Chapter 29: Storm Before The Calm Part 1

"I can't believe this!" Dustin's frustrated declaration reached Shane, Kelly and Ari as they stood talking in Storm Chargers. They looked up as the Yellow Ranger stormed in, carrying a box of oil. "I asked for four-stroke oil, and they send me this two-stroke stuff!" Dustin tossed a bottle he was holding back into the box. "Bah! What am I supposed to do with that?!" he demanded, and looked up as the three started to laugh. "What's so funny?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey look, forget about the oil," Shane told him, still laughing as he walked over to his best friend. "And pack your bags," he added as Dustin frowned.

"Why? Where are we going?" he asked, not understanding as Kelly walked over.

"You wanted to freestyle, well guess what?" she held out a piece of paper. "You're gonna get your chance. Fill it out and sign it," Kelly told him as his eyes lit up. "We have to get it in straight away if you wanna make the deadline," Dustin took the paper and scanned it for a moment, and his jaw dropped.

"This is for the US Action Games!" Dustin was unable to quieten his voice in his pure excitement. "Are you serious?!" he demanded as he jumped a little.

"Yep!" Kelly laughed at the childish joy. "And by the way, under 'Sponsor', write 'Storm Chargers'," Kelly grinned, walking away as Dustin stared at her.

"Sponsor?!" the Earth Ninja was unable to believe what he was hearing. "Hey, did you know about this?" he turned to Shane, holding up the form.

"I'm going too!" Shane cheered as he leapt onto the sofa. "Vert. Skateboard, baby, yeah!" the two cheered loudly, making Ari laugh.

"What about you?" Dustin glanced to her. Ari stopped laughing and pouted.

"Too young," she grumbled.

"Hey, give it three years. If you're still boarding then, I'll sponsor you too," Kelly smiled at her, and Ari's eyes lit up. She cheered, and they looked over as Tori and Zoe walked in.

"Hey guys, check it out!" Dustin waved his form, unable to contain his excitement as they smiled at him.

"Kelly's sponsoring you to go to the US Action Games and freestyle," Tori nodded as she walked up to him with a smile.

"Yeah..." Dustin spoke, a little deflated. "How'd you know?" he asked.

"She told us this morning," Tori grinned back, and Dustin sighed as Ari couldn't help but laugh. When Hunter and Blake walked in, Dustin's excitement returned.

"Hey guys, guess what!" he called to them.

"Yeah I know, US Action Games, right?" Blake nodded, and Dustin's grin dropped again.

"That's awesome!" Hunter clapped his arm, and the pair walked over to the sofa.

"What? So let me get this straight," Dustin shook his head as he walked over, dumping the box of oil. "Everybody knew except for me?" he complained, and they nodded. "Is that about right?" he couldn't help but grin.

"That's about right!" Ari told him brightly.

"Yeah...I hate that..." Dustin grumbled, before looking to Blake. "Hey, didn't you test today for Roger Hannah? The Factory Blue sponsorship?" he asked, and they all looked to the Navy Ranger.

"That's right! How'd it go?" Tori asked with a smile.

"There was a photographer there from Dirt Works magazine, said he hadn't seen anyone test that fast since McGrath in '91!" Hunter told them proudly, and the Rangers cheered the Navy Ranger on.

"So, what did they say?" Zoe asked curiously.

"Full Factory ride, if I want it," Blake announced, and they all voiced their amazement.

"Why wouldn't you want it?" Dustin asked, unable to believe it.

"Come on, don't you think I'm a little busy around here?" the atmosphere turned serious again as Blake's smile dropped.

"Yeah, but how can you pass up an opportunity like that?" Shane asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's what I told him," Hunter nodded, and Blake looked away.

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"Question," Tori and Zoe walked up to the guys as they worked in the back. Ari walked over, setting a box down. "Did anyone tell Sensei that we're going to the Action Games?" Tori asked as they all looked up. Everyone froze.

"Uh oh," Shane gulped. "Not me," he shook his head.

"Hey, what about Cam?" Dustin asked, looking to them. "Did you guys ask him if he wanted to go with us?" he asked as they all groaned.

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"So, it slipped all your minds?" Cam asked, looking amused as the other Rangers stood in front of him and Sensei. "I mean, Dustin, I can believe," he smirked.

"Hey, I was the one who remembered," he defended.

"And he was the last to know," Ari added as she nudged the Yellow Ranger, who nodded.

"And your excuse?" Cam looked to Ari, who grinned back.

"She was too busy sulking that she's too young to enter," Dustin put his arm around her. Ari nodded, looking innocent.

"I can understand how this could have happened," Sensei decided to forgive the students. "It is a great honour to compete in such an event. I can only imagine the excitement can be quite a distraction," he nodded.

"So is it alright if we go?" Tori asked hopefully.

"Of course," their teacher agreed, smiling at them. The Rangers cheered, excited for an interesting weekend.

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The Action Games finally arrived, and the Rangers arrived at the location in the Storm Chargers van, along with Kelly. They piled out, looking around at the crowd of people walking, some with bikes, some with boards, all looking just as excited as they did.

"You guys better check in, I'll make sure your gear's ok," Kelly told the group, and they nodded.

"We'll check this place out for, uh..."

"Let me guess, chicks?" Tori finished for Shane, who grinned widely.

"Now that you mention it," he smirked as he watched a couple of laughing girls run past, one of whom winked at the Red Ranger as she passed him.

"Come on, I'll cruise with you," Cam jumped out.

"Cyber Cam?" Blake asked suspiciously.

"I'm not Cyber Cam!" Cam just laughed at him. "Who said the real Cam can't cruise?" he questioned, and the Rangers all laughed loudly.

"Hey, I still gotta get you on a board," Ari bumped the Green Ranger, who grinned back.

"Not gonna happen," he told her, and she laughed.

"What, you'll try Motocross but not Skateboarding?" she asked as they walked around. Dustin dragged Shane off to sign in, and Tori and Blake disappeared into the crowd. "I'm just saying, you programmed your virtual twin to be good at it, why not see if you can be good too?" she grinned, and Cam rolled his eyes.

"Because I already get enough bruises with everything else I do, I don't need more," he poked Ari's arm, where he knew a bruise had formed after she had fallen off her board.

"Hey, I don't fall that much," Ari defended, rubbing her arm.

"Only when you try to do new tricks," Cam added with a grin, before he stopped, his smile instantly dropping. "Oh no," he groaned, and Ari stopped as well, her smile dropping as she spotted Marah and Kapri walking through the grounds with a group of Kelzacks, chasing off anyone in their path. "Uh, Hunter? Zoe?" Cam called, aware that the pair were behind them.

"Not now Cam," Zoe told him sternly.

"I recommend you guys stop making out and look," Ari didn't look around, her eyes focused on the two girls. Sighing, the pair broke apart, and looked over, before their eyes widened. The four ran to meet them on an empty ramp, making them groan.

"Oh great..." Kapri grumbled.

"Hey, you lost?" Cam called to them.

"Do we look lost?" Marah growled at him, her hands on her hips.

"A little, yeah," Ari nodded.

"What a pain," Kapri sighed, pulling out the PAM and pressing a couple of buttons. She called on Kelzack Furies, who appeared on the tops of the ramp.

"Even here we have to put up with this nonsense?" Zoe complained as they fell into fighting stances.

"I think we might need a few extra hands," Cam muttered as he took in the large number of much more powerful footsoldiers.

"Maybe one or two," Ari agreed, before one of the Kelzacks leapt at them. The Rangers moved faster, dodging its attacks, and the other Kelzacks joined in the fight. The four fought off the Kelzack Furies as best they could, but were easily outmatched. Hearing yells, they looked around quickly to see three strangers running towards the fight. They tried to fight the regular Kelzacks, who overwhelmed the clearly untrained teenagers.

"You have to get out of here!" Cam yelled as he shoved a Kelzack Fury back, while Marah and Kapri ran off.

"Dude, we're just trying to help!" one of the boys insisted.

"You can help by standing aside!" Hunter yelled, and kicked a Kelzack running at him. "And getting out of our way!" he added, tossing a Kelzack to the ground.

"You'll just get yourself killed if you interfere!" Zoe shouted as she ducked under a swing aimed for her head. As they continued fighting them off, the Kelzacks suddenly disappeared.

"Kyle, you ok?" the strangers helped their friend up as the four Rangers walked over to them.

"What were you guys thinking?" Hunter demanded.

"We were thinking you were in trouble," the boy who had fallen on the ground told them. "You should be happy we were there!" he told them with a scowl.

"We should be happy you guys jumped into a fight with monsters who almost killed you?" Ari asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, you didn't seem to be doing too well either kid," the blonde girl snapped at her, and Ari's fists clenched. Cam caught her arm, knowing exactly how Ari usually reacted when she was called a kid.

"We know what we're doing, kid," Zoe told her in a harsh voice. "You lot clearly don't have any experience in fighting," she pointed out, and they scowled.

"We were all lucky that they decided to de-materialise," Cam shook his head as Ari yanked her arm free. "You have no idea what you're dealing with," he told them.

"I'm gone," the boy in the middle shook his head.

"Me too," the girl agreed.

"Later dudes," the three stormed off, and the four Rangers turned back to the area where Marah and Kapri had been searching, wondering just what they had wanted.

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After retrieving the other Rangers, Cam walked down to the area that the two villains had been searching.

"They were interested in this area here," he called up to the Rangers standing by the railings. "But it might have just been a diversion," he commented, not understanding what could have caught the attention of Lothor.

"I don't see anything," Dustin shook his head.

"Hey, what's wrong with your amulet?" Shane asked curiously as he noticed it shimmering a little bit. Cam frowned, not understanding.

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously. He looked down, and was surprised when it started to glow. He touched it gently, and let out a yelp of pain.

"What is it?" Tori called down, frowning.

"It's frozen!" he looked back up at them with a look of shock.

"Frozen?" Dustin couldn't help but laugh slightly. "Dude, it's like, 80 degrees out!" he pointed out as Cam pulled the amulet off.

"No kidding..." Cam looked back at his amulet. "I better get back to Ninja Ops and do some tests on it there. See what this is all about," he muttered.

"I'll come with you," Ari volunteered as she folded her arms. A bad feeling had settled in her stomach, and despite what Dustin had said about the heat, she felt cold. Very cold. She was beginning to get goosebumps, and her entire being was tugging at her to get as far away from where they were as possible.

"You sure?" Cam asked, and she nodded. The others headed back to the games, and Ari and Cam returned to Ninja Ops to find out what was going on.

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"I don't know dad. I can't figure out why the amulet reacted that way," Cam was frustrated as he scanned his frozen amulet. Ari stood beside him, watching curiously. The lights flicked, and they both looked up automatically. "It's even drawing power away from the reactors! It's never done anything like this before," he shook his head.

"What's it done before?" Ari asked curiously, tilting her head as she looked down at Cam.

"Well, once or twice it's gotten really warm, but that was only when something good happened," the Samurai shrugged, and Sensei hummed lightly.

"Interesting," he mused. "One might conclude that-"

"Since warmth comes from good, cold must come from bad or evil!" Cam realised what he was going to say. "I can't believe I didn't think of that! I must be losing my edge..." he commented, frowning as Ari giggled.

"Some concepts, though they may seem simple, are the most difficult," Sensei told his son gently. "Especially those that pertain to the powers of good and evil," he added, and Cam nodded.

"And hey," Ari clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Even a genius has off days," she teased with a grin, and he smiled back.

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"Well that's not good," Cam sighed as the computer screen lit up to reveal a giant Vexacus.

"You know, before this, I liked sharks. Now, not so much," Ari commented.

"I'll handle this one myself. Ari, you stand by just in case," Cam told her. Ari frowned, but nodded. As Cam went to call on his Samurai Star Chopper, the computer screen turned red, refusing him access. "Come on!" Cam scowled as he continued typing. "I can't believe this!" he exclaimed when nothing seemed to work.

"Yo, what up?" Cyber Cam appeared as Cam called on his program.

"The hydraulic portal to the Samurai Star Megazord has lost power," Cam told his replicant.

"Bummer dude," Cyber Cam commented, not sounding too worried.

"Maybe Zoe was right, he does need an attitude adjustment," Ari stated, raising an eyebrow at the virtual replicant, who just smiled at her.

"Listen, there's a manual override lever in the-"

"Green box outside the entrance to the hangar," Cyber Cam finished for him. "I know, you programmed that information into me," he grinned as if this were obvious.

"Right, I forget sometimes," Cam replied, and Ari giggled as she watched the two. "See if you can reset it. I'll call the other Rangers," Cyber Cam nodded at the instruction, and leapt off the bench. He walked off, disappearing as he did.

"Hopefully see you out there," Ari smiled at him, but as she started walking out, Cam let out another frustrated yell. "What's wrong now?" she glanced around with a small frown.

"Looks like you're not getting out there either," he looked around at her. "I'm having the same problem with the Swan Zord," Ari groaned, and walked back over as he contacted the other Rangers. "Rangers, there's a big fish in a little pond you need to deal with," Cam told them as Shane answered.

"On our way Cam," the Red Ranger called over the cheering in the background.

"We're having problems accessing the Samurai Star Megazord and Ari's Swan Zord, so we won't be joining you for now," Cam added, before ending the communication.

"What if they need the Thunderstorm Megazord? Or the Hurricane Megazord for that matter?" Ari asked, worried for her friends.

"Then we better hope Cyber Cam can fix whatever is wrong," Cam muttered as he sent out the remaining Zords. The two watched as they faced off against Vexacus once again, and Cam tried to fix whatever was wrong as Vexacus overwhelmed them. When Shane called the Mammoth Zord, it seemed like things were going in their favour, but Vexacus wasn't at all affected by the powerful attack. Zoe arrived just as Vexacus used his land shark attack, knocked the two Zords flying.

"How's it going?" Zoe asked, resting her hands on the back of Cam's chair.

"Not good," Ari shook her head, looking to her friend. "And we're not having any luck with the Zords either," she added when the Silver Ranger went to ask.

"I don't like this," Zoe commented, flinching when the Storm Megazord went down again. "The last time you couldn't access your Zords was back when Vexacus first appeared and his ship blocked the signals," she said, biting her lip.

"Don't remind me," Cam muttered.

"Victory is mine!" Vexacus declared, but the two Megazords got back up.

"I don't think so!" Hunter yelled at the giant shark.

"It's Thunder time!" Blake called. They called on the Serpent Sword and ran at Vexacus.

"Ready for more?" Vexacus taunted, before letting out a cry as he was struck. The Thunder Megazord leapt over his head and restrained him, hitting him with his sword. As a purple light appeared on his chest, he laughed again. "Goodbye, Thunder Rangers!" he swung his own sword around, slamming it into their back and pinning them against him.

"It's gonna blow!" Shane yelled.

"Get outta there!" Dustin yelled at the pair, before Vexacus let out another laugh, and exploded, taking the Thunder Megazord with it.

"No..." Ari whispered, her hands over her mouth. Before they could react, Zoe shot back out of Ninja Ops. A dark purple orb flew from where Vexacus had fallen, and disappeared. "What was that?" she frowned.

"I have no idea," Cam shook his head. "I'm looking for the Thunder Rangers now..." he added as he began typing again, now without a need to call on their Zords.

"Cam, we've reached the Thunder Zord wreckage," Shane reported in as the three Wind Ninjas looked around, joined shortly after by Zoe. "It doesn't look good," he said gravely.

"Any sign of Hunter and Blake?" Tori asked hopefully.

"I'm getting infra-red heat signatures in the area, but there's a lot of interference," Cam shook his head and sighed. "I can't pinpoint an exact location," he told them as Ari remained standing beside him, fidgeting nervously.

"Keep trying to establish contact. We'll head back to Ops and regroup," Shane decided, and ended the communication.

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"This is so frustrating. I still can't get a fix on Hunter and Blake..." Cam growled softly as he continued to attempt to contact the Thunder brothers.

"Any luck with Cyber Cam?" Ari asked gently, not taking her eyes off the screen, praying desperately that they would find Hunter and Blake.

"Wait...that's weird," Cam frowned as he attempted to locate his replica. "Cyber Cam's gone too!" he exclaimed. Ari's eyes widened. Something bad was happening.

"We'll find them Cam," sensing his frustration, Ari put a hand on his shoulder.

"Keep trying, keep trying," Sensei encouraged.

"Yes Cam," they all looked around quickly as another voice spoke up. The three stared in horror as Lothor, Marah and Kapri stood at the entrance, smirking at them. Cyber Cam struggled uselessly in Marah and Kapri's grip. "Keep trying," Lothor laughed as he walked inside. "Hello nephew," Lothor greeted as Cam slowly got to his feet.

"What am I, a lamp?" Ari muttered under her breath as she watched the exiled Ninja carefully.

"How did you get in here?" Cam demanded as he stood beside Ari.

"Your reprogrammed cybernetic replicant led us inside," Lothor explained, smirking widely at them. No longer having any use for him, they tossed Cyber Cam to the ground, and he crawled away before disappearing. "Then I used my DNA hand print, the same as my brother's...or, what it used to be, to take us the rest of the way," Lothor bragged as his smirk only widened as he looked to his twin brother.

"I am no brother of yours," Sensei told him coldly. "Our family tie has long been broken," he dismissed, but that only served to make Lothor laugh.

"You'll never get out with him," Cam warned his uncle as he walked forwards.

"I didn't come for him, nephew," Lothor told him. "I came for you, and that delightful little sun ninja," he looked to Ari, who tensed, but tried not to show her fear any more than that.

"Why does everyone call me little?" she wondered, but her voice quivered a little.

"You're dreaming, Lothor," Cam just scoffed.

"Perhaps," Lothor shrugged lightly. "But is it so wrong to dream of a world where the ultimate evil rules over all those who inhabit it? Where I, Lothor, command an army of thousands! And all those who live in my shadow, must bow down to my greatness! Is that so wrong?!" Lothor demanded as he finished his declaration.

"Uh..." Ari and Cam exchanged looks. "Yes," they stated together. Lothor scowled at them.

"Fine. Have it your way," he sighed, and attacked. The pair managed to dodge his attack, but hit the ground in the process, and Lothor began to fight against Sensei. "Trash it all!" Lothor roared to his nieces, who laughed and began to destroy Ninja Ops. Unable to get up without risking being hit by their attacks, all Ari and Cam could do was cover their heads. "Get up!" Lothor hauled Cam to his feet.

"No!" Ari jumped up and ran at Lothor, only to be caught by Marah and Kapri and restrained. The two laughed as she struggled, willing for her powers to kick in, in any way possible, but nothing happened.

"Let them go!" Sensei leapt at Lothor, but his brother easily caught him and threw him into the back room, which then exploded.

"No!" Cam screamed. "Dad!" he pulled in Lothor's grip, trying desperately to get to his father, but Lothor was much stronger, dragging him out of Ninja Ops. Marah and Kapri laughed even more as they hauled Ari out, following their uncle and Cam back to the ship.

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When the Wind Ninjas and Zoe returned to Ninja Ops, they were greeted by a sight they did not expect.

"What happened?" Shane stared in horror at their destroyed base. All the computer systems that Cam had worked so hard on had been completely annihilated, the lights were out, and bits of the walls and ceiling had come down.

"It's trashed!" Dustin was horrified at the sight.

"No..." Tori breathed.

"Cam? Sensei? Ari? Cyber Cam?" Shane yelled as Zoe stood frozen in the doorway. She had only been there an hour before, and everything had seen fine, except for the Zord portals malfunctioning.

"Where are they?" Zoe whispered.

"Don't worry, they'll be here somewhere," Dustin insisted as he looked around at the Silver Ranger. They walked around, looking under the wreckage for any sign.

"They have to be..." Tori said, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself, just as much as them. "If anyone can survive this, it's them," she nodded. Zoe swallowed, and finally walked in, praying that Tori was right.

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Cam and Ari struggled in their restraints as they glared at Lothor, who was smirking at the pair.

"You won't get away with this, Lothor," Cam warned with a glare. "Whatever you're doing, it won't work," the Samurai told him confidently.

"Oh, ye of little faith," Lothor rolled his eyes at them.

"Well you haven't won against us yet, do you blame us for not having faith?" Ari bit back, continuing to pull at the ropes that bound her wrists above her head.

"She has a point," Cam smirked at him.

"Is that any way to talk to your uncle?" Lothor questioned, and dropped down a scroll in front of them. Both paused, recognising it.

"The Scroll of Destiny..." Ari breathed as she took in the images of Lothor and his generals, along with images of their Megazords and monsters they had fought over the year.

"That's been missing from the Wind Ninja Academy for years," Cam growled.

"Before our ceremonious meeting in the past, I borrowed it to ensure my future," Lothor told his nephew, his own smirk returning. "It's the key to my master plan," he informed them, and Cam laughed.

"You base your master plan on some beat up piece of paper?" he taunted Lothor. The exiled Ninja's smirk dropped instantly, and he scowled at him.

"This 'beat up old piece of paper' has accurately predicted everything!" Lothor snarled at him. "And see this part near the bottom?" he gestured to the bottom, and the pair looked down at the bottom, where a picture of several monsters emerging from an explosion was located. "That's where I destroy Earth, once and for all!" he declared.

"I think you're missing a bit," Ari commented, keeping her voice nonchalant.

"Where's the rest of the scroll?" Cam asked, seeing the tear as well.

"Nice try," Lothor just scoffed at the pair. "But save it. I know exactly what happens next," Lothor yanked the amulet off Cam's neck.

"No!" Cam yelled. His mother's precious heirloom, entrusted to him to protect it from people like Lothor, that gave him his powers, was now out of his reach.

"It's payback time, nephew," Lothor smirked at him as Cam continued to struggle. "Now, let's see if we can't find out what that power of yours is," he turned to Ari, whose eyes widened. She struggled uselessly as he held up the amulet, which enlarged. It started to glow, and Ari cried out as gold energy flew from her morpher, to the Amulet. After a moment, it died down, and Ari sagged. "Not exactly what I wanted, but now I have your Ranger powers!" Lothor laughed, and the two glared at him as he laughed even more, and walked away.

Just one chapter to go!

Hope y'all had a fabulous St. Patrick's Day! I'll be uploading the final chapter tomorrow night at the latest.

Hope you guys enjoyed, let me know what you think!