Phonepanzee was pacing impatiently, waiting for the other Rangers to arrive. He had called all three of them, delivering the message to meet at the gym like he had with Brody, Sarah and Calvin, but so far there was not sign of them.
"Bloody teenagers, no sense of punctuality. You can't rely on them for anything!" He grumbled as he looked over to the dumpsters. "How are the prisoners?"
One of the Basher Bots said something, but he just shook his head.
"What the hell am I asking you for? I could never understand what you stupid things say anyway." He muttered, before going back to pacing. Just then, he heard a roar of engines. He looked around, a little surprised by this. He wasn't anywhere near a road, why was he hearing engines?
He wasn't the only one, some of the Basher Bots started looking around, trying to locate the sound. Eventually one of them pointed in the direction of the stairs coming down from the main school building. They all faced the stairs, just in time to see the Gold and White Rangers racing down the stairs towards them on their Mega Morph Cycles.
"YEEE HAH!" Levi screamed as he and Hayley opened fire with their laser cannons, blasting down a number of Basher Bots. Phonepanzee started to panic as he saw them.
"Oh no, they're morphed! They must have figured out my trap!" Phonepanzee screeched as he started waving wildly, trying to call out the rest of his Basher Bot entourage. He was hit by a couple of laser blasts and hit the ground.
"We want our friends back!" Levi called out. "Get your hands off them you damn dirty ape!"
"Really?" Hayley asked him.
"What?" He chuckled in response. "It had to be said!" Hayley just shook her head in disbelief and levelled her sword at Phonepanzee.
"You're going to learn that you NEVER mess with a ninja!" She screamed as she and Levi rushed for the attack.
"Yeah, crank calls? You're going to need something better than that!" Levi added as they started to cut their way through the Basher Bots between them and Phonepanzee.
"Oh, you think all I have is funny voices?" Phonepanzee asked them. "Wait till you see this! SONIC BOOM!"
With that, they were both punted all the way back to the stairs, landing on them painfully. Hayley was on her knees quickly.
"I'm fine Levi, you?" She asked.
"I'll tell you when my ears stop ringing!" He yelled. "Remember, stick to the plan!"
"WHAT?" She called back. Levi just sighed and pointed in Phonepanzee's direction. "OH! ALRIGHT!"
Not far from there, a couple of Basher Bots had been left behind to keep an eye on the prisoners. There were only three of them, since Phonepanzee didn't foresee the need to expend much manpower on prisoners that were still bound.
One of them was on a rooftop above them, overlooking the area. As it finished its sweep and looked down on the prisoners once more, it was grabbed from behind and brought down to the ground, before a boot heel was driven straight through its head, destroying its central processor. Preston checked to make sure he hadn't been heard, before making his way to the edge and looking down.
He could see his friends there, right where he had expected them to be. He got onto his Ninja Comm.
"Mick, your location was spot on. I'm right on top of them." Preston told him.
"Alright, how many guards?" Mick asked him.
"Just two left." Preston told him. "Unfortunately, they're sticking close together. There's no opportunity to take them both at once."
"It's fine Preston, you've trained for this." Mick told him. "Just be careful and make sure you pick your moment right."
"Alright, here goes nothing." Preston answered. The Basher Bots seemed to be circling the bound Rangers, taking care to check on their bonds. Ninjas were masters of escapology. While Preston already knew a lot of good techniques as a result of his training in his illusions, Brody had managed to show him tricks even he was impressed by. While they were not exactly up to the level of things like dislocating bones or training their muscle groups to reduce the size of their limbs to as much as half their normal width, they had already mastered a few techniques that would make simple rope a minimal challenge if they were given the opportunity to work without constant supervision. He waited until they were closest to him and dropped down suddenly.
He landed on one of them with all his bodyweight, smashing it to pieces, while shoving the other one away. Sarah stuck out her legs to trip it, at which it fell over, striking its head on a dumpster. Calvin kicked out as hard as he could with both feet, smashing its head and taking it out. Preston pulled off Sarah's gag and got to work untying her.
"Preston!" She called out, wrapping her arms around him. Preston smiled as he hugged her tightly, knowing that she was safe once more. He parted from her a little way. "That giant chipmunk thing…"
"Yeah, we figured it out." Preston told her. "First rule of making a prank call. Make sure you know where the people you're impersonating are. He called Levi pretending to be Hayley but she was standing right next to him."
"Yeah, and first rule of a jail break, make sure you untie ALL the prisoners, not just your girlfriend before you talk about how clever your escape plan was." Calvin stated as he and Brody stood over them, carrying the Basher Bots' discarded swords.
"Oh…um…" Preston stammered. "But…you guys got out right?"
"Yeah, but you got out." Preston answered.
"Yeah, we did." Brody said as he grabbed one of his wrists, pressing it. They all winced a little as they heard the crunch. "But I'd rather not dislocate my wrist if I don't have to. It kind of hurts."
"You know it is super creepy when you say things like that without so much as saying 'ouch' right?" Calvin commented. Brody just looked at him.
"Ouch." He responded sarcastically. "Alright, we can't morph. That monster has our Power Stars in a canvas bag."
"Did you guys get that?" Preston asked.
"WHAT?" Levi called out, before there was another loud noise, and Preston's Ninja-Comm started screeching. They all recoiled.
"Alright, we need to help them." Brody answered. Preston handed Sarah the third Basher Bot's sword.
"OK, we'll get the stars back." Preston assured them. "You guys be ready to move when we get them. It's MORPHIN TIME!"
Meanwhile, up in the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was watching as his plan was unravelling.
"What is that fool DOING?" He screamed at him. "My instructions were clear! I wanted him to capture the Rangers and their Power Stars and then bring them here! He was meant to cut down their numbers so that Friday's broadcast would have been the end of them!"
"But how?" Wrench asked him.
"I'd have released ONE of them to battle one of my warriors!" Cosmo told him. "They'd have been decimated without their friends!"
"Don't you think the audience would have noticed only one Ranger in the battle?" Wrench asked him.
"Oh, I'd have got you to splice in some stock footage of the others." He said in an off-hand way. Wrench looked to him.
"Stock footage?" Wrench asked. "Don't you think people would notice that?"
"They never do! I use stock footage to pad broadcasts that run short all the time!" Cosmo answered. "I only have like one shot of Galvanax drawing his naginata, do you think fans say a thing about the fact they've seen that same shot over a hundred times?"
Wrench just shrugged.
"So, do you want to send down some more support?" Wrench asked.
"Send some Basher Bots down, and some Buzz-cams. If that stupid monkey's going to end up as a rug, I want it on camera at least." Cosmo told him. "I also want you to go down there."
"ME?" Wrench asked. Cosmo gave him that smile that always scared him.
"They're already down to half a team." Cosmo reminded him. "Let's see what those upgrades I paid for can do!"
Down at the site of the battle, Preston, Sarah, Calvin and Brody ran out, beginning to take care of the Basher Bots sent to help Phonepanzee. Preston, being the only one that could morph right now, went straight to help Hayley and Levi.
"SONIC BOOM!" Phonepanzee called out, sending them both flying once more. Levi rushed to their side, kneeling by them.
"Are you guys alright?" He asked.
"Does that monkey know any other attacks?" Levi complained. "He's spamming that thing worse than Guile in Streetfighter 2!"
"Man, I used to hate that guy!" Preston agreed. "Guys, the monster has the others' Power Stars!"
"He's got their Power Stars?" Hayley called out. Preston just nodded.
"We need to get that bag from him." Preston answered.
"I have an idea." Hayley told them. "You two keep him busy."
As Preston and Levi ran for the monster, using their weapons to block incoming attacks. Hayley put her Element Star into place.
"Ninja Element Star, Earth Strike!" She called out, swinging her Ninja Star. As Levi and Preston both fought with Phonepanzee, the ground opened up. Levi and Phonepanzee were forced to jump away from each other.
"Hayley, what the hell are you doing?" Levi asked her.
"Don't you get it? She's trying to trap him!" Preston surmised. "We have to try and keep him in one place so she can sink him!"
"Yeah, great!" Levi answered as another hole opened up. "We just have to hope she doesn't sink us while she's at it!"
"Thanks for letting me know the plan!" Phonepanzee cackled as he leapt out the way of other holes opening up in the ground. "This is almost too easy!"
Hayley smiled as she watched him hop around. She opened up a hole beneath her feet, at which she was swept into a network of tunnels she had linked up beneath the ground. She launched herself up from underneath as she saw him land on the edge of one of the other holes. Preston and Levi were attacking him, trying to force him down, meaning none of them noticed as she boosted straight up behind him, and with a quick slice of her ninja sword, cut the strings holding the bag to his waist. She flipped over Phonepanzee, landing on the ground a little way off as the holes all closed up.
"Surprise!" Hayley called out. "Missing something?"
"Hey! That's mine!" He complained.
"Yeah, if you pick someone's pocket, you don't get to whine when someone steals their property back!" Hayley answered as Calvin, Sarah and Brody finished up with their opponents and joined them. Hayley tossed them their Ninja Stars.
"I'm tired of that ape!" Brody called out as they morphed. "I say we put him down for good!"
"PHONEPANZEE!" Wrench called out as he arrived with more Basher Bots. "You bungling nitwit, how did you let them escape?"
"I didn't mean…AAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He called out as Wrench cleaved him in two with his axe. The Rangers all stood and stared in disbelief at what they had seen. Wrench confronted them.
"Wrench?" She asked. "What happened to you?"
"He…he looks so much…"
"Shinier!" They all chorused together. Wrench looked to the Rangers.
"I've been upgraded!" Wrench told them. "I bet your ally Lord Drakkon had taken care of me, but now I'm more powerful and dangerous than ever!"
"Lord Drakkon?" Hayley asked. "Who the hell is Lord Drakkon?"
"Oh, don't try and deny he's one of yours, we saw him morph into a Ranger!" Wrench called out.
"Um…it's not an act." Preston chipped in. "We really do have no idea what you're talking about."
"I'm not even sure who this guy is!" Calvin admitted honestly.
"You…you…YOU'RE AS BAD AS THE PURPLE DINO RANGER!" Wrench screamed. Sarah just started laughing.
"He had this thing about Dr Morgan." She explained. "It turns out she didn't even know they had a rivalry! He lost a grudge match only he was fighting!"
"Oh man that is pathetic!" Hayley chuckled.
"Pathetic?" Wrench asked. "Do you call THIS pathetic?"
With that, missile ports opened in his back, and a storm of missiles launched out, arching over and exploding as they hit the ground. The Rangers all ended up on the ground, stunned and disorientated.
"OK, that is definitely new!" Sarah coughed.
"Let's see how pathetic you find me now!" Wrench called out as he rushed straight at them, twirling his axe.
In another part of town, over at Summer Cove Police Department, Constable Trevor Marx made his way into the squad room.
He made sure to greet everyone as he went past. From the civilian workers doing some of the clerical work to fellow officers, even some of the suspects that were sitting in handcuffs waiting to be processed. Trevor was a genuinely nice guy that never let the power of his job go to his head. Born and raised in Summer Cove, only leaving to go to college and the Police Academy, he was one of those guys that went into law enforcement for all the right reasons, to be a genuinely good influence in his community. He was always talking to people on his beat, only too happy to give directions and help people find lost pets etc. It was one of the reasons he was so loved throughout his community.
Hayley's mother had met him during a random traffic stop. It was a random check of vehicle road worthiness and while he had found her to have a tail light broken, he had told her he believed it to be a genuine oversight and gave her the opportunity to get it fixed without a fine. They had talked for a while and it wasn't long after that they were dating. Trevor broke a few hearts around the precinct when he married her.
He went into the squad room, pouring himself some hot water into a mug, before fetching a zip loc bag out of his pocket, with a tea bag and a slice of lemon in it. One of his colleagues came over, pouring himself some coffee.
"I swear to God Marx; how do you drink that shit?" He asked him, picking up a donut. Trevor just smirked.
"I don't do caffeine." He answered.
"Christ man, you don't smoke you don't eat donuts you don't drink coffee. What the hell DO you do?" He asked.
"Read and work out." Trevor told him.
"Whatever Marx." He said, going to sit down. Trevor just laughed as he stirred his tea. He knew he wasn't like a lot of his colleagues. The job was a tough one at times, even in cities that didn't get attacked by monsters on a weekly basis. People found their own ways of unwinding and relaxing from their shifts. Some of the guys played softball, some guys went for pizza, others would go to bars. For Trevor, his routine involved a long workout in the precinct gym and a browse with his tablet for some new novels to download.
"Marx, are you ready?" The Captain asked.
"Sorry Cap." Trevor said as he sat down.
"Alright, let's get this done fast, none of us want to be here too long." The Captain said. "Spiers and Murdoch, you're on the south side, keep an eye out for kids with spray cans, we've had some trouble with graffiti around the stadium. Edwards, Teacher, you're on traffic. Ellis, Reid maintain a presence at the mall. We've got the sales starting soon and you know how they can get. I want regular updates and I want to hear good things, the press has had a LOT of good reason to report bad stuff about our fellow cops lately, let's see if we can't give them some good stories to print."
"Captain." Trevor said, putting up his hand. "You haven't given me an assignment."
"That's because we've got something special for you." The Captain told him, throwing him a file. "You might have been City Hall's 'Heart of the PD' last year, but it looks like not everyone likes you. You get to puppy-walk a new recruit."
"I do?" Trevor asked, opening the file and looking at it.
"He's been instructed to meet you at the garage." The Captain told him. "Good luck Marx."
"I won't let you down Captain!" Trevor said with a huge smile. As he got up, taking a sip of his tea, one of the other officers just stared at him.
"Marx, you are probably the only person I know who could still be smiling when he's been assigned to wet-nurse a probie." He commented. Trevor just shrugged.
"Hey, we were all there, once right?" He asked, before heading out to go down to the garage.
Back at the school, the Rangers were locked in battle with Wrench, who was really taking them to task. He grabbed Preston around the throat with one hand, while he threw his axe at Brody, knocking him down. He threw Brody through the air, before recalling his hand. Hayley and Calvin opened fire with their Ninja Blasters, only to find their blasts reflecting off Wrench's hide, heading off in random directions forcing them do duck.
"I'm so sorry guys!" Hayley shrieked. "I thought that shiny stuff was just for show!"
"He is really kicking our butts!" Preston coughed. "Was he like this the last time?"
"No, it looks like he really wasn't lying about those upgrades!" Sarah called out. They all watched as his chest plate opened up, and what looked like a Gatling gun came out. "Uh…duck!"
The Rangers all dived for cover as it started spinning and laser blasts fired all over the place. Wrench only stopped as his communications link kicked in.
"Wrench? Wrench, what's going on?" Cosmo asked him.
"Phonepanzee fumbled it." Wrench told him. "I dealt with him."
"Fine, then come back to the ship." Cosmo told him. "I've got plenty to use on the show this week."
"Are you sure?" Wrench asked.
"Come back Wrench!" Cosmo called out. Wrench just closed up his chest cavity and pointed at Sarah.
"You got lucky this time!" He answered as he disappeared. The Rangers all came together.
"OK, now that…that was a close one." Calvin stated.
"You can say that again." Hayley replied. "If we hadn't…"
"It's…it's not important." Brody cut them off. "A good ninja never questions a win, he just takes a win when he gets it."
"So, I guess…show's over…?"
"Not…not now." Brody answered, shaking his head. "Now, let's head back to the base. I could use a paracetamol. My wrist really hurts now."
"It's not just me, right?" Calvin asked as they de-morphed and walked back towards the school. "It is a little creepy when he says stuff like that without you know, groaning or anything right?"