Chapter 32: Shining Surprise

"That sounds harsh."

Weihan shook his head as he sipped his coffee, mulling over the previous hours events. Gaby had approved him training the secondary Rider while she talked with the consultants about proposed upgrades to the Hub. After the RUNNER user had woken up, she had been put through her paces the most intensely excruciating three hours of her life. During one of her exercises, he had connected the Data Card and Reader Belt to his personal system scanner and had scanned the internal data to see what had caused the dramatic upgrade in her appearance. What he had seen had been both intensely shocking and deeply perplexing as the most protected files had his Power signature as an encryption; not his Ultra Crystal signature, though that would have been surprising, but his Rider System identifier. However shocking as that may have been, the biggest surprise was when he remotely connected his scanner to the Ultra Cavern and discovered the files were ten thousand years old. That could only mean one thing but he was dreading to know the surrounding circumstances.

"May have been a tad harsher than I wanted but…ah well, she has to learn somehow. Anyway, what about you? When did you regain your powers? Or did you never lose them in the first place?"

Connor chuckled under his breath as he nodded his head. After driving Jabarkas off with a Battlizer Blast, he had watched the two Riders retreat from the scene and had made a hasty retreat himself before the paparazzi descended. Unfortunately, he hadn't taken into account the security cameras that were pointed everywhere so it had taken quite a while before he found a secluded spot to demorph. After checking in with his security detail, he had wandered around aimlessly until he had gotten a call from the Orange Ranger. After that, they just had to pick a café where they could talk without being hounded by the press. He wasn't so sure how Weihan had pulled it off but they had a café all to themselves with almost no waiters around them.

"Yeah, no…I never really lost them; they were just suppressed after Mesogog was defeated. I try to keep the super speed suppressed though. It would help in my career but…eh, it's a complicated issue. Dr O, Tommy I mean, he knows that I still have them but since there's not much Ranger action around me anymore, it seems like a bit of a waste to have them."

Connor suppressed a wistful sigh as he looked out at the city. Truth be told, he was itching to use them against the Nighlock monsters that had popped up but the new Samurai Rangers had charged in without any warning. He wasn't so sure how the Red Ranger could see with his oddly shaped visor but had learned that the Power provided for every contingency. He was also sure the visit from Wes had something to do with it. The Red Time Force Ranger had informed him that the Samurai Rangers would complete their mission up to the final battle; in which point every Ranger, active and inactive, would have to step up to ensure the safety of the planet. He had also issued some cryptic words about there being another few battles down the road but he hadn't given up anything after that. He had asked if the Ultra Rangers would participate but Wes hadn't said anything except to give him a new travel schedule.

"What's up with your powers? I'm no expert but it seems like they're fusing or something like that, which is probably why you can channel the fire into the blade without it melting away."

Weihan nodded before sighing softly. If Connor was noticing, it was a lot more blatant than expected. Ninjor, Dimitria and Zedd were all poring over the combat data he had sent them and had hypothesised that, if he kept accessing his Ultra-based powers, the System would be merged within the Crystal in a matter of months. While it would be good to access his Ranger abilities to deal with the Wraiths, it would also mean being forced to answer rather uncomfortable questions about what he could do and the identities of the other Rangers. On the other hand, he would be able to use his Zords if Bloodless Mary found a stable way to enlarge the Wraiths, though the chances of that happening were slim to none…which, in Ranger terms, meant he needed to do maintenance on them rather quickly. He would also have to trust Serena with his secret but he would hold off on that for as long as he could.

His merging powers would also mean he would become a bigger threat to those around him. Not due to the fact that any evil being still alive after the Z-Wave would be after him but due to the sheer unpredictability of them and their ties to his emotions. He had yet to fully smooth things over with AJ in regards to the years they had spent apart and with the female members of the Ancient Ninjetti getting physical; he was all over the place. In the short conversations they'd had on the subject, AJ was all right with him developing a harem of lovers only if she was his main girl. The mere idea of having such a thing sent shivers down his spine as he recalled all the rather delicious adventures he'd had with AJ, Rachelle and Karone and all the positions they'd managed to get twisted into. Of course, thinking along those lines brought up everything he'd done while under Love Tick's spell and, as arousing as the memories were; they weren't things he wanted to dwell upon too long. Mentally shaking his head, he wondered if his problem could be solved by forming a harem and having ample opportunities to relieve himself of his pent up stress.

"They are fusing together slowly. By the High Council's predictions, I only have a few more months before I need to think up some creative excuses. I don't think…"

Weihan trailed off as he spied something out of the corner of his eye. Slowly dribbling from a crack in the wall was some water, though he had no idea on what planet red water would be considered normal. Slowly standing up, he walked over to the water stain and leant in to sniff it. The data Ninjor had sent detailing the Samurai Rangers had given a few tell-tale signs for knowing when their enemies would attack. One of the signs involved red water that smelled like incredibly rusted metal dribbling from any cracks in and around the area…and the water smelled just like that. Ensuring his Turbine was in his pocket, he slowly scanned the area while telepathically informing Connor of what he hypothesised was coming. To his credit, the Red Dino Ranger didn't show any signs of outward discomfort with the mental intrusion and his slow nod confirmed that he was ready for anything.

A slight breeze was all the warning he had as the electrical sub-station a few metres away exploded in a cloud of fire and lightning. Rolling on the ground, he channelled fire into his palms and blasted a few fireballs in the direction of the explosion. A flare of red light informed him that Connor had morphed and he hoped that he had the sense to do so away from the security cameras. As the smoke cleared, he had his first look at a Nighlock monster. It was in the form of a Japanese deity called a Raijin, a god of thunder. Twisted spires shaped like lightning jutted out from its morbidly obese body which was supported by four stump-like legs. A pair of spike-tipped drumsticks was grasped in its claws and it gazed at the duo with its lidless eyes above a gaping mouth lined with shark-like teeth. When it spoke, the ground rumbled softly.

"You're not the Samurai Rangers and you'll fall easily to Raizo!"

It ignited its drumsticks and the two heroes shared a quick glance before leaping out of the way of the fiery projectiles. Weihan could feel the buzzing of his phone in his other pocket as he scrambled for the exit, fire from the explosions licking at his heels. In any other situation, he would have laughed at the abruptness of the attack and the absurdity of his situation but he needed to have his head firmly in the present moment. Wherever the Samurai Rangers were, they weren't going to get to Sydney in time and there was no way in hell that Gaby would allow Serena to fight against a creature that wasn't a Wraith. Calling the other Ultra Rangers besides Eliza wasn't an option either as they were scattered pretty much everywhere. Interestingly enough, the monster hadn't called upon any grunts to attack but he knew it was only a matter of time. Lifting the Turbine up to his waist, he felt the belt appear and tighten automatically. Although he loathed doing it, he slipped in the earpiece and, with a deep sigh, answered the call.

"Wei, what is going on? You need to get away from there now! The power that thing is packing is shorting out our systems…you can't hope to win after the training session."

Growling under his breath, Weihan shook his head and mentally disagreed. He needed to do this before the Samurai Rangers showed up and the situation became even more unstable. Having Connor at his back with his Battlizer would give him peace of mind if any grunts appeared but he didn't want the situation to escalate that far.

"Negative. I'm still good to go and if I don't do anything, that monster will rampage everywhere."

Cutting off the communication channel before Gaby could react; Weihan lifted up the Activation Gem and exhaled softly. Wordlessly dropping it to the Turbine, he pushed in the sphere and allowed the generators of the Ultra Cavern to take over. Bolts of electricity rippled through his body as his upgraded suit appeared over his body, the armoured breast plate snapping on without any sort of commands. He could see the spectral forms of his Main Three in the energy cyclone, as well as the animal his one-time Battlizer had been modelled after: the Tri-Spino Dragon. It seemed to be communicating with its eyes, pleading for him to do…something; however, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sense the meaning in its gaze. Sagging in defeat, it turned to his Ninjetti spirit and the communication, that had eluded him, seemed to flow much better. Wondering what the Power had in store for him down the road, he allowed his helmet to materialise around his head and assemble in a jigsaw-like fashion.

"Rider Blade!"

As the weapon dropped into his hands, the Kamen Rider leapt up and brought it down on Raizo to produce a shower of sparks against its armour. The Nighlock turned to face the new combatant warily, eyeing his Ranger-like armour and weapon. However, Master Xandred had told him that almost all of Earth's previous Rangers had lost their powers and abilities and, as such, wouldn't hinder his takeover of Earth at all. There had been some sort of commotion about some new warrior but, if the figure in front of him was this warrior, he wasn't impressed or intimidated. Charging his lightning, he directed it at the figure and laughed as it was engulfed in a massive explosion. If it was defeated by that weak attack, he would have nothing to worry about…besides this Red Ranger in front of him. Igniting his taiko sticks once again, he threw fireball after fireball at the Red Ranger, much like that strange warrior had done to him earlier.

"Nighlock! Stop now!"

Ah, the main event had arrived. Raizo turned lazily to regard the five Samurai Rangers that had given his master no end of trouble. Their weapons could only do so much damage against him and he could easily deflect a blast from their newest weapon: the Beetle Cannon or whatever it was called. The Red Ranger he had tangled with was face-down on the ground, seemingly defeated and the warrior from before was…his eyes widened a fraction as his demonic senses picked up on the shift in the air. This wasn't going to be good.

"Crocodile Fire Slash!"

Weihan burst from the cloud of smoke with his Rider Blade charged with as much fire as it could handle, somersaulting through the air to gain distance before bringing the blade down violently on the chest of Raizo. The monster's confident smirk soon changed into a grimace of pain as the searing heat bled into its body and began cooking it from the inside-out. Taking his right hand off the handle, he placed it against the chest of Raizo and forcefully blasted fire out of his palm. The concussive force thrust the Nighlock away from the battlefield, where Weihan began taking stock of his surroundings…and what was happening to his combat suit.

Your System is not yet fully merged with your Crystal, young Ranger, though it is allowing you to achieve a greater level of power. Trust that the Power knows what it is doing and you will not need to feel helpless any longer.

Weihan blinked at the familiar voice as his mind raced trying to place it. It certainly wasn't the deep voice of his internal guide but he didn't know why there would be a sudden change instead of a gradual shift. He certainly wasn't going to complain at his new help…though he would be keeping it a secret from Gaby and the others, lest they lock him up in a mental asylum. He could also feel a surge of energy building up within him and, if he were to compare it to something, it felt like the surges he had felt before he had summoned his Assault Armour. Closing his eyes, he allowed the new information to flow into his mind and prepare him for the change that was about to come. Inhaling deeply, he shouted out with all his might as thunder rumbled overhead.

"Spirit of the Crocodile: Awaken! Ninjetti Mode!"

TBC…