Love to all the reviewers :). I do hope that the review replies came through - have had some problem with alerts in the past week (as in, mail alerts didn't come through) so I used the PMing 'review reply' feature, and i've no idea if it worked. I do hope it did.

Also, you might want to know that ch.10 is now in beta process, so we're going to have regular updates at least until then, and likely until ch.11 as well. After that, though, i'm afraid updates will become irregular.

Love and Gratitude to the Constellations Team: Camille and Mara (beta reading), Navot (battle scenes advisor, storytelling), Tami (characterisation, discussion pal) and Roie (who made this possible).

Reviews are much appreciated!


7. Betrayal, part I

The day they set out to destroy sensei Watanabe, they cleared all their belongings from Lothor's ship. Hunter had insisted; Blake was not so keen. Hunter was prouder than Blake, and he did not want to take anything from Lothor that they didn't have to; Blake had favoured the access to teleportation and free food, and the lack of rent. Plus, Blake argued, staying close to Lothor might enable them to free their fellow Thunder ninjas; Hunter argued that Lothor would be rid of them anyway once Watanabe was out of the way, unless the two aligned themselves with the Dark Ninja ways completely; Blake argued that they could lie. Hunter sealed the argument with a single question: "We would be fighting the Winds," he had said, "would you kill that pretty girl you fancy, so you can keep appearances for Lothor?"

In retrospect, Hunter had been right. Blake was loath to think how they would've managed had their belongings remained in Lothor's possession. The first days after the events at the Mountain of Lost Ninjas were a blur: shaken, shocked and nearly eaten up by the need for revenge, the two boys set camp just outside the Mountain's perimeter. All they had wanted was to train, to become better so that they could execute the vendetta that was burning up in their blood. After two and a half days of ghouls and waking nightmares, though, Blake had managed to convince Hunter to check into a camping ground and visit a Laundromat. They stayed close to Blue Bay Harbor: it went unspoken that their business there was not yet finished. The new surroundings allowed them better sleep, but practice and training still took most of their waking hours, overshadowing questions of income and proper dwelling.

On the sixth day, things changed. It was after dark: they had finished their evening training session, and have just finished dinner. They went back into their tent, thinking to go to sleep for the night. A large sheet of paper was lying in the middle of the tent. In large, childish print letters it read: "Meet me tomorrow at midday, five miles north to the quarry and three to the east, if you want to get back at Lothor." The note was signed, "The Bitter Employee."

They stayed awake all night: they discussed, argued, sulked at different sides of the tent, and talked some more. It was only an hour before dawn when Hunter finally put his foot down and made a decision, so Blake suggested meditation may be a better idea than sleep. It worked well – for him. By the way Hunter looked when they met up again, Blake suspected that his brother didn't even manage to rule his mind. Blake didn't like what this said of Hunter's state.

For that matter, he didn't like Hunter's choice, either.


"Are you sure it said here?" muttered Hunter. "This is the middle of nowhere."

"The note said here," said Blake. "But who knows; it's not like anybody from that crew is an intelligent life form."

It was ten past midday. Hunter and Blake were standing at the area specified in the note they had received. It was a sandy, almost desert-like area, with only some low shrubby plants to break the monotony. They had been standing there for twenty minutes.

A single ray of light shot from the sky. Choobo had tried balancing himself on top of the dune he'd landed on, nearly fell but eventually managed to stay on his feet. Blake and Hunter exchanged glances and then walked towards him.

"So, what's all this about?" asked Hunter.

"What, no hello to an old friend?" asked Choobo.

Blake rolled his eyes at the alien's professional hurt-tone, and reached out an army to steady him. "Maybe after you explain to us how this isn't a trap."

"Really," Choobo rolled his eyes, "you thought I asked to meet you so I can betray you?"

"That's what evil guys usually do, yeah," said Hunter.

"Uh-uh," said Choobo, waving a finger, "evil guys usually betray each other."

"So," said Hunter briskly, "what's all this about?"

Choobo straightened. "I'm tired of them constantly making fun of me," he complained. "I'm their punching bag, up there. I've had enough of that!" Leaning forward, he added in a hiss: "I want revenge!"

"And we fit into your plans how?"

"Oh, come on! I thought we could help each other!"

"That sounds familiar," said Blake wryly. "I think we heard that from your boss, a while ago."

"He's not my boss, anymore," scowled Choobo. "I told you I'm bitter. This is why I came to you and not to the Winds. You should know I'm telling you the truth. You were there."

Blake looked at Hunter; Hunter looked at Blake. Yes, they were there: they knew that Choobo was indeed the punching bag to Lothor's crew, the one everyone looked down upon. They just hadn't realized that Choobo might actually be intelligent enough to notice.

"Okay," said Hunter. "We'll listen. But let's make one thing clear." He leaned forward and jabbed a finger into Choobo's chest. "We're in charge of this, not you. We're all going to get back at the dirtbag of a ninja up there, but I'm the one calling the shots. Clear, Choobo?"

"Crystal, Crimson Ranger."


"And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest thing to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now"

- Iris, Goo Goo Dolls


There were times Blake had left camp without telling Hunter where he had gone. While Blake was grateful that Hunter allowed him the privacy, he was somewhat worried that his brother had never asked. None of this matters, now, thought Blake as he walked the street. Soon we won't have to keep any more secrets. The hour was half past two in the afternoon; at two, Blake knew, Dustin had started his shift at Storm Chargers and Tori was almost certain to be there as well. Shane wouldn't arrive until three. Blake knew this, because he had invested time in studying Tori's schedule, so that when the time would come to find her, he'll know exactly when and where she would be. He hadn't told Hunter that that is where'd he been, whenever he disappeared in the last week; but when Hunter had said that they needed to tell the Winds, in person, what was going on, and Blake had said he knew where Tori would be, Hunter didn't ask any questions. Perhaps, thought Blake ruefully, it's because he already knew.

He crossed the street and entered the store. Predictably, Dustin was behind the counter. Unpredictably, his face lit up when he saw Blake.

"Blake!" Dustin crossed the store in two quick steps and engulfed Blake in a hug. Somewhat surprised, Blake still managed to hug Dustin back and slap his back. "Dude, I'm so glad to see you!"

"It's good to see you, too," said Blake. He was even sincere.

"I've been wondering when you'd show up," said Dustin, "Now Tori would finally cheer up."

She missed me? Blake fought back the grin. "Speaking of," he said, looking around the store and frowning, "Where is she?"

"Dude, you wouldn't believe." Dustin made a face. "She took my bike."

"She what? Tori knows how to ride?"

"She's better than Shane," shrugged Dustin, "not that that's saying much. Doesn't like to stick to the track, though. I told her, if she puts a scratch on the bike one more time…"

"Okay," said Blake quickly; if Dustin was anything like Hunter and he, then he could go on forever about his bike. "So where can I find her?"

"Ask at the track where she went to." Dustin waved his hand. "She doesn't usually go far. Besides, she just left here a minute ago. You're not far behind."

"Thanks," said Blake.

"Hey, Blake," called Dustin as Blake was already at the door.

Blake paused and turned around.

"Are you and Hunter gonna stick around?" asked Dustin.

"I don't know," answered Blake. It was even the truth.

Dustin seemed put down. "I hope you'll stay," he said, "but, really. Whatever you think's good for you, man."

For whatever reason, this made Blake's throat constrict for a moment. "Thanks," he said, "I'll see you around."


Dustin wasn't kidding around when he'd said that Tori wasn't too bad with the bike. She was obviously more used to the territory than Blake, and put him through quite the chase before he'd managed to catch up with her – and even then, she only stopped because she flew off her bike. Blake made a mental note to help her fix the thing.

"Hey, what's the deal?" she demanded as she picked herself up from the ground. Her hair flew everywhere as she took her helmet off. He took off his own helmet, and saw her frown change into a surprised smile as she asked, "Blake?" Then she scowled again: "You totally freaked me out! I thought you were one of Lothor's goons!"

"Since when do they ride dirt bikes?"

"You never know," she said. "Where have you been, anyway? You don't call, no letter…"

He felt his face stretch in a smile. He remembered well their last conversation, at the beach: this was better a reception than he'd expected. "You missed me, didn't you?"

"No," she said, but her cheeks turned red.

"Yeah, you did," he said, smile stretching further. "I can tell."

She looked away. "I don't like you anymore," she said – but her tone was light, and she was smiling. "And I'm not talking to you ever again."

"Hey!" The protest was almost automatic.

"I'm just kidding, Blake."

"Please don't joke about stuff like that." He looked at her seriously. "At least, not for a while, okay?"

"Okay," she said. "So, what happened for you to appear out of the blue?"

Resisting the urge to improvise a pun, Blake explained.


Choobo had loaded his teleporter code unto Blake's and Hunter's remotes. Nobody followed the access logs, he explained; they could get on board the ship without anybody noticing. It wouldn't have seemed likely, except that Hunter and Blake knew what security on that ship was like: it seemed, weirdly enough, that Lothor trusted his crew. At four in the afternoon, as Blake scheduled with Tori, he and Hunter teleported themselves to the ship where they'd lived for three months. They materialized below decks, as Choobo said they would. A movement behind them made them turn around, Hunter quickly throwing the intruder to the ground – before realizing it was Choobo himself. The two picked him up.

"That's what you get for sneaking up on us," said Hunter, merciless as usual.

"You really need to work on your entrances," said Blake.

"Sorry," said Choobo. "Follow me: he's taking a nap!"

They followed Choobo silently throughout the corridors, up the to decks. Choobo picked a winding course, and they did not run into even a single Kelzack. Hunter and Blake exchanged looks: so far, so good. At the doorway of the throne room, Choobo took a step back. "Good luck," he told them.

"Thanks," said Blake. Hunter just nodded.

Cautiously, they stepped inside. The room was deserted, except for Lothor, asleep in throne just like Choobo had said. Excitement rose in Blake's chest. He'd told Tori that he and Hunter would only take a look, and if everything looked good they would return and fetch the Winds as well. But here was Lothor, asleep and alone, too tempting a target. They couldn't turn back now: this was their chance. Breathing as shallowly as possible, they approached the throne: this was an experienced ninja, after all.

When they were two feet away from their target, Lothor's eyes opened. Rather than seeming surprised at their presence, he smiled. "Surprise!"

There wasn't enough time for them to morph. The white beam descended immediately, immobilizing the two brothers.

A trap! Thought Blake desperately. For a moment, he regretted that they had gone in alone. Then he thought better of it: this way, at least the Winds are free. They know we went up here. When we don't come back, they'll know something went wrong.

"Hello!" a green hand waved in front of their faces. "Anybody home, Mr. Thunder Ranger?"

Blake really wanted to turn and hit Choobo, but he could not so much as move his eyeballs. He couldn't even grit his teeth as he heard the laughter – it seemed that all of Lothor's crew had gathered in the throne room.

"Well done, Choobo!" Rang Lothor's voice merrily. "Or should I say, General Choobo?"

"General? Did you say General Choobo? I can't believe it!"

"That makes it two of us," growled Zurgane's voice in the background.

"Yes, Choobo. Now, tell me the rest of your plan."

"The rest? Uh… I kinda figured that was it."

Pause.

"I'm waiting, Choobo."

"Uh…Um… I know! How about we put a Mind Warp on them and make them think the Winds are their sworn enemies?"

Blake's heart leaped into his throat.

"Ridiculous!" declared Zurgane. Blake couldn't see him, but he got the impression that the General was quite angry. "They've failed us before. Throw them out the air lock and let them drift in space for all eternity, I say."

If he wasn't trapped in a stasis beam, Blake knew, his hands would be clammy and he would be breathing hard. This is taking 'between a hammer and a hard place' a bit too far! He tried fighting against the stasis field, but failed: he couldn't even summon his ninja powers.

"I like it," ruled Lothor after a moment. "Let's go with it!"

"What?" spluttered Zurgane.

Blake had missed out the rest of the argument. His accelerated heartbeat seemed to block his hearing. Blake fought against it, trying hard to hold into the world around him. He had no idea what this Mind Warp thing was, but it could only be one of two things: bad, or worse. We can't go against the Winds again! I can't do that! But he would, he knew: he had no doubt that if Lothor thought he could make him and Hunter do that, then he could. They know we're here, Blake reminded himself. They'll realize what happened. Question is, he thought gloomily as he heard Choobo and Lothor discussing how, exactly, they would 'program' the two Rangers, will they find a way to free us before we hurt them too much? Even trapped as he was, he could almost feel tears gathering in his eyes.

I'm sorry.


"I don't see anything," said Shane.

"I hate to bring it up, but this is always how it starts", pointed out Tori.

The three Wind Rangers, morphed, prowled the construction site. The alien had to be there: they had seen him on screen, chasing away the workers. Now he was probably hiding, biding his time, stretching their nerves… as usual.

The faint hiss of gas was the only warning they got before the area around them was flooded with smoke, so thick that they couldn't see more than a feet ahead.

"Brutal smoke alert!" declared Dustin. "Where is this dude?"

"Yo, alien!" called Shane. It got him an alien claw hit directly to his chest. He heard two more bodies landing next to him, and Tori muttering "I rest my case," and then the smoke cleared. There was no alien in sight.

"So, who is it if not the famous Power Rangers," growled the alien's voice, hidden somewhere among the scaffolds. "Have anyone ever told you you look taller on TV?"

"Have anyone ever told you you look uglier in person?" Shot Dustin as the alien had come out from the shadows.

"What is this?" continued Tori. "Attack of the giant snail?"

"No problem!" snarled Shane. He, Tori and Dustin lined up in front of the alien, swords in hand, ready to attack. Slowly, the alien advanced on them. They knew to expect the smoke screen, this time around, but it didn't help them much.

"Hello!" called Cam's voice over the comm.. "You do remember you have IR view installed in those helmets of yours, right?"

"Load of good that does!" called Shane.

"Dude, this guy's body temperature is really near the ambient temperature!" called Dustin.

"I'll see if I can write an update!"

"Thanks, Cam!" called Tori.

Then the alien was on them again. Up close, though, the infrared view – now that Shane remembered its existence – did prove helpful, and the Rangers managed to actually land a few blows, and avoid most of those that were directed their way. Then the smoke changed: from grey it became green, and the smell become distinctly fouler.

"Ew!" declared Tori.

"I second that, sister!" added Dustin.

Through a gap in the smoke, Shane noticed a ramp leading into the building under construction. "This way, guys!"

"Come back!" called the alien's voice gleefully behind them. "I'm just getting started!"

They ran as fast as they can, jumping over beams and avoiding other obstacles. The cloud of stinky gas was behind them, as was evident both by the smell and, also, whenever one of them dared cast a look behind: it was always just a mask of greenish-grey. Eventually, though, they've hit a dead end.

"You can't escape my furious fumes, Rangers!"

"This guy's stinking up my whole day!" said Shane. It wasn't just the stench: Shane was willing to swear that the gas was somehow poisonous, and not entirely filtered by their helmets. He didn't want Dustin or Tori – or himself – exposed to that more than was absolutely necessary.

"I say he needs to be smog-checked!" declared Tori.

The alien, standing on a catwalk above them, snickered. "Don't like my fumes, Rangers?"

Under his helmet, Shane barred his teeth. "How about we put the Wind in Wind Rangers?"

"All right!"

"Really," drawled the alien, "like I'm afraid of wind."

Shane struck out a pose. "Then come on down!"

"Don't be chicken!" said Tori.

"Don't be shellfish!" added Dustin.

Mentally, Shane groaned. Still, the taunting did its job, and the alien came down at them. Once the smoke attack was fully on, Shane declared "Let's put him in the spin cycle!" and reached his arms to the sides. He felt Dustin and Tori link their arms through his, and their powers combining. Then they started spinning. At first the wind was weak, barely felt in the thick smog. Slowly it became stronger, though, until various bits of equipment were flying the small tornado they had created – as well as the annoying alien. Carefully, the three Rangers directed themselves – and the alien – back to the open territory. They dropped him from quite the height, and used the few seconds it took him to reorient themselves to assemble the Storm Striker. As per usual, one shot did it. Not as per usual, though, this was not followed by the appearance of a giant alien: instead, the three Winds stared, dumbfounded, at the two Zords rolling down from the hills.

"No way," mumbled Tori.

"Well," said Shane grimly, "it's not like those guys were ever reliable." Still, he couldn't help the heavy feeling that settled in his stomach: he didn't want to fight the Thunder brothers again – he hadn't thought he would ever have to. "Cam, you watching this?"

"The Zords are on their way, Shane."

The Thunders attacked as they always did: fast and brutal. Hand to hand, the Winds were a match for neither. In a Zord fight, the chances were usually not as one-sided. Today, though, Shane noticed that he was not the only one hesitating before hitting, and pulling back those punches his did throw: he couldn't fight without restraints. He knew the faces behind the helmets; he knew that this was wrong, that this should not be happening. Get a grip, he told himself. Whoever knows what's real and what's not, with those two? They've been liars right from the start. It doesn't matter that you don't want to fight; it matters that they do.

The two Thunder Zords slowed down and came to a halt next to one another.

"Here comes the MegaZord," muttered Tori. "I can't believe this!"

"Maybe they got out of bed on the wrong foot this morning," suggested Dustin.

"Or maybe they're just a lost cause," snapped Shane.

"They're not transforming," said Tori. "Maybe we should talk to them or something?"

"Tori, the guys are after our necks!"

Two red beams descended from the sky, each hitting a different Thunder Zord. The two Zords charged again, even more brutally then before.

"See, I told you!" exclaimed Shane as the two Thunder Zords initiated a MegaZord sequence. His stomach had already turned into lead.

"So you were right, once in a blue moon," grumbled Tori. "You're still wrong. They need our help."

"After we've saved our necks, okay?" said Shane through gritted teeth. "Power Sphere!"

At first, it was just a flash of white-blue white in his peripheral vision. Then it rose, growing until it became a giant shell, glowing and pulsating. Both teams of Rangers ceased to fight, and turned to look at the display: within three pulses, the shell burst, and everything turned into light.


He was hurting all over. That was the first thing Shane noticed when he woke up. He could feel the rock under his hands – he must have demorphed – and he could hear what was possibly the ocean in the background. He opened his eyes. He was, indeed, lying on rocks; pushing himself to his knees, he looked sideways and saw that there was, indeed, an ocean nearby. This is not Blue Bay Harbor, he thought grimly: there was a proper hill rising to his other side. Blue Bay Harbor had cliffs by the shore, not anything even resembling a hill. Also, the air smelled strongly of something foul. Shane stood up. Tori and Dustin were lying not far from him, both still unconscious. He looked first at them, then at the hill, and back again. Eventually, he decided to climb: he had to get some idea of where they were. Alone, he knew, he didn't stand much chance of protecting Dustin and Tori from more than a handful of Kelzacks – and Lothor was not likely to be as gentle with them.

He didn't have to climb very high before he realized the truth of where they were; which was good, because the hill had no tracks and was quite the rough and unsafe climb, what without ropes or anything. The bad, however, was that they were on an island – he could see to the other side, even if not very clearly. They were in the middle of nowhere. He tried the comm. switch on this morpher. He'd tried it before, downhill, but it was worth it trying again from the higher ground. All he got was static, though.

Dustin and Tori were already awake when he finally made his way back down to the shore: awake – and frantically calling for him. "Right here!" he called. They halted in place, and waited for him to come closer. "I hiked up a hill," he explained, once he was close enough that he didn't have to shout, "to check things up." He took a deep breath. "We're on an island."

"An island?" asked Tori.

"Yeah. There's no other land or people around as far as I can see."

Dustin reached for his morpher.

"Don't bother," Shane told him. "I already tried."

"Last thing I remember," said Dustin slowly, "we were playing bowling Zords with Blake and Hunter."

"Yeah," grunted Shane. "Don't remind me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Tori sharply. "There's an explanation!"

"I think that was pretty clear! We know those guys for what, a month? And how much of that time they didn't actually try to kill us?" Shane stopped, surprised at the bitterness in his voice. Strangers, he reminded himself. Even if they were Rangers and Ninjas, too; even if…

"You didn't see Blake the other day!" protested Tori. "Something must have happened to him and Hunter on Lothor's ship!"

"When you're ready to get real come and talk to me, all right?" He turned away. "I've got to find a way out of here."

He had actually walked some distance before he heard Tori and Dustin coming up behind him. "Wait a minute!" Tori called. Shane slowed down, giving his teammates a chance to catch up with him.

"All right, I admit this is brutal," said Tori as she came closer, "but you have to allow the possibility that maybe there's some logical reason for all this."

Shane was about to retort, when he saw a flash of colour in the vegetation nearby. "You guys saw that, right?" he asked sharply.

"I did!" said Tori.

"Good," muttered Shane.

He saw it again. This time he also managed to hear the telltale sound over the roar of the waves.

Streaking.

"Over there!" called Dustin.

"Let's go!" Shane ran forward. He heard the other two coming after him. They ran for maybe ten minutes straight, following the faint signals of sound and colour, until they came to a small clearing. There, waiting for them, were Hunter and Blake. Blake's arm hung to the sides of his body; Hunter, as usual, had his arms crossed, standing at a slight angle to his brother. Expressionless, they stood and watched as the Winds approached them cautiously.

"Hi, Blake," said Tori tentatively.

No response.

"What's going on with you guys?" asked Dustin. "We're not supposed to be fighting each other, remember?"

Still expressionless, the two Thunder ninjas attacked. Shane went straight for Hunter, having already learned that this was the better strategy: Blake seemed to have a problem fighting two opponents simultaneously, and both Tori and Dustin lacked what it took to take on Hunter directly. Shane even managed to land in a punch or two, before Hunter started fighting in earnest. Within seconds, though, Shane realized that something was wrong: Hunter's sequence of punches and kicks was not as fast as it usually was, and Shane managed to block or deflect half the blows. This was not normal. The lack of taunts in the pre-fight moment was unusual, too. Maybe Tori had a point, he thought as he deflected a kick from Hunter with a kick of his own.

For a second, the two stood and watched each other.

Then Hunter launched a spin kick, and Shane had to somersault in order to get away in time. The following sequence was pure kicks, fast and brutal, and Shane found himself with his face in the dirt before he managed to get his bearings again. He shook Hunter's foot from off his back and stood up. His powered-up fist clashed directly with Hunter's, the blast knocking them both back. Shane managed to twist in the air and land okay – one advantage he had over his rival – but Hunter recovered faster, and knocked him into two separate trees before Shane recovered and, with a quick sequence of punches, managed to throw Hunter to the ground. Hunter was on his feet in no time. In a flash of colour, he was gone. Shane streaked after him.


They met again at the beach, though at a different point than were they had started. The trio of Tori, Dustin and Blake landed between them seconds later, cutting short Hunter's and Shane's exchange of high kicks. Within seconds, though, the trio disbanded, with Dustin and Tori lining up behind Shane, and Blake next to Hunter.

They looked at each other.

"We don't want to hurt you," said Shane slowly, "but you're not exactly giving us a choice, are you?"

The Thunders only response was to morph.

"I knew we'd come to that," muttered Dustin.

Shane felt Tori tense to his left, and let her call that one.

Now morphed, the teams of three and two faced off against each other. The Winds pulled out their ninja swords, and the two teams attacks simultaneously. For a few seconds, they held a five-way shadow spar, and then they reverted back to normal space. Shane had managed to keep Hunter to himself, though Blake made quite the attempt at separating them. Hunter's staff landed on his chest three times in a second and a half: still, Shane managed to lean back, cutting short the effectiveness of the blunt attack. He somersaulted back after the third strike, landing on higher ground than his rival, and pulled out his Hawk Blaster. He landed five bolts: one hit off mark, two hit the target and two Hunter deflected with his Thunder Shield. When the smoke cleared, Hunter had his own blaster drawn: the first shot landed right by Shane's feet, forcing him to jump, and the second caught his side as he was mid-air. As he pulled himself up, Shane saw Dustin zooming in circles in the air, gripped by a leash of lightning that was held by Blake: the Navy Ranger, it seemed, was pulling nastier tricks by the minute. Then Tori charged in, with atypical ferocity, forcing Blake to cut his elemental attack and focus on her. Hearing steps behind him, Shane rolled aside first and looked back later: good thinking, considering that the blast had hit precisely where he lay before.

Rolling brought Shane to where Tori and Dustin were. Blake took a couple of steps back, lining up with Hunter again. For a second, there was no sound but the waves and the five teens' heavy breathing.

"Why aren't they attacking?" asked Dustin quietly.

Shane was wondering the same thing. Unlike Dustin, though, he wasn't going to stand and wait. The three of them already had their weapons drawn; it took all of a second to assemble the Storm Striker, and land two quick hits on the Thunder Rangers. They've never pulled two hits, before, but it threw the Thunders in the air, hard, and they were decidedly dazed as they pulled themselves to their feet. This gave the Winds a chance to do something they had never before managed to pull against the Thunders: a coordinated team attack. They forced the Thunders with their backs against the rocks, and then reverted to what had become their usual attack formation – Tori and Dustin keeping Blake busy, while Shane tried to handle Hunter.

Yet again his and Hunter's duel was cut short: this time, by Dustin landing in the mud between them. They both instinctively looked in the direction from which Dustin came, and saw that yet again, Blake's viciousness towards Dustin had triggered an unusually aggressive attack from Tori: the blue Ranger was actually driving back her rival, landing blow after sword blow at a rate Shane knew she couldn't keep for long.

Hunter doubled over.

Shane's head snapped. What was going on? Neither he nor Dustin had laid so much as a finger on him. Shane kneeled next to him. His instinct was to reach out, to help, but he couldn't be sure that this was not some ploy or the other –

"Hunter?" he asked tentatively.

The Crimson Ranger didn't respond. Not verbally, at any rate: his visor pulled back, and Shane could see that his face was contorted in pain. Shane reached out to him.

"Shane, look!"

Shane raised his head.

Blake was kneeling, the tip of Tori's sword only an inch away from his neck; he was holding the blade between his hands, forcing it away from him. He looked up at Tori and, surprisingly, demorphed. His expression was weirdly frightened, as if he had no idea where he was.

Shane's attention was redirected as Hunter's breathing eased back to normal: whatever seizure had held him has passed. Shane tightened his grip on his sword. In his peripheral vision, he saw a flash of blue, and Dustin running towards Tori. Hunter raised his head.

"Shane?" he asked. He seemed disoriented. "What's going on? Where…?" he shook his head. "Where are we?"

"You don't know?" asked Shane, just as confused.

"No, I…" He allowed Shane to help him to his feet. "Why are we morphed?"

"We were fighting," said Shane slowly. Casting a quick look, he saw that Tori, Dustin and Blake had all demorphed. "Power Down."

Hunter demorphed with him. "Why would we be fighting?"

"Because of Lothor, why else." Blake approached them, side by side with Dustin and Tori. He seemed grim and determined.

Hunter's eyes widened. "He was going to – "

"He had," said Blake.

"He had what?" asked Shane.

"He used some kind of brainwash on Blake and Hunter," said Tori gently. Her hand was on Blake's shoulder. "They went on the ship to scout, just like Blake told me they would, but Choobo turned on them."

"It was a ploy all along," said Hunter darkly. "And we fell for it."

"Hey, so long as we're all in one piece," said Dustin.

"Where did you say we are, again?" asked Hunter.

Shane exchanged looks with Dustin and Tori. "We don't know," he said. "On an island, somewhere. Cam would find us, eventually," he added. "We just need to give him time."