The teleportation system wouldn't get them inside Lothor's ship, though Cyber Cam would stay working on that, just in case they needed a quick exit. They didn't have much of a plan. They could use the Dragonforce Vehicle to get onboard, but they had no real idea of how to get Hunter out.
Dustin sat in the vehicle as Cam piloted it towards the ship. He was barely able to keep a coherent thought together, he was so busy worrying about all the things that might happen to Hunter. This was all his fault. If Hunter died, it would be because Dustin hadn't let him stay in Bluebay Harbour. He'd spent the last few days missing Hunter terribly and wondering if he'd ever see him again. Now he knew just how much of a possibility that was.
He clutched Hunter's morpher in his hand. He just prayed desperately that Hunter would have the chance to use it again.
Cam guided them towards Lothor's ship and Dustin stared at the looming monstrosity that Hunter was inside somewhere. A part of him knew just how big a risk this was. They were putting all the Rangers in a place where Lothor had a good chance of capturing or killing them. But the rest of him didn't care.
This was Hunter. This was the guy who'd risked his very soul to save Dustin.
Dustin had had far too long to think about his life without Hunter in it. He knew that simply wasn't an option. They would find Hunter. They would rescue him. And then Dustin would convince him to stay.
"We're nearly there," Cam said. Sure enough, the ship was looking extremely large now.
"OK, guys," said Shane, "Let's do it."
"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!"
"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"
Cam had already morphed when he took control of the Dragaonforce Vehicle. Now they were all ready.
"We'll get him back," Shane said. Dustin wasn't sure if that was meant to convince him, Blake or maybe even Shane himself. He just nodded and hoped that Shane was right.
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Hunter tugged at the chains that held him to the wall. He'd been doing this for a while now and so far all he'd managed to achieve were sore wrists. He just hated being stuck here, helpless. More than that, he hated the fact that Lothor was using him to try and get to the others.
He hoped that they wouldn't fall for it, but he knew that at least Blake would refuse to leave him here. He could be certain, because he knew that if their positions were reversed, he'd go through all kinds of hell to save Blake, no matter how stupid or dangerous it might be.
There would be a rescue attempt.
Hunter just had to hope that the Rangers would be smart enough to guess that they were walking into a trap. After all that had happened, he didn't think he could cope if any of them were hurt because of him. Especially not Dustin. If Dustin was killed because he'd come to save Hunter, he'd never forgive himself. Hunter closed his eyes and prayed to any deity that might be listening for Dustin to stay mad at him long enough to stay in Bluebay Harbour and stay safe.
The whole room suddenly shook. Hunter lost his footing and ended up dangling from his wrists for a few moments. The next shake was more violent, but Hunter was slightly prepared this time and managed to keep his balance. Was this the Rangers' doing?
He stood there for what felt like forever, listening out for any sounds of fighting, any sign of the Rangers. For a long time, there was nothing. No more shakes followed the first two. Just silence.
Hunter's heart was pounding and his thoughts raced with possibilities, good and bad.
Then a familiar, but somewhat unexpected figure, rushed into the room. The Red Ranger caught sight of Hunter and rushed over to free him.
"Shane?"
"You didn't think we were going to leave you here, did you?"
Hunter's hands came free and he rubbed at his sore wrists gratefully. Shane reached for his own wrist.
"Guys, I've got him. Fall back to the Dragonforce Vehicle."
Shane led the way at a run, Hunter following behind.
"You did realise this was a trap, right?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah, but we weren't going to let Lothor kill you. You're still a Ranger."
Hunter almost faltered at those words. Shane, who had not too long ago actually threatened to kill Hunter himself, was now acknowledging that he was still a Ranger. That meant, as far as Shane was concerned, Hunter was still a part of the team. He couldn't quite believe it.
"Uh oh," muttered Shane, "I thought things were going too well."
There way was blocked by a large number of kelzaks and kelzak furies. Hunter glanced behind him, seeing the corridor they'd just come through filling with more of the same. And there was Zurgane with them.
Hunter wished he had something more useful on his wrist than bruises as he punched and kicked his way through the hoards of kelzaks. Shane was handling Zurgane on his own, but he couldn't take on Lothor's general and the kelzaks, which meant Hunter had half an army to deal with without any powers.
He struggled against the black and red creatures, surrounded by them on all sides and just trying hard not to get killed. If the Dragonforce Vehicle was here, they just had to reach it. They didn't have to actually defeat these creatures.
But even getting through would be difficult enough.
Hunter found himself grabbed by two of the furies. Hunter kicked a third to the ground, but he couldn't shake the two who held his arms. Their grips were tight enough that it felt like he might get torn in half.
Then a blast of laser fire knocked one of them flying. Without pausing to think about it, Hunter brought his suddenly-freed fist round at the other, dealing a vicious blow to the thing's stomach. The other kelzaks were now rather busy dealing with the new Rangers who had appeared to join in the fight.
"Hunter!"
He spun towards the familiar voice. Something small was flung at him and Hunter caught it on instinct, realising the moment he held it just what it was. His morpher.
He could worry about consequences later. Right now, he just had to stay alive. He shoved the thing around his wrist and shouted, "Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"