A/N: And here it is! The official beginning of my Dino Charge stories! I'm going to start off with a couple of background chapters, since for the first time I'm actually going to follow the story from the beginning. I'll get to the main story soon enough. Hope you all enjoy it!
Legal: I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, events, characters etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.
Rating: T – there will be some mild adult themes.
The sun was slowly falling over the horizon, lighting the peaks of the rippling ocean with a deep, orange hue. A man wearing an expensive suit was standing on the balcony of his private villa overlooking some tall cliffs. He lifted the latte glass to his lips as he took in the simple joys of a sunset. The world at large had a number of differing opinions on him. He had barely been seen in the world at large now in years, but none of that concerned him. There was a reason he built his facility so far from prying eyes. Of course that didn't mean he didn't enjoy having his own tropical island to enjoy.
An intercom in the office behind him sounded, bleeping to alert his attention. While he generally tried to keep the rule that his time in his villa was his, but the work in the laboratories dotted throughout the island, both on the surface and even buried deep under the rock was so cutting edge, it really couldn't be expected that the breakthroughs would be considerate of any one person's timetable. It was the reason he had whole teams of some of the world's most promising scientific and technological minds living and working in shifts here on his private island.
Heading inside, he went to his desk, which he kept immaculately tidy and organised. He pressed the button on the intercom.
"I hope I'm not calling too late Dr Mercer." The voice on the other end said. He just smiled.
"No, you just caught me. I was about to turn in for the night." Anton answered. "Besides, you know I told you I want to know the minute we have anything on your project. What do you have for me?"
"We've managed to get some new readings back from the satellite." The voice on the other end told him. "It seems your calculations were correct. I think you better take a look."
Anton set down his cup, and pressed a button on his desk, which turned on a holographic projection.
"Send it to the projector now." Anton instructed him. The lab tech did as he was told, bringing up a virtual projection of a huge land mass. It was dotted with rocky mountains and deep, green woods. Figures and graphs floating around it showed a number of readings.
"Sir...we found massive levels of the radiation you've been looking for." The lab tech told him. "As in...several times larger than Auckland...or Alaska."
"I can see that." Anton said, stroking his chin as he considered this new information. "I have a feeling we've found something unprecedented...the only explanation is that we've found more than one."
"More than...sir, that's..."
"I know what happened in those locales, I am well aware of how serious this could be." Anton cut him off. He looked back to the projection. "How far along is the technology?"
"It's prototype at best." The lab tech admitted sadly. "We've run into huge road blocks. We can harness the powers you want us to...but it's still unstable, we've no idea how long it can safely be..."
"I'm afraid we may already be out of time." Anton told him. "Send a message to New York. Tell them we're sending over all our research and technology..."
"Wait...ALL of it?" The lab tech screamed. "You want to trust all of our stuff to...to HER?"
"That is what I said." Anton replied. "Tell our guest to pack a bag; he's going to New York."
"Sir, with all due respect...we've been working on this project for...are you SERIOUSLY expecting us to just shut down and hand it over to her now?" He demanded.
"Since I'm paying for all of it, that's exactly what I expect." Anton put down flatly.
"This is an outrage! She is...she's...she isn't qualified...SHE ISN'T EVEN A DOCTOR!" The lab tech roared.
"She is one of the finest minds I have ever worked with, and her qualifications are entirely none of your business." Anton said abruptly. "Now if this is unacceptable to you, I can have you sign the usual non-disclosure agreement, release you from your contract and wish you well on your way after returning you to the mainland."
The line went silent for a moment.
"I'm sorry sir." He answered. "I'm just passionate about..."
"Believe me I know, it is that passion I value." He interrupted the man. "That is why I'm sure your considerable talents will be invaluable on another project, but for now, tell our guest to get ready for when the helicopter arrives and send the message to New York. I have another to consult with."
He hung up, taking a deep breath. He headed to a panel on the wall, pressing it at which an elevator opened up. As he stepped into the elevator, the doors closed, and it started to descend deep into the island.
On another part of the facility, the head researcher was making his way through the lab, being followed by a couple of other assistants, who all seemed to be just as angered by this turn of events as he was.
"He can't be serious, after all these months...he's just ordering us to shut down and give our research away?" One of them demanded angrily.
"That's exactly what he said." The other stated, tapping a few keys on a computer and beginning to download. There was a mountain of information; cutting edge work that many on the team had hoped would propel them into worldwide fame in their fields. Now, for reasons known only to Anton Mercer, the man who had hired them and bank-rolled their research with seemingly bottomless pockets, they were being shut down and ordered to move on. "I'm not happy about it either, believe me I've been working non-stop on this just as long as any of you."
"This isn't right." Another said abruptly. "He can't just..."
"That's just the thing, he CAN and he HAS, this is HIS work!" The first put down flatly. "He owns the research, he owns the hardware and he pays our salaries! He can take everything we've been working for and turn it into the world's largest bonfire if he wants!"
"Then we take it!" One of the others suggested. "We upload all of this to the internet, then he can't stop anyone from working on it! We could sell this to anyone on the understanding..."
"You don't know a thing about patents do you?" The first interrupted him. "He'd sue us into the stone-age and that would just be the start of your problems! By the time he'd finished spreading the word about what we did to the scientific community, you'd be lucky if you could get a job as a lab assistant in a High School!"
"So...that's it?" One of them asked. "We're just...done?"
"With this project, yes." The first replied as he started downloading the last computer. "We can stay here and get transferred to other projects or we can leave and look for other work. Those are our options."
The others just remained in the lab, venting their frustrations as they watched their work being transferred to another facility. It only angered them more that they didn't get an explanation why this had happened. Meanwhile, the first lab tech went into another room.
It was unlike the other area. It didn't look much like a lab; it looked a lot more like a gym. It was set up with the kind of equipment that most professional sports teams in the world only dreamed they could get. Inside, there was a guy, working hard on a heavy bag. He didn't seem to notice the lab tech coming in behind him.
He was a young guy, somewhere in either his late teens or early twenties. He was tall, with a lean, but toned build. He was wearing a pair of sweat pants, trainers, and a black tank-top, with a black baseball cap turned backwards. Ear-buds pressed into his ears were emitting a tinny whine, which explained why he was ignorant to the lab tech's arrival. He couldn't hear him.
He worked on the bag, hitting it over and over. The strikes sounded like explosions, and the bag moved with each hit, tellingly bending rather than swinging around indicating that his blows were not just strong, but fast, sharp, focused. The force of each blow was focused into the point of impact with such precision that the bag didn't have a chance to get pushed away. It was an impressive sight to behold.
"Chase!" The lab tech called, trying to rouse his attention. When he couldn't, he tapped him on the shoulder. "Chase!"
Chase turned around, seeing the lab tech behind him and pulled out his ear-buds, turning off his music.
"What's up Doc?" He asked in a strong, New Zealand accent. The lab tech just sighed.
"Dr Mercer asked you to get your bags packed." He told Chase. "You're being transferred to another facility."
"I am?" Chase asked in response.
"A helicopter will be here in an hour." The lab tech told him. "You have until then to get ready. Dr Mercer will meet you to brief you at the heli pad."
"Shame, I kind of liked it here." Chase responded with a smile. "But I have a feeling; this project is just about to get interesting."
Elsewhere, the elevator arrived took in a laboratory that was hidden, even from the other researchers.
As he got inside, he walked past banks of computers and scanners, heading towards a chair at the opposite end of the room. There, a cloaked figure was sitting, viewing the screen.
"I trust you were following that." Anton told him.
"I was." The cloaked figure answered. "Your work is impressive...though your employees are..."
"They are passionate." Anton interrupted him. "It takes more than intellect to push the boundaries of possibility. Not many people can truly have the drive to be exceptional if they clock out at five every day."
"Then it is time for me to go." He replied.
"I can have a facility set up in Amber Beach..."
"I will set it up myself." He stated. "What we are doing must be done completely in secret."
"Then at least use my land." Anton told him. "The museum should have all the space you need underneath it. It's one of the largest areas of real estate in the whole city."
"That will suffice." He said, looking to his accomplice. "You have done much to help already Anton. Are you certain you would not like to be more closely involved?"
"I'll help in any way I can, but I'd really prefer to stay at arm's length from this one." Anton told him. "My assistant is one of the brightest and most capable young scientists I've ever come across. She will be able to help you in any way you need."
"Then all I can say is thank you." He replied, shaking Anton's hand. "Your help has been invaluable."
"Good luck Keeper." Anton replied. "Would you like...?"
"I can show myself out." Keeper assured him, before disappearing from sight.
Meanwhile, miles from the island, deep within New York City, a research team was sitting in an observation room, watching a bank of monitors. As the door opened and a young, blonde-haired young woman arrived, carrying a large, white paper bag, they didn't even flinch. They were glued to the monitor, watching what was going on in the other room.
Kendall Morgan was a gifted scientist, accomplished in a number of fields. She was young, younger than most of the men in the building, having only left university a year earlier, but she had already been appointed to head up this project. While she had yet to earn a doctorate, and had taken a job with Anton Mercer Industries to work on attaining that doctorate while earning some money, she was already more than qualified for the position in Anton's eyes. She had a Bachelors degree...but she had a multiple major which defied belief. She was a phenomenal intellect; the kind that comes along only a few times in a generation, but that wasn't what a lot of other people saw when they looked at her.
She wasn't unaware of the fact that a lot of people considered her attractive. She took a lot of care of herself, taking time to work out and stay healthy, and it showed in her physique. She had smooth, pale skin, and long, blonde hair. It wasn't the first time someone on her team asked her out, and on more than one occasion superiors had made the suggestion that they could advance her career in exchange for...certain privileges. She always refused of course. One of the main attractions with the job at Anton Mercer Industries was the fact that Anton, who had headhunted her personally for the position, clearly had no such designs on her.
She made a conscious effort in how she dressed to try and distract from her physical appearance. She would wear unappealing clothes, she made a point of wearing glasses instead of contacts, and she only ever wore her hair in a pony tail instead of taking any real care to style it. None of that worked though. Those that didn't have designs on her, often were jealous of her quick ascension in the ranks despite her lack of paper qualifications and maintained that was how she got there. She was determined to prove them all wrong.
As she got to the station, she could see they were just staring at the screen. They didn't look like they had moved in hours. She could understand their fascination with their discovery, with their research, but right now the two lab techs on observation looked more like a couple of Frat boys who'd stumbled onto a free connection to the Playboy channel, the way their noses were pressed to the screen and they stared on open-mouthed.
"Busy are we?" She asked them, seeing the vacant expressions on their faces.
"This guy is just...it's incredible." One of them stated. "Have you seen this?"
Kendall just sighed and looked at the screen, showing a room that had been set up. It looked like someone had gone to great expense and effort to set it up to resemble a jungle. The window looked directly in on one corner of it where it seemed there was a collection of rocks that on closer inspection formed a cave. Kendall watched as the only inhabitant, a man with wild, dark hair and a tanned complexion. He was wearing denim shorts, and a light blue tank top. He was currently hopping around the trees and rocks in a frankly astounding display of free-running.
"He's just exercising." Kendall commented. One of the men just looked at her.
"He's been at this for five hours straight now." He told her. Kendall just smiled. The man in the enclosure, Koda, was truly a remarkable find. He had been discovered frozen in a glacier in Alaska. It wasn't the first time a creature had been discovered preserved in such a way, but the fact he was running around now was a testament to what was unique about this find. Somehow, he had continued to exhibit life signatures. They had researched him for a while, hoping to perfect a method of cryogenics, but when an accident in the lab had led to him thawing out, they had convinced him to remain for further research. It wasn't every day that someone had a real-life caveman to observe.
He was indeed remarkable. His strength was incredible, well beyond what a modern man of roughly equal size and build should exhibit, and as his current 'exercise regime' demonstrated, his stamina was off the charts as well. It seemed that to survive in the harsh climates of his time, his body, his metabolism, and his very make-up had been fundamentally built to be resilient. It wasn't as though he could run to the nearest pharmacy if he'd gotten sick after all.
"Well, enjoy it while you can." She told them. "I'm afraid the research is being moved to another facility."
"What?" One of them asked. "Where are we going?"
"Actually...WE are going." Kendall corrected them, gesturing between them and the screen. "Dr Mercer just called. He's sending over a member of his team soon, and then we're leaving the lab."
"What about us?" The other asked. Kendall just shrugged.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that." She told them. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to get Koda ready."
With that, she went into the enclosure. One of the lab techs just looked to the other.
"Must be nice to be Anton Mercer's little pet." He sneered. "She gets a promotion and we get shunted to some other research project."
"You could always try sleeping your way to the top if you want." The other snorted. "Come on; let's see if we can convince him not to stick us on some bullshit project."
Meanwhile, inside the enclosure, Kendall made her way into the clearing by the cave. She smiled as she saw Koda contenting himself with the environment she had created for him. When he had first thawed out, and escaped into New York City, it became clear that the stress of the unfamiliar environment had sent him into a blind panic. She had worked hard to ensure that they created a place that was as close to his home environment as possible. She was working to familiarise him with the modern world, but she didn't want to cause him too much distress by making that transition too fast. Here, he had a place that felt as close to home as was reasonably possible in the modern age.
"Koda, can you come here please?" She asked. He looked around from where he was hanging from a branch, and smiled. He dropped down, landing on the ground and made his way over towards her.
"Kendall." He greeted her in a voice that was little more than a grunt. This was another part of his education. He had a basic grasp of language, and with time they were teaching him more and more. His speech was still a little stilted and forced, but he was able to make what he wanted to say clear. He eyed her up and down, his eyes lighting up, and smiled. Kendall could see his nose twitching and handed over the white paper bag. "Thank."
He tore it open with little care, revealing a burger of truly gargantuan proportions. It wasn't really an evolutionary thing, strictly speaking he was Homo Sapien, but it seemed like his metabolism was used to a diet largely comprised of meat, specifically rare meat. While he did like it cooked, he seemed to prefer his meat to be more than a little on the pink side. Kendall theorised that was likely because while he certainly was more than capable of making a fire and cooking, he didn't have access to technology that would cook food as thoroughly as they did in the modern era. Over time, people cooked their food more and more thoroughly, which meant they didn't build the same tolerances to infection and toxins. The only reason people didn't tend to eat cooked food was because now they were afraid of it, and got sick. By comparison Koda's constitution was pretty robust. Some of the food he ate regularly was only just on the dark side of being raw.
Koda took a massive bite of the burger, with no regard at all for Kendall. He didn't really care much for table manners. Kendall just sighed.
"Koda, you...you trust me don't you?" She asked him. "You know I'd never do anything that would harm you don't you?"
She got some unintelligible grunts in response as he devoured his burger. She had learned enough to know he was still paying attention even if it didn't seem like it. He was agreeing with her.
"The thing is...we have more work to do with this." She told him, pointing to a blue crystal that hung on a string around his neck. "But we can't do it here."
He looked up a little, and stopped eating for a moment. Kendall turned away from him.
"Koda, I know you like it here, but we need to do this." Kendall assured him. "I'll make sure we make you as comfortable as possible. Amber Beach is pretty close to this climate. You're going to meet up with..."
Her words were cut off as Koda let out a massive belch. She just turned back towards him, seeing him staring at her, the burger now completely gone.
"Will there...be burgers?" He asked.
"Yes Koda." She answered with a bright smile. "There will be burgers."
"Then Koda go with Kendall." He said flatly.