"Report." Pressing the headpiece closer to his ear Cam tapped the redhead crouched next to him on the shoulder with his other hand. Ghostly pale in the moonlight her bright red hair hidden under an ugly baseball cap Hayley Douglas nodded lowering her binoculars flexing her hand twice.
"Blue ready."
"Yellow ready."
"Pink ready."
Good everyone's in position, Cam thought, Phase one was complete. Now came the hard part. Teams of five made up from a mixture of graduated ninjas, Silver Guardians, military and well-trained civilians were the backbone of the freedom movement and for all intents and purposes this was a normal mission but if everything went correctly this mission could change everything.
"Received twenty seconds. Good luck."
He could hear it almost clearly now the low hum of a land craft. Together Hayley and Cam stood up lasers guns gifts from the Silver Guardians aimed into the darkness. The slight shimmer of the land craft could easily be missed.
On cue pink team detinateted their explosives exposing the silver craft briefly taking their chance blue team fired knocking out the hover engines lisping onto its side the craft stayed suspended for long seconds before crashing. The sound echoed around them in the silent night.
"Go!" Cam whispered into his mouthpiece. It was unnecessary, the four teams had trained for this attack for the last week they knew what to do. Cam and Hayley charged up the embankment firing at the emerging ninjas trying to avoid being caught inside. It was only a small transport mostly food but desperately needed, as food was that was not why they were here.
"Two slaves." Reported the unfriendly ex-Silver Guardian pink team leader. Firing again at a thunder ninja that twitched Hayley started securing explosives along the silver casing of the craft.
From behind the trees headlights flickered.
"Whenever you feel like filling her up boss." Called the yellow leader cheerfully into his ear. From the shadows three figures emerged heading for the back of the land craft. Pink team were already back from helping the slaves to the hidden truck ready to carry food supplies. With Hayley and four members of blue team Cam spread out along the road weapons ready. They had three minutes after the hover engines died. One minute control is alerted, two troops are dispatched, three they had to be gone, in theory they were right on schedule.
"We're done."
"Good yellow leader get that truck out of here everyone else report to your stations." It was tempting to congratulate them on a job well done but the mission was not over yet, first they had to get home safely. Two and a half minutes and the truck was smashing its way through the trees onto the open road. A delicate hand reached out of the open window the air in front of the truck rippled Cam glimpsed two figures huddled together in the back of the truck before it disappeared.
Hayley sneaked her hand into his squeezing reassuringly.
"They'll be fine Cam." She said pulling him back to the covering dark of the woods.
"Lets be sure." Reaching into his pocket Cam pulled out a device the same as the one the yellow team had used to teleport, a black disk the wind ninja symbol emblazed on either side, pressing red symbol Cam looked up as what had been termed an invisi-portal appeared above their heads. His stomach dropped around his knees as the familiar sucking sensation pulled them up into the portal. When that portal reached its end Cam opened another and then another. Using the energy of the invisi-portals to hide the teleportation wormhole used by the truck. Eventually Cam put away the portal disk brushing the sand off his uniform he helped Hayley to her feet.
"I think that's enough."
"Agreed." Giving up on cleaning her own clothes Hayley sighed. "Every damn time." She muttered.
"I'll find you more." Said Cam removing the hated hat he kissed her forehead softly. Leaning into him Hayley's arm wrapped around his waist. "Let go home."
It was a long walk from the beach to Reefside High well past midnight when they passed the blackened arched sign and the pink team leader came out to meet them.
"Everyone's back safely." He said gruffly. Scars not quite healed running from his forehead to cheek Commander Eric Myers ex-quantum ranger was not the most pleasant of people but he got the job done and despite their many verbal and not so verbal fights Cam respected him. Grudgingly.
"What about the two we brought back?" asked Hayley pinching Cam in a pre-emptive move to remind him to be nice.
"Eating, the doctors checked them out, malnutrition, head lice the normal stuff no lasting damage." Together the three of them walked through the school Cam acknowledged the men on guard inside the doors. Security was always beefed up before and after a mission even though he had not seen them Cam knew guards had been stationed through out town.
Nodding curtly Eric left them at the doors of the cafeteria striding off in direction of the science lab.
"You shouldn't have made him the pink leader. Honestly Cam pink? Eric?" Whispered Hayley pushing open the double doors. The cafeteria was much the same as it was when the place had been the devil playground called high school. Round tables pushed together for the popular groups, lonely tables off by themselves he had never been to high school but Hunter and the others had told him enough horror stories that Cam had actually been grateful.
"He'll get over it." Cam said dismissively. He had spoken louder than he meant to four heads whipped up from their table arms curled protectively around their bowls.
"Kira, Ethan I thought you'd be in bed." Sitting down beside the small dark blonde girl who watched her wearily Hayley touched her shoulder gently. Cam almost smiled when she did not flinch. Sitting down beside the new comers on the opposite side of the table the small the Asian boy shifted uneasily the other one just glared at him. Hayley was talking quietly to Kira and Ethan, whatever they were discussing had Ethan looking almost animated while Kira picked at the fruit before her. Knowing she was giving him time to talk to the boys Cam offered his hand to the brunette who was still giving him the evil eye. Eric had a hand in this Cam just knew it.
"I'm Cam that's Hayley." Jerking his thumb to the red head. "Do you know your names?" Now they were both glaring at him. It was not such an unreasonable question it had taken Ethan a month to remember who he was.
"Trent Mercer."
"Connor McKnight."
"How's the food?" Cam asked at a lose. What he wanted to say hard to bring up.
"It's food." Said Trent roughly pulling the bowl closer to his body looking scared Cam was about to steel it.
Taking off his glasses Cam rubbed his nose. He was no good at this.
"You'll miss the accessional meal but neither of you is ever going hungry again." His voice hard Cam mentally cursed Lothor and his goons shoving his glasses back on. Connor and Trent just looked at him blankly clearly not trusting a word he said. "Where you're going they have their own farm you'll grow your own food."
"So we're going to work for you now not Emperor Lothor." His face as impassive as his tone Connor looked straight ahead. Cam hated that look from ex-slaves even with their spiderettes gone they still lapsed when they expected punishment.
"No but yes. Look at the compound people work hard to make life better, food, shelter, fighting Lothor and you need to be a part of that."
"Why?" Demanded Connor loosing some of his blankness. Cam was taken back why? Because you need to.
"Because you can't cower under your blanket and wait for the monster to go away." Cam said harshly, " In case you missed it children a very bad man has taken over the planet and right now is planning for the rest of the universe! Or are you happy being Luther's poodle?" Immediately Cam wished he could take it back as the tall brunette shrank in his chair completely passive.
"I'm not." Said Trent quietly. "I'm not that. I'm not. I'm not! I'M NOT!" His voice growing louder until he was screaming Trent knocked over his chair as he stood up his body trembling. Hayley moved around the table quickly wrapping her arm around Trent's shoulder, which he shrugged away from gently Hayley maneuvered him away from the others.
Rising Cam gestured to the others to follow him.
"Whoa total melt down." Ethan exclaimed once they were out of the cafeteria.
"Shut up! I remember what you were like geek boy." Kira reminded Ethan giving him a warning look.
"You shouldn't have said that." Said Connor flatly to Cam.
"No I shouldn't have." Leading them to the teacher's lounge. Cam ignored Kira and Ethan's almost friendly bickering with Connor dropping in the odd comment. Pushing away guilt from habit before it really registered Trent would be okay eventual and Hayley was with him.
"This is the teachers lounge." Connor said disappointedly. Looking around at the threadbare chairs and orange carpet.
"Were you expecting pimp's paradise?" Asked Kira nastily.
"No," Said Connor mocking Kira's tone. "Just something more than…this you know."
Tipping over a comfy despite its appearance green chair Cam took out a Swiss army knife and pried the upholstery staples off the underside. Their squabbling scratching against his nerves. Pulling away the weave Cam removed the metal briefcase hidden inside.
"Connor," Cam said serious breaking into their conversation, "All of you sit down."
Immediately they took seats beside each other hands folded in their laps posture perfect, the slave look back on their faces. These children who were not really had some of the strongest will power Cam had seen. Each of them had fought against the spiderette mind control and managed to hide the fact from their controllers holding on until they could escape or be rescued but still they had behavior left over Cam worried they would never be free from.
Opening the briefcase Cam removed the remaining silver bracelet a red stone brighter more than usual.
"Connor it wasn't an accident we attacked the land craft you were in."
Wide-eyed Connor seemed unable to take his eyes off the bracelet. "It wasn't?" He asked distantly.
"No, we were looking for you," Cam almost smiled offering him the bracelet greedily Connor took it running his fingers over the cool stone with satisfaction Cam watched it glow. In surprise Connor dropped the bracelet hastily snatching it off the floor looking around guiltily. "Like we were looking for Ethan and Kira." Smiling at the three of them Kira and Ethan showed him their wrists. Identical bracelets apart fromtheir respectiveyellow and blue stoneadorning their wrists.
"What?" Asked Connor uncertainly.
"It's a chance Connor to fight Lothor and his goons and win."
"I don't get it."
"He's asking you to be a power ranger!" Exclaimed Ethan slapping him on the back. Kira's mutter of "Doffus." Went unheard by both of them.
Thanks to everyone for reviewing it means a lot.