In the real world, in Central Panorama Police Station, Mia was sitting in a waiting area with Serena, waiting to be interviewed about the incident at the movie theatre. There was really very little they could tell the police, certainly nothing that wouldn't expose the real reason they were there. Serena was fidgeting nervously, chewing her fingernails.
"Serena, you have to try and relax." Mia told her. "I know it's hard, but if we just stick to the story we'll be fine."
Serena didn't answer her. Mia just sighed.
"Look, they found us in the security office, but we gave them a reasonable explanation for why we were there." Mia reminded her. "We were just watching a movie...let's say Wild Foxtrot, and then the monster..."
"Nighlock." Serena stated. Mia just shook her head.
"Who other than us uses that name?" Mia asked her. "The monster showed up. In the confusion, we got lost and hid in the security office."
"What if they don't believe us?" Serena asked.
"What does it matter? It's up to them to prove differently." Mia assured her. "If we just stick to the story, they can only hold us for questioning, and then if they don't charge us with anything, they have to let us go."
Serena didn't look convinced. This part of the plan really sucked. While they weren't really under arrest, they knew at the time there was no way they could leave the theatre unseen, and so they had to go with the police. She hadn't had the best of relationships with authorities, during her quest for Kasamune, she had ended up being detained by a government agency under suspicion of terrorism, and while Hayley and Stephen had ensured that all traces of those records had been destroyed, it still left somewhat of a mark when it came to the idea of spending too much time around the police station.
"How can you be so calm?" Serena asked her.
"Like I said, there's nothing they can pin on us." Mia told her. Serena suddenly got a thought.
"This isn't your first time in a police station is it?" She asked. Mia was noticeably silent. "That's it isn't it? You've..."
"Shhh!" Mia hissed, looking around. She didn't exactly want it broadcast when they were about to be interviewed. "It's not important."
"There's a story there, I know it!" Serena commented with a little smirk. "Don't think I'm going to stop asking about this."
"Fine, I'll tell you later." Mia muttered. "Until then, just remember. Stick to the story, don't offer anything other than what they ask for directly, and hopefully we'll be out of here soon. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can get back and help Ji."
Just then, a female officer came into the waiting area.
"Mia Watanabe?" She asked. Mia looked up. "We're ready for you now. Come with me."
Mia just looked to Serena, wordlessly trying to remind her that they just needed to ride this out, and get back to the Shiba House as quickly as they could.
Back at the Shiba House meanwhile, Ji was working hard. Being on his own, he had to use all of the skills and facilities at his disposal, rushing around as he tried to figure out what had happened to the Rangers, and more importantly, if there was a way to get them back. He had Antonio's computer working on the security footage he had lifted from the cinema, setting it to run multiple scans on the footage, while he worked on a number of books.
The Nighlock wasn't in any of the books he had found, but seeing as it was based on a video camera, technology that wouldn't have existed until early the previous century, and well after the time of the ancient Samurai, he wasn't especially surprised. What it did mean was that it was a relatively young Nighlock, one created within the last century or so, meaning its powers should still have been developing.
Developing! He couldn't believe he hadn't thought about it before! Putting down a book, he ran into his room, throwing open a closet and pulling out a few boxes. A little rummaging later, and he found what he was looking for. He pulled out his old cine player, smiling as he did so. It had been years since he had used it. It had belonged to his father, and as a treat growing up, he sometimes brought it out to play it for Jayden. Some of Ji's older family movies, and some of his favourite classic movies were on cine film.
Rushing back through to the Living Room, he placed it down on the table, beginning to set it up. He looked to the film reels he had found in the cinema. He wasn't sure he was doing the right thing, but with no better plan, and uncertain as to when, or even if the computer would find something useful in the footage from the security cameras, he picked up one of the reels. He loaded it into the projector, carefully winding it into place, and starting it playing. He switched off the lights and started to watch.
He saw that it started to roll, showing a movie of some description, not unlike some of the classic movies his father had loved so much. It was only as he saw it roll on a little, he finally saw something odd. Jayden appeared on screen, and seemed to be acting like a character from the film. A little further in, he saw that many of the characters appeared to be played by the Rangers...and even a few others he recognised, including himself!
"What's going on here?" He asked.
Back in his movie, Mike finally found his way to Emma's house. It wasn't easy considering the fact that he knew nothing about the city this film was set in, but he finally managed it.
He pulled up outside the house, a quaint little bungalow on the edges of town. All the houses in the street were more or less the same, surrounded by well-kept yards, but this one was covered in flower bushes, and had trellises either side of the door. Mike went up to the door, confirming the house number, before knocking on the door.
He heard some movement from inside, and waited patiently. Eventually, the door opened a little, held in place with a chain. He could see an eye, and a little bit of wavy hair. Just as he thought, Emma was being played by Emily. For a moment, he harboured some hope that she would recognise him, but that was quickly dashed.
"Can I help you sir?" She asked him. Mike searched through his pockets, finding his badge.
"Detective Jessop." He introduced himself. "Emma Moller?"
"Yes?" She asked him a little nervously.
"I need to talk to you about your sister, Selene." He continued. "Can I come inside?"
Emma let the door off the chain, and opened it, letting him in. Mike came through to the Living Room, where Emma gestured to the couch.
"You wanted to talk to me about Selene?" She asked. "She's normally home by now. Is everything alright?"
"I'm afraid I have some bad news." Mike told her. "Your sister was murdered a couple of hours ago."
"Selene's..." Emma started to say. Mike hated this story with a vengeance. Even knowing that it was fiction, he couldn't bear to see Emily hurt or upset. He wanted to move across, to just hold her in his arms, to assure her that everything was alright, and that he would be there for her, but he had to remind himself that in this story, Emma and Jessop had only just met as far as he knew. He pulled out his notepad.
"I'm sorry for your loss." He said quietly as he tried to compose himself. "I know this is difficult, but I need to ask you some questions."
"Um...alright." She responded, struggling to try and concentrate on what was happening. He looked to her sympathetically.
"Would you say you have a good idea who your sister normally hangs around with? Who her friends are?" He asked her. Emma just nodded.
"Our parents are both dead." She informed him. "We've been living together ever since we moved here. We...we were very close."
"Would you say that you know anyone who would want to hurt Selene?" He asked. Emma just shook her head.
"No, Selene was a wonderful person. Everyone loved her." She told him. "The guys at the bar, the neighbours...everyone."
"So, you can't think of anyone who had a problem with her?" He asked. "Anyone at all? An ex-boyfriend, someone she owed money..."
"I can't think of anyone..." She started to say, before stopping as she seemed to think of something. "Wait; there was one guy that was hanging around her a lot at the club. He seemed to always be there when she was on shift, like he memorised her rota or something. He tried to buy her drinks a few times, but she said she wasn't interested. He was kind of a creepy guy."
"Do you know his name?" Mike asked her. She shook her head.
"I only saw him one time I went to pick her up outside the club after a late shift. She was telling him she didn't want to hang around with him." She recalled.
"Can you describe him?" Mike asked her. She just nodded.
"He was tall, he had bright eyes...he had this really weird grin, totally freaky." She stated. "I think he might have been hurt in the war or something, it didn't seem normal."
"Do you know if he had a car?" Mike asked her. She nodded.
"Yeah, a big fancy one." She stated. "It was black, and it looked really expensive."
Mike was starting to piece it together. He remembered Spike telling him that the car at the scene, the one that took out his news stand, was a black Lincoln. Potentially, this gave him a suspect.
"I also heard someone mentioned in connection with the case, someone called Switchblade Kyle." He told her. Emma just rolled her eyes. "I guess you've heard of him?"
"Who hasn't in this town? He runs protection across most of the city." She informed him. "The owner of the club, Jarvis, pays him kickbacks to stop accidents happening. His boys come around every once in a while."
"Do you have any idea where I can find him?" Mike asked. Emma just shook her head.
"No, but I'm sure Jarvis does." She told him. "Jarvis White, he owns the club. He's there most days."
Mike just closed his notebook. He really wanted to hold Emma, to do something to comfort her, but he was sure she would only find it odd if someone she had only just met suddenly hugged her.
"You probably don't want to be alone tonight." Mike suggested. "Is there anyone you can stay with? Anyone to support you?"
"I could always stay with Keith and Maya tonight." She answered. "My sister...when can I...?"
"She's in autopsy right now." He informed her. "The department will be in touch about when she can be released."
Mike gathered his belongings, and headed back to the car, intending to head back to the station. He was sure he had an apartment, but he had already had the embarrassment of having to ask where the police station was, without having to ask where his own home was. He figured he would have to begin the case again in the morning.
Back in the real world, Mia was waiting in the waiting room as Serena was finally allowed out of her interview. Just as they had discussed, they had only told the cops their story, and offered no other information. There was nothing they could really tell them that wouldn't involve explaining the whole Ranger thing, and that was pretty much the last thing they needed.
It was beginning to get late, the interviews having taken a couple of hours, but in the end, they were indeed both being released, just as Mia had assured her.
"Well?" Mia asked her.
"We can go." Serena told her as they left the police station. Mia flagged down a cab. "Well, now we can see what Ji knows."
"He has had a couple of hours to work on things." Mia told her. "Don't you have a lesson to teach soon?"
"Somehow I think this is a little more important." Serena sighed. "I really don't think I can face teaching tonight. I'll ask Cody's dad to cover for me."
"I can't blame you I guess." Mia agreed as they got into the cab, giving him the address for the Shiba House. "I mean, my fiancé and my brother are trapped in there. I understand how you feel."
Serena just nodded in response, staring out the window wordlessly as the cab took them home.
Back at the Shiba House, Ji had spent some time watching the films, finding a common theme among them. All of them seemed to star the Rangers, and a number of people that they knew. The computer was still analysing the security footage, trying to extract anything it could from it.
He was watching through the red reel again, trying to fathom what was happening to his Rangers, and what the films meant. It was then that he noticed something incredibly odd. He ran the reel back a bit, before running it forward again.
"That isn't the same as before." Ji commented. The scene did indeed play out differently. It was like the film had ended, and been re-shot somehow. He replayed the scene yet again, and as he listened in closely, he noticed something else. Jayden's character called Antonio's character Antonio, only to receive a confused look.
He got another reel, this time the Blue reel, and played it, noticing something similar happening. Was it possible that only the 'star' of the movie knew that it actually WAS a movie?
Just then, the computer bleeped, and he went to check on one of the scans. The computer had cleaned up the audio, separating out the strains, and had finally come up with a reconstruction of the conversation between Mike and the Shogun.
"Look, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but what about my team?" Mike asked. "Normally when we blow up the Nighlock, any spells they cast end. All my friends are still film reels."
"That is our doing." The Grand Shogun told him. "You have all grown soft."
"Weak." The Blue Shogun added.
"Vulnerable!" The Green Shogun concluded.
"Well, I hate to bring it up, but you're kind of running out of descendents." Mike stated bitterly, hating being chastised by ghosts of century's dead ancestors this way. "We're kind of your only shot!"
"If you think that, you are as dense as you are soft!" the Grand Shogun snapped. "We gave the war to our children and our descendents because we believed they would exceed us, not become a bunch of whining children."
"Look, my friends...my fiancée is a reel of 8mm cine roll right now!" Mike stated, tears of anger and anguish running down his face. "Tell me what I have to do to get them back!"
The Spirit Shogun Rangers all turned towards each other, and discussed things for a moment. Eventually, they turned back to him.
"The Nighlock had a unique curse; one we think will provide us with a test of your worth." The Grand Shogun told him. "Your friends are all trapped in stories of their own creation."
"What?" Mike asked for clarification.
"Everyone loves different fiction." The Yellow Shogun answered. "If they can bring their story to a satisfactory conclusion, they can go free, and will have proved themselves worthy of the power we have gifted them."
"If they cannot." The Blue Shogun added, stepping forward. "We take that power back, and we finish the war."
"What about me?" Mike asked them. The Green Shogun just levelled his sword his way.
"You had to ask." He replied. With that, Mike vanished, leaving a film reel behind.
"The Shogun did this?" Ji asked. He pondered what he now knew. It seemed to confirm his suspicion. "The films...each of the Rangers has their own film. They have to finish them themselves!"
He then remembered seeing the films replaying differently each time. The Shogun's words echoed in his mind.
"They have to bring their story to a satisfactory conclusion. If they can't...the film must begin again! They could be trapped forever!"
He turned his attention back to the film playing on the cine projector and took a deep breath.
"Stay strong Rangers." He willed them, knowing there was no way to help them from outside the films. "You can do this, I know you can."
