Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Dino Charge. This story is fan-made.
Kendall wasn't often out of the lab. She hardly ever left the museum. But today was an exception. Today, she needed to get away.
The search for energems had come to a very frustrating stop. Kendall tried everything to get even the faintest of readings, but it was all dead ends. She expected this search to end the same way, but figured getting out and having a look for herself wouldn't hurt. Normally, she brought a team with her. Either the qualified dig team the museum had on hand, or the Rangers. Today, she wanted some time to herself: a chance to focus on her work without interruptions.
The sun was hot, as was expected in the summer. Kendall wiped her brow, sure she had smeared some dirt on her face in the process, but she didn't care much. She set down her tools and walked to her tent, grabbing herself a drink.
Amber Beach was an amazing city. It was right by the ocean for those that enjoyed long summers by the beach, had plenty of festivals and fairs to keep its citizens entertained, and offered a lot of shops and services. Not to mention, the museum was a great attraction, pulling people in day after day. It was a great spot to learn, to observe, and with the cafe, teenagers found it was a nice place to hang out when the weather got really hot. However, though the museum did a lot for the city and for Kendall's bank account, it was hardly her favourite place in town.
What made Amber Beach so special to her was buried beneath the city. Kendall liked getting out to dig sites and uncovering the life that existed before her. Amber Beach was rich in fossils for those that knew where to look. Kendall knew exactly where to look, and often returned from digs with a truckload of new things to show off in the museum. Fortunately, too, because that meant there was always something new to show to her guests, and they could come back again and again and never be bored.
Kendall was hoping that though there wasn't an energem reading coming from this location, she could find something that would help her search, or at least something she could bring back to the museum. However, today just didn't seem to be her day.
After finishing up her water, Kendall headed back out to where she had been digging and picked up her tools. She brought them back to the truck but couldn't bring herself to call it a day just yet. Instead, she replaced her digging tools with her shovel, and wandered away from the dig site to look for someplace else. She wasn't sure what she would find, but if she saw something of interest it wouldn't hurt her to look.
She walked for a little bit, just admiring the view, really, until she noticed a little cave. She had been to this dig site hundreds of times before and never once knew of the cave. A little exploring wouldn't hurt, considering the Rangers knew she was out, knew when to expect her back at the museum, and she was still close enough to her truck that they would certainly be able to spot the cave if anything did happen.
She ventured inside, keeping her shovel close. She wasn't sure she was going to need it inside the cave. Then again, since meeting Keeper, a shovel had been her most useful tool in times of trouble. She walked until she reached what looked like the end of the cave. There was still some light coming in from the entrance, but it was getting pretty dark. Kendall reached into her pocket, where she had her phone on her, just in case, and turned on the light. She noticed a little tunnel. She glanced behind her, then back to the tunnel. Her curiosity about what lay on the other side couldn't be ignored. She was a scientist. Curiosity had led her to amazing discoveries. And though at times it had gotten her into a bit of trouble, the reward always outweighed the risk.
So Kendall let her curiosity lead her. She crawled through the tunnel and on the other side discovered a chamber. She shined her light around and was fascinated by the rock alone. She would need to come back with a real geologist. She was sure these rocks would tell a story.
This chamber wasn't where the cave ended, however. Kendall noticed more tunnels, these ones a little bigger than the one she passed through. They led down, beneath the surface. Kendall grew excited imagining what she could possible find. Surely there had to be something of interest to bring back to the museum all the way down here. So she kept going. By now, the light from the phone was all she had to help her see. She knew she would have to come back with her team one day soon to uncover what was really lying in this cave. For now, she would settle on just finding something extraordinary.
Five minutes of walking brought her far below ground. Kendall knew it was about time to turn back. She had no cell reception and wasn't sure if her Dino Com would be of much help to her in case she did run into trouble. She stopped walking, pointed her light back the way she came, then didn't move. Instead, she moved her light up and gasped.
Above her was a fossil. A complete fossil, from what she could tell. She shone the light on what appeared to the skull, and followed the spine all the way down to the tail.
"Plesiosaur," she whispered. She would recognize it anywhere. The long neck, the flippers, the needle-like teeth; this was a real discovery. Complete fossils were hard to find. This one was so detailed, so well preserved; surely it would bring in thousands of people to the museum. Surely it would impress even the greatest of paleontologists. While the thought of the success the fossil would bring made Kendall excited, it was what the fossil could possibly contain that really peaked her interest.
"There's got to be something here," she whispered, setting her phone down, shining its light directly up at the fossil so she could have a look around. That's when she saw something very faint glowing in the stomach region of the reptile. As she carefully tried to uncover it with her hand, she used the other to grab her Dino Com.
"Rangers, are you there?" she spoke into it. She got only static as a response and frowned. She lowered her hand, stopping her little dig to bang on her Dino Com. She knew reception wouldn't be great so far below ground, but she had designed the communicators to work most anywhere and in a variety of conditions. Even if it was fuzzy, she should have been able to get a response. "Rangers, can you hear me?"
Still, only static. Kendall grumbled, put her Dino Com back in her pocket and resumed trying to dig up the object that was glowing. It had to be an energem. She felt it in her bones.
"Yes!" she cried out when she finally dug it out. She damaged a bit of the ribs of the plesiosaur, but it was worth it. In her hand she held the purple energem. She clutched onto it tight, picked up her phone and her shovel and started to make her way out. She needed to move fast. She made her way back to the chamber, then crawled through the small tunnel that would take her to the opening of the cave. Once there, Kendall stopped to take a second to admire the energem. She had found it. She had a sixth energem in her possession.
She reached for her morpher again, wanting to call the Rangers to let them know to meet her in the lab. She had just been about to make the call when she heard something shifting at the front of the cave. She looked up, seeing Fury standing at her only exit. She took a step back, tucking her hand with the energem behind her back. She didn't take her eyes off the alien.
"I knew following you would pay off," Fury said. He held out his hand, "Give that to me."
"Give what?" Kendall asked, hoping that if she played dumb, Fury would believe her.
"The energem! I know you have it!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kendall shook her head. She tucked the energem in the back of her pants then showed Fury both open hands. "Nothing."
"You're challenging me?" Fury asked her. "You don't give that energem to me now, I'll take it from you."
"I'd like to see you try," Kendall said, though it was far from the truth. She couldn't take on Fury, especially alone. If he tried anything, he was bound to get his way. Fury knew this and took another step forward. Fearful, Kendall took a step back, bumping into the wall of the cave behind her.
"Hand it over, scientist," Fury growled. He took another step forward. Certain Fury wasn't just toying with her and that he really would take the energem at all costs, Kendall ducked down and crawled back through the tunnel. Fury would be too big to follow her through. She made it back to the chamber and turned around, glancing back the way she came. She could just barely make out Fury on the other side and knew he wasn't happy.
"Fine, if I can't get the energems, neither will the Rangers," he called out to her. Kendall backed away from the tunnel, certain Fury would try to blow a hole through the wall of the cave to get to her. If he did, again she would have nowhere to run. She grabbed her Dino Com. Fortunately, she wasn't too far into the cave to lose signals.
"Rangers, dig site, now!" she commanded and hoped they all heard and rushed over. Suddenly, the cave shook. Fury was doing as she expected. He was trying to blow a hole though the wall of the cave. Kendall managed to keep her balance, but noticed cracks forming along the sides and along the ceiling. Fury was smashing so hard against the rock it was beginning to give out.
"Shit, shit," Kendall muttered and rushed to the next tunnel. She hoped, if the chamber did collapse, she would be safe in the tunnels. But she didn't make it very far before the ground shook again. This time, chucks of rock fell from the roof and off the walls. Kendall fell to the ground, curled up in a ball and covered her head. She hoped to survive this, despite the scolding she would hear from the Rangers. Yet, all she could think about what the plesiosaurus. She could see it, feel it, practically. Somehow, she felt bonded to the creature.
Back at the entrance of the cave, Fury finally managed to blow the wall to pieces. But by doing so, he had caused the chamber behind the wall to cave in. Rocks, boulders, dirt, and dust fell before him. Fury stumbled backwards, leaving the cave before the entrance fell in on him too. Once out safely, he looked to where he had just been standing.
"No one could have survived that," he said, turning away to leave. He would send some Viviks down later to search for the energem. It had to be down there. And if the Rangers turned up before him, they would be too concerned with getting the scientist out, they wouldn't even think to look for any energems. "Perfect," he smiled to himself before disappearing.