Episode 6: Part 1
It had been another busy Saturday morning doing dive tours and Hannah Johnson walked down the sidewalk away from the marina while shaking out the last water droplets from her blonde hair with one hand. In her other hand, she held her cell phone, carrying on a casual conversation with her mother.
"I'm glad both school and work have been going well for you dear," Mrs. Johnson said, "But what about tonight? Any big plans to unwind?"
Hannah shrugged and glanced up to the bright warm sun in the sky, "I'm not totally sure yet. I was maybe going to swing by the Silver Marlin in Waikiki to see if any of the others are there tonight."
"Oh, you mean that older crowd of friends you've been telling us about?" her mother asked hesitantly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hannah frowned, speaking with a slightly defensive tone, "So they're all a couple years older than me. What's the big deal? Alex is one of them and you like her."
Of course Hannah couldn't tell her mother she was friends with a team of adult Power Rangers, but it didn't exactly help her case either.
"Nothing is wrong with that dear," Mrs. Johnson said, "It's just that your father and I sometimes worry that you aren't making enough friends here that are your own age... that's all."
"Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore and I've been fine living off base by myself too. I'm allowed to make friends with who I want, so I wish you and Dad wouldn't worry so much, ok?"
"I know sweetie. We just want you to be careful. You'll be by to visit on Sunday for brunch?"
Hannah rolled her eyes and gave a sigh, "Yeah Mom. I'll be there."
As she hung up the phone, she heard a quick beep and a blue car rolled up to the curb. She gave a surprised look as the passenger window rolled down, revealing the familiar faces of three Ocean Rangers, "Hey! Need a lift?"
"Cam? Desmond? Naomi?" she asked getting in the backseat of the car, "Thanks. I'm surprised you picked me out of the crowd."
As they pulled back into traffic, Naomi grinned, "You like wearing bright orange clothes so it's really not too hard to miss."
Hannah gave a sheepish shrug, "I guess you're right. What are you three doing here near Honolulu?"
"We were working out a business deal with a new fish buyer," Desmond said proudly.
Hannah raised a curious eyebrow before Cam turned from the driver's seat and gave a mischievous wink, "You remember Alex's restaurant owner friend Bailey? She seemed particularly happy to see Desmond and do business with him… if you know what I mean."
The Red Ranger gave a huff and punched Cam's arm while the others shared a laugh.
"So… are you guys headed home now?" Hannah asked.
"Well… not exactly," Desmond admitted rubbing the back of his neck. We were going to stop by Ocean Point Temple. It seems Kanohi is calling an impromptu meeting today."
"Ranger business? That sounds fun! Can I come too?"
The others exchanged a hesitant look as Naomi wrinkled her features, "I don't know Hannah. It might not be a good idea getting too involved with everything. It's dangerous and you don't have Ranger powers of your own."
"Jeez, you're sounding just like my mother today," Hannah grumbled, "I might not be a Ranger like you guys, but I wish you guys wouldn't treat me like some little baby who can't take care of herself either. I know I can help out somehow."
As they rode for a few minutes, she told them about her conversation with her mother earlier and how it frustrated her.
When she finished the story, there was a moment of silence before Naomi turned to Cam who was driving, "Well? You're the one behind the wheel. What do you think? Should we drop Hannah off at her apartment first?"
The Blue Ranger gave a thoughtful frown before speaking, "Let's keep heading to the temple."
"Wait… really?" Hannah asked in shock while Desmond and Naomi exchanged a puzzled expression. "I thought you of all people would be the first to say no."
The Blue Ranger gave a quiet smile, "You said you want a chance to prove yourself. So we'll start here."
Later that day, the Rangers assembled within the ruins of Ocean Point Temple before the ancient tiki Kanohi. As they stood calmly, they watched as the statue's eyes lit up with magical fires and fixed its gaze upon them, "Welcome Rangers. I thank you for coming. I have an important matter to discuss with you."
Turning his eyes toward the teen, Kanohi said, "Hannah Johnson? I did not expect to see you here today."
"It's ok, Kanohi. She's with us, remember? She can be trusted," Alex said putting a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder.
The tiki's eyes flickered quietly as if expressing a nod before he spoke again, "I've called you here because I've sensed the presence of Nighmarcher soldiers on the other side of the island to the north."
"That's odd," David said adjusting his glasses thoughtfully, "What are they doing there?"
The ancient kahuna spoke again, "I believe they may be searching for a secret sunken landform called the Aumakua Shrine."
"The Shrine of Ancestral Spirits?" Naomi asked curiously, "I've never heard of that place before."
The tiki's eye's glowed more brightly, "Precisely. After the defeat of Hine Nui ages ago, the original Koa warriors sunk the shrine beneath the waters to keep it a secret."
"What's so important about this place?" Cam asked with a pensive frown, "I'm guessing there's something valuable hidden there?"
"Yes," Kanohi answered, "The Ali'i Conch, or the Royal Conch, was an object of great power that had been granted to original Ocean Rangers of old. With it, they were able to summon giant guardian spirits to help defend the island against Hine Nui."
"Sounds like the modern equivalent of Power Ranger zords to me," Alex chimed in with an interested smile. "That would be a huge boost to our arsenal."
The kahuna's voice grew deeper and more somber, "I will try to send you as close as I can to the lagoon where it was sunk, but you must not let Hine Nui's forces recover the Conch shell. There's no telling what terrible things she could do with that sort of power."
Desmond pumped a fist eagerly and led the others toward the temple spings, "All right then! What are we waiting for? Let's get those zords!"
"Be careful Rangers," Kano said gravely, "There's no telling what other dangers may be waiting around the sunken cove."
Hannah gave a nervous look before Cam glanced over calmly, "Are you still intending to come along with us?"
She didn't know if it was said out of genuine concern or if it was meant as a challenge, but she took a deep breath and steeled her resolve, "Of course I'm coming."
She reached out and grabbed hold of the other Rangers as they dipped their Ocean Bracers into the water and teleported away toward the mysterious sunken cove.
Meanwhile, on the northern coastline of the island of Oahu, a large bipedal crustacean monster resembling a red rock crab scuttled about the shallow waters. Raising a clawed hand, the creature named Grapsus growled to a group of Nightmarcher zombies escorting him, "You lot, start heading toward that ravine. Queen Hine Nui said we're getting close to finding that temple."
Before he had left the phantom island, his queen had stressed the importance of this mission. If she was going to defeat the Rangers of Honolulu, she was going to need to dig up a weapon from the past and use overwhelming force against them. If the Ranger did show up while they were searching... well, he'd just have to try and save Hine Nui some extra trouble by destroying them. Giving another growl, Grapsus urged his troops on, "The Queen thinks we are the best ones suited for scouting the near coastlines. Let's not prove her wrong. Now get a move on you dead heads!"
Once situated outside, the Ocean Rangers found themselves near the seaside at the edge of a shallow ravine leading out into the ocean. They were surrounded by leafy ferns and undergrowth while they made their way toward the sound of the surf to get their bearings and look around.
In the bright, humid glare of the mid afternoon sun, the six could see a wide inlet of relatively shallow water carved into the coastline.
"Well, this definitely looks like a sunken cove to me," David stated scanning the area for walking paths down the ridge before pointing one out.
As they made their way down, Desmond observed the area, "This looks like a lot of ground to cover. I think we should split up for a little while once we reach the bottom of the ridge. Dave, you're with me. Alex, you're with Naomi. Cam?"
"I'll look after Hannah," he nodded.
"You're really serious about me helping the team here?" she asked, stopping a for a moment.
"Sure," the Blue Ranger replied coolly while continuing to walk, "Until we find that conch shell, just think of all this as your line-crossing ceremony."
"My what?"
The others glanced curiously at Cam as he sighed and explained, "It comes from an old Naval tradition to ensure that your fellow sailors are all able and trustworthy. When your ship crosses the Equator, any person who hasn't done so already is called a slimy polliwog and has to go through an initiation of sorts to become what's known as a trusty shellback."
From his pocket, he produced a small souvenir coin with the image of the Greek god Poseidon on it, a personal memento commemorating the event.
"Did you have to do it?" David asked.
The Blue Ranger nodded, "When I was an Ensign fresh out of the Academy, my first assignment was aboard an aircraft carrier that crossed the Equator. Lucky me."
"What happened? What do they make you do?" Desmond inquired.
"Oh, all sorts of demeaning things," Cam said, "For example, we got buckets of sea water dumped on our heads every hour, we had to eat horrible concoctions made by the ship's cook, and one day, I had to mop the top deck of the carrier wearing nothing but my skivies and my cap."
Alex smirked and gave Naomi a conspiratorial nudge, "I actually kinda wish I was around to see that now."
Hannah scratched her head, "That sounds just like hell-week fraternity hazing to me."
"But it helped make me the well adjusted person I am today," Cam chuckled to himself.
As they continued to walk, Hannah simply rolled her eyes and gave a sigh, "My Dad was right. You Navy folk really are a bunch of weirdos."
After reaching the bottom of the ridge and splitting up, Hannah and Cam began to poke around the shallows of the white sandy lagoon looking for anything out of the ordinary. While they peered around rocks and scanned the coastline, Hannah led the way as if hell bent on finding the conch shell first. To Cam's surprise, she scrambled up a nearby rock covered in moss and looked out over the lagoon intently.
"Just what are you doing?" he asked her crossing his arms.
"Brainstorming," she replied tapping her head, "I know a thing or two about diving and if Kanohi said this area was sunken, we should be looking for landmarks resembling the corners of a shrine."
"Do you see anything?"
Hannah furrowed her brow in thought, "I can't be totally sure, but I'm thinking that shallow sandbar out in the near distance could be part of the structure. Maybe if we swim out there and check it out? What do you think?"
"I think I made the right decision bringing you along," the Blue Ranger smiled, "Let's get a move on little polliwog."
After a short swim out to the coastal sandbar, both Cam and Hannah found themselves on a surprisingly large firm bed of sediment. Reaching down, the Blue Ranger scooped some sand away and found some remnants of an old stone earthwork underneath, "Well I'll be damned. Good eyes kid. Now what?"
The younger girl gave a thoughtful grin and began to follow a circular pattern in the landform, "If I had to guess, we're probably standing around some kind of wide basin. If this was part of a shrine, then..."
"Then treasure could possibly be placed in the bottom of the basin," Cam guessed, "Sure. It's worth a look."
He reached for his Ocean Bracer, but Hannah stopped him and pulled out a pair of swimming goggles from her own pocket, "Here. Let me."
"Hannah, you've done enough," he frowned, "It could be dangerous."
She stubbornly put on the goggles and rolled up her shorts a little higher, "Please Cam. Just let me do this? I've dived in deeper water unassisted. If I don't surface in a minute and a half, then you can jump in, ok?"
Cam stared her down for a long moment before relenting and giving a mild growl, "Just don't do anything crazy down there, ok?"
She smiled and gave a nod before diving into the deeper waters of the basin. As she plunged into the warm waters, she could begin to make out what looked to be a sunken central floor of a temple, almost resembling Ocean Point Temple in some ways. Strewn about were some collapsed pillars and caved-in walls. It was amazing and fascinating at the same time. The underwater ruins were nowhere near as colorful and picturesque as the coral reefs she often took tourists to on dives, but it was just as exhilarating.
Despite her racing heart, Hannah pushed further and continued to look about, trying to find a sign of a buried treasure or a large conch shell. She was determined now to find that shell and prove her worth to the other Rangers. For now, she would just have to hold her breath and focus on her task. She worked for a company called Go Deep, and that was exactly what she was going to do right now.
Meanwhile, above the water, Cam watched Hannah submerge beneath the waters and looked about, deciding to stand guard over their little spot on the sandbar. That was until he heard the sound of splashing water coming from nearby. Despite the bright glare of the afternoon sunlight, he stared in dread as a group of Hine Nui's Nightmarcher soldiers emerged from the depths and climbed up the sandbar in front of him.
At the head of the Nightmarcher patrol was the large ugly crustacean Grapsus who began to threateningly click his large claws together in anticipation, "Well... what have we here? An Ocean Ranger all the way out here and by himself."
"What the... Where did you come from?" Cam demanded while taking a fighting stance.
"Where I came from doesn't matter half as much as why I'm here," the crab monster replied, "Nightmarchers!"
As the Nightmarcher troops charged forward to attack, Grapsus extended a large menacing claw with a sinister smile, "Nice to meet you Blue Ranger. Why don't you come and shake my hand?"