Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own, or desire to own or make any money off the Power Rangers concepts and characters presented in this story. Basically, I'm playing in someone else's sandbox. Of course, anything you don't recognize from a show is mine.

My apologies to anyone who got confused reading Chapter 3 . . . the Fanfiction server and I seemed to be having a disagreement on my scene breaks. It's is hopefully fixed permanently now. If it isn't, please let me know.

Power Rangers: Geo-Force

Chapter 4: Deceit

Grandmother teleported the Rangers into a copse of trees in the gardens behind the Ranger Museum. It wasn't long before an SPD officer spotted them. Fast-thinking Andrea quickly came up with a cover story for how they got there, saying that one of the tour guide drones had gotten them out a back exit when the trouble started, and that they had been hiding until they saw SPD officers. That seemed to defuse any questions and they were quickly re-united with their class. Andrea conveyed the same story to their teacher, who also seemed to buy it. Andrea wasn't thrilled with using her credibility with the teachers to lie to them. None of the Rangers like the idea of lying, but Grandmother had insisted that, until they knew more about the enemy they faced, concealing their identities was a necessity.

Of course, having to lie also meant the four had to go through the same procedures that everyone else who had been in the museum did. So after being checked over by the med-techs, apparently morphing had healed the bump to the head Tyler had received, they were also questioned briefly by a forensic investigator. All four stuck to their story that there had been an explosion, they hid until one of the tour drones got them out, and that they really didn't see much.

They thought they were in the clear until Tyler spotted Commander Tate, who was talking on his communicator and suddenly, looked right at him. Tyler groaned. He groaned again when the Commander of SPD started walking towards him, continuing to talk into his communicator. The Commander's long strides covered the distance in seconds. He stopped stiffly and said "Tyler Forge?"

"Yes, sir?" Tyler swallowed hard. There was something that always unnerved Tyler about Commander Tate's piercing blue eyes and highly arched eyebrows.

"I have someone here who would like to speak with you." Commander Tate handed Tyler his communicator.

Tyler tried to clear his throat, and finally croaked out "Hello?"

His father's voice came nearly yelling out of the communicator, "Tyler?! Thank the Gods! Are you all right?!"

"Yeah Dad, I'm fine."

"Stay right where you are. I'm on my way to Angel Grove now to pick you up. ETA 5 minutes."

Tyler now turned bright red. He could hear classmates snickering . . . even Commander Tate had something of a smirk on his face. "Dad, I'm fine. I can take the bus back to New Tech and then walk home. You don't have to come get me."

"Negative son. Stay right there. That's an order. Out." The communicator shut off. Tyler turned even redder. Commander Tate rested a hand on Tyler's shoulder, his expression softening.

"No need to be embarrassed son. When I was a bit younger than you, I fell at school and broke my arm. They called my father, who then showed up at the school morphed. His armor was still smoking from the fight with the crook he just arrested. Dads are just like that, especially when they're cops."

Tyler's face cooled a bit. "Thanks, um, Commander Tate. Um, here," Tyler handed the communicator back.

When Tyler's father, Lieutenant Aaron Forge, arrived the assembled SPD officers parted for him without question. Most of the SPD personnel present had received Lt. Forge's tutelage while at the academy, so knew who he was. His status as an Alpha squad Ranger's father was also known. And news that his younger son had been onsite for a field trip had spread quickly. So everyone basically got the hell out of his way. Even Commander Tate merely stepped aside as the elder Forge wrapped his son in a fierce bear-hug. Tyler embarrassedly returned his father's hug, but after a moment started to push away.

"Dad. Dad! I need to breathe here!"

Still holding his son's shoulders, Aaron pushed Tyler back to arms length and seemed to check over every inch of the boy. Although he was looking at his son, Aaron's next question was directed at his Commander. "Med-techs check him out?"

Given the circumstances, Sky ignored the breach of SPD protocol with something of a smirk. "He's been given a clean bill of health Aaron," he said, switching to the more empathetic, familiar mode of address . . . Syd and Z would have been proud of him. His heart truly did go out to the seasoned SPD officer, Sky had just been promoted to Commander when Forge's wife, Anya, a civilian working for SPD as a Community Liaison, was killed. And he felt a certain amount of kinship with young Tyler. Sky's own mother had been highly protective of him after his father died, as had many of the senior SPD officers when Sky joined the academy.

Aaron Forge, however, suddenly seemed to realize how he had addressed his Commander, and been addressed in return. His professional demeanor re-asserted itself, and he turned at attention to Commander Tate. "Thank you Commander. If my son has been cleared from the scene, I'd like to take him home, with your permission."

Sky put his professional face back on, and replied, "Permission granted. It shouldn't be too hard for forensics to get a hold of him if they need anymore from Tyler." To Tyler he said, "Take care of yourself son. We wouldn't want to see anything happen to you before you got to the academy."

Tyler smiled stiffly and said thank you, while internally groaning at yet another reminder of the "great plan" for his life. However, as he turned to say goodbye to his friends, he realized that the plan may very well have been thrown off, since he was already a Ranger. He promised to call his Andrea, Nia, and Conrad that night, before his father dragged him to their hover.

Once in the vehicle, Tyler turned to his father, "Dad, how's Kris?"

The older Forge was silent.

"Dad, there were rumors flying everywhere around there that the Kris' team got hurt, bad" continued Tyler, keeping the fact that he saw his brother go down with his own eyes to himself.

Aaron Forge sighed. "He's in the med-unit at Headquarters. He's stable, but still unconscious last I checked. The doctors wouldn't tell me anything more."

"What? You couldn't see him?"

"No. They weren't allowing any visitors until the team woke up. And unlike cadets, I can't threaten the doctors. Well, I can, but they just threaten me back with forced medical leave."

"Oh," was all Tyler responded, looking out the window as the hover sped along. Out there, somewhere was Crul . . . and Tyler was going to do everything in his new-found power to make the blue-skinned freak pay for hurting his brother.

Twelve hours after the attack, Crul had finished reviewing every last shred of telemetry the Bio-drones had recorded. The attack had gone perfectly. The SPD Rangers were no match for them. But those four . . . children, for Crul was now convinced they could be no older than 15, had destroyed his squad of Biodrones like they were old model Krybots. And that brat of a Red Ranger, how could a child be so powerful? But the answer was right there too, summed up in the three word phrases spouted by each of the child Rangers: Flowing of Water; Force of Air; Strength of Earth; Heart of Fire. The Master would not be pleased.

Malika had gone through dozens of Grimoires, finally finding what she sought in the oldest tome in the Master's possession. One of the oldest tomes in existence on Earth. Pictured were the four sigils the Master had shown her and an inscription. Upon running the translator, Malika frowned deeply, for the inscription read: "The Sacred Sigils of the Four Great Spirits, whose Power and Essence is the Elements of Life and Creation." The Master would not be pleased.