Hunter was wandering around in the open, swinging his weapon in a lazy manner and causing frankly more of a nuisance of himself than any real threat. He had been wandering around in the middle of the industrial district, making himself seen and causing workers to run, but not really attacking at all. He had fired a few pot shots at first, but this quickly got boring and so he was just playing a glorified game of "boo" with people in the area.
"Aw, man, this is so boring!" He complained, kicking a can down the street as he swung his crossbow blaster around lazily. He looked over to a dark corner where Singe was waiting. "How much longer do I have to do this?"
"The Rangers will be coming, just a little longer." Singe told him. "And how many times, STOP LOOKING OVER HERE! Don't you get how an ambush is meant to work?"
"I remember when hunts were supposed to be fun." Hunter grumbled. "I hate being the bait."
"This guy again?" Chase asked as he, Tyler, Shelby, Riley, Koda and Ivan arrived on the scene.
"What are you even doing here?" Riley asked him. "Tell me, are you actually going to fight this time, or are you going to run off again?"
Hunter brought his crossbow blaster to bear, and opened fire with a series of energy bolts. The Rangers all dived to avoid the onslaught.
"I guess that answers that question, let's make sure he doesn't run this time." Tyler stated. "Dino Chargers, READY!"
Back in the Dino Lab, James was sitting, drumming his fingers nervously as he watched the battle on the monitors. Kendall was tracking the progress of the upload of the energy signatures from their Energems to Tyler's T-Rex Supercharge mode. She rarely believed in placing all her eggs in one basket, and preferred power-ups that were available to the whole team. However, given the encouraging results from the T-Rex Supercharge Mode's first real-life test, she was willing to chance it to see how far this new power could be pushed.
Keeper had explained to her that the Red Energem was unique among the others. While not strictly speaking more powerful than the others, more than any other, it drove the potential of all the Energems. It was no coincidence that it had chosen the Tyrannosaurus Rex to bond to, the dinosaur that was always considered the "king" of its kind, even taking its Latin name from this assertion. The Red Energem could channel power from the others and allow it to access previously unprecedented power.
It was something of a risky strategy to put so much power in just one Ranger, given the potential that one Ranger could be taken out before being able to use that power. She had heard her team mates discussing video games once, and heard one of them refer to a character type as a "glass cannon", capable of immense destructive power, but to balance it out, being comparatively vulnerable. She hoped that her new power up didn't place Tyler unduly in that role, but with powerful enemies like Singe showing up, it was a gamble she worried they may have to take.
"James, would you mind not doing that?" Kendall asked him, seeing his nervous fidgeting. "The team know what they're doing."
"How much longer is this going to take?" James asked her. She just sighed and shook her head.
"It'll be ready soon." She assured him for seemingly the hundredth time. She checked the progress, seeing that the power-up was 75% complete. It wouldn't be long, but that didn't mean it wasn't agonising for her either, waiting what felt like hours only to see the task bar advance by 1%.
She looked to another corner, where Phillipe was sitting, and came over, sitting with him.
"I'm sorry to drag you away for so long." She stated, knowing his thoughts were with Margaret. She had asked him along to upload his Energem energy while he was inspecting the work his contractors had done repairing the restaurant. Unfortunately, he was being kept from her a lot longer than he really wanted to be. "How is she?"
"She's doing well physically." Phillipe told her. "Her surgery incisions are healing up, so hopefully she'll be able to get fitted for her prosthetic soon. Learning to use it might be a good distraction for her."
"Distraction?" Kendall asked him. Phillipe just looked away.
"She was upset recently about some of the side-effects of her chemotherapy." He told Kendall. "She's started losing some of her hair."
"That's always a tough one to deal with." Kendall stated. "I know I freaked out quite a bit."
"Margaret mentioned you had gone through this." Phillipe answered. He shifted a little closer. "Is there anything I can do? I want to help her, but I just...I feel so useless."
"Believe me; you're already doing the best thing you can." She told him. "Just being there is doing more than you think."
"I just wish I could do more." Phillipe said sadly. Kendall just nodded in understanding.
"I'll visit later, just to see how she is." Kendall assured him. She checked her computer. "Tyler's activated T-Rex Supercharge Mode."
"Really?" Phillipe asked, getting up as they headed to another computer, the one where James was watching the battle unfolding on the monitor.
"This other monster just showed up." James told them. "There was no sign of his energy signature, then suddenly...they just spiked."
"Singe!" Phillipe and Kendall said together, recognising him from his first battle with the Rangers.
"He must have figured out some kind of cloaking technology." Kendall concluded, looking a little worried by this development. They could see Tyler in his T-Rex Supercharge Mode, taking on Singe while the others kept Hunter busy. "This isn't good, this really isn't good..."
Almost on cue, there was an alert from the machinery, signalling that the power transfer had taken place. Kendall went to the machinery, taking the Graphite and Aqua Energems out of the device and holding them out. They immediately flew back to their respective owners.
"Tyler's tough, he should be able to hold Singe for a while." Kendall told the others. "Let's show him he's not the only one with surprises."
With that, they ran out of the Dino Lab, morphing as they went.
Back at the site of the battle, Tyler was pulling out everything he had in his arsenal against Singe. Having been handed a decisive defeat the first, and so far only time they'd ever fought him, he was keen to do everything he could to ensure it didn't happen again. He knew that Singe couldn't be taken lightly; he was just too dangerous to allow to run amok. He had summoned his T-Rex Supercharge Mode, hoping to tip the scales and ensure that they would never have to deal with him again.
Singe was staggered by a hard kick, clutching at his chest. He knew that the Rangers never rested on their laurels, and had a well-earned reputation for learning from their past experiences. While it hadn't been long since he was moments away from defeating them single handed, Tyler's vast increase in power had him troubled. That last shot hurt a lot more than he was willing to let the Red Ranger see, and he was concerned that he might have allowed them too much time to fortify their ranks against him.
"Nice try Singe, but your trap failed! This is one time your schemes are going to cost you BIG!" Tyler told him as Rexy ran at him, jumping up into his arms. "T-Rex Supercharge Blaster, Ready!"
"You think that was a trap? You think someone of my intellect would resort to a childish game of peek-a-boo?" He asked, activating the device on his wrist. "That wasn't a trap...THIS IS!"
Green energy flew right for the Red Ranger, hitting him as he combined his T-Rex Supercharge Blaster, but instead of simply hitting him, Tyler found himself being surrounded. His arms were bound to his sides, and by the time the flash dissipated, he found himself wrapped inside a gigantic green ring of material he couldn't identify. What was worse was that from the moment it hit, he felt himself starting to weaken. The band trapping him didn't just hold him in place; he could feel his energy starting to drain, like it was being siphoned off by an unseen source. Singe started to chuckle as he approached Tyler.
"Nice toy Red Ranger, shame you tipped your hand so early and showed us your new super weapon." Singe taunted him. "Now that I know that's the best you have to offer, soon...you won't have anything at all!"
Tyler let out a massive yell, struggling with all the strength he had. He couldn't just slip out of the Zotak Ring, and he couldn't find any kind of lock to manipulate so that left him only one option. Summoning up all the energy he had as quickly as he could, he hoped to break out. Singe had to dive for cover as the Zotak Ring shattered, but Tyler fell quickly to his knees as the power of his T-Rex Supercharge Mode left him.
"I thought you said those things would work!" Hunter yelled as he ran towards him, fleeing the other Rangers who had him well and truly on the ropes. Singe got up quickly.
"I just need to refine the plan a little. Next time I'll aim for their Energems." Singe replied as he pressed some controls on his controller. "Come on! This isn't over!"
"Tyler, are you alright?" Chase asked as he got to the Red Ranger's side. They had all seen Singe's attack, and they wanted to make sure he was alright. Tyler just nodded and gestured after Singe and Hunter.
"We've got them on the run!" He called out as he got up. "Come on guys, we might not get a better chance at this!"
They all ran into a warehouse, finding Singe and Hunter inside, looking around for a way out, but finding that the only way in or out appeared to be the entrance they had come in. The Rangers spread out behind them.
"Looks like you ran into a dead-end Singe!" Ivan taunted them as the Rangers began to fan out, surrounding the two monsters, cutting them off from any obvious escape routes. "Now, face us with what little courage you have foul daemon!"
Tyler saw Singe once again pressing controls on his wrist device. He called out to the others.
"That thing on his wrist, it's a weapon!" Tyler called out. "Get down!"
Unfortunately, his warning came a fraction too late. Hunter threw himself face-first to the ground as Singe swung around, firing off the weapon, striking all the Rangers. They all flew back, hitting the ground and de-morphing. Singe smiled as he saw this, watching the Rangers starting to get up and try to gather their bearings.
"What this?" Koda asked, looking to his Energem and seeing a Zotak Ring surrounding it. "Something on my Energem."
"We can't worry about that now! Dino Charger, Ready!" Tyler called out, clicking his Dino Charger. Unfortunately, all he got was kind of a flat tone coming from it and not much else. He just stared at it. "Energise!"
As he clicked it again, nothing happened at all. He couldn't feel any power coming from his Energem. Looking around, he found the rest of the team staring at their inert Dino Chargers in confusion, clearly experiencing the exact same thing.
"Oh...this isn't good." Chase replied, beginning to back up. "Guys, is anyone else feeling a sudden urge to be...not here?"
"Come Hunter, their Energems are ripe for the picking!" Singe told his cohort as he drew his sword, beginning to advance on them. "I'm sure you can take a trophy or too as well."
"I kind of like the Gold one's coat!" Hunter cackled as they advanced on them. Just as they were preparing to attack, there were some energy blasts, forcing them to cover up and stay back. James, Phillipe and Kendall arrived, morphed and ready for battle.
"That is some nice timing!" Chase said gratefully as the three morphed Rangers stood between them and the monsters.
"They did something to our Energems!" Shelby informed them. "We can't morph!"
Kendall loaded a Dino Charger into her morpher.
"Alright, let's get out of here." She told them.
"What? You want to leave...?"
"Until we figure out what he did, we're down to only three Rangers with powers!" Kendall reminded them. "Run now, fight later!"
With that, she fired a blast that let out a massive flash and dispersed massive amounts of smoke. By the time it cleared, allowing Singe and Hunter to see again, the Rangers were gone.
"Dang it, they got away!" Hunter screamed, throwing down his crossbow blaster. Singe just placed his sword over his shoulder.
"Patience Hunter, there's no need for the hunt to end too early." Singe told him. "Six of the Rangers are now powerless. The other three will be the same way soon enough."
"But we need to get after them..."
"Like I said, there's no hurry." Singe told him, beginning to stroke his forehead. "Now, let's get back to the ship. I'm starting to get a headache."
Back at the Dino Lab, the Rangers were sitting around, taking stock of their situation. Kendall had no option but to cut and run, knowing that if six Rangers had been neutralised so easily, unless they knew how to combat Singe's new weapon, three were unlikely to fair any better.
She was scanning the Red Energem, trying to get a fix on exactly what the Zotak ring was. Keeper had appeared, and the Rangers had asked him if he knew anything about the mysterious rings, but unfortunately the ancient alien had no answers to offer them. Kendall shut off her scanner as she finished inspecting it.
"It's not good news I'm afraid. It appears to be some kind of alien technology, disrupting the connection between the Energem and the Ranger." She told them.
"That must be why we can't morph." Shelby concluded. Kendall just nodded.
"It doesn't move when I try to slide it off." Ivan told her, grunting as he tried to slide the ring off the Energem. Unfortunately, it seemed to either be stuck in place, or bound far too tight for him to simply slide it. They heard a loud banging from the corner and turned around in time to see Koda holding his club, his Energem resting on a rock. He threw his club aside as Alessandra handed him another rock.
"Koda, maybe you should..." Unfortunately, Kendall was too late as he brought the rock down, smashing it into the Energem. Unfortunately, as they inspected the Energem, there wasn't so much as a scratch on the Zotak Ring.
"I no able to smash off either." Koda snarled as he threw the rock aside, fortunately missing all of Kendall's sensitive equipment. Shelby just threw up her hands.
"So what ARE we going to do?" She asked.
"I think these rings absorb energy." Kendall mused as she thought about it. "Maybe if we provide them too much energy..."
She went over to one of her devices and started fiddling with the controls.
"Ms Morgan, what are you doing?" Shelby asked her.
"I'm actually trying one of Koda's ideas...in a way. Brute force." She told them. "I think if I pump enough energy through the transmuter, maybe I can overload it and break it off."
"Isn't that kind of risky?" Riley asked her. Kendall just sighed.
"Probably, but if anyone's got a better idea, I am open to suggestions." She answered. None of the Rangers could come up with an idea though. She loaded the Red Energem into the machine. "I'll just try it with one Energem. If it works, we can go on to the others."
She started up the process, at which all the lights in the lab started to flicker. Everyone became more than a little unsettled as this happened, but looking to the Energem, Kendall could see the Zotak Ring starting to glow and smoke.
"I think its working...I'm turning up the power!" She told them. Cranking everything up as high as it would go, the lights started flickering like crazy, and a lot of sparks started to fly out of many of the machines. Chase and Riley grabbed fire extinguishers just to be on the safe side, but before long, they heard a loud bang, and the Zotak Ring shattered, breaking off the Energem.
"Alright, Ms Morgan, you did it!" Tyler yelled excitedly. "You are AWESOME!"
Kendall, however, was much too cautious to celebrate too early. Now the Zotak Ring was broken, she could inspect the pieces to get a better idea how they worked and figure out a way to prevent Singe simply using more, but in the meantime, she needed to find out if her forceful approach to removing the ring had caused any harm to the Energem. She gulped loudly.
"Oh dear." She whispered. The Rangers all started to crowd around, noticing how worried she looked.
"Ms Morgan, what is it?" Tyler asked her. She just showed him the Energem.
"Your Energem...it's cracked." She told him, sounding apologetic. She knew it was risky, but so far they had found little that could damage the Energems. She had hoped that the Energem would stand up to the power she put through it, but it seemed that weakened by the alien technology in the Zotak Ring, the Energem had succumbed to the stress.
"It's cracked?" Tyler asked, taking it from her and looking at it in alarm. He held it out to Keeper. "Can I still morph?"
"It would be very risky." Keeper told him honestly. "You would risk destroying the Energem completely."
"But...nothing can destroy the Energems. I once dropped mine in front of a steamroller." Chase recalled as he looked to Kendall, looking worried. "You can fix it...can't you?"
"I don't know, I don't think I can." She answered honestly, trying to think about it. "It would require the right combination of pressure and heat...way beyond anything I could safely create in the lab."
"You need heat and pressure?" James asked, smiling. "I think I know just the place!"
"Really?" Chase asked. "Where?"
"Samson Caves!" James replied. Tyler lit up hearing this. It had been almost a year previously he had gone to those exact caves in search of clues about his dad, finding some of his belongings.
"In the main cavern, there's a lava pool!" Tyler recalled. "Heat and pressure!"
"You want to go cave diving in a volcano?" Chase asked them. "Am I the only one that thinks this is a really bad idea?"
"It...just might work!" Kendall said cautiously, trying not to sound too much like she was endorsing this idea. The theory was there, but asking living people to go inside a volcano was not her idea of keeping her team safe. "Dr Navarro, I'm not doubting your experience, but are you sure you can do this safely?"
"What's life without a little adventure?" He asked in response.
"Dad, heads' up!" Tyler said as he threw him a backpack full of equipment. "If we leave now, we can get there before dark."
"Hey, while we're there, I can see if my old E-tool is still there." James replied as he pulled on his backpack. "Fury was on my tail, I had to leave it behind! I always wanted to see if I could get it back!"
"Yeah...dad, there's something I need to tell you about that E-tool." Tyler replied as he and James headed out the door, recalling his first battle after finding his Energem.