Kira, Conner, and Ethan looked up as Anabel entered the science classroom with under a minute to spare. They offered confused looks as she made her way towards her vacated seat, followed closely by a dark-skinned brunette.
"Who are you?" Cassidy asked, her eyes on the new girl.
"This is Circe," Anabel answered, pulling up a spare stool and setting it at the end of the table. "She's a transfer from Briarwood. Randall wants me to shadow her for a few days, you know, give her the lay of the land, sort to speak. Circe, this is Cassidy, she's one of my best friends."
Circe smiled and waved.
Devin leaned forward and offered her his own hand. "My name's Devin," he said.
"Hi," Circe replied.
Anabel then turned to the last three students at the table. "The two opposite you are Laura and Lawrence, they're twins, and this Chris," she finished, turning to the boy sitting beside her.
"You're all cheerleaders?" Circe asked.
"Except Devin," Anabel nodded. "Chris is my spotter. He's new to the team, but he has potential. Cassidy, Lawrence, Laura, and I have been on the team since freshman year."
Circe nodded. In truth, she wasn't a transfer student from Briarwood, she was a Mystic Defender, assigned to Anabel from Root Core to protect her from any threat that may have come from the White Ranger. Ever since he had attacked Anabel at her home, the young teen had been concerned with him knowing where she lived, and Doctor Oliver had put in a request with the Mystic Force for some protection.
A defender had also been assigned to Anabel's mother's protection detail. Being the Mayor of Reefside was important, and it made her the face of the city. Not only was that face a target for evil such as the White Ranger or Mesogog, but it could be a target for human evils, too.
"Hey, did anyone hear that we're supposed to be getting a sub today?" Ethan asked, looking up from his laptop.
"Yeah, any guesses?" Conner asked. He had been watching Anabel and Circe - what kind of name was that? - and was startled by the question.
"Well, I heard from a very reliable source, that it's this 80-year-old woman who used to teach kindergarten in Ohio."
"Really?" Ethan asked.
Cassidy nodded.
"Yes, because your sources are always so dependable," said Laura.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cassidy asked, stunned by the acquisition.
Lawrence met Cassidy's gaze. "I wouldn't consider someone I engage pillow talk with as a reliable source of information," he said.
Cassidy gaped, her cheeks reddening.
Chris snorted and Anabel bit down hard on her lower lip to hide her smile
Circe raised an eyebrow at the trio and turned back to Anabel. She wasn't as sheltered to not know the definition of 'pillow talk' but did kids in high school actually take part in such activities.
The door opened and Principal Randall walked in, stopping any and all conversation around the room. Everyone scrambled to their seats.
"Good morning, class," Randall said, her gaze sweeping the students. She lingered on Circe and Anabel, remembering the paperwork she had to fill out only an hour ago. "I would like you to meet your new teacher: Anton Mercer."
There was a small murmur as everyone shared curious glances.
"Morning, class," Mercer said, striding into the room.
"Hey," Kira called to Cassidy. "He looks pretty good for 80."
Devin laughed loudly, earning himself a slap from Cassidy. "What? I thought it was funny," he said.
Cassidy made a face at him while Randall continued. "Dr. Mercer has graciously agreed to take over until your teacher gets back on his feet, I would like you to treat him with the same respect that you would treat Doctor Oliver," she said, leaving the room.
"Well, let me start by saying how honoured I am to be here," Mercer said. He set his briefcase down on the teachers desk and reached inside. "What I am about to hand out to you are permission slips. These are for your parents to sign. We'll be going on a field trip tomorrow, to a museum."
He set just enough on each desk for the students to pass between them.
Anabel paused as she turned to Chris, ready to take the last permission slip, only to find that there were no more. Her brow furrowed, she turned to the front of the class and met her father's gaze. He dipped his head and then went back to back to his work station.
~X~
"That self-righteous, sanctimonious, presumptuous, arrogant -"
"Anabel!" Kira interrupted, her eyes wide.
"What?" Anabel cried. "You'd be angry ranting too if your dad just come back into your life and started to take over."
Despite shaking her head, Kira smiled. "Although, it does beg the question, what is Anton Mercer doing teaching other people's children," she said, although it was more of a statement than a question. "He doesn't even like his own, from what I can tell."
"I wonder whose brilliant idea this whole thing was?" Ethan mused.
"Got to be Randall's," said Kira. "Did you see them together? It's like they're old pals."
Ethan glanced at Anabel.
"Don't look at me," said Anabel, shaking her head. "My dad never mentioned Doctor Oliver while I was growing up, why would he mentioned Randall?"
Ethan shrugged.
"Hey, no matter how bad we've got it, there's always someone who's got it worse," said Conner, nodding over towards the entrance to the school.
Looking around, Anabel watched as her father and Trent shout at one another in the school lot, drawing enough attention from other students. The argument fizzled out when both parties realised they were being watched, and Trent stormed away.
"At least I don't have to go through that," said Anabel.
Circe, who had been more of a background person until now, turned to Anabel, an eyebrow raised in question. "Your teacher is your father?" she asked.
"Father is a technical term," said Anabel. "Sperm donor sounds more fitting."
Circe cocked her head.
"I have a question," said Conner. "Why is she following you around like a bodyguard?"
"Because she's my new protection detail," said Anabel. "Doctor Oliver put a request in to the Mystic Defenders for two protection details - one for me and the other for my mom - Circe and her partner, Blade, volunteered. There's also a magical alarm on my house."
Ethan furrowed his brow. "Why?" he asked.
"To stop evil from trying to break in," said Circe. "Don't worry. You won't even notice I am here."
"I still don't understand why you need her," said Conner.
"Trent attacked me at my home," said Anabel. "Meaning the White Ranger, and who knows who else, knows where I live. I can't be there 24/7 to protect my mom, so the Mystic Defenders sent in two of their best to help out. Blade has joined my mom's campaign team, and Circe is here with me."
"We tried to match as close as we could on age," said Circe. "Blade is more than my partner, he is my older brother. Much older. He wouldn't have fit in at High School. I'm just happy to be of assistance."
Anabel smiled at Circe.
"So, what are you guys doing now?" Kira asked.
"Soccer," Conner shrugged.
"Computer club," Ethan replied.
"Cheer practice," Anabel answered. "What about you?"
"I promised Dr. O that I'd help him inventory stuff in the lab," Kira answered. "Plus, he'll probably want to know who's teaching his class."
"Yeah, I wonder what he'd have to say about it," Conner wondered.
"Are you kidding?" Anabel asked. "He's going to be thrilled. He and my dad have this weird bromance going on, even after all these years. Doctor Oliver will love this."
Kira shook her head. "I'll see you guys later," she said, waving them off.
"See ya," Ethan called, departing ways.
Anabel turned to Circe and pointed towards the soccer field. "We're all going this way," she said, leading the way.
Conner hurried after her, glancing at Circe as she kept pace with Anabel with little-to-no-ease. He still didn't understand why Anabel needed a protection detail.
~X~
The next morning, Anabel pulled up outside of the museum with Circe in the passenger seat. Her father may have taken the liberty of signing her permission slip, but she wasn't about to let him take away her independence by forcing her to ride the bus with everyone else. The only person that got to do that was Doctor Oliver.
"It would seem your friends had the same idea as you," said Circe, nodding across the lot at the familiar red mustang parked next to a big orange school bus.
Anabel shrugged and got out of her car. She smiled across the roof as Kira, Ethan, and Conner crossed the lot, just as Circe climbed out of the passenger seat.
"Oh, you're joining us on the trip, too?" Conner asked.
"I am listed as a student at this school," said Circe. "So, field trips are a mandatory practice. Besides, where Anabel goes, I go, at least for the time being."
Anabel smiled. "She's even staying with me," she added. "It's fun. Kira, you should stay over one night. I was going to call you last night, but my mother's dinner party run over and by the time everyone left it was really late."
"Thanks, but I had a late rehearsal last night, anyway," said Kira. "What did you guys get up to?"
"I just asked questions about the Mystic Realm," said Anabel. "Learned more about Circe and her home life. She asked questions about being in the human realm, and what is acceptable and not acceptable when pretending to be human."
"Whoa, hold up," said Ethan, his eyes wide. "Pretending to be human?" He turned to Circe. "You're not? -"
Circe smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear, showing how the very tip was pointed and facing backwards. She then flipped the hair back into place.
"You're an -" Ethan started.
"Elf," Circe answered, nodding. "Yes. From the same family as the Hellhound. She and I are distantly related. Although Kali doesn't have the distinguishable elf ears because of her father. I'm pure."
"Wow," Ethan breathed. "This is so cool."
Conner rolled his eyes. "We better get going," he said, noticing how the rest of the science class had congregated outside the museum. "Before Mercer comes to get us. Wouldn't want him to hear this conversation."
"Good point," said Anabel. She locked her car and, linking her arm through Circe's and Kira's, led the two boys across the lot. They joined the tail end of the class and headed up the drive to the front doors.
Kira stopped next to T-Rex sculpture on the lawn and looked up.
"What's wrong?" Conner asked.
"That thing just gives me creepy vibes," said Kira. "It's like it moved."
"You know dinosaurs are extinct, right?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kira shot him an exasperated look.
"Okay. I see your point," Ethan muttered, moving along.
"Oh, that's right, we never told you!" said Anabel, gasping. "That think actually chased Doctor Oliver and I the last time we were here. What?" she added, as all her friends turned to face her.
"It chased you?" Kira asked.
Anabel nodded. "You had gone off to serve your detention, and I was helping Doctor Oliver figure out why the museum wasn't open. It was the day I learned my dad was back in town, since his name and contact details were on the door. I freaked out, and turned away, and saw that thing looming over us," she said.
"What happened?" Circe asked. She turned away from the giant dinosaur, following Anabel into museum as Kira and the others followed behind them.
Anabel shrugged. "We got back to Doctor Oliver's car and made a break for it, managed to stop the damn thing under the harbour bridge," she answered. "It is a robot, but it shouldn't be connected to anything. I don't know. A museum clean-up crew was set to collect it. That may not even be the same one as before."
"Wait, you're saying the dinosaur came to life and you left us behind?" Ethan exclaimed.
"Doctor Oliver said you were safer were you were," said Anabel. "I mentioned you, but…" she shrugged.
Ethan puffed out a breath. "Nice to know we were at least considered during a dangerous escape," he muttered.
"Oh, shut up," said Anabel, smiling. "You survived, didn't you?"
~X~
Circe swung her head back and forth as she followed the other students through the museum. All over the place were glass cases of bones, which Anabel told her were called fossils, some of which were standalone s, and others were connected to other bones creating an actual creature.
"You've never been to a museum before?" Conner asked Circe.
Circe shrugged. "I'd never been outside the Mystic Realm until the Mystic Rangers brought us back into the real world," she answered. "Even then, the only place I had been was Briarwood, their museum is dedicated to art and mythical creatures, not many dinosaurs."
Conner nodded once and turned back to Mercer. He was heading the group of students, leading them down the floor and pointing out different dinosaur bones as he went.
"Just ahead here is a Triceratops," said Mercer. "Strictly herbivore. Hunted by the Tyrannosaurus Rex."
"Got to love the T-Rex," Conner grinned, clapping Ethan on the shoulders.
"Whatever, bro," Ethan retorted, shrugging him off.
Anabel rolled her eyes and turned to Kira. She paused when she found the singer not present and turned to find her standing near the Pterodactyl case. Wandering over, Anabel nudged her shoulder, and raised an eyebrow. "You okay?" she asked. "Is this about the weird feeling with the dinosaur outside?"
Kira shook her head. "I thought I heard something," she answered. "Listen. Can you?"
Anabel strained her hearing and then shook her head. "Nope. You sure it was -" she broke off as Kira walked away. "Um, hey, where are you going?" She gave chase, glancing back just in time to see Circe look back, stop, and the follow.
"What's the problem?" Circe asked, catching up with the pair.
"I hear something," said Kira. "You two head back to the group. If Mercer finds us all missing, there'll be hell to pay."
"Wait, you want to investigate a strange noise by yourself?" Anabel asked. "Have you not seen horror movies? That's a sure way to get yourself killed."
Kira rolled her eyes. "You're such a dramatic," she said. "I'll be fine." She pushed away from her friend, ducking behind another case and wandering away toward the back.
Anabel threw her hands up in defeat.
"We're not going back to the group, are we?" Circe asked.
"I can't leave her alone," said Anabel. "You should head back though."
Circe shook her head. "My whole being here is to keep you safe," she said. "I can hardly do that if we're separate. Come on, let's go get your friend."
"Ladies," said Mercer, stepping out from behind a case. He had been so silent that neither Circe nor Anabel had known he was there. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"
Anabel grit her teeth and forced a smile. "Nope. Everything's fine," she said.
"Great. Then why don't you join us?" Mercer asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'd hate for you to miss out on all the exciting artefacts."
"Like you missed out on all those years of my life," Anabel mumbled.
"Did you say something?" Mercer asked, his voice tight.
Anabel shook her head.
"Good. Come along now," said Mercer, herding them away.
Circe frowned and pointed over her shoulder. "But, what about -" she broke off as Mercer shuffled her and Anabel back into the crowd, and away from where Kira had disappeared.
~X~
As the museum tour started to wind down, Anabel realised that Kira had failed to return after her little escape. Gathering her friends, and explaining the situation, they started off in search of their missing member while the rest of the school headed outside to the bus.
"Where could she have gone?" Ethan asked, looking around.
"Last we saw her was near the Pterodactyl cases," said Anabel. "She was complaining about hearing some noise. Something we couldn't hear."
"She headed for the back of the museum," said Circe. "We should start there."
"Wait," said Conner, throwing out an arm and stopping the others in their tracks. He was watching a shadow weave its way between the displays, when it disappeared, and Kira appeared. "There she is! Kira!" He jogged over, the others in tow.
"Where'd you go?" Anabel asked. "Did you find the source of whatever you could hear?"
Kira shook her head. "Nah. It was a false alarm," she said, pressing two fingers against the bridge of her nose.
"Are you alright?" Conner asked, noticing her distress. "What happened? If you didn't find anything, why didn't you come back?"
"I just got lost," Kira replied.
"Lost?" Circe questioned.
"Yeah, as in not found," Kira snapped. "Are we leaving?"
Ethan frowned. "Yeah, we're leaving," he confirmed.
"Great, let's go," said Kira. She pushed past them and headed for the exit. Once outside, she made her way toward the bus, despite riding in with Conner that morning.
Anabel furrowed her brow. "Am I the only that's thinking she's acting weird?" she asked.
"No, you're definitely not the only one," said Ethan.
~X~
Circe laughed as Anabel set up one of Hayley's laptops for her. Being from the Mystic Realm meant a very limited knowledge in technology, and the only computers she had seen during her training were those at Root Core, although they were used mainly to keep an eye on the city, and not for fun and games as Ethan seemed to be using his for.
"What are you doing?" Circe asked, leaning over Anabel's arm and staring at her screen.
"I'm writing an article on today's field trip," said Anabel. "Remember last night, how I told you I'm a reporter and editor?"
Circe nodded.
"I'm doing a piece for the school newspaper."
"Oh. Can I read it once you're done?" Circe asked.
Anabel smiled and nodded. She turned back to her screen, pausing only as she spotted Kira enter the Cybercafe and headed straight for the bar. "Are we invisible now?" she asked.
"She's acting really weird," said Ethan. "You don't think something happened at the museum, do you?"
"Like what?" Conner asked.
Ethan shrugged.
Pushing out of her seat, Circe approached the bar and slid onto the empty stool beside Kira. "Hi," she said, smiling.
"What?" Kira asked, sounding bored.
"Nothing. Just curious why you're sitting over here alone, when your friends are only a few feet away," said Circe. "I mean, from what I remember of History class, don't you Rangers tend to band together outside of the battlefield?"
Kira rolled her eyes. "Your history class sounds outdated," she said. "We used to do everything together, but not anymore."
"Can I ask why?"
"Listen, Circe, you sound like a real wonderful person, but you're still new around here," said Kira. "Why don't you just focus on the reasons you were brought here? Like, protecting Anabel. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get this homework done for Doctor Mercer's class."
Circe raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Anabel says Doctor Mercer sounds weird," she said.
"She would say that though, wouldn't she?" Kira asked. "What with him being her dad and all that."
"I prefer sperm donor," interrupted Anabel. She, Conner, and Ethan stood behind Circe, and had just caught the tail end of the conversation.
Again, Kira rolled her eyes.
"They're showing Mamma Mia at the Vista tonight," said Anabel, glancing at her phone. "You want to go?"
"No," came Kira's curt response.
Conner and Ethan shared a look.
"You know, when someone doesn't want to hang out, they usually come up with some sort of excuse," said Conner.
Kira looked up with a glare. "Look, I just don't feel like spending any more time with you guys than I really have to, okay?" she retorted before getting up and gathering her things. "I have to go."
Circe turned to Anabel as Kira stormed out of the cafe.
"What's with her?" Ethan asked.
"You should check in with Doctor Oliver," said Circe. "Maybe he can offer some light on Kira's strange behaviour."
With a look the others nodded and headed for the exit.
~X~
Doctor Oliver cocked his head as he found Anabel, Conner, Ethan, and Circe waiting for him in the lab. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked.
"Have you been out?" Anabel asked, curiously. When they had arrived, Doctor Oliver had been nowhere to be seen, and now he was coming in from the bay were they kept their Raptor Cycles and the ATV.
"Kira called and asked me to check something out near the lake," Doctor Oliver asked.
Anabel looked around at the others, her eyes wide.
"What did she ask you?" Circe asked, quickly.
Doctor Oliver shrugged. "She thought that she had seen a Dinozord Egg, but it was a false alarm," he explained. "What's the problem?"
"Kira's been acting strange since this morning," said Conner. "She was fine one minute, then suddenly she's all cold and icy. We just don't know what's wrong with her. I mean, I didn't say anything to make her mad."
"Are you sure?" Ethan asked. "Sometimes you say things you don't think is going to get people angry, and things end up getting thrown at you."
"I promise," Conner stressed. "I didn't say anything."
Circe stared, brow furrowed.
"Conner is the perfect example of 'foot inserted into mouth' metaphor," Anabel explained. "He usually says things without thinking them through."
Circe nodded as Conner protested his innocence.
"Don't even try denying it, dude," said Ethan, chuckling
Conner huffed.
"I think we may have another problem," said Doctor Oliver. The bickering ended and the four teenagers turned to see him standing near a desk full of random bits and bobs. He was holding a metal box in his hands and staring down into the contents.
"Bigger than a seriously displaced rockstar?" Anabel asked, wandering over. She glanced over his shoulder, brow furrowing as she noticed the contents of the box were in fact empty. "Uh… give me a hint."
Doctor Oliver chuckled. "This box contained the final bone to a creature your father and I created years ago," he said.
"What kind of creature?" Conner asked.
"Fossilador," Doctor Oliver replied. "We were trying to create a dinosaur at one time that had the power of mind control. We scrapped it when it got out of hand."
Circe raised an eyebrow, she noted that she had been doing it often since arriving in Reefside. "I'm probably going to regret this, but why would you want to create something that had the power of mind control?" she asked.
"There was no rhyme or reason," said Doctor Oliver. "We were just experimenting."
"Basically, they had more money than sense," said Anabel.
"Ouch," Doctor Oliver grumbled. "Straight in the heart."
Anabel shrugged. "Moving on," she said, taking the box from him. "The last bone was in this box?"
Doctor Oliver nodded. "As long as I had the main support bone there was no chance of Fossilador coming back to life," he answered.
"So, who do you think took it?" Conner asked.
"Well, if it wasn't you four, and it wasn't me or Hayley, that seriously narrows down the suspects."
"Kira?" Ethan inquired.
Circe shrugged. "It makes sense," she said. "She was here helping out after school, she would've known where you hid the bone, Doctor Oliver."
"The false alarm with the dinozord egg must have been a ruse to get you out of the lab," said Anabel, handing the box back.
"And I fell for it," Doctor Oliver sighed.
Anabel squeezed his arm. "What was it you said to me? Don't put it all on yourself. It could've happened to any one of us." She smiled.
Doctor Oliver nodded. "You're right. But, we'd better find Kira. Quickly," he said.
~X~
The alarms blared loudly throughout the base, and the team turned to see a weird-looking monster stomping around the city.
"I'm going to take a wild stab and say that's your fossil monster?" Ethan asked.
"Unfortunately, it is," Doctor Oliver confirmed.
"Any word from Kira?" Conner asked.
Hayley spun around in her chair, shaking her head. "Nothing. But I've been trying," she sighed.
"Think, you guys," said Doctor Oliver. "Where could she have come in contact with this thing?"
Suddenly, Conner gasped. "The museum! We went on a field trip with Dr. Mercer," he said.
Anabel shuddered. Just hearing her father being addressed as Doctor Mercer was enough to make her squirm.
"She disappeared for a while," said Ethan. "When she came back she was acting all weird."
"Hayley, you go to the museum and look for Kira," said Doctor Oliver.
"I'll go, too," said Circe. "I'm not a Ranger, so I'm not going to be much use to you in the field. The least I can do is help find your friend. It's better than sitting around here."
Anabel nodded and watched as Hayley and Circe headed out of the lab.
"We'd better take the Raptors," said Doctor Oliver, turning the trio that was left behind.
They nodded and stood.
"Ready?"
"Ready!"
"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"
~X~
"This city is mine," Fossilador bellowed as he stormed through the streets of Reefside. He laughed as he unleashed energy blast after energy blast at buildings, sending rocks and debris splintering into the city.
"Whoa, check out them bones," said Conner.
Anabel bit back a sarcastic retort, but a cry from Ethan caused her to look sideways, watching as he was blown from the back of his Raptor. "Ethan!" she called, looking back over her shoulder.
"Anabel, look out!" Doctor Oliver called.
Snapping back to attention, Anabel released the reigns of her Raptor and threw up her hands, just as a bolt of lightning hit her in the chest. She felt her Raptor slip away from her as she was launched into the air and onto the floor.
Rolling over onto her stomach, Anabel groaned and looked up, just in time to see Conner and Doctor Oliver get unseated from their Raptors.
"You okay?" Ethan asked, grasping Anabel's shoulders and helping her up.
Anabel nodded. "You?" she asked, brushing her arms.
"I'll live," Ethan answered. "Guys!" he added, leading her over to the where the others were getting back to their feet.
Doctor Oliver turned instantly to Anabel.
"Before you ask, I'm okay," said Anabel, interrupting before he had a chance.
Satisfied, Doctor Oliver nodded.
"You won't be for long, Green Ranger," said Zeltrax, leaping over a metal scaffolding and blocking the teams way to Fossilador. "You're not going anywhere. Triptoids!"
The black and white faceless soldiers that had come out of Ethan's game a few months back, bounced over the scaffolding and surrounded the team. Ethan, himself, groaned and slapped his hand to his forehead.
"I knew we forgot to put something other than Beldorf back," Ethan grumbled.
"Next time you try to cheat to win a game," said Anabel. "Remember this moment."
"I won't," Ethan promised. "I mean, I will, but I won't."
Conner frowned, confusedly. "You will but you won't?" he asked.
"He well remember this moment, but he won't try to cheat again," Anabel explained.
"Ah."
"Are you finished?" Zeltrax asked. "Attack!"
The Triptoids screeched and bounded forward.
"I guess we are now," said Anabel, ducking under the long staff that the Triptoids carried. It was strong in the middle, but as it jutted out towards the ends, it was flimsy and bounced a lot easier.
As a Triptoid thrust the staff at her, Anabel caught the centre and pulled herself up, balancing herself with her hands and kicking the Triptoid in the stomach. It ricocheted backwards, as she landed on her feet, holding the staff between her palms.
"Hey, Zeltrax," Anabel called, turning to the cyborg as he fought Doctor Oliver. She swung the stolen staff around, smacking a flimsy tip into Zeltrax's chest.
There was a crack, and Zeltrax stumbled in surprise.
"Do I want to know how you got that?" Doctor Oliver asked.
Anabel shrugged. "It's all about balance," she answered, tossing aside the staff, "and a little flexibility."
Doctor Oliver shook his head, clearing any intruding thoughts. "You should go help the guys," he said. "I'll stay here and deal with Zeltrax."
"Okay!" said Anabel, running off. She joined up with Conner and Ethan as they stood on the edge of the city, looking up at Fossilador.
The Brachiozord lumbered into view. It's back opening and depositing the Tricera, Tyranno, and Compy Zords into the city. Turning, to the sound of their arrival, Fossilador roared and blew out a breath of foggy smoke from its mouth.
The T-Rex and Tricera zord roared as they were both blown backwards, landing in a nearby heap and sparking, dangerously.
"Come on, Compy!" Anabel called as her own zord sped up the side of a building, across the roof and launched itself off the ledge at the giant fossil. Being much smaller than the other Zords had its advantages, especially in times like this.
Agitated by the miniature annoyance that was clambering all over him, Fossilador shook it's great body, dislodging the Compy zord from inside it's ribcage. As the Compy Zord plummeted towards the ground, Fossilador turned, and whacked it with its tail.
Anabel gasped. "No!" she cried, as the small dinosaur crashed into the building, and it crumpled to the ground.
"You think we can try the Megazord without Kira?" Ethan asked as Conner held Anabel back from running to her Zord.
Conner hesitated. "By the looks of him, it isn't going to be easy," he admitted.
"But we have to try," said Ethan.
When Anabel stopped struggling, the trio stepped apart and raised their morphers. Each one calling on their respective Zords. The Tricera and Tyranno stood at once, and run at the monster, while the debris that covered the Compy shifted, and a small green head popped out.
The Compy zord squeaked and Anabel sighed in relief.
"Let's go!" said Conner, leading the charge.
"Megazord Online!" the trio called, landing in their respective cockpits and initiating the command to combine.
Fossilador tilted its head to the side, surveying the Megazord before him. He braced himself as the Rangers charged, swinging around the Tyranno tail. He blocked and then swiped at the T-Rex snout on the front.
"You can't stop me!" Fossilador growled, shoving them back.
"Any word on Kira, Doctor O?" Conner asked.
"Nothing yet. You've got to just hang on."
Conner glanced sideways at the others. They shrugged and threw up their arms, trying their best to block Fossilador's attacks.
"Wait, do you hear that?" Anabel asked, looking skyward. She noticed a fast moving blip heading towards them, and a screech cut through the air.
"Hang on, guys! I'm coming!"
"Kira!" the trio breathed.
Morphin', Kira jumped into her cockpit and combined with the Megazord, increasing its power tenfold.
"Welcome back, Kira," Ethan said, leaning forward and looking sideways.
"Yeah, we could use the help," Conner agreed.
Kira nodded. "Don't sweat it," she replied. "Let's blast that bone head. Pterarang!" she pulled the boomerang crest from around the chest of the Megazord and threw it, as hard as she could. It whipped around the city, heading for Fossilador, but he merely batted it aside.
"Oh no!" Anabel winced.
"Nice try," Fossilador laughed. He heaved and puffed out another lot of steam from its mouth. The Megazord wobbled dangerously but remained standing.
"Nice reflexes," said Kira to Anabel.
Anabel shrugged. "Eleven years of gymnastics and four years of cheerleading is enough to strengthen anyone's leg muscles," she said.
"Is breath is nasty!" Conner said.
"Prehistoric, even," said Ethan.
Anabel rolled her eyes.
Fossilador charged forward, locking its claws around the Megazord, and unleashing rolling electrical pulses over its body.
"Hang on, guys," Doctor Oliver called. "Kira, aim for the spot where you put the missing bone. It's where he's the most vulnerable."
Kira nodded. "Right," she said, turning her attention back to Fossilador. "Locked on! Tyranno Drill!"
Running forward, Anabel commanded the Megazord to push off from the ground, while Kira raised the Tyranno Drill into the air. It spun, faster and faster, picking up energy with each twirl.
"Tyranno Drill!" the foursome yelled as they landed before Fossilador, swinging the whirling spike into its ribs.
Fossilador shrieked and writhed in agony, before exploding.
"Whoop! Yes!" the foursome cheered.
~X~
Circe smiled as Anabel returned to the base. While she had been assigned as a protection detail for the young blonde, she was pleased to know that Anabel could protect herself should it come to that. Although, she wasn't about to let the fact that Anabel being a Power Ranger come in the way of her protective duties.
"We caught the end," said Circe, indicating to the computers. "You know how to hold your own."
"You learn fairly early on that the first thing about being a Ranger is knowing how to defend yourself," said Anabel. "I'm still glad you're here, though. It's like having a sister. Well," she turned to Kira, smiling, "another sister."
Kira beamed. "Well, as your sister, I owe you an apology," she said. "All of you, actually. I'm sorry for everything I said and/or did today."
"Don't worry about it," said Ethan, shaking his head. "We know it wasn't you."
"Yeah, besides, we're pretty much used to it," said Conner.
Anabel scoffed as Kira shot Conner a hurt, but defiant glare.
"See, that would be one of those things you say from time-to-time," said Ethan.
Conner looked thoughtful and then looked at Kira. "Oh. Sorry," he apologised again.
Circle smiled lightly as she shook her head. "I'm just glad everything worked out," she said. "But, I do have questions."
"Oh? Shoot," said Anabel, flopping down in the vacant chair beside Doctor Oliver.
"Why was this fossil creature that he," Circe pointed at Doctor Oliver, "and your father," she turned to Anabel, "at your father's museum? I mean, didn't you say that you scrapped the project, Doctor Oliver? In my world, 'scrapped' usually means destroyed. Does it not mean that here?"
Anabel paused and then rolled her head towards Doctor Oliver. "She's got a point," she said. "If you scrapped the project, how did the bones end up at the museum?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, unfortunately," Doctor Oliver replied. "Although I never saw the complete destruction of the Fossilador structure, I just assumed your father did it."
"Just like you assumed my father had sent the Green Dino Gem to the museum," said Anabel. "Anyone else starting to see a pattern here? My dad seems to have a habit of saying he's done a lot of things, when he's actually done the complete opposite."
"Or, maybe you're just looking for an excuse to hate him more?" Doctor Oliver suggested.
Anabel rolled her eyes. "You would say that," she said. She met Kira's gaze. "See what I mean about the weird bromance?"
Kira smiled.