The Rangers got back to the hotel following their battle. They had driven off the Viviks, and saved the city. At least, they had for now. Returning to the hotel, they decided to enjoy the benefits of the hotel. While Albert did have his shack, Phillipe had already sprung for suites in a five-star hotel, and they were keen to enjoy the benefits while they were there.
"Now THIS is the way to travel." Chase said as he took a glass of champagne from a waitress who was circulating around the executive lounge, offering complimentary drinks and canapés to those that had paid the exorbitant fees for an upgrade, or who had loyalty card memberships that gave them that privilege. "So, what time does the restaurant open for dinner?"
"Six thirty." The waitress replied as she smiled at him. "The special is swordfish."
"This...isn't exactly what I envisioned being a...well...one of you." Albert admitted uneasily as he looked around. He was getting a few looks due to his aged bush clothing, some of which could do with a wash. While high-class hotels weren't exactly the exclusive playground of socialites in dinner suits anymore, with there being more than a few people there in jeans and t-shirts, he did look a little out of place. He felt like it too, having lived out in the wop wops for a significant portion of his natural life, he really wasn't too used to being waited on.
"It isn't always like this." Tyler answered as he popped a finger sandwich into his mouth. "Of course, there are certain perks to being on first-name terms with the Prince of Zandar."
"The Prince of...where?" Albert asked.
"Don't worry, a lot of people haven't heard of it." Riley assured him. "Listen, Albert...I just wanted to say...I'm really sorry for the way we've been treating you."
"Sir Riley speaks for both of us." Ivan added, taking a swig of his champagne. "As a Knight of the Realm, I am a proud man, but I am not too proud to admit when I have made a mistake."
"We kind of all did." Shelby admitted, looking to Albert. "I'm really glad we were wrong about you. What you did for Tyler was amazing."
"Smart too." Koda commended him. "You trap and destroy two monsters on first mission! You great Ranger!"
"Ah...well..." Albert started to say, looking a little nervous. "The thing is, I didn't ACTUALLY destroy them."
"You didn't destroy them?" Shelby asked him, looking to Tyler. He just shrugged.
"Well...I did kind of almost blow your head off my first time out." Tyler reminded her, before looking to Albert. "But for future reference, it's usually a good idea to take the monsters out so they don't come back."
"I'll...try to remember that in future." Albert replied.
"Anyway, I've finally got the connection, so we can give Ms Morgan the good news." Riley said as he placed his laptop on the table.
"Ms Morgan, let me introduce you to that gentleman we were looking for." Tyler said, putting his arm around Albert. "This is Albert Smith!"
"Have you filled him in on what this means?" Kendall asked. Tyler nodded.
"He knows everything." Tyler told her. "He's already saved my skin. He's just itching to get to the States and really get into the thick of things!"
Albert forced a smile hearing this. He had the power, he knew what being a Ranger meant, but going to America? He understood the practicalities of leaving Auckland. The fact was as long as they were there, as long as Fury was looking for something there, he would only keep coming. While his power was a boon that allowed him to help people, it also brought with it a lot of powerful enemies and endangered everything he cared about. Leaving was the smart thing to do, but that didn't mean it wasn't a daunting prospect. He'd never even left the North Island, never mind the country.
"You're not going anywhere just yet. There's still business to deal with in New Zealand." She told them.
"The Pleisio Zord." Shelby surmised.
"You mean...Tanifa?" Albert asked producing his Energem. "I've been seeing Tanifa in visions since I got this thing!" Riley raised his hand.
"OK, I haven't asked this before now, but everyone here keeps talking about it." He said as he looked to Albert and Chase. "What exactly is Tanifa?"
"Tanifa is a kind of local legendary monster." Chase told them, relaying his local knowledge. "It was a fairy tale I heard a lot as a kid. It's a creature that lives in lakes and oceans. It's like...our version of the Loch Ness Monster."
"Plesiosaur fossils have been found in Scotland and New Zealand." Shelby interjected. "A lot of experts believe if the Loch Ness Monster exists, then it might be a Plesiosaur that somehow survived into the modern era."
"So you're saying you think Tanifa is the Plesiosaur?" Chase asked her.
"It makes sense." Kendall told them. "Fact: The Purple Energem has been bonded. When that happened, the Plesiosaur would have awakened. Fact: There have been unproven sightings in the area where we know Albert found the Energem. Fact: Albert has told us himself that he's seen visions of it. The Pleisio Zord is there. We need to find it and harness it before you return to the States."
"Great! We know that the Energem came from that lake!" Chase stated. "Sure, it's big, but it's not THAT big..."
"See, that's where it's not quite so simple." Kendall told them. "Plesiosaurs aren't as easy to find as you might think. The Loch Ness Monster has never been conclusively found, and it's not a huge lake either."
"You're saying the Loch Ness Monster is real?" Riley asked her. She just shrugged.
"Maybe it is, I mean, we know Bigfoot exists." She responded.
"It does?" Albert asked them.
"Yeah, we've all seen it." Riley told him. "I even rode a unicorn once!"
"See what you get into being a Ranger?" Chase said with a smile. Albert just forced a smile back and nodded. He'd known he was a fraud, and people were as likely to find Elvis as they were Bigfoot on his tours, but knowing that he had been bragging about creatures that the Rangers knew for a fact existed, just not anywhere near his home made him fell a little uncomfortable. He had to sound like a complete idiot to them. "Hang on, isn't Tanifa meant to be like the size of a double decker bus or something?"
"About four actually." Shelby said with a knowing smirk. "But it was an ambush predator. It was known for hiding, that's one of the reasons fossils are so hard to find."
"So do we have any kind of plan how to find it?" Tyler asked.
"Not exactly." Shelby said as she reached into her backpack. "But...I think I might just know someone that might."
She pulled out a large book, showing them the cover. It was an older book, one that looked well-thumbed, and the dust-cover was cracked a little at the edges.
"This was the first dinosaur book I ever got. My dad bought it for me when I was six." She told them. "I've read it cover to cover...thousands of times...!"
"That's...great?" Riley said, failing to see what she was getting at it. "So?"
"It's the book that inspired my love of dinosaurs!" She responded, swatting him with the book. "But there's a reason I brought it with me. It was written by Dr Joseph Runga!"
"D...D...Dr Runga?" Kendall asked, stammering a little. Shelby looked to the screen.
"Yeah, you've heard of him?" Shelby asked. Kendall just nodded.
"I'm aware of his work." She responded curtly.
"Well, he's actually from New Zealand! So, when I heard we were coming out here, I decided to do a little digging online and, he's on a dig site just a few miles out of town!" Shelby told them. "I...may have been hoping we'd get a chance to get this book signed."
"So a dinosaur guy is near the city?" Chase asked, taking the book from her. He looked inside the dust jacket, where he saw a picture of the man. He just smiled showing it to Tyler. "Hey Tyler, think it was just the dinosaurs six-year-old Shelby was into?"
"Anyway!" Shelby snapped, taking the book back, blushing a little as she did so. "He also happens to be one of the world's foremost experts on the Plesiosaur! He's found more than anyone else! If anyone would know where we might be likely to find one, it'd be him!"
"So you just don't want to find super-hottie dinosaur guy?" Chase teased her. Shelby just smacked him with the book. "Ms Morgan?"
"His work has been criticised." Kendall replied a little snarkily. "Although, he is in the area, and he does have one of the best hit rates for Plesiosaur finds..."
"Then it is settled! Tomorrow we will locate this Dr Runga and seek his advice!" Ivan declared. "The sooner we find the Pleisio Zord, the sooner we can take the war out of your home town; won't that be grand Mr Smith?"
"Yes...yes, that would be great." Albert replied. Just then, the waitress arrived.
"Your table is ready." She told them, looking to Ivan. "The manager wanted me to tell you that as a courtesy, we've set up a private dining room Your Majesty."
"Your...?" He said, before smiling. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, I'm..."
"He just doesn't like attracting a lot of attention when he's travelling for leisure purposes." Riley interrupted Ivan.
"Of course, completely understandable." She replied, before gesturing to them to follow her. "Just this way please."
"What happened?" He asked.
"I...might have neglected to change the name on your booking and left Phillipe's on your room." Chase admitted with a knowing smirk. "You DO have the accent for it mate."
"Impersonating a member of the Royal Family is SO undignified!" He whispered pointedly. "In my day, one could be hung for treason!"
"He put his loyalty card on our bookings. He wanted us to enjoy all the benefits that go with it." Riley told him.
"Yeah, lighten up man." Chase responded. Ivan could see he was out-voted, and so he went with it.
"Fine, but I maintain this ruse under protest." Ivan told them, pointing at Riley. "I expected better of you Sir Riley."
"I'm sure once you try the swordfish you'll feel a lot better about it all." Tyler teased him as they followed the waitress to their private dining room.
Over at the Embassy, Mr Watkins was quietly having a drink with his prospective clients. He had to admit that when he sent a message to Phillipe complaining about the inconvenience to his business, he certainly wasn't expecting him to respond with this level of hospitality.
He laughed with the men as one of Phillipe's servants gave them all another aperitif before dinner. He was relaying one of his amusing little stories of the early days of his business, aiming to impress them with how he had turned his business from a simple ice cream truck into a seven figure per annum business.
"You have done impressively well for a self-made man Mr Watkins." Mikhail complimented him, shifting the book Phillipe had given him under his arm. "Meeting with royalty, running a large business, you've come a long way from the man that bought a second-hand truck with no wheels."
"What can I say? Opportunity is only as good as the effort you're willing to put into it." Mr Watkins said sagely. "I do regret missing the occasional wedding or the occasional family dinner but when I see all the people I've brought work to and all the customers who enjoy my products, it makes it all worth it."
Afansy said something in Russian, which caused Mikhail to chuckle. Mr Watkins just looked confused.
"Did I just miss a joke?" He asked.
"My associate was voicing similar sentiments." Mikhail told him as he raised a glass.
"Then perhaps it is time we began discussing..."
"There will be plenty of time for that after dinner." Mikhail interrupted him, taking a sip. Phillipe came into the room, backed up by Margaret and a couple of his security detail. He approached them. "Ah, Your Highness, I was just saying how much I've been looking forward to dinner..."
"I'm afraid you'll have to make other arrangements." Phillipe told him, taking the glass from his hand. "You've enjoyed my hospitality long enough."
"I'm sorry?" Mikhail demanded, looking nonplussed. His associate Afansy seemed more than a little agitated, beginning to tense up. "What is the meaning of this?"
"This is an OUTRAGE!" Mr Watkins roared angrily. "Mr Ullyanov, please accept my humblest apologies...what the devil do you think you're doing? Are you TRYING to ruin my business? First you muscle your way into my golf course, then you invite us round to apologise...only to insult my clients..."
"They're not your clients; they never had any intention of buying anything from you!" Margaret interjected.
"I may have been thinking about it before, but after travelling all this way just to be insulted..."
"He's already signed a deal with Maxwell's in Silver Hills." Margaret told him. Mr Watkins looked shocked, and was about to apologise to the men, but he could see that the two of them seemed every bit as surprised as he was. Mikhail was about to answer, but she cut him off. "Don't even try to deny it; I've already checked it out."
"If you've already signed with Maxwell's...why were you...?"
"They knew you were intent on making this deal. They've been milking your hospitality for all it's worth." Margaret informed him. "If I were you, I'd expect to find more than a few extras on the hotel bill you've so generously agreed to cover for them."
"This is outrageous, what does this woman...?"
"Among my associate's many talents, she is fluent in Russian." Phillipe interrupted Afansy as he was about to feign outrage. "One of her tutors was a former Spetznaz Captain. She heard everything you were saying."
"They weren't too shy about their opinion on how generous you've been." Margaret told Mr Watkins. She looked to Afansy. "I believe his words were 'when this guy shovels it, he really uses both hands'."
"You also had the nerve to insult my hospitality in my own home." Phillipe told them. "That is something I will not tolerate. Gentlemen, my staff will escort you to the door."
"I don't think you realise who my associate is." Mikhail warned them. "He is..."
"Your associate is a Bratva Captain." Margaret stated. "That might impress some people you try to intimidate, but believe me, it doesn't get you too far here."
Afansy started to move towards Phillipe, but the security detail all started to move in on him. Margaret stood between him and Phillipe.
"That would be a VERY bad move." She warned him. Afansy looked around, realising that she was right. The Bratva, or Russian Mafia were rightly feared, but there was a big difference between bargain basement security guards and a fully funded, trained diplomatic guard detail! He straightened out his jacket and turned, heading for the door.
"Oh, Mr Ullyanov?" Phillipe called after them. He held out his hand. "I offered that gift to a friend."
Mikhail just humphed as he walked back, handing Phillipe the book, before he and Afansy were escorted out. He turned to look at Mr Watkins, who was still a little shell-shocked by these events.
"I'm very sorry about that Mr Watkins." Phillipe said as he looked to the older man, approaching him. "I don't appreciate being insulted in my own home, but I am well aware you had nothing to do with it."
"Believe me, it's quite alright." Mr Watkins sighed. "I'm just sorry I didn't realise I was being taken advantage of. I feel so..."
"There is never anything to be ashamed of attempting to garner new relationships, be they personal or business." Phillipe responded. "Just so your time isn't completely wasted, perhaps I could discuss some business with you?"
"Business?" Mr Watkins asked him.
"I have sampled some of your products, and I admit that they really are excellent!" Phillipe told him. "We really don't have anything like this in my home nation."
"You wish to import my products to Zandar?" He asked. Phillipe just nodded.
"I think there's a very real market for it." He answered. "I can't claim to offer you the kind of order those gentlemen were offering, but I think we can do some business."
"I might be willing to offer you something." Mr Watkins said, taking a sip of his cognac. "What kind of order."
"Oh, nothing large. Perhaps we could begin with about...five million bars per year?" Phillipe responded. Mr Watkins almost choked when he heard this.
"F...f...five mil..." He stammered. He quickly composed himself. "Are you sure?"
"The summer may only be two months of the year, but the people of Zandar do have a very sweet tooth!" Phillipe assured him. "We can discuss the finer points of the deal over dinner."
"That sounds like a fantastic idea." Mr Watkins replied as they headed for the dining room.