Connected to the Halls of Knowledge were dozens of laboratories, rooms used for researching everything above and below the waves. Students of the sciences who had sufficiently advanced in their classes were called in as laboratory assistants, and they kept busy at all hours of the day, fetching records or monitoring experiments for their supervisors. One such student was on hand when the se'kanan arrived.
"Have you seen what the students brought in?" he asked.
"Not yet," said Dr. Liwe. She was among the head scientists at the university, one of the few females to have progressed so far. "Did they find anything interesting?"
"Interesting! They brought in a monster!" the junior scientist said. "Just come look."
Intrigued, Dr. Liwe followed the younger scientist into another room. Lying in a glass case were the remains of the se'kanan, stretched out on the table beneath a glass dome, as if it were being incubated. Other than the blood around its mouth and the dent in its side, it looked almost as if it were just sleeping instead of dead. The doctor stared.
"Where did that come from?" she asked.
"A few of the students found it lying on a beach," the assistant answered. "We have already given it a preliminary examination. We think it died of heart failure, but its ribs are badly broken, and they damaged its lungs seriously."
"Hmm." Dr. Liwe examined the corpse more closely. "This is not Aquitian. What is it?"
"We have no clear idea," said the assistant. He chuckled nervously. "The young man who brought it here insisted that it is a se'kanan."
"You do not believe in se'kanan?" asked Dr. Liwe, tilting her head quizzically.
"Well, of course!" said the assistant. "It is just a legend... is it not?"
"You are not behaving like a good scientist," Dr. Liwe accused. "Believe what you see, not what you think! Trust nothing more than what you see before you. Now, what do you see?"
"I see... se'kanan," the assistant admitted sheepishly.
"Good. And what do you divine from this?"
"That something very odd is going on," the assistant said.
"Dr. Liwe!" one of the other junior scientists called. "Come look at this!"
"Pardon me a moment," said the doctor, stepping out of the examination room.
She wandered into another room where her various assistants and co-workers were hovering over pieces of machinery and taking notes on the readouts. One of the youngest additions to the staff was leaning over a seismic monitor with a worried expression. Dr. Liwe frowned. The machine seldom gave off abnormal readings, which was exactly why the most inexperienced workers were assigned to it. Watching it taught them to pay attention to minor changes and not to give in to daydreaming, though it didn't usually hurt if they had a momentary lapse. Today, though, the tiny and harmless variations in the earth were rising steadily, leaving a jaggedly rising slope making its way across the screen. A few of the other scientists had already gathered around to watch the spectacle.
"What is it?" asked the student.
Dr. Liwe stared at the screen. "I really do not know. This is very abnormal."
"Is it dangerous?"
"It could be. We need to look into this more closely," one of the other scientists replied. "We do not usually experience earthquakes here. If the city were to be hit by a serious tremor, it could crack the outer domes and flood the city."
"In that case," said Dr. Liwe, "I do not believe we have the luxury of watching and waiting. We need to get do something now. We need everyone available to start trying to find out what is coming, when it will get here, and what it will do when it comes."
"What if this just dies down on its own?" wondered a researcher.
"Then our problem is solved," Dr. Liwe replied, "but we do not know that is going to happen. Get everyone who is qualified to use seismic indicators out trying to pinpoint the source of this disturbance, and send everyone else to start watching for cracks in the pods."
"We start at once," said the other scientist. "You there! Yes, you. Start spreading the word around. You heard Dr. Liwe - we need everyone we can get."
"Yes, sir," said Cestro, and he hurried out the door.
Cestria's jaw dropped in amazement, and she let the door handle slip through her fingers to swing silently shut behind her. She took a few hesitant steps forward and turned in a small circle, tilting her head back to let her gaze sweep across the polished floor, the glittering displays, up the finely decorated walls to the ceiling that hung above her like the splendors of heaven. Leaning calmly in the doorway, Delphine watched her with an amused smile.
"Impressed?" she asked.
"Are you sure I'm allowed in here?" Cestria replied. "Do I need a - a permit or something?"
Delphine was surprised into a laugh. "Of course not! This is just a store, after all. They want as many customers in here as they can get. Just watch your language - they'll snub you if you think you can't afford anything."
"But I can't!" protested Cestria.
"Cannot," Delphine corrected firmly. "And you can, since I am paying for this little excursion."
Delphine had known all along that her new friend had never had the chance to spend much time in the city, but it had only recently crossed her mind that she had probably never been on a real shopping trip. Sojourns to the marketplace for tools and clothing, yes, but visits to fine outlets like this had been the stuff of dreams. Further inquiries had yielded the information that she had never owned a good dress, never had real jewelry, and had never learned to put on makeup. Delphine had decided it was high time this poor girl got a taste of high society. Seeing the wonder on Cestria's face was more than worth the price of a few trinkets.
"I couldn't ask you to do that," Cestria began. "I'd be happy just to look at all this. It's like the wonder-tales we tell the children back home."
"I assure you, you will find no spirits or captive princesses here," Delphine replied. "But I did not bring you here just to stand at the front door and stare. Come and have a closer look. Let me show you around."
With her wide-eyed companion in tow, Delphine had helped her try on dresses and choose colors that flattered her, and they took turns posing like fashion models in front of a full-length mirror. Then they had admired (or openly gawped at) the trays of jewels, leaving burdened with a few glittering stones hanging from their necks and wrists. Their final stop had been in front of two smaller mirrors at brightly lit tables, where two trained professionals applied their flattering substances. By the end of the afternoon, Cestria was positively glowing, as much from excitement as from the actual makeover.
Meanwhile, their male counterparts were not having nearly such a good time. Cestro had left the laboratory as fast as he could travel, searching for his companions. He found them back in the courtyard. Tideus and Aurico were sparring, trying to work off some of the uneasiness left by their encounter with the se'kannan, while Corcus sat nearby with a pad of heavy paper in his lap. For once, his hands were still as he sucked thoughtfully on the end of a paintbrush and stared out into space. Then Cestro flung the door open, and the resulting crash gave the young artist a start. He jumped, tipping over a bottle of ink and sending a black stain across the cobblestone path.
"Look what you did!" Corcus wailed. "A whole bottle wasted! Do you know how expensive that ink is?"
"No, and I don't particularly care right now," Cestro replied. "We have bigger problems. We need to get into town now."
"What's the big rush?" asked Tideus. "Are we being invaded?"
"We might be," Corcus replied. "The people at the laboratory have picked up some abnormal seismic readings. We could be headed for an earthquake, or something just as bad. Crews are being sent out across the city to search for the source of the tremors and check for cracks in the pod walls. We need everyone we can get."
"Strange timing," Aurico commented. "First the se'kannan, and now this. Do you think there is a connection?"
"Maybe," Tideus replied. "The original se'kannan were said to live at the bottom of an extremely deep ocean. They might have felt the tremors first and headed for higher ground."
"And that one died fleeing to safety? It is possible," Cestro admitted. "But that doesn't change the fact that we are in danger. We should leave. I have the equipment ready."
"What about Delphine? And Cestria?" asked Aurico. There was a tiny pause between the questions, as if the last had nearly been an afterthought. "They went out shopping. They have no idea there might be danger approaching."
"We will have to warn them," said Corcus decidedly. "Someone will have to find them."
"We can look for them while we look for the tremors," Cestro replied. "If they are in the shopping district, they will be close enough to where we are going anyway. We should be able to look for them and the quakes at the same time."
"Fair enough," said Aurico. "Let's get moving."
In the city, the people were beginning to become aware of a faint unsettlement. They could see it before they could feel it, tiny tremors magnified by the trembling of hanging lights, the gradual tilting of pictures, the ripples across undisturbed glasses and pools of liquid. Then they began to feel it. It started as a low pulse, but as it grew into a steady thumping, the people began to realize that whatever beat they were hearing was just one of many, like an outrider before a stampede. Finally, they began to be able to hear the rumbling, pounding approach... and they began to be afraid.
By that point, Cestro, Corcus, Tideus, and Aurico were already downtown, making a hurried search. Cestro was busy with his machine, frowning at the pulses of light it gave off as it tried to warn him of the approaching danger. He couldn't quite fathom what it was telling him, but he was positive that the news was not good.
"I don't like this," he said aloud.
"To what are you referring to when you say 'this'?" asked Tideus.
"These readings," Cestro treplied. "I am not getting readings for just one tremor, but for many. There are little quakes all over the city!"
"And what do you deduce from this?"
Cestro shrugged. "Nothing. I can think of no natural explanation for such a thing."
"Then think of an unnatural one," Tideus suggested. "Or if you cannot do that, let me think of one for you."
"And that would be...?"
"A big shaking made by little shakings popping up one by one," said Tideus, "sounds a great deal to me like something is digging to us, coming up from underground. I think I was right - we are being invaded."
"I find that highly improbable," said Cestro. "You have no proof that-"
Before he could finish his explanation, Aurico and Corcus appeared, panting from a long run.
"No sign of the girls," Aurico reported.
"We looked all over the place," Corcus agreed. "They seem to have evaporated."
"Nonsense. They have to be here somewhere," said Cestro. "Is there anywhere you might have overlooked?"
"Well... we didn't go into the limited stores," said Corcus hesitantly. "We didn't think they would have gone in there. They charge more for one pair of shoes than most of us will spend in a year."
"But Lady Delphinia could afford them," Tideus pointed out, "and she probably visits them regularly. You should have thought of that."
"Oops," said Corcus, blushing a little. "I guess I forgot. I'm so used to thinking of her as one of us."
"That should not make any difference," said Cestro sternly. "Go back there and look for them, before-"
The machine in his hand let out a shriek of warning, just before a hole in the ground opened up with a roar, throwing up clouds of rubble and dust. Out of the crater climbed something silvery, and everyone stopped what they were doing to stare.
"Too late," said Aurico.
The creature sized the little group up. It did not look impressed, and it was justified in thinking so. It looked like a throwback to some earlier part of Aquitian evolution had mated with a shark, and then further crossed that offspring with a collection of knives. The thing was at least a foot taller and several inches broader than the boys and was covered completely in smooth, silver skin that rippled over its chest like plate-armor. Its arms, legs, back, and shoulders were edged with shining fins that glinted like razors, and its hands and feet were tipped with claws. Its mouth was filled to overflowing with jagged white teeth that thrust between its lips, holding them forever in a nightmarish grin. It turned cold green eyes to ogle the youths it had found, as if wondering which one might taste the best, and drool began oozing through its teeth.
"What in the...?" Corcus asked, staring.
"Get out of here!" Aurico commanded, giving him a shove. "Go find the girls! Get them somewhere safe! I'll handle this!"
"Aurico!" Tideus protested. "Aurico, you idiot, get back here!"
Aurico wasn't listening. He charged at the shark-thing and kicked at its relatively unprotected belly, and it gurgled and staggered back a bit. It lashed at him with one of his claws, but he dodged easily and struck back. Apparently, for all its size and show of strength, it didn't have the quickness and coordination of a trained martial artist.
"I think he can handle that," said Cestro. "You help Corcus. I will look after Aurico."
Tideus gave him a concerned look. "Can you fight?"
"Not really," Cestro admitted, "but apparently, neither can that thing."
Tideus shrugged and ran off after Corcus. They dashed up the street and through the doors of the most pretentious of the shops. A well-dressed man behind a counter turned away from his customer to give the boys the kind of look he might have reserved for the occasion of stepping barefoot on a dead octopus.
"What are you young hooligans doing here?" he demanded coldly.
"We are looking for two young ladies," Corcus replied. "We thought they might have been shopping here. It is very important that we find them." He gave a hurried description of Delphine and Cestria.
The man still looked skeptical, but he answered, "Yes, I believe they were seen here. They went into one of the other departments. Find them if you must, but kindly do not take too long. Your presence disrupts the atmosphere."
"Friend, if you want to see something disrupting, you ought to look outside," Tideus muttered.
"What was that?" asked the man.
"Nothing that would interest you," answered Tideus brightly. "Corcus, you look that way. I'll look over here."
Tideus hurried away from the salesman, who looked entirely outraged at the boy's nonchalant manner. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Corcus scoot through an arched door and vanish behind a display of evening gowns, and then he was lost among the eye-dazzling displays of jewelry. For a moment, he wasn't sure he would be able to see much of anything in the glitzy mess, but then he spied a darker passageway off to one side, and he hurried toward it with relief. Then he skidded to a stop and stared.
"Corcus!" he called. "Over here! I've found them! And all ready for the occasion, too - they're dressed to kill."
"Beg pardon?" asked Delphine, giving her friend a quizzical look.
"Well, ladies, we seem to have developed a small problem," Tideus replied. "The city is under attack. Just wait until you see the thing! It will make you wish a few of those slimy creatures were all we had to deal with."
"Thing? What kind of thing?" Cestria asked.
"Tideus!" Corcus called. "Tideus, where are..." He rounded the corner and stopped short as he caught sight of Delphine and Cestria. "Oh, my."
Tideus smiled with faint amusement and put his hand over his friend's eyes.
"Gawp later, aesthete," he said. "Would it be too much to ask for you two to change? Those garments are not precisely suited to fight or flight, and we may have to do some of both before the day is out."
Cestria sighed and ran a wistful hand over the material of her dress, wishing she could have kept on that sapphire blue silk gown just a little longer, but Delphine took her firmly by the hand and dragged her off. Tideus released his hold on Corcus.
"You could have let me look," said Corcus, glaring at his friend.
"You are too easily distracted," Tideus replied. "So is Aurico, for that matter. He would be annoyed if I let you have all the fun."
"I hope they hurry back," answered Corus. "Aurico is going to need some help, if there are any more of those creatures out there."
"There must be. Cestro's machine was picking them up all over the city," Tideus replied. "We can only hope we avoid most... of... them..."
He let his sentence trail off as an ominous rumbling noise made itself known. The crystal chandeliers jangled a warning, and then the beautifully tiled floor exploded, sending chips of marble flying in all directions, ricocheting off the walls and demolishing glass display cases. Tideus and Corcus dove for cover behind a vitrine on a stone pedestal. Out of the newly created crater, a shark-creature stepped out to review its surroundings.
"Excellent!" it laughed. Its voice hissed sibilantly through its teeth. "I think I've found the jackpot!"
The two boys looked at each other in alarm. Unlike the first monster, this one was somewhat better proportioned than the other, moving less awkwardly, and its skin was more green than silver. It even wore clothing of sorts, crude armor over its torso. Its eyes were not fish eyes, but something more reminiscent of a human's.
"I think this might be more difficult than we first anticipated," Corcus murmured.
The fish swivelled its ungainly head, sniffing the air with twitching round nostrils.
"I smell blood," it hissed. "Come out, Aquitians! You can't hide from a Razorfin!"
"All right, then, we won't," said Tideus, stepping into view. "You know, it is terribly bad manners to come crashing in uninvited like that. This is a high-class establishment."
"Not anymore," said the Razorfin. "Our ruler has given us orders to destroy every building, loot every store, and to kill or capture any Aquitians we find. We haven't had warm blood in eons, and we're hungry!"
"Chew on this, then," Tideus retorted, and he lunged at the monster.
The Razorfin had apparently not been expecting any counter-attacks. It only stood in surprise as the Aquitain attacked it, and they both fell to the floor in a tangle. Unfortunately, that was as far as Tideus's luck went. He was a good deal lighter than the Razorfin, so there was no hope of keeping it pinned down. The creature kicked him off and sent him sailing into a display case, letting him fall to the floor amidst a rain of shattered glass. Tideus gathered his wits just in time to avoid the Razorfin's snapping teeth and scooted across the smooth floor to a safer location. There ensued a life-or-death game of hide-and-seek.
Corcus watched the encounter with dismay. It seemed to be all Tideus could do to occasionally land a blow on his opponent, but nothing he did seemed to do more than bruise it. On the other hand, Tideus would soon run out of hiding places, and then he would be left vulnerable to the Razorfin's claws and jaws.
"This will never do," said Corcus, and he began crawling silently and stealthily to one of the broken displays. His hand went up to pull a large and incredibly expensive diamond necklace from its velvet covered resting place. Nobody noticed.
What they did notice a few seconds later was a whistling noise, the sound of something being twirled at high speeds. The Razorfin turned to see Corcus whirling something shiny on the end of a chain, and then let it go with remarkable precision. Several dozen carats of sharp- cornered stone smacked the monster's forehead, sinking in with a wet thunk before striking the skull and bouncing off. Black blood began to pour down the creature's face, getting in its eyes making it wail in agony.
"I am impressed," said Tideus, scrambling to get away from the flailing Razorfin.
Just then, the stern man who had spoken with them earlier decided to come in and see what all the noise was about.
"What is all this ruckus?" he demanded. "This is not appropriate for a respectable establishment! I demand that you cease all this..."
He trailed off as he entered the room. The first thing he took in was the general destruction of the displays, the gaping hole in the floor, and the broken glass, wood, and stone that littered the floor. Then he saw the Razorfin, still roaring and swiping ineffectually at the air and stumbling over the debris. At last, he spied the boys, who were trying to vanish behind a cabinet, and unleashed his fury.
"How dare you!" he bellowed. "How dare you allow this - this - thing into our building? Do not try to tell me you had nothing to do with it, either!"
"But we didn't!" Corcus protested.
"Look out!" shouted Tideus.
The next minute, the man found himself sliding across the floor, propelled by the force of Tideus's flying tackle. Standing where they had been a split-second before was the Razorfin, squinting at them through its stinging eyes. Its face was raked with black gouges where it had tried to wipe its own blood off of its face, and it was half-blind and wild with pain.
"You will not do this to me!" it roared. "Prepare to feel the wrath of our king!"
"I'd rather not," Corcus replied. "Where are those girls? Why aren't they here?"
"Worry about them later!" shouted Tideus. He helped the salesman to his feet and gave him a shove. "Get out of here! Find somewhere to hide!"
The man didn't hesitate. He took a few dazed, staggering steps, found his balance, and took off in mortal terror.
"Run if you want!" the Razorfin shouted after him. "You will die soon enough! Do you hear me! Die, die, die!"
"Shove it up your blowhole, fishbait," a voice retorted.
Everyone spun in place to see who had spoken. Standing quite calmly in front of one of the few pieces of furniture in the room that remained more or less intact - a huge wooden cabinet filled with statuary - was a long-haired schoolgirl. She leveled the Razorfin one of her best I'm- better-than-you-and-I-know-it looks, not even flinching when it roared its hatred at her. It raised both clawed hands and leaped.
She never once looked worried. Instead, she stepped calmly aside and let the thing drive its claws into the thick wood. Naturally, it was not happy with finding itself stuck, but it knew it was strong enough to pull itself free. It gave a powerful pull, and the cabinet tilted just a tiny bit...
It didn't see Cestria standing behind the cabinet. It didn't notice her pushing the heavy piece of furniture, either. What it did notice was that, instead of releasing its hold on its claws, the great display case began to topple over, and the Razorfin was still stuck fast. The case hit the floor with a mighty crash, crushing the creature beneath it.
"Well done, Cestria," said Delphine.
"Thank you. You did beautifully yourself," answered Cestria. "Thank you both ever so much for holding the thing until we were finished changing. It would have been a trifle awkward fighting in high heels."
Tideus stared at Cestria in disbelief for a moment, until he realized she was teasing him, and he laughed. Corcus stared at all of them as if they were crazy, and then glanced back at what remained of the Razorfin.
"Is it dead?" he asked.
"I hope so," Tideus replied. "If it is not, we still do not have the time to find out. We have to get back to Aurico and Cestro."
"I hope they had an easier time with their monster than we did with ours," Corcus said. "What in the oceans was it?"
"Kinus-paric," said Delphine. "Another legend. The words mean, 'knife-fin.'"
"That's what it said it was," Tideus replied thoughtfully. "It called itself a Razorfin."
"I suppose that would be as good a translation as any," Delphine answered with a shrug.
"Um, may I interrupt?" asked Cestria. "It doesn't really sound like we have time to talk about ancient languages."
"Right as usual," Tideus agreed. "Come on, this way."
They hurried for the door. As they made their way out, Corcus said shyly to Delphine, "You looked very pretty in your dress."
Delphine turned and stared at him in faint surprise.
"Thank you," she said. "It is kind of you to say so."
Before the conversation could be continued, she turned and hurried outside.
They ran through the streets as fast as they could manage. The task wasn't as easy as it could have been, owing to the dismaying number of holes in the earth. They could hear the screams and roars that meant the Razorfins were busy in other parts of the city, but there were also the sounds of the fizz-humming that was characteristic of lasers being fired - the people were fighting back. Still, the battle was not an easy one. By the time, they found Cestro and Aurico, both of them looked exhausted, and Aurico bore one or two slashes from where he had come too close to the Razorfin's claws.
"What happened?" asked Tideus. "Is everyone all right?"
"A little winded," Aurico admitted. "Not as bad off as the monster, whatever it was. We finally found a broken piece of pavement and knocked the brute unconscious. What about you all? Anyone hurt?"
"A little bruised, but I think I will survive," Tideus answered. "But what are we going to do about these monsters? The city isn't ready for an attack like this. If they keep up this tunneling, the whole city could collapse!"
"I think that is exactly what they are planning," said Corcus. "You heard the thing talk. They mean to take all they can, kill as many as they please, capture the rest of us, and then cave the pod-cluster in on itself."
"Is there any way to stop it?" asked Delphine.
"None that I can think of," answered Cestro regretfully.
There was a thoughtful pause. Then Cestria said, "I guess this would qualify as an emergency, wouldn't it?"
"Yes," said Aurico, looking a bit puzzled. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, if it's really a real emergency," she replied, "maybe we ought to be using these?"
Reaching into her purse, she took out the white shell. It still glimmered faintly with its own light.
"Ninjor's shells! Of course!" Delphine exclaimed. "He saved our world once. He would know how to handle this if anyone would. Has everyone still got theirs?"
One by one, everybody took out their white shells and held them out for the others to see. The lights seemed to intensify as they were reunited with each other. However, there didn't seem to be any other real change. Delphine stared at them for a moment, and then, drawing herself up as if she were issuing orders to a servant, commanded, "Take us to Ninjor!"
The shells flashed brilliantly, and then everything was lost in light.
They landed in darkness and looked around, shaken by the abruptness of the journey and the unfamiliar way of traveling. Their eyes were drawn to the one point of light in the room, the blue dome on the altar. By its shimmering light, the whole building seemed to have been submerged in deep water, so that even sunlight seemed blue and shivery.
"Well, here we are," said Delphine, drawing on her royal unflappability to help her sound casual. "It seems our friend's interesting mode of transportation is quite effective."
"It doesn't look like he's home, though," Cestria replied. "Wouldn't you know? He shows up when we don't want him and hides when we do."
"That," said Ninjor's voice from some indistinct place, "is a gross exaggeration."
"Who said that?" asked Aurico, instantly tense. "Come out and show yourself, whoever you are!"
"Come out and show myself, he says. Who does he think he is, ordering me around like that?" Ninjor muttered. "All right, stand back! Let's get this show on the road!"
From somewhere within the temple, there came a deep grinding noise, the sound of ancient gears and mechanisms stirring after long disuse. Aurico and Delphine managed to jump out of the way just in time to avoid falling down a shaft that irised open in the middle of the starburst on the floor. A beam of light shot out of it, filling the room with blue radiance, and out of that light rose the sage Ninjor. Everyone stared... which was exactly what he wanted.
"Impressed?" he said.
There was a moment of silence. Then, Corcus spoke.
"Would you mind doing that again sometime," he asked, "when I have my pastels handy?"
"Later," said Ninjor, waving the question aside. "What are you all doing here? It had better be good; my favorite show was on."
"Show?" repeated Aurico, puzzled.
"Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," Ninjor answered. "It's amazing what you can pick up with a few trans-dimensional spells and a good cable receptor."
Aurico looked at Delphine. "Are you quite sure this is the legendary sage we are looking for?"
Delphine took note of Ninjor's annoyance at the question and decided not to incur any more anger by answering it. She turned to the warrior-mage and began to explain why they had come.
"It is very important that you help," she said. "Our entire colony could be falling apart as we speak. Thousands of people may die if the Razorfins are not driven off soon."
"Razorfins. I remember them," said Ninjor thoughtfully. "Nasty creatures. I had thought they were all wiped out ages ago. I suppose he could have made new ones, though..."
"He, who?" asked Tideus.
"The Master of the Black Waters," answered Ninjor ominously. "Come! I've decided to help you out. Step right this way, and I'll show you something interesting."
With that, he turned and dropped down the shaft again. The surprised onlookers gathered around, trying to stare into the heart of the brightness to see where he had gone. Then they all jumped backwards again in surprise as his head popped out of the hole again, making him look oddly like a blue gopher.
"What are you waiting for?" he said. "Come on in. No time to waste, you know."
He vanished again. With wary looks and resigned shrugs, the others followed after him.
As they dropped into the light, there was a brief feeling of unsettlement, akin to what they had felt as they teleported. It was like dropping out of existence for a moment, like falling asleep for a heartbeat, like a dizzy spell that came and went before they could react. Then they were all standing on solid ground again and looking around in amazement. Ninjor faced them, hands spread wide in a gesture of welcome. Everyone stared.
The group was now standing in a great, cathedral-like room built of some shimmering material that flashed white and blue like sunlight on the ocean. It looped and whirled in towering arcs and columns, as if waves and whirlpools could be frozen in place, and there were smaller alcoves like seashells against the walls. On the floor was a copy of the mosaic from the temple above, now clearly discernable as a five pointed star with the rays tiled in pastel colors.
"This is fair beautiful," Cestria said softly. "Prettier than the shop, even."
"Congratulations," he said. "You are the first people, of this world or any other, to have seen this place since it was abandoned a thousand years ago. This was the secret meeting place of the Rangers of Aquitar."
"Rangers?" Aurico repeated.
"Power Rangers," said Ninjor, as if he were making a clarification that would explain everything. "Settle down and I'll tell you all about it."
"Settle down?" Tideus repeated. "Our home is in danger. We have no time to listen to explanations."
"You would rather barge out into battle without knowing what you're up against?" Ninjor retorted.
"That is a point," said Cestro. "If we have little time, we certainly cannot waste it on mistakes."
"Sensible," said Delphine. "Very well, wise one, give us your explanation."
If Ninjor was affronted by the sarcasm, his mask hid it. He waved at one of the alcoves, which held a round table and a long, curved bench.
"Have a seat," he said. "Let me tell you about a chapter of your history that your teachers don't remember." He waited for them to do as they were told, and went to stand at the head of the table, giving them little choice but to listen and pay attention. Clearing his throat significantly, he began to tell a story.
"I suppose you know something about the legends of the Taker and the Five Lights," he began. "It is a true story, but your people have forgotten over the years that it actually happened. They said it was too wonderful to be real, and it turned into a fairy-tale. Now, as you have discovered, it is coming back to life. The Taker is real. He is actually called the Hydro Hog - not very dramatic, maybe, but it's accurate. He's a mutant, a distant relative of your own race that has been warped into a monster. You and all your people have the power to draw energy from the water. He takes the process a step further, actually absorbing the water from anything he comes in contact with, taking the power along with it. If he gets his hands on one of your kind, it will all but kill them. He used to keep Aquitian people as slaves so he could draw off their energy whenever he felt like it. Many of them died. The ones who lived were weakened by having their life-force sucked from them over and over again. Those were the first se'kannan."
The Aquitains shuddered at the thought.
"So that... that thing we pulled up used to be one of us?" asked Corcus, horrified.
"Not likely. Not directly, anyway. Nothing more than a descendant many times over," Ninjor replied.
Corcus didn't look comforted.
"Yuck," he muttered.
"What of the Razorfins?" asked Aurico. "Where did they come from? I hope they are no kin of ours, too."
Ninjor seemed to consider. "To tell you the truth, I couldn't tell you much about the Razorfins. He was still working on perfecting them last time I saw the Hydro Hog. I'd assume they're his created creatures. As far as I know, he can only steal power from a natural creature, not give it to one. They must have been made by magic."
"Good. Then we don't have to feel sorry about killing one," said Cestria. "That thing was nasty."
"Mages and monsters," Delphine said to herself. "This could be more difficult than we first thought. We managed against the Razorfins, but what can we do against magic?"
"That's where I come in," said Ninjor. "I'm going to help you all out. Don't you remember the legend? I seem to recall it saying something about a mage calling forth five lights to drive off the darkness. A thousand years ago, I recruited five young Aquitains, much like you all, and gave them special powers that let them fight off the Hydro Hog and his minions and banish them all to the darkest ocean in Aquitar. Unfortunately, that magic seems to have worn thin over the centuries, and he's starting to prod at the barrier, looking for cracks. Sooner or later, he's going to find his way out... unless someone stops him. Or five someones." He gave the group a very pointed look.
"Let me guess," said Aurico. "Rangers?"
"Power Rangers," Ninjor agreed. "Five warriors with magical powers and super weapons, specially equipped to face the forces of evil."
"Six," said Delphine.
"What?" Ninjor looked puzzled.
"There are six of us," Delphine repeated. "You keep saying five."
"There only are five," said Ninjor, rather unclearly. "I mean, the powers are already made. I can't just go and throw in another one. And the weapons - there's only enough for five people. I don't know if-"
"If you didn't have supplies for six, you should not have called six people here," said Tideus.
Ninjor looked a bit sheepish. "Sorry. I tried. I thought I could manage just one more, but it just didn't work out. Five is a stable number, but sixth Rangers are tricky. They can be very powerful, or they can fall to pieces at the first sign of trouble. I tried to set one up, but I couldn't come up with anything stable to link it to, and it kept falling apart."
"So," said Aurico thoughtfully, "one of us is going to have to opt out. Who will it be?"
"Me," Cestria answered automatically.
"No!" said Corcus. "Cestria, you deserve to be a hero as much as anyone."
"No I don't," she replied. "I'm not a fighter like Aurico and Tideus, or a leader like Delphine or smart like Cestro. I'm just a plain, ordinary, backwater girl."
"Do I look like a fighter to you?" asked Corcus. "You sell yourself short. You're as good as any of us."
"Let the girl have her choice," Ninjor scolded gently. He turned his unreadable gaze to her, sizing her up. "Young lady, you're a healer, aren't you?"
"Yes," she said, surprised. "How did you know?"
"I can see auras, sometimes. It's something mages do," he answered. "I think you're right in saying you're not a warrior. Your nature is to nurture. You'd never be able to live with taking so many lives. Besides, your friends will be hurt from time to time in this war, and someone is going to have to be nearby to take care of them. You'll serve the cause of Good best if you stay on the sidelines."
Cestria nodded, knowing he was right. She was actually a little surprised at him speaking to her. There was a lot of kindness behind his words, and it occurred to her that when he wasn't posing and acting wise and powerful, Ninjor was actually rather nice.
"All right. Are we settled now?" Tideus wanted to know. "If we are, I think there are a few Razorfins back home who want our attention."
"Right," said Ninjor, all business once again. "Delphine, Aurico, Tideus, Corcus, Cestro, step out onto the star, each of you on a point. We're going to revive a legend."
They did as they were told. The star covered an area almost ten feet in diameter, leaving them plenty of room to stand comfortably, even when Ninjor stepped into the ring. Just as he reached the exact center, the star lit up, bathing them all in a pure blue-white light, bright but somehow not dazzling. Ninjor faced them one by one and spoke to them.
"Aurico, you will be the Red Ranger," he intoned. "You will carry with you the power of fire. Let it bring you courage."
The shaft of light he stood in suddenly turned crimson. Then it wasn't light anymore, but something solid that wrapped around him and dressed him in sleek red armor and a helmet similar to Ninjor's. A sword appeared, slung over his back in ninja style. A faint aura of red light continued to surround him, even as Ninjor turned to the next person.
"Tideus, you will be the Yellow Ranger. Yours will be the energy of wind. Let it make you swift and sure."
Saffron radiance gathered around him, and then a second armored warrior appeared in a second shaft of colored light. Red and yellow blended together, making a faint streak of orange between them.
"Cestro," Ninjor called, facing his next attentive listener, "you will be the Blue Ranger. The reflectivity of water is yours. Its wisdom will serve you well."
Another color added itself to the spectrum. Something else seemed to be happening, too. When they had begun, the room had been full of blue light, but now it was becoming darker, until all Cestria could see was the circle of light with her friends inside. The mage was almost invisible within the curtain of luminance.
"Corcus, you will be the Black Ranger," Ninjor continued. "You have the solidity of earth. In battle, you will share its strength."
A fourth shaft of light appeared, adding indigo and violet to the color wheel... only it wasn't a wheel yet. There was still one space that was flickering and uncertain, the place where Delphine stood. Ninjor turned to her.
"Delphine, noble lady, I know your courage and strength of will," he said. There was a faint tint of laughter behind the serious words, as he remembered their first meeting. "Therefore, I name you the White Ranger, leader of the team. You will combine force and wisdom, power and intellect, in the greatest force of nature, Light!"
On that final word, the colors merged together to form a single concentrated ray, at once pure white and shimmering with every color of the rainbow. The single onlooker found she could not look into that brightness, and she cringed away. In the next moment, it was all over, and everything had gone back to normal. Cestria blinked, trying to readjust her eyes to the flickering light of the blue room. Nothing seemed to have changed - nothing but her friends, who were still dressed in their armor, shimmering faintly in colored afterglows.
"That," said Tideus, "was impressive."
"No time to stand around admiring yourselves," Ninjor said. "You're in a hurry, remember?"
"I remember," said Aurico, unsheathing his new sword to check the blade. "Somehow, I do not think the Razorfins are going to like seeing this."
"They aren't," Ninjor assured him. "A few more things before you go, though. One, you have the ability to teleport, now. You can be wherever you want to be just by willing it hard enough. That takes power, though, so don't use it unless you need it. Two, you have weapons that I haven't shown you yet. The knowledge of what they are and how to use them was transmitted to you psychically during the transformation, so you'll be able to call them when the time is right. Three, if you ever need my help, just call my name or think it clearly, and I'll come. Understand?"
The five new Rangers made nods and gestures of agreement. Delphine drew her sword and let it shimmer in the room's shifting light.
"Come, friends," she said calmly. "We go and fight."
The lights appeared again, whisking them away in clouds of multicolored sparkles. Cestria watched in amazement.
"Are they really going to be able to fight monsters?" she asked, trying to imagine gentle Corcus swinging a sword.
Ninjor gestured at a round, smooth stone on the wall, and it suddenly lit with an image of the city, swarming with Razorfins.
"Let's watch and find out," he said.
Amid the wreckage of what had once been a small building, a group of frightened Aquitians were huddled on the ground, guarded by a cold-eyed Razorfin. Several more of the creatures were milling around, looking for loot or rounding up more captives. The silver Razorfins were doing most of the treasure-hunting, overseen by a few of the green ones, who didn't trust their lesser-developed cousins not to eat anything they found. Two more green monsters were going through a heap of objects, belongings taken from the purses and pockets of their captives, in search of valuables. The guard, however, was neither silver nor green. He was a shimmery blue-purple color. Out of all of them, he was the one who looked closest to a true Aquitian, and he was the only one to wear full armor and carry a sword. The smallest children cowered away from him in fright. They feared the snapping, drooling silver fish, but that was only the natural fear they would have felt around a dangerous animal. This creature wasn't just naturally bloodthirsty; he was fully aware of evil and consciously embraced it.
"That's right, be afraid, little morsels," he rumbled, flashing his teeth in a hideous grin. "General Coldtooth has you now, and you won't leave him except in chains or in the belly of one of his comrades. Think about that, infants. That'll give you something to cry about."
A green Razorfin stepped up and attempted a salute, careful not to cut his face with his own claws as he did so.
"Lieutenant Sandslime reporting, Gen'ral," it growled. "Me mates have almost finished with yonder eastern side. Thinks ye we ought to go 'head with the digging?"
"Get on with it," said the general. "We can break this pod without damaging the others much. Plenty of time to see to them."
"Yessir, Gen'ral sir," the lieutenant replied, and it hustled off to gather its friends. The general watched him go with a chuckle.
"Did you all hear that, my little guppies?" he inquired of his captives. "We're going to take your city apart. We're going to dig it out from underneath and let the ocean crack it like an otter breaks a clam. Pretty soon you'll have no home left but our master's dungeons."
"What do you want with us?" demanded a frightened woman. "Let us go, you brute! We never did anything to you!"
"Never did anything? That's fine, that is," said General Coldtooth. "If you call locking our master up at the bottom of the blackest ocean with next to nothing for him to feed on fine, I guess you'd be right."
"We did no such thing!" said a man in the crowd. "We never heard of your master until now!"
"Maybe so," Coldtooth replied, "but it was five of you stinking Aquitians who punished him all those years back. Our master has a long memory, and now he's coming to take his revenge. Your heroes may be dead, but their children's children survive among you, and their lives will be the payment."
A child began to whimper. "I'm scared! I want to go home! I want my mama!"
"Shut up, brat!" the general snapped. His claws flashed, coming perilously close to the child's eyes. A thin trickle of blood ran down his cheek as he stared, too petrified even to cry.
"The next word and you're blind," it told him. "You'll serve the master just as well without your sight. And if any one else here wants to argue with General Coldtooth..." He trailed off and flexed his claws meaningfully.
"I would not mind a good argument," said a strong female voice at his back.
The general jumped, nearly dropping his sword in surprise. The others looked up, too, staring at the newcomers. Where there had been no one before, there were now five people - five armed people, the general noted, wearing armor and helmets in a style he vaguely remembered seeing somewhere before. He hissed in fury as he recognized him. When his master had told him the story of the ancient war, he had shown his new general images of the five warriors who had defeated them. Now Coldtooth was not happy at all to be meeting them in person.
"I would let those civilians go, if I were you," said Aurico. "I doubt you would like it if we had to make you release them."
"No jellyfish-spined Aquitian makes General Coldtooth do anything!" the Razorfin leader snarled. "Forward, troops! Get those interlopers!"
"Interlopers, indeed! As if this was none of our business," Corcus muttered.
"Duck!" Tideus shouted at him, and Corcus ducked, narrowly missing the first strike of the nearest silver-fin. The Yellow and Black Rangers tumbled away in opposite directions.
"You need some survival lessons," Tideus commented.
Corcus, having recovered his wits, turned his attention to his attacker. Deftly avoiding the flailing claws and fins, he gave the monster a sharp punch in the jaw. It actually rose a few inches into the air before crunching to the pavement. Corcus stared at his fist in surprise.
"Did I do that?" he wondered.
"Okay, maybe you don't," said Tideus.
Cestro sized up a silver-fin as it pranced and gibbered, evidently trying to decide if the Blue Ranger was edible or not. It roared and babbled incomprehensibly.
"You," said Cestro, "are an underdeveloped and badly designed excuse for a genetic experiment. Your mother should be ashamed."
The thing didn't look like it understood a word he said, but the insulting tone was enough to send it into a boiling rage. It made an uncoordinated lunge at Cestro, who calmly stepped aside, using its sword to trip the thing as it passed. The silver fish couldn't seem to figure out what to do with its arms in time to stop itself from falling face first on the pavement.
"Not very clever, are they?" said Aurico, expertly fending off a green-fin as he talked.
"I think," Tideus replied, jumping over a sweep-kick, "that whoever designed these things put a lot of thought into making them strong, but they have no instinct. Look." He slammed his fist directly into a monster's face, making it wail and clutch at its eye. "See? It never blinked. These really are created creatures - bad ones, too."
"You can say that again," Corcus agreed. The shy artist was battling two silver-fins at once and apparently enjoying every minute of it. "Why did you never tell me this was so much fun?"
"Fun it may be," said Delphine, "but I think we should see about getting rid of them before they call in any reinforcements. These creatures could still beat us if they outnumber us."
"Fine," said Aurico. "See how they like this!"
He unsheathed his sword and swung it in a powerful arc, aiming for the nearest silver-fin. The sword went through the creature like a hot knife through butter. The Razorfin stared at itself in horror as it turned into white light and disintegrated.
"They are fake," said Cestro, sounding impressed. "No natural creature would do that."
"That looked interesting. Let me try," said Tideus. He paused in his defenses for a moment, letting himself be surrounded by four silver-fins. They were surprised to see him suddenly whirl in a tight circle, slashing them all in a single spin. The Yellow Ranger was briefly hidden by a cloud of light as the monster evaporated.
The green-fins proved a bit more difficult to handle. Badly designed they might have been, but they kept their structural integrity better than their lesser-developed counterparts, owing partly to their armor. They had larger brains, too, and they were smart enough to realize that getting too close to those ancient magical blades would send them the way of their predecessors. They danced out of reach, snarling and shouting insults. Delphine, used to getting her way, insulted them right back with considerably more wit and imagination. Any who lost their temper and charged her ended up as sea-green sparks. Slowly but surly, the number of Razorfins began to deplete.
"This is a fiasco!" General Coldtooth muttered. He had planned to lose a few of his troops to local resistance, but he hadn't planned on meeting the legendary Five Lights. He glanced uneasily at the piles of treasure, and then at the group of watchful citizens. Seeing the warriors had given them hope and courage; if he tried bullying them, they were liable to attack, and it was possible that they might beat the remaining troops back by sheer numbers and determination. The loot was also a problem; a Razorfin's magical nature allowed it to perform some small magical tasks, but it needed most of its magic to hold itself together. If it tried to use too much power at once, it would literally fall apart, and he couldn't transport anything that weighed more than half what he did. Coldtooth growled his annoyance. Thanks to these warriors and his master's poor planning, he was going to have to abandon the job.
Aurico looked down in grim satisfaction as the last of the green-fins reverted to energy and dissipated. He turned to face the general.
"Are you ready to surrender?" he asked. "Or would you rather go down with your troops?"
"You're the ones who are going down!" Coldtooth replied. "My soldiers have already undermined the city's east side. When it starts to cave in, your protective dome will crack, and this whole pod will go under with you in it. You're just prolonging the inevitable, fighting us like this."
"And you are being a fool," Delphine replied. "I have only two weeks of school behind me, and I still know more than you about fighting a war. You never give away information, General Coldtooth. You can only fight what you know about."
"Grr..." Coldtooth snarled. "You think you're clever, don't you, little missy? You won't be so smart once this place starts to go under. So long, whoever you are. It was nice knowing you."
"We are the Power Rangers," Aurico said. "And we will be meeting again. You can bet your life on it."
The general's only reply was a snort of contempt. He reached in a pocket and took out a small green sphere, a portable communication spell.
"All right, troops! This egg's about to crack. Move out!" On the final word, he disappeared in a blue-violet shimmer.
The Rangers were instantly surrounded by thankful townspeople, who expressed relief and thanks and curiosity all at once. Delphine raised her hands to get their attention.
"We have no time to give you all an explanation," she said. "The city is still in peril! You heard the monster - the domes are in danger of breaking. Somehow, we have to stabilize the foundation."
"How are we going to do that?" Corcus asked. "Even with these powers, are we going to be able to hold off an ocean?"
*Don't be silly,* said Ninjor's unmistakable voice. The Rangers jumped in unison, looking around until they realized he was speaking directly to their minds. *I gave you weapons. Use them! Call upon the Battle Borgs, and let them help you."
"Battle Borgs?" Aurico muttered, not caring that none of the townspeople knew what he was replying to. "What's a Battle Borg?"
Instead of getting a verbal reply, the Rangers found their minds filled with images, pictures of machines that were not quite machines. They were warriors like themselves, bound and empowered by the same forces the Rangers used. They were extensions of the Rangers themselves, and when called, they came. In retrospect, the Rangers all agreed that they were glad they had been wearing masks, so that none of the onlookers could see them staring.
Seeing five giant robots appearing out of the darkness of the sea was startling enough, but it was even more surprising when the Rangers began to realize the machines' true nature. Aquitians shared with many other highly developed life-forms the ability to communicate with some creatures by telepathy. Their talents were usually limited to speaking with lower creatures, predominantly fish, or occasionally one of their own or someone who had developed the psychic link to a greater degree. Mostly, though, they were limited to the simple transferences animals could give them - not words, but pictures, symbols, and feelings. They were amazed to find that these new machines were giving them a similar sensation. Though perhaps not really alive, they did have a limited sort of sentience, and now they were asking their new owners just why they had been wakened from their thousand-year sleep.
Unflappable Delphine was the first to react. After all, she had been raised to command, and she'd always been taught to accept help from whoever could give it, no matter how strange they might be. She sent them a thought-transference explaining their situation.
-Willingness, confusion,- sent the White Battle Borg. -Orders?-
"What did it say?" asked Tideus. Delphine's Borg was only addressing her, so he and the rest of the group were only getting vague echoes of what was being said.
"Nothing, really," Delphine replied. "I think they only communicate in feelings. They want to help, but they need to be told what to do."
-Agreement,- the Borgs replied.
Cestro thought furiously. "The only way we can save the pod is if something repairs the crack in the outer dome... but it will just crack again if the tunnels are not shored up. Can they do that?"
-Willingness,- the Borgs sent again. -Invitation.-
"They want you to show them how, I think," said Corcus. "Here, let me try something."
He closed his eyes and concentrated, showing his symbiote an image of tunnels running under the city, gradually caving in as water seeped through and undermined them. He replaced that image with that of something moving more earth in to fill the holes, and the breakdown stopped. The Black Battle Borg nodded its -Understanding,- and abruptly burrowed into the ground. Corcus looked up and nodded.
"I think he got the message," he said, panting a little. He resolved to practice mind- sending; communicating with machines wasn't easy. "Aurico, Ninjor said fire was your element. Maybe you could see about that crack?"
Aurico nodded. A thin line of broken glass had slowly snaked its way up the side of the dome. The glass used for building the pods was a special blend that was meant to stand up to far more pressure than more common varieties could, but it was clear it was not going to hold up much longer. Already, a trickle of water was seeping through, slowly rising behind the second protective shield, and if too much pressure built up there...
The Red Battle Borg sensed his uneasiness and stared with -Concern- at the crack. Then it made a movement with one hand, and the tip of one finger began to glow brightly, making the water around it bubble as it turned briefly to steam.
"A torch?" Cestro asked, sounding faintly worried. "You had better tell your friend to be careful. If he melts the glass too much, things will be worse than they already are."
Aurico, occupied with maintaining the mental link, nodded without replying and relayed the message. Then he laughed. Cestro tilted his head in puzzlement.
"That thing's manners were not programmed by an Aqutian," Aurico explained. "Suffice to say, he is a bit annoyed that you have so little faith in him. He knows what to do."
Cestro opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it again as he watched the robot work. It clearly knew its job; the careful movement of the torch welded the crack shut again in a smooth, sure stroke. Steam-bubbles rose up as it worked, flashing like jewels in the torchlight. Then the torch went out, and they faded away as they cooled into water once again. The glass now rippled a bit where the crack had been, but any sign of instability was gone. As the Borg turned back to its owner, a crater opened up some distance off, and a rather muddy-looking Black Battle Borg emerged, shaking sand out of its joints. They turned to the Rangers and sent waves of -Pride, assurance- to communicate that they were done. Would that be all?
"Yes, thank you," said Delphine, sending them the words and feelings to be sure they understood.
-Contentment, gratitude,- the Borgs replied. They were happy to be awake and pleased that they could be useful once again. They tacked something else on at the end, an image of them returning, along with a sense of eagerness. They were encouraging their new friends to call them again whenever they were needed. The Rangers answered with their understanding and agreement, and the Borgs vanished in flashes of colored light. However, embedded in each of the Rangers' minds was a sense of listening. The Borgs would always be nearby, waiting.
In their amazement at the sight of their new friends and the subsequent involvement with learning to communicate with them, the Rangers had forgotten that they were being watched. Now they looked back at the awestruck crowds of civilians, who still had no idea what was going on.
"Is everyone all right?" Tideus inquired.
"We're fine," someone said, sounding a bit shaky. "Who are you? What was that all about?"
"We are the Power Rangers, defenders of this planet," said Delphine. She said it with such assurance that even the Rangers themselves couldn't doubt it. "Those creatures who attacked you are the Razorfins, servants of a creature called the Hydro Hog. You know him as the Taker of the old legends. He has evidently found a way past the restrictions laid upon him, and he has come back for his revenge."
"Impossible," a man scoffed. "Those are just stories. We tell them to the children, before they grow too old for such nonsense."
"Do I look like a story to you?" asked Cestro.
The man stared at the Blue Ranger's dark, unreadable visor, and at the sword he still held in his hands.
"Perhaps not," he admitted. "You are, then, the Five Lights of the legend? Incredible."
A child turned to his younger brother, who was watching the goings-on with wide eyes.
"See?" he said, with all the wisdom of his years. "I told you they were real!"
"Those monsters, the Razorfins... are they going to come back?" asked a woman.
"In all probability," said Tideus. "We will all have to be on guard. Have no fear, though - when they come back, so will we."
The crowd expressed their deep appreciation, as only those rescued from imminent death can do. The Rangers accepted the thanks and praises for a while, until a voice finally cut into their thoughts.
*Enough fun,* said Ninjor. *It's time for you to come back. There are things we still need to discuss.*
"We apologize for having to leave you so soon," said Delphine, "but we must go. Farewell." The Rangers made the Aquitian gesture of parting, and then vanished.
They reappeared in the blue room again, and found Ninjor and Cestria waiting for them. It was, of course, impossible to tell what expression the mage wore behind his mask, but there was something in his stance that told them he was smiling.
"Fine job, all of you," he said. "You have done very well - better than I expected, even."
"Is that a compliment or an insult?" Corcus whispered. Tideus shushed him.
"You were right to guess that the Hydro Hog's monsters will be returning. The insult of being turned back once will only push him to try even more dastardly tactics. The battles will get much more difficult from here on in. Because of this, the ancient laws of the Power do not allow me to force you to fight this war. If you don't want to do this, now is your chance. This isn't a dare, and this isn't to shame you if you don't want to fight. If you don't feel capable, you owe it to the team to step down. What will you choose?"
"Stay and fight," said Aurico automatically.
"Yes. I was born to be a leader, war or peace," Delphine replied.
"And I stick with my friends," Tideus replied. "If they are in danger, I stay by them."
"And you will need someone with some scientific knowledge to battle the Hydro Hog's mutants," added Cestro.
"Well, I never was much of a fighter," said Corcus bashfully. "I suppose I ought to say for you to go find someone who would be more useful to you, but... this is really kind of interesting. I want to stick it out for a while."
"Good," said Ninjor. "I was hoping you all would say that. You're a promising bunch, and I don't say that lightly. Aquitar is in good hands with you around - all of you," he added in Cestria's general direction.
"Me, sir?" said Cestria hesitantly. "I don't know why I-"
"Remember, I'm a Gridmaster," Ninjor cut in. "Sometimes I'm permitted to see things that others can't, and I can tell there's something special about you. It may not be evident yet, but a time will come when we will be glad we have you here."
"Thank you, sir," said Cestria.
"Any time. You're a nice girl, anyway. And as for the rest of you," he said, turning back to the Rangers, "I am glad you've chosen to stay. The only other thing I have to say to you is that power does come with a price. You do have certain limits - rules you have to follow."
"We are used to dealing with rules," said Tideus. "We go to school, after all."
"Fine. Then it won't be hard for you to follow these. As Rangers, you must promise never to use your powers for personal gain - not for money, power, popularity, anything. Because of this, I will ask you to be cautious about revealing your identity. Reveal your true selves to too many of the wrong people, and I will be forced to retract your powers. Also, you must use them with temperance. These powers are for defense, so you must never attack anything that isn't posing a danger, and you must not use more force than is necessary. Do you swear, by all powers in and around you, that you will abide by these rules?"
There was unanimous agreement. Cestria, on the fringes of things, thought she saw a little ripple go through the air around them as they spoke, but she could never be quite sure.
"It is done, then," said Ninjor. "After a thousand years, the Lights of Aquitar burn again. You are now truly Power Rangers."
The Rangers nodded solemnly, and Cestria watched with a sense of awe. It was a momentous happening, one she was privileged to be seeing. She should have been proud and happy for her friends... so why did she feel so sad?