That We Let In I

They were closing shop when Hunter's morpher went off. The Rangers were the only ones there, so he didn't bother stepping aside before answering the call. He regretted that as soon as Shane's voice came through.

"I need you," said Shane.

Something was terribly wrong.

Dustin's head snapped around as he heard that; Blake was locking the back door and out of hearing range.

"Where are you?" asked Hunter, gesturing for Dustin to remain quiet. "What happened?"

"About two miles out of town, northbound."

Silence stretched too long. Hunter decided there wasn't any point in asking again what had happened. "Dustin and Blake are here, too," he said carefully. "Should they come also?"

"No need." Shane had gone from stressed to distant. Hunter really wanted to curse, or break something. I just might get to break someone, the way this day is going, he thought.

"I'm coming," he said out loud. "See you in a few. Hunter out."

"Dude, you sure you should go alone?" asked Dustin as soon as Hunter lowered his arm.

"You heard Shane," said Hunter. "Tell Blake where I went. Call CyberCam, see if he can tell you anything. I'll call you when I know what's going on."

Dustin nodded.

One and a half miles out of town Hunter switched from streaking to running: something ahead of him felt seriously wrong, and he'd rather approach slowly. It was hard to see in the dark, and he could only hope that it was equally hard to see him. At some point along the road a white vehicle came into view - Cam's mobile command center, he realized as he drew closer. That was also when he realized what, exactly, was wrong. His hackles rose involuntarily: the place reeked of the Dark Ninja powers.

He found Shane leaning against the car on the side facing away from the road, arms wrapped about his body, looking every bit as awful as he'd sounded. He raised his head when he heard Hunter approach.

"What happened?" demanded Hunter. It was obvious Shane and Cam had never made it into town with Sensei. "Where - "

"Cam's in the car, unconscious," said Shane. "He collapsed shortly after…" The red Ranger took a deep breath, obviously steadying himself. "Lothor's got Sensei."

Well, things make more sense now, thought Hunter. "Lothor was here?" he asked as he bypassed Shane and peered into the car - yeah, Cam was still in the passenger seat.

"Yeah. He was glowing black." Shane shook his head as if to clear it.

"You okay?"

"Major dizzy spell. Nearly blacked out."

Hunter opened the door and undid the safety belt. "You will if we stay here," he said as he picked up Cam's unconscious body. He braced himself for a shock or something, but nothing happened. "This place is soaked with Dark Ninja. It messes with your brain."

"Oh." Shane pushed himself away from the car. "But we can't leave the mobile command center, if someone finds it…."

"First we get you out of here," said Hunter.

Luckily, Shane didn't argue.

"So, what, Lothor just showed up in the middle of the road?" asked Hunter. Some detail beyond "Lothor's got Sensei" could be useful.

"Yeah. Cam tried to stop him, I think, and then everything exploded and Sensei was gone. Lothor also."

"And Cam was unconscious."

"No, it took him half a minute." Pause. "Why's he unconscious and I'm okay?"

"You are not okay," Hunter told him, "And he could be more sensitive because, y'know. Or it could be because he's not a ninja - the elements help. You'll be okay once you get some clean air around you."

They walked. At two hundred yards from ground zero, Shane's face gained some colour. At four hundred yards Hunter decided they were far enough for comfort and broke away from the road, finding a secluded spot among the vegetation. He laid Cam down and sat. Shane sat down next to him.

"Now what?"

Hunter touched his communicator.

"Go for CyberCam," said the AI promptly.

"How much of this did you follow?" asked Hunter.

"Pretty much everything."

"Can you estimate how long until the mobile command center is safe to move?"

"Twenty-four hours."

"We can't wait that long."

"I can teleport it, but it'll burn the teleporter as well as some of the more sensitive on-board systems."

"How much of a bother will it be to fix all these things?"

"The teleporter, maybe two hours. The on-board systems, depending on the particular damage."

"Teleport Cam over, put him in his room or something. Then get the mobile command center."

Cam's form dissolved into light. "Anything else?" asked CyberCam.

"Not for now. Thanks."

"Anytime. CyberCam out."

Hunter let out his breath.

"Now what?" asked Shane. He was beginning to sound like himself again.

"Now we wait," Hunter told him. "I'm not leaving you alone here."

"Do we have to stay here?"

Hunter glared at him - thought it was probably hardly visible in the darkness. "If you think you're good enough to streak you are so wrong."

Shane smiled faintly. "Okay. I'll stay put." Then his expression crumbled. "Damn. I can't believe we lost Sensei."

"We did not lose Sensei," said Hunter sharply. "If Lothor wanted him dead he wouldn't go to all this trouble. So long as he's alive there's a chance that we can get him back, and we will."

Shane shrugged a little. "I guess. But it's not like we can get on that ship."

Hunter touched Shane's cheek. Shane turned his head, looking at him. Hunter rested his hand on Shane's shoulder. "We're the Power Rangers, remember? Everything is possible."

"That's quoting Dustin's comic books."

"You say it all the time, and you've been right so far," Hunter told him. Shane started to speak again but Hunter had had enough. He pulled Shane close. "Stay put and shut up for five minutes."

Shane shifted, resting his head against Hunter's shoulder. "Longest day ever," he muttered.

Hunter could think of a couple of days that had been worse, but he kept his mouth shut.

---

"You didn't," hissed Tori. She had to keep her voice down and it was pretty hard when she was this angry. "Cam's alone up there? Are you nuts?"

"Tori, he doesn't want company." Shane sounded weary. "Dustin tried and Cam kicked him out. If he won't let Dustin in the rest of us don't stand a chance."

That much was true, she knew. Didn't mean she had to be happy about it. She flopped down on the bed. "The moment my parents fall asleep I'm out of here, and I'm not using the sickness excuse ever again. Do you realize I have to stay here tomorrow too?" she made a face. "My mom wants me to stay home and 'rest', and I have double term calc tomorrow!"

"Good," said Shane. She wanted to ask if he'd heard a word she'd said, but he was already continuing. "CyberCam's preparing a mission file. I want you and Blake to plan this one."

"To plan what?" she asked suspiciously. There was only one 'mission' she could think of and Shane had to be out of his freaking mind.

"The rescue mission," said Shane and yeah, he was as crazy as she thought he was.

"We can't go in there! It was a disaster the last time - the one time - anyone did this." Toxipod's island… she suppressed a shudder.

"Which is why I want you and Blake both on this one."

She wanted to yell at him, but he was right. They couldn't leave Sensei and if she and Blake together couldn't figure out a plan that wasn't completely suicidal, nobody would. "Okay," she said after a moment. So help us.

---

He was too alert to so much as sit still so he slipped downstairs and out to the yard. Maybe if he managed to work his way through a kata or two he would calm down enough to be able to sleep. He tensed up when he saw the approaching shadow but then he realized who it was and relaxed.

"Dude, don't do that," he told Hunter. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry."

Dustin shook his head. Hunter could be so weird sometimes. "What's up?" he asked, a little uncertainly. What was Hunter doing there? "What's going on?"

Hunter shrugged a little. "I've been thinking," he said slowly. "Lothor's gonna expect a rescue mission."

"Well, duh."

"He's going to expect us to be pretty scared."

"I don't know about you, but I really am."

"Shane's like Sensei that way," continued Hunter. "They both slow down when they're uncertain. Lothor could be expecting that, too. So, I've been thinking - we could move tonight."

Dustin opened his mouth, closed it and tried again. "Dude - what?"

"We can move tonight," repeated Hunter. "No, Dustin, think about it. I know it sounds crazy but it's not exactly what Lothor would expect of us, so it might actually stand a chance. They're going to put Sensei in stasis - he's no good dead and they're not gonna bother looking after him. I know where the stasis bay is. There's a teleportation platform right off of there, and I still have a teleportation key."

"You are so mental," muttered Dustin. "How come you're not doing this with Blake?"

Hunter shrugged again, looking down. "I didn't ask him. You and Tori are the only ones any good with healing, anyway, and Sensei was really sick when Lothor got him. It'll be better if one of you is on hand when we break him out of stasis."

It was pretty obvious why Tori wasn't an option - she'd hand Hunter's ass directly to Shane - but Dustin still didn't get why Hunter excluded his brother. He said so.

"He's not going to want to go up there," snapped Hunter. "I don't think he will. Don't look at me like I'm trying to set you up or anything. I'm going to do it whether or not you come with me."

"You really think we can do this," said Dustin after a moment.

"Or I wouldn't be standing here. We could be back with Sensei before the date changes."

Dustin nodded. "Do we morph here or there?"

"We don't morph. There are all sorts of alarms that go off when we do that."

"I really don't like this plan."

"You in or out?"

"In."

---

The teleportation platform was just an open alcove off a wide hallway. Dustin looked about him. The hallway was painted in ominous colours of black and dark red. He touched his hand to the bulkhead. Metal. The whole place was made of metal, with not even a thin layer of insulation. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Yeah," agreed Hunter. He peeked cautiously around the bend. "Let's do it quickly and get the hell out of here. The stasis bay is that door at the end of the hallway."

"The really wide one?"

"Yeah. It leads directly into the level where they keep the senior staff."

"The level where - dude, how big is this place?"

"Pretty big. They wiped out all the clans, you know. Not just the US ones. And they've taken everything."

Dustin gave a low whistle. "Hey, I just thought - what do we do if it's locked?"

"It's never locked - I don't think they lock anything except private quarters here, not even the zord bay." Hunter smiled, a cold expression that spelled trouble. "Halfway there."

They didn't notice the line of light on the floor until it was too late.

---

Shane sat straighter. "What do you mean, 'gone'?" he demanded. "How can they be gone?"

"Teleported, by the looks of it," said Cam. His voice was way too emotionless for Shane's liking but right then they had more pressing problems.

Like Hunter and Dustin missing.

"Lothor - "

"I don't think so. It looks like the signal initiated from one of them."

"Like what?" It was one in the morning and he'd only had two hours of sleep.

"Wherever they went they did it of their own volition."

"But how could they - oh, no." Shane buried his face in his hands. "I'll kill him."

"You think Hunter retained teleportation access to Lothor's ship," said Cam. His tone suggested that he'd come to the same conclusion.

"I'll kill him," repeated Shane. "Cam - I want the whole team at Ops."

"There's nothing you can - "

"Is our teleportation system operational yet?"

"Yes."

"Can it take teleporting the whole team - " what's left of us, anyway, thought Shane grimly " - without burning down?"

"Maybe."

"So we all come to Ops, now, and we sleep there. This way if something blows, or anyone else decides to play hero, we're all already on site and there's no need to burn the teleporter. How much of a bother will we be?"

Pause. "Not much, actually," said Cam after a moment. "I can't really block you out anyway."

"You kicked Dustin out earlier."

"Don't try helping, okay?" Finally, something of what Cam had to be feeling broke to the surface.

"Okay," said Shane. "I'll tell Tori to stay out of your hair, too." If that's how Cam wanted to play it, fine. For now.

"Blake'll probably keep her busy," said Cam, and the fear Shane managed to push away for a moment came crashing back.

Damnit, Hunter!

---

The cell was deceptively large but it was a holding cell, all right: there were two bunks at the opposite sides of it, what seemed to be a toilet in one corner, and one 'wall' was an opaque force field. Hunter had tried knocking off the force field, but it got them nowhere and gave the Thunder Ranger a splitting headache which had him sitting on one of the bunks with his palms pressed firmly against his eyes. Dustin had tried to help, but it was futile - broken bones and torn muscles he understood. Headaches were beyond him.

"Sorry," he offered.

"I should be saying that," muttered Hunter. "Shouldn't have dragged you along."

"Don't go there," said Dustin. He was too tired to really mean it as a warning. "And then what, you're be here alone, freaking yourself out?" He tapped Hunter's knee. "I knew what I was doing, okay? I wasn't going to let you do this alone. That isn't how Rangers do things."

"Doing things 'like Rangers do' is why I came up with this plan. Which Lothor obviously knew to expect."

"Dude, you don't know that. Any plan would've brought us to the stasis bay. Lothor could've wired all the entrances, for all we know, not just that one.

"Last time I was here," said Hunter, his voice forcibly calm, "Blake and I were brainwashed and later I almost killed all of you."

Yeah, Dustin remembered that. Vividly. "But Blake got through to you then. Even if Lothor tries the same trick again, the guys will break us free."

"That was Choobo's idea. Zurgane wanted to throw us out the airlock. And Choobo hasn't been around lately."

"If Lothor wanted us out the airlock we'd be space trash already."

Finally, Hunter removed his hands from his eyes. "How can you be so optimistic?" he demanded.

"Because right now, it's the most constructive thing I can do."

The force field flickered, became transparent. Marah was standing on the other side of it, hugging herself tightly.

Both Rangers jumped to their feet. Headache or not, Hunter placed himself in front of Dustin. "What do you want?" he demanded.

Marah blinked. She was crying. "That wasn't me," she said. "Kapri switched the devices, she was on to me. She didn't want Lothor to be angry with me so she did that. I didn't betray you, Dustin, I swear."

'Lothor', Hunter noted. Not 'Uncle'.

"Please," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. You have to believe me."

Dustin walked past Hunter and to the force field. He raised his hand as if to lay his palm against it, but thought better of it. "I believe you," he said. "I don't think you're really evil, Marah."

"I don't think so, either." Her smile was startlingly bright. "That's why I've come to break you out."

---

They hadn't fallen asleep. None of them even bothered to pretend to. Cam locked himself in lab one, and CyberCam reported that he was trying to do several months' work in a single night - the technical details went straight over Shane's head. Tori and Blake also retreated to one of the side rooms, taking every possible holodisplayer they could find with them.

Shane sat alone at Ops' main room, having refused CyberCam's offer of company. They had no way of tracking things or people on Lothor's ship - it was simply out of range - but it had already been an hour and every moment that passed suggested that Hunter and Dustin were in trouble. Shane stared into the darkness and tried not to think of everything that could've gone wrong. He couldn't afford to. Too many things had gone wrong already…

He tapped the comm. "Cam?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah?" came Cam's voice after a moment.

"You said something earlier that implied distance isn't really a factor in your sensing people."

"Just the Rangers," said Cam cautiously. "And it's not that it doesn't matter altogether, it's more like - "

"Can you sense them?"

Pause. "Do you realize what you're asking?"

"I'm asking you to try and figure out if two of your friends are alive," said Shane tiredly. "I was going to ask you about your dad also, but you just said it only works for Rangers."

Another pause, so long that Shane wondered Cam had hung up on him. "They're alive," said Cam finally. "They're not in any immediate danger. That's all I can tell. I can't find - " his voice cracked. "But I think you just gave me an idea. I'll talk to you later. Cam out."

Shane tapped his comm. again and relayed the news to Blake and Tori. "Any progress?" he asked.

"Not really," said Blake. "Even assuming Lothor hadn't expected a rescue before, he will now. It complicates matters."

"To put it mildly," muttered Tori in the background. "We'll keep you posted, Shane."

And he was alone in the darkness again.

---

Marah had rigged a ten-minutes security override, more than enough time for her to turn off the force field and for the three of them to find the nearest maintenance hatch and crawl inside. The metallic tunnel was narrow and cramped, but the cargo bays were only two levels down from the holding cells. Teleportation would create a traceable signature that would get them all in trouble, Marah said, but the bay that housed the emergency pods had semi-independent systems and she'd set another override in place which should allow them to teleport undetected from there.

"Won't Lothor wonder how we got out without leaving a sign?" asked Hunter. He was last in the line and he wasn't sure if his faint whisper will carry over to Marah, who was first. "Won't he get it was an inside job?" Lothor wasn't stupid, and Hunter suspected Kapri's assessment of the situation was correct. Marah could get into a whole lot of trouble for this, if she was for real.

"I thought about that," she said. "Once you're free, there's going to be a power surge. It'll start from the holding cells and spread from there. A lot of systems are going to burn. There won't be any sign of sabotage."

"I tried doing that. Not strong enough."

"You would've been if you morphed."

"And alerted the whole ship that I'm about to do something?"

"He thinks you're pretty reckless. And the surge will erase those recordings, so there'll be no way to know for sure. He has a lot of faith in you. He'll buy that."

Dustin laughed, or maybe choked. "He has a lot of faith in us? He keeps trying to do us in!"

"No, he's not. He wants your power, not your life. He thinks you still have a lot of unused potential. A lot of the attacks are meant to trigger you to become stronger and better."

"This is even scarier than him just trying to kill everybody," said Dustin. Then he stopped crawling.

"We're here," whispered Marah. There was the sound of metal as she opened the hatch.

Hunter crawled out as soon as Dustin cleared the opening. The yellow Ranger hugged Marah fiercely. "Thanks," he said. "You're awesome."

Marah dipped her head and though it was impossible to tell in the dim emergency lights, Hunter was pretty sure she was blushing, as she said: "No, I'm not."

"You are," Dustin told her. His hands were still resting on her arms. "You're one of the most awesome, bravest girls I know."

"Thanks. We don't have much time, but - can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Will you kiss me?"

For a second, Dustin froze. Then he leaned forward and -

A movement in the shadows.

Hunter threw himself forward, knocking all three of them to the deck. A blaster shot singed the air where Dustin's head had been a second before.

The lights went on full.

Kapri was standing halfway across the bay, her blaster still trained on them.

"Good plan, sister," she said, "But not good enough."

---

Cam returned to the main room less then fifteen minutes after his conversation with Shane.

"I think I know how to redo the sensor array," he said, "Expand its range. If this works then I can expand the other systems also - we could snatch them away from there."

Shane straightened in his chair. "Anything I can do to help? Or we can get Blake or Tori, they're better at the technical stuff than I am."

"Hand me tools and shut up," said Cam. Was it Shane's imagination, or was there the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth? "You need the distraction more than they do."

Shane faithfully passed tools and kept silent, but after half an hour Cam ruled that he needed another pair of hands and they called Blake and Tori. Neither of them was up to the level of independence Cam expected, though.

Cam threw down the screwdriver in anger. "Half the systems need to be redone. I can't possibly do it in time on my own, and if I have to instruct one of you I can't do my share of the work. Elements!"

It was the first time any of them had heard Cam swear.

Blake shifted.

"You have an idea?" asked Shane.

"You won't like it."

"Try me."

"We can call Adam." Blake crossed his arms on his chest. "He'd been a Ranger for about three years. It's worth it to at least ask him."

Shane considered it for a moment. Then he turned to Cam. "Your call. You're the one who'll need to work with the guy."

Cam shrugged minutely. "You three are unrecognizable from what you were when you became Rangers. It's quite possible he may have picked up something useful, if he served so long."

Shane nodded at Blake. "Call him."

---

They pushed themselves to their feet.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Marah, stepping in front of the two Rangers.

"Step away from the Rangers, Marah. I don't want to hurt you."

"Not pointing a gun at her might be a step in the right direction," said Dustin.

"There was nothing wrong with my plan this time," said Marah angrily. "You're just interfering."

"They're the enemy, Marah, which I'm pretty sure you've forgotten."

"No, they're not - not my enemies. They're the enemy of the person who sent my best friend to die!"

"When your best friend's a mercenary, stuff happens!"

"Well, it's not the kind of life I want. I'm miserable here, Kapri!"

"Because I'm so happy here, right?" Kapri's indifferent mask shattered into fury. "We're mercenaries too, in case you failed to notice. That's what we've been taught and trained to do. Right now, the only jobs either of us could get out there would be grunt work with a high mortality rate. With a victory behind us, though…"

"I don't want to do this!" Marah stomped down her foot. Tears were spilling down her cheeks again. "I will not kill people for my living. I won't."

Kapri still had her blaster trained on them. "Step away from the Rangers, Marah," she said, very softly.

Marah stuck out her chin. "If that's the life you want, you might as well go all the way with it."

Kapri's arm shook, ever so slightly. She swallowed. "We're sisters."

"I'm sorry." Marah choked back a sob. "I love you, but I'm sorry."

Kapri's expression flattened again. "So am I."

A blaster shot cut through the air - Dustin caught Marah, who was screaming - she reached out to Hunter, for some odd reason, and he took her hand, knowing better than to doubt her in that moment -

Everything went black, then they were standing by the shore of the lake just outside of Academy grounds. Dustin was still holding Marah, who was sobbing hysterically.

Chapter 26: For All That We Let In II

Notes:

I've been waiting to write this chapter for so long. I don't think I can properly express how much i've been looking forward to it. Just two scenes that half the story was built around, no biggie -eyeroll-.

Mild warning for emotional intensity and characters that aren't having their best day ever.

"Inside!" shouted Hunter. He pulled Dustin's sleeve. "Come on, carry her over the water, we have to get inside!"

"She's injured!"

"We need to get to safety first! They could be on to us at any second!"

Hunter's morpher beeped. "Hunter!" Shane's voice, not even waiting for confirmation.

"We're coming in with Marah!" shouted Hunter, cutting off whatever Shane might have said. "She broke us free, she's injured. We're entering Academy grounds now!"

"I know. We're all here. See you in a second."

They ran across the dark grounds, the quarter moon providing just enough light for them not to trip. Shane, Blake and Tori met them halfway through. Tori and Shane had flashlights, and Tori had a medical kit over her shoulder.

"How bad is it?" she asked, not giving anyone else a chance to say something.

"My arm," hiccupped Marah.

Tori shone her flashlight on Marah right arm and whistled. A fist-sized lump of metal stuck to the skin. "I'd say we need to get you to the ER, but it might raise too many questions."

"I can make it heal faster and prevent infection," said Dustin. "I can't do anything about the pain."

"I can do that," said Hunter. Without waiting for permission, he reached forward and pressed two fingers to the point where Marah's right shoulder met her neck.

Marah's breath hitched. "What - I can't feel my arm!"

"I knocked off the nerves. It's temporary, but Blake or I can do it as many times as necessary."

"Until the pain wears down enough for OTC painkillers," agreed Tori. "Now let's get inside, it's freezing cold here."

Pain taken care off, Marah walked the rest of the distance to Ops - though she did lean on Dustin, probably more for comfort than out of necessity. Tori hovered next to them. Blake and Shane accompanied Hunter on both his sides. None of them said anything - yet - but Hunter had the distinct impression that he would be chewed out later.

So long as they were all alive, in one piece and together, he couldn't care less.

He blinked when they walked into Ops. He hadn't expected Adam to be there. He ignored the older Thunder and turned to Cam, locking eyes with him. "We didn't get him."

"I know," said Cam.

There was a hand on his shoulder and Hunter leaned into the warmth. He hadn't realized how tired he was.

"You pull a stunt like this one more time," said Shane, "And if Lothor doesn't kill you then I will."

"No," corrected Blake, "If Lothor doesn't kill him and I fail to, then you get to kill him."

Tori approached them. "I'm going home for a couple minutes, to get Marah some clothes," she said.

Shane nodded. "Be safe."

"I will."

The room swam.

"You should lie down, you look like you're going to faint." Shane stirred him in the direction of the cushions.

"I'm fine."

"He didn't get any sleep before he went off," Blake told Shane.

"Brilliant."

"Thanks for the backup, bro."

"Lie down, Hunter."

---

Kapri leaned against the bulkhead, breathing hard. Somewhere on the ship, alarms had to be blaring. Even if Marah had rigged a bypass on outgoing teleportation, Kapri's fire should've triggered the alarms. She had opened fire specifically with that in mind, but standing alone in the evacuation bay she wasn't so sure it was a good idea. She could've run off, gone to her room, pretend she knew nothing of this… but not if there'd been blaster fire. For a split second she entertained the idea of trying to make it look as if the Rangers had kidnapped Marah and the fire had been hers, in self-defense, but no: Marah's programmed distraction had gone off, short-circuiting a whole deck, only after the first blaster shot was fired.

She closed her eyes, shaking all over. Not like Marah would care to be 'rescued'. She'd made that clear enough. Kapri had lost her, and now she had to figure out a new game plan if she had any intention of surviving in Lothor's crew. She was the hitchhiker, the one who had no place of her own, and now the person who granted her the right to occupy her current position had left.

She expected a troop of kelzacks led by Zurgane, or perhaps a small assortment of their mismatched recruits. She didn't expect Lothor, unescorted, to barge into the evacuation bay, fury written on his face. She snapped into a proper standing position, forcing her muscles to stop trembling, forcing her expression to not betray a thing of her feelings.

Lothor surveyed the bay with a quick glance and then turned on her. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Marah helped the Rangers escape. I…"

"She what? Marah?"

"Yes," said Kapri dully. "She set up a security override and a distraction, set to go off after they got away."

Lothor's expression had been completely inscrutable. His posture still betrayed something of his anger, though. "And your part in this would be?"

"I followed her, found out that something was up. I tried to stop her - them - but didn't manage to."

"The internal sensor detected fire. That was you?"

"Yes."

"Did you get any of th- any?"

"Missed the yellow Ranger." She rubbed her forehead in tiredness. "Got Marah in the side. Not sure how serious it is." There, she had said it out loud. No matter how one looked at it, she had failed: she couldn't keep Marah, and she couldn't kill her. She wasn't the one to whom Lothor extended his grace, and she wasn't good a enough servant to prevent a betrayal.

Lothor regarded her for a very, very long moment. Then his expression changed - still unreadable, but different somehow. He approached Kapri. She braced herself for a killing blow, but it never came. Instead, he laid his hand on her shoulder, his touch light.

"The first betrayal is always the hardest," he said, almost gently. "You did well, Kapri."

Something in her snapped. She pushed him away, yelling, "She was your daughter!"

Lothor's demeanor changed in a heartbeat - no longer the fake gentleman but the raging horror she knew was inside. Kapri stood her ground, unflinching, meeting his gaze. Now her story would meet the end it was supposed to.

"How long did you know?" he bellowed. "How did you know?"

"I heard my father calling my mother a whore when I was very young," she said, not caring that her voice was raised, angry. "I've known since Marah was born."

"Did she know?" he demanded.

"No."

The maelstrom was stuffed again behind the polished exterior. "You never told her?" he asked, almost curiously.

"There was nothing for me to gain from her knowledge, was there?" She laughed bitterly. "Only to lose."

"The first betrayal is always the hardest," he repeated, his voice impossibly gentle and understanding. "You get used to it after a few times."

Who betrayed whom? she wanted to ask but didn't dare to.

He approached her again but didn't put his hand on her shoulder. Perhaps he sensed that she wouldn't welcome it. His anger seemed completely gone now, replaced by an expression she recalled but couldn't place. "You did well, Kapri."

"She is your daughter," she whispered.

"Was," he agreed pleasantly. "If I have a daughter now, however, I'd say that she is standing in front of me."

---

Hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

Cam whirled, nearly knocking his head on the open panel. "Don't touch me!" he snapped.

Adam's confusion was evident.

"I'm…" The word was still a dagger in his throat. "I'm a telepath. It's worse when people touch me." He looked away. "You were in contact with some of the others. Didn't they warn you?"

"They mentioned that you're all-around psi-active, yes." Curious, not in the least bit afraid. "Can't you control it?"

"I can't block it at all."

"That's not what I meant. Wait - you never tried to control it?"

"I just told you - "

"What do you know about psi?"

"You say that word like it means something."

"It does."

"I'm not a psychic. Psi doesn't exist."

Adam didn't seem the least bit fazed. "I've seen people send telepathic messages to each other across half the galaxy. Psi exists." He frowned. "If you don't believe in psi, then what did you think you are?"

Cam looked down. "There's only one kind of people I know who can read minds and throw stuff with their mind," he told the floor. "Shadow Masters."

Adam sucked in a sharp breath. "Cam, do you even know what Shadow Masters are?"

"Evil."

"Shadow Masters are people who gave a part of themselves to gain the kind of power they have. For ninjas, that part is their connection to their element. I don't know what the Way of the Wind teaches about the nature of one's connection to their element, but the Way of the Thunder teaches that a ninja only loses their element if they lose what makes them human. The price for a non-ninja Shadow Master is probably similar."

Cam looked up. Adam was regarding him seriously.

"I was never allowed into non-martial arts classes," Cam told him. "And my dad never allowed for anything about the Dark Ninjas to be taught."

"Would've saved you some heartache."

"Maybe," Cam muttered. "You've met other… psi-active people before?"

"A few. No all-around psychics, though. You're pretty rare."

"Joy." He rubbed his forehead. "I'd rather be less special and not have a constant sensory overload migraine."

"Cam, can I try something?"

Cam regarded him suspiciously. "Will I want to hit you?"

Adam raised his arms to the sides. "I think it'll help."

"I'll take it as a yes. On your head if I toss you across the room."

He almost pushed away when Adam held him. Almost - before he realized that something was different. Adam was exercising some sort of emotional control - rather than the usual noise, his presence was steady and solid, and the physical proximity made it a wall against everything else. Cam relaxed almost against his will.

"You're not hitting me, so I guess it's working."

"It's the closest thing to quiet I've had since I became a Ranger." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "How do you do it?"

"It's a certain meditation technique. I can probably teach the others."

Cam wanted to say Yes, please, but his breath came out as almost a sob. He froze.

Adam's mental presence shifted a little, became warmer, its solidness softer, almost plush: a blanket, rather than a wall. "Letting it out would be the healthy thing to do, you know." Cam appreciated that he didn't say 'cry'. "If you don't want to die of a heart attack at twenty."

Cam would've protested that, but the walls he set against his own emotions had already melted away.

---

He woke up sometime later, in a bed that wasn't his, in a room he didn't know. There was somebody lying next to him. Hunter turned. In the pale moonlight, he could see that the other person was Shane. There was a note on the bedside bureau, and it had Hunter's name on it in big, easily legible letters.

I hope you don't freak out badly if you wake before me, the note read in Shane's handwriting. Actually, I just hope you don't wake before me, you were wiped earlier. Cam and Adam kicked out anyone they could so they could work. Blake had to stay and help Dustin with Marah, and I didn't want to leave you alone at that hole in the wall so we're both here. I'll see you in the morning.

Hunter stared at the note, then at the sleeping Shane. He had slept… He got up and looked through the window. The moon had almost sunk out of sight - about two hours had passed since their return from Lothor's ship. He was genuinely surprised that he had managed to sleep that long - he expected the trip to Lothor's ship to make the nightmares so bad so as to keep him from sleeping at all.

Well, those were two hours more than he had expected to have, and he wasn't going to get any more sleep any time soon. The nightmares left him as hyper-alert as usual.

He opened the window fully, made sure there were no bushes directly underneath it, and tried to estimate how far they were from the sea.

---

There was a briefing, of course, and she had to be there - be presented as some kind of a hero, give her own account of the happenings. Zurgane considered her sourly as it had been made clear that Kapri outranked him. Only a couple of hours before Kapri would've been glad and proud; now her boastful smile hid emotions she had no words for.

The briefing couldn't have ended soon enough. She went directly to her room, locked it and kicked the bed, hard. Then she kicked it again. "Elements!" she cursed. "Void!"

Marah was gone.

She hadn't expected it to feel this way. She'd been afraid of Marah's potential deserting because she thought it might get her kicked out. That would've made her miserable, and it would've been a kind of misery she understood and could accept. Instead, her status was cemented and her chest burned as if the Great Void itself was lodged there.

She'd lost Marah. She'd lost her annoying, naive, airhead of a sister who'd been there for all of Kapri's life that she could recall. She had cared for her sister, once upon a time, before Marah's character became an obstacle on Kapri's road to her goals. Good riddance, then.

Except that she sat on her bed and buried her face in her hands as her glamour slipped away, and her breath came in big, gulping gasps and she was trembling again. She reached for the pack of tissues she always kept in her room for Marah's use. Marah's room was next door. It was on Marah's bed that she wanted to sit and cry her eyes out, where the air still smelled of a flowery perfume and the walls were decorated with holos of exotic animals, not famous warriors and overlords.

Marah.

---

Finding his way from Shane's house to the sea was easier than expected - it was so close that he could follow the scent of salt on the air. Unfortunately, though, the nearest beach was the highly popular North Beach, with its all-night cafés and clubs. Hunter halted at the promenade, hesitating. He could go south, and it wouldn't be far until he reached quieter beaches, or he could go north, where the city ended and the cliffs towered over the sea. He and Blake used to ride there when they were still new in the area, but Hunter had been avoiding the cliffs for months.

He headed north.

The moon had already set, and there was no light pollution. The starlight was faint but enough. There was a comfort in the darkness that Hunter reveled in when he was properly awake and secure enough in his surroundings. The cliffs to his right weren't what he'd normally call safe, but that night he didn't give them more than a passing thought.

Roughly ten minutes after he got away from the lights, he became aware that there was someone behind him. It was a sense, more than anything, as he couldn't hear a sound over the call of the ocean and his own breathing. The cliffs were a solid rock face - there was no going sideways. He slowed, stopped and turned around.

The person jogging towards him was Shane.

"Are you following me?" demanded Hunter once Shane was close enough.

"Are you trying to drive me nuts?" Shane was angry enough to be seemingly unfazed at Hunter's attitude. "Do you know what it was like, waking up and you're not there and not a trace or a hint of where you've gone off to except for an open freaking window?"

"So I need to ask for permission now when I go out for a jog?"

"Are you being dense on purpose? It's not about that! I spent the first half of tonight going out of my mind with worry over you!"

Shane was in his face and that was fine enough for Hunter. He could use a good fight. He pushed Shane back. There was a time when that measure of force would've made Shane stumble or lose his balance altogether but that time was clearly past, now.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" snapped Shane.

"I don't know about you, but I spent the first half of tonight cooped up in a cell." He was breathing hard. Too hard. His fists clenched and unclenched convulsively. He was about to say something more but Shane - suddenly not angry, anymore - spoke first.

"Bad memories?"

"What do you know!" Hunter had really, really had enough of standing and talking. He needed to move. He had to. His palms were getting sweaty.

"Just because you had it worse doesn't make you the only one!"

He'd had enough. The cold settled in without his volition, that mixture of fury and fear so hard that it enforced a deadly kind of calmness. "Shut up and fight."

Shane seemed somewhat taken aback and Hunter thought he had found a lousy time to stop being angry.

"Sparring isn't the smartest thing right now."

Sparring wasn't the word he would have used but if it made Shane happier he'd let him use it. He also wasn't about to argue or be argued with. He aimed a high kick for Shane's head, going straight for the mark.

Shane ducked the kick and tried to get Hunter's leg from under him. Hunter had expected that and stepped aside, aiming a second kick to Shane's abdomen. Shane folded, avoiding the brunt of the blow. He replied with a fast sequence of punches and kicks, deflecting Hunter's blows rather than dodging them.

Hunter matched him blow for blow, refusing to lose ground or to go on the defensive. He didn't hold back at all but Shane was still trying to preserve a measure of control.

Until a kick to the ribs connected and Shane fell, instinct more than anything allowing him to roll out of the next blow's way. When he got to his feet he didn't bother fooling around anymore, either. Playing by the rules would only mean him being hurt while nothing slowed Hunter down.

It had been a long time since Hunter and he had been this violent with one another. Even at the time they weren't talking and Cam's dad forced them to train against each other, they hadn't been this brutal, this determined to cause actual harm. Only later Shane would recall when had been the one time he'd seen Hunter fight like that.

He almost managed to lock Hunter's arm but Hunter twisted, throwing Shane over his shoulder and nearly breaking his own arm. Shane rose slowly and Hunter chose that moment of apparent weakness to launch a flying kick. Shane, though, had been bluffing and waiting for exactly that.

The next moment Hunter was lying flat on his back, on the seashore by the cliffs, and Shane was braced over him, pinning him down.

He had a second - a full, whole second - to prepare for Hunter's next move, for an attempt to break away. That attempt never came. He was lying on top of Hunter and Hunter was perfectly still, not even tense, looking at Shane with blue eyes so dark in that moment that they could've been black. Shane closed the rest of the distance between them, claiming Hunter's mouth. Hunter let him in as easily as he lay there. When Shane left his mouth and moved to his neck, Hunter's only response was to tilt his head for better access, his breath catching and becoming almost a moan as Shane found the pulse.

All the restraint Shane had previously shown in trying to not hurt Hunter was gone. He semi-rose and kissed Hunter again, one of his hands sliding under Hunter's shirt, finding a bellybutton, firm muscles and - he let go of Hunter's neck and nibbled on an earlobe - the small hardness of a nipple.

Hunter's moan was a strangled, keening sound.

"Shhh," whispered Shane, his voice husky. "Shhh." He slid halfway to the side to make it more comfortable but kept their feet tangled. Both his hands were under Hunter's shirt, now, and his mouth was on Hunter's pulse again as he searched for that combination of pressure and rhythm that would make Hunter's breath the most ragged and irregular. His own body was beginning to demand attention but the freedom he had with Hunter's body, and the strength of reaction he had just discovered he could elicit, were more powerful and intoxicating than he had ever imagined before.

He braced his hands on either side of Hunter as he laid them one on top of the other, again, chest to chest, and the friction that rearrangement caused had him moaning, too.

Then he saw Hunter's face.

Hunter had all but melted into the sand beneath him, fingers occasionally latching onto Shane with a strength that would've hurt if Shane had been paying attention to it. He drank the attention, inviting it, inviting Shane.

But Shane had seen that expression once before, on a different shore under a bright and sunless sky. That expression cut into Shane's heart as it did then, stopping him cold and slamming him into a sharp, assessing state of mind.

Perhaps in that moment he realized that earlier, Hunter had fought with every intention of losing.

Hunter opened his eyes and the storm in them was unchained.

"Not like this," whispered Shane. He hadn't even realized he was talking aloud until he saw Hunter's expression tighten, change.

"Why the hell did you stop?"

Shane let go of Hunter's left wrist, hoping to touch his face, but as soon as he let go Hunter started struggling and Shane had to grab him again, fighting to stay put as Hunter blew the rest of his strength away. He would've given up trying to hold him down, decided that it was not worth the risk of broken teeth or Hunter's desperate, angry howls, except that he already knew how this should end.

Later, it would seem that it had taken forever until Hunter slackened and Shane could let go. Hunter pushed him off and Shane didn't resist, watching in pained silence as Hunter struggled into a sitting position and braced his elbows on his knees, labored breathing turning into sobs. It had taken a good few minutes before Shane dared to touch Hunter and, upon not having his hand swatted away, pull him close.

Chapter 27: The Great Teddy Bear Scheme

Notes:

Don't drink while reading this chapter as it might end up on your keyboard.

It was yet another lazy afternoon on the bridge of Lothor's ship. Lothor was slouched on his throne, idly filing his nails; Kapri had gathered most of the floating monitors to her and was poking around; Zurgane had gone off for his usual inspection of the barracks; and some kelzacks were going about their regular jobs, ignored by everyone.

"Ugh. Somebody get me a bucket."

"Anything the matter, Kapri?" asked Lothor mildly.

"Yeah, Earth culture." She turned one of the monitors towards him so he could look as well. "And I thought Christmas was disgusting."

Lothor considered the feed on the monitor. "Ah, yes. Valentine's Day. It has become only more bothersome over the years."

It was the kind of day Marah would've loved, Kapri thought, with the flowers, the chocolate and the overt expressions of affection. Odd that she couldn't recall if Marah had made any mention of looking forward to it. "I want to tear it down to shreds," she growled. "Down to the last teddy bear."

"Well," Lothor blew on his nails, "You're the expert. What's the success rate of holiday-ruining plots?"

"Worst ever. It makes people rally like nothing else."

"Hm." He considered it thoughtfully. "Well, I wouldn't mind interrupting Valentine's Day myself. If you can come up with anything, you have my permission to go ahead with it. Just call me for the fireworks."

---

fFriday morning dawned crisp and clear, promising to be warm for the season. Tori stretched, standing on her toes. The promise of the weekend was something she'd been looking forward to, particularly as it included a date with Blake. They hadn't gone out in ages.

It was hard to believe that less than a week ago Sensei and Shane had argued tactics. The battle at the mall had been one of Shane's smarter plans - pity that they had no idea of what the real threat had been that day. She bent over, touching her toes. Cam wasn't all right, yet - obviously - but at least he had stopped pretending to be. None of them was All Right, if she was honest with herself. They all felt the hole where Sensei's presence had been; more than that, though, Hunter and Dustin's failed rescue attempt brought home the truth they'd been refusing to admit for months - that they couldn't bring the fight to Lothor, that they couldn't rescue their fellow ninjas from captivity.

They had had a team fight about it on Wednesday, and it could've been that much worse if not for Adam's presence and his putting his foot down. "Rangers do not 'bring the fight to'," he'd said. "One of the three explicit rules is 'Do not escalate a fight.' I know you weren't told the explicit rules but you should know them anyway, just like you know how to pilot your zords. It's in the power. Whatever fight you need to win will come to you. You are Power Rangers, and Life itself will work in your favour."

She turned away from the deceptively blue sky - like a promise of spring that wasn't quite there yet - and opened her wardrobe. She considered the shelves for a long moment before pulling out one of her darker pairs of jeans and a powder-light turquoise shirt that tied in the back. To everything there is a season.

---

"Okay, seriously, what's your deal with orange juice?"

"It's really tasty. And besides, it's orange! What more could I possibly want in a drink?" Marah raised her arms dramatically as she said that, and flashed Cam a huge grin over the juicer.

Cam rolled his eyes. "And here I was entertaining the notion that you may like it because it's healthy."

"Well, it doesn't hurt." She put the last squeezed orange aside, poured the juice into the two tall glasses and offered one to Cam. "Cheers."

"Thanks."

"See? You like it too."

"I would not squeeze oranges every morning," he informed her, "But I certainly don't object to your doing so."

"And I hate cutting vegetables, but I don't mind salads."

"Yeah, we do."

"I'm sorry?"

"Didn't you just say - " Cam swallowed. "You didn't. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," said Marah. It didn't take a telepath to tell that she was awkward, though. "I mean, you're only picking up what's on the surface, right? Stuff I almost said anyway."

"I'm sorry," said Cam quietly. "I'm trying to rein this in. It's just taking time."

Marah shifted in place. "I'm really really sorry that I'm intruding. If I wasn't here you wouldn't need to…"

"Marah." He touched her arm without thinking. She was easier to touch than the Rangers: partially because he didn't get such a strong signal from her and partially because every small touch triggered a wave of comfort and relief from her. Anything that made her mental presence less like a cross between a disco ball, a soap bubble and broken glass was good. "I'm not angry with your being here. I'm not upset with your being here. I'm not angry with you and I don't hate you. How many more times do we have to go through this?"

"How can you not hate me, after I - I mean…"

"Because you regretted it even then, and I knew it," he reminded her. "It's really hard to be angry with someone when you know how much they regret what they've done."

She took a deep, shaky breath. "It's just that you're all so nice to me all the time, and it's really confusing." She gestured with her arm and then put her glass down and wiped her eyes. "I'm really, really, sorry."

"Just stop apologizing all the time. I promise to be mean if it will make you more comfortable. It was a joke," he added, as her pupils widened and her stress levels peaked.

She sniffed, and nodded.

He picked her glass up and offered it to her. "Here. You gonna be okay for the day? I'm going to be downstairs most of the day today, installing the controls for the new power sphere."

"Yeah, sure. Besides, I now have Sandy to keep me company." She smiled at the brown teddy bear, which was leaning against the electric kettle. "Isn't she the cutest?"

"She's cute," allowed Cam. It was possibly the twentieth time they'd had that exchange since Marah showed up for breakfast. "I'll see you later."

"Later!"

---

He palmed open the door to Ops' control room and then palmed it shut immediately. For a long moment, he just stood there. Then he took a deep breath and - with dread - opened the door again. The streamers were still hanging everywhere. Heart-shaped balloons were still floating about.

Somebody, Cam thought, is going to pay for this. And they're lucky I can't assign laps.

He walked into the room with trepidation, noting that the monitors were displaying a beaming heart screensaver instead of the standard, sane academy logo. Frowning, he prodded one of the balloons. His finger went right through it, as if there was nothing there but air.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and bellowed: "CyberCam!"

---

It took half an hour of negotiation and a battle of code hacks - which Cam won by a narrow margin only thanks to the safety override - but he managed to get rid of the streamers, talked CyberCam out of the screensaver and reached a compromise regarding the number of holographic balloons.

So it was that he only got in fifteen minutes of work before one of the alarms went off.

"Nothing dangerous, yet," said CyberCam. "Not that I know what it is."

Cam stared at the sensory data. "Whatever it is, it isn't natural. That's a fractal pattern."

"Deciphering," said CyberCam. On screen, a window opened, showing his decoding attempts. "This is the single most complex thing we've seen so far."

"So was the phase shift, at the time, or a teleporter signal the first time I recorded one." Cam leaned forward. "It's some kind of an energy tide…"

"It's building towards a climax," added CyberCam. "And this climax is going to be harvested. No idea what for."

"That's a hell of a lot of energy! Lothor could blow up half the state with that!"

"Too controlled," argued CyberCam, "It'll make a lousy bomb."

Cam typed in a few commands, altering the display. "It has anchors all over the city, as well as a few outside. What can it possibly be?"

The tide peaked ten minutes after it had started. The alarms remained silent.

Cam slumped in his chair.

"Energy levels did not go back to ground level," said CyberCam.

"There'll be a second tide."

"Yes."

"Well, so much for regular maintenance."

"You mean irregular maintenance."

Cam glared at the hologram.

CyberCam pretended to go up in flames.

Cam buried his face in his hands.

---

Lothor turned away from the screen and shrugged. "It won't do a lot of damage in twenty-four hours."

"The time constant diminishes by half at each repeat," said Kapri. She offered him the pad with the calculation. "So, before, four o'clock today…"

Lothor considered the numbers and his face lit up with a grin. "This is brilliant! They'll be overrun by their own stupidity!"

"That's the plan, yeah," said Kapri as nonchalantly as possible.

"We need popcorn," said Lothor.

Kapri held out a bowl. "Candy broken hearts?" she suggested.

---

"Oh my God, Tori, are you free right now?"

"Mom?" Tori shifted the cell phone to her other shoulder and mouthed 'Just a second' at Shane over their lunch trays. "What's wrong?"

"I just heard it on the news - there was a special report - "

"Mom, you are not making any sense, and I'm getting kind of freaked here."

Shane frowned and gestured with his hand. Tori shrugged minutely.

"There was just a special report on the news," said her mom. She was speaking very slowly, probably in an attempt to calm herself down. "There's - they noticed something weird at the stores. Apparently, the stuffed animals duplicated."

"They what?" Tori gave up and put her fork down.

"Duplicated." Her mom was still talking deliberately and clearly. "Many people saw it. Security cameras recorded it, also. Some shop owners took inventory, and discovered that this had to be the second doubling."

"Okay," said Tori carefully. "It really is a freak event."

Shane - who must have heard every word thanks to Ranger hearing - tapped his morpher significantly and raised his eyebrows. Tori nodded. He began to push himself up but she signaled for him to hold.

"They don't know what's causing this, or when it'll happen again and how many times and I thought - Daphne and I are collecting - "

"Uh-uh," muttered Tori. Her mom and her sister probably had a hundred teddy bears between them. "This could be so bad."

"And I'm at work, and I absolutely can't get out, and I'm terrified to think - "

She got where her mom was taking it. "There's still enough of lunch break left and it's only ten minutes from school to home. I'll go check up on it."

"You will?" Her mom sounded relieved. "Thanks."

"Sure, Mom. No problem."

She hung up and looked at Shane. "I am so not taking the van."

"Didn't think you would. C'mon, let's dump this junk and head out."

---

Tori opened her sister's room and peeked cautiously. "Everything's looking normal," she called out.

"Same here," called Shane, who checked the guest room. "Maybe your mom heard wrong on the radio?" he suggested as they went downstairs.

"No, I don't think so. Wait a moment." Tori went over to the living room, switched on the TV and changed to the local channel. Sure enough, there was a reporter standing in front of one of the local large retailers, and the running caption at the bottom of the screen related the same story as Tori's mom had.

"What's going on here?"

"Wait a minute." Tori fished her cell phone from her pocket and dialed a number. "Fi? Hey, it's Tori. Listen, can I ask you something weird? You found two teddy bears from Matt in your locker this morning, right? Can you look in your schoolbag and tell me how many teddy bears do you have now? No, I am not kidding you, Fi, my mom just called me with the craziest story about stuffed animals duplicated and I won't believe it until I see it or, you know… Thanks, Fi." There was a momentary pause. "Really? Wow. And he said what? That's really interesting. Thanks, Fi, I'll call her back and tell her that it's not just a weird prank or something. See you tomorrow. Cheers!" Tori hung up and pocketed the phone. "Fi Larson's teddy bears duplicated between second period and lunch break," she reported, "And her boyfriend, Matt, said he only put one teddy bear in her locker, and he put it there before first period. Obviously he didn't get the thing just this morning, so - "

" - This is totally weird." Shane shook his head. "Let's call Cam."

---

"I'm not going to do anything bad to Sandy," repeated Cam patiently, "Or to her sisters. Now, Marah, can I please scan them?"

Marah hugged the four identical teddy bears protectively. "And you promise you won't do anything to them?"

"Marah, I'd never. Really. Okay?"

She pouted, but nodded and placed the teddy bears on the bench space Cam had arranged for them. "Okay." She retreated a few steps, but didn't leave. "I'm - is there anything - I feel so useless!"

Cam considered her. "You any good with electronics?"

"I think so."

"We're building special detectors to plant across town and try to locate the source of whatever's causing this." He waved in the direction of the teddy bears. "The first two tides were at 08:00 and 12:00. We'll never be ready in time for the 14:00 tide, and we have to be ready for the 15:00 one. Adam's in lab two working on the things, but I can't help him there if I need to work on this. There're schematics, and either he or CyberCam can show you what to do. Don't," he warned as he picked the Thanks in her mind. "When you and I start apologizing or thanking each other we can go on for hours, and we don't need that right now."

---

"We're moto racers, not paper boys!" protested Hunter as Cam presented him and Blake each with a large messenger bag. The three Rangers were standing in the back of the mobile command center, which Cam had parked at a gas station just outside town.

Cam glared. "This morning before eight, this town had about 5,000 stuffed animals not yet purchased or purchased in the last two weeks. Presently, this number stands at 40,000. In twenty minutes, this town will officially have more stuffed animals than people, and that's if you're not counting the pre-existing ones."

"Toys or people?" quipped Blake. "Ew! Watch that glare, you're giving me a headache."

Cam winced, retreated two steps and took a deep breath. "Sorry. Just deploy the detectors as fast as you can, okay?"

"Do we drop them anywhere, or what?" asked Hunter.

"You'll have a map on your helmet display. CyberCam planned a route for you, and we hacked into the city traffic control system, so stick to the track and you'll have only green lights."

"Sick." Hunter's visor clicked shut and he turned towards the tsunami cycle. "See you in half an hour, then."

---

The data started pouring in one minute and fifteen seconds before 15:00, exactly as expected. Cam let CyberCam handle the initial analysis. Once the pattern began emerging, though, he swore out loud.

"What?" asked Tori. Cam had kicked out everyone else, claiming he couldn't think with all of them crowding around him, but Shane flatly refused to let any one of them stay alone; Cam declared Tori the lesser evil.

"It's moving. Whatever is causing this, it's not stationary. This means that I need to do a wavelet analysis if we're to have any chance of locating it."

"And a wavelet analysis is…?"

"Like a Fourier transformation, only worse."

Tori decided that she didn't really want to know. "Cam, the next tide is in half an hour."

Cam's expression darkened as his fingers flew across the screen. "I know."

---

Twenty-seven minutes later, Cam finally slammed his palm on the red key and declared the wavelet analysis finished. Seconds afterward, though, he cursed again. "This alien can create copies of itself," he announced over the all-hail comm. channel. "The signal won't be clear enough to tell the original apart from the copies until the tide peaks again."

"Dude, you really don't want to watch the news," said Dustin. "The city's, like, coming apart. They're dumping piles of teddy bears in the streets."

"Yeah, the little kids totally dig it," agreed Blake.

"Look at it this way," added Adam. "If they were tribbles they would've taken over the city already."

"How do we know that it's just the one alien and not a small army?" demanded Hunter.

"You have Sandy and her sisters to thank for that."

"Who?"

"My Valentine's teddy bear!" announced Marah.

Someone tapped their morpher in a comm. shorthand of smacking one's forehead.

"Hey!"

"Oh, was that bear from you, Dustin?"

"Guys!" snapped Shane. "Everybody who isn't morphed yet, morph. Everybody who's without their tsunami cycle, streak over to the mobile command center now. CyberCam, I want those coordinates transferred to everyone's helmet displays as soon as you have them, complete with green-light routes and the rest of the works. We find this sucker, we hammer him with enough power to keep him still long enough to assemble the Storm Striker and we destroy him as fast as possible. Okay?"

He was answered by a chorus of "Okay," "Clear," and the unavoidable sarcastic "What?"

---

"Broken candy hearts?"

"Exactly how many tons of candy do we have? Do you have any idea how much fuel costs these days?" demanded Lothor as he collected another handful of colourful candies.

"I had Replictador cast the same spell on them as he did on the furry brutes."

"And what are we going to do with all this candy, hm?"

"Eat it for the next three months?" Kapri shrugged. "Sugar costs will balance out with the fuel costs."

Lothor waved his finger. "I am going to have to buy you two new training robots if you eat all that by yourself!"

"How about one decent swordplay simulator instead?"

"You know how I feel about swordsmanship in the family."

"I'm not going to be a ninja just because you want me to," said Kapri bluntly. "What was that about investing in what I'm good at?"

"We'll discuss it later." Lothor leaned forward on this throne. "The Rangers just found him."

---

The downside of riding the tsunami cycles was that the alien heard their approach and promptly created several dozen clones of himself. The small army of red-caped aliens, standing in an empty parking lot, formed an outwards-facing circle. "Hola!" called the many aliens in unison, bowing and removing their hats with a flourish. "I am the Replictador!"

Casting out an arc of lightning, Hunter said: "Well, hello to you too!"

Some of the aliens fell in ashes. New ones appeared in their place instantaneously.

The many clones of Replictador laughed. "You'll never find me!"

"We don't need to!" shouted Shane. "Hunter, Blake, free fire! Tori, Dustin - we're putting 'em together, Dustin in front! Cam, containment!"

It was a simple, effective tactic: it allowed the Wind and Thunder Rangers to take out clones en mass while Cam prevented any strays from getting away, giving CyberCam enough time to ID the original.

"It's like taking out kelzacks, only worse," complained Tori.

"Not as bad," Shane corrected her. "These things aren't actually there."

"Good point."

"Did you just admit I was right about something?"

"Once in a blue moon," she retorted. "Don't let it go to your head."

"Guys, I'm trying to concentrate here!" complained Dustin.

"Yeah, because it's so hard to hit a target!"

"It's not hitting one of ours that's hard. They're all over the place!"

"Yo!" blared CyberCam's voice on the comm.. On their helmet displays, a single alien figure lit up with an orange aura.

"Got it!" announced Dustin. "Everyone clear!"

The thousand-ton weight landed on top of the original Replictador. The hoard of clones disappeared. Seconds later, however, Replictador climbed out of the hole in the ground. Unfortunately for him, by then the Rangers had assembled the Storm Striker: he was destroyed as soon as his torso appeared above ground.

"Three forty-four," said Adam quietly over the comm. "Right on time, guys."

Glowing kenji descended from the sky.

Shane cursed. "Zords, everyone, now! CyberCam, Adam, tell me he didn't - "

"Resurrect on time," said Adam. "Sorry, Shane. Sandy now has sixty-three sisters."

"In seven and a half minutes," said Cam, "She will have sixty-four more."

"This is not going to take… Oh, fuck." From the cockpit of his zord, Shane stared at the four Replictadors. "CyberCam? Where's the crosshairs on the real one?"

"Their pattern is different in this form. It'll take a few moments to tell the original apart."

"Dude, we only have three megazords!"

"Two megazords and the Samurai Star, Dustin."

"I don't care, it's still just three!"

"Blake and I will fight as individual zords. We have more fire power this way."

"Don't get yourself fried," said Shane.

"CyberCam, dispatch power sphere nine to the Wind megazord," said Cam.

"Not that one!" complained Shane. "I will not use a friggin' scarf!"

"You have to admit, it's kinda fitting," said Tori. "Come on, let's show this wannabe who's the real matador around here."

---

Zord fights were always messy, clumsy and prone to collateral damage. It was even worse with a total of eight giant creatures prancing around the city. Cam kept the Samurai Star airborne, trying to keep leave as much battle space as possible for the grounded zords. It made his aim harder, but he still managed to hit his target twice with the Bee Spinner. The clone - or original - was visibly damaged but not yet destroyed.

"CyberCam, I need the Star Blazer!"

"It's not compatible - "

"So I'll burn some system. I only need one shot, my zord will survive."

"If any of the others would've said that," complained CyberCam even as the data disk materialized in Cam's cockpit, "You would've so skewered them."

"Engineer's privilege." Cam positioned the Blazer on top of the Spinner, took careful aim and hurled it. "First one down, three to go."

"Yeah, and you're standing in place and letting the auto-repair systems do their job for twenty seconds uninterrupted, or your engineering status is so revoked."

---

As much as he hated the Scarf, Shane had to admit it was that it was useful. Whatever material it was made of could shield the Wind megazord from a hell of a lot of fire, for one thing, and there was also the little issue of the invisibility mode. They went invisible as soon as Tori reminded him of the option, summoned the Ram Hammer - the only power sphere they could use with the megazord's left hand - and then returned to visibility.

"Hey, Replictador!"

The alien turned.

Carefully, Tori made the red scarf wave.

"Toro!"

"You're stealing my lines!" complained Replictador, charging at them.

The Ram Hammer - hidden behind the Scarf until the moment of truth - caught him unprepared, and the Scarf's razor edges added extra damage.

"Second one down!" announced Shane over the com.

On their tactical displays, a blinking marker went on over the head of one of the remaining Replictadors. Shane didn't even have time to shout orders: Cam's zord still had the Bee Spinner and the Star Blazer, and one shot was all it took.

"So revoked," said CyberCam.

---

Marah laughed, delighted. "This is so amazing!"

"'Amazing' is one way to put it," said Cam.

The duplicated teddy bears hadn't disappeared when Replictador was destroyed. A collection site was set up at the fair grounds, on the outskirts of town. All the citizens and businesses brought the hundreds of thousands of extra stuffed toys that now existed in Blue Bay Harbor, piling them wherever they could. It wasn't just the Valentine's specific ones - the tide that had occurred after Replictador's enlargement had gone wild, causing the enlargement of all of that batch of Valentine's-specific toys and the duplication of many non-Valentine's-specific ones. Cam estimated that the city now had roughly a quarter million of stuffed toys.

Tori and Blake went off to help Tori's family haul all their extra teddy bears to the collection site. The rest of the team, plus Adam and Marah, handled Sandy's sisters.

It was, as Marah noted, an impressive sight: there were huge piles of teddy bears and other stuffed toys everywhere, with people carrying huge sacks or piles of even more toys, and children and some adults running about, picking their favourites from the piles of extras. A collector's dream, Tori laughingly called it. Peddlers and other sellers unavoidably showed up, offering their wares, from fair food to helium balloons.

"You have to admit," said Shane, "It's a real festival."

Cam only humphed.

"You okay with the crowd?" asked Hunter. "We already dumped our cargo. We can leave whenever."

Cam shook his head. "I'm okay. I pick you guys up so much stronger than non-Rangers - so long as there are some of you near me, it's pretty much like walking on a shoreline."

"Oh, look!" squealed Marah. She ran towards one of the piles.

"Marah, wait!" Dustin ran after her. "You're not supposed to go alone!"

"We shouldn't have brought her," said Hunter quietly. "It's too dangerous."

"After an attack is as safe as it's going to be for her," said Shane.

"She hasn't left Ops in four days, Hunter," said Adam. "We can't keep her locked up there. So long as she's with one of the Rangers, she should be fine."

Marah and Dustin were already returning, Marah carrying a giant toy which - as became clear as soon as they were close enough - was a person-sized lion. Both Dustin and she were grinning broadly, Dustin's arm over her shoulders.

Shane considered the way Hunter was looking at them, the endless piles of stuffed animals around them, and his expression darkened. "Don't even think about it," he cautioned.

Hunter's grin was, surprisingly, more playful than predatory. "Watch me."

---

"Oh, you're finally here!" said Choobo irritably as soon as the door slid open. "I've been starving!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Kapri distractedly. "Shut up."

"I liked Marah more," complained Choobo. "She was never late with my meals. And she never told me to shut up."

"No, she only hugged you until your ribs cracked and dressed you in pink, frilly dresses," retorted Kapri, arranging the new teddy bears on the bed.

"Why'd you bring these?" asked Choobo. "It's not like anyone lives here anymore. Well, except me, and I don't care much for weird toys."

"None of your business," said Kapri. She turned to his cage and pushed the bowl through the force field.

"Hey, I also got candy!"

"You're not going to be lacking in the candy department for a while."

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Kapri was arranging black stones in a circle around his cage.

"I want to analyze the reductive spell on you."

"Why? So you can make it worse and make me smaller and smaller until I disappear altogether?"

"No." Kapri placed the last stone, turned around and sat at a four foot distance from the cage. "So I can break it."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Do you hate the Rangers?"

"Of course I hate the Rangers! It's because of them I got stuck in this fix!"

"Well, then, that's all I need to know."

Choobo considered her skeptically. "Your uncle is not going to like that. He wanted me dead."

She pushed herself to her feet. "Fine. I'll just leave, then. If you care more about what Lothor would think than about your own freedom…"

"No, don't go! I'm sorry I said that!"

Kapri stopped, but was still facing the door.

"Don't leave," begged Choobo. "I'll do anything you want if you can make me myself again. Anything!"

Kapri turned around, eyes narrowed. "Be careful what you promise," she warned him. "I'll hold you to your word."

"I don't have anything to lose, do I?" he retorted.

She settled down. "No, I'd say you don't."

Chapter 28: Inside Out

Notes:

There is no Weekly Alien, so don't expect one.

They were in the kitchen, Hunter cutting tomatoes and Blake setting the plates, when the knock on the door sounded. The brothers exchanged looks. Hunter switched his hold on the knife and moved around, positioning himself so that he'd be behind the door when it opened. Blake went over to the door and looked through the peephole.

"What the…?" he muttered. "It's Tori and Shane."

"Or look-alikes," muttered Hunter, as quietly as he could. He didn't relax his hold on the knife.

"You're paranoid, bro," muttered Blake, but unbolted the door still.

"I'm seasoned."

Blake gave him a don't-kid-me look and opened the door partially, leaning against the frame. "Hey, Tor. What's up?"

"We're kidnapping you."

Hunter moved like a whirlwind, knocking Blake out of the way, grabbing the Tori look-alike and pressing the knife to her throat. He glared at the doppelganger behind her. "Stay put."

The impersonator stared at him. "You're nuts, you know that, right?"

"Hunter Bradley, you take that knife away from my throat or you will speak in soprano for the rest of your life."

"Good impression," said Hunter lightly. "Not good enough."

"Blake, get your brother off my back. I mean it."

"Hunter?" said Shane carefully. "It's really us. So Tori made - uh - a bad joke. A really bad joke," he hastily added as Hunter's eyebrows shot up. "Now put that knife down, okay? You're freaking me out."

Blake walked the short distance to the kitchen and opened the tap. The water that came out didn't fall into the sink, but rather shot upwards in an arc and descended on Hunter's head, drenching him.

"Now do you believe me?" complained Tori, perfectly dry.

Hunter released her.

Tori spun around and pushed him, hard, forcing him to take a few steps back. "That's for thinking I'm an alien!"

"I thought that's what the cold shower was for."

"No, that was for pressing a blade to my neck."

"That was for saying you're here to kidnap us." Hunter eyed her suspiciously. "What are you here for, really?"

"To kidnap you," said Tori matter-of-factly.

Blake cringed and turned away. Shane smacked his forehead.

"No streaking tomorrow morning, remember? Tori's picking up all of us with her van. We thought it would be easier if you stayed over on our side of town, and knowing you we figured the only way we'll get you to come over is by ambushing you." He shook his head. "We weren't expecting you to ambush us."

"You severely underestimated Hunter' paranoia," said Blake dryly. "Sorry about that, Tor, but in the future try not to drop the K word around like it's nothing, okay?"

"I'll try and remember that," she answered, just as dryly. "Sorry for scaring you," she told Hunter.

"I was cautious, not scared," he said. Ignoring Blake's snort and skewering Shane with a glare, he added, "Next time I'll remember to turn on the faucet first."

"I'd appreciate that."

---

"Well, that's over with," sighed Shane, kicked the door to his room shut behind his and Hunter's backs. "I won't have to see them till Sunday night, Monday if I'm lucky."

"You don't like your parents," commented Hunter. He was already sprawled on the carpet.

"I don't particularly like to be told I'm worthless, yeah." He settled next to Hunter. "Never mind. We have a Playstation and a stack of DVDs and we don't need to worry about anything until Tori picks us up tomorrow morning."

Hunter humphed. "Stocking up on sleep hours may be smart. I'm pretty sure Adam's going to try and keep us up through the weekend."

"He's not an active Ranger," pointed out Shane. "He'll need to sleep."

"CyberCam doesn't. And you know CyberCam."

Shane leaned back and put his arm around Hunter. It was a new thing, Hunter not pulling back, and Shane hadn't quite gotten used to it yet. "Yeah, they're gonna tear our ass open this weekend. That's tomorrow's problem, though. Tonight," he reached with his other arm to the game box and handed it over to Hunter, "Playstation."

Hunter stared at it. "Moto? You are so losing."

"This is a video game, not a real race. Don't be so sure."

Hunter snorted. "Don't bet your life on it."

"I'd bet a kiss on it." Except that last word never made it past his lips, stopped by the intensity of Hunter's gaze.

"You don't need a bet for that," said Hunter, and leaned in.

---

The TV was on, but Tori turned the volume almost all the way down. Her sister had gone to sleep hours ago; if her parents were still awake they were very quiet about it. Blake was acutely aware that he and Tori were curled together on a couch, and this time her parents knew he was there - this was no midnight sneaking-around exercise.

"Aren't we supposed to go to sleep at some point?"

"At some point." She shifted under the blanket, and she wasn't trying to avoid touch. He was still to understand how she was so casual about all this. "You in a hurry?"

"Chances of your parents finding us asleep in front of the TV?" he asked pointedly. The morning was not an issue - they'd be out of the house around sunrise.

"So long as we're not in my room without enough clothes on and the door closed, no problem."

His cheeks burning was not a nice feeling.

"Blake, I was kidding." She reached for his hand. "Yes, I'm their daughter and you're my first boyfriend and they're a bit worried, but they know I'm not stupid, and they're pretty sure I'm not irresponsible, and they try to remind themselves that I can handle myself."

"Which is going to help you a lot on a weekend camping trip full of guys, if something goes wrong."

"Ninjitsu class camping trip," she corrected. It was their official cover story, and it included adult supervision and people other than the six of them.

"I'm just saying, not all parents would be this cool about things."

"Guess I'm lucky. But really, Blake, they trust me. And they're getting to trust you, too, so quit worrying."

He dropped his gaze, sighed, and curled on his side, facing away but maintaining contact. Tori settled around him best she could, her chin next to his shoulder and one arm flung over the blanket over where she figured his stomach should be. It was a familiar position, one they often adopted when Blake wanted to talk about something that wasn't easy for him to bring up.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm lying," he whispered. "It's so easy, Tor. I can make people see what they want to see, what they want me to be. I can tell what I need to act like and I give the show and most everyone, everyone I've ever met who wasn't a ninja, and even some ninjas, they never know. It feels like I'm always lying to people. I even did that to you. That's what it's like with your parents, too. I'm the perfect boyfriend and they're never going to know…" He shuddered. "I try not to think about it because it always scares me when I do."

She kissed him, gently. "You know you couldn't really lie to me, right? I knew you were putting on a show all along but I went along with it because I wanted to know who you really are. And I was right and you are wrong, Blake, because I never stopped believing in you."

He laughed a little. "Had me fooled there for a while." But he turned around, settling in her arms and nuzzling her neck. "Don't leave me."

"Never." She held him, gently kissed him back. "Never."

---

It wasn't easy. Sharing Ops with two other human beings was a constant test to both Cam's self-control and his patience. He would've refused but for his sense of duty: Marah didn't really have anywhere else to go, and after a few days it became apparent that it was impractical to have Adam anywhere else.

He had expected his resenting Adam's patience. He had expected Marah's need for attention to clash with his need of solitude and the arguments that would develop. When Dustin asked if he could stay over the night before the weekend camp and Cam agreed easily, thinking of Dustin's warmth seeping into the bunker's walls and of the crushing waves of Marah's loneliness quieted for a night, he realized that he hadn't expected himself to care.

That was why, as he sat in the kitchen and had his tea, he didn't really listen to the easy banter of the three others as they made breakfast. He was too absorbed trying to understand his own emotions and thoughts, trying to understand when and how had other people's presence become needed for his peace of mind.

"Hey, dude, you okay?"

Dustin's hand on his shoulder, bright eyes and a warm smile.

"Yes, Dustin. I am perfectly fine."

"You've been staring into that cup for, like, forever."

"I've been meditating."

"No, you weren't!" called Marah from the stove, where she was trying to steal the oatmeal from the pot. "You were brooding!"

"I was not - "

"Dude, you totally were." Dustin finally removed his hand from Cam's shoulder. He pulled a chair and sat down. "Sorry if we were making too much noise or something."

"Surprisingly, you haven't given me a migraine. Yet."

"Will a hug make you feel better?" asked Marah.

She was serious, Cam realized after a second. For a flitting second he got a glimpse of her core certainty -

"Cam's not big on hugs," Dustin told her. He turned to Cam. "No offence, but I never know if touching you is going to get me flipped over your shoulder or what."

"I'm not always sure, either."

"Mixed empathic and telepathic abilities can be confusing," mentioned Adam from the stove. "From what I understand, empaths tend to crave company while telepaths are usually rather solitary. So not knowing if you want to hug people or run them through with a sword is pretty normal, until you figure things out."

"Thank you, Adam. That certainly helps."

"You're the only one who can sort this one out, Cam. Not even another psychic could sort it out for you. Marah, seriously, it'll taste better when it's ready. Hands off."

---

"You've got to be kidding."

"I'm not."

"We couldn't do this last time either!"

"This time you haven't even tried yet."

They were standing where the teachers' section once had been, a wide, empty, burnt-down field on the east side of academy grounds. It was already after dark. Before the Rangers stood a line of bricks and beyond it Adam, arms folded across his chest.

"Adam, look," said Shane, sucking in a deep breath. "We've all been up since dawn. You really ran us into the ground today. We're all wiped, and you say you're not going to tell us where the tents are until we figure how to do these breaks? Come on, man."

"At least give us a hint," said Tori.

Adam shook his head. "You should be able to do this, guys."

"Is this one of those things that we can only learn by figuring it out by ourselves?" she asked.

"Like all techniques that stem from the mind, yes."

"I hate those things," said Hunter.

"Well, I hate sleeping on cold ground," Dustin said.

"Hey, where are you going?" called Shane. Adam had turned his back and was walking away.

"Call base when you're done!" called Adam over his shoulder. A few seconds later, he was gone.

"Great," muttered Blake, staring at the lined-up bricks before them.

"Yeah," said Hunter. He sat down on one of the bricks. "God, I'm tired."

"I hear you," said Dustin, following Hunter's lead and sitting down. "I can't believe we ran twenty miles!"

"And learned four new meditative techniques," added Tori, sitting down as well.

"Well, they weren't new to all of us," said Blake.

"Smartass."

"Hey, don't forget we weren't allowed to talk through all that," said Shane.

"And then the craziest sparring combinations ever," finished up Dustin. "Dude, what a day."

"And now we're supposed to figure this one out," said Tori, throwing her hands up in the air. "That's just great!"

"Okay, Cam," said Blake. "You mind clueing us in?"

"Huh?"

"Come on, man, you did this months ago!"

"No, I didn't," Cam told him. "Not like you guys would. It's different."

"Do you have any idea what we were doing wrong?" asked Tori. "What it's supposed to be like?"

"Well…" Cam sat down, cross-legged, put his elbows on his knees and rested his forehead on his palms. "Last time around, you approached this as if you were accessing your elemental powers."

"Maybe those new meditative techniques…"

"No, those weren't for that." Cam took a deep breath and raised his head. "Those were so you wouldn't give me a headache."

"Emotional control," said Shane.

"Thunder-style," added Hunter.

"Whatever works, man," said Dustin. "I wouldn't want to have three migraines a day. That's gotta suck."

"Can we focus on the problem here?" demanded Blake.

"If we're supposed to figure this for ourselves, maybe that includes not talking about it with each other?"

"You're the one who asked Cam!"

"Well, I just thought…"

"Knock it off, you two," said Shane wearily. He gave up and sat down next to Hunter. "Arguing is one thing that we're definitely not supposed to be doing."

There was a long pause.

"Not like accessing our elemental powers," muttered Blake, "But still coming from inside. So what are we supposed to use?"

"Maybe it really does come from the inside," said Tori. "Just us, just the power of our minds."

"No," said Cam. "I saw my dad do this, all right? And it's not like I do this."

"Dude, your powers are connected to your amulet," said Dustin. "You didn't start blowing things up with your mind until you became a Ranger."

Dustin pushed himself up, stretched and assumed a stance.

"Dude, what are you doing?"

"Katas," said Dustin, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It helps me concentrate."

"Good idea." Blake pushed himself up as well. "I'll go meditate over this, too. What?" he demanded of Hunter, correctly pinpointing the origin of the loud snorting.

Hunter just shook his head.

Tori slid down to the ground and leaned against the brick. "Better," she muttered and closed her eyes.

A quick glance revealed that Cam, too, had closed his eyes. "I don't know how they do it, man," said Shane. "I'm sick of meditation."

"Same here," said Hunter. "Bet that we're going to get a few more hours of this tomorrow."

"No bet," said Shane.

"And here I was hoping to con dinner out of you."

"You don't need a bet for that."

"Oh, really?"

"Guys, I'm meditating, not in a trance!" called Tori. "Knock it off!"

"You and Blake get to make passes at each other all the time!"

"Me and Blake are not this obvious!"

"Think again!"

Cam muttered under his breath.

---

One moment Tori was still sitting cross-legged on the ground; the next moment there was a sharp, breathy "Oh," and Shane turned his head just in time for the play of light that was Tori's descending arm, a fraction of a second before the loud crack! called back the team from their solitary retreats.

"What the…?"

"It's not about accessing - "

"Why -

"Can't you be more…"

"…everything."

Blake turned aside from the small circle they'd formed.

Crack!

If the sound of the first brick shattering raised a storm of discussion, the second stunned them to silence.

"You don't even have to touch it," said Blake. He seemed fairly stunned himself, a far cry from Tori's obvious exuberance. "Might take me a few more tries to figure it out, but…"

"So what are we getting wrong?" interrupted Hunter.

"I don't know how to explain this."

"Here we go again," muttered Shane.

"So, wait," said Dustin. He ruffled his hair. "So, it's very different than accessing our elements, and it's not just the power of our minds, so it's like, what, wanting it done?"

"But you all wanted it done all along," said Cam.

"It's like the difference between having a sword and knowing how to hold it," said Tori.

"Yeah, except it's not a sword, it's…" Even with just the starlight, Shane could see Hunter's pupils widening. "Oh."

Crack!

Shane smiled tightly at Dustin. "Three down, two to go."

"So, dude, what's the sword?" asked Dustin.

"Everything is," said Blake. "Everything you are."

And that, finally, brought it home for Shane.

Crack!

---

"No matches." Hunter snorted, struck up a spark, watched the wood catch fire. "What kind of game is this?"

"It's not a game," said Tori, pouring the tomatoes and the onions into the frying pan.

"Look, we have firewood, food stuff, sleeping bags, tents." Hunter spread his arms. "We're being spoiled here. Would it be so hard to leave a box of matches in one of the bags?"

"But we don't need matches."

"Yeah, and we could've gathered the firewood ourselves."

"Which would've cut down on precious team bonding time, or something." Tori cracked an egg and poured it on top of the vegetables. "Whereas lighting a fire takes what, two seconds of your time?"

"Maybe we're supposed to learn to rely on our ninja powers, or something," suggested Dustin, calling out from where he, Shane and Blake were setting up the tents. Cam had disappeared into the trees, claiming a need for peace and quiet. Adam hadn't so much as seen them to the campsite - just sent them the coordinates - and Marah was not supposed to interact until the training ended the next day at sunset.

"Like we don't already?" countered Blake.

"For stuff like cooking?" said Tori.

"Yeah."

"Are you serious?"

"Cuts down the gas bills."

"And the electricity bills," added Hunter.

"Well, that answers the question of how you guys are holding up," muttered Shane. "All right, all the tents are up. How's dinner going?"

"In a minute."

"Hey, I'm starving, here!"

"We all are!"

Hunter gave the large frying pan his best skeptical look. "This doesn't look edible."

"It'll smell edible when it's ready." Tori placed the pan on the fire. "Trust me, okay?"

Blake joined them by the fire. "Looks better than some of our earlier attempts at cooking, bro."

"Which isn't saying much."

"True. I'm sure it'll taste okay."

"You just don't wanna argue with your girlfriend."

"Or maybe he's just got some smarts in his head."

"Hey, hey, enough already." Shane sat down between them. "It's just dinner."

"Yeah, and we were just having a conversation."

"You were arguing."

"And you don't let people be."

"Look at the bright side," said Blake. "Tori's got the knife this time, and she's less likely to do something silly with it."

"Oh, man, don't go there!"

Dustin joined the circle, munching on a bagel. "Dudes, did I miss something?"

---

He should've expected the staying around the fire half a night talking. None of them was in any particular hurry to go to sleep, after all. Ranger metabolism and all that - sleeping more than four hours a night was reserved for the really harrowing days. It was a pleasant surprise that they all seemed to have their going-to-sleep rituals - going out for a jog earned him a few Energizer Bunny cracks but nothing worse.

By the time Hunter returned to camp the fire was out and everyone else had gone to sleep. The tents melted into the darkness, only distinguishable by the coloured ribbons they had tied to them. He walked past Dustin and Cam's tent - quiet - and over to the tent he shared with Shane, looking towards Blake and Tori's tent. They'd set the tents at quite a distance on purpose - an attempt at privacy among six people with super-hearing, one of which was a telepath.

Any privacy among Rangers required a lot of work, but Hunter proved it was possible; had been proving it for months, even with a suspicious and overly attentive brother sleeping three feet from him.

He lifted the tent's flap and crawled in.

The disappointment at seeing that Shane hadn't joined the sleeping bags was weird and quickly stifled. He should have expected that, really - for a guy who seemed to be there whenever Hunter turned his head and who didn't understand "Back off" when he heard it, Shane had an odd respect for Hunter's personal space - and Hunter had fallen asleep on the far end of the bed last night, under a separate blanket. Beds were easier than joined sleeping begs that way.

He kicked off the running shorts and the tank top, wormed into the sleeping bag and closed his eyes.

---

The transition from dreaming to wakefulness was abrupt as always - sensations that didn't match, a world that made zero sense for about three seconds before Hunter's brain started sorting out the signals. Normally the feeling of a mattress provided enough of a contrast to orient himself even before the vague scent of the apartment decoded. The hard ground beneath the sleeping bag was confusing, the scents in the tent unfamiliar though they registered as safe even before nothing else did - and the pressure next to his spine, strong fingers unknotting tense muscles. That definitely was not part of the nightmare.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's all right…"

Training weekend - Academy grounds - Shane.

"Hey, come on." Perhaps responding to the hitch in Hunter's breath, Shane applied less force. It felt as if he was trying to smooth over the muscles in Hunter's back. "It's all right now…"

Shane didn't know he was awake. He was lying on his side, it was dark, and the irregularity of Hunter's breath could easily be attributed to a wild dream rather than to anxious wakefulness.

Hunter tried to reign in his breath. Falling asleep again as fast as possible wasn't how he usually did it, but it was the best available option under the circumstances - all the other options included letting Shane know he was awake, and Shane had had a girl for a best friend for way too long because he always seemed to want to talk about things.

"Okay, about time."

And that was definitely Shane muttering to himself, relieved - except that he didn't pull back. Now he drew long, slow lines up and down Hunter's spine and even if Hunter hadn't been trying to relax himself back into sleep this would've done it.

---

Distant screaming - rock and sand - nothing familiar - darkness - Hunter tried to wriggle free of whatever was holding him down, tried to make a sense of where he was and what was going on - was not awake enough to figure the steady rub of warmth beyond safe, safe, not gonna be hurt, no fighting - was not awake enough to notice that the whine in the back of his throat before he fell asleep again was real.

---

Something was holding him down, restraining him, and Hunter fought to break free, the sounds of battle oddly distorted - and then whatever it was disappeared -

Sleeping bag. He was lying on his back, panting, on top of a now open sleeping bag and that dark shape was Shane crouching next to him, still holding the sleeping bag he had just unzipped before Hunter tore it apart, expression and body language unreadable in the darkness but decidedly Not Happy.

"Awake now?"

"What the hell?" Damn, his voice was raw and raspy - he sounded completely out of breath and as if he'd been screaming himself hoarse. Which he probably hadn't or the whole frigging team would be there.

"Don't like sleeping bags, do you?"

Shane sounded furious and Hunter was willing to dish the attitude right back. "What are you talking about?" Hunter pushed himself up into a semi-sitting position, pretending to be way more stable than he actually was. "What's going on?"

Shane was moving across the tent. "You just tried to rip your sleeping bag apart, that's what's going on." Shane grabbed something and turned around. "For the second time tonight. Third time you woke me up total. Tonight."

Third time - oh, fuck, that had been real before. And Hunter could vaguely recall something similar from the previous night - a nightmare that hadn't quite ended like they usually did - which was probably what Shane meant by that clipped "Tonight."

Great.

"What are you doing?" So much for dealing the attitude back - it was only going to get him in more trouble, the way things looked. He sounded angry and defensive enough even without trying to.

"Putting the sleeping bags together, what does it look like?"

"Oh, yeah, sure, that makes a lot of sense." He had tried to rip through his sleeping bag, so what was Shane doing getting close? Trying to get his teeth broken?

Shane's glare was evident even in the darkness. "Yeah, because I'm not waking up a fourth time tonight to whatever this is."

Hunter's snort was instinctive.

"Worked three out of four times so far."

"Shane…" Because he really didn't want to share even a queen-sized joined-together sleeping bag. Not when this was so not one of the good nights and his nerves were already rattled. Too close, too much. No way. "No, okay? Just no."

"I am not…"

He put his hand on Shane's, trying to get it away from the zipper. "I mean it."

"So do I." Shane turned around, straight into Hunter's personal space, mouth on mouth and a hand on Hunter's thigh, and so much for Hunter's coordination. It had taken him time - Shane had already pulled back for air and returned - before he managed to pull himself together enough to slide a hand under Shane's shirt and find that area under the ribs which he only just found last night, trying to win some ground.

Shane leaned into the touch, changing position and suddenly their legs were tangled, the fingers of his one hand drawing lines with blunt fingernails next to Hunter's upper spine and his other hand still on Hunter's thigh, and Hunter forgot that he was supposed to be distracting Shane from distracting him. Hadn't fought when Shane pushed both of them down to the soft surface of the sleeping bag, just tugged Shane down the rest of the way and to Hunter's side so he could easily find Shane's pulse with his tongue and his lips and he hadn't even noticed when Shane started to come undone, too.

Except that a few seconds later the fire all over stopped being a good sensation and the cold night air was not soothing but jarring and it felt as if a truck slammed into him as he tried to suck in some breath.

"Oh, damnit, didn't mean to go there…"

Hunter closed his eyes against Shane's expression, clenched his hands and tried to pretend that this wasn't happening again, because this was how it ended each time - as if the breath had been knocked out of him and yes, there was that annoying wetness on his cheeks again.

"Sheesh." Shane tried to hold him and Hunter made a token struggle to get away, but it had been a long time since he'd last been able to physically push Shane off. It made no sense that Shane could make this falling feeling go away when he was the one who caused it to begin with. His sleeping bag felt impossibly hot beneath them and Shane's sleeping bag felt coarse on his skin when Shane pulled it up and zipped it closed - not all the way, which was probably a smart call.

He tried to protest when Shane turned back to facing Hunter and held him with both arms, pulling him close, but Shane just snorted and said some kind of wise-ass comment that Hunter didn't really hear, because he was asleep before Shane finished his sentence.

---

The first day had been awkward; the second was a joy ride, despite Adam piling even more exercise on them. The twenty-mile run wasn't scary anymore; the hours of meditation had a purpose; and the sparring was the best they'd had in a long time as Adam talked them through the uses of their newfound power, and it was like the first time she reached out to her element and understood.

So when they walked back to the car late on Sunday afternoon, they were all dirty and tired and she could've used about an hour more of stretching to work out the soreness from her muscles, but it had been a long time since she was that high; since Cam's annoyed act seemed more an act than reality; since Hunter hadn't tried to pick fights; since Shane and Dustin had bickered and pushed each other like they were twelve; and on top of it Marah - who had been ordered away from them for the duration of the training weekend and was overjoyed in walking them to the car - was finally beginning to come out of that shy shell, and she and Dustin were already finishing each other's sentences.

She had almost forgotten that it could feel this way but two days of any of them barely having a moment to themselves brought it up, reminded her of the way that the Team seemed to be an entity in itself that the six of them fitted into, as if the knowledge of how to work together despite everything had been as much a part of being a Ranger as knowing how to pilot her zord.

"Tori?"

She must have slowed down her pace or something. Shane was awfully quick to pick up those things nowadays.

"Just thinking," she told him. "I think it's the first time I've felt really okay since… in three weeks."

He smiled. "Longest three weeks of my life," he admitted, "Except maybe the first weeks after we became Rangers."

She laughed. "Oh, god, yes. I'd wake up every morning and think, 'No way'."

"Speaking of," interjected Dustin. "Are we doing anything on Wednesday?"

"What's on Wednesday?" asked Hunter.

"It's six months, dude!"

"Six months since…?"

"Since the Rangers," said Cam. "Since Lothor attacked. August twenty-sixth."

"And you want to throw a party for that?" demanded Blake.

"Who said 'party'?" protested Dustin. "It's just that, I don't know, we can't just let it pass."

Hunter snorted.

"Dustin's right, guys," said Tori. "It's not just a random date."

"Yeah, it's the six-months anniversary of some of us having our homes destroyed," said Blake hotly.

"Which is why Dustin's right," she said. "We just… maybe we should just stick together for Wednesday night."

"I'm not too crazy about this 'togetherness' thing," said Hunter.

"We're the Power Rangers." Tori shot the words almost before she realized it. "'Together' is how we do it."

"I think she has a point, bro."

"Just because she's your girlfriend."

Marah tapped Dustin shoulder. "Are they always like that?"

"Nah. Only when they run out of things to fight about."

Chapter 29: Bottled Up

Notes:

I hope I got right the West Coast slang for organic chemistry.

This chapter's title brought to you by Camille.

"Why," asked Lothor irritably, "Are you always filing your nails?"

Typical afternoon on the bridge: Lothor lounging on his throne, kelzacks puttering in the background, Zurgane displaying the latest recruits and Kapri, sitting on the stairs to Lothor's throne, putting up her usual airhead show.

She gently blew off the dust from the fingernail she was working on and passed her thumb over it. Not good enough yet. "Because," she said, resuming her work, "I don't get to colour my nails because the lacquer gets chipped in combat, I don't get to do anything else fancy again because of all this fighting, so," she checked the nail, decided it was fine and started on the next one, "I'm investing in filing my nails. It does keep them from breaking, and it's very calming." She pointed the filer at Lothor and flashed a smile. "You should try it some time."

"Huh." Lothor lifted his hand and considered it.

Zurgane coughed. "Sir?"

"Yes, Zurgane?"

"Did you see anything you particularly like?"

"Well, I don't know…" Lothor waved his hand. "I want something celebratory for tomorrow, if you get what I mean. Something that will bring back bad memories for the Rangers."

"Well, Sir, I'm not sure…"

"There's that Fragra chick," offered Kapri. "Third in the standing, I think?"

"Well, what about her?"

"She's pretty low-key, so the Rangers may take time to catch on. And people disappearing off the streets - that's celebratory enough?"

"Hm." Lothor pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Yes, I like it. Let's do it. Zurgane, fetch that Fragra person."

"Yes, Sir!"

---

3:48 pm. Dustin was supposed to be in by four. Normally, Kelly wasn't particularly thrilled with her employees arriving at the very last minute, but this was Dustin and he hadn't been actually late in ages - at least half a year - so she let it slide. She knew the whole lot of them would step in any moment.

Sure enough, the chimes over the door jingled and that racket was definitely Shane, Hunter and Tori arguing about something yet again. Then a voice Kelly hadn't heard in a long time joined in, clipped and irritated, and Kelly looked up from the shelf she was organizing and turned her head. Dustin's gang had Cam with them, their Sensei's son, and a girl Kelly had never seen before though she looked vaguely familiar.

Then the noisy bunch reached her and the argument they were having died off as her five and the girl flashed her their best smiles - their way of showing nervousness, as Kelly had learned a long time ago.

"What's up, guys?" she asked.

"This is Marah," said Dustin, pushing forward the cute little brunette who tried to hold on to his arm. "She's Cam's cousin, staying over to help with, you know."

Yes, she had heard that Sensei Watanabe had some sort of "condition", though he certainly seemed well enough to keep running classes. "Nice to meet you," she said, shaking the girl's hand. "I'm Kelly. I put up with this bunch for the afternoons."

"And pay our wages," added Blake.

"That, too," agreed Kelly. This had to be today's thank-you - would Blake ever drop that habit?

"Come on, Marah." Dustin grabbed her hand and started towards the shop area. "I'll show you what I actually do."

"Hey." Kelly put her hand on Tori's shoulder - Shane had disappeared with Blake and Hunter before Kelly could so much as blink. "You never mentioned her?"

"She only moved in with us recently," said Cam quietly. "Her family - my dad and his brother haven't spoken in years. This is for her as much as it's for us."

Kelly nodded, accepting the explanation. "Haven't seen you in a while," she said.

Cam smiled again - if that small twitching of his lips could be called a smile - and shook his head. "I don't go out much. But…" His eyes trailed Marah. "Dustin will need to work at some point."

Kelly frowned. "You're looking after her?"

"My uncle's really the bad sort."

Kelly nodded again. "I'll keep an eye out, too."

"Thanks."

"All right," said Tori, in a tone that clearly said the briefing was over. "Thanks, Kelly. Now come on, Cam, my calc homework isn't going to do itself."

"I am not doing your homework for you," said Cam as she dragged him towards the TV alcove. His words had an automatic feel to them that told Kelly they'd had this exchange a thousand times in the past.

"No, but you can explain it to me."

Kelly shook her head and got back to work.

---

"Hey."

Tori looked up from her English homework. "Hey yourself."

Shane flopped down on the couch next to her. "It's actually working," he remarked.

Following his gaze, Tori smiled. "Yes, it is."

He punched her shoulder lightly. "Good thinking."

"Thanks."

Marah had been going stir-crazy, cooped up in Ninja Ops. Bringing her to Storm Chargers was Tori's idea - she argued that with at least half the team hanging there whenever one of them had a shift they had a pretty good chance of protecting her, and besides, the teleporter was finally reliable enough for a nonpowered person. Cam's coming along had been his idea, though, and Tori - like everyone else - had been slightly worried as to how well he would handle the crowded store.

Cam seemed to be fine so long as he stayed close to at least one of the Rangers. With Tori's calc and orgo homework out of the way, he somehow ended up with Dustin and Marah on the shop floor.

"I'm surprised Kelly hadn't kicked them out," she said.

Shane snorted. "Cam's distracting her from distracting Dustin - nothing for Kelly to worry about. And the two of them are keeping her in place, so nothing for me to worry about, either."

"Yeah, especially as there are five of us here perfectly capable of keeping an eye on one girl, evil uncle or not." Tori made a show of checking her watch. "What are you still doing here? Daylight's almost run out. I thought you were only going to see us here and head off to the ramp."

Shane shrugged. "Yeah, well. Sometimes the posers get on my nerves, y'know?"

The memory flashed before her eyes quickly, Shane scowling at Dustin calling his skating buddies that. "Wow, who are you and what did you do with Shane?"

"Huh?" Something of her feelings must've leaked to her face, because Shane went from genuinely confused to worried in two heartbeats flat. "What's going on?"

Their morphers beeped. Looking around the room was instinctive - not safe. Shane got up. "Be right back."

By the time he returned from the back of the store, she already had packed all her school stuff and was ready to go. Shane caught sight of her bag, nodded and jerked his head towards Kelly. Tori nodded back, got up and went over to Kelly while Shane fetched Cam and Marah - the others still had half an hour to go on their shift.

Another day on the job, she thought wryly as she told Kelly that Cam's dad just called and she'd be giving Cam and Marah a ride back home now and no, nothing terrible happened. This is getting too easy.

---

"What have we got?" asked Shane as soon as they stepped into Ops.

"It's what we haven't got," said CyberCam.

"People seem to be disappearing," explained Adam. "I think it started a few hours ago but we only just caught up with it - the energy signature's very weak, and there's no visual."

"We're scanning more wavelengths than are known to man," snapped Cam, sitting down in his place in front of the main console in spite of CyberCam's hologram occupying the chair. CyberCam yelped and fell to the floor through the chair. He smiled and pulled a bouquet out of thin air as Marah helped him up.

Tori shook her head. "Lothor's always coming up with new stuff," she reminded Cam. "He was bound to come up with some under-the-radar alien at some point."

Cam ignored her, already immersed in data.

"How do we know people are disappearing?" asked Shane.

Adam pointed to the monitor wall, which showed a selection of Blue Bay's popular spots, all of them empty. "This look natural to you?"

"Damn." Shane frowned. "Which of these has been empty the longest?"

"Chestnut Street, I think."

"All right, Tori and I will go check it out."

---

"Hey, look at these." She dropped her findings into Shane's gloved hands.

Shane looked at the colourful collection skeptically. "Perfume?" he asked. "Someone dropped her shopping?"

"They're all over the place," she told him. "Hard to miss, once you start looking for them, and no two of them are the same. They're not randomly scattered, either. There are more of them near the display windows, and I could find none at all on the road - except on the crosswalk."

"You think these are - you think I'm holding half a dozen people right now?"

"Yeah."

Shane exhaled slowly. "Better get…"

Their morphers went off. Adam's voice followed promptly, not waiting for them to acknowledge the call. "Get to Storm Chargers, now!"

---

The store was empty when they got there. Empty, except for a morphed Cam standing in front of a small pile of perfume bottles. He looked up at them as they approached.

"Oh my god," breathed Tori.

"Damnit," hissed Shane.

"Blake managed to get a distress call through," said Cam. "Whatever this was, it disrupted the teleporter lock. By the time I streaked here, it had come and gone. These were all I found."

"We think they're people," said Tori. "All the people who disappeared."

"It seems reasonable."

"Okay, how do we know which of those are the guys?"

"I don't think they're here." Cam tipped his helmet down, considering the pile. "There are - echoes. I think I would've known if they were here."

"All right, that's it." Shane's voice was hard. "We're heading back to Ops, now, and nobody's leaving until we know what we're dealing with and how to escape it. We're down to half the team and I'm not losing anyone else."

---

"I've got something," said CyberCam the second they stepped into Ninja Ops. "Storm Chargers is monitored, and I went through the records…"

"'Monitored'?" asked Shane pointedly.

"Constant sensory surveillance," snapped Cam. "Like all the places you guys frequent. And looks like it proved useful, so you don't get to complain."

"So long as you're not following us into the toilet," muttered Shane. "All right, what have we got?"

"This," said CyberCam.

The pattern on the screen meant nothing to Shane, and judging by Tori's shrug she had no clue either. Cam, though, frowned. "Those are still in testing. It's not reliable."

"It's the only thing we've got," argued CyberCam. "Visual would've confirmed it, but I can't get visual inside, so."

Adam leaned forward, considering the screen. "Is this data from the new elemental sensors?"

"Since when do we have elemental sensors?" asked Tori.

"They're still in testing," said Cam. "I haven't ironed all the bugs out of them yet."

Shane snorted in disbelief. "Since when does your stuff even have bugs?"

"Since I'm dealing with stuff that makes space travel seem as simple as the combustion engine," shot Cam. "A little less blind trust here, please."

"What do the sensors say, Cam?" asked Tori. "Anything we can use?"

"If these data are reliable," said Cam, stressing the 'if' lightly, "Then whoever's causing this is creating an elemental disturbance when they appear."

"What kind of disturbance?"

"Give me a few minutes."

CyberCam disappeared from sight. Shane paced restlessly around the room. Tori and Adam hung back by the table, waiting. Finally, Cam swiveled around in his chair.

"It's in the air, but it's not about air. If it's about anything, it's water."

"Water in air," added CyberCam's disembodied voice. "Aerosol."

"Of course!" Tori straightened. "Perfume is an aerosol!"

"Well, these sensors don't cover the whole city yet," said Cam. "Even if you ignore the little problem of them being experimental and inaccurate."

"Which isn't a problem now that we know what to look for," said Adam.

"Huh?"

"Water in air, Shane. I think we have the two most reliable and powerful sensors right here."

"You mean us," said Tori.

Shane stopped his pacing.

"Yes," agreed Adam.

"How do we do something like that together?" asked Shane.

"Like we do anything else on this job," said Tori as she pushed herself up. "Improvise."

---

They morphed, streaked out to the city and found a tall rooftop with plenty of sea breeze. It took almost half an hour of careful attempts before they figured how to let their powers ride together and wove a web of awareness over the city. The first time the disturbance surfaced it tore apart Shane's and Tori's concentration as well as their web, but when they rebuilt it they discovered that the alien was still detectable, a dark stain of nothingness where there should've been life.

Shane slapped the comm. button on his morpher. "Got it!"

"Will the signal stay stable?" asked Adam.

"Yes," said Tori confidently. "We've got it."

"All right. Cam is in the mobile command center, waiting right down from your current location. Be careful, guys."

"We will, Adam. Thanks."

---

Apparently, Cam used the time it took them to get a signal on the alien to integrate his experimental design into the mobile command center's sensory array, and remodeled it to prod at the binding power of the perfume bottles, attempting to develop either a protection for the three of them, a way to break the binding even before destroying the alien, or both. He kept tinkering with it as Shane drove them over to where the alien was lurking.

He parked the truck at two blocks' distance.

"Cam, you done?"

"Not yet." Cam was carving tiny sigils on what appeared to be a miniature version of a power disk. "At least fifteen more minutes."

"Any way to make it faster?"

"Yes. Don't distract me."

---

Ten minutes later, Cam teleported the small disk over to Ninja Ops and radioed Adam very careful instructions on how to insert it into the super-computer. A few seconds afterwards CyberCam confirmed that the new module had been integrated successfully and Shane finally led them out of the truck, complaining that Cam really needed to find the time to build a sixth tsunami cycle.

The alien's hideout turned out to be an old abandoned factory. They parked the bikes outsides and went in on foot, carefully making their way around the broken machinery parts littered all over the production floor.

"This place looks like there's already been a battle here," muttered Tori.

"Maybe it got hit in one of the previous attacks," said Cam. "Where to now?"

"It's hard to tell this close," said Shane.

"But it's still here?"

"Yes," said Tori. "It's definitely still here."

"I'm offended," said a low, feminine voice. "I am not an 'it'."

They drew out their weapons and stood back to back, forming a small circle. "Doesn't matter much," Shane called out. "You're still going down."

"That depends, Rangers," purred the voice. "That depends."

"Guys, look below," said Tori tersely.

White mist was forming low, close to the ground. It spread all over, growing thicker by the second and blanketing everything on the floor, but it stopped at a three-foot distance from their small circle.

"Guess the defense is working," said Cam quietly.

"Good job," murmured Shane.

Suddenly the mist fanned back, covering a smaller area but going higher, and then it coalesced into an alien figure. "So," she sneered. "You have found a way to avoid capture. Never mind, then. I can still destroy you."

"Don't be so sure."

"Funny. I was going to say the same thing to you."

---

They were lucky that Shane and Tori could track down the alien - Fragra, she said - and they were lucky that she was nothing special in hand-to-hand combat, but they were otherwise screwed. They could really use those Thunder Shields, or firepower heavier than Tori's or Shane's blasters, but they didn't have the Thunders and without Dustin the other two Winds couldn't put their weapons together.

Fragra could take a lot and so could they. It was getting boring.

"Cam!"

"What!"

"Can you find them?"

He didn't need to ask who. "Cover me!"

"No problem! Tori, on my mark!"

The two Winds shifted into Shadow Spar, and Cam broke into a run. There was a certain taste to the Rangers using their elemental powers, a certain thrum in the air when they morphed, and he needed to get some distance between himself and the battle if he wanted to pick up anything else - which he might need to if CyberCam hadn't found anything useful while the three of them were dueling it out with the alien.

"Tell me you've got something," he panted into the comm..

"They're in the same building you're in, but that's it. The binding's messing with the signal like whoa."

"Well, at least it narrows the field. Thanks."

"Sorry I can't do more."

"I'll be fine. Cam out." And he added in his head, Damnit. Psi-based perception was something he'd learned to live with, but actively using it was a whole different order of business.

It was instinctive. It was no harder than reaching out and tapping someone on the shoulder, didn't require any more practice than knowing how to fly his zord. He found a stairway and raced up, into the offices section of the old factory, following a signal that couldn't have been clearer if he had a red dot blinking on his helmet display.

Fragra had locked the bottles in a safe. Obviously. Cam considered it. Ranger strength only went so far and he wasn't going to risk blowing the thing up. He'd cut metal with his sword before, but the safe was thick and all the attempt gave him was a nasty shock up his arm. Only one option left, then, if he didn't want to teleport the thing to Ops - if he could even do that with Fragra one floor below - or weld it open with a zord blowtorch and hope it wouldn't fry what was inside.

He touched the safe's door, lightly, reached out and estimated just how much it weighed and how well it held with the bulk of the safe. Then he stood aside - no point risking the thing hitting him on the head - and tore it out with his mind.

There were four perfume bottles inside, three in Ranger colours and one with a floral pattern. Cam's hands almost shook with relief as he carefully laid them on the rickety table.

"CyberCam?"

"Just unscrew the tops."

"It can't be that easy."

"Best I can tell, it is."

Cam picked up the crimson bottle - he could practically feel Hunter's desperation to break free - and unscrewed the top, just a little. Yes, he could feel the binding weakening. Encouraged, he put it back on the table, opened it all the way and then quickly opened the other three. The room filled with multi-coloured mist and seconds later he was looking at Hunter, Blake, Dustin and Marah, all of them thoroughly confused.

"Explanations later," he told them. "Shane and Tori are battling Fragra right now and they could really use more firepower. CyberCam, can you teleport Marah out of here?"

"No can do. Fragra's too close."

"I'll - " started Dustin.

"No," said Hunter firmly. "Not if we need firepower. Cam'll escort her back. How do we avoid capture?"

"You morph. I built something that'll take it from there." Which was an over-simplification if there ever was one, but going into any more detail was pointless.

"Right. Get her home and then get back here." He thrust down his fist, live lightning crackling up his arm. "Thunder Storm!"

---

Ritual, Sensei Reese had told them a long time ago at Basics, was what the word "kata" meant. It was what gave katas their strength, she'd said. The need for ritual, for order and predictability, was deeply built into human nature, necessary to its peace. Any ritual can be your kata, Sensei Reese had said. It's in how you perceive it.

Tori had come to appreciate this particular piece of advice. Stability often felt like something she couldn't get enough of, and the comforting value of predictability was something she was pretty certain her teammates had come to value, too.

Anything could have the calm focus of a kata: even a silent night drive home.

"What's up?" asked Shane. The question came out of left field: neither of them had said anything since they had dropped Dustin off.

"Huh?"

"You're worried about something."

"Stop doing that." The words rolled out before she could stop them. "You're freaking me out."

"Stop doing what?"

"Being all - understanding and stuff." She almost forgot that she needed to turn left and she winced at how sharply she took the turn. "It's like I can't scratch my nose without you reading five layers of meaning into it."

"I'm not doing that."

"Yes, you are! 'What's up, you look worried'? Since when are you - "

"Oh, that's just funny, Tor, because you do that all the time. Can't take it from anyone else?"

She had a sharp retort on her tongue but she swallowed it back with an effort. She didn't want a fight and Shane had gone from prodding for her feeling to atypically scathing in one sentence, and the whole thing rang disturbingly familiar. She swallowed again as she realized what, exactly, felt so wrong.

"I keep thinking about the early days," she said into the silence. "When we were still figuring out the ropes, just the three of us." In her peripheral vision she saw Shane nod slowly.

There was a time when Shane would've said something. Now he waited for her to find words.

She stopped the car on the side of the road. Her hands clenched and unclenched on the wheel. "Sometimes I think it's pretty amazing how we learned to work together. Other times," she shook her head, "Other times I'm scared."

"Other times, like now," said Shane quietly.

"Yeah," she breathed. She turned, facing him. "We don't know how to be apart, Shane. We all fit into each other so well and maybe we have to but - " She waved her hand helplessly. "Aren't you ever afraid?"

He snorted and leaned into the seat. "Are you kidding? I'm too damn busy not taking my eyes off anyone - " He stopped suddenly, emotion flashing across his face fast and hard.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and reached out to him. That emotion flashed again and he drew in a sharp breath, letting it out with a shuddering sigh.

He didn't complete the sentence and he didn't need to: she understood. The bad things always seemed to happen when they were apart.

And Shane cared, that much she knew. The boy she'd grown up with seemed mostly gone, now, smothered by the expectations piled on him by her and the others, but that much hadn't changed.

"There's no 'I' in 'team'," she said quietly, "But there's a 'me' in there. There has to be, Shane. We can't be a team if we're not just us also, and this also means you."

"I can't - "

"It's no different than Cam working himself halfway to coma or Hunter throwing some suicidal heroics," she interrupted, not wanting to let him even start.

It was the wrong thing to say. Shane's expression hardened. "My team, my responsibility."

"My team too," she told him. "And Dustin's team and Cam's team and - "

"It's not the same thing."

"Of course it is! What, just because you're the one expected to shout out orders in combat?" It wasn't this simple and she knew it but she had a point to get across. "Red's not the only one with a role, Shane. That's what the colours are. You ever bothered to ask? Because I have."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Colours are roles," she told him. "Reds make decisions. You've got a knack for making the right calls under stress, that's why you're wearing that colour. Blue Rangers solve problems. A lot of Blues are the technical experts of their teams, some iron out the tactical details, and me, I've got - " She paused and looked away. "You keep this mad lot alive," she said, very quietly. "I keep us sane."

"Not just your problem."

She turned her head again and looked him in the eye. "So are we agreed that nothing is just a single person's problem?"

He glared at her, but there was more tiredness than annoyance behind it. "Yeah, I guess we are."

Chapter 30: Vis a Vis I

Notes:

I haven't mentioned this before as it wasn't relevant, but. Constellations is not set in canon-verse but in SL-verse, which breaks from canon in late PRiS. The differences do not affect this story much, as you may have noticed. The following chapter references some SL-specific events and characters - everything that matters for Constellations is mentioned in-story, so no worries.

And an extra shout-out to Roie, who wouldn't recognize how the adaptation of this ep came out.

Friday afternoon. Two hours till the Winds and Thunders should arrive for practice. Marah was playing solitaire, Adam was plotting the next week's training simulations and Cam was working on his latest project.

"Cam, stop it," said Adam, not yet lifting his eyes from the laptop.

"Stop what?"

"Cheating."

"I am not cheating."

"Hacking."

"I'm not hacking."

"Attempting to."

"I'm testing CyberCam's security protocols," said Cam mildly.

"He's trying to hack into the simulation files," complained CyberCam, for once a disembodied voice. "And he really is trying to abuse the security override. He's keeping me so busy I can't even spare the attention to give myself a face."

"No, that would be because I locked you out of the holoprojectors, which you are regularly abusing. They are not a toy."

"And cheating on a training sim is not an emergency," retorted CyberCam.

Adam finally lifted his eyes from his work. "Knock it off, Cam," he said. "Including the petty vindictiveness."

"You also want to drop the wounded expression, man," said CyberCam, his helpful tone a show of sarcasm given the circumstance. "It doesn't work on you."

"Since when are you an expert?"

"It really doesn't," said Marah. She'd abandoned her cards in favour of the far superior entertainment.

"All right, that's enough." Adam's tone went sharper, catching their attention. "What do I need to do to be able to work around here?"

"Well," said Cam with well-faked innocence, "We could trade."

Marah straightened. "Ooh!" she said eagerly.

Adam eyed them both carefully. "Did you guys deliberately maneuver this conversation?"

"No," said Cam, "But thanks for the tip."

"You would've figured it out on your own," Adam told him. He sighed and pushed away the laptop. "Raisin cookies or a story?"

"Cookies," said Marah.

"Story," said Cam and CyberCam simultaneously. "I can't eat cookies," added CyberCam.

"But we get stories anyway," objected Marah. "There's one after every sim, the one it was based on. Cookies we need to either beg for or bake ourselves and, well, neither of us is very good."

"The sim stories don't count," said Cam. "They're never the really good ones."

Marah considered. "Okay," she said finally. "If it's one you guys can't earn by winning a sim."

Both of them turned expectant looks on Adam.

Adam, who had very carefully taught them to "blackmail" him in hopes of getting Cam to loosen up and Marah to relax, pretended to watch them warily. "Here's the deal," he said. "I'll tell you a really good story, but you'll have to behave for a week. No hacking, no torturing each other, no doing stuff that might blow up the kitchen." The last part was directed at Marah, who replied with her patented wide-eyed stare. "No backing off on the deal or maneuvering for easier terms."

"It has to be some story," said Cam with careful idleness.

"It's the one about how a team of red Rangers went and stole Serpentera from the Fumaran mafia, and towed it all the way back to Earth."

Marah's eyebrows widened even more. "Serpentera? Lord Zed's zord that was so big he couldn't power it up?"

That got Cam's attention. "How big was that zord?"

"Is," corrected Adam. "As big as ten megazords put together."

"How do you tow something like that?" demanded Cam. He turned to Marah. "How far away is Fumara?"

"Polar latitude from us and three sectors in the other direction from the core," she told him. "Five days at hyperrush 9 if you have a really good ship that can take that speed for that long without exploding or burning out. How did they tow it?"

"With a bike from a god."

"What?"

Adam gave them his most neutral stare. "How much is this story worth to you?"

"Two weeks," said Cam. "Marah?"

"For a story involving a god? Yeah!"

"CyberCam?"

"If you let me have the holoprojectors already!"

Cam pressed a few keys and CyberCam's image promptly appeared, sitting cross-legged next to Marah. "Two stories, total of three weeks," he said. "It's a deal."

"All right," said Adam. "Let's start with how Cole got the bike from the nature god Animus. As you may remember…"

A six-tone beep cut the air.

"Is that a mobile phone?" demanded Cam as Adam fished something from his pocket. "Ninja Ops is shielded…"

"These have reception half across the galaxy," Adam told him and flipped the device open. "Adam here." His face became expressionless, which both Marah and Cam knew to interpret as a Thunder's way of expressing shock. "What? When?" Pause. "Just her? Why…?" A longer pause. "That's insane. When exactly? All right. Thanks." He closed the phone but did not return it to his pocket, rather staring right into the air.

"Adam?" asked Cam carefully. He couldn't even begin to decipher Adam's emotions, especially not through that thick blanket of shock.

"Shiera's back," said Adam. "She'll be planetside tonight."

"Shiera?" prompted Cam.

"One of the Rangers. Usually works with the Space team. She'd been gone for almost a year. M-51."

Marah's hands flew to her mouth.

"M - " Cam shook his head. "As in, M-51 galaxy?"

"As in M-51, Master Vile's playground?" demanded Marah, who was now white as chalk. "As in where villains are afraid to go?"

"Yes," said Adam, "And yes."

"Why would anyone go there?" protested Marah. "That place is awful!"

"To clean house," said Adam. "After the Specter War five years ago all the major villains of the Milky Way galaxy were destroyed or contained, except for Rita Repulsa and her husband Lord Zed. They ran off to Rita's dad, Master Vile. He'd taken over M-51 millennia ago. One of the people who led the final battle of the Specter War, Karone, she became really important in the Eltaran Defence Pact Alliance after that, and she didn't want the Alliance to have to fight these three again in a couple millennia, so she talked the Alliance into going on a preventive war. The task fleet launched seven months ago."

"But you said Shiera has been gone for a year."

"Reconnaissance. They wanted a Ranger because we're that much better at staying alive, but they couldn't send a whole team because they'd leave too much of a signature. Shiera stood the best chance."

"But she's the only one back now?" asked Marah worriedly. "Is everyone else all right? Is she all right?"

Adam shook his head. "They're establishing peacekeeping now. And she's not injured. Her commander wanted her out of the way, thought she'd be better off as far as possible from the front lines."

Cam tended to agree. Seven months of war, and before that five months alone in an enemy galaxy Marah had just described as a place villains feared to tread. With Adam's shock wearing thin, though, Cam could begin to interpret his emotions, and one thing was becoming evident.

"Where do you need to get to?"

"What?"

"You said she'll arrive tonight," said Cam. "Where?"

Adam just looked at him long enough that Cam thought he'd have to repeat the question. Then Adam said: "Mariner Bay."

"Well, that's convenient. It's just a few hours' drive south."

"I can't…"

"Yes, you can." Marah managed to surprise both Cam and Adam. She stuck up her chin. "We can stay alive for a few days. Go see your friend."

For a moment, Adam hesitated. Then he said: "Call me at the first kelzack."

"Obviously."

"I mean it, Cam."

"Promise."

Adam pointed at CyberCam. "They don't call me, you do."

"He's the one who can lock me out of the system."

"And I'm the one bailing you out."

"We'll call, I promise," said Cam exasperatedly. "Now get out of here already."

---

"Awesome," said Hunter when Cam broke the news two hours later. "We can cut training short today."

"Adam planned it short," said CyberCam. "Didn't want to wear you guys out before the race tomorrow."

Shane grimaced. "We'll pay for that, won't we?"

"Yup," said CyberCam cheerfully. "Sunday night's sim."

"I wish Adam cared for school half as much as he cares for moto," complained Tori.

"Dude, you didn't complain when he let us come an hour later so you could catch those perfect waves," said Dustin.

"The earlier we start," said Blake pointedly, "The earlier we finish. And I have a race to win tomorrow."

"You have a race to arrive second in, you mean," said Hunter.

Blake shot him a dirty look. "You think. I ain't gonna hand it over."

"Since when do I need you to?"

"Since it takes pricking your pride to get you to care."

"Hey," said Shane sharply. "If you really wanna finish early tonight then shut up and let's go. CyberCam, how many miles?"

---

Standing up on the mound, Kelly watched her boys and chewed her lower lip. They were out of their league in the good sense of the word: they could go pro and still keep on winning, and she knew for a fact that more than one team had already approached them. Why Blake or Hunter wouldn't go pro, for all their obvious dedication and talent, was anybody's guess.

Well - she watched as Blake gained up Hunter, and Hunter promptly leaned into a nasty angle to catch up - Blake's attitude was changing. Lately he was racing more like he meant it and less like he was showing off, and he was visibly irritated with his brother. Or maybe it was that Hunter's focus was drifting - or just changing. Not everybody's childhood dreams carried into adulthood.

Hunter swerved and pulled aside. Kelly swore. Blake crossed the finish line, two whole seconds before anyone else.

---

Hunter swore as he considered the worn cog. "And today of all days Dustin had to watch the shop!"

"Bro, even Dustin couldn't fix this one," said Blake. "Not in time."

Hunter shot him a venomous look. "It doesn't take Dustin to finish this not in time."

"I'm sorry, did you say Dustin? As in Dustin Brooks?"

Hunter, Blake and Kelly turned around. The speaker was a small, mousy man, dressed in stained coveralls and carrying a toolbox that looked ridiculously large next to his frame. He smiled at them nervously.

Kelly's smile was slightly forced. "Oh, hi, Perry. Yes, Hunter and Blake are friends of Dustin's."

"Problem with the bike?" asked Perry tentatively.

Hunter held up the part in his hand.

"Oh! You're number 11 - yes, I saw that, how sorry - " He stepped forward, fear temporarily forgotten, and crouched next to the bike, muttering to himself.

Hunter considered Perry, Perry's toolbox, and looked up at Kelly. She gave a small nod, and he stepped aside, giving Perry better access.

"Can you fix her in time for the next moto?"

"Yes, yes, of course, no problem." He reached and opened his toolbox and picked up one of the screwdrivers, reaching precisely despite not sparing so much as a glance.

His jumpy movement was making her facial muscles twitch. Kelly chewed the inside of her cheek in an attempt to hide it. "Come on, guys. Let Perry work his mojo."

"You know that guy?" asked Hunter once they were at a safe distance. He kept throwing looks over his shoulder.

"Almost everybody knows Perry," she said. "Hardly anybody can get along with him."

"Yeah, well," muttered Blake. He considered the twitchy little man who was jumping from foot to foot and muttering to himself as he worked on Hunter's bike. "I can't imagine why. It's not like he looks like the kind of guy who lives with his mommy and is always the killer in horror films. But he likes Dustin?"

Kelly shrugged. "Dustin doesn't mind him. Actually tried to learn from him a couple of times before he got lost in the madness and gave up." She looked Hunter straight in the eye. "But if anyone can fix that bike in time, it's Perry. Will probably give her a tune-up while he's at it, and if he likes you then you can expect half a makeover, too."

---

"Whoa," said Dustin when Hunter and Blake relayed him the story later that day. He seemed more than vaguely impressed. "He must really like how you are out there."

"Huh?"

"Perry doesn't fix people's bikes, like, ever," said Dustin. "He's always coming to watch and he knows more about bikes than anyone I know, but he doesn't care much for getting involved. Or for anything that anyone can understand, actually. You try talking to him about moto and it's like he's talking to you about classical music and quantum mechanics. If he fixed your bike then he wanted to see you ride."

"Aw," said Blake, "Hunter has a fan."

On the other side of Ninja Ops, Shane momentarily lost attention with the sparring match he was involved in. He was rewarded by Marah promptly whacking him with the staff she was wielding.

Tori smiled. Cam, who was attempting to teach her how to fix an inducement coil array, muttered something about short attention spans.

Hunter gave Blake a good shove and Shane hadn't been spared a glare, either. "Hit him for me, too," he told Marah.

Tori was about to speak except that Cam was wearing a very pointed expression and holding a screwdriver like a knife.

"We can go visit him if you'd like," offered Dustin. "I haven't been down there in ages and Perry always has cool stuff lying around. He's cool with visitors so long as they talk moto, let him finish a sentence and don't touch stuff without permission."

"Where does he live?" asked Hunter.

"Oh, he's got this creepy-ass place out by the tracks."

---

Perry's place was exactly as Dustin had described it: an old, rundown industrial-type building with white fumes coming out of several chimneys in the roof. The ground floor was in similar shape and the boys politely refused Perry's offer of tea. The mechanic hadn't seemed too surprised by their visit: was delighted, even, through his habitual anxiety.

"You disappeared so fast I couldn't even thank you," said Hunter. They were standing in the tiny, dingy kitchen, the three boys shuffling in place while Perry took short gulps from his steaming tea.

"Yeah," said Blake. He wasn't used to being the least-liked one in a group, and he was having difficulty handling it. "My brother won by a really big margin."

If Perry was surprised to hear that Hunter and Blake were brothers, it didn't show. "Yeah, yeah," he said. "The bike doesn't make the rider. Not that the rider makes the bike, huh? Getting them to superposition, right, well." He put down the cup. "I'll show you downstairs."

The ground floor was badly lit, semi-demolished and practically rotting with dirt. The downstairs lab was spacious, flooded with fluorescent lights and as clean as Cam kept his electronics lab. Workbenches and construction projects rose like islands of clutter separated by wide breadths of white linoleum. Blueprints and diagrams were pinned to several moving screens scattered across the room but the walls were clear.

Perry was more nervous than usual at first, but relatively relaxed once he saw that they knew to keep their hands in their pockets. Dustin asked about a project that was still on the sketchboard last he'd been there, Perry showed him to the prototype, and Blake stayed by their side and listened. Hunter, meanwhile, wandered around, checking every corner but not touching anything.

Then he came across something wholly unexpected.

Dustin and Blake turned at his sudden intake of breath.

"Hunter, what is it?" asked Blake as he walked over, Dustin and Perry trailing behind him and still discussing the elastic properties of Perry's new polymer matrix. Once Perry realized what Hunter had found he let out a small squeak, wholly embarrassed.

It was an alcove, formed by several of the screens and dedicated as a shrine. The wall and the screens were covered with photographs, some of them newspaper clippings and others that Perry seemed to have taken himself, all of them depicting the Power Rangers. Most showed them on the tsunami cycles but there were some of the Winds and their gliders and even a few of the Samurai chopper.

The three Rangers stood in a small circle, gazing at the shrine with their jaws dropped. Perry marginally relaxed once he realized that they were awed, not amused.

Dustin turned to him. "Perry, dude, you have a lots of amazing stuff around here, but this…" He shook his head. "Wow, man."

"Yeah," agreed Blake, speaking very softly. "Wow."

"I hadn't thought that - " Perry fidgeted. "Well, I'm - " Finally he stepped in and stood with them.

Blake turned around slowly, taking in all the details. He smiled and leaned forward, fingers brushing against one of the newspaper clips. "Your favourite?"

It was a photo of the Crimson Ranger. Indeed, he was the only Ranger to have solo photos in Perry's Power Ranger shrine.

Perry blushed furiously and nodded.

"Hunter here is a fan, too," said Blake lightly.

Hunter shot his brother a death glare over the mechanic's head.

---

The alarm woke her up at some atrocious hour in the night. Kapri rolled on her side, swore out loud and activated her PAM. Then she swore and sat up, fully alert.

Someone was fighting the Rangers and he was not part of her army. As a matter of fact, the PAM reported him as an android, not an organic. There was no match with any known designs yet.

She should get to the bridge, and she'd better do it before Zurgane. She hoped the PAM gave her a small advantage over him in getting the alert but she couldn't be sure of that. She pushed herself up, summoning her meager magic to transform into battle gear and disappear the bleariness of her eyes. She tucked the PAM on her belt, hesitated for a moment and decided in favour of intraship teleportation. If there was a new player in town then this was the single biggest thing that had happened since they arrived at Earth orbit.

Lothor was already on the bridge. He had gathered three of the floating screens and was standing by them, studying them intently, shoulders tense. Kapri came and stood beside him.

"What do you make of it?" he asked abruptly.

Kapri studied the android. It was tall, humanoid, vaguely masculine - broad shoulders, lean waist and a flat chest. The face plate hadn't been designed for expression. So far it hadn't attempted to speak but it appeared that its jaw wasn't movable. Presently it was giving the Thunder Rangers the race of their lives on a deserted coastal road: dark, winding and narrow.

"It was designed specifically against the Rangers," she said. "That bike takes after the tsunami cycles."

"I don't see much similarity."

"That's because it's a street bike," she told him. "See those tires?"

"There's no one but us in orbit," he said. "I initiated a specific scan for cloaking signatures, but we should have seen their engine trail coming in. I have a specific scan set for that."

Yes, she knew that. "We'll know better when the archive scan is complete, but…" She flipped open the PAM and considered the specs. "Nothing looks familiar to me." She wasn't the expert on androids, though. Marah was the one who had taken the extra engineering credits.

Zurgane bustled in. Kapri didn't even spare him a glance. "Think he's an independent?" she asked Lothor.

"What are the chances of that?"

"Wouldn't be a first," she told him. "I could - "

He waved his hand dismissively. "All right, I believe you, spare me the petty details. The question is, what do we do with it? Zurgane?"

"Capture it," said the General promptly. "It is an unknown variable, and therefore dangerous."

"I want to see if it does anything except ride really fast," said Kapri. "If it's got claws, let it blunt them on the Rangers first."

Lothor turned around and walked to his throne. "You!" he barked at a nearby kelzack. "Tea!"

---

"Goddamn Sith reject," complained Blake. He and Hunter had been chasing Lothor's new goon for ten minutes and had so far failed to catch up with it. The annoying thing kept precisely out of the tsunami cycles' cannons' range.

"It could outrace us if it wanted," said Hunter. "I hate it when they play games."

"What I don't understand is how Lothor got the blueprints of the tsunami cycles," said Blake. "We didn't exactly leave him a copy."

"I don't think this bike was designed from the same blueprints," said CyberCam. "Same specs, different platform."

"I'll take your word for it."

Without warning, the goon of the day stopped its bike, dark cape billowing as it swerved. Hunter and Blake promptly opened fire.

They halted their bikes at half-range. When the smoke cleared, the enemy had lost its cape but was otherwise unharmed. It was standing next to the bike, arms crossed across its chestplate.

"Who - " began Hunter.

"Dodge!" shouted CyberCam over the comm..

Hunter and Blake needn't be told twice. CyberCam's warning couldn't have come a fraction of a second sooner: their enemy had shot some kind of beams and there were two smoking holes in the asphalt where the two Rangers and their bikes had been seconds before.

Hunter swore even as he conjured a wall of lightning. "What the…?"

"I can pick it up when it charges," said CyberCam hurriedly, simpler than Cam would ever put it. "Now coming to the helmet display near you. Also, see what this bike has up front?"

"Antlers," said Blake. "Great."

"At least we know whom it's modeled after. Cover me!" Hunter reformed his shield into staff-mode and charged.

On foot, the enemy's style was eerily similar to the Thunder Style. Still, it wasn't quite the same - it wasn't as likely to use flying maneuvers, some of the moves were too flashy and it had no weapon other than the built-in energy rifles for eyes. It was as strong and as fast as the Rangers and exceptionally well-insulated. It hadn't taken them long to abandon their blasters in favour of their staffs.

It was a relief, then, when approaching engines was heard. The menace of the day paused to listen, giving Shane precisely enough time to kick it in the chest. It rolled, rose smoothly to its feet and promptly made it to its bike.

"Don't!" said Hunter sharply as the Winds assembled into attack formation.

"What's going on?" demanded Shane angrily.

The enemy became just a dark shadow in the distant.

"It didn't want to fight," said Hunter. "It just wanted to race."

---

"It just wanted to race," repeated Adam.

"That's what Hunter says," agreed Cam. Adam called had ridiculously early on Sunday morning and it was a good thing that Cam had installed a comm. port in the kitchen.

"It doesn't make sense. Lothor has a record of picking aliens specifically to force you guys to become stronger, but this is a bit..."

"Not really his style," agreed Marah. She was sitting cross-legged on one of the chairs, sipping her hot chocolate. "Racing is a skill. He's interested in Power."

"That's not the only odd thing," added Cam. "Whoever designed this thing - I think they had Rangers in mind rather than fighting Rangers."

"Huh." Adam was silent for a long moment. "Cam, can you tell how advanced the technology behind this mystery rider is?"

"I think CyberCam already has a file. Why?"

"Because the only thing that makes sense is if it wasn't built by Lothor."

"What?"

"I've seen more than one crazy scientist, Cam. Look up Professor Phenomenus if you need an example."

"Professor what?" Cam sighed into his tea. "I'll look into it."

"Good."

"How're things with you?"

"Well," said Adam wryly, "Shiera hasn't accidentally snapped anyone's neck yet."

"That good, huh?"

"She's always had a short temper. The last year…"

"Yeah," agreed Cam quietly.

Adam sighed. "Rocky's talking about dragging her down to Angel Grove with him, and I think he has the right idea. They'll leave once Med Wing clears her out - possibly tonight. So you guys can expect me back by tomorrow morning."

"All right. We'll try to not have our powers drained by then."

There was a short pause. "I'll pretend that was funny," said Adam finally. "See you tomorrow, Cam."

"Tomorrow."

---

Waking up to an empty apartment was routine. Hunter usually up ridiculously early, and by the time Blake got up he'd have already gone running and Blake would find cold tea and hard-boiled eggs. He'd make the sandwiches, then, and some juice if they were lucky this week, and there'd be a second breakfast when Hunter finally came back.

He woke to an empty apartment. He found the eggs and made the sandwiches. When 7 a.m. passed and Hunter hadn't returned yet, Blake called Shane - Hunter always left Blake the mobile phone, and he wasn't going to use the Cam-monitored comm. net just because his brother forgot to call him from Shane's, like he'd done the previous times he ran all the way up to North Beach.

Shane sounded surprisingly groggy as he picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, man."

"Blake?" Shane yawned. "It's Sunday morning, man, and it's - what's the emergency?"

"Sorry for waking you up," said Blake carefully. "Just wanted to make sure Hunter's all right."

"Hunter?" Suddenly, Shane sounded wide-awake. "He's not here."

It felt like all the sound just went out of the world. "He's not here, either. He should've been back half an hour ago."

Silence.

"Call Cam," said Shane abruptly. "I'll get the others. We'll meet at Ninja Ops in twenty minutes."

Chapter 31: Vis a Vis II

31 . Vis-à-vis, part II

She could imagine worse situations for her morpher to go off: Sunday lunch with her family, or any family meal, really. Even school classes were probably worse, though it was hard to remember that when her morpher went off not an hour after sunrise on a Sunday morning, while she was trying to catch her next wave. Tori swore and balanced her forearms on the board. "Go for Tori."

"It's Shane. How fast can you get to Ops?"

Swim to the shore, towel off, get the van to her parents', streak to Academy grounds. She winced. They always aimed for an under fifteen minutes transit time. "Forty minutes."

"Bad time?" asked Shane.

"Middle of the ocean," she answered wryly. "What's the emergency?"

"Hunter's gone."

"Hunter's what? Shane, we've got sensors - and Cam's psychic, for crying out loud - and how'd Blake - "

"Hunter never came back from his morning run and I let Blake talk to Cam 'cause he's the one with the details. Right now I don't know more than you do."

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again. "I'll have to bring the van up. This may take most of the day and I have to make it believable to my parents."

"Call CyberCam. See how close you need to get for him to teleport the van without burning any systems."

"Will do. I'll call you with the new ETA once I have it."

---

She was the last one at Ops, obviously. Cam was by the computer, not even bothering to use his hands; Marah was huddled in a corner with some tea, looking useless and miserable; Dustin was trying to keep Shane distracted by sparring; and Blake was analyzing a battle on a holodisplayer.

"What's going on?" she asked briskly.

"It's too low-signature," said Cam distractedly. "And the signal's bouncing."

Shane and Dustin separated. "There was an event at three a.m.," Shane told her. "Some android riding a street bike on the intercity. Hunter and Blake went after it. There was a bit of a fight, but it retreated."

"It was designed after us," said Blake. He still hadn't raised his eyes from his work. "Even the bike."

"Hunter thought it wanted to race more than it wanted to fight," said Shane. "Now we're not so sure."

"You think that's what got Hunter," she said.

"It's low-signature," repeated Cam. "It doesn't give more of a signal than a home appliance unless it's blowing something up at the moment, which is what it probably did last night to get our attention. There was no teleportation signal."

She walked over to the table. Thankfully someone had also made coffee. She poured herself a cup. "Do you need sensors to locate one of us?" she asked pointedly.

Cam swiveled in his chair. His eyes looked - like he'd been awake too long; like he'd been staring too far for too long. "The signal's loopy," he said.

"Loopy?"

"Yes - I can't describe it any better. I know he's there, I know he's not - it's not like that time on Lothor's ship - but I can't get through to him. And I can't get an actual physical location unless I'm almost on top of someone. CyberCam and I are working on something, but it may take some time."

Shane and Dustin hadn't resumed sparring while she and Cam were talking; Shane was watching her, probably waiting for her input. She turned to Blake. "Analyzing the night's combat?"

"Yeah," he said, distractedly. "Anything we can learn about this thing…"

She walked over, sat down next to him and pushed him slightly aside, to give herself a better view but mostly to get him to acknowledge her presence and actually look at her. "Another pair of eyes won't hurt," she told him. "Rewind for me, please?"

---

After the fifth time Shane nearly kicked his head off, Dustin had had enough of sparring. Cam had promptly provided him with the specs for the android's bike, and Marah had kidnapped Shane to the kitchen in search of more tea and extra breakfast. Forty minutes and several pounds of bacon and eggs later, the tension in the room had only marginally abated.

"Funny thing about this bike," said Dustin suddenly. He'd been sitting by the small table, opposite to Blake and Tori, since Cam had handed him the specs.

"What is it?" asked Shane, coming over. He didn't sit down - he wasn't sure he could stay still.

"It's modeled after the Wind cycles."

"What's funny about that?"

"The Thunders' are more powerful," answered Cam immediately. "Yours are more durable, though."

"Engine or firepower?"

"Both."

"But that bike's cannon looks just like my antlers," pointed out Blake.

"Dude, I didn't say 'identical'. Whoever designed this thing, they made some modifications. But," Dustin shook his head, "There's no sense in it, it's just loads of stuff thrown together, like they couldn't make up their mind and wanted to see what worked."

Shane turned his head. "Blake? Tori? What have you got?"

"Kind of the opposite," said Tori.

"And kind of the same," added Blake. "Whoever made this thing knew more about moto than about ninjitsu - the fighting style of this thing makes no sense."

"But it's effective," Shane pointed out. "Gave you and Hunter a pause last night."

Blake scowled. "Only because we didn't know what we were facing."

"And now you do?"

"It's using mostly Thunder moves," said Tori, "But the combinations and flow are completely different. I haven't seen anything like it."

"Define 'see'," said Blake dryly. He turned his attention to Shane. "That's what we meant with 'kind of the opposite and kind of the same'. It's kind of the opposite of the bike, because it's modeled after Hunter and me, but it's kind of the same because it's a total mess. And I think it's combining its moves like Tori. Like a water ninja."

Shane considered that and gave a low whistle. "Damn. Not a fun enemy to go up against." He turned around. "Cam? Any luck?"

Cam shook his head and sank lower in his chair. "There's something wrong with Hunter's power signature. It means I can't lock onto him with the scanners, and I can't locate him myself. I'm working on it, but - "

"All right," said Shane. "Blake, how sure are you that you could take on this thing?"

"Define 'take on'."

"Keep busy."

"Sure, no problem. Particularly if Dustin and I work together."

Shane nodded his head sharply. "So this is what we're gonna do. Blake, Dustin, take your bikes and find a nice open stretch of road. Hunter said this thing just wanted to race - let's see if he was right. Cam - will this help you any?"

"Yes," said Cam. "I'll set up a wide-angle IR scan of Blue Bay Harbor and its surroundings. Then I can back-trace the bike's heat signature to wherever it came from."

"All right." Blake pushed himself to his feet. "Let's get this show on the road."

---

The moto-racing android showed up within five minutes of Blake and Dustin starting to show off. The problem was, so did Kapri and Zurgane - each at a different location, Kapri escorted by kelzacks.

Shane swore. "Cam, how long?"

"At least a few more minutes."

"We don't have - the teleportation blocker, is it ready yet?"

"It's operable but on limited power."

"Will it hold long enough for Marah to break Hunter out?" asked Shane pointedly. "If she takes the mobile command center she'll go right under Lothor's radar, and the blocker won't let Lothor teleport right next to her. Otherwise we're undermanned."

Cam blinked, then opened a drawer, picked up a clumsy-looking arm bracelet and tossed it toward Marah. "You're okay with this?" he asked her.

"Are you kidding?" she demanded. "It's about time!"

Cam pushed himself out of his chair. "I want Kapri," he informed Shane.

"Deal. Tori, you're with him. I'll go for Zurgane. And Marah - if Lothor gets you, there won't be anything for us to rescue and you know it. Be careful and no stupid heroics, all right?"

"I didn't get out of there just to be dragged back dead," she told him.

Shane nodded curtly. "Let's do it."

---

Darkness was the first thing that he became aware of; darkness, and being bound down by something heavy. Hunter blinked sluggishly. What had happened? He'd gone out for his usual morning run - there was some sort of noise - someone or something had hit him in the back of his head.

Hunter blinked again, tried to move his head and discovered that he couldn't. Whoever had strapped him down to whatever surface that this was - it felt metallic but that was all he could tell - they'd done a good job: he could flex his fingers a little and that was about it. He tried his head again and - yes, that was the weight of a helmet or something similar, which meant that the reason he couldn't see was probably that whatever it was had no visor. Well, obviously a captive wouldn't need to look around.

None of this was Lothor's style. Hunter would've sagged with relief if he could.

That was when he realized that something else was wrong. Something was truly, terribly wrong. He couldn't place it. For one panicked moment he thought that it was the Dark Ninja powers and that he was in Lothor's hands after all, but no, this wasn't an outside power weighing down on his skin; he thought that maybe it was just the bad bash to the head, but there was more to it than nausea, disorientation and a splitting headache.

The more complex meditational techniques were out of the question. He could only barely manage them even when he wasn't freaked out and feeling more sick than he'd ever been except that time Madtropolis had drained their power. He couldn't move so morphing wasn't an option, either. Which left tapping into his element, pure and unfiltered. It was a risky thing to do even if he wasn't so wiped but he didn't exactly have any options.

The Power of Thunder responded easily, heavy and rolling as it always was, but it passed through Hunter instead of into him. Hunter's breath caught and he hissed at the physical sensation of abandonment. He tried again, on instinct, and it made him convulse against the straps.

That hurt.

His powers were being drained, that had to be what felt so wrong; that had to be why he felt disoriented and weak and hurting all over; and he'd just found out the hard way that if he tried to fight it his power would only drain faster.

"Fuck." He wasn't even aware that he'd spoken until he heard his own voice, thick and distorted. He sounded wrecked. "Fuck," he said again, trying for a little more vehemence. He screwed his eyes shut, refusing to cry.

He'd thought that being thrown out of an airlock was a bad way to die. Apparently there were worse.

---

The point was to distract them from finding their missing teammate, of course. It was too entertaining, a classic example of divide and conquer.

Well, except for the "conquer" part. Kapri somersaulted backwards, brandishing one of her swords so as to deflect the energy shot from the Blue Ranger. She landed in a crouch and sent an energy bolt of her own, clipping Blue in the side, before rising to her feet and blocking the Samurai's sword with one of her own, slashing with her other sword in a vicious low blow. He stepped aside, neatly avoiding her and tried to kick her off her feet. She let herself tumble down, taking him with her. He rolled over and rose at a ten-foot distance from her.

"Slow day, Kapri?"

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing." She slammed down on her PAM, summing more kelzacks. Blue was on a roll today. Then she smirked as she saw red instead of black - apparently Lothor had decided to upgrade her order to kelzack furies.

"Cam, switch!" yelled Blue.

Kapri had a split-second to decide whether or not to prevent the switch, and decided against it. Blue was an easier rival than the damn Samurai, and if he proved too useful against the kelzacks - well, the alien barracks were getting too crowded, anyway.

---

She was more than halfway to town when CyberCam halted in the middle of his relay of the combats and said, "Got it."

"Hunter?" she asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah."

The screen by the wheel lit up with a map and a set of coordinates. "CyberCam, that's someone's house."

"Looks like a run-down old warehouse to me."

"Can you please check?"

"Already ha - whoa. Well, that's unexpected."

"What is it?"

"The location already exists in the database. Half the guys were there yesterday. That's Perry's place."

"Perry? The guy who fixed Hunter's bike?"

"The same one."

"This doesn't make any sense!" She huffed. "We'll know when I get there, I guess."

There was a brief pause. "So," said CyberCam, "Those jets we installed last week? How about we give them a test run?"

---

Zurgane retreated, which was good. Then Shane found himself staring at what appeared to be a giant ferret in a yellow costume, which wasn't so good. Swearing took time so he skipped that part, called up the Gold Mode extension of his sword and switched to shadow spar. By the time he switched back to normal space his breath was coming in gasps and his knees felt like jell-o, but he suspected that he had broken Tori's record for solo Ranger-on-alien combat.

His comm. flared to life.

"We have a problem!" yelled Dustin. "Motodrone's style is changing!"

So they finally had a name on the thing. "Changing how?" he demanded.

He heard two energy discharges, several explosions, a crash and the echo of standard evil laughter. Then Dustin's voice came again: "It's like fighting Hunter on a bad day!"

Something's wrong with his power, he heard Cam's words replaying in his memory.

A replacement alien materialized.

"Dustin, we're switching, now! CyberCam, teleport!"

---

She landed the mobile command center as close to the door as she could, slid the teleportation blocker up her arm, made sure her knives were secured in their sheaths, unholstered her blaster and stepped out. She pushed the door open slowly, taking care to not make a sound, located the stairs and crept down, silent like only ninjas or mice could be.

The basement was as Dustin had described it, large, well equipped and well-lit. There was what appeared to be a person-sized bench covered by a dome, connected to too many cables for her liking - and next to it, strapped to a chair and mouth gagged, was a wide-eyed, terrified-looking man. He tried to squeak when he caught sight of her.

She holstered her blaster. "It's all right, I'm a friend," she said as she crossed the floor towards him. She took out one of her knives and cut loose the gag and the ropes. "It's Perry, right?"

"Yes," he said, and then "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I never meant for this to happen, he's out of my control, I'm sorry."

"It's all right," she told him as she undid the rest of the ropes and helped him up. He was panicked, crying, and very obviously not lying to her. "I need you to help me get him out of there," she jerked her head towards the domed bench, "And I need you to tell me how to beat Motodrone. Okay?"

He squeaked again, said something she couldn't understand and swayed on his feet, but the latter part was from being bound for over an hour. He struggled over to the control panel and studied it, hands hesitating over the switches.

"What does this do?" she asked, both to get him to focus and to try and get some information.

"It's a synch. Like, synchronization? Makes things work like each other, be like each other. It can also act as a transformator - one form into another and back again. And also - "

"What is it doing now?" she interrupted. "And can you stop it, please?"

"It's doing everything," he said miserably. "But it's not supposed to, it shouldn't be able to do that with a normal human. I know, I tried."

"On yourself?" she asked, very carefully.

He nodded.

"Did you try to copy some part of yourself onto Motodrone?"

He nodded again.

"And it went wrong," she realized. "He became conscious."

He nodded a third time.

"Can you undo it?" she asked urgently. "What it took from him, can you…"

"It doesn't take away," he interrupted. "The spin duplication just makes it feel that way for a while. And I'd unhook Hunter except that Motodrone modified the system and I have to understand what he did, first."

She didn't have that time, the Rangers didn't have that time and Hunter probably didn't have that time, either. "Does your system have some sort of networking port?"

"What? No. No, wait." He went over to a different work island, returned with some module and hooked it into the dome-thing. "It's a bit nonstandard, but…"

"Never mind that." She placed her communicator on top of the network module and activated it. "CyberCam, can you help?"

"Give me a moment," the AI said and promptly: "Yes. Perry, I'm going to talk you through this. Stay with me. First, we need to take the patterner offline and recalibrate it…"

---

"This alien just super-sized on me!" hollered Dustin over the comm.

"I can see that!" answered Shane. "What is that, a mutated accordion?"

"Dude, I don't care!"

Shane opened a second comm. channel. "Cam! Take your zord and get going! Dustin, team with Tori!"

"No need!" answered Tori. "Kapri just pulled out!"

Shane hesitated - he, Dustin and Tori could take the Wind megazord against the accordion and let Cam and Blake handle Motodrone - "Blake, who do you want with you?"

"Shane, I can work electronics!" yelled Cam simultaneously.

Well, that solved the problem. "Scratch it," he told Blake, and then on the comm.: "Right. Cam, get here; guys, let's call those zords."

---

"Elements," whispered Marah. She swallowed. CyberCam and Perry finally collapsed the dome, revealing Hunter. He was pale as a sheet, sticky with sweat and didn't react to the light suddenly flooding his face - unconscious, then. "Didn't we reverse the flow on this thing?"

"Give it time," warned CyberCam.

The straps were metal, so she couldn't cut them. "Hunter?" she said softly, urgently, as she undid them. "Can you hear me? Hunter?"

A moment later, he stirred. "Wha?" he said weakly.

"Hunter, it's Marah," she told him. "Stay put, you'll start feeling better in a second."

"Marah?" he repeated.

"I'm breaking you out," she said. That he hadn't even tried to move yet was a bad sign.

"Dustin," he muttered.

It took her a moment to get it. She swallowed. "We're not on Lothor's ship," she told him gently. "You went out for a run and Motodrone got you, remember?"

There was a very long pause. Then, finally, Hunter's eyes fluttered open. "Marah?" he asked again. His voice sounded a little bit better. "What - where are we?"

"I'm sorry," said Perry miserable.

"Perry's experiment went out of control," said Marah quickly. "He didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Hunter closed his eyes. "Power drain," he muttered.

"We reversed the flow," she told him. "The bench acts as a reflector surface. Stay put for a few minutes and you'll feel better."

"Where are the others?" he asked after a moment. "What happened?"

"They'll probably be here in a few moments," said CyberCam. "Cam broke Motodrone enough for Blake to toast him, and there are only so many aliens on today's To Grow list."

Well, if Perry hadn't realized who they were yet, that ought to have done it. She gave him a sidelong glance, but the engineer still seemed mostly in shock.

"How long?" asked Hunter.

"About two and a half hours," she told him.

Hunter nodded. He opened his eyes again.

"You're looking better," she said. It was sort of the truth - at least his eyes were focused.

"Feeling better." He tried to move.

"Uh," said Perry. "Better lie down a little more."

Hunter scowled, but stayed put.

Marah's armband gave a loud beep.

"The blocker is running low on power," CyberCam said. "Better get back here."

"I can't leave - "

"Blocker?" asked Hunter.

"Teleportation blocker," she explained, "So that Lothor can't come get me."

"And it's low on power?" he demanded. "Get out of here already!"

Not remotely, but she didn't lie when she said she didn't plan to die just yet. She squeezed Hunter's hand, nodded at Perry, and left.

---

She'd had to glare at Shane and yell at Blake, but Tori had no intention of letting either of them pick Hunter up from Perry's. The way that Marah catapulted herself into Dustin's arms as soon as the Rangers walked into Ops suggested that Hunter was in a terrible shape, and Tori was pretty sure that he didn't need to be mothered or told off, which either Blake or Shane were liable to do.

Hunter and Perry were sitting on the floor, dismantling a bike, and she had the uneasy feeling that she'd gotten it wrong.

"Hey," she said, feigning lightness. "I'm Tori."

"Hi," replied Hunter. He settled into a seemingly comfortably half-sprawl, but she'd seen Blake pull this act enough times to see right through it.

Perry nodded nervously. She smiled at him and turned again to Hunter. "Guess Marah made it sound worse than it actually was. It looks like a little party in here." And Marah most certainly hadn't, because the emotion that flitted across Hunter's face was somewhere between relief and gratitude, and Perry seemed thoroughly embarrassed.

"Probably," said Hunter, matching her light tone. "And hey, check this out."

"It's a bike."

"Well, yes, I suppose," said Perry.

Which rang all sorts of warning bells in her head. "What does it do?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Apparently when Motodrone arranged his little setup? He hooked up this, too."

It was hard to tell with the way it was half dismantled, but this bike didn't seem anything like the one Motodrone rode. It was sleek, streamlined, dark red and - Tori blinked. "When did you have time to paint that on the panels?"

"Last week, apparently," said Hunter, shooting Perry a glance. "Perry did that before he knew - about us. And apparently matching riders and bikes is what his research is all about. And now that it's got an imprint… I can't wait to try it."

Shane was going to freak. And Cam. And Blake and Dustin would never shut up about it. "Let's get you home first," was what she said. "And Cam will probably want to take a look at this bike first. No offence," she told Perry.

"None taken. I can't believe you guys would even give me the time of day."

"It's what we do," she told him.

Hunter picked himself up and yeah, thank goodness that she had the mobile command center and that they wouldn't need to arrive by the trapdoor. She didn't fancy supporting a guy Hunter's size down a hundred-odd stairs.

"Move along," was what she said, knowing that he would appreciate the pretence that things were normal. "Just because you're a lazy trouble magnet doesn't mean I should miss Sunday lunch."

---

At twenty seconds, Cam began wondering if he'd somehow lost the line. At twenty-five seconds, Adam finally recovered. "Seems that Hunter's trying to be a second Tommy," he said.

"Didn't you say that Tommy was a really good Ranger?"

"He's also leading the trouble table."

Cam laid his forehead against the keyboard.

"How're you guys doing there?"

"Four aliens, all of whom had been later empowered, Zurgane twice, Kapri once, total of five troops of regular kelzacks and one troop of furies, one android resistant to thousand-ton anvils and we were one Ranger short. No zords were trashed and no bones were cracked, so I suppose we're all good."

"Actually, I wasn't asking about that."

Cam considered that. "Typical post-combat reactions," he finally said, "I think we're okay. Even if Marah and Dustin give me a headache."

"Tell me you're not still working."

"Motodrone snatched a Ranger right under our nose. If you think Lothor's not going to draw conclusions you are sorely mistaken."

Pause. "I'm bringing a neutrino core."

"You're what?"

"Apparently the folks here at the Aquabase tried to contact you guys and offer help, but you're too good at hiding. Since I was here, I passed through Blue Wing and told them what we have. A neutrino core was the only robust and compact power source they had on the shelf - it's not zord quality, but it should do. I also have some other toys."

"Any chance we can also get the blueprints?"

"Already did."

---

Waking up was strange. Hunter wasn't used to waking up like this, anymore: still and slow, as if he could allow himself this vulnerable time. He couldn't recall when was the last time he hadn't woken up already on the lookout for danger, couldn't recall the last time he'd not implicitly assumed that an enemy could and would find him anywhere. The certainty of protection wasn't in the blessed thickness of the mattress, the weight of the blanket or even the mere proximity of another's breath and warmth. Eyes closed and perhaps still more than a half asleep, those were the scents that allowed the stillness: soap that was familiar though not on his own skin, borrowed clothes that had been laundered with a fabric softener and the unmistakable presence of Shane curled next to him, almost around him.

Memories came sluggishly: Tori had insisted that Blake accompany her to Sunday lunch as previously planned, and Hunter needed to crash; Shane had went downstairs to fix them some food while Hunter took a quick shower, and he must've fallen asleep before Shane had returned. It definitely smelled like there was some food waiting, and his mouth watered at the scent, but Hunter wasn't motivated to move, not yet. It had to have been years since the last time he'd woken up like this, and though it was probably tiredness and stress messing with his head he didn't want to give it up just yet.

Being all curled up wasn't very comfortable, though, now that he was awake and aware. He stretched, body still heavy and slow with memories. Shane fitted into the movement, tangling their legs and pulling Hunter into a half-embrace.

"You're awake," he whispered.

Hunter made some unintelligible noise that could have been a 'Yeah'; he'd never been particularly talkative when tired or otherwise distracted.

"Hey," said Shane softly, fingers light against Hunter's cheek.

Hunter opened his eyes and found himself staring straight into Shane's. This was what he'd hated from the start: being expected to respond, wanting to answer that, and feeling as if he'd lose something precious by doing so. It used to anger him, and he used to lash out to regain his space. Lately, though, it was hard to be angry with Shane. It was hard to be lash at him when that assessing gaze narrowed into such a focus that it became exposed.

It was such a short distance to close.

Chapter 32: Break the Chain

Notes:

This chapter uploaded a day before New Year's Eve of 2008, making it that year's traditional Holiday Update.

Warning: disturbing emotional themes. My beta readers assure me that it's within PG-13 range, but it is unrecommended to read this at 1 a.m. or before going to sleep.

Life had rules: the sun rose in the east and set in the west, objects fell to the ground when dropped; and if Hunter Bradley shows up in the morning in a foul mood and his brother had no idea why, thought Kelly darkly as she glaced up at the clock, then explanations will arrive with Shane in the afternoon.

Predictably, when Dustin and Shane entered Storm Chargers minutes later, Dustin looked more than a little spooked and Shane had an expression to match Hunter's. He stormed past Kelly and into the back room without a word. When Blake emerged seconds later Kelly sympathetically pointed to a couple of messy shelves that would keep him busy for a while and went over to interrogate Dustin.

"What did those two fight about this time?"

"Huh?" asked Dustin distractedly, considering the transmission on the day's first bike.

"Hunter and Shane," she elaborated.

"They didn't."

"Oh, come on, Dustin. Those two don't make it through a week without a fight. If you don't know what's going on," or if you don't want to tell me, she added silently, "Then that's one thing. But…"

"Shane's just worked up 'cause he has to see his brother today, and I haven't got a clue what got into Hunter this time."

"He's - " Kelly shook her head. "What's the deal with his brother?"

"Pass me the second wrench from the right, would you? Dude, Rogers has got to start treating this bike right. I guess he turned out too much like their parents."

"What?"

Dustin gave her a Look. "Shane's parents, they're like, big on this whole 'study your ass off then work your ass off' kind of life. Parker's the same except with computers, from what Shane says."

And with Shane's high school credits he'd get into a community college at the most. Yeah, Kelly could see how that one wouldn't work out well.

Shane emerged from the back room, heading straight for the door. "Tell Adam I'm sorry for ditching," he tossed over his shoulder.

By the time Hunter showed up, maybe a second and a half later and twice as pissed off as he'd been before, Shane was already gone. She told him that.

Hunter scowled and muttered something under his breath that had "idiot" in it.

"What's going on?" asked Kelly carefully. When Hunter got like that she usually backed off as he had the sense to stay away from everyone until he wound down on his own and she had no desire to lose her head, but Hunter hadn't turned around upon hearing that Shane was gone, Blake was hiding in the wind jackets and Dustin had crawled under Rogers' bike, so it didn't look like she had a choice. "I heard Shane's brother's in town?"

Hunter glared, and for a split second Kelly wondered what kind of trouble she'd gotten herself into, and then Hunter asked: "What is so wrong with thinking that if you hadn't seen someone in over a year, then maybe talking to them might actually be a good idea?"

"Nothing's wrong with that. But if…"

"That's his brother!" exploded Hunter.

So that's what this is about, realized Kelly. If it were Tori or Blake she could talk sense into them but telling Hunter that he shouldn't take this personally was pointless. She couldn't just let him stew, though. "Hey, Dustin," she asked suddenly. "How's it going with Rogers' bike?"

"Terrible," he informed her.

"Want an extra pair of hands?"

Hunter's expression went from angry to relieved. Kelly was tempted to smile at him, but niceness didn't work well with him.

"Yeah, if we don't want everyone else to get their bikes two days too late or if I don't want to stay here until 10 p.m. today."

Hunter was across the room before Dustin finished that sentence.

"Thanks, Kell," muttered Blake a few minutes later as she passed him by. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

"Go hungry and strangle each other within a week?" she suggested.

He grimaced. "Yeah, probably."

---

"You're going to like this one," said Kapri cheerfully as Zurgane led their sacrifice of the day onto the bridge. "Precisely what you asked for!"

"Huh." Lothor considered the oversized eyeball. "Only three options considering this visage, and we've already done two of them."

"Eyesac at your service, Sir," the alien bowed. "I am sure to destroy the Power Rangers, for who but they knows best what their downfall may be?"

"He's the real thing," said Kapri. "I checked."

Lothor raised his eyebrows. "You checked?"

"We had to pay the health insurance for some of the recruits," said Zurgane.

"Just those we were considering letting go anyway," Kapri assured Lothor. "I'm aware of the financial hindrance, but I thought you'd prefer that to a farce."

"Very well, then," said Lothor. "In your own time, gentlemen."

---

He arrived at the plaza ten minutes before time. Predictably, Parker was already there, a well-built figure in smart clothes reading a newspaper on a bench, attaché case by his side. He lifted his eyes and smiled as Shane approached him.

Shane scowled.

Parker rose to his feet, tucking the newspaper under his arm and picking up the case. "Shane. Good to see you."

Shane shook his hand unenthusiastically. "Hi."

"So," said Parker, "You were right, they really did do nice work with this place. Pity there aren't more trees, though."

"They catch fire too easily. Alien attacks?" he added, as Parker raised his eyebrows in question.

"Oh. How bad are those?"

"Worse, lately. But there was a big one three days ago and they're usually at least a week apart, so you may not see any action before you leave."

Parker clicked his tongue. "So, pizza? Or would you like to walk around?"

Four hours since lunch and he was developing an appetite already, but he'd crawl out of his skin if he had to sit down with Parker for more than ten minutes. "Walk, thanks."

"A slice for the road?" offered Parker.

Shane relented. "Leonardo's, over there," he pointed. "They're good."

Ten minutes later they were walking, Parker now with a coffee smoothie and the newspaper stuffed in his case, and Shane with a pizza slice and the same backpack he'd gone to school with. Parker observed, almost smiling, as Shane devoured the pizza in five bites. "You weren't hungry at all," he said amusedly. "That teenage metabolism will slow down one day, you know."

"And I'll be happy when it does," Shane told him.

"How are you doing, Shane?"

"You know," he shrugged. "Life. What about you? I thought we'd see you and Michelle for Christmas."

Pause. "Michelle and I broke up three months ago," said Parker abruptly.

Shane looked up at him, startled. "I didn't know," he said automatically and added, a little more sincerely: "I'm sorry. That sucks."

Parker gave him an odd sideways look. "Thanks," he said.

Shane shrugged. "You're coming to dinner today, right?" he said after a few minutes.

"Yes, of course."

"It's just…" Shane stuffed his hands in the front pocket of his sweatshirt. "I was a little weirded out about this meeting after school thing, if we're gonna sit at the same table anyway in a few hours."

"I may have wanted to talk to my kid brother," said Parker wryly, "And I thought the absence of parents would be conductive to conversation. I don't recall you saying more than two words in a row in their presence."

"Three," corrected Shane. "'I'm going out.' So, what did you want to know?"

"It's March," said Parker after a brief hesitation.

"I'm aware of that."

"It's the last chance to apply for college, if you don't intend to go to community college. Mom and Dad couldn't tell me if - "

Shane cut him off. "I don't intend to go to community college. I don't intend to go to any college."

"Shane…"

Shane turned around and started walking in the other direction.

"Shane! Where are you going?"

Shane stopped, but did not turn around. "I am not having this conversation with you. If that's why you're here then you can get on the next plane back to San Francisco."

"Shane, don't be ridiculous." Parker took a tentative step towards him. "I know it may be hard to see from where you are right now, but I've your best interests in mind, and I'm worried. We are talking your life - "

Shane turned around. Parker flinched back. "Are you happy, Parker?" demanded Shane. "Are you happy where you are, so busy that you can't even be bothered to pass by the post office to pick up your Christmas present until a month is past? If you are, good for you. Me, I'm happy with what I'm doing, and if the only thing dragging me down is people who think who I am is not good enough, then maybe I should stop caring and walk away."

"Shane," said Parker. "This is not what I meant. Please, if we can talk - "

"Then you'd just say that again," said Shane wearily. "No, thanks." He turned around again. "There's somewhere more important for me to be. Tell the parents not to expect me for dinner."

"Shane!" Parker started after his brother, reaching to grab his shoulder.

The explosion threw him off his feet.

Shane, who'd remained standing through much worse, twisted around and managed to catch Parker before he hit the ground, absorbing the impact instead. He rose with a grimace: his angle was lousy, the backpack was in the wrong place and he'd probably cracked those ribs again.

Zurgane was brandishing his swords. "Sorry for the inconvenience," he said.

Shane tossed aside the backpack. "Run."

Parker was rising slowly to his feet. "What…?"

"Run!" snapped Shane. "Get out of here!"

He threw himself at Zurgane at Parker's first footstep. Five seconds, he told himself. Give him five seconds to clear out, then morph. He rolled under Zurgane's blades then leaped straight at him, hitting him in the chest. Two seconds. Zurgane was too massive to really be affected by the impact, but it was hard for him to skewer Shane that way. Three seconds. Shane threw himself sideways, somersaulted once - four seconds - twice -

Five seconds.

He morphed, unholstered his Hawk Blaster and started shooting. Swordplay with Zurgane wasn't something he stood a chance at, but the general was really lousy at getting out of the way.

Half a minute later, it was still just him and Zurgane. He hit the comm button. "What's going on!"

"Kapri's at the beach, Cam's got her; alien at the school, Dustin went to help Tori; and kelzacks caught Hunter and Blake on the way to - where did he - Shane, get down!"

Shane dove, but CyberCam's warning came too late.

---

The kelzacks disappeared. Hunter and Blake exchanged worried looks.

Hunter activated the comm. "The kelzacks are gone. Blake and I are available."

"We have a problem." It was Adam's voice. "And his name is Eyesac. Shane, Tori and Dustin are down. Cam and CyberCam are trying to analyze what's going on."

"What do you mean?"

"It's some kind of collar, we're not sure what it does yet but it's not pretty."

"Where's Eyesac now?"

"By the public library. But Hunter - "

"Speed is what we do. We'll be careful."

---

Speed was the key, thought Hunter as he dodged the third projectile collar. And knowing what to expect helped, too. "We're putting them together!" he shouted at Blake. "On my mark. Three, two…"

Glowing kenji descended from the sky. Hunter swore. "We need the z-"

The tentacles got them first.

---

"Cam, change in plans," said Adam tersely. "Eyesac just embedded Hunter and Blake in his chest."

"More bad news," shot Cam back. He swiveled around in his chair. "Those collars exert some kind of mental control. Fear-inducing, if I'm right."

"He's right," muttered CyberCam very audibly.

"We can't leave the Winds like that."

"And we can't let a giant alien rampage in the city, either. CyberCam can continue the analysis. I have new power spheres, I'll make it quick - "

"Or I can run the Samurai Star on remote," interjected CyberCam. "I'll be more accurate in not blowing up Blake and Hunter and you can break the rest of the team from their psychic prison."

"How secure is the remote connection?" asked Adam.

"Very," said Cam. "But - "

"CyberCam's right," said Adam.

"Is that a go?" demanded the AI.

"It is."

Cam stared at Adam. "Forget it," he told him. "I've never done anything even remotely similar, there are walls around their minds and even if I make it through - "

"You have an alternative?" asked Adam simply.

Cam looked down. "No," he admitted.

"I'll hold you."

Cam turned to Marah, who'd been silent so far and was now arranging a nest from the cushions. "What?"

"You're going to walk into their worst nightmares, and if you guys have nightmares half as bad as mine it'll be awful." She looked up at him. "Physical contact grounds you, right? So I'll hold you."

"Cam?" asked Adam after a moment.

"She's got a point," answered Cam. He pushed himself up from his chair.

"I'm here also," offered Adam.

Cam hesitated. Adam's emotional regulation had been his shield more than once, but this was one situation where the intensity of Marah's burn might be helpful. "No," he said. "It's all right."

He settled next to Marah. She held him, her furious determination and grief supplementing his worry for his friends, pushing back the fear.

"All right," he said quietly. "I'm going in."

---

It was Blue Bay, and it wasn't. It was abandoned, demolished, burned down, smoke still rising in several places across the skyline. Standing on the promenade with a full view to the city, Cam could try and guess which locations where still burning. Instead, he considered the scene.

Lothor's throne was there, with Lothor on it. Zurgane's body was tossed aside like a broken toy. Kapri was sitting on the stairs to the throne, and she and Lothor were laughing at the view before them: six tall crosses on the shoreline and nailed to them, still writhing and alive, five people that Cam knew well and one that wore his face.

There was a person standing behind Lothor's throne, in the place that should have been Zurgane's if that person hadn't disposed of him. Features distorted by careless malice and beautified by Tori's perception, Blake threw back his head and laughed.

"Well done, kids," said Lothor. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, Uncle."

"My pleasure, Sir." Blake's smile was hardly changed.

"Isn't that a pretty view?" said Kapri lazily. "Four little Rangers, their little helper and my stupid sister, all in a row."

"I can think of other pretty things," said Blake, looking at something to the side. "Much prettier."

That was when Cam noticed the cage and its occupant. This whole place was part of Tori's mind, which was why it had taken him so long to notice the visual representation of her.

He walked over.

She was sitting in one corner of the cage, chained, in surfing gear, stained with soot and dirt all over. Her hair was a mess. She didn't look up at his approach. His steps made no sound in this place. He walked through the bars - advantage of being a ghost, he thought grimly - and kneeled by her.

"Tori?" he asked gently.

His voice was heard, but she still didn't look up.

"Tori," he tried again, touching her bruised knee - all of her was bruised but there were no cuts - and repeating her name with his mind.

She did look up at that. Tired, beyond defeated: despairing.

"Great, I'm hallucinating."

"Yes," he told her, "But not the way you think."

"You're not here, Cam. You're up there."

It was easier to sense her when she spoke. Time passed differently in here than it did outside, he realized. It had been days for her.

"Remember the day Shane's brother came to visit?"

"Yeah." 'Kind of hard to forget,' said her thoughts, and, 'The day this started.'

"Eyesac attacked the school," he said. "You and Dustin fought together."

"You're Blake's doing, right? He thought it would be funny if were be the one to torture me. Or is that you, Blake?"

"I'm not an illusion," he told her, very patiently, trying to reach through and make her see. "I'm the only real thing in this place except for you. Everything else is an illusion created by Eyesac. He shot at you and Dustin, remember?" He could feel the real memories under the fake ones. If there was a way to do this gently he didn't know it, so he just reached and pulled, trying to drag the truth to the surface. "Those were collars. He trapped you inside your fear."

She blinked, face screwed in effort. She was trying to focus on him. "You don't sound like an illusion," she said slowly. "But Cam, it's been days."

"Only in dream time."

"All right. Let's say that you're really Cam and I didn't just go insane really fast - how do we get out of here?"

"I've been looking around and trying to figure it out," he told her. "There are so many wrong things about this place, but they have to come down to one. There should be one thing that you're afraid of that this whole nightmare was created from."

"I don't know."

Which wasn't completely true. He could sense her mentally flinching away when she tried to think of this situation. "I'll help you," he offered. "Come on." He sat down on the cage floor and took her hand. She held onto him tightly. Somewhere far back in his head there was a quiet room and Marah holding his body, whispering words that she didn't know if he could hear. He focused on that as much as he could, and told Tori: "Try to think about it. Some thing, one thing, that could create this whole scenario." Saying it was enough to get her to think about it and he drained away as much of the guilt as he could so that she could maybe handle it.

"My first memory of this - of this nightmare, was that Eyesac almost got me and Dustin pushed me out of the way, and these tentacles blasted through his suit."

I failed, whispered her mind, and Cam perked. There was a strange echo to that thought. "Who went next?" he asked, on instinct.

"Shane came to help us, but - "

I failed, whispered her thoughts again, with that strange echo, and all the memories came tumbling at him, each and every fallen Ranger somehow her fault.

"You keep thinking, 'I failed'," he told her. "I think this is it."

She looked up at him, lower lip quivering, then abruptly turned her head, pulling her hand out of his.

"We're not dominoes, Tori. That's what you've been telling the rest of us, remember? Nobody can shoulder everything." Marah, he thought desperately. He hadn't expected how bad this would be.

Tori threw back her head, into the bars, and screamed -

He was lying on a lawn, and his body felt weird. No, he realized a second later, as blue-covered arms pushed the body up. It was Tori's body, and he was still in it.

'I'm leaving now,' he told her. 'Going to break the others out. You'll be all right.'

If there were words in her mind they weren't clear enough for him to perceive, except for the impression of a hug.

---

Blackness. No, not even that, not even darkness - absence. Not just the absence of light, or sound, but the absence of anything that could have generated or receive them. Emptiness. Cam reeled, trying to find anything to hold on to in this place - even the perception of having a body was missing - but even as he tried he knew that this wouldn't do. Dustin's nightmare was defined by the lack.

There would be no visual representation here, no easy way to establish communication. Holding desperately to the thought that he had a lifeline out of there, Cam searched the emptiness for Dustin's presence, Dustin's consciousness. There - terrified, alone so long that words would not reach him. Cam hovered at the edge of Dustin's awareness, wondering what to do. The rules of this place undid, by definition, any perceived means of communication. Perhaps that was the key: any emulation of sound, sight or touch could not be formed, but what of the abstract? If Cam got lucky, Dustin's imagination didn't cover that. Cam focused, like they practiced in meditation: let everything you are flow, easy, and there, pull it together into a single clear note. He pushed that towards Dustin's awareness, praying he didn't push too hard. Dustin's response would've knocked him off his feet if he was standing. There were no words in that, but there was no doubt that Dustin had recognized him. Cam re-gathered his concentration and tried to form a sense of what was going on that would find its way without being too abstract. Once he had the array of clumsy concepts, he tossed it at Dustin. There was a moment of absolute silence, absolute stillness, and Cam was beginning to get truly afraid - and then Dustin's consciousness suddenly shone brightly, violently, and Cam could almost see -

Lying on the grass, morphed Tori running towards him. Dustin was already focused on her, so Cam just exited towards his next target.

---

"Dustin! Oh, god…"

He pushed himself to his feet and caught her as she launched herself at him. He was still trying to figure things out - what was that place, how long had they been gone - and holding Tori gave him something to do while he tried to figure things out. Finally she pulled back a little, clicked open her visor and wiped her cheeks.

"You got out on your own or did Cam come to you too?" she asked.

"Cam," he told her. "What was that place?"

She looked at him oddly. "He didn't tell you?"

"Like we could talk there."

"Well, I guess it was just different - that alien, Eyesac, he trapped us inside our worst fears."

Oh. Dustin's eyes widened in understanding. Yeah, that made a lot of sense. "Everyone else - are they - "

"I only woke up seconds before you did," she told him, then slapped open her comm. "Go for Tori."

"Welcome back," said CyberCam. He sounded distracted. "Cam went after Shane, and I'd really appreciate it if you broke Hunter and Blake out of Eyesac's chest, so I can finally blow him up."

They looked upwards, at the Samurai Star doing battle with a giant Eyesac. "Did you just say…" began Dustin.

"Never mind." Tori cut him off. "Our gliders aren't maneuverable enough - not if we're stuck between a zord and an alien - we'll have to think of - "

"The tsunami cycles," said Dustin. "If we leap from one of the rooftops, we should be able to punch in."

---

"Yuck!"

"I hear you." Dustin, who was slightly better with the bike, managed to keep his from falling over in the landing. "Good thing those tires were made for mud."

"And that slime is enough like mud," grumbled Tori as she picked herself and her bike up. "All right, let's find them and get out of here."

"Over there," said Dustin, pointing to what could have been a particularly slimy area of connective tissue. "I saw something dark in there, large enough to be a person."

They made their way over slowly. Between the slime covering everything and Eyesac's sharp movements because of the battle he was engaged in, it was hard not to trip every other step. When they covered about half the distance and the two trapped Rangers became clearly visible, Tori swore. "Dustin, does that look like white beams to you? The stuff holding them?"

He wiped some slime from his helmet. "Maybe. Why?"

"Because Blake said - " She hacked a tendon out of their way, "That when they were captured on Lothor's ship, that time when Choobo tricked them, there were white beams that held them in place. And this Eyesac, he's so big on the things we don't like - "

"That it's showing even in here," agreed Dustin. "I hear you."

They finally arrived. Dustin unsheathed his sword also. "All right. Let's get them out of here."

---

Like something out of some story, Cam thought: a train station, perhaps, with so many different people walking about, strangers to each other, or maybe some purgatory where people were forgotten until the end of time. The place had no form, no shape, no sense of light though Cam could see; and there were so many people walking, talking, but Cam didn't know to whom and he could not hear a word they said, only see the movement of their lips. They were less than holograms to him - no intelligence he could converse with.

Considerably more detailed than Dustin's abstract fear, then, but likely more similar to that than to Tori's. Still, Cam was pretty sure that somewhere in this crowd there was a visible representation of Shane that he could interact with. If he could find it, that is: after several minutes of searching Cam stopped in place, frustrated. He really needed to find Shane.

Something familiar blinked at the edge of his consciousness. Cam started in that direction. The signal disappeared several times, but always appeared again when Cam was about ready to scream. Finally, he got close enough to find his way visually: there was a group of people standing in place, almost in a circle. The sight of them made Cam pause: his father was there - in both human and guinea pig bodies - as well as the Rangers, Kelly, and three people who had to be Shane's family - a young man who looked like a slightly older, slightly taller Shane, a tall islander woman and a Caucasian man.

Cam pushed his way through the crowd and got closer.

Shane was sitting in the middle of the circle, knees drawn up to his chest and his head bowed down. He seemed to be moving a little - Cam couldn't tell if that was rocking or shaking, but either was bad. He kneeled by him. "Shane?" he asked carefully.

No response.

Cam tried again, and then put his hand on Shane's shoulder. Far away, much further than Tori had been: Cam assessed the distance and wondered how he was going to bridge it.

First find out what's going on. He got up and considered the small circle. He'd probably hate whatever any these representations said - who would hurt the least? He walked over to Kelly, considered the way the visual representation tied in with everything else, and pushed.

"…kind of glad you're not pulling that many shifts here anymore, really. You do scare people away, you know? Nobody likes to be made to feel stupid, and you're really good at that. Which is really ironic, considering that it's you. Actually…"

Cam had heard enough. He disengaged from Kelly's representation. Then, out of some morbid curiosity and also to confirm his guess, he walked over to the representation of himself and established contact.

"…stupidest decision of his life. Worst student in his year, hopeless in anything but the martial arts, and I could've taken him when I was twelve. And he's the leader of the Power Rangers?"

Cam broke contact, breathing hard. That was a long time ago. He'd actually said things this vicious and worse, though not where Shane could hear. Not that that small measure of discretion mattered any: Shane apparently noticed every frown and each condescending look - or perhaps his imagination had just been very accurate. Don't wallow, Cam told himself sternly. It won't do any good. He walked over to Shane and sat down beside him. Now the distance made more sense: Dustin had that mental plasticity going for him, the worst of Tori's fears had only a few months to take root, but Shane must have been nurturing this fear since he was old enough to think.

Summoning every recollection of every time that Shane had come through, or that Cam had turned to him, he put his hand on Shane's knee and tossed the memories across the chasm.

They fell into the darkness and disappeared.

Cam tried, again and again, forming the memories into a rope, into a steel cable, and they never made it across. He'd tried tossing words and ideas, as he'd done for Dustin, but those haven't made even a third of the distance.

He had to get to Shane somehow.

Something moved. Cam tried to reach, and everything settled as it was previously.

Cam stared.

He backtracked the last moments, trying to figure out what had happened. It happened precisely the same. This was ridiculous. He had to - of course. He thought of how long he'd been wandering through the Wind Rangers' nightmares; he thought of Hunter and Blake, last seen inside an alien's chest; he thought of Marah crying, hugging Cam's body along with her teddy bear; he focused on how much they all really needed Shane to drag himself out of this. Then he tossed that across the darkness.

It caught.

It was, Cam thought as he kept up the beacon, a really bad way to do this. If someone had been pushed into thinking they're good for nothing, then being needed had to hurt like hell. It worked - better than comfort or affirmations had - but Cam could also tell the pain.

By the time Shane finally raised his head - slowly, like moving was painful - and established eye contact, Cam was pretty sure that the crowd around them had sneered considerably.

"Nightmare," said Cam before Shane could say a word. "A trap. I'm not sure what you remember, but everything after your battle with Zurgane isn't true."

"Are you real?" asked Shane. He sounded like he'd been screaming.

"Last I checked."

"Where are we?"

"In your head, I think."

"In - " Suddenly, he seemed quite alert. His thoughts flashed too fast and unformed for Cam to follow, but there was worry there - for Cam. "How do we get out of here?"

Cam looked at him, considered a thousand different answers. He'd seen enough for one day. "Remember when Hunter and Blake raided Ninja Ops and kidnapped my dad, and I freaked out?"

"Yeah," said Shane cautiously.

"When you said it's going to be fine," said Cam simply, "I believed you."

Shane stared at him. "What are you trying to say?"

Cam was tempted to shrug. "That you're doing a great job?"

Shane was aware, Cam realized with a start. He wasn't surprised by what Eyesac had dragged out to the light - if he was surprised at all, it was only by some of these things turning out to be unreal. There was a rush of affection, when Shane finally understood -

And when sunlight hit eyes that weren't his, Cam escaped to Ninja Ops and discovered that Marah was crying into his hair.

"Marah," he said. His voice sounded like he hadn't used it in a long time.

"Oh, Elements, you're back."

"Yeah." She helped him sit. His senses were shot - nothing worked right. He wasn't even sure that he could hear properly, though he could see Adam sitting by the main console, presumably talking to the other Rangers. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Tori and Dustin are still in - "

"What?"

"Inside Eyesac," she clarified, pushing him back. "Getting Hunter and Blake out. Don't even think about standing up. I'll pour you some tea."

Cam blinked at the pot. "When did that get here?"

"I thought you might want it when you wake up." Adam turned around. "I just finished briefing Shane. Welcome back, Cam."

"Thanks."

Marah only half-filled the cup, and he discovered that he could hold it on his own. "Thank you," he said again, fervently.

"Quite welcome," said Adam, considering him seriously. "How bad?"

Cam thought about it. "I'm going to shut myself in a psi-isolated lab and not come out for a month. How is CyberCam holding up? How long was I gone?"

"About ten minutes. And fine."

The comm beeped. "They're out!" announced CyberCam. "I'm shooting down this ugly!"

This was followed by a whole chorus, but Cam ignored it. He turned to Marah. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"Did it actually help?"

"A lot," he told her. She needed the contact to believe it, so he reached out to her.

She nodded, lower lip trembling.

It wasn't just the fact that someone was holding him, and awaiting his return, he thought. It wasn't just that that person was thinking You're my family and blazing with the determination not to lose anyone more than she already had. She didn't even know that about herself, but Cam knew it now - if Eyesac had tried for Marah, he wouldn't have gotten a hold: she couldn't imagine anything worse than what she'd already been through, and she knew for a fact that she could find her way out of that.

Cam squeezed her hand. "Thanks, cousin," he said softly.

---

His backpack was where he'd left it, but Parker wasn't. Which wasn't such a surprise - Eyesac had gotten a lot of people and many of them stayed mobile until his destruction freed them - but it was still a right pain. Thankfully, CyberCam had been able to locate Parker on visual surveillance and send Shane in the right direction.

What Parker was doing in the skate park was anybody's guess.

He was sitting on a bench, attaché case by his side. He could have been waiting for someone or he could have been lost on thought - Shane's bet was on the former turned into latter. He only noticed Shane's approach at three feet, but when he did -

"Shane!"

- Shane found himself on the receiving end of a fierce hug that did not do his bruised ribs any good. Hugging back was instinctive, even though he couldn't remember when was the last time Parker had really hugged him.

"Oh, god, thank goodness that you're all right. Shane, I'm so sorry."

Shane blinked, trying to make sense of the situation. Parker's eyes were red. If there was any doubt that Eyesac had gotten him, Shane had just dismissed it. "Hey, hey, slow down. I don't know what you think happened, but today's alien - "

"Yes, I heard the notification with everyone else. No, Shane - earlier, when you told me to run?"

"Yeah?" asked Shane cautiously.

"I didn't. Not very far, at least. I ducked under a tree."

Shane recalled the scene - the distance from the trees - and he was pretty sure that it was all over his face when he realized.

Parker had to have seen.

"I saw - I saw when you - " Parker's voice broke. "And then that other alien appeared and you went down, and I think I screamed, and the last thing I thought before he got me was that the last conversation we ever had was that stupid argument, and how wrong I was about everything. About you. God, Shane, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," said Shane awkwardly. "It's okay." He tried to pat Parker on the back, and his brother pulled him into another hug.

"You realize you can't tell anyone, right?" said Shane when Parker released him. "No one outside the team knows. You have to keep silent."

"I understand," said Parker. "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" asked Shane, very carefully.

"For - for the way I talked to you. What I said. I - " Parker looked away. "I'm so proud of you," he said quietly, then looked again at Shane. "And I think I don't even know who you are, anymore."

It was Shane's turn to look away. He didn't really want to say it - had never wanted to say it, or at least not in years, but he couldn't remember when was the last time that Parker really listened, and this could be the only chance he'd ever have to get this one across. "I missed you." His voice barely made it past his throat. "I missed you, man, since I was six, and you were in junior year and got all serious about school, all of a sudden." When he finally dared look at Parker, his brother was looking at him with an expression Shane couldn't read.

"I guess that's what I'm apologizing for, then," said Parker. He spread his arms. "I guess I can't make up for it, but do I get to try and make it right fro- "

Shane just hugged him.

A couple of feet behind his back, someone cleared their throat. Shane turned.

Hunter looked like he couldn't decide whether to loom or to look sheepish. "Just wanted to make sure you're all right," he offered.

Shane forced his throat to unlock. "Yeah," he said. He took a deep breath. "Hunter, this is my brother Parker. Parker, this is Hunter. He's," Shane's voice dropped, "He's our Crimson. He saw me morph," he added as Hunter's pupils widened.

Hunter deflated. Barely.

"He's also my boyfriend," added Shane.

Parker hadn't even blinked. He held his hand out to Hunter. "I guess I'm both glad and honoured to meet you, then."

"I heard about you," said Hunter neutrally.

"Only bad things, I presume," said Parker dryly. "What?" he demanded at Shane's expression. "This is California in the third millenium, and I have not been living under a rock for the past ten years."

Hunter nodded. "Team sleepover tonight," he told Shane. "Dustin's and Tori's moms are currently fighting over who gets to put up with us. We're meeting after dinner, Tori will probably tell you where."

"Shane, if you want to skip dinner - " offered Parker.

Hunter snorted. "If he skips a single moment he can spend with you," he said, matter-of-factly, "I'm kicking his ass. See you later, Shane."

"Hey." Shane caught his shoulder, turned him around and squashed the air out of him. "See you later."

Chapter 33: Balloons

Lothor dragged his eyes over the alien Zurgane brought to the bridge. "Really, Zurgane," he said. "Couldn't you find anything more cliché?"

"This is kind of going beyond cliché," added Kapri. "I think balloons were the thing in villain parties, like - uh, never?"

Zurgane gave her his best condescending look. Kapri rolled her eyes, exuding disinterest.

"Do not judge a warrior by his camouflage, my lord," said the alien. "I am Inflatron, and my balloons may serve a wide spectrum of combat uses."

As Inflatron rattled off the list, Lothor's posture changed from a sprawl to leaning forward, and a smile came to his face. "Why, Zurgane," he said. "I believe you may have finally found a good one."

"Thank you, Sir," said the general stiffly.

Lothor leaned back and gestured with his hand. "Well, then, proceed. What are you drawing there, girl?"

Kapri turned her sketchpad to him. "Party plans," she said, flashing a bright smile. The pad read, Inert gasses, actually. "For when Zurgane's alien beats the Rangers."

Lothor huffed, tapping his acknowledgement on the throne's armrest. "Remind me why I employ family, again?"

---

The alarm went off at nine in the morning. Of course. It had been a while since Lothor attacked in the middle of school hours.

"What have we got?" asked Adam.

"An escapee from a preschool party," said Cam. "Parents would love this one. See those balloons, the long purple ones? Sleep gas."

"Will your helmets filter it?"

"According to the spectroscopic analysis, yes."

"What exactly does it do in a human body? Does it decompose on its own?"

"On its own, definitely not. Whether there's an enzymatic pathway that can handle it…"

"On it," announced CyberCam. "I have all of the NLM database to go through and maybe some NSA documentation to break into, so give me half an hour. Oh, and Hunter says he and Blake are available. They're streaking over now."

Cam nodded and pushed himself up from the chair. "I'll go join them, then."

---

"Hey, you!" barked Hunter.

The alien turned around. "Hello. I don't recall inviting you to this party?"

"We don't recall anyone giving you license for a street rave," said Blake, tipping his staff threateningly.

"My name is Inflatron," said the alien, "And I don't appreciate party poopers."

"Tough luck," said Hunter, and charged.

Within half a minute, they discovered that their elemental and staff attacks had little effect on Inflatron.

"These are pointless," growled Hunter, creating a shield to keep away a barrage of round, explosive balloons.

"Yeah," agreed Blake. "We could really use a sword here."

Their comm chirped. "Somebody called?" said Cam's voice.

"About time," muttered Hunter. "Long ones are gases, round ones are explosives."

"Noted."

A speck of green somersaulted down from a rooftop. Cam landed gracefully. "Last chance to retreat, Inflatron," he warned.

"You think!"

Cam shook his head. "You asked for it."

Ten seconds in, Cam shrugged off his shield and switched to the Super Samurai mode. Even then, though, he did not manage to so much as scratch Inflatron's body.

"You don't want to do that, Ranger," warned Inflatron after Cam had tried stabbing his sword straight into its body. "I am full of noxious fumes."

"Sorry," said Cam. "I'm not in the habit of taking evil space ninjas on their word."

He charged forward, but Inflatron had already teleported away.

---

Adam raised his head as the three Rangers, already demorphed, entered Ops. "No confirmation on the noxious fumes," he said without preamble. "The material his main body is made of blocks our sensors."

Cam nodded, heading straight for the main console. "How's the chemical analysis going?"

"Some of this stuff will decompose naturally, some has existing antidotes, and I'm developing antidotes for the rest," said CyberCam. "I'm in contact with Blue Bay's hospitals."

Hunter raised his eyebrows. "What happened to 'can't produce antidotes'?" he asked.

"Those were antibodies, not antidotes," Cam informed him. "It's the difference of organic chemistry from protein synthesis."

"Forget I asked."

"What I'm more worried about," said Cam, "Is that my sword was unable to harm him. You and Blake sufficiently established that blunt weapons are not the order of the day - "

"What about the Winds' Gold Mode?" asked Blake.

Cam shook his head. "It isn't significantly different from my blade. As a multitude of destroyed kelzack furies would attest to that."

"Don't I wish I had a Thunder Blade now," muttered Blake.

"What's a Thunder Blade?" asked Cam curiously.

"You trained with one?" asked Adam, surprised.

"Blake did," said Hunter.

Simultaneously, Blake said: "Got something I can draw on?"

Cam handed Blake a tablet. Adam gave Hunter a quizzical look.

"This is a Thunder Blade," said Blake, sketching quickly. "The staff body is longer than a standard Thunder Staff, breaks into two parts instead of six, and is made of the same alloy. It has one scythe-like blade at each end - they look something like this - and here's the real candy. Each blade is embedded with a Sky Gem. The Sky Gems capture the energy from a Thunder Ninja's elemental attack and channel it into the blade, so theoretically," Blake added several kenji at the side of the sketch, "It should do the work, regardless of how tough this guy is. You know how good we are at blowing stuff up."

"It's a highly advanced weapon," added Adam. "Typically, Thunder students don't practice with it until they're almost ready for graduation."

"Sensei ordered Léan to start training me with it three months before Lothor's attack."

"Just you?" asked Adam. His voice was carefully neutral.

"Yes," snapped Hunter.

Cam studied the sketch. "I analyzed the composition of your Thunder Staffs a long time ago, and I believe I have the design of these blades somewhere in the library. I could build the skeleton for such a weapon within a few hours. The only problem is obtaining Sky Gems."

"Yes," said Hunter caustically. "Not a big deal at all."

"They used to keep gems like this at the Academy," said Adam. "For new weapons."

"The Thunder Academy was demolished."

"So was the Wind Academy," said Cam. "But even if no one had made it through, Ninja Ops would still be here, with everything that is in it."

"If Sensei Omino had a secret bunker, we don't know where it is," said Hunter.

"Does the term 'handheld scanner' ring any bells to you?" demanded Cam.

"We may also have another option," said Adam. "I recall a robot by the name of Bop-a-Roo - you fought him sometime in October, I think?"

"Yeah, I remember that one," said Hunter. "What about it?"

"You and Shane combined attacks back then," said Adam. "Your power to his sword."

Hunter nodded. "If we did that again, with the Gold Mode on top…"

"Exactly."

Cam looked torn. "It could be interesting to get a Sky Gem," he said finally. "If only for research purposes. With the new neutrino core, the teleporter could get you to Stone Canyon and back without a problem."

Hunter's expression became a mask.

"Even if we do this," said Adam. "It will have to wait. Nobody's going on their own, and we need at least Blake or Hunter in town. So long as the three of you are the only available Rangers, nobody's going looking for anything. Okay?"

"Okay."

---

When Tori headed for her van after school, she found Blake slouched in the passenger seat.

"All right," she asked as she swung in and closed the door behind her. "What's going on?"

"There's a new alien in town."

"So I heard."

"And it looks like we may need a weapon that may be buried at the Thunder Academy."

"Really."

"Well - we can sort of improvise a similar effect. Like Hunter and Shane did against that boxing kangaroo? You and I can do the same thing."

"Just us? I mean - "

"Yeah, it takes the colour resonance for the power transfer to work. Or something. Cam's explanation went over my head."

"As usual," she muttered. "But you still want that weapon, huh?"

He nodded.

"I am not driving us to Stone Canyon," she told him. "Forget it. Do you have any idea - "

"Cam says the teleporter can take us there and back, no problem," he interrupted.

"Cam's in on this?" she asked, surprised.

"Intellectual curiosity," said Blake, fighting back a grin.

"Uh-huh." She knew that look. "So who's against the idea, and who have you strategically not told?"

"Hunter hates the idea," he said, "And I may have failed to mention this to Shane."

She looked at him, exasperated. "If you think Hunter doesn't know you and hasn't alerted Shane to this, you're so wrong."

"Please?"

She sighed and tapped her comm.

"Go for Shane."

"I was ambushed in my van by a very determined Navy Ranger."

Slight pause. "Christ, Tori, what did we say about those jokes? Is he still on about that field trip?"

"Yes," said Blake irritably.

Shane sighed very audibly. "Fine. But when CyberCam calls and says you're coming back now, you're coming back right that instant. He did tell you that it's either you and him or Hunter and me and that's it, right?"

"Yes," she told him. "Shane, we're not five years old."

"You, maybe," he informed her. "Everyone else, I'm not so sure. Stay safe."

"Thanks. We will."

---

"I don't believe I'm saying this," said Tori as she and Blake prowled through the ruins of the Thunder Academy, waving their scanners, "But this place looks worse than the Wind Academy does."

"We had less vegetation to start with," Blake told her. "And Lothor's forces got here earlier in the day. Maybe they were still fresh, or something."

"Maybe, or… Blake! Over there!"

"What? My scanner doesn't - oh."

It was, unmistakably, a tent.

Blake and Tori dropped to the ground.

"Think we were spotted yet?"

"No - there's nowhere here to hide - we would've seen them."

"Not if they're peeking at us from in there. Who could it be?"

"It has to be a ninja that got away."

"Or that Lothor released," said Tori. "Cam says clans all over the world were captured, Blake. He and Sensei haven't been able to contact anyone."

"But some made it through. What about Adam?"

"How many ninjas like that are there, Blake? Who hadn't been in touch with their clan in years?"

"Not a lot," he admitted.

The whole time they were arguing, they were also crawling towards the tent. When a figure came out, though, they stopped.

The woman stood, as if waiting.

"Léan!" hissed Blake.

"Who?"

"Sensei Omino's daughter - "

"How could she - "

" - was with her mother's family in Ireland at the time of the attack."

"Even if she's from one of the European clans on her mother's side - "

"Her mother's not a ninja. Druid."

Tori breathed sharply. "Yes, that could explain it. But it would still be better to get a confirmation from Cam that she's clean."

"We'll have to bring her in, then."

"Blake, we're not morphed, and we can't morph now. Not if there's any chance she saw us before."

"Tori, I know her. We practically grew up together. I'll think something up."

She hesitated. "All right," she finally said.

They rose to their feet.

Léan shadowed her eyes with her hand, and then withdrew a knife.

"Blake?" she called. "Is that really you?"

"I could ask you the same, Léan," he called back as he and Tori walked towards her.

"Who's that with you?"

"A friend."

"No names," hissed Tori. They got close enough that she and Léan could glare at each other.

Sensei Omino's daughter was dressed in a ninja's field uniform that did nothing to hide her full curves, a messy copper braid falling halfway down her back. Slightly slanted brown eyes glinted suspiciously in a heart-shaped face. "You know my name," she told Tori cooly.

"I trust her with my life," Blake told Léan. "Is that good enough for you?"

"I don't know her," she told him, "And you used to trust me, too. Since when do you hang with Wind Ninjas, Blake?"

"Since they watch my back. And I haven't seen you in a few months, Léan. Things have been weird around here lately."

"You don't say!" she exploded. "I came back three days ago. What's going on?"

"That's a long time to be out of touch with your father," said Tori.

"Communication was kind of impossible where I was," snapped Léan.

"She's right about that," Blake told Tori. He turned to Léan. "Look - when I say things have been weird, I mean it. What you see here is just the beginning. Very few people made it through and some - it's hard to explain. We'll need you to see a friend of ours before we can tell you anything."

She crossed her arms on her chest. "And how do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't!"

Blake and Tori turned around. Inflatron was standing there, waving his balloons.

All three ninjas fell into a stance.

"I don't remember inviting you!" Tori yelled at the alien.

"What is that?" demanded Léan.

"That," Blake told her, "Is an evil space ninja."

"You're kidding me!"

"Actually? No. Duck!"

The three ninjas threw themselves sideways as Inflatron launched explosive balloons at them.

Blake slammed his comm. "Get us out of here, now!"

Light flashed. When they could see again, the three of them and Léan's tent were on top one of the cliffs north of Blue Bay Harbor.

Léan picked herself from the ground. "This," she said slowly, "Is nowhere near where we were."

"We're still in California," offered Tori.

"What's going on?" demanded Léan again. "But I suppose that if that thing attacked all three of us then we're on the same side."

"Or you're a plant," Tori told her. "Been there, fell for that, not falling for that again, sorry."

Cam appeared out of thin air.

"What…?"

"She already knows we can do that," said Cam.

"Is he that 'friend' you mentioned?" asked Léan suspiciously.

"Yes," Blake told her.

"She's clean," said Cam. He jerked his thumb towards Léan's tent. "Anything important in there?"

"Yes," she said defensively.

The world turned to light again. When teleportation released them, they and the tent were in Ninja Ops.

Léan turned around slowly. "What…" She froze. "Adam?" She launched herself at him. "Adam!"

He hugged her, typically blushing. "Good to see you too."

"I haven't seen you in eight years! What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are," he told her. "Looking for my family."

She shook her head. "What is going on here?"

"Almost seven months ago, an army of space ninjas led by a Dark Ninja banished from Earth attacked the ninja clans all over the planet and captured all the ninjas," Blake told her. "Graduated ninjas that lived apart from the clan were mostly captured, too. You, Adam and a friend of Adam's are the only ones we know of who survived."

"Who are 'we'?"

"Well, Hunter's around also."

"I'm Tori."

"I'm Cam."

She gave Cam a very pointed look. "Watanabe's son?"

He inclined his head.

"I heard you're not a ninja."

"Lucky for us, or I wouldn't be here."

"Yeah, and all of us would be dead," added Blake. "Look, Léan - " He took a step towards her, passing by the collapsed tent.

The scanner in his hand went off.

"Do you have Sky Gems in there?" demanded Cam.

"What would you know - "

The alarms blared.

Adam was first at the console. "Shane, Hunter, Dustin, get to the park now! Backup is on its way." He flipped another comm switch. "Marah, lab three!" He turned around. "Tori, get out there. Léan, if you have two Thunder Blade quality gems, give them to Cam, now. Then I'll explain everything. I promise."

She looked at him suspiciously, then went over to her collapsed tent. "That explanation had better be good."

---

"This," panted Shane after the third time an explosion threw him back, "Is a totally sucky way to do battle."

"I hear you," growled Hunter.

They had tried to do battle as they had against Bop-a-Roo, but it didn't quite work. Explosions and blasts were completley useless, and Shane's sword was not made to direct energy that way. They'd tried that three times - Tori and Dustin occupying Inflatron in the time it took Shane and Hunter to prepare or recover - and they weren't getting anywhere.

"You ready for another round?"

"Not like we have a choice. Power of - "

Their comm beeped to life. "What do you want first, the good news or the good news?" asked CyberCam.

"The good news."

"Blake is on his way, and Inflatron was full of hot air when he mentioned those noxious fumes. He's harmless. Sort of."

Shane let out his breath. "Thanks, CyberCam. I just hope this weapon's all it's cracked up to be," he added to Hunter.

Hunter shrugged. "Depends on what quality gems they found. Blake's a natural with the thing and Cam can build anything."

"Guess we're going to find out."

A navy-blue blur streaked in, and Tori and Dustin dove out of the way. Inflatron, though, shifted to Shadow Spar too.

The explosion two seconds later knocked everyone to the ground.

"What the - "

"Look, half his balloons are gone!"

Whatever had gone on while Blake and Inflatron had been in Shadow Spar, it resulted in the alien losing more than half of his balloons. Blake took a full second to estimate the damage and charged again. More explosions and clouds of gas followed as Blake took out the rest of Inflatron's arsenal.

"They'll grow," said Inflatron as he picked himself up. "They'll all grow again. And you can't kill me."

"That's what you think," said Blake. The calm of his words was contrasted by the storm cloud that began to form above him.

The air around Inflatron rippled as he, too, summoned his power.

Thunder clapped as Blake snapped the Thunder Blade in two. He cast one half at Inflatron, using it as a short spear. "Power of Thunder!"

The blade embedded in the alien's torso. He howled in pain.

The blade in Blake's hand glowed brightly in a thousand shades of blue. "Power of the Sky!"

With a great rush of wind, Inflatron exploded.

---

It had taken the two megazords, the Samurai Star, and nearly every power sphere they had, but they managed to destroy Inflatron's giant size as well.

Shane halted when they entered Ops, and he wasn't the only one. "Who…?"

"Léan?" demanded Hunter. "What are you doing here? Where did you come from?"

"We ran into her at the Thunder Academy," said Blake. "She's been with her mother's family. She gave us the gems. Thanks, by the way."

"You're welcome."

"Um, excuse me," Shane didn't look very sorry, "But - who is she, again?"

"Misaki Léan Kearney Omino," she said, holding out her hand. "Daughter of Sensei Haruki Omino."

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Cool to meet you," said Dustin. "You have good timing."

"So it turns out," she agreed. She turned to Hunter. "Good to see you."

"Yeah, you too." He checked his watch. "I have to go back to Storm Chargers - I left my bag there and I don't want Kelly to lock it in."

"But - " started Dustin.

Tori stepped on his foot.

"If you think you're streaking now, you're so wrong," Shane informed him.

"Here." Tori tossed Shane her keys.

"Thanks, Tor."

Hunter glowered. Shane returned the glare.

---

"Oh, gods, do you know how long it's been since I've had a real hamburger?"

Adam's curls bounced as he laughed. "How long were you in Ireland, again?"

She laughed too and leaned back in the booth. "It was a good idea to eat out."

"Cam needed the space, and you've had an interesting day."

"And had been eating canned food for three days before," she muttered. "I still can't believe half of this."

Adam shrugged. "Some of this becomes less weird with time. The rest, we've been raised to handle."

"I never knew - about what my father had left for them," she said quietly. "Did he know - about you?"

"Yes, he knew why Rocky, Aisha and I had to move to Angel Grove."

"Aisha?"

"You wouldn't remember her."

"Long story?"

"Long story."

"Léan? Hunter and Blake - how much of it is the last year, and how much is…" He looked away.

"Blake's more confident than he was last I'd seen him," she offered. "Hunter's pretty much himself."

"This is not like I remember him," said Adam in a low voice.

"He changed a lot after their parents were murdered," she agreed, voice dropping even lower. "They both did."

"Blake's at least recognizable."

"He's mostly a good actor." She stirred her drink with the straw. "But yeah. Hunter. I'm surprised he's even talking to anyone but Blake."

"They tell me he didn't use to," said Adam wryly, then his expression crumbled. "Everybody learns that people can hurt each other at some point, but sometimes…"

"The team's good for him," Léan said after a moment. "It was hard to believe, actually."

"Teams are like that," agreed Adam.

"Do you think they can do it?" she asked, her voice nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

"Yes," he said simply. "You know what they are."

"Is that enough?"

"Usually, it is."

---

She found him in his study, scribbling notes on a copy of the stolen scroll. Kapri walked in quietly. "How much more?" she asked.

Lothor lifted his head and paused in his writing. "Quite close, I think," he said. "I think there is only one more requirement left of the first tier."

"Really?"

"Yes, but it's a curious one." He tapped his pen against the scroll.

Taking that as a signal, Kapri bent to take a look. "That's not a ninja thing," she said. "At least not of any school I've ever heard of."

"True," he agreed. "But it will happen. All we have to do is wait."

"And empty the barracks," she said. "Zurgane's hiring five new warriors per week."

"Really?"

"Well, not exactly," she amended. "And we did get a lot destroyed the past few weeks. He's just catching up."

"Ah, good old reliable Zurgane." Lothor shook he head. "One of my best purchases ever, if I say so myself."

Kapri just shrugged.

"Was there anything in particular you wanted, Kapri?"

"No. I just wanted to see what's going on."

He nodded and lifted his pen. "Very well, then. Good night, Kapri."

"Good night."

Chapter 34: Threshold

Notes:

If you were planning on taking a break anytime soon, it's now or at the end of chapter 36. Or 37.

And i'm warning now, because I don't trust anyone to take a breather during this mini-arc: chapter 35 and 36 are violent, disturbing and somewhat suggestive on top. For scale, let's say it's somewhat less teen-safe than Watership Down.

Cam hadn't known that anything was wrong until he tried to leave Lab One for a glass of water. Lab One was his primary research facility, and lately also his designated quiet room: he'd finally realized how to build psi dampeners that could be turned low enough to not make him stop breathing. With Ops' main room having effectively become a family room and CyberCam running interference, Cam had been spending as many Lab One hours as he could.

When the headache started he'd been staring at the small details of his latest Power Sphere design for five consecutive hours, so Cam thought that had to be the reason. He stretched, massaged his temples, switched a display and gave it ten minutes. He was going to give it twenty, but the headache was getting worse fast. Cam decided that maybe a short walk would do him good, and maybe - as unlikely as it seemed - he'd gotten a little dehydrated. So he got up and headed for the door, thinking he'd walk upstairs to the kitchen and get a glass of water and maybe some fruit.

He bent over as soon as he stepped out of the door, even before it closed behind him. The headache became blinding, and now he had nausea on top and his entire body was aching like he'd been beaten all over. Instinct, more than anything else, made him turn around and toss his body back into the lab.

Cam lay on the floor, panting, his body recovering in the aftershock of the pain. It receded as soon as he was inside. Psi-related, then: but even when he had accidentally switched Tori and his dad it wasn't this bad - that had been just noise, albeit very loud. He tried to remember if he'd ever hurt like that. He dragged himself up into a sitting position. There had been one time, one time only, even before he'd become a Ranger.

He buried his head in his hands, trying to think.

"Cam?"

"Yes, CyberCam?"

"I know I'm not supposed to listen in here, but - your vitals went totally haywire when you were in the corridor earlier. Thought I'd check up on you."

"Something's wrong," Cam told him. Gingerly, he pushed himself to his knees and then tried to stand up. "Something that I'm picking up."

"You sound like this has happened before."

Cam collapsed in a chair. "The day Hunter and Blake kidnapped my father and tried to kill him. I woke up with the migraine from hell, and inexplicable EM waves…"

"…kept making stuff malfunction around here all day. You think that was repressed psi, trying to warn you?"

"Maybe," Cam muttered.

"It didn't warn you of any other threat, including Enza."

"I know. But the facts are, in here I'm fine. Outside of the dampened perimeter, I collapsed."

"I have an idea," said CyberCam, "But you'll need to give me control in there if we want to do it safely."

"Gradually lower the dampeners?"

"Great minds think alike," confirmed CyberCam, "But I'd like to be able to snap them back up if you collapse again."

Cam typed in a security code. "Access granted. Reducing dampening field by one percent per thirty seconds."

"That's awfully slow."

"I don't know what I'm looking for and I don't want to reduce the field more than is absolutely necessary. Now let me concentrate."

When CyberCam stopped the descent at 60 of the original power, Cam was still alert and demanded to know what was going on.

"Your body's already reacting," the AI told him. "Parasympathetic system. Give it a few seconds, you'll feel it."

"The nausea is back," said Cam after a brief hesitation. "Headache's become pounding. But there's no noise."

"Noise?"

"Yes, usually when - whenever I have problems with the psi, there's always noise first, pain later."

"Was it noisy that time?"

"I wouldn't know."

"What about the absence of noise?"

"What?"

"You can't take full psi blockage," CyberCam pointed out. "Maybe some signal is missing, and it didn't bug you too much behind the dampening field 'cause all signals are proportionally reduced, so it didn't make a lot of a difference."

"I was going for a glass of water because I had a headache," Cam told him.

"I'm turning the dampening back up, bro. You're getting real sick, there."

"Check on the Rangers," muttered Cam. "I'm always picking them up so much stronger than anyone else."

"I would've noticed if anyone's vitals were off."

"Check visually."

"Dustin is at Storm Chargers, check. Blake and Tori are watching a movie at her place, check. Shane is at the promenade skate park, check. Hunter's meditating, check."

"I want a comm check."

There was a brief pause, as CybeCam called everyone simultaneously and awaited their response. "Everyone checked in except Hunter. Trying again. No response."

"Give me the visual on him."

One of the monitors lit up, showing Hunter in a seiza position next to a rock. The location was not one Cam recognized - it looked like a slope and there was vegetation, so somewhere in the hilly area east of town.

Cam licked his lip. "Teleport him in here."

"You mean - "

Cam cut him off. "You say his vitals are fine. Whatever's wrong, no sensor will pick it up. If you teleport him to the main room I won't make it there. In here, we can control how much I pick up."

"I'm also calling Adam down here."

"Probably a good idea."

Hunter's sitting form materialized out of the prismatic glow.

After a few tense seconds, Cam said: "Reduce field by ten percent."

"Cam - "

"I'll need at least that to pick up anything substantial."

"Done."

Cam got up, walked over, and crouched next to Hunter. "How long had he been up there?"

"An hour."

"I only had that headache for maybe fifteen minutes," muttered Cam. "Lower by another ten percent, please."

"And that's all I'm giving you before Adam's down there."

Cam reached out and brushed his fingers against Hunter's cheek. "Nothing," he said. "Just - " Abruptly he got up.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying something. If he's in there and I'm out here - " Cam doubled over as soon as he was outside Lab One, and immidiatley turned back inside.

"That was stupid."

"We just proved that it's the absence," Cam told him. "If it was any kind of positive signal, that wouldn't have happened."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Hunter's not there. At all."

---

Adam's frown deepened as Cam and CyberCam relayed the situation to him. When they finished, he walked over and sat in front of Hunter's sitting, empty body.

"Absolutely nothing, Cam?" he asked.

"Nothing," said Cam. "We sufficiently proved it."

"Huh. What's in his hand?"

"What?"

"He's got something in his right hand." Adam leaned in. "Some kind of stone. It's green. And I think it's glowing - it's pulsing."

"No." Cam pushed himself out of the chair and crouched next to Adam. "Or yes. This explains things. Idiot!" He leaned back. "That," he told Adam. "Is a fragment of the Gem of Souls. Apparently he's kept one, and I've no idea what he tried to do with it, but that's one very powerful, very dangerous artifact to play with."

"How come we never detected it?"

"Dude, you don't really want to know," said CyberCam. "Suffice it to say, seriously weird energy patterns. Can't read it unless the scanner's practically on top of it."

Adam fell back on his haunches. "Cam, how much did your father teach you about these aspects of the ninja powers?"

"We've already been through that," Cam told him. "Nothing."

"And I didn't stay around to learn enough." Adam let out a long breath. "CyberCam, patch Léan through, please. She's the only fully-trained ninja we have," he reminded Cam. "And there's everything she learned from her mother, too."

Cam made a face, but nodded.

"This is Léan," came her voice over the comm speakers.

"We need you here," said Adam. "As soon as you can come."

"What happened?"

"It's Hunter."

"Elements." They heard a few loud breaths and some rubble rolling. "All right. Beam me up."

Two seconds later she appeared at the lab, covered in dust: she'd spent the last four days salvaging what she could from the Thunder Academy, only coming in twice to pick up food supplies and grab a quick shower.

"Ever heard about the Gem of Souls?" asked Adam without preamble.

"Obviously, yes."

"It got shattered a few months back. As each fragment maintains the power of the whole, the guys tossed them into the ocean. Except that Hunter's kept one."

Léan's eyes slid to Hunter's motionless form. "What happened?" she asked.

"He's not there," Cam told her, "And he's holding that fragment."

Léan swore again, softly, and walked over. She kneeled by Hunter and, very carefully, examined the gem shard he was holding. "It's pulsing," she said.

"We noticed that."

"At about forty beats per minute, and he's sitting in a meditational pose. It's beating in time with his heart." She got up and turned around. "How long has he been like that?"

"Up to one hour, at least twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes wouldn't have done it," she muttered. "All right, help me lay him down, and we have to keep his hold on the gem and not touch the thing ourselves."

She'd tried reaching Hunter through their common element, and got no feedback at all. She'd tried invoking ninja spirits to aid them, and got nothing but a blank wall of silence and a headache. Then she went off to fetch some artifacts which she'd left at Ops for safekeeping a few days before. Adam used that time to go upstairs and fetch a pillow to rest Hunter's head on. This prompted CyberCam to teleport in a blanket, saying that Hunter's body temperature was getting lower.

Léan returned with a small stone basin, a mortar and a pestle, several bags of dried herbs and a large water bottle. The herbs gave a faint citrus scent as she ground them into a fine powder. She added a little water, and rubbed some of the thick paste onto Hunter's forehead. She chanted the soft words of the ritual over and over, but to no effect. She poured water into the basin and tried a search instead.

When she raised her head from the basin and shook her head, her face was grey with tiredness. "I can't reach him," she said. "I don't know if it's the gem, or those weird powers of yours, or what - but I can't so much as get a clear idea on where he is, or how he got there."

Adam turned to Cam. Cam shook his head.

Adam let out a slow breath. "Cam," he said, "Sometimes when you pick up people it's a passive thing, and someone's you're reaching, right?"

"Yes, but…"

"Can you avoid reaching, completely? Even if you couldn't read someone who's right there talking?"

Cam blinked at the odd question. "I think so."

Adam fished out his mobile phone. "I'm calling Shiera. She's psi-shielded, so don't reach at her no matter what. It'll give you the migraine of your life or worse."

"Noted."

"Who's Shiera?" asked Léan.

"Another Ranger," Cam told her.

Shiera must've picked up by then, because Adam said "Hi," and then, "Can you drop by?"

The sharp green glow followed in seconds.

Four feet ten, maybe five feet; missing twenty pounds if she was thin to begin with, thirty otherwise; sharp eyes in a gaunt face, and the very way she stood suggested physical strength. Cam would have thought her fragile if it hadn't been obvious just how dangerous she was - and where there should have been moving impressions of thought and emotion, there was a blank wall. Adam's warning had been in place: otherwise Cam would've reached just to ensure she was real.

Her long black braid whipped as she turned her head, surveying the room. "Is he why you called me over?" she asked, indicating towards Hunter's prone form.

Adam explained.

"What can you tell me about that gem?"

"It's a powerful spiritual aid," said Léan. "Essentially, it acts as an amplifier for one's natural abilities and may also serve as a ritual focus."

"Very helpful." She kneeled by Hunter and closed her right hand over his wrist, directly over his morpher. "That mountain's an opening to the Dead Lands? What's the gem got to do with it?"

"I don't know."

"Are you sure?"

"What's wrong?"

Shiera pressed her other palm against Hunter's forehead. "The anchor's broken."

"What?"

"You mean his spirit's not anchored to his body?" demanded Léan. Her face turned white. "If that was true then he wouldn't still be - "

"He's a Ranger," snapped Shiera. "That's the only reason this body's still got a pulse. Cam, get over here. Where's your morpher?"

Cam brought his amulet out of his shirt and kneeled by her. Shiera lifted her right hand and put it over the amulet. A large ring on her middle finger flashed brightly. Her morpher - Cam could hear the power resonating.

"Same set," she said. "He's still got a chance. We need the rest of the team here and fast."

"Excuses for the whole afternoon?" asked CyberCam.

"What do you mean?"

"What's going on?"

"For the night too, and six identical clear glass bowls. Has he ever lost someone?"

"His parents," said Cam. "What's going on?"

"Will drinking glasses also do?" asked CyberCam.

"Yes. I think he's looked too hard towards death and got sucked in that direction. Trying to contact someone is the most likely explanation."

"His parents' spirits showed up, back then at the mountain."

"The rest of the team is on their way," said CyberCam.

---

Adam met the other four Rangers upstairs, briefing them before allowing them down. Marah also joined them, bringing cushions for everyone. Shiera sat by Hunter's side and wouldn't say another word until everyone had gathered.

"It works like this," she told them. "There's the Living Lands and the Dead Lands, and in between them there's a buffer zone. That's what we call the Spirit Lands. There's the first threshold between here and the Spirit Lands, and there's the second threshold from there to death. Hunter's at least halfway between the two thresholds. The further a spirit is from the body, the more the body weakens; the weaker the body, the faster the spirit drifts away. The only reason he's not dead yet is because he's a Ranger, and the only reason you even have a chance of finding him and dragging him back in time is because your morphers are a set, built to work together, and you'll be snapped right to him given a doorway. We're going to build you a safety net and then I'll open you a doorway. Questions?"

"What do we do?" asked Blake.

Shiera pointed at the six plain glasses arranged in a circle. "Pour power into these and take a seat. One by one."

Shane was first, filling one glass halfway with a swirling red glow and sitting down on one of the cushions. Tori was next, condensing water from the air and packing as much power into it as she could. Dustin condensed dust particles into fine sand. The fourth glass, which should have been Hunter's, remained untouched, and Blake left an open space between Dustin and himself. Cam closed the circle.

"Settle in comfortably," Shiera told them. "We may be gone for hours. And when we come back, nobody says a word until either Hunter speaks or I tell you that it's all right. This is critical. You have to remember this."

They settled more comfortably and voiced their understanding. Shiera laid her left hand over Hunter's heart. "Here we go," she said, and closed her morpher hand over his.

---

He was falling. There was nothing but open air to his one side, and a solid rock face to the other. Shane called the power to him, halting his fall. When he saw an opening in the rock he pushed himself in, landed with a roll and rose to his feet - into a chamber he remembered well: the cave at the Mountain of Lost Ninjas where Hunter had almost killed Sensei with that blasted gem. Shiera was already there, and Tori, who turned around at his entrance, and before he could ask what was going on the rest of the team appeared also, one by one.

"Now that we're all here," said Shiera, "Anyone recognize this place?"

"Dude, we all do," said Dustin. "This is the Mountain of Lost Ninjas. The gem came from here."

"This is where Hunter saw the spirits of his parents."

"Our parents," said Blake sharply.

"I thought you said you can't come with us?" asked Shane.

"This is the first threshold," she told him. "The border mark between the Living and the Spirit Lands. This is as far as I go."

"Why are we here?" asked Tori. "Is it because this place is special?"

"This isn't the Mountain," said Cam. "It's just - a memory, I think."

Shiera nodded. "Hunter's memory. This is where it starts."

"Where what starts?"

"Whatever path he took." Shiera touched the altar that the gem had rested on. "What would this place mean to him? What would it remind him of?"

"Guilt," said Blake.

"Anger," said Shane.

"Lothor convinced Blake and Hunter that Cam's dad had murdered their parents," explained Tori. "They brought him here to kill him, and then their parents - their spirits - showed up and said that it was Lothor."

Shiera exhaled slowly. "This explains a few things," she muttered. "That's what you're going to have to work through. Everything that led him here, it'll prevent him from coming back. You'll have to undo it, somehow."

"How?"

Shiera shrugged. "Everything you'll see is a memory or a thought. Think of what they'd mean to him, just like we did here. And you've got a house psychic so listen to him. He's the only one of you who can see this place for what it is."

"Anything else we need to know?" asked Shane.

Shiera shook her head. "May the Power protect you."

Chapter 35: Another Trust

Notes:

Points if you can figure where the chapter's title from, and reminding that this chapter is not recommended for 1 a.m. reading.

There was a tunnel that led into the mountain, in the direction from which the spirits had come and to which they had disappeared. The five Rangers went down that tunnel. At first Shane insisted on leading, but very soon it became too dark to see anything and Cam pushed to the front of the line, insisting that they all hold hands so as to not lose each other.

"There are no turns," said Tori after a few minutes. "There's only one way."

"Maybe that's our morphers leading us straight," said Dustin.

"God, I hope so," muttered Blake, and then, "Does anyone else smell salt?"

"Salt?"

"Yeah, like the sea."

"No, I don't."

"Maybe."

"Yes! I can smell it too."

"We're almost there," said Cam suddenly. "Or at least I think we are. Hold on tight, it might get -"

The tunnel didn't have an end. It just disappeared, casting them into sudden and blinding daylight. When they could see again, they discovered that they were indeed standing at a shore. Winter waves crashed against the rocks.

"No," said Tori. "Oh, no. Does anyone else recognize this place?"

"Unfortunately," said Blake.

"Couldn't agree more," said Shane.

"Yeah," said Dustin.

"I don't," said Cam.

"You weren't here," Tori told him. "This is Toxipod's island."

"One of the worst places in Hunter's memory that we could land in," said Blake.

Dustin shaded his eyes with his hands. "Look!" he called, pointing further down the beach. "Does this look familiar to you guys?"

Tori squinted. "Are those us?"

They started in that direction.

"Dude, this is not how it happened," said Dustin. "Cam wasn't there, for one thing, and - "

In the battle before them, the Crimson Ranger feinted and then caught the Yellow Ranger's sword, using it as a conduit. Yellow's body spasmed. Blue and Navy hadn't picked themselves up in time, Red was blocked by the sparks and Green arrived precisely in three seconds, when Yellow demorphed. Crimson dropped the blackened body and turned. His staff caught Green under his chin.

The five teens stood thirty feet from the scene, frozen with shock.

"Did he just - "

In the battle before them, the Navy Ranger was shouting, trying to organize the others. Red and Blue weren't listening, though, and Crimson swept them aside easily. Green tried to use that time to switch to the Super Samurai mode. Crimson used the vulnerable moment when the chest plate wasn't protecting him anymore but the transformation wasn't complete yet and moved in, shooting him point blank three times in quick succession. Navy threw himself in, but Crimson sidestepped him, snatched his Antlers and then turned the combined, more powerful weapon, at the Green Ranger who was lying by his feet.

One shot was all it took.

Tori turned aside and vomited.

"Jesus."

"This is not how it happened."

"No," said Shane. His voice was harder and colder than any of them had ever heard it before. "This is how he dreamed it. Tori, don't look!"

Too late, though. Crimson had fired a shot at Navy, tossed Red headfirst into the rocks and picked up Blue. His hand was tight around her neck and he was amping out power. When she demorphed he dropped her and picked up one of the swords that were lying on the sand. Shane tried to warn Tori just as the Crimson Ranger's figure slashed her face with two almost delicate strokes and then slit her chest open: ninja swords, it seemed, cut through human bone like butter.

Dustin caught Blake's shoulder as he swayed on his feet. He didn't look a whole lot better.

The Navy Ranger charged, screaming. The Crimson Ranger pressed down the trigger and didn't let go. He didn't lose his mark for a second. The Navy Ranger never made it through.

Shane had pulled Tori close; she, in turn, reached for Blake despite his resistance. Cam refused Dustin's hand with a sharp shake of his head.

The Crimson Ranger dropped the blaster and the borrowed sword and walked over to the single survivor. He picked up Red and pressed him against one of the boulders, arm pressed firmly against his windpipe. Eventually, Red demorphed.

The landscape blurred. When things came into focus again, the battle had begun anew.

"Oh god, I can't watch that again."

"If Hunter can, so can we," snapped Shane. He and Cam had been the only ones who hadn't looked away at all during the first run.

"That isn't Hunter," said Cam. "Just like it isn't us."

"But Shiera said we'd be pulled directly to him," said Blake.

"That's not Hunter any more than the rocks or the ocean are," said Cam, impatiently. "It's all Hunter. It's like we're in him."

Dustin looked down at the ground, startled. "So if we - "

"Don't be an idiot," snapped Cam. "Sand is not a representation that can be communicated with. Those," he indicated towards the nightmare figures, "Aren't either."

Three energy discharges in quick succession.

Cam pointed to the top of a nearby bluf. "What we're looking for is up there," he said.

Tori shielded her eyes with her hand against the glowing sky. "Looks like someone standing up there. Could be Hunter."

"It's Hunter," said Cam quietly.

"Not going to start doubting you now," muttered Shane. "Let's find a way up."

"I can't get any feedback from the ground here," said Dustin.

"That's because there is no ground," Cam reminded him.

"I think the path starts there," said Tori. She started in that direction, tugging at Blake, who kept glancing backwards. The Crimson Ranger had just kicked aside the Samurai Ranger's burnt body.

"So," asked Blake as they began to climb. "You think Hunter's actually dreamed this stuff?"

"I'm pretty sure, yeah," answered Shane. He'd bypassed Tori and taken the lead.

"You ever talked about that?"

"Hunter, talk? You're kidding."

"Actually, I'm not."

Shane stopped and turned, sending down a small cascade of pebbles. "Dude, you sleep in the same room. How could you miss that?"

"Hey, hey, whoa." Dustin pushed past Cam and positioned himself between Shane and Blake. "Look, it doesn't matter, all right? We need to get to the top of that bluff as fast as possible. We're against the clock here, remember?"

Without a word, Shane turned again and resumed walking. Tori put a hand on Blake's arm, let Dustin pass them and then stayed by Blake's side as they continued to climb.

Or intended to: everything blurred again, and when they could see they were standing at a hill overlooking the moto track - and they were only four. Down below, there were three riders by their bikes, talking.

"Cam - "

"That's really Dustin," said Cam. "Not really Blake, and sort of Hunter."

"Sort of? Never mind," added Shane, not waiting for an answer. "Let's get down - ow!" He'd slammed into an invisible barrier.

"Dustin was the first one to get killed in the nightmare," said Tori.

"Nobody's getting killed!" snapped Shane. He hit the barrier.

Tori pulled him back. He shook her off.

The scene changed sharply: now they seemed to be at the front area of Storm Chargers. Dustin and the semi-illusionary image of Hunter were at the shop's work floor, talking. Hunter was cold; Dustin seemed upset. The vision was perfectly silent, though.

"This is freaky," muttered Tori.

"No, really," muttered Shane back.

Blake attempted to approach Dustin and Hunter. Tori grabbed him and pulled him back, hard. "Not you, too!" she said angrily.

Dustin was getting upset. Hunter's image maintained his calm.

The scene switched to the track once more. Again they were too far to see what was actually happening beyond Dustin and Hunter standing by Dustin's bike.

Then things blurred and they were back at the path, and Dustin looked every bit as upset as he did in the intermittent visions.

"Everyone is real," said Cam before anyone could ask.

"Dude, what just happened?" asked Dustin. He wasn't just upset, but also spooked. "I thought - were Hunter and I just talking?"

"Sort of Hunter and yeah, we saw that," said Shane. "What happened?"

Dustin rubbed his nose.

"Let me guess," said Blake. "Hunter was being mean as he can be."

"No kidding," said Dustin emphatically. "And the weirdest thing is - last thing that happened before we were all suddenly back here? I told him to knock it off."

A barrage of shots sounded from the shore below.

Cam stepped aside and looked through the boulders. "Huh," he said after a few seconds.

"Now what?"

"Dustin's body is missing."

"What?"

"Hunter just shot Blake dead," said Cam. His voice was too tight for his tone to count as matter-of-fact. "And he's presently strangling Shane. Tori's and my bodies are there. Dustin's body should be right next to mine, but it's not there."

Things blurred. The sequence restarted. The Crimson Ranger was fighting only four others.

"So why didn't this switch thing happen now?" asked Tori. "Does it only happen every few cycles, or something?"

"Or maybe we need to keep moving," said Blake. "Hunter's up there."

"I think Blake's right," said Cam. "Perhaps these switches are only triggered when a certain proximity has been reached."

"Clock's ticking, guys," said Shane grimly. "Let's keep moving."

---

He kept expecting his feet to fall right through the sand and pebbles. None of it was real: not the island around him, the sky above or the sea below. It was even less real than CyberCam's hologram: even light counted as substance compared to this ethereal place. The noise was rather terrible - anger and frustration weighed on him like lead, and a fear so deep Cam had to constantly remind himself to keep breathing; and snatches of thought that came and went, words laced with worry and doubt and images distorted with them. It was somewhat comparable to what walking through seaweed had to be like, and Cam was tempted to wave the visions out of his way.

So when he found himself at Ninja Ops, blood and shattered glass coating the deck and the tip of a marohoshi knife at the base of his throat, he might have been tempted to consider it just one more illusion if the mental presence of his four teammates hadn't been diminished to a distant murmur, and Hunter's presence had become overbearing.

It was more like a dream than he'd previously realized: he could read the script of it from the snatches of Hunter's thoughts that he caught, felt his dream body respond and struggle, felt the tip of the marohoshi press harder against the skin. A marohoshi used like this wouldn't injure but kill straight away. Hunter was a Ranger in this time and place, and he wasn't; and Hunter had all the advantages of height, weight and hold on him. He could feel Hunter's hatred across his skin, the need for vengeance stabbing ahead of the knife.

Cam broke through the surface of the false recollection, gasping for clarity. This wasn't real and had never been real. Cam made the truth into a jitte to turn aside the sword of hatred, and slammed into a wall of fear. His cheek was pressed against rough stone, shoved down with his back bent painfully by a strong hand. This was less familiar, the hurt more fresh, and even though he'd seen the image of this place on the way Cam had to pull it out of Hunter's memory.

He had maybe a second and a half before that gem came down, destroying his supposed Dark Ninja-like powers - would Hunter ever forgive him that one - and the one certain thing was that he had to stop Hunter from -

Even Hunter didn't truly believe that he'd do that. Cam pulled that thread, anxious and angry and just too frantic to care about any consequence other than getting Hunter to stop. That bought him another half a second, and Cam used the almost whole second he now had to push at Hunter that if he hadn't done it the first time he wasn't going to do it at all.

And then there was fake light in his eyes and the worry of five people like a weighted fishing net. He covered his ears, closed his eyes, but it didn't help against the real sensory onslaught. Still, after a few seconds he began to regain his balance, and the image of his body must have relaxed enough for the others to broadcast a little less worry. He removed his hands from his ears just in time for the wave of nothingness that was another restart of the cycle.

"You look like you're gonna keel over," said Dustin. Anyone else would've made it just sound mercilessly blunt, but that and Dustin did not go together. "Anything any of us can do?"

Cam shook his head. "I don't think any of the usual methods would work here. Everything is too loud."

"We're now missing two bodies down there," said Shane. "Any new insights?"

Cam considered. "It was actually remarkably similar to Dustin's experience. It stopped when I essentially told him to."

"He wasn't holding a knife over my head!" exclaimed Dustin.

"Different histories," said Cam dryly. "Can we move on now, please?"

---

It was three restarts later before anyone said anything more than, "Watch out for that stone, it's loose."

"I'm worried about the next one," said Blake. "These things seem to get more violent each time."

"I know to expect that," Tori told him.

"It's not the only thing," he answered tightly. "You're the only one he didn't kill flat out."

"No, that would be Shane. Maybe I'm wrong, but he's still alive when this thing ends and starts over again."

"Everyone else - damnit, Tori." Blake stopped. "What's the point of - "

Things blurred, and then they were in Storm Chargers - and Tori was standing with the others. Or rather, one of her was: the other one was flirting with another Blake, while the only Hunter at the scene was sulking by the counter.

Tori turned on the spot, wide-eyed staring at the others. "What's going on? Did the rules just change on us?"

"Maybe."

"I don't know."

"Or maybe we haven't got a clue what the rules really are," said Shane. "Tori, do you recognize this scene? Cam, any clues?"

"Nothing," said Cam shortly.

"It could have been any of a thousand days," said Tori exasperatedly.

"I didn't recognize anything in particular either," said Dustin. "I mean, it reminded me more of before that whole kidnapping Sensei thing, but that's just because he was less freaky after that."

"Where are the rest of you?" asked Blake. "Cam's not a regular here, but Dustin and Shane should be present."

"Well, it could have happened," said Tori.

"Or it never did," countered Cam. "This scene could, and probably is, synthesized out of several memories."

"Why's Hunter just standing there and doing nothing?" wondered Dustin. "He never does that."

"Yeah, Hunter never broods," said Blake.

Shane frowned. "Not like this, even when this place is this empty. He usually finds a corner or goes to the back or something."

"He's not brooding," said Tori quietly. "He's watching."

"Watching?"

"You and me."

"Oh, Tori, come on, not that again."

"What does it looks like, Shane? Because the way I see it, Hunter's standing there glaring at Blake and me talking, and what we're doing here is strolling through all the stuff he doesn't like."

"Hey," said Blake sharply. "Hunter would never…"

She turned on him. "Would never what, Blake? Would never look at me like he'd rather I drown? Would never find a thousand reasons to talk to you if we've been chatting for ten minutes? Get real, Blake."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm still expecting someone to pull out a knife or a gun or something," muttered Dustin.

"No physical violence so far," agreed Cam.

"In that nightmarish sequence that had you so worried," continued Tori. "What were you going to say right before we turned up here?"

The colour was slowly rising in Blake's cheeks. "That you're the only one he injured before killing. Which is pretty pointless."

"That was disfiguration, Blake, not injury. He made sure to cut up your girlfriend's pretty face before killing me."

"'You can't trust your brother anymore,'" quoted Shane softly. "'That pretty blue Ranger convinced him to join up with them.'"

Tori turned aside, anger diminished and pain cutting across her features. "You remember that?"

"You do," he told her. "I don't think you'll ever forgot."

"I didn't," she admitted quietly.

"Am I missing something?" asked Cam.

"That's what Choobo said to Hunter," explained Dustin, "Right after he got zapped with that beam."

"Right before he tried to kill all of you," said Cam bluntly.

"Yes," said Blake harshly. "And that was a lie."

"It wasn't to Hunter!" exploded Tori suddenly. "All right? It wa - "

Suddenly there was only one Tori, and she wasn't standing with them.

"What the hell?"

"Stop that!"

"Dude, seriously!" Dustin wrestled both Shane and Blake away from the invisible wall which was separating them from the scene.

"It's not like we can get bruised here," snapped Blake.

"We can get killed here," said Cam sharply. "Let Tori work it out."

"Work what out?" asked Shane.

"How to change the script," said Cam. "Dustin - did you encounter any resistance, earlier, in telling Hunter to stop?"

"Yes, actually." Dustin frowned. "Now that you mention it, it really was kind of like - like working against an expectation, or something."

"That you'd be mellow enough to take any abuse," agreed Cam. "That I wouldn't try to defend myself from him. That Tori wouldn't care."

"That's ridiculous," said Shane. "She's been worried about that right from the start, man."

"But he didn't know it," said Cam quietly. "Look."

In the scene that was playing behind Blake's and Shane's backs, Tori seemed to be wrapping up her conversation with the fake Blake, and then she walked towards Hunter.

"Any second now," said Cam.

Hunter noticed Tori. Storm Chargers disappeared, they were back at the path climbing up the cliff and Tori was crying. Shane cut past Blake and held her. She buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I kept telling you not to be ridiculous about it, and…"

She shook her head. "I think he's an idiot," she said into Shane's shirt. "He has to be if he can even think - whatever he's been thinking."

Meanwhile, Dustin was climbing over the boulders to take a look at what was happening down at the seaside.

"Yeah, well," muttered Shane. "He can be a moron."

"Stop insulting my brother," said Blake.

Shane gave him a look over Tori's shoulder. "Even you don't believe that."

Tori stepped back and wiped her face on her sleeve. "All right," she said. "Let's move on."

"A moment," Shane told her.

Everything blurred.

Dustin was heading back. "Only you and Blake down there," he reported. "We're going to have things blurring on us every half a minute, now."

"We'll live," said Blake. "Can we keep going, now?"

"Yeah," muttered Shane.

---

They were almost as the top when, finally, the scene around them did not reform into the island. Instead, they were standing between an open kitchen and a small living room - all five of them.

"What - "

"Where - "

"No way," Blake was slowly turning on the spot, eyes wide. "No way. It can't be."

"What, Blake?" asked Tori quietly.

"This is - " Blake swallowed. "Our - our parents' house. This is before…" His voice broke.

"Oh, jeez," muttered Shane.

"Yeah," agreed Dustin. "This is going to be so bad."

A kid came out of one of one of the doors to their right. He looked about eleven and had a mop of untidy blond hair.

Blake made a strangled sound.

Shane had gone distinctly pale. Tori had her hand covering her mouth.

The kid was barely recognizable as Hunter, and not just because he was missing a foot and a few inches, and still had childish narrow shoulders and a round face. The expression this kid wore was strikingly different from what any of them - save Blake - had ever so much as imagined on Hunter.

The kid walked over to the kitchen. He stood on his toes and took a bowl out of the closet. He put it on the table and then gathered a spoon, a placemat and a box of cereal from the counter. He reached for the fridge, but then something seemed to catch his eye. He let go of the fridge door and went towards a door that was slightly ajar.

He went in.

The kid who emerged seconds later was barely recognizable as the same one who'd gone in, but easily so as the boy who'd grown into the Hunter they knew. For a moment he stood there, maybe two feet away from the small group, and then he returned to the room he came from, locked it and ran out the front door.

The breakfast dishes disappeared from the table. A few seconds later, kid Hunter emerged again from the first door.

Tori turned to Blake. He had gone completely grey, and was leaning against the wall for support.

"That's their room," he said, not waiting for her to ask. "Where he - just before it started again. And it's the right age…" Blake gritted his teeth. He looked as though he'd suddenly turned eight years younger - which was quite accurate, considering the circumstances.

Young Hunter reached for the fridge door.

Blake pushed himself from the wall.

"Hey, what…"

"I'm going in with him."

"Forget about it," snapped Shane.

"Oh, yeah?" Blake was still grey, but he stopped shaking and was looking rather angry and thoroughly dangerous.

"Yes, yeah," shot Shane back. "You don't need to - "

"Of course I do!" shouted Blake, the last remains of his control shattering. "This is why we're here! I never even knew he - " He broke off and looked aside, breathing hard.

"You didn't know he'd seen?" asked Tori.

Blake shook his head.

The scene restarted.

"Don't stop me this time," said Blake.

Very deliberately, Shane stepped back and crossed his arms on his chest.

Seconds after Blake went in with the younger version of his brother, they were standing at the too-bright path leading up the bluff again.

Tori went over and hugged Blake. He didn't pull back, but it took him a long while to return the hold.

Shane started as if in the direction of the boulders, but Cam pushed him back. It was the first contact he'd initiated or so much as accepted since they had come out of the tunnel. "Don't be an idiot," he said sharply. "You know what you'll see there. We'll have the reboot every ten seconds now as further proof. And if you think I'm letting you go anywhere where you might fall off the way you're on right now, you can think again."

"I second that motion," said Dustin. "You look like crap."

"I bet we all do."

"No offence, but…"

"It keeps going from bad to worse, all right?" Shane's face contorted. "We've been through four of these - whatevers, so far, and it keeps getting worse. And after this, after what we - what Blake just had to see, I…"

"You wonder what it'll be for you," completed Cam quietly after a few seconds, when it became obvious that Shane wasn't going to. "Very likely it'll be hell. It's also guaranteed to be different."

"Yeah?"

"In all the times we've watched this scene roll," said Cam, still speaking quietly, "We haven't seen Hunter actually kill you. It always ends before. You break the pattern."

"Excuse me if I don't find that particularly comforting."

"I agree that it isn't," said Cam. He turned around. "Blake? Tori?"

"A minute," called Tori.

"I'm fine," protested Blake. He looked anything but, and he'd lost his lunch while the rest of then were arguing, but he seemed all right enough to stand and walk on his own. "Let's finish this thing."

When Shane pushed to the lead of their little group, Blake didn't try to push past him.

Chapter 36: Tread Softly

Notes:

If this chapter was a stand-alone story, it would've had a number of warnings on it.

This chapter is extremely personal for me. It has to do with - well, that would be a long story.

If i've done my math right, this chapter - the last of Arc Four - had been originaly uploaded at roughly the second birthday of this story.

When he came around that last bend and saw Hunter by the bluff's edge, about sixteen feet from him, Shane halted.

"What's up?" asked Dustin.

"I thought…" Shane turned halfway, so he could simultaneously look at Hunter and the others. "How can we be here already?"

"If you think the last few feet don't count," said Cam, eyeing the remaining distance suspiciously, "Then you're wrong."

"Just go ahead, Shane," said Tori quietly.

"Against the clock, remember?" demanded Blake when seconds passed and Shane hadn't yet moved.

Shane's jaw clenched. Without a word he turned his back on them and walked towards Hunter.

Fifteen. Fourteen. Thirteen.

At ten feet, the scene changed. It transformed smoothly, in the blink of an eye, without the blurring Shane had become accustomed to.

Plantlife decimated; rocky ground that could have been fertile; stars unblocked by light pollution blinking brightly; a full moon overhead; and the chill of a winter night in the mountains against his bare arms as he stood there in clothes that did not belong in this season.

Shane froze.

He knew where and when he was. There were no dreams, no 'script' as Cam had called it, weighing him down, but he didn't need them in order to place this scene. He remembered this. Of course the island path had led here: this was the night of the same day.

"Do you mind stepping back?" he asked.

Hunter half-turned, but said nothing.

"The edge," said Shane. It was hard to speak through the way his chest seemed to have collapsed around his heart. This had been bad enough the first time around. Now, knowing that with each second Hunter's soul was drifting closer to death, Hunter standing mere inches from the edge of a bluff was -

One step. Two. Five. Shane halted at half the distance he'd been.

Hunter had still not said a word, and was merely regarding Shane with eyes that were unreadable in the dark.

"Aren't you going to ask what I'm doing here?" he asked, prodding for an answer, a reaction, anything.

Hunter shrugged minutely, turned away a little. "We've already established that you don't know when to turn back."

"Are you warning me away?" asked Shane, taking another step forward.

Perhaps that was another tiny shrug; perhaps it was only Shane's imagination.

"What ever happened to 'don't let me push you away'?" he challenged.

"What are you doing here, Shane?"

Hunter sounded… weary, nothing more. Bone-deep tired, as if he didn't really care anymore for either the question or the answer. He was still staring down the drop.

Two more quick steps. Shane stood behind Hunter and a little to his left.

"Trying to bring you home," he said earnestly.

Hunter shook his head.

Very gently, afraid that Hunter would turn or flinch away, Shane put his right hand on Hunter's left shoulder.

Hunter turned towards him, not dislodging Shane's hand in the process.

This wasn't Hunter of five months before. This was Hunter as he'd been revealed to Shane in the last four weeks, simultaneously defenseless and guarded, face hollowed and hallowed in the changed light of after dark and eyes that were like staring down a storm.

This was Hunter, Shane was sure, and not some reflected distortion. This was it, and Shane could bring him home or lose him.

His heart beat fit to burst.

Hunter's eyes never left Shane's as, infinitely slow as he always did these things, he raised his right hand and put it on Shane's right shoulder.

Shane's lips parted, wanting to say Come home or You scared me or You idiot.

Hunter's fingers dug into his shoulder and he threw them both over the edge.

---

They fell forever; they fell only for a heartbeat; Shane didn't know. He did know that Hunter only relaxed his painful hold on him a fraction of a second before he hit soft sand, impact no harder than a fall taken during a spar. He rolled, rose to his feet and discovered that they were still at a shore but this was not the island: these were the rocks north of Blue Bay Harbor. Another memory that Shane identified only too well.

He wasn't surprised, then, by the brutal force of Hunter's attack or the viciousness of it. He hadn't even tried to play easy, or even fair. He retaliated with the same strength, the same ruthlessness, fighting like the world would end tonight and knowing he'd win this one.

Except he didn't. Either he miscalculated or the dreamscape shifted on him, bringing the rocks closer than they had been. Shane's vision exploded and then blacked as he hit his head, but he didn't need to see to know that he was being slammed against the cliff, held into immobility and a forearm pressed against his neck.

It wasn't the proximity of Hunter's face that he startled at when his vision cleared, but the raw emotion on it.

Hunter ground against him, slowly, purposefully, and in a frozen instant Shane realized that it didn't matter if this place pretended to be Blue Bay, California; this was the battle he'd seen maybe a hundred times that day, the broken mirror version of the showdown at the island. He knew it in the torn exhaustion of his muscles and in the stinging burns that hadn't been there a second before; he knew it by the scent of ozone and burnt flesh; more than anything, he knew it in Hunter.

This one would end with Shane's body tossed on the wet sand alongside the others, but in that single frozen second Shane saw in Hunter's eyes, sensed in Hunter's breath coming through his parted lips, what would happen before.

The dream was heavy about him. His body was worn out and bruised, burns searing and half a dozen different muscles pulled; he remembered his team falling, in these very last minutes; he didn't merely recall the whole damn day but was still living it; despair was choking him together with the arm against his throat, and he'd stopped struggling sometime between falling and being held up by Hunter's deceptively solid warmth.

It was an easy nightmare to fall into; there was nothing left to fight for, not that this battered body would obey any will to fight; they were dead, it was over, and Shane would be dead too when Hunter was finished with this last game.

He felt Hunter's tongue first, licking a tear away and then perhaps Hunter's lips, as those were already wet when they touched on Shane's cheek.

Shane squeezed his eyes tightly shut, refusing to look, refusing to cry. If there was reason in defiance it had been lost with the empty bodies cooling down; if there was honour in defiance for its own sake then it had been ridiculed by sorrow.

That emotion rose, unbidden, a shadow manifesting as a spasm of anguish that would have him cry out: that the man before him had struck out believing himself betrayed and nothing would be left but that.

Too tired and too defeated to hate, far too gone for wrath; still alive enough for pain, swept not too far out to care; the defiance undone by loss not reborn so much as replaced by something else, previously untapped.

Memory followed in its wake but Shane had already acted in the split second before that, strength born out of a depth of dread he hadn't known he could bear.

Labouring heartbeat; two sets of choked and ragged breath; urgent waves splashing on the sand; the echoes of a scream.

Six paces had never seemed so short a distance than they did as Hunter struggled up from the sand. The dreamscape shifted again and Shane was thankful for not having the cliffs at his back, and for there being nothing but salt and water on the air.

"No," he repeated, just loud enough to be heard over the waves. His throat was raw from that scream.

Hunter looked as beaten as he felt, standing there, and there was no way to tell which Hunter he was dealing with or what he could expect.

"No, what?" demanded Hunter, brushing sand off his arms. He sounded angry.

"No…" Shane struggled with the words. "Enough of this. Game over, end changed, we can go home now."

"You keep saying that," said Hunter. Whatever that emotion in his voice was, it made Shane's skin crawl. "Like it means something."

"Of course it does."

"Quit trying to save me, Shane."

"What?"

"Quit trying to save me!"

Hunter hadn't moved but the distance between them grew with that yell, as if the slew of emotions in it had pushed Shane away.

Shane swallowed.

"I'm not giving up on you," he said.

Was it his imagination, or had the distance slid wider? He took a step forward and, mercifully, it worked.

Oh, gods, he wanted to lash out. He was too tired and too frustrated to play games, but just freaked out enough to know that he had to: that he had to get it right, no take-backs or do-overs, and there were no second chances or backups.

He could beat the ever-living shit out of Hunter later; in that moment he needed to get to him first.

"Saving each other is kind of what we do here," he tried.

Hunter snarled. "You can't make things anything but what they are."

Shane took another step forward, arms spread sideways to communicate good intentions, but that step didn't catch hold and he remained at the same distance.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Stop doing that."

"Stop doing what?"

Another step. This one held. Two steps so far, four more left.

"Hunter," he tried again, very deliberately not thinking of how his voice sounded. "I can't do this alone, all right?"

"Do what, Shane?" asked Hunter quietly. "What are you trying to do?"

Shane closed his eyes against another wave of hurt. "Trying to get to you, I guess."

"Why?"

"What do you want of me?" Rather than push them apart, this shout seemed to have brought them a little closer.

"That was my question," Hunter told him.

"Well, I don't care, Hunter, all right? Enough with the godamn games already!"

Two steps' distance.

"Quit trying to save me."

Shane looked away.

"It doesn't work this way, Shane." It wasn't quite gentleness in Hunter's voice. Shane knew that tone: it was the one that came before the blow. "Think we can undo anything?"

Shane's throat was tight. "Can't change the past, if that's what you're asking," he said. He looked back from the ocean to Hunter. "But it's all right to hope for the future, right?"

"Can't change the past," agreed Hunter.

Things melted, light pouring over everything like water on watercolours and Shane blinked rapidly, trying to adapt to the sudden blazing day light -

He was standing at the edge of one side of a canyon. There were voices behind him, but he couldn't care less for them: there was a person crossing to the other side of the canyon, walking on air, and that person was Hunter. He'd almost made it all the way.

"Hunter!" he shouted.

Hunter halted.

"Hunter!" he shouted again. There was a barrier at the drop and Shane pushed against it, swearing.

Hunter turned around.

One side, two sides, almost all the way - it was a crystal-clear metaphor which Shane didn't need explained and Hunter needed to start walking back, right now.

The voices behind him were a lot closer now, distinguishable from one another.

"Hunter, damnit!" His fear broke way and he managed to put one foot across the threshold.

Hunter started walking back.

The backwash was sudden and powerful, a force grabbing him and pulling him backwards through a dark tunnel. Shane fought against it, angry, until he thought he heard others - saw a flash of Hunter's face - the cave at the Mountain of Lost Ninjas appeared for a moment and then there was nothing but air -

---

He was sitting cross-legged in a white room full of electronic equipment. The other Rangers were there too, sitting in a circle with him, and there was an empty space right before him. In the middle of the circle was Hunter, lying as if asleep, and next to him a small woman Shane couldn't place. There were six glasses, also in a circle, glowing like six coloured candles.

Shane blinked, recognizing Cam's lab.

They'd made it back.

Hunter's chest was rising and falling.

Shiera let go of Hunter's wrist and passed her hand over the glasses, as if banishing smoke. The power contained in them shot out to the six of them.

Hunter opened his eyes.

The world stopped.

Hunter's gaze swept over the circle. For a moment it seemed as though he was about to speak, but then he closed his eyes and fell asleep again.

Shiera smiled and said, "Don't even think about getting up before stretching," and Marah and the others moved in with glasses of water, and time started again.

"Oh, god, I'm parched."

"Ugh, my feet."

"Can I have another glass?" Tori gulped the second one down, too. "How long have we been gone?"

"About four hours," Adam told her.

"Is Hunter all right?" demanded Blake.

"Yes, considering the circumstances," said Shiera. "He's probably going to sleep for - Adam, what's their sleep cycle factor?"

"A half."

"About twelve hours, then."

"Better take him home, I guess."

"Might be a good idea."

None of them noticed when he slipped out.

There was a bathroom at the end of the hallway and Shane headed there, closing the door behind him. He leaned his fists to the sides of the sink and stared into the mirror.

Quit trying to save me.

Can't change anything.

He'd thought the others looked like hell, but he looked even worse. Right now Hunter was looking better than the rest of them, peacefully asleep.

Quit trying

If he was asleep.

Can't change

It'll be a while before that fear would

Anything

leave him.

Quit trying to save me.

"Damnit," hissed Shane, closing his eyes.

What do you want?

Doesn't work this way.

Quit trying

"Damnit, Hunter."

Can't change

"What's the point?"

the past.

"Why?"

Quit trying

"What exactly is this game?"

Save me.

Strange what screaming felt like when he had an actual throat to do it with and not a dreamed one, and later he'd realize that he was very lucky his power surged and broke the mirror out of his fist's way before he touched it but in that moment he was frustrated with the miss and hit again, hard enough to put cracks in the stone wall and then again. And again.

"Shane!"

Shane stopped. His breath was hard. He hadn't heard Cam coming in. He had no idea how long he'd been there.

"I think you put a nice hole in that wall," said Cam dryly, but then his expression became serious, worried. "We won, Shane," he said sharply. "We brought him back. What's wrong?"

Shane shook his head. His knuckles were beginning to burn. He looked down at his hand. He'd managed to tear the skin, and that would be one huge bruise.

"I wouldn't count on Ranger healing, if I were you," said Cam. Glass crushed under his shoes as he walked over. "I don't think our powers like self-inflicted damage much."

Shane shrugged.

"Did something happen?" asked Cam. "Between you guys falling off that bluff and all of us showing up at the canyon?"

Shane stared. "What? You didn't - "

"If anything happened between these two time stamps you and Hunter are the only ones who saw it," Cam told him, "And Shiera says Hunter will probably remember nothing. And if you don't want me to know," he added, voice sharp again, "Don't think about it when I'm in the room."

"Thanks," said Shane. "Can you - will you tell them that - "

"I won't tell them that we missed anything," Cam told him. "Except for Hunter, if he asks."

Shane swallowed back a protest.

"We brought him back," Cam reminded him.

"I know that," snapped Shane.

"I wasn't sure," replied Cam mildly, "Seeing as you're broadcasting more grief than everyone else put together, and Blake's pretty much a wreck himself."

Shane was too tired to answer that. He told Cam as much.

"Do you trust me?"

"What?"

"Guess you do," muttered Cam. "Try to remember that and not punch me in the face."

For a moment Shane thought to ask him what was that supposed to mean, but then he noticed: the pain was receding. "What the - "

"The emotional equivalent of a painkiller," Cam told him. "It'll start fading in a few hours, and I estimate you might get a full day out of it before it fades completely. I've never done it before, so I'm not really sure. What I am sure of is that it's better for both of us if I don't do this again, so use this time to sort out your head."

"Thanks," muttered Shane. Cam was right - it was a lot easier to think this way. Still, he didn't particularly want to dig into stuff at the moment. He looked down at his hand. "Shit."

Cam activated his comm. "CyberCam? Can you please get us a flat B-size thermocycler, gauze and medical tape?"

The 'thermocycler' looked like a flat gel pad with embedded electronics.

"It'll cycle between ice-cold and body temperature," explained Cam as he bandaged Shane's hand. "Ice this without giving you cold burns."

"Thanks. Not exactly inconspicuous, but…"

"Nobody's going to be surprised at you hitting a wall," said Cam wryly. "And I promise to leave out the graphic details. You're all set. Let's go back."

---

Marah met them outside the lab. She was carrying a pillow, a blanket and a rolled mattress. "Everyone went home," she told them. She handed the stuff in her arms to Shane. "Here."

"What's this for?"

"I thought you'll want to stay over with Blake and Hunter," she told him, surprised. "And Blake said they don't keep spares."

"Oh, right. Thanks."

"Sure."

---

Blake was already asleep when Shane teleported in, and he didn't so much as stir at the light that suddenly invaded the room. Shane took a moment to let his eyes adjust and looked around. There wasn't a lot of floor space, even if he moved some of the scattered stuff to the smallish kitchen area. He hesitated, and then spread his mattress in the small space between Hunter's mattress and the wall - and if Blake had anything to say about that in the morning, Shane couldn't care less.

He lay down, staring at Hunter's face in the meager light that drifted in through the shutters. Over. He rolled the word over and over in his mind. It's over, we're back, everything's fine. Except it wasn't, not really. He's going to be fine. For a while there that afternoon, Shane hadn't been so sure.

He closed his eyes. Over, he reminded himself, and Sleep, that usually makes things better. Or easier.

He opened his eyes again, letting the thousand thoughts fall into the shadow of Cam's wall. He would have to thank Cam for that save.

He was also too buzzed to fall asleep. His body was still expecting a fight, still aching all over from phantom bruises and burns. He wondered if he could talk everyone into a team breakfast at Ops - Tori's parents would never let them do that on a school morning - then remembered that if Hunter would sleep for twelve hours breakfast and school would crash and he decided to ditch the morning classes.

He was tempted to wake Hunter up just to hear him talk.

He hesitated.

Then, carefully - startling a ninja awake was always a bad idea - he reached out and found Hunter's hand. Almost surprisingly, Hunter didn't wake. His fingers even closed around Shane's, instinctively.

Shane sucked in a breath that almost became something else.

He curled a little closer - close enough that Hunter could sense him there if he dreamed, close enough that he could sense Hunter even with his eyes closed - and fell asleep.

Chapter 37: After the Fire

Arc Five: Storm Ascending

Each person is a star in a constellation of another's sky

---

He waited until he heard the second car leave the garage before going downstairs to the kitchen. A few seconds later, staring at the coffee machine and waiting for it to heat up, Shane was entirely unsurprised as Hunter let himself in without either knocking or having a key. Hunter had this thing with making points.

"If you even dare suggest cold pizza," threatened Hunter as he walked across the kitchen.

"I don't think we have any," answered Shane, taking another cup out of the cupboard. Hunter would find that out on his own anyway as he surveyed the fridge. "And pizza is food."

"Homemade pizza is," Hunter informed him. "If anything more complex than fried eggs has ever been cooked in this kitchen, it doesn't look like it."

"Pasta?"

"Less complex." Hunter closed the fridge, turned to the island and laid down tomatoes, bread and two kinds of cheese. "Tell me you have a toaster here somewhere."

"Two different ones," said Shane, pointing at the appropriate cupboard. "And bring the cream while you're there."

"Hey," said Hunter a moment later, as he located a cutting board and a knife. "Free afternoon today."

"Yeah, I know."

"Hey."

Shane turned his head and found Hunter staring at him intently.

"You didn't sleep well," said Hunter.

Shane shrugged. "Still the same weird dream."

"The fairy in the web?"

"That's the one."

"Of all the stupid dreams," muttered Hunter as he accepted his coffee from Shane.

Shane shrugged again. "It's harmless."

Hunter didn't look particularly convinced. He half-turned, cupping Shane's cheek.

Shane stopped mid-movement.

"Five days, Shane," Hunter said quietly. Shane didn't move and wouldn't meet his eyes. "You ever gonna tell me what happened?"

"Already have."

"Bullshit." But he let go, and Shane turned and walked off, busying himself with plates and cutlery. "This is getting old."

"The breakfast thing?"

"No, you thinking that you can lie to me."

Shane was still looking at the plates rather than at Hunter.

Hunter considered him. "I know what you're not telling me, all right?"

Shane froze.

"I know something happened between the cliff and the canyon," Hunter elaborated, and Shane relaxed infinitesimally.

"Cam said he'd tell you," he muttered, so low that Hunter barely caught the words.

"It's not about what anyone else has told me," Hunter said sharply. "It's about what you aren't telling me."

"Well, you don't need to worry about me telling Cam stuff I don't tell you," snapped Shane. "Your best friend, not mine."

"What the hell…"

"These sandwiches look ready to eat to me. What do we need to shove them in a toaster for?"

He couldn't let Shane evade forever, but he wasn't going to get anywhere that morning, either. Hunter decided not to push it. "Because it'll taste better when the cheese melts. Now, out of my way."

---

There was sun, which was good; there was relatively little wind for March, which was also good; and Adam deigned - after much pleading and puppy-dog eyes stares - to give them a free afternoon to party properly for once, which was why they could enjoy the weather and have a beach party on her birthday. Dustin arranged the food, Cam had been kept away from the stereo and everything would've been great, except that Shane was late.

"I can't believe it," she muttered, glancing at her watch.

"Dude, it can happen," said Dustin. "Maybe he got stuck in traffic or missed the bus or something."

Tori gave him a sour look. "Shane has never been late to my birthday party," she informed him. "Not even when we were ten."

"I'm trying to not imagine that," said Cam. "You two when you were ten. You must have been…"

"Hellions?" she completed. "We were. Seriously, though, where is he?" She went over to her bag and fished out her cell phone. After a few seconds she snapped it shut.

"No answer?" asked Hunter.

Tori shook her head. "No answer," she confirmed.

"Maybe he went home after school and fell asleep?" Hunter suggested.

"Fell asleep," said Tori skeptically. "You're kidding me, right?"

"His last class today was study hall," offered Dustin, "And don't hold me to it, but I think he may have bailed out early."

Everyone exchanged glances.

Tori jabbed her finger in Hunter's direction. "Are you two still not talking?"

"We're talking just fine!" Hunter snapped back.

"Well, it looks like - "

"Tori, lay off him," said Cam sharply.

For a moment Tori glared at both him and Hunter, and then she forced herself to relax. "We aren't going through the same shit again, Cam."

"We aren't going to violate each other's privacy based on fear, either."

"Are we arguing about whether Shane's likely to get in trouble right now," asked Blake cautiously, "Or about who's responsible for whatever he's going through?"

Silence.

"Because the latter question," continued Blake, "Is really stupid. Right now, I vote we go in the water and start the fun before the daylight runs out on us. CyberCam knows to keep an eye out, and he's as paranoid as the rest of us by now. I'd offer to kick him for you if he flakes out completely," he turned to Tori, "But both of you" - he pointed to Hunter also - "would kick me."

Tori looked sheepish. Hunter glared. Dustin, as usual, seemed immune to the tension. Instead, he stole the rubber duck from Marah's hand and squeezed. It emitted a loud squeak.

"Ugh!" complained Cam.

Dustin grinned and squeezed it again.

"Give that - "

Dustin stepped away from Cam's reaching hand.

"Shouldn't have let you bring the infernal thing."

Dustin evaded another grabbing attempt, then turned and ran. Cam gave chase. Marah considered them, shrugged, and turned to the cooler. "I think we have ice cream here," she said over her shoulder. "Tori, you want some?"

"Is it chocolate?"

"I went shopping with Dustin, so." Marah flashed her a smile. "Obviously."

---

When the lightbug caught in the web started playing in front of his eyes during study hall, Shane had had enough. Term was almost over anyway, and he was pretty sure no one would notice him cutting out early; and even if they did, this was one of those days when he just didn't care.

Besides, he had finally realized that the neck of the woods in which the dream scene occurred was a real place. He was tired of repeatedly dreaming about the blasted thing, hearing that distressed whine. Maybe if he went there and proved to himself that there was no fairy light trapped in a black web then he'd stop dreaming it in a loop. Of course, then his mind would probably find some different way of yelling the message at him, but at least there would be some variation.

He hadn't been in this particular corner of the woods in years. Shane slowed his gait as he reached the general area his dream occurred in, and started looking for the particular site. He hadn't realized how abandoned this area was. Maybe it was only because it wasn't quite the weekend yet; maybe it had been different when he was younger; maybe it had always been this way and he just didn't remember. Stupid thought, that. What even made him think that that place was real? He was so young, in the dream, and it wasn't like he'd gone camping then. Yet - Shane paused, considered a bent tree leaning on another, and turned west, going on instinct - the place was eerily familiar. It felt as though he was walking in an earlier part of a memory, before the one the dream had picked up on.

When he walked into the small clearing with the burned, collapsing chimney, Shane halted. It's real, he thought. No way.

Except that it was there. Just as he'd dreamed it. Shane approached the two trees - older than they'd been in his dream - and reached for the space where the web had been. He stopped at the last inch. Belatedly, he realized that something was wrong, had to be. As he had walked into the woods, he had become convinced that this was an actual memory, which he'd somehow forgotten over the years. What made more sense, though - a repressed memory of a real fairylight he'd rescued when he was younger, or Lothor playing some really weird mind game?

He thought it was a flake of dust, at first, or some feathery bloom catching the light in an odd way. When the glowing object hovered in place maybe ten inches from his face, though, Shane was forced to admit that it looked just like the light from his dream. At least there wasn't a distressed whine, begging for help. Instead, the hum sounded satisfied, friendly, perhaps welcoming. Shane reached, tempted to touch despite the obvious danger.

Someone behind him stepped on a twig.

"Don't turn around, and step away from the Karmanian," growled a voice.

Shane turned on his heel. The figure was clearly alien, somewhat sharklike, likely armored.

"I'm not afraid of Lothor's goons," said Shane.

The alien laughed. "I am not one of Lothor's, foolish human. Now step aside."

"I don't think so."

"Fine," spat out the alien. Darkness gathered in its palm. "Have it your way."

He pitched the darkness at Shane, a spear of oily darkness like the stuff the dream web had been made of -

The light dove over Shane's shoulder, emitting a high-pitched whine of defiance. For a moment Shane thought he saw a woman, holding out her arm as if to wave aside the spear -

There was a brilliant flash of white light, and then he was standing in a completely unfamiliar wood and the woman really was there, brown skin and bouncing curls in jeans and a tank top that looked way too normal for the circumstances.

She turned to him, eyes wide with worry. "Are you all right?"

"Who are you?" he spat. "What's going on?" And then, just in case she really wasn't one of the bad guys, he added: "I'm fine, thanks."

"You're welcome," she said cautiously. "I'm Skyla."

It could have been a trap, should have been a trap, and he knew enough about the way the Dark Ninja powers worked to not trust the insistent instinct that this Skyla person was All Right.

"You don't trust me," she said.

"Sorry," he said, moved into apologizing by the distress in her tone. "Bad experience with aliens."

"So I heard," she said.

He raised his eyebrows. "So you heard?" he repeated.

She shrugged a little. "I did my research before arriving at this solar system again," she offered.

"Why - " he began, and then stopped. "Again?" he asked instead.

"So you do remember," she said. "I wasn't sure you would."

"Wait, so that was real?" he demanded. "Assuming that I believe you, and I'm not quite there yet. Sorry."

"I suppose I should've expected this," she said. She really did seem to be calming down. "And if you're asking about you releasing me from that trap ten of your years ago? Then yes, that was real."

"I don't remember it," he told her. "Didn't remember it until I actually came here."

"But you came."

"Started dreaming about it three days ago," he said. "Which is one of the reasons I don't quite trust you, by the way."

"That's good. Not the not trusting, obviously, but that you knew despite not fully remembering. It means the transfer will probably go smoothly."

"The transfer?"

"I'm a Karmanian."

"So that's what the fish guy meant."

"His name is Vexacus; and yes."

"So how come you look human?"

"Because I thought it would be easier for you?" she said. "Would you rather if I looked like…"

"Whoa!" Shane took a step back as Skyla suddenly transformed into a ten-foot-tall monster with way too many tentacles.

Skyla shrunk back into her human form. "My point exactly."

"Jesus, what - are you a shapeshifter?"

"No, I'm just not exactly corporeal."

"You're not - "

"Karmanians are energy creatures."

"Oh." The cogs in his head were beginning to turn again. "Is that why that Vexacus is after you? He wants your energy or something?"

"Pretty much, yes," she agreed. "He's a bounty hunter. Hunts for money, most of the time, except for when he gets wind of a Karmanian about to transform. He'd been trying and failing to capture a Karmanian coming of age for two hundred of your years."

"Transforming and coming of age are the same thing?"

"Kind of. The Karmanian life cycle has three stages. When we come of age, pass into the third stage, we transform. And when we do, a great energy is released."

"And that's why he's after you."

"Yes." She looked around. "By the way, we really need to get going."

"Get going where?" he asked, following her nonetheless.

"Anywhere," she tossed a look over her shoulder. "He'll come after us."

"Well, you can just teleport us again, right?"

"Not exactly. For the transformation - well, it's complicated."

"Try me."

"I have to be in a corporeal body for the transformation."

"Like now?"

"Like now," she agreed, "Except if you cut me, I'll bleed."

He frowned. "You mean - you won't be able to teleport. Or do whatever else it is that you people do."

"Exactly," she agreed. "Until after the transformation."

"And when you transform, this energy you're going to release - are you going to explode?"

"No." She sounded amused. "Well, only if I'm alone when I transform, in which case I'd die. The energy must go to someone."

"Are you saying…"

"I'm saying," she said, turning her head and flashing him a smile, "That I'm your destiny and you're mine."

---

She was busy with sword practice when Lothor came into the training room. Kapri ignored him.

"Not now, Kapri!" he snapped after a moment. "We have a Karmanian!"

She paused and turned towards him, though she still held both swords at the ready and hadn't moved to wipe away her sweat yet. "We what?" she demanded.

"Well, one has entered the system and landed on Earth, heading straight for the red Ranger."

Kapri inhaled sharply. "This could be…"

"Yes," agreed Lothor. "And guess who's hot on the Karmanian's tail? Vexacus."

Kapri whistled. Vexacus was one of the last remaining great bounty hunters - most of the other ones had been destroyed in the Specter Wars. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand - a useless gesture, as she was sweaty all over. "You have plans for him?"

"Destiny has plans for us all."

Kapri nodded, walking over to return her swords to the stand. "All right. What do we do?"

"The other Rangers must not be allowed to interfere."

"Hm." She picked up her towel. "They can put up three functioning subteams, so we need at least four soldiers. Isn't there a Quad that came in together?"

"They're taking places six to nine."

"Doesn't matter." She finished drying her face and patted the towel over the back of her neck. "We score them relative to subteams, not individuals."

"We have five Rangers to occupy."

"Is this a pop quiz?" she demanded.

Lothor smiled at her.

"Fine." She put down the towel. "Doesn't Zurgane have a zord to take for a test-drive? Give them that and four soldiers, they'll be too busy swearing their heads off to notice anything."

"And your role in all this?"

"Brush up the blonde act?"

"I'll see you on the bridge in ten."

Lothor left.

Kapri bent over her knees, stretching her legs. She'll take eight minutes to stretch, a minute to wash her face and glamour up, and a minute to get to the bridge. That should do it.

Party time.

---

She'd had her ice cream; chased Hunter around the beach; ranted everyone's ears off when Shane still hadn't shown up, CyberCam claimed he was fine, and team verdict was to leave Shane be; had the water fight of her life teaming with Blake against Cam and Dustin; and then everyone's morphers went off and her day was officially ruined.

"The bad news or the really bad news?" asked CyberCam, after they all huddled close together to minimize the risk of any of their voices drifting down the beach.

"I hate it when you ask that," said Blake.

"Just get on with it," said Hunter.

"We have four aliens in different locations over the city, Zurgane in a new zord, and Shane just dropped off of the comm."

"You weren't kidding!"

"I'm so gonna kill him later."

"He's turning into you and I'll kill you both."

"Hey, guys, can we have this fight later?"

"CyberCam," snapped Cam. "What have we got on these aliens?"

"Standard run-of-the-mill space ninjas, best I can tell."

"The zord?"

"Well, it's been upgraded since the last time we saw a zord from that crew. A speed mode won't surprise me."

"Like the Winds' Lightning Mode?"

"Pretty much."

"Cam, get your zord and take down that thing. CyberCam, give coordinates to the rest of us. Anyone who finishes get their zord and help Cam, or else Cam will come help the rest of us. Sorry, Tori."

"It's okay," she said, though she wasn't exactly looking it. "I should've known Lothor wouldn't let us party."

Blake squeezed her shoulder. "We'll make it up to you. I promise."

"Can we go kick alien butt now?"

---

"Wait, so you're saying I can't get comm because…"

"It's a defense thing," explained Skyla. "When a Karmanian becomes corporeal pre-transformation we're pretty vulnerable, and younger species have been trying to capture Karmanian transformations since they realized we exist. The disturbances make us harder to locate. Hey, you should be grateful - if not for this, Vexacus would've located us in seconds. This way, he's stuck on the ground just like we are."

"I still don't like it," Shane told her.

She shrugged.

"So, this transformation thing." He hesitated. "You start in a corporeal body and - then you're a spirit again?"

"If that's how you want to put it." She paused her step and turned around, looking at him. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"You sound disturbed."

"No, it's just… I mean, it's all right for you people, right?"

"What is?"

She hadn't resumed walking, and that meant they were stationary, sitting targets for Vexacus to find. Shane wasn't sure what the transformation would require, but he was pretty sure he didn't want Vexacus anywhere near them when it occurred.

"It's just that it sounds a bit like dying," he said, unenthusiastically.

"It is, a bit," she said. "You have the legends here, too, don't you? Creatures reborn from the fire?"

"You mean phoenixes? Bursting up in flames when they die and then reborn from the ashes?"

"If that's how you tell the stories here. Many planets have these stories, and they're all based in Karmanian coming of age."

"Wait, what? You're going to - "

"I'm not going to die," she interrupted, "and I'm not going to burst up in flames either, though my adult form is going to be pretty bright. I've heard Power Rangers are iffy about anything to do with death, but you're really stressed about it."

"What was that about Rangers and death?"

"You're the first Power Ranger I've actually met, you know," she told him. "It's just stories."

"Tell me anyway."

She shrugged a little. "That Rangers don't acknowledge death; that it has to do with the way the power protects you."

He stared at her, startled.

"What if we run into death anyway?" he asked after a moment.

"What?" It was her turn to look startled. "But - your team - you didn't - "

"Almost," he said quietly.

She reached up, placing her palm against his cheek. Her pupils widened, irises going from pale blue to flame-white in a second. "Oh," she said, and immediately: "I'm sorry."

His throat was tight enough that speaking took a few tries, and was still difficult. "We all came back fine."

"But you walked very far." She removed her hand. "That's never easy."

He shrugged, looked away. "That wasn't the worst of it," he told the trees.

Pause.

"We should probably be moving."

"Yes. Let's go."

---

Zurgane's new zord did have a Lightning Mode - disturbingly similar to that of the Wind Megazord - and it was keeping Cam busy. They'd managed to take down two aliens, but that didn't mean that Hunter had any free Rangers to send into the zord fight: it just meant that new aliens were teleported down, keeping a steady count of four.

Ten minutes in, the comm cracked to life. "Am I the only one having a flashback here?" yelled Blake.

"So not!" answered Tori.

"What's up?" demanded Hunter, going for the shorter phrasing in favour of sparing some breath.

"It's like the hospital!" said Tori. "We're being distracted."

Instead of swearing, Hunter channeled it into an extra-juicy lightning strike and watched his second alien of the day sizzle into ash. "Shane," he said.

"Sorry, bro," answered Blake.

Alien number three appeared. Hunter holstered his blaster. Might as well take out some frustration while he was at it.

---

The door closed behind her with a hiss.

"It's time," Kapri said.

Choobo walked to the bars of the cage and looked up at her: "You're going to turn me back now?" he asked hopefully.

She kneeled by the cage. "Not yet," she told him. "But I'm going to let you out."

"But I want to - "

"Listen to me!" she snapped. "And listen well. Lothor is going to recruit another general today. Zurgane doesn't know it yet, but that is what will happen."

"Zurgane's not going to like that."

"That's right," she agreed. "And it means that he'll get sloppy. What you're going to do is follow him. Without his noticing," she added sternly. "You're going to spy on him. You're going to study him. You're going to be smart about it. And when he starts getting really angry and really stupid, you'll get to take him down."

"Ooh! I want to do that!"

"So you'd better do as I say."

"I will, I promise!"

Her hand closed on the cage's lock. "You'd better."

---

She doubled over without warning. "Uh!"

"Skyla! What - "

"Oh," she breathed, straightening her back. "So that's physical pain."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just the transformation." She inhaled sharply.

Shane's hand hadn't left her shoulder. "And you're going to be in pain through it?"

"It's not that bad," she told him. "I just didn't expect it."

"I don't believe you."

She smiled, raised her hands as if in surrender. "It'll get worse," she admitted.

"How much worse?"

"Never done this before."

"Could've fooled me," he muttered. "All right. I guess no more running around."

"Probably."

They sat down, Skyla leaning against a tree.

"Any idea how long, now?"

She shrugged. "A few minutes?"

"Great."

"Hey, it's all right." Her smile was bright, but her breath was only becoming more uneven. "It'll be over soon, and then Vexacus is going to be sorry he ever came within a hundred lightyears of us."

"You said it's going to be like a power transfer, in a way."

"In a way, yes."

"What does it mean for me?"

"Well…" She took a deep breath and tried again. "That varies. It's just power, you know. What you make of it, that's up to you."

"Great," he muttered. "Hey, whoa!" His hand went automatically to her back as she bent, coughing.

"It's all right," she said, taking deep breaths between words. "It's just going fast. That's good."

"I hate seeing you like this."

She reached out, squeezed his hand. "I know," she said. "But we'll be fine."

"I sure hope so."

"Soulsight," she said suddenly. "It has to do with what Karmanians are, so there's a good chance you'll develop that. Anything else," she coughed again, "That depends. And the red Ranger thing, that makes a difference also."

"Wh - "

A twig broke. They both turned their heads sharply.

"Looks like I made it just in time," growled Vexacus. "Step away now, human."

Shane's hand tightened on Skyla's. "I don't think so."

"Walk away now and I might let you live."

Shane shook his head. "Nope."

"Stupid human."

"Get some new lines."

Moving slowly and deliberately, Vexacus unsheathed a mean-looking knife and stepped forward.

Skyla's jagged breath turned into a moan. Her hand clenched, pressing Shane's painfully. "Don't leave," she hissed. "Whatever happens, don't…" She bit back a cry.

"Yes, that'll make things easier," agreed Vexacus.

"You're the idiot," Shane told him, "Not me." He raised his right arm sharply. "Ninja Storm!"

Vexacus halted. "Nice party trick," he said. "Think it'll stop me?"

"I don't know," gritted out Shane, "But it's sure buying me some time."

Vexacus took a step forward.

Skyla screamed.

Everything drowned in light.

---

"…completely redo the gravity generators, also. I think we can adapt the inverse conversion formula from the neutron core's matrix."

"Dude, hello, evil zord right there?" CyberCam sounded exasperated. "Why are you dictating me notes?"

"Because," said Cam, slashing yet again at Zurgane's zord, "Now is when I'm thinking about it and I'm perfectly capable of doing two things simultaneously, thank you. Besides," and he ran his zord's sword directly through the other zord's midsection, "I think I just totaled this one."

"Should've aimed for the chest, would've totaled Zurgane."

"That area's better shielded. Which you should know, as…"

"Whoa!"

"Wha - "

"Signal from Shane's morpher - no locale yet - what ever - Zurgane's trashing a greengrocer's."

Cam sighed as he reached for the eject. "Pilot the zord back in, I'll handle that. And talk to Hunter."

"Without details? He'll flay me!"

Cam rolled as he landed. Zurgane was thirty feet down the road. "You can't be flayed," he said shortly.

"Thanks for the concern!"

"CyberCam," he said warningly as he ran.

"Done before you asked." The AI had the guts to sound smug. "Gotcha."

---

At first he thought the light had passed, and couldn't understand why Vexacus was still frozen in place and covering his eyes. Then he saw the bird of flame, like the largest swan he'd ever seen, hovering in the air right next to him.

He didn't feel her amusement, yet he knew that she was amused.

'Of course there's no heat!' she laughed. The words were there and not there, like the Knowing. 'Flame's corporeal.'

'So what are you?' The words slid quick and easy as they were formed.

'Soulfire,' she said. She'd said much more than that, but most of it wasn't verbal. She must have sensed his discomfort, because she added: 'You won't have such an easy time with corporeals, don't worry.'

She was already yearning for the stars. 'Will I see you around?' he asked.

'What's distance to a soul?' she asked. 'Part of me is within you now. What do you think?'

'I think you think you're funny.'

She sparkled. 'I'll see you around,' she promised. 'Take care, Shane.'

'Take care.'

And she was gone.

Vexacus lowered his arm. "Fool," he hissed. "I'll kill you and rip the power from your soul."

"I don't think so."

"Stupid human."

"What's with the racism?" demanded Shane.

Vexacus charged, knife held low and aimed for the center of Shane's abdomen. Shane attempted to jump out of the way - it was a lousy angle for sidestepping or rolling under - and discovered that that was a lousy idea.: Vexacus with a knife equaled Zurgane with swords - simply too fast and too skilled for Shane to dodge completely. On top of that he'd definitely done his homework and picked that knife with a morphed Ranger in mind: in short, it hurt. It could have been a really rough fight which Shane wouldn't have stood a chance at without backup, except that Skyla was right - whatever he'd absorbed from her interacted with his morpher. He could feel it, like a strange double echo in the power, a slick layer of fire under his skin or a second pulse.

Vexacus backhanded him, sending him flying through the air towards a tree, and Shane had had enough. He twisted, rolled in midair, landed smoothly, rose to his feet and reached in. The second pulse merged seamlessly into his and the fire burst out, power-lava crusting into an armour, like morphing squared.

Vexacus growled.

Shane went into a spinning kick. It connected with Vexacus's shoulder, making him stumble several steps backwards before he caught his balance again. It wasn't just extra protection, realized Shane as he pounded in a series of punches and wrapped it up by slamming Vexacus straight into an old tree. Extra speed and added strength, also, and - he discovered as he evaded another stabbing attempt he couldn't have possibly seen or sensed - far better instincts for when to turn and in which direction.

Vexacus swore and hissed.

Under his helmet, Shane grimly grinned.

---

"Is it a bird? Is it a plane?"

"Now what?" demanded Cam, who was trying to handle Zurgane and half a troop of kelzacks simultaneously.

"You'll see in a few!" yelled CyberCam, and Cam didn't have time to make another demand before something like a small comet landed high-speed on the pavement.

Wherever Shane had disappeared to, it had apparently been fruitful. The red Ranger had acquired body armour with collapsible plasma jet-driven wings, a shield and a broadsword which Cam most definitely did not remember programming into the Red Wind matrix.

Shane turned towards Zurgane. Zurgane took a step back.

"I had a lousy day," said Shane. "Beat it."

Lothor's general did.

---

"I've been wondering," asked Lothor, "If you intend to stay in the neighbourhood."

Vexacus's eye flicked down to the bandages around his torso, and he snorted. "Not really."

"You can still get that power," said Lothor, his voice a sweet but light suggestion. "Transforming Karmanians are hard to find. You may not get another chance for a very long time."

"Rangers aren't easy to kill, as I think you found out. And hanging around trying to kill a Ranger is not a paying job."

"It might be," said Lothor mildly, "And I haven't been trying to kill them. Yet. It's their power that I'm interested in - and I don't need to kill them to take it. So if you'll agree to help with that, say, as a general in my army," he tossed Vexacus a datapad, "I wouldn't mind at all if you finished your business with the red Ranger afterwards."

Vexacus caught the datapad and studied the numbers. After a moment, he raised his gaze. "You've gotten yourself a general… Sir."

---

Apologizing to Tori was bad but not as hellish as could be expected, possibly because Adam had mitigated the birthday girl's anger by sending Marah out to get cake, balloons and party hats while they were fighting. This gave him the guts to try and bail out as soon as debriefing was over. He wasn't too surprised that the entire gang disbanded, that Blake had gone with Tori or that Hunter had stuck with him without so much as saying a word. He also wasn't surprised to find no light under the door when he returned from the shower, even though he'd left Hunter sprawled on the bed with a magazine. Shane turned the knob and stepped in.

The next moment he was pressed against the wall, Hunter's arm a light but very present weight against his throat.

"So which one was it?" whispered Hunter, his breath ghosting warmly against Shane's cheek. "The one in which I rape you, or the one in which you kill me?"

It took long seconds for the syllables to decode into meaning.

Hunter infinitesimally increased the pressure, and Shane pushed him half across the room on instinct.

"That's answer enough," Hunter breathed.

Shane turned his loss of balance into movement, bending over his knees. "Fuck off."

"All the dreams about that day, they only ever had two endings," said Hunter, voice clipped. "And maybe they both suck big time, but I had to know."

"It was neither."

"What?"

"No," snapped Shane, straightening and shaking his head. "Forget it."

"Shane…"

"I said no!"

"Do you know what it was like?" demanded Hunter, "Watching you this past week?"

"Maybe you can't save me, either!"

It felt like the words ripped out his lungs on their way out. He hadn't expected to say that, hadn't realized he had until it was done and the blast of it had pushed him away from the wall and halfway to Hunter. He hadn't expected the bitterness strong enough to make him shake, either, or the sudden feeling of expansion, as if everything had become vast and distant in the space of a single heartbeat.

"Shane?"

He didn't push when Hunter reached, didn't fight it off when Hunter pulled him in. The distance was still there, still real, but the hug felt like a promise he'd been waiting for since the edge of the abyss of death, or perhaps since Adam had explained the situation to them.

"You said," he told the air over Hunter's shoulder, his voice nothing more than a whisper, "'Quit trying to save me.' You kept saying that. And I couldn't get to you - we couldn't get out until I gave and agreed, and…"

Silence lingered.

"What happened?" asked Hunter eventually. "After I threw us off that cliff."

"Toxipod's island," said Shane after a moment.

Hunter tensed. "But you said - "

"It didn't - end like that. Like you said it usually did. It - I pushed you away. That's all."

"That's all?" repeated Hunter skeptically.

Shane remembered that moment. Remembered the despair, the loss that hollowed him inside out and left no reason or will to fight.

"Shane?"

"I just pushed you off, all right? And that's when you said - told me to stop - " Shane couldn't bring himself to say it again.

"But you can't," said Hunter. His voice was as distressed as it was quiet. "That's not fair. It's who you are."

He meant it as a snort, but it came out as something between a humorless laugh and a sob. "That's how it was."

Hunter's hands moved from his back to his arms and back again. Shane tensed up, in the first fraction of a second, but then relaxed into the slow caress. When his breath evened out Hunter dared a little more, reaching up for his face and down to the side of his body.

"All this week," Hunter whispered, breath warm and damp against Shane's skin, "You were - you barely even made eye contact, man, and I was so afraid that in there I'd - " His voice broke, a shudder running through him. He breathed slowly and continued. "I always - the ending where I - die - I always thought it was less bad."

Shane swallowed. Lowered his head. "If it was going to end badly," he said, "I wasn't going to - "

Hunter kissed him quickly, just a touch of lips on lips, just enough to make him shut up. "Don't," he breathed, "Don't say it." He had both his hands on Shane's face, and maybe that was enough to stop Shane from saying what he almost started to.

It was an odd feeling: Shane just standing there, passive. He practically radiated yearning but he hadn't moved; had left it to Hunter, and the trust felt not unlike holding someone's life in his hands. It was oddly familiar, in a reversed sort of way, and when Hunter realized that things started to make more sense.

"You got it right," he said. "It doesn't work that way."

"What doesn't?"

He shifted his hands to Shane's waist, arranged them so they could have eye contact, standing as close as they were. "All this week," he said quietly, "I kept reaching for you but I couldn't get through, because you didn't let me. And I did that to you, for months, not letting you in. I think maybe no one can ever save anyone else, because it just doesn't work that way. Can't save someone if they don't want you to, or if they don't want it for themselves. But we can do something," and he had to reach for Shane's shoulder and grab, because Shane was moving away at his words. "Fact is, we did get through, eventually. It's just… maybe it's more like helping someone save themselves than saving them."

Shane shook his head. "That went way over my head," he said, but he stepped back into Hunter. "Try running it by me again next morning. But if you're saying that we had some kind of really big misunderstanding, then I get you."

"Colossal misunderstanding," Hunter told him. "Yeah."

He kissed Shane again, properly this time, slow and careful, and Shane was still letting him run things. It scared him: because he wasn't sure what he was doing, because of the trust it implied, because memories of nightmares still hung in the room.

"Just don't stop," murmured Shane. "Please."

"I'm afraid…"

"Just don't stop," repeated Shane, and he was maneuvering them towards the bed now. "I couldn't be sure, even when you were breathing - just keep talking, man, keep moving, so I know you're here."

Hunter only had a faint idea what Shane was going on about, but he got what he was asking and had enough presence of mind to pull the blanket over them.

He wanted to say, Don't let me hurt you, but Shane had already answered that: by whatever third ending he'd found for that nightmare, by saying, So I know you're here. Maybe that was the best promise Hunter had to offer: finding Shane's pulse with his mouth, letting his hands under the shirt of Shane's pajamas, fitting into him as Shane stretched.

Shane's breath caught. "Missed you."

"Don't push me away next time."

"Who was pushing whom?"

Okay, Shane had a point there. But. "I think you're talking too much."

"You gonna do something about it?"

Hunter hadn't expected the strength of his own reaction. "Stop scaring me."

And maybe Shane got it, because he didn't protest when Hunter stopped and his voice carried no disappointment or anger. "This scares you?"

Hunter didn't have the words to explain, so he just shook his head.

Shane got it anyway. "It's part of the fun," he murmured, fingers stroking Hunter's cheek and then working their way down. "Knowing that you can do it. Knowing what you can do."

"Didn't scare you?" Hunter murmured back.

Shane huffed. "Was more scared of you wanting to get hurt."

I didn't, Hunter wanted to say, but he was pretty sure Shane wouldn't believe him and he wasn't entirely sure Shane would be wrong. So instead, he took a deep breath, put his mouth right against the base of Shane's throat and whispered: "Okay."

Chapter 38: Nor Iron Bars

It was a sport everyone discovered at some point: toss two wild predators in a single cage, sit back and watch the blood. Most cultures took this a step further and put a sentient against a beast or a few, or two sentients against each other. Having your caged predators be your neighbours from down the hall, though - Kapri was pretty sure that this was a new one. Vexacus wasn't stupid, and he hadn't gotten this far without being careful. Still, he wasn't used to close-quarters politicking. She'd made full use of her established ditzy image when she'd given him the introduction tour, feeding him everything he needed to know in order to stay out of Zurgane's booby-traps and, in all likelihood, convincing him that she'd be easy to manipulate should he have the need. Choobo reported that Vexacus lost no time in setting up alerts and filters around his quarters, and that Zurgane had run into them before returning to his own rooms.

Choobo. One of her brighter ideas, though she owed it to Lothor, who had insured that Choobo would survive in this dependant form. Months of being kept as a pet, locked in a cage and treated as a noisy, furry doll had made Choobo desperate for an out, and Kapri had made sure to drill into him that any freedom he had, that his being fed and watered, depended on his obedience to her.

She put defenses around her own room, of course: independent of the ship's integrated structural sensors so that Choobo wouldn't find them and would think her complacent. She had no illusions about Choobo being a traitorous little shit and she was pretty sure he'd try to threaten her into making him regrow one of those days. She soundproofed her room specifically so that nobody would hear his screams the night it would finally happen.

Allowing him into her room was out of the question if she didn't want to wake up with a noose around her neck, but keeping him in Marah's was becoming a burden. It was uncomfortable when all she did was walk in to look after Marah's abandoned pet, doing something that would've pleased her sister. Now that she was regularly letting him out -

She told herself that Marah was dead; that Marah didn't exist, anymore, and the room she used to sleep in was just a bit of useful space, now. Still, walking into what used to be Marah's haven with the satisfaction of owning someone in her chest almost sickened her whenever she wasn't careful. Still, sometimes she almost glanced at an apparition that wasn't there, so clearly did the voice of Marah's ghost sound.

How long had her life been revolving around Marah? Certainly since Lothor openly recruited them for his campaign; probably since he'd sent them to school on his account; so long that all her childhood memories bore the brand of it. So long that she never once thought to wish for this freedom: she had dreamed herself a life with her parents as distant memories and "Uncle" Lothor nothing more than a line in her résumé, but somehow she'd never imagined herself a life with no younger sister in it.

She'd grow out of it. She was a learner, she was an adapter and she was probably better off this way.

Still, being seen walking into her late sister's room to look after her old pet was bad for her image, so Kapri figured out a solution. It was going to be entertaining, even. All that was left was to break it to Choobo. Watching him eye the crate was already entertaining.

"Vexacus has been out most of this week," he was telling her. "I don't know what he's up to. All he does when he's in his office is stare at maps of Blue Bay Harbor."

"He's planning a trap for the Rangers," she said.

"What if he succeeds?"

"He won't. And Zurgane?"

"He's nearly always in the Zord Bay harassing the kelzacks." He was still staring at the crate and fidgeting.

"Oh, that?" asked Kapri flippantly. "You want to know about that? Well, it's for you. I decided it's time to find you somewhere else to live. I'm going to put a cage at the barracks level."

"I don't want…"

"Listen to me."

"I'm listening, I'm listening."

"There's going to be a cage at the barracks," she repeated. "It's going to be visible. As far as everyone will know, you've gone silly after the way Marah treated you and I want everyone to have a good laugh. In the back of the cage there'll be a closed area where you can sleep. That area will open into the vents. When we meet it'll be in my office, and you are to never set foot in the front of the cage." She opened the cage and brought it closer to the bars for Choobo to see.

"That's clay!"

"Yes," she agreed. "I'll fire it tonight, and then it'll look real. It'll be pretty dumb."

"And everyone will think that's me?"

"While you walk around free. Well, crawl around free, actually." Choobo still looked unconvinced, so she beamed at him. "Zurgane and Lothor will never see you coming!"

"Uh, okay then." A slow smile crept across Choobo's face. "This can be pretty cool."

---

Thankfully she was alone in her room when her morpher went off. "Go for Tori."

"You decent to teleport?" asked a familiar voice, the inflection and intonation suggesting it was CyberCam.

She looked down at her pajamas. "Give me a moment to change."

"I'm sending you a blocker."

Tori's eyebrows shot up. "What's going on?" she asked as she fastened the clumsy bracelet.

"Trouble," said CyberCam cryptically. "Call back when you're ready."

The only ones in when she arrived were Cam and Shane, the former at his usual station and the other pacing on the other side of the room. He raised his head at her entrance, frown deepening.

Just like that, she knew. Tori put down her bag, forcing herself to breathe regularly. "It's Blake, isn't it."

"Yes," said Shane simply.

She expected her heart to race, her pulse to rage in her ears, or at least her stomach to clench. Instead, she felt calm, preternaturally so. It felt a bit, she thought as she and Shane sat down by the table, like cutting the string of a balloon and watching it float away. It was the Way of the Wind: survival reaction, the way they were trained to react. It would bother her later, she knew. In the meantime, she asked: "What happened?"

"Let's wait until everyone gets here."

Dustin arrived next, and Hunter last. Adam and Marah joined them, bringing early breakfast which everyone ignored. Cam stayed by the terminal as Shane gave the briefing.

"Seven minutes ago," he said, "Vexacus teleported into Hunter's and Blake's place. Blake was alone at the time. There was a very short scuffle which did not get to elemental powers or energy bolts. Seconds later, Vexacus teleported out with Blake. Cam is still tracking the signal."

Vexacus, whom Shane was only able to defeat with the Battlizier. Now possibly working for Lothor. Tori concentrated on her breathing.

"They're on Earth," said Cam, not turning his head. "And in the same general area. I'm still working on the exact coordinates."

"Estimated time?"

Cam shook his head.

"All right," said Shane, drawing back their attention. "Let's start planning."

"There's something you should consider," said Adam quietly. "Why Blake?"

Like a deadbolt shutting close, simultaneously hearing and not hearing the question. Tori struggled through her non-reaction, trying to force herself to consider the question. Normally she'd be the one taking the problem apart, categorizing, churning out possible answers, but this time it felt like clawing at a smooth wall.

"He was alone," snapped Hunter.

"So were you," snapped Shane right back. He turned to Adam. "Why does it matter? Vexacus just picked one of us randomly."

"Or he picked the easiest target," said Dustin reasonably. "Alone and indoors."

"Except they don't usually work this way," said Marah hesitantly. "There's always a reason. There's always a plan. If you can't justify even a single step then Lothor will not authorize your plan."

"Does it matter for a rescue plan?" asked Hunter pointedly.

"It does if it's a trap."

"A trap for whom?" wondered Tori. She hadn't realized she'd spoken aloud until everyone turned to her.

"Dude, is that actually the first thing you've said?" asked Dustin after a few seconds.

"It's a good point," said Cam. "The removal of even one Ranger disrupts the team. What disruption did Vexacus want to achieve?"

"Or maybe he wanted something from Blake," countered Dustin.

"Lothor has a record of preferring Hunter over Blake when he can afford to chose," said Cam.

"That was before the Thunder Blade," said Hunter. His eyes found Shane's. "And a long time ago."

"You think Lothor has a Blade also?"

"Lothor doesn't care about skill," said Marah. "He was always going on about how fast Rangers learn. He just assumed you can all learn anything should you need to."

"None of which matters unless this is a trap," said Hunter.

"All right," said Shane. "Let's assume it's a trap. It's either for you or for Tori, and you have a far worse record of stupid heroics."

"If you think I'm not going to be off-balance today," said Tori, "You're so wrong."

"You're not leading the discussion," replied Shane, "So I know you're off. But you're still poking holes in everybody else's ideas, so I figure you're going to be fine."

Adam, though, frowned. "Blue Rangers are traditionally a target," he said. "Not like green Rangers, who just seem to attract trouble, but because the enemy tends to view them as critical in some way."

"Except we have two."

"So why not Tori?"

"I don't have a brother on the team," she told Dustin.

"Dude, remember Globester?" protested Dustin. "Hunter was awesome, and that was Blake and Shane."

"We didn't suspect they were being targeted, though," said Cam. "It makes a difference."

"If the point was to disrupt the way we usually work," grumbled Shane, "Then Vexacus sure got it right. Now, we're going to prepare for different combat scenarios, and we're going to take into account that it may well be a trap, and we're not going to go all conspiracy theory. Okay?"

The computer beeped loudly.

"I know where Vexacus teleported himself and Blake earlier," said Cam before they could ask. "It's a cave by the beach. There haven't been any outgoing teleportation signals since. I can tell Blake's alive, but that's it."

"Morpher signature, or…"

"Psi," said Cam shortly. "Something's interfering with the morpher signal. I can tell Blake's alive and conscious, but that's it."

"I think it's some kind of an elemental block," said CyberCam. "If only because we have lousier coverage on that."

"The elemental sensors aren't registering any irregularities," argued Cam.

"My point," countered CyberCam. "Because if there weren't any, Blake's attempts to break free should show up like a supernova."

"I'll know," said Hunter. "I only need to get near there. The Sky Gems can serve as amplifiers, giving me better range."

"Potential trap number one," said Tori. It seemed obvious, but it didn't look like any of the others would say it.

"Leanne and I are both Thunder ninjas," said Adam.

"No," said Shane firmly.

"I'm not buying this theory until we explain how Vexacus sealed Blake off without creating anything we can detect," said Cam testily.

"Cam, what manner of approach will be easiest for us to hide?"

"Streak almost all the way, teleport to a spot out of direct line of sight, then alternately streak and teleport on the way out."

"Then I want you and Hunter to check it out," said Shane. "Take a Sky Gem with you. Do we need one from the Blade, or can we use a lesser-quality one?"

"Lesser quality will do," said Hunter.

"I'll go fetch one," said Adam.

---

"Weird," murmured Hunter. He and Cam were crouched among the rocks not far from the cave's opening. "You sure they're here?"

"As sure as I can be," answered Cam quietly. "Why?"

"There are no blocks or interference I can detect, and I can't get a return echo from Blake."

"No interdimensional pockets," said Cam. "But maybe some kind of a very localized block, or a unidirectional one?"

"Unidirectional, maybe," answered Hunter. "But I think - Cam, roll!"

They rolled in opposite directions, but Hunter's warning had come too late. The silver net landed on Cam, Vexacus jumping down after it.

Cam screamed.

Hunter didn't think twice. There was power - electricity - in the net, enough that he could work it. He didn't know what that net was, why it hurt Cam or why he couldn't shake it off, but it didn't matter, because Hunter could and did. He fired at Vexacus - just to get him to step back a second - and slammed shut the teleportation blocker he was carrying, trusting CyberCam to get them out unprompted.

---

Cam was dough-pale and wide-eyed when he demorphed. "Psi lock," he spat. "I hate those things."

"Vexacus is so trying to cut down on our brain power," said Tori.

"Yeah, and it's so a huge set-up," said Dustin. "Wanna bet he has a trap ready for each and every one of us?"

"No bet," said Shane darkly. "We'll just have to go in at full force and hope for the best."

"Maybe not," said Adam slowly. "Marah, you said that Vexacus is pretty well-known. Do you maybe have an idea if he ever had to properly research ninjas?"

"I don't think so."

"Then he wouldn't know," muttered Adam, as if to himself. "The clan keeps pretty mum about it. And Leanne thinks so, too."

"What are you on about?" asked Shane.

Adam hesitated, as if trying to find the best words. "Not all Thunder ninjas are Thunder ninjas, exactly," he said finally, slowly.

Hunter straightened. "They come about one in a generation," he said sharply.

"Who?" demanded Shane.

"Lightning-chosen," said Hunter after a brief pause. "They're pretty damn rare. All of the Thunder clans together produce one every twenty years - maybe."

"They're indistinguishable from regular Thunder ninjas until the very late stages of their training, typically two years before graduation. My mom taught the Sky Classes, and she told me that Lightning chosen don't take those classes with the other Thunder students, because that's when the Thunder and Lightning disciplines separate. She also said that the Lightning powers take longer to mature, and thus those ninjas take longer to graduate."

Hunter was wearing an odd expression, which Tori did not know how to interpret: hungry or angry, scornful or hopeful. Dustin and Marah both seemed confused. Shane, though, pieced it together.

"You think Hunter's one," he said.

Tori inhaled sharply. The Sky Blade Hunter hadn't been taught to use; the classes only Blake had been allowed into; Hunter could've graduated years ago, Blake had told her, if Sensei Omino hadn't held him back. Of course.

"It would explain a number of things," said Adam. "I can't know for certain, but I know Leanne has the same idea."

"One in a generation, remember?" said Hunter. "You're out of your - "

"You're Rangers," said Adam quietly. "Weirder things have happened."

"Is there a way to know?" asked Shane.

"Short of a Manifestation, no."

"A Manifestation, like when a ninja first connects directly to their element?"

"Yeah."

"And this helps us because Vexacus wouldn't know to expect it - wouldn't know how to block Hunter."

"If Adam's right," said Hunter. "Which we have no way to know short of trying to force a manifestation. Which I'm not sure I want to try, and certainly I'm not going to bet Blake's life on it."

"Dude, there's no forcing a manifestation!" said Dustin.

"There is in this case," said Adam. He considered Hunter. "And you just as good as admitted that you figured it out yourself."

Hunter shrugged self-consciously. "I could've taken those classes three years ago," he muttered.

Shane shook his head. "I need to know more."

---

He had never liked the silence, and he had always thought it was odd. Blake was good with people, could appear at ease in a crowd, but he was never fond of too much company. Smaller crowds, no loud music, no cars - even the soft white noise of electrical appliances was something he'd rather avoid. And yet, he'd never liked the silence and he'd never known why. Crumpled in the corner of the white room Vexacus had thrown him into, the worst headache of his life splitting his skull, Blake was beginning to understand why.

It had all happened so damn fast. Hunter had gone out for his morning jog while Blake was still sleeping. Blake was barely awake for a minute when that alien - Vexacus, by Shane's description - had teleported in. It wasn't even a fight, just a grab and teleport - and from the moment the door closed, locking Blake inside the white, foam-coated room, he couldn't hear a thing.

He never knew how noisy breath was until he couldn't hear his own. Never knew how aware he actually was of his own heartbeat, until he had to check for a pulse to make sure it was still there.

Hadn't known what the absence of sound and vibration could do.

He tried working the lock, and couldn't get a grip. He'd thought, for the first startled moment, that the lock was perhaps made of some weird plastics or ceramics, and it had never been his best-developed skill anyway. Then he realized that the power just wasn't there for him to manipulate.

Thunder was sound, vibrations rolling through the air. In the room where Vexacus had locked him there was no sound, there were no vibrations. He couldn't generate the energy required to tune into his element. He couldn't even morph - he could feel that power lurking just out of reach, but the morpher wouldn't respond without the elemental push.

He tried ripping out the foam or somehow hitting the walls that had to be beneath it. All that had done was give him scraped knuckles on top of the migraine.

He didn't have a watch or a cell phone with him, and the pain messed his sense of time. He hadn't eaten anything before Vexacus had grabbed him and he was hungry though not insanely starved, putting his estimated captivity time at about half an hour. He thought of the day Madtropolis had locked away their powers and of Hunter after Motodrone, and hoped the guys would break him out fast: between the power withdrawal and the lack of breakfast, he estimated that two hours would incapacitate him pretty thoroughly.

It wasn't exactly his usual attitude to problematic situations, but he had known his element since he was four, couldn't remember life before it and had never had it denied. That was bad enough: feeling the Ranger power just out of reach was even more maddening.

So he was crumpled in the corner with his head dropped down on his knees when the door opened, and the damn place must have had airlock-like double doors because he c