"Monica loves me, Monica loves me not," Chase muttered, pulling the petals of a daisy apart. He paused as he reached the last one and sighed, tossing the flower over his shoulder. "Oh well, Monica's loss. Tina loves me," he reached for another flower and proceeded to tear its petals off.
Adelaide rolled her eyes from beside him. "You know you're going to get the same result every time, right?" she asked.
"How would you know?" Chase said.
"Because you're an idiot that doesn't realise what he's doing. Besides, that doesn't even work."
Chase opened his mouth to retaliate but cut off as Tyler jumped and let out a small yelp of surprise. He and Adelaide looked around to see Koda knelt beside the red ranger, looking tense.
"What's going on?" Adelaide asked.
"Smell the air," Koda said, sniffing.
"Uh," Chase frowned and looked to Adelaide who shrugged. "I don't think any of us can smell what you smell, dude."
Tyler's Dino Comm bleeped, and he answered it to reveal Kendall on the screen.
"Alien bio-signs in your area," Kendall warned them.
"Hey, shut down the E-Tracer," Tyler told Riley and Shelby quickly. He stuffed his dino comm back into his jacket pocket and turned to the others. "We need to get out of here now."
Adelaide and Chase jumped to their feet, each one reaching for their dino morphers that rested nearby.
Tyler shrugged his backpack onto his shoulders and grabbed the E-Tracer.
"Careful," Shelby warned him. "That's irreplaceable."
"Start the jeep," Riley said, quickly. "We're right behind you."
"I'll come with you," Adelaide said, appearing at Tyler's side. "If anything happens, my energem will protect us."
Tyler nodded and headed for his jeep, leaving the others to scan the area for any sign of Fury and his crew.
Adelaide scanned the road side as Tyler loaded the E-tracer into the box at the back of his jeep. He made sure it was secure before tossing his backpack onto the back floor and climbed into the driver's seat.
"Ade!" Tyler called, motioning for her to join him. She claimed the passenger's seat just as the others surrounded them, already morphed.
Adelaide frowned. "Why are you guys morphed?" she asked. "There's no one around."
Chase pressed a finger to his lips and pointed to the road ahead. An indication that Tyler should start driving.
"Okay, I'll get us out of here," Tyler said, starting the engine and driving away. Once they were a safe distance away, Tyler added. "The E-Tracer is safe now. You can demorph."
No sooner had he spoken, did the jeep gurgle and slow down.
"Why are we stopping?" Adelaide asked.
"I don't know," Tyler said. "I just tuned her up. She shouldn't be breaking down like this." He pulled over to the side of the road and got out.
Adelaide slumped in her seat and waited. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and she looked over her shoulder, ready to hit Chase for annoying her. She paused and her eyes widened as she saw Koda and Riley taking the E-Tracer from its case. "Hey, what are you -?" she cut off as a hand wrapped around her mouth, silencing her.
Chase pulled Adelaide from her seat in the jeep and marched her around to the front.
Tyler looked up, he'd been on his dino com, and instantly fell into a defensive stance as the ranger holding Adelaide melted into a Vivix. "Let her go!" he demanded.
The Vivx threw Adelaide at Tyler. He caught her around the middle and immediately put her behind him.
"What happened?" Adelaide asked, staring at the Vivx. "What have you done with Chase?"
"How do you like my friend's cloning abilities?"
Adelaide and Tyler spun around as Poisandra, Curio, and a new monster appeared.
"Now you're just in our way, Rangers!" the monster yelled, running forward and brandishing a hammer. He raised it above his head and slammed it down, but bounced back as a bubble appeared between him and the two humans.
Tyler turned to Adelaide. "Why didn't that happen before?" he asked.
"I don't know," Adelaide answered. She still didn't fully understand her protective bubble, only that it appeared in times of desperation.
The monster yelled and continuously slammed his hammer down onto the bubble, but it refused to break.
"Fake Rangers, huh?" Tyler asked as four Vivix walked past, one of them carrying the E-Tracer. "Nice trick. But now you're facing real ones."
"You're pretty tough for someone hiding behind a barrier," the monster said.
"Oh yeah?" Tyler asked. He grabbed Adelaide's hand and squeezed it. Reluctantly, she lowered the barrier, leaving them exposed to the monster. "How about now?"
The monster laughed and fired the hammer at them. The ground exploded and Adelaide screamed as she was lifted off of her feet. She arched through the air and hit the ground with a dull thump. She groaned, and then passed out.
~X~
"You find Tyler and Ade?" Koda asked Kendall as he entered the base ahead of the others. The scientist was scanning the whole grid for any signs of the red and scarlet energems.
"No, they still aren't responding," Kendall said, shaking her head.
"I'm going to scan the city for alien DNA," Riley said, approaching his own computer.
"When I talked to him Tyler thought he was with us," Shelby said. "Whoever he was with, they were fooling him."
"If they had been in any danger, Adelaide's energem would've sensed it and protected them," said Chase.
"Not necessarily," said Keeper. "Adelaide's bubble only works when she's in immediate danger."
"Like when Fury attack her and Sasha?" Koda asked.
Keeper nodded. "An immediate attack could be anything from a blaster to a sword attack," he said.
"Great," Chase muttered. "So she could be in more danger? Sasha's going to kill me."
"We'll find her, Chase," Shelby said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
Riley's computer beeped, drawing the others in. "Alien bio-signs detected in the city complex," he told the others.
"Then that's where we go. Yes?" Koda asked.
"Maybe we should split up?" Shelby suggested. "Chase and I could go back to the woods and retrace our steps, and see if we can find Tyler and Ade."
"No," Keeper said, stopping them. "Kendall and I will continue to search for Tyler and Ade. You must work together to find the E-Tracer before Sledge can locate the Gold Energem."
Shelby nodded. "You're right, we need to work as a team," she said. "Let's get moving."
Chase hesitated but followed the others nonetheless. He wanted to find Adelaide as quickly as possible, and as safely, but also knew he had a responsibility to the others as a Power Ranger. He'd have to trust Kendall and Keeper to find her.
As the others left, Kendall turned to Keeper. "You brought Adelaide here after she bonded to her energem," she said. "Can't you sense her?"
"I can try," Keeper said. He grasped his staff in both hands and closed his eyes. His bond to Adelaide and the Scarlett energem was like nothing Kendall had ever witnessed before. It was moving, but also creepy.
~X~
Tyler was the first to recover. He rose carefully from the ground, his ears ringing and head throbbing. The sun was also blinding him, making it impossible to see. But he could remember clearly what happened.
Looking to his left, Tyler tapped Adelaide's face. "Come on, wake up," he pleaded.
"Chase, knock it off!" Adelaide muttered, swatting his hand away and rolling onto her side.
Tyler chuckled and leaned over her again. "Ade, it's me, Tyler," he said, tapping her cheek again.
"You stop too," Adelaide said.
"We have to go. We were attacked, remember?" Tyler said, hoping to jog her memory. "Poisandra has the E-Tracer. We have to find her before she locates the Gold Energem or Petra Zord."
Adelaide groaned and opened her eyes. "I thought that was a bad dream," she sighed, sitting up. "Ow! My head!" she added, holding her head in her hands.
"Mine hurts too," Tyler said, standing up. He reached out a hand for her to take, and pulled her carefully to her feet when she took it. "We can sort it out when we get back to base."
"Oh, that reminds me," said Adelaide, punching him as hard as she could in the shoulder.
Tyler winced. "What was that for?" he asked.
"If you hadn't lowered the shield this wouldn't have happened!" Adelaide said. "Next time, I don't listen to you."
Tyler tried to roll his eyes, but it hurt too much. Instead, he turned away and walked up the hill towards the road. His jeep was still knackered which meant he needed an alternative way back into the city.
"Dino Cycle, Rev Up!" Adelaide yelled, throwing her Dino Cycle Charger into the air. It split into two separate parts and combined to form her new high-tech bike.
Tyler watched as she raced past him, jumped over the fence and morphed mid-air, landing safely on the bike's seat. "Show off!" he called, grinning.
"Come on, slowpoke!" Adelaide called.
Tyler shook his head and followed her lead.
"Race you!" Adelaide shouted over the rev of both engines.
"You're on!" Tyler replied, pulling ahead.
Adelaide laughed and chased after him.
~X~
"Keeper!" Adelaide called, happily.
"Adelaide, are you alright?" Keeper asked.
"Yeah. Aside from a throbbing headache, I'm okay," Adelaide said. "What about you?"
"I'm fine. What happened?"
"No one time to explain. Poisandra has the E-Tracer. She tricked us."
"With clone Rangers, we know. The others are in battle as we speak."
"They are? Can you get Kendall to send us the coordinates?"
Adelaide's gaze flickered towards the left side of her screens as a scanner appeared. On it was the coordinates of her friends. "Got it," she said. "Tyler, do you see it?"
"I see it," Tyler replied.
"Tell them we're almost there," Adelaide told Keeper. "We'll explain the rest when we see you." The communication link closed and Adelaide sped up, blasting past Fury as he appeared in the middle of the road. "Hey!" she yelled, spinning the bike around in time to see him attack Tyler.
Tyler cried out as he hit the ground and demorphed. He looked up and saw Adelaide behind Fury. Slowly he shook his head, silently telling her to go help the others. He could see the hesitation in the statute before she turned and fled the scene.
Stopping a short distance away, Adelaide gripped the handle bars of her bike and glanced over her shoulder. The others needed help, but Tyler was no match for Fury by himself. "Ms. Morgan, change of plans," she said, opening another link to the base. "Tell the others we'll be there as soon as." She closed the link as quick as she opened it, and sped back to help Tyler.
"You're no match for me, red ranger!" Fury yelled, swinging his sword at Tyler.
"Don't be so sure!" Tyler replied, ducking around Fury and kicking him into a stationary car.
Fury recovered quickly and launched himself at Tyler, he caught his wrist and punched Tyler in the side, knocking him away. As Tyler hit the ground, Fury towered over him and laughed. "What's this?" he asked, picking up the bracelet that had been ripped from Tyler's wrist. "Well, well, well. This brings back memories."
"Then you did know my dad," Tyler said, angrily.
"I should have known you were his son," Fury said, tossing the bracelet over his shoulder. "With those pathetic fighting skills. You're as weak as he was."
"BAD KITTY!"
Tyler looked up as Adelaide shot the lasers on her bike at Fury, knocking him away and into the parked car once more. He should've guessed she wouldn't have left him alone for too long. "I told you to go help the others," he said, as she skidded to a halt beside him.
Dismounting her bike, Adelaide run back to Tyler's side. "I know," she said. "But I figured there are four of them and only one of you."
Tyler smiled and turned his attention back to Fury. "What do you know about my dad?" he demanded.
"I'll never tell you!" Fury said, darting towards where his sword had fallen. Adelaide beat him to it, and Fury caught her by the shoulders.
"Not this time," Adelaide said, kicking him in the gut and using him to flip over. Fury stumbled back away from her, and straight into Tyler's path. The red ranger summoned his Dino Blade and used it to slash Fury multiple times.
As Fury hit the ground for the second time, Tyler stood over him with his sword. "What did you do to my dad!" he demanded to know. "Tell me!"
"Your father was -" Fury said, hesitating in his answer.
Suddenly the Dino Comms bleeped and Tyler quickly answered his.
"Tyler, we can't beat this monster without you," Chase called. "We've got to use the Dino Spike! Now!"
"Fool!" Fury yelled, hitting Tyler's feet out from underneath him.
Adelaide gasped and rushed forward, blocking another hit from Fury with her own sword. She chanced a glance over her shoulder and flickered her head up. "Go!" she said. "Go help the others! I'll stay here and deal with Fury."
"But my dad..." Tyler hesitated. He was just getting answers to his father's disappearance, he was sure Fury knew what had happened, and he didn't want to miss the opportunity.
"I know you want answers about your dad," said Adelaide. "But he wouldn't want you to let your friends get hurt while trying to find the truth. We'll find him, Tyler, but you may need the entire team. Go. I'll join you soon."
Tyler swallowed and then took off. "Be careful, Ade!" he called as he run.
Adelaide turned back to Fury and shoved him away with her sword. "I will," she said, jumping back to avoid a hit.
"We meet again, scarlet Ranger," Fury said.
"You have a bad habit of making enemies out of people, Fury," Adelaide said. "Me, Tyler, the other Rangers, who else have you made a vendetta with?"
Fury snarled and lunged again. He collided with Adelaide, pushing her back into the side of a gray parked car. "Now to finish you," he said, raising his sword above his head. Immediately, Adelaide felt her protective bubble burst from her chest, but even as the barrier pushed Fury back, something golden exploded from him.
Adelaide frowned as the substance grew bigger and bigger. It looked like a molten blob that was struggling to free itself.
"What is happening to me?" Fury asked.
"Ms. Morgan, Keeper, are you seeing this?" Adelaide asked.
"Yes," Ms. Morgan replied. "What is it?"
"I was kinda hoping you could tell me," Adelaide replied.
As the mass of gold grew bigger, Fury stumbled back into the street. "I am in control!" he yelled, dropping his sword and trying to squash the energy back into his chest. As quickly as it appeared, it disappeared and Fury fell to his knees. Exhausted.
"Adelaide, get out of there, now!" Ms. Morgan said.
Adelaide nodded. She didn't need telling twice. Even though Fury looked exhausted from whatever had just happened to him, she wouldn't have put it past him to recover just as quick. The last thing she wanted was to be on the receiving end of another temper tantrum. "See you later, kitty!" she yelled, running back to her bike and speeding away.
~X~
As disappointed as he felt over the loss of the E-Tracer, Chase couldn't bring himself to feeling down as the minute he jumped off the slide in the base, he was attacked by a scarlet blur. Adelaide laughed as Chase hit the ground and she sat on his stomach, grinning down at him.
"Hey, hotshot, did you miss me today?" Adelaide asked.
"Of course not, why would you think that?" Chase teased.
Adelaide shrugged. "Oh, I don't know," she said, still grinning. She knew Chase was only joking. "Maybe because we're attached at the hip."
Chase laughed and stood up as Adelaide got off him. He went to wind his arm around her shoulder, but she jumped onto his back inside. He rolled his eyes and hoisted her up higher. "I'm just glad you're alive," he said. "Sasha'd kill me if anything bad happened to you."
"Are you saying that's all you'd be worried about?" Adelaide asked.
"Nah, I'd miss you too much too," Chase said.
Adelaide giggled and pointed towards the computers. "Onward," she said.
Chase stomped towards the desks.
Shelby sighed as she set her destroyed E-Tracer down on the desk. "The E-Tracer may have given Fury the location of the Ptera Zord," she told Kendall. "And he also got the Ptera Charger."
"Even if he finds the Zord, that charger shouldn't have enough power left to activate its battle mode," Kendall explained. "And they don't have the technology to charge it."
Meanwhile, Tyler was also feeling upset. He was still disappointed that he couldn't tell the fake rangers from the real ones.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up," said Adelaide. "I couldn't tell them apart either. I mistook one of those phony's as my best friend," she leaned against Chase, nudging him with her shoulder, "and he's way more annoying than them."
"Hey!" Chase whined, pushing her shoulder.
"The E-Tracer was destroyed, but you worked as a team," said Keeper coming out of Koda's home. "If you had not, then it would not be in Sledge's hands."
"Keeper's right," Chase agreed. "We're united. Sledge, Fury, Poisandra, they're divided."
Adelaide nodded in agreement.
"That's why we'll win, because of our teamwork," said Riley, also agreeing. "I mean, maybe not today, but soon."
Shelby smiled and turned to Tyler. "I have something of yours," she said, digging into her pocket. She'd gotten Tyler's bracelet from Adelaide and had wanted to be the one to give it back to Tyler. She opened her palm and presented Tyler with the cord.
"You found my Dad's bracelet," Tyler said, smiling.
Chase, Adelaide, and Riley grinned at one another knowingly, whilst Koda scratched his head in confusion.
"Thanks," Tyler said once Shelby had finished tying the cord around his wrist.
"No problem," Shelby replied.
Suddenly Adelaide jumped from her seat and rushed to the computers. "That reminds me!" she said, bouncing up and down. "Ms. Morgan, do you have the footage you recorded from my fight with Fury?"
"Yes, I've been analysing it."
"Show 'em!" Adelaide said, clapping her hands. "Show 'em! Show 'em! Show 'em!"
"Okay, alright," Kendall said approaching Adelaide. She fed the data through her laptop to the big computer and uploaded it for the whole room to see.
"After you left today, Tyler, something happened to Fury," Adelaide said. "He kinda froze up, and then some gold mass started to pour out from his chest. It was scary but oddly fascinating."
Tyler cocked his head to the side. "You sure you weren't seeing things?" he asked. "You did hit your head pretty hard after the blast."
"No, I'm serious," said Adelaide. "I know that's hard to believe from me, but I promise. It's like something was inside of him trying to break free. Watch," she pointed to the computer. Kendall played the footage for the others to see.
It was only a short video, but once it had finished the Rangers exchanged looks.
"Maybe it's his fun side trying to come out?" Chase suggested, jokingly.
Adelaide shook her head.
"Whatever it is, we take it on together," said Koda. He held out his fist. The others grinned and did the same.
Adelaide bounced back over and placed her fist against the others, completing the circle.
"Together!" they agreed.
