Hide and Seek Chapter 1: Where are we?, a power rangers fanfic

Chapter 1

Where are we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, nor am I making any profit from this story. It is for entertainment purposes only.

Warnings: Violence, angst, adult language, mental abuse, mentions of boy/boy pairings, eventual boy/boy pairings

Extended Summary: Shane knew that alternate dimensions were nothing to be afraid of. Even if the whole team was trapped inside, all they had to do was stick together and eventually they would find a way out. There was nothing to worry about, not even when the days started blending together with no end in sight. Not even when the weight of their newest prison began to beat down on them, breaking them into pieces that Shane could never hope to repair.

My beta ValkyrieNyght requested a Hunter/Shane story that had Hunter being the hero, picking up Shane during a rough time in his life, from either emotional or physical wounds. I'm pretty sure she meant a one-shot. I'm pretty sure she wanted something else entirely.

What she got was me using her prompt as an excuse to pull out this multi-chapter story I had been toying with on my computer, that is, undoubtedly, full of plenty of Shane-angst.

So yes, there will be eventual Hunter/Shane. There will also be a lot of beaten up/broken down characters, emotional suffering, and I can say for a fact, without giving anything away, that there will be things in this story that you, the reader, will not like. I promise though, if you stick with me it will get better. It'll seem unlikely, but cross my heart, I have a plan for this insanity, and it does result in happy endings.

So this one's for you Val, for always pushing me to do better, for never accepting any bullshit, and for being unfathomably generous when it comes to honest criticism. I cannot thank you enough. Without you I wouldn't be nearly as confident in my writing as I am.

I know this isn't exactly what you asked for, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

Also, cheers and a bottomless amount of thanks to the real vampire for beta-ing this chapter. So many words vamps, and all of them useful! Thank you for nitpicking all the silly errors my brains seems ever so fond of making. Your analysis and assessment are greatly appreciated. I am in your debt : )

And now, without further ado, I give you story. Enjoy.

-:-:-:-:-:-

The day everything went to hell had scarcely been acknowledged at the time. So abnormally common, it barely had any distinction to all the other abnormal occurrences with which the Ninja Storm team had become accustomed.

Shane wasn't sure how much a tragedy that was. Maybe if they had known from the very start they were doomed they would have…He wasn't sure. They had taken it seriously, they had always taken it seriously, and they had reacted to all the obstacles as best they could but… it just felt like there had to be more. There had to be something they could have done to-

In the beginning there had been hope. There had been the expectation that it was all temporary, that they would find a way out and that it was just a trick, a lesson away and then there would be freedom and victory and battles for another day.

But the battle never ended. They never got home.

They never were supposed to win.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Shane landed in a flash of color, the world exploding reds and golds around him as his feet jarred against some rocky outcrop (which…ow, hurt), the ground distinctly more rough and uneven than the cement outside of Storm Chargers he had previously been standing on. His vision cleared just as another flare of vivid brightness burst into existence, painfully brilliant (as in painfully painful, which made sense because this had to be an attack, but still, it was worth noting). A second later Tori dropped into view, surfboard tucked under one arm and feet still sandy from the beach. She had a hand pressed against her eyes in an attempt to recuperate, which would prove just as useless as it had been for Shane, but their ninja instincts had yet to outweigh their normal ones so he didn't make any comment on it.

In the meantime he gave their surroundings a quick once over, trying to judge what Lothor's latest test would be.

So…alternate dimension. How very original.

When would Lothor figure out they were not impressed by his pocket realities? Because they weren't. The novelty had died off sometime after Blake and Hunter had gotten trapped in that popcorn container. Which, while hilarious, was an obvious sign that the idea pool for proper extra-dimensional usage was running low. They were really scraping the bottom of the barrel if they thought popcorn butter was an appropriate containment device.

Honestly, who had signed off on that idea? It barely made any sense.

"Should've dropped my board," Tori complained, standing up straight as her vision cleared. She moved to rest beside Shane a second later, joining him in his inspection.

Grey, dark, desolate…yeah, at least they were kicking up the gloom and doom factor this time. Felt like a place that easily encouraged despair and general weeping.

Hunter would feel right at home then.

Harsh- Okay, Shane could admit that, even if the older Bradley brother did have dark and brooding mastered, there were some cruelties you didn't need to mutter, not even in your mind.

"Don't know how you could have known," Shane replied, continuing his study. He put a hand on her arm and motioned for her to move back, getting their backs against a giant rock mound that was projecting defiantly into the sky. It was sort of like a cross between the hills of Toxipod's island and something out of the Lion King, minus the shrubbery.

Minus any other signs of life in fact.

Forsaken, that would be a good way to describe this place. Maybe Lothor was trying to get them all depressed.

Shane wondered if they would find tumbleweeds. Tumbleweeds were depressing right? He would have to outsource that question to Dustin later, get his take on it. Though he had a feeling the answer would be a resounding "YES!", because that was the type of thing Dustin would know, and he was very enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge.

Tori settled in beside him as he continued scanning the surrounding rock mounds. In the distance, beyond a rough, narrow path was a mountain, dark and ominous against the orange and pink hued sky.

Wherever they were, the sun was setting.

"Yeah," Tori sighed, leaning so that her arm was a comforting presence against his; an unconscious, instinctive movement. "Whatever picked us up did it so fast-"

"We didn't stand a chance," Shane finished, frowning at the total lack of movement around them.

There was nothing. Hell, he could barely feel the presence of his element. And that…

Wait. He couldn't feel any connection to his element. It was like there was no wind at all which couldn't happen - they were breathing weren't they - so why couldn't he-

Cool it Shane, he mentally lectured. You've got to keep it together. Maybe that's Lothor's trick this time, that you can't feel-

It was so wrong. Shane wasn't the strongest air ninja but even he could sense that distant, delicate presence of his connection to the air, to the wind. He had taken it for granted; always assuming it would be there. Which didn't seem all that unreasonable. The only place without air was space, even water had some air in it, and it wasn't like Shane was ever going to run any missions in the dark beyond.

Because then he'd be dead.

Beside him, Tori began shifting uneasily and he could tell she felt it too.

Marvelous.

"So what do you say?" Tori began, wrangling the stray hairs that had escaped from her ponytail back behind her ear. "Alternate dimension?"

"Definitely."

Not that it needed to be said, but it was always good to get a second opinion. Step one: confirm their surroundings. Check.

Step two was to figure out their condition and establish a plan of attack.

Shane no longer bothered noting how absurd it was that this had become a usual, that they had all been sucked into these stupid pocket dimensions enough times to actually have a formalized system for dealing with them, because plans brought Dustin comfort and made Hunter stop thinking of them all as unprepared lunatics, and they made Tori smile and Cam pleased and Blake feel pretty much the same because he never cared that much, he was more of an impromptu kind of guy anyway.

They hadn't even been rangers that long. They had been fighting for what, maybe two months? The Thunder Rangers had only officially been on the team for about four weeks before Cam had become a ranger, and he had only been on active duty for a week. As far as ranger teams went, they barely had their sea legs.

Satisfied then; Shane would be satisfied. His life was being rebuilt by a new set of rules he had yet to become totally accustomed to, but he could at least take pride in the fact they could manage some order. Taking satisfaction in that confidence, that confidence they had painstakingly built up to, that was fair. No one would begrudge him that.

Except for maybe Hunter, but Hunter was kind've a jerk, so what he thought automatically didn't matter.

"Do you think…?" Tori dropped off, gesturing to her morpher to finish the unspoken question. She wanted to know if the others had gotten teleported in as well or if they were all on their lonesome for this fight.

Shane nodded to show he knew what she was getting at and raised his morpher to his mouth.

"Shane to team," he said. "Does anyone read me?"

"My morpher isn't," Tori said, frowning down at her wrist in concern, and Shane had noticed that too. Noticed that his morpher was only giving him static, which never happened, not even when their long-range transmitting capacities were down. They should always work at a short distance; Cam had beaten that fact into their heads so many times it was practically his way of saying hello.

If even the short-distance radios were out…

Shane didn't like it. He didn't like that his elemental connection was nonexistent, he didn't like the fact their radios were down and he couldn't get a handle on his team-

And he knew, or at least had the sinking feeling, what the results of an attempted morph would be.

No element meant no morphing. They needed that spark, just a little something in order to activate the morphers. That was why they had to be the power rangers as opposed to just going out and getting anyone who could fight. They had to have some kind of elemental affinity or they wouldn't be able to wield them.

Despite this, the air ninja sucked in a deep breath and prepared himself anyway, knowing he had least had to try. He had to…explore all their options, as Cam would put it. Be sure.

With a nod to Tori he repositioned his feet, taking a solid stance, and thrust his hand into the air, trying to call for that initial spark of air energy he needed to activate his morpher.

He didn't even manage to get the first words out; his body's reaction was so strong and sudden. It was like he was grabbing at the edge of some void, the vacancy feeling so unnatural that it struck at him like a physical blow, choking the air in his lungs. He couldn't- it wasn't-

It took him a few long seconds of absolute pain before Shane came back to his senses, before he could hear more than his own pounding heartbeat.

Oh God, that hurt, worse than the teleporting, that had been awful-

He blinked his eyes, realizing he was on the ground with Tori perched over him, her lips moving. Her voice came in fluctuations, his ears swinging between deafness and sound before it all eventually came back to him. She was patting the side of his face, one hand on his head as she stared at him with a concerned expression, somehow knowing (always knowing, because she was more perceptive than the rest of them and made sure that they knew it) what had happened.

"Hey," he gasped, startling himself with a shaky exhale. "…I don't think-"

"Shut up," Tori said, her attempt to sound stern somewhat muffled by the obvious relief in her eyes. "Don't do that again."

Shane closed his eyes tiredly but still managed a smile. "Will do chief."

He even added a half-hearted salute, unsteady but getting his point across, and Tori smacked the side of his arm lightly, gradually getting back into the old swing of things. It was…harder, because they were both shaky, because this was so different than anything else they had ever encountered before. But that was most likely the point, that this was an alternate dimension and Lothor was finally figuring out how to use them properly.

Lothor wanted them to be scared. He wanted them anxious.

Well, he wouldn't get it.

It took Shane a couple of minutes before he was back in almost-normal condition. He wasn't sure if he would be able to make a full recovery, not with whatever Lothor had done to them. He nodded to Tori to show that he was alright and then looked off into the distance, trying to pick a direction that the others would most likely be in. If they were there at all.

He really hoped they weren't, to be honest. He hoped that he and Tori were the only ones stuck in here.

"Alright," he said, motioning towards the mountain. Even if it didn't pan out well, at least they could get a good view of their surroundings. "Let's move out."

Tori didn't say anything beyond the affirmative that she heard him, probably allowing a small moment of silence to grieve the loss of her elemental connection, or maybe to curse Lothor for actually figuring out a good way to mess with them. Either way, she didn't say anything about the fact he wasn't running as fast as he normally would have.

She also didn't say anything about how her lack of comments came from her own running difficulties, running difficulties she shouldn't have, but Shane would figure that out later.

Among other things.

-:-:-:-:-:-

So…running sucked.

It wasn't like they hadn't done ten mile runs before. Hell, that was practically a Tuesday for their team, but running without…without a part of yourself?

Yeah, that blowed. A whole hell of a lot. Every hour weighed down on them just a little bit more, and it was becoming obvious they weren't up to their normal standards. Shane couldn't speak for Tori, but that aggravated the hell out of him.

And then there was the nagging fact that they hadn't been attacked yet. Usually, that was how these things worked. First they would get sucked into the alternate dimension and then they would either A) be there for the purpose of not being in the real world, as in, they would be trapped in some four by four cell, or comatose, or suffering from some sort of hallucination, or B) Lothor would throw some obstacle at them that was essentially a curveball, making them find a way around until they could win. Toxipod's island was a good example. Heck, even Madtropolis' place fell into the latter category.

But no monsters had made any moves for them yet. And having this much freedom of movement was sort of…unnerving, if it really was just a cage.

And maybe that was the point, that he and Tori were trapped and getting more and more haggard, spent both emotionally and physically so they would be next to useless when the others broke them out, and Shane didn't like it.

As the thought dawned on him though, an unsettled feeling washed over him and there was this…tickle, maybe? This insistent grasping at the back of his mind like he was trying to force up memories he couldn't possibly hope to remember, things that were too far away or too irrelevant to bother him. And it…he had the fleeting idea that there was no one on the outside to save them.

Both the feeling and the thought were gone a second later, leaving Shane so dazed and overwhelmed he had to make them stop to take a breather, wondering about where that sudden feeling of anxiousness and dread had come from, and what he had been thinking about.

Five minutes later he could still come up with nothing and Tori was growing more apprehensive, so he decided to move on, making his mind think of other things.

If the depression thing was Lothor's goal, Shane could say he nailed that one with flying colors right now. It was hard to stay positive when the scenery was so…wretched looking, to use a high dollar word.

As much as Shane hated it, they couldn't run forever. He wanted to keep going, but it had been hours and nothing had changed. They couldn't just keep moving and hope they would stumble upon the others; they eventually needed shelter, or at the very least a position that was moderately fortified should they be attacked (definitely an option, Lothor tiring them out and then smacking them down). If they needed to build something they would need energy and daylight, and they were quickly losing both of those.

Tori didn't protest when he decided they should explore the rocky area at the base of the mountain for caves. It looked like the worst of the world was behind them; the wasteland had given away to rocks and woods, towering trees clustered almost on top of each other, leaving no clear path that Shane could see. They brushed against the rocky hills at the mountain's edge, trunks dark and grey. My…stic-cal looking? Perhaps? Like those trees from the Lord of the Rings, except more mournful and gloomy.

Even though the leaves of the magic trees were full and thriving (all the trees were, in fact), and no sight of rot or decay could be found, it still didn't…it wasn't right, Shane knew. They looked alive, hell, they even smelled alive, but they didn't feel right.

He could practically hear Hunter scoffing at him in the back of his head, getting all poetic over a couple of trees.

Fine, whatever. They needed to move on.

The woods would probably be their best bet for food later, whenever they managed to find a clearing or a way in, but until then Shane still had a couple of power bars in his backpack. The emergency stash, just in case something like this happened. It never hurt to be prepared. If they ended up staying longer they could try foraging for food but until then they would make do with what he had.

Shane didn't like this place. It made sense because there was no reason for Lothor to create a place they would actually like, but he wanted that to show on the record. This place plus him, he did not like. He was not a fan.

Tori was the one who eventually found a cave, opening tucked behind a couple of rock mounds and one particularly bold tree, its tall limbs draping over the entrance, collapsing under its own weight. Luckily it was shallow so they didn't have to worry about enemies lurking in the shadows and the two of them settled in, minds racing as darkness descended upon them, sun finally set.

This was the longest they had ever been trapped in one of these pocket dimensions. Or maybe it just felt that way because they had arrived just as the sun was setting (a bizarrely long sunset, but Shane wasn't complaining; he was glad they had gotten as much daylight as they had). The fact that they actually had to set up a base camp, or worry about sleeping and food…

Stupid Lothor.

It was, in all honesty, to kind an insult to throw at the murderous ninja who was attempting to enslave the earth, but sometimes Shane just had to step back and think of things…smaller, more normally, maybe, so he didn't get overwhelmed. So he didn't acknowledge the massive weight of responsibility he was handling. He knew it was there, but he didn't focus on it on a day-to-day basis. For him, keeping his team alive and healthy and the minimizing the damage done to the city and its civilians, that was the important thing. Focusing on the guy trying to conquer the earth was for another day, after-

One day, he would be ready for that. One day he would be good enough.

They didn't necessarily need to stop once night fell. Not really. Or at least, not technically. Ninjas were big fans of night. Shadows were their weapon, the ultimate camouflage, and while the rangers themselves weren't particularly…unobtrusive, if the bright colored ensembles and loud quipping was any indication, they were still shinobi-in-training.

The bad news was that they weren't particularly good ones yet, and working on their night-vision had somewhat taken a dip on the priorities list when it became obvious they were entrusted with the world's protection. First step was learning how to use their elements to do damage to the enemies as opposed to themselves, and the second and unacknowledged step was to have a minor freakout in the privacy of your own room until you came up with a mindset that helped you deal with the fact that yes, Power Rangers were real, yes, you really were one, and no, they couldn't get somebody else to do it, suck it up.

They were still working themselves through the basic shinobi training, but to this point, night vision eluded them.

This probably wasn't the case for Cam or the two Bradley's but they weren't there, so Shane and Tori took no qualms with calling it an early night and trying to get some rest.

They huddled together in the best hidden corner of the cave and grasped at each other's hands unconsciously, waiting for day to come. Tori tried to make a joke about how Shane owed her a new surfboard, her original abandoned back where they started, but they were both too on edge to pretend to appreciate it.

After that they fell into silence, Tori resting her head against his shoulder as she tried to sleep. Shane had demanded to take first watch, too anxious to be able to manage rest and Tori had agreed to take the second. His watch still worked, though it told him it was only 6:30 pm back in Blue Bay Harbor.

He would wake her at twelve, or maybe when it read two or three; he'd see how long it would take for the adrenaline to wear off.

Until then, Shane kept his eyes open and waited.

He did not have to wait long.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Shane had managed to sort of lull himself into a semi-meditative state as he stared at the cave's entrance, feeling the closest to relaxed he had since they had been transported into this alternate dimension. What snapped him out of his reverie was nothing more than a feeling he had worked painfully hard to hone into himself, that barest grip of tension that attacked his shoulders whenever he was being watched or when his body had picked up on something his brain had yet to properly analyze.

Finally, finally he could feel like a badass. He had been working on that trick for months, even before they had become rangers and-

Someone was watching them, or someone was coming, or something was close to them, had to be, maybe, or maybe Shane was just being overly suspicious because he was so worked up over the wrongness of this place, it was probably nothing, but could it be something? What if he was second guessing himself-?

But Tori was awake too, still against his shoulder, and he could tell she was straining to listen for possible intruders. Not overanalyzing it then, not if she was awake. Of the three of them, Tori had been the most skilled before they became rangers, more apt at detecting things than either Shane or Dustin.

It was that perception thing, legitimately earned.

Shane was trying to decide if they should move to a more strategic position when he heard the barest rustling near the cave's mouth, rocks crumbling and shifting beneath something's weight, leaves being pushed aside slowly but still audible, like care was being exercised-

"Ka-caw!" a voice reverberated throughout the cave, loud and-

Dustin! It had to be, trying to do a rooster call or something.

That was- it was- that was so him, Shane could just picture Dustin going through the motions, the entire thought process. How do I tell if I have friends in this cave? What's a classic signal everyone could recognize? I should totally do that classic signal everyone recognizes-

It took almost everything Shane had not to burst out laughing.

"How will that help us?" another voice angrily whispered, a few seconds after Dustin's initial call. It took Shane a moment to recognize the voice as Hunter's.

And there was- he couldn't describe how relieved he was at that thought, that Dustin hadn't been alone, and they were here and-

"Well, you know," Dustin whispered back innocently, same ole' Dustin; just more tired. "If our friends are in there, they'll know it's us."

Shane's smile stretched painfully wide, he hadn't known how relieved he could be and see- he knew his friend. Let Shane's Dustin-knowledge never be doubted, he totally had that called.

"And if it's bad guys?" Hunter asked, sounding torn between frustrated and amused, like he wanted to see the levity of the situation but really couldn't. Which…not surprising, because it was Hunter, and Hunter was on his A-game a hundred percent of the time. In fact, just the idea that he had considered being amused was probably a huge step forward for him.

Because when it came to the Bradley's, Shane had come to learn, you had to use a different set of standards. The same could be said for all of them, the whole damn world was relative, but it was more extreme for the two thunder rangers. And Hunter especially.

Back outside Shane's head the whispered conversation at the cave's entrance continued, Dustin offering Hunter an answer after a moment's deliberation.

"…run away, I guess," Dustin replied, and that was it, the dam busted, and both Shane and Tori burst out laughing, smiling at each other in a victory they hadn't really won, because what if it wasn't them, what if it was a trap, what if they were trying to lure them out, what if-?

"Shane!" Dustin's voice cheered, and a moment later the earth ninja (the real deal, in the flesh) landed in front of his fellow wind rangers, hesitating for only a second before throwing himself at them, arms going about both their shoulders in an awkward group hug.

"And Tori!" Dustin and Tori said at the same time, the aqua ranger's put-off tone comical in comparison to Dustin's pure exuberance. Dustin chose to ignore her annoyance, giving the water ninja a more thorough hug after he untangled his arm from Shane.

So yeah, definitely Dustin. Which also meant…

"Could you be louder?" Hunter griped, landing with a quiet thump seconds after Dustin, but the yellow ranger was too busy celebrating their reunion to pay the blond's brooding any heed. At the moment the curly-haired teen was mostly tangled in Tori's lap, leaning against her with a contentness even Shane could see through the gloom. Cuddling her like a puppy, classic Dustin, always made you feel loved.

Tori laughed at the yellow ranger's enthusiasm but it was mostly relief, Shane noticed. She made no attempt to push the curly-haired teen off, instead choosing to wrap her arms around him, resting her chin on top of his head delicately.

They had a special bond, those two (though it could be said that Dustin had a special bond with all of them, as he was the only one who could remain in everyone's good graces about a hundred percent of the time). But Tori was extra-special, in Dustin's world. She had been the first one to befriend him back at the academy. Hard as it was to believe, there was a time when Dustin was a shy and awkward, avoiding social moments like it would be the death of him.

Tori had been the one to take him under her wing and over the many months they had come to know each other, they had pretty much become family. Big sister and little brother to the bitter end.

Shane let them have their moment, because they needed it, Dustin especially if his and Hunter's day had been anything like Shane's and Tori's, and did a quick look over Hunter to check his condition.

The first thing Shane noticed was that he was sweaty, probably because they had kept running way longer than Shane and Tori had, if Hunter's slight gasping was anything to tell. He hid it well, like he hid everything well, and settled in on Shane's free side, choosing not to make any further comments.

His face, if Shane could see it, would probably be disapproving. Hunter didn't understand Dustin, thought he didn't take things seriously enough, but Shane could tell he still regarded the brunette carefully, refusing to doubt his skill. To Hunter, they were all possible snakes in the grass. They couldn't be just what they were presenting, there was always the opportunity that they hid their more serious, battle-ready selves. That if the time called for it, they would abandon their established identities and revert into these…machines, maybe. Crazy psycho robot just waiting for the attack.

At least, that was the way it always felt to Shane. Like he was being constantly scrutinized. Hunter judged their normal behavior, sure, that was obvious, but he always thought they were hiding something. It was almost like the epitome of paranoia which…Shane could get it, kind've. Hunter was just trying to look out for him and Blake. He did whatever he needed to do, conditioned himself to be who he needed to be to make sure they stayed safe. Shane could respect him for that.

That didn't mean Shane liked him any more, because Hunter was still a jerk, but he could respect him.

He didn't like how Hunter…he never cut back a little. He never let his guard down, not even with them, his team. Even after the business with Bop-a-roo he respected Shane enough to work with him, but not enough to try and actually be friends. Not enough to let go. It was like he wanted Shane to step up instead, to stop living and become this hard-assed soldier a hundred percent of the time, brushing off all their downtime and constantly focused on Lothor.

And yes, while he and Dustin and Tori were all capable of cutting the shit when the time called for it, for the most part the winds were who they were, and they didn't compromise that for anybody. Not for the public and certainly not for the Bradleys.

Shane wanted to sit down and explain that to Hunter, that he understood why he would doubt them but they weren't going to change, that even thought they were…playful they were just as serious, just as capable as him and Blake and Cam, but Hunter would never give him the time. He refused to level with Shane, to get down to brass tacks because it would be crossing some kind of boundary for him. As though Shane wouldn't be worth it until he acted more seriously on a permanent basis and until then, tough shit.

So far they had managed to work around it. But with this…

Shane was never one to try and prove himself because he knew he had nothing to prove, but maybe Hunter would see him in a new light after their stay here, because Shane certainly didn't feel like bringing on the levity. For him it was straight business.

The thought of and maybe then Hunter would like him was stubbornly ignored, had no real purpose because Shane didn't need Hunter to like him, he just needed him to work with him, and nothing else was important.

He had nothing to prove.

"Have you been running this whole time?" Shane asked quietly, trying not to bother the Tori and Dustin snuggle-fest.

He could feel Hunter shrug in response; he often shrugged because he liked ambiguous answers, but then he took a step forward in their interactions and chose to give Shane a verbal answer, replying, "Pretty much."

Before Shane could press him further Dustin interrupted, tapping his foot against Shane's thigh to get his attention. "Dude, do you think Cam and Blake are here too? Or are they…you know, outside because-"

"We're here," came a voice, calm and steady, from the entrance. This time Shane hadn't got any warning of their arrival (rub it in why don't you), and a second later Cam and Blake landed in front of them, silent except for some muffled panting. It was the most un-composed Shane had ever seen Cam, which shouldn't disturb him as much as it did (Cam was still human), but he couldn't help it. "Perhaps if you would quiet yourselves we will stay the only ones here."

Cam's lecture would have probably been more effective if Dustin hadn't tackled him a second later, sending the two of them flying into an ungraceful heap on the floor. Cam cursed quietly, muttering under his breath in what was probably un-kind Japanese while Dustin continued to cuddle him, showing no mercy on the fronts of proper snuggling.

That relationship was one that Shane hadn't understood initially, until it finally dawned on him that it made perfect sense because of that exact idea. Yeah, super cliché and all that, but it was true. So sue him.

They weren't matchable at all, Cam and Dustin. They all acknowledged that. They all made bets on how long it would take before Cam snapped and broke his usual calm and expressionless attitude to yell at Dustin. They had actively kept an eye out to prevent that from happening. Had all tried to play as sort of a muffler between Cam and Dustin (and by "they" Shane just meant him and Tori, because Hunter couldn't be bothered half the time and Blake didn't know them well enough to care). Because they were both just so different. Cam was order and intellect, restraint and thoughtful deliberation while Dustin was pure wild energy, enthusiasm and ridiculously impulsive, possessing absolutely no brain-to-mouth filter.

And yet, it worked. They were friends for all the reasons that they shouldn't be friends, because they liked the balance they found in one another (Tori's phrasing, after Shane had approached her, holding his head and asking, in a distinctly not-pitiful tone, why?).

While it had…hurt, a little (because he was only human), when Dustin started becoming super attached to Cam, Shane couldn't really find it in himself to begrudge Dustin for making new friends. At the moment, Cam was undoubtedly Dustin's favorite person on the entire team (though he would always promise dedication to Shane and Tori, it went without saying) and it was slowly becoming obvious that the reverse was also true, as much as Cam protested it.

Dustin was the things Cam wanted to be but couldn't. And Dustin was…Dustin, and that was all Cam needed.

It wasn't surprising that Dustin had rallied yet another powerful ally to be permanently on his side, but it was endearing. Made Shane glad to watch their team become a little bit closer, every day.

Except for some-

Alright, enough of that crap. It wasn't helping anyone.

"Cam!" Dustin cheered, snuggling his head against the tech's shoulder. He remained completely unbothered as the green ranger decided he was done with lying on the ground and shifted them into the sitting position, letting out a small grunt of exertion. In response, Dustin made no effort to move, instead choosing to throw his arm around Cam's shoulders and repositioning himself in Cam's lap, making it so they could both be comfortable.

To his credit, Cam remained impassive throughout the entire affair, only giving the occasional grunt of displeasure that was on principal, at best.

And they all freakin' knew it. Even Hunter, at this point.

"Blake," Hunter muttered, and Shane watched out of the corner of his eye as the crimson ranger quietly took account of his brother's condition. As the younger Bradley made his way over to them Shane could see some of the tension leave Hunter's shoulders, that sense of worry he would never admit to, not in front of the rest of them.

Shane shifted closer to Tori to give them space, allow them to silently communicate their status as they had a hundred times before, as they had probably been doing for as long as they could remember.

Neither Bradley made any comment on his movement, not even as Blake settled into Shane's place, but he hadn't been expecting it.

But still, the fact that neither of them had objected to it, that had to be something, right?

"So," Shane began, giving his teammates a cursory look over before he moved on to the next order of business. "How's everyone's condition? We all good? Physically, visually?" He turned to Tori as he always did when looking for confirmation. "How're your eyes Tor?"

In the dim light he could see a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, because this was familiar, this brought comfort. "Like a cat's," she replied.

And, just as he always did, Blake scoffed in reply, elbowing his brother. "That makes no sense. Saying you have eyes of a hawk-"

"Or of an eagle," Hunter interrupted, lacking the playfulness of his brother but continuing nonetheless. That was the system, Hunter liked the system. Even if it was, to quote the blond, "stupid".

"-that makes sense," Blake finished, triumphant smile on his face.

Good. That was three out of five.

Shane motioned over to Dustin and Cam, "And you two?"

There was a slight pause as Dustin shrugged. "…a little red."

"Are you pulling more all-nighters?" Hunter prompted, leaning forward slightly in what could be concern, but it shouldn't have been, Dustin gave the right answer-

The yellow ranger nodded in an almost-sheepish manner. "Yeah well, homework's hard. What about you Cam?"

He shouldn't have asked; that was Shane's job and he didn't need either of the Bradley's to be more on edge than they already were, but Dustin…he needed something. He was on edge himself and didn't want to wait.

Quietly, Cam obliged him with a tilt of the head. "It's private," he whispered. "And you Shane?"

The red ranger cracked a smile and shrugged, relief surging through him. "All of the above?" he asked.

Just like that there was a collective sigh, the rangers finally relaxing as much as they could in the current circumstances. Shane knew the conversation sounded bizarre but after the first time Tori had been replaced they had decided to come up with a system for establishing their identities using code-words, superfluous things that Lothor's goons never would have been able to think through. On a random whim Dustin had decided they would all be designated with their own "eye" themed codenames; Hunter as eagle eye, Blake as hawk eye, Tori as cat eye, Dustin as red eye, and Cam being the private eye. There was logic behind these designations Shane was sure, though Dustin had never felt obligated to share them.

As the one who prompted the codes, Shane didn't have a designation of his own. Instead he had his own queries from either Tori or Hunter, should he fail to ask about their "vision" in times they deemed were necessary.

It seemed crazy, but it brought them all a sense of comfort, knowing they would be able to spot an imposter should it ever be necessary.

And, on an unimportant sidenote, there was a chance that this system may have earned Shane brownie points from one of the Bradley's.

But like he said, it wasn't important.

Shane let out a quiet sigh and rolled his head back against the rock wall behind him, small feeling of relief wash over him.

"Okay," he murmured after allowing himself a moment. "Now that that's taken care of how is everyone, really?"

"Tired," Dustin replied first, snuggling himself closer to Cam as though to demonstrate this.

The tech's eyebrows furrowed at this action, more displeased by Dustin's fatigue than the actual closeness, and protectively wrapped an arm around his waist, expression schooled to his default of casual blankness. "We're somehow being cut off from our elemental foundations," Cam began to explain, tone even despite the unpleasantness of his message.

They all knew it, but it was somehow worst now that it was confirmed by Cam. Shane had been hoping the green ranger might have escaped their fate, somehow.

"I thought that couldn't happen to you," Hunter immediately cut in, severe and agitated, and out of the corner of Shane's eye he could see Blake lay a comforting hand against the blond's forearm, trying to reel him back.

Cam, for the most part, continued to look unruffled. "As my samurai powers result from the presence of any energy, it is highly difficult to block my access to them. It isn't, however, impossible."

"But it doesn't make any sense," Tori protested, barest hints of panic in her undertones. "How can there be no energy here?"

As the conversation proceeded Dustin had began to pay a bit more attention to his tech friend, eyes watching him with obvious concern. Whether it was conscious or unconscious, Cam began to move a hand through the brunette's hair in an attempt to calm him, but kept his eyes on the others, remaining steady and strong. "There is energy here; there simply isn't any for me-"

Hunter began to dispute this. "If you can access all energy, how can-"

"I do not know," Cam admitted, effectively causing a silence to fall over them. "I do not know," Cam echoed, no shame at this declaration, no fear, only acceptance. "But in time, I am sure we will find out."

"Do you think transporting us here," Blake began, causing all of them to turn towards him. "Do you think that did something to us?"

"Possibly," Cam replied.

"Great," Hunter muttered sarcastically.

Shane didn't bother picking up that fight, it wasn't worth it, and Blake had it covered better than the rest of them anyway, so he chose to focus on what was important.

"We need a plan of attack guys," Shane began, recapturing everyone's attention so he could get them to focus. "This time is different-"

"No shit," Hunter replied, no longer bothering with subtleties, and Shane ignored him.

Normally Hunter wasn't this wound up when they were on a mission (off of missions, sure, everyone was fair game), usually he was stoic, had his eyes on the goal and damn everyone else. Damn their feelings or concerns or weaknesses. They had a goal, they achieved the goal, end of story. No need to complicate things with talking or emotions or any "extraneous" actions.

Hunter had trained himself to be a survivor.

If he was this wound up…

Shane wondered if there was something he wasn't sharing with the rest of them.

But now was not the time to ask about it; prodding Hunter at this point would only result in more sarcasm and agitation, nothing that would be useful to them. Maybe later, if they were still here later, Shane would ask him what was on his mind.

And maybe, considering the circumstances, Hunter would actually answer him.

Now wouldn't that be something?

"-so we need to decide what we're going to do," Shane finished, brushing off Hunter's jibe. "Any suggestions?"

For a few seconds, Shane almost feared that the thoughtful silence that fell over them wasn't a thoughtful one at all, but instead some void of desolation, that they were panicking and losing hope, that there were no words to be had because-

Slowly, Cam managed to extract one of his arms from around Dustin and raised a hand, drawing their attention back to him and forcing Shane to lose his train of thought, surprised to discover that he couldn't, for the life of him, remember what it was.

"I have a few possible options," the tech explained quietly, Dustin's face immediately lighting up with cheer for possible plans (see, he loved plans). Shane listened as the green ranger began to outline his ideas, forcing his mind to focus despite that nagging urge that he should remember, remember…what? He couldn't remember. Something about no hope? Well, that was stupid. They were fine.

They were their strongest when they were together and now they could tackle Lothor's alternate dimension as a team, finding their way out of it as they had so many times before.

There was no reason to worry.

There was no reason to be afraid.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Endnotes:

I had a good chunk of this story written up in November, but something about it didn't feel right. After studying it I realized the tone was wrong, so I went back and Frankenstein-ed the old chapter, making it into the story it is today. It was originally going to be much longer, but with the re-writes I decided to cut it down so I could get it out before my next semester started.

The title comes from the song by Imogen Heap, which helped me set the tone for later parts of this story.

Reviews are always appreciated :)

Until next time