Hunter carried Summer back to the cave. Cam helped her walk to the cave.
They all decided that Larissa and Summer needed some rest. Larissa was
feeling different...She looked different to Joey. As if when she tapped
into that huge amount of power, she unleashed something. Joey decided to
not bring it up at the moment, just watch her closely. They all were mere
inches from the entrance of the cave when suddenly Larissa's legs gave out
from under her. She fell to her knees with a cry of pain, holding her
head.
"Larissa?" Cam asked softly, kneeling beside her. Joey, Shane, Blake and
Tori did the same. Joey placed her hand on Larissa's shoulder.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"It's.... Dustin...He's in....Trouble...." Larissa said softly.
"I...Something feels...Bad..." Everyone looked at one another, then back at Larissa. "How..." Tori asked.
"Looks like the power of lightening isn't the only thing she got from Taheaira." Joey said softly. She stood up.
"I'll go find him." Joey said. Summer looked at her. "Jo-" "Don't worry," Joey said.
"I know you want first dibs on him." Joey smiled. "Do you want me to come with you?" Shane asked. "No, it's OK." Joey said.
"I'll be back in a bit." She said as she left. Hunter set Summer down on the ground and knelt beside her. Summer smiled weakly, trying to ignore the pain. Hunter tucked some fallen strands of hair, behind her ear and smiled gently back at her.
"Thanks." She murmured. Hunter smiled and kissed her gently.
"Anytime beautiful." He replied.
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((
Joey walked along the woods of the island.
"Dustin?" She called out. "Dustin, come on, where are you?" She asked. She sighed.
"Look, if it makes you feel any better, Summer's declared that Hunter, me, or anyone else can't touch you, at least not until she gets a whack at you." Joey smirked.
"And she will." She muttered.
"Oh look, another Ranger has lost their way." Came Kapri's voice as she stepped out from behind a tree. Joey blinked and instantly got into a fighting stance.
"Oh look, my favorite evil pink haired freak." Joey replied. Kapri smiled evily. Joey looked at her.
"What do you mean ano..." She paused.
"What did you do with Dustin?" Kapri simply laughed and stepped to the side. Joey gasped as she saw Dustin motionless body lying on the ground. He had a bruise on his forehead. Joey went over to his side.
"Dustin?" She said, shaking his shoulder. Nothing.
"Dustin, come on, wake up." She said. Dustin's eyes fluttered open. He looked up at her.
"Jo?" He asked, unsurely. Joey nodded. She helped him sit up. Dustin put his arms on her shoulders. Joey stood up and helped him up.
"Come on, let's get you out of-Ahh!" Joey gasped as she felt Dustin grab her and roughly slam her against a tree.
"Dustin, what the hell!" She screamed. Dustin pressed up against her. Joey began to panic. Was he going to do to her what her "father" did to her mother? Dustin put his legs between hers and wrapped his hands around her neck. He had his legs there to keep her from kicking him where it hurt. Joey tried to push him away. Dustin didn't budge. His grip around her neck tightened, nearly crushing her windpipe. Joey franticly scratched at his hands. She could see that she was drawing blood on his hands, but he didn't seem to care. He kept choking her and sneering down at her menacingly.
"You're probably wondering what's going on." Kapri said with a smirk.
"It's quite simple, your yellow friend is under my control." Joey continued to scratch at Dustin's arms, and could feel herself losing consciousness from lack of oxygen. Joey's head finally slumped forward and her arms became limp at her side. Kapri smiled evilly. Dustin smirked and threw Joey to the ground. Kapri stood over her and took out a miniature sword from her pocket and placed it on Joey's forehead, and in between her eyes. She muttered a few choice words and the sword sunk into Joey's head. Her eyes reopened and were blood red. Kapri giggled and stood up fully. She looked at Joey who was still lying there.
"Get up." Kapri commanded. Joey stood up and beside Dustin.
"Excellent." Kapri smirked.
"When darkness falls tonight.... your friends will all be separated, and one by one, you shall kill them." She told the now evil rangers who nodded.
((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((( (((((((((((((((((((((( "No." Marah whispered, tears filling her eyes. Kapri had tainted the one she loved. He was evil. She thought maybe that Joey could help him, save him, but when he started choking her, she got even more frightened. Even if Dustin broke out of the spell, the grips of killing someone would never loosen, he'd wish for death himself. And then Kapri turned her evil as well. There had to be something she could do.........But that?
)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Larissa screamed, clutching her head. Cam held her close. "What's going on?" Tori asked worriedly.
"Joey...She............AHH...So much pain...She's scared...She can't breath...She...." Larissa rambled. Shane's eyebrows shot up. "What? What about Joey?" He asked desperately. Then suddenly Larissa stopped moving. She was limp in Cam's arms, her breath ragged.
"Larissa." Shane asked. "I.........I can't...Everything's..........Black...Red...I don't...Know." Larissa said. "She's...dead?" Summer asked, tears threatening to fall. "I don't know." Larissa said. Summer forced herself to her feet and wobbled around before regaining her balance.
"Where is she?" Summer asked. Larissa blinked back threatening tears.
"Somewhere.... I'm getting mixed signals of where she and Dustin might be." Larissa responded. Summer looked around the group and took charge.
"Alright.... Blake, Tori, Cam and Larissa, you go and try to track down Dustin. Hunter, Shane and I will track down Joey." Summer told them. They nodded and set out from the cave. (((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))) "Where is she......" Shane asked desperately. He, Summer and Hunter were searching for Joey. He was panicked. "It's getting dark." Hunter said. Shane spun around to him.
"I don't care!" Shane yelled. Hunter stepped back. Summer stepped between them. "Stop." She said.
"Look, we're not going to stop looking for her. She could be in trouble or...." Summer didn't even want to think of the "or".
"We're not stopping." "I'm not saying we should." Hunter said.
"I'm just saying it's going to be harder in the dead of night and we should find her soon."
"Find who?" Came a voice. They all spun to see Joey walking over to them calmly.
"Everything OK?" She asked. Shane and Summer ran up to her and pulled her into a bone crushing group hug. "Are you OK?" Summer asked. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Joey asked.
"Larissa, she-" Shane began. "Larissa's having problems." Joey said.
"You know how she is, Sum. She gets crazy under stress." Joey walked past them. Summer, Shane and Hunter looked at each other. Something was wrong. Joey would never talk about Larissa so flippantly. "Uh, no, Jo...Larissa, all of us, were really worried about you." Summer said.
"Have you seen Dustin?"
"No." Joey said.
"He's probably just cooling off, I mean, Summer you did get him pretty steamed." Joey said. Shane walked up to her and looked at her. "All right, who are you and what have you done with Josephina?" He asked.
"A little while ago you were ready to murder Dustin and everything." Joey looked at him. A slow smile crept on her face.
"Well, why would I do that? Dustin's not the enemy. You are." She said. And with that, she kicked him in the gut, knocking him to the ground. "Oomph!" Shane cried as the wind was knocked out of him. Summer and Hunter looked at Shane.
"Joey, what's going-" Summer began. Joey looked at them. Her eyes were glowing red. Summer gasped. Hunter stepped in front of Summer, ready to protect her. Summer placed a hand on Hunter's shoulder.
"We need to split up in order to beat her... let me create a distraction for her, you grab Shane and follow Joey from a safe distance ok?" Summer asked. Hunter looked at her with titled eyes, still focused on Joey.
"How about I create the distraction?" He asked. Summer shook her head.
"No.... I know for a fact that Joey is more likely to come after me.... Trust me." Summer told him. Hunter cursed under his breath.
"Your still hurt." He said. Summer sighed.
"Nothing I haven't dealt with before... I'll be fine.... I love you." She said. She kissed his cheek and ran out from behind him, her legs still a little shaky.
"Hey Joey!!!!" Summer called waving her arms over her head. Joey looked at Summer and snarled. Summer cursed herself, and took off running down the mountainside. Joey flew past Hunter and chased after Summer. Hunter dashed over to Shane and helped him up.
"We have to follow them closely." Hunter said. Shane nodded and they ran after the girls. Summer ran as far and fast as she could. Her legs were killing her, but she had to keep running. Joey bounded after her. Summer's legs felt like they were on fire. She yelped as she fell down. Joey caught up to her. "Aw, did Pinkie fall down and hurt herself?" She asked. Summer looked at her. "Joey, I don't know what happened to you, but this isn't you..." Summer said. Joey grinned.
"Oh, keep begging for your life Sum, it makes it all so much more exciting." She said. She slowly walked closer to Summer. Summer tried to move away. "Summer!" Hunter yelled as he and Shane got there. Joey spun to face them. "Aw look, the boyfriend and the pathetic loser to the rescue, how touching." She sneered. She held her hand down at her side. The two boys watched as a small ball of fire formed in her hand. Shane looked at Hunter.
"You get Summer, I'll keep her busy." He said. "You sure?" Hunter asked. Shane nodded. Hunter darted to the side and dodged a flying fireball that erupted from Joey's hand. Shane ran around the other side, and as Hunter came closer to Summer, Shane tackled Joey around and waist and brought her to the ground. She kicked Shane and pushed herself into a sitting position. Shane ducked out of the way and rolled away. Joey got up and surged after him. He darted up the hill and Joey trailed him. Hunter skidded to a stop beside Summer. He dropped to his knees and looked at his girlfriend, whose eyes were wide with fear.
"You ok?" He asked. Summer looked at him, her entire body shaking.
"My legs gave out... I think I've got pinched nerves in them... and Joey tried to kill me... I'm fucking peachy." She told him. Hunter chuckled and hugged her.
"Well.... your ok for the most part, and that's all that matters." he told her truthfully. Summer smiled. Shane ran over to a tree. Joey was right behind him. He jumped up and walked up the tree, jumping behind Joey. He grabbed her over her arms, pinning them to her side. Joey screamed like a wild animal, struggling.
"Joey, I know that something or someone is making you do this...You've got to break out of it!" Shane said. Joey continued struggling. She suddenly gave out a pained scream and fell, pulling Shane with her. Shane was sitting, holding her against him. He felt the skin under his arm heating up.
"Aw crap, not now." Joey was sweating, turning pale and everything. Even though she was currently trying to kill him, Shane had to help her. He focused his ninja energies and used his Air Ninja powers to bring on a cool breeze. ~~~~~~~~~~~Joey's Dream~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joey looked around. She was in the dark room again; Shane was standing in front of her, again, touching her, again. The room started to spin, she felt different. ~~~~~~~~~~~Real~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joey gasped as her eyes snapped open. Shane looked at her. Her eyes held fear, pain, and confusion. "Shane?" She choked out. Shane looked at her and hugged her tightly.
"Your back." He said. Joey nodded and whimpered as another wave of an attack hit her.
"Hold on Jo.. Your gonna be fine." He whispered gently into her ear. Joey nodded through her tears.
))))((((
Hunter helped Summer to her feet and she took a step forward and cried out in pain.
"It hurts so much.." She cried. Hunter hugged her tightly.
"What's wrong?" He asked. Summer looked at him.
"My legs. It's like a constant muscle spasm. I can't walk." She sobbed into her hands. Hunter looked at her legs and gently massaged her thighs, calves, knees, everything. Summer looked at him. Surprisingly, the pain lessened.
"How.......What......" She asked, surprised. "Days and days of endless training, you learn to do something about those craps from miles and miles of jogging." He smiled. Summer smiled. ())))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((
Joey was in Shane's arms. He was making the wind hit her full on. It was slowly working. Shane had slid his hand in hers, and she would squeeze it whenever a attack hit, he was seeing that the squeezes were beginning to be few and far between. Joey couldn't believe this...It was as if her dream was true. Shane was helping her cool off. He was filling her with cool breezes. Joey paused as she realized something. "Dustin...He..." She said as she tried to sit up. Shane held her close. "Shh, shh, just relax right now." He whispered softly. "Did I hurt anyone?" She asked, afraid of the answer.
"You knocked me down, chased Summer, but that's all." He said. "Are you?" She was cut off by an attack. "I'm OK, Summer's OK. Hunter's with her." He said. Joey let out a shaky breath.
"Well at least I didn't hurt anyone." She commented. Shane smiled.
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((9
Cam, Tori, Blake, and Larissa stumbled through the thickly wooded area.
"I wonder if they found Joey." Tori wondered out loud, rubbing her arms. Blake put his arms around her. Cam looked at Larissa. "Are you getting anything?" He asked. Larissa took a deep breath. "I'm feeling...Ease..." She said softly.
"I think she had an attack...And now it's passing."
"Well, that's good right?" Blake asked.
"It means she's not dead." Larissa nodded. ())))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))))))))))))))))))()))))))))))))))) After a while, Joey's episode passed. Shane helped her to her feet. Joey didn't wait for him as she took off for Summer. Summer and Hunter saw her coming. "She's coming......Without Shane....." Summer muttered. Hunter stood up quickly, protecting her. Joey got there. "Summer, are you OK?" She asked, worriedly. Summer stared at her closely. "Is it really you?" She asked skeptically.
"It is." Shane said as he ran up to them.
"She had another attack, and it must have broken her out of whatever it was she was in." He said. Summer let out a sigh of relief. Joey went over and hugged her gently. "We were worried about you. What happened?" Summer asked. Joey sighed.
"I was looking for Dustin, and I found Kapri. Then, I saw Dustin...He was lying on the ground. I thought he was dead or...I don't know...So I went over to him and everything. He woke up and I tried helping him up to his feet and then...He pushed me against a tree and..." Shane's fist clenched.
"What did he do?" He asked. Joey took a deep breath and pushed her hair aside to reveal her neck. There was a red mark on it, as if she had been strangled. "And then I passed out, and Kapri did something to me...She made me...Evil..." "And she made Dustin evil too?" Hunter asked. Joey nodded.
"The others are looking for him, we better warn them before he hurts them." Summer said. ()))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))()()()( Cam, Tori, Blake and Larissa were walking around when they heard bushes rustling. They stepped back, wondering whom it was. Soon Hunter, Summer, Joey and Shane came out.
"Joey!" Larissa yelled as she went over and hugged her. Joey hugged her back.
"Are you OK?" "Yeah." Joey said. "Well, none of you will be soon." Came Kapri's voice. They turned to see her standing with Dustin.
"Dude, there you are," Blake said. "Careful, Kapri's got him under some sort of spell." Joey said. "Got that right." Kapri sneered. "Give the girl a prize." Dustin said. "Dustin?" Tori asked. Dustin sneered at Tori and sent some sort of flying projectile at her. She dove out of the way.
"Holy hell Dustin.. Snap out of it!" Hunter said. Dustin turned and sneered at Summer and Hunter. Dustin approached them cautiously and Kapri kept the others busy with Kalzacks. Summer's back hit a tree and she stopped. She looked at Hunter.
"Distraction?" Summer muttered. Hunter nodded. Summer dove to the left, and Hunter dove to the right. Dustin sent a blast flying at Hunter. The ground in front of him exploded and Hunter flipped over and began rolling and bouncing down the hill. He tried to grab onto something but it wasn't working. The bottom half of his body finally came to a stop, but he was holding onto the side of the cliff, and dangling over a lake. Summer saw this and stood up. She couldn't believe it. Dustin was trying to kill Hunter this time.
"No more nice Lady Thunder." She growled. Summer ran at Dustin, kicking and punching. Dustin blocked and then began attacking her. He was moving to fast and Summer couldn't block. He then wrapped his hands around her neck. "Summer." Hunter yelled. He tried climbing back up to help her. Joey knocked down a Kalzack and saw Summer and Dustin.
"Hang on!" She yelled. She flipped her way over to Dustin and grabbed him around the neck from behind in a tight headlock, causing him to release Summer. Summer fell back, coughing.
"How do you like being on the receiving end, buddy?" Joey yelled, holding him. Summer went over to Hunter and pulled him up.
"You OK?" Hunter asked. Summer nodded. Dustin ran back and slammed Joey's back against a tree. Joey cried out and fell down. Hunter and Summer jumped up and went at him. The others got rid of the Kalzacks. Dustin went back over to Kapri. Summer helped Joey up to her feet and the others came over to them.
"Ready to die, Rangers?" Kapri sneered. Suddenly, her eyes rolled back and she fell, unconscious. The others stood surprised as they saw someone wearing a purple hooded robe standing behind her holding a branch. Dustin turned to the person. "Big mistake." He said. He went and began attacking the person. They blocked and kicked him in the knees. He fell back. The others stared at the person.
"Who...Who are you?" Tori asked. The person looked at her and pulled back the hood. It was Marah. "You?!" Summer exclaimed. Dustin rose to his feet. Marah turned to him, staring him in the eyes. "Dustin...Don't do this...You're under Kapri's control. You don't want to hurt your friends." She said.
"That's what you think." Dustin growled as he tried to punch her. Marah grabbed his arm and pulled him to a tree. She pressed against him. Dustin struggled. Marah grabbed his face and crushed her lips against his. They shared a long, slow passionate kiss. Marah pulled back. Dustin's eyes flashed red then went to normal. He groaned as he slid to the ground. "Ah.... My head..." He said. Marah kneeled beside him. Dustin looked at her. "Mar....What are you doing here?" He asked. "She saved you.." Cam said, surprised. Marah looked up at them. "I couldn't let Kapri do this...Couldn't let her use Dustin this way." She said. Summer looked down.
"You love him." She said. "Yes...I do." She said. Everyone felt all kinds of stupid right then. "We thought..." Blake began.
"I know." She said.
"And I wouldn't exactly blame you all for it either. I know that my behavior didn't exactly give you all room to consider that." She looked down.
"I am ashamed of what I've done." Dustin placed a hand on her cheek and made her look at him. "You're here now, that's all that matters." He said. Marah blinked. She stood up. "I have to go." She said softly.
"I have to leave before Kapri wakes up."
"Where will you go?" Larissa asked. "Back to the ship." "What? Why?" Dustin asked. Marah looked at him, sighing painfully.
"I can't...It's. Hard to explain...Lothor and Kapri are all the family I have...I can't leave...At least not yet." She said. She disappeared, taking Kapri with her. Dustin looked down. "I...I'm sorry." Summer said.
"I was wrong about Marah." Dustin stood up. He sighed. "Forget it, it's OK." He said. Hunter coughed. Dustin looked at him.
"What?" He asked. Hunter glared at him. Summer put her hand on his arm.
"Don't Hunter.. It's not important anymore." Summer told him gently. Hunter backed off but continued to glare at Dustin. Dustin knew what Hunter had been hinting at. But he wasn't going to apologize yet.
"Rangers? Are you there?" Came a voice on Cam's communicator. Everyone looked at him shocked. "Marah must've removed the block in our systems." Cam said. "That's good, right?" Joey asked. Cam nodded. He brought it to his mouth. "Yeah, dad, we're here, and all right, and, well, we have some new friends." Cam said. "The three mysterious rangers, I presume." Sensei said. "Yeah." Cam said. Sensei smiled.
"I will be teleporting you momentarily. do you have everything you need?" Sensei asked. The teens nodded at Cam.
"Yes dad, we do." Cam replied. Sensei nodded and jumped onto another button.
"Teleporting now." He said. All at once the 9 teens disappeared in streaks of yellow, orange, green, crimson, navy, red, pink, blue and black. They re- materialized on the floor of Ninja Ops. Summer, Joey and Larissa, who had never been teleported before landed painfully on the floor, whereas the other rangers only stumbled before regaining their composure. Hunter lifted Summer into a standing position and she leaned against him. Cam held his hand out to Larissa, who took it eagerly and Joey stood on her own without and help.
"Whoa." Summer said, looking around the room. "Welcome, friends," Sensei said. Joey, Larissa and Summer looked over at him. "Uh...This might be me being delusional, but did that hamster just talk?" Joey asked. "If you are delusional, then so am I, cause I think it did." Larissa said.
"A. He's a guinea pig, b. he's my dad." Cam said. Joey looked at Cam, then at Larissa. "Lar, you're dating the son of a guinea pig.." She said. "He's human." Shane said.
"He's just...trapped in a guinea pig's body right now." Summer looked at Sensei and giggled.
"He' so adorable." She commented. Hunter looked at her strangely.
"Did you just call Sensei. adorable?" He asked. Summer nodded.
"Guinea pig's are so adorable. and since your Sensei is a guinea pig. he's adorable." She said. Hunter looked at her again.
"I have one weird girlfriend." He commented. He was the rewarded for his comment by being smacked upside the head.
"I resent being called weird." Summer told him. Hunter grinned.
"If the shoe fits.." He began. Summer turned and glared at him.
"If the shoe fits. you won't be able to make children." She told him, smiling smugly. Hunter's face paled.
"I'm going to retract that previous statement then." He said. Summer grinned.
"Smart move." She said. Sensei smiled at the two. He then looked at Joey and froze. "Dad?" Cam asked. Sensei shook his head. "I'm sorry, I just..." He looked at Joey.
"You remind me of someone...A ninja student I knew when I was a student...She was from another academy. She then became one of the sensei-"
"Carmen Sanchez is my mother." Joey said. Sensei blinked. "Oh, I didn't know she married." Sensei said. "She didn't." Joey said in a tone that said she didn't want to talk about it anymore. Sensei looked at Larissa. "You must be Taheaira's child." He said.
"I...How'd you know?" She asked. "Your mother and I were friends when we were younger. We sometimes kept in contact and she told me she had a daughter who she just knew one day would step up to be a holder of great power." He said. Larissa blushed at hearing her mother had talked about her like that. Sensei then turned and looked at Summer.
"And you." He began. Summer smiled weakly.
"Not much about me.." She said. Sensei smiled.
"Lady thunder, I presume." He said.
"All the Sensei's knew the prophecy of a woman wielding the thunder power." He smiled.
"But we always thought it was just a myth." "Wow, you're a prophecy." Hunter smirked. "Go Summer." Shane laughed. Summer blushed.
"Sensei Oramo told me about that. Before I left." Summer admitted. Sensei smiled.
"Well it's wonderful to be in the presence of a prophecy." Sensei commented. Larissa walked up, admiring the tech stuff. "Wow, this is all incredible." She said. She accidentally pressed a button, suddenly Cyber Cam appeared in front of her. Larissa jumped back, shocked. "Cam?" She looked back at Cam.
"And Cam...What the..." Cam and Cyber Cam smiled and looked at Larissa.
"Larissa meet Cyber Cam, a creation of my own to run Ninja Ops. Cyber Cam, meet Larissa Lekika, my girlfriend." Cam introduced the pair. Larissa shook Cyber Cam's hand.
"Nice to meet you." She said politely. Cyber Cam nodded.
"Werd." He said.
"Cam's got fine taste in hunnies." Cyber Cam said. He lifted Larissa's hand to his lips. Larissa pulled it away. "Cyber Cam, knock it off." Cam said. Cyber Cam smiled and stepped back. "No fowl, no fowl, just appreciating the beautious babe." He said, winking at Larissa.
"Don't worry," Shane said. "He's supposed to be the exact opposite of Cam." He said. Larissa sighed with relief. "Thank god." She smiled. Everyone laughed.
"At least I won't get them mixed up." Larissa commented. Cam smiled. Cyber Cam smirked.
"Well yah kno. if Cam ever does anythin' I got Yo back." He said, sweetly. Larissa smiled.
"That's sweet Cyber Cam. but it's not going to happen." She responded. Cyber Cam looked down sadly.
"Shot down again." He muttered walking away. Cam walked over to Larissa. "Well, I guess I did make him smart." Cam said. Larissa looked at him. "What do you mean?" She asked. "Well, he thought you were incredible, so, he's obviously not retarded." He smiled. Larissa blushed. Sensei cleared his throat. Cam looked down.
"Sorry dad." He said. Sensei nodded.
"I've noticed that some of our new rangers, as well as others, have some battle injuries, and I would like for them to be taken care of." Sensei told Cam, who nodded.
"Summer, Dustin and Joey, come with me." Cam said. The three nodded and set off after Cam, but were stopped by Sensei's command.
"I would like to speak with Dustin alone, before you take a look at his injuries Cameron." Sensei said. Cam nodded and shooed Dustin towards his father. Tori, Hunter, Blake, Shane, and Larissa vacated outside Ninja Ops and waited for Sensei to finish with Dustin.
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"Is Dustin going to be OK?" Larissa wondered out loud as they all got outside. "Don't know, don't care." Hunter said. "Hunter." Blake said sternly. "What? He made my girlfriend fall of a cliff, threw her in a river and tried to strangle her." Hunter said. "He's been through a lot." Tori reasoned. "And Summer hasn't?" Hunter said. "Look, you guys are a team, you have to stick together." Larissa said. "Yeah, well, Dustin's not exactly a team player." Hunter grumbled.
)))))))))))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
Joey and Summer followed Cam into the back room in Ninja Ops, and stopped, waiting for Cam to give them more directions. He turned around and looked at them.
"Joey lay down on that table, Summer on this one." Cam said. Both girls nodded and plopped themselves down on the tables. Cam ran a scanner over Joey's body. "Dustin nearly crushed your windpipe." Cam said. "Really? Didn't notice." Joey replied sarcastically. Cam laughed. He shot some beams at her neck, fixing the damage. Joey felt it get better.
"Whoa." She said. Cam's brows then furrowed as the scanner got a weird reading. "That's weird." He said.
"What?" Joey asked. "It-" He began to say, suddenly the scanner sparked and grew very hot. Cam jumped back and dropped it, it broke into little pieces. Joey sat up. "Your toy just broke." She said. Cam looked at her.
"No kidding." He commented. Joey smirked. Cam looked at the busted scanner. He touched it and removed his hand almost immedality.
"That's really hot!" He commented. Joey looked at him.
"Like a burning fever hot?" She asked. Cam nodded. Joey gave him a half smile.
"It's reacting to my condition." She said. Cam looked at her. Joey shook her head.
"The exact same thing happened at the Academy a few years back. I just remember my mother saying it was reacting to my genetics and condition." Joey finished. Cam nodded.
"I guess it makes sense." Cam said.
"Has anyone ever tried to-" "Diagnose it?" Joey asked.
"Uh, yeah, about a hand full of doctors. Nothing. They can't find anything wrong with me to show why I get this. One even said it was probably mental, that I was crazy..." Joey shrugged.
"Maybe I am." She said. Cam looked at her and shrugged.
"Maybe." He said. He wandered over to a consul in the middle of the room and picked up another scanner and wandered over to Summer. He smiled gently and ran the scanner over her body. When the scan finished he looked at the scanner and sighed.
"Good news, and bad new. which do you want first?" He asked the pink ranger. Summer sighed.
"Good please." She said. Cam nodded.
"Good news is, your injuries are mostly minor, and should heal by themselves. bad news is. you've got two pinched nerves in your legs, so walking is going to be very painful until they heal, which should take 6-8 days." He said. Summer smiled and sat up.
"Other than that. your perfectly fine. and you can both go home now." Cam told them. The girls smiled and stood. Joey bounded from the room immedality, whereas Summer slowly exited, trying not to aggravate her pinched nerves.
))))))))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((
Sensei and Dustin watched as Joey bounded past them and up the steps outside, they then watched at Summer slowly and gingerly made her way out of Ninja Ops. After both girls, as well as Cam, had exited, Sensei turned to Dustin and looked at him.
"I am very disappointed in you Dustin." He said. Dustin sighed and nodded. He pulled off his morpher and communicator and set it on the desk by Sensei's feet. Sensei stared at him. "I know. Find some one else to be the dirt ranger." Dustin said. "Dustin." He said. "You are a power ranger. Your destiny chose you."
"I thought it was just because Shane Tori and I were the only ones left." Dustin replied bitterly. "Whatever reason the three of you arrived late, it was fate. Fate kept you from coming on time and being captured by Lothor. You must know that Dustin." "All I know is I hurt people. People who are my friends. What kind of ranger am I?" "One who can not control his emotions." Sensei said. Dustin looked at him.
"I don't get it." He replied bluntly. Sensei sighed softly and looked at Dustin.
"You cannot control your emotions, therefore, when something happens, you think with your heart, not your head." Sensei finished. Dustin groaned.
"Well at least I know I have a heart now." He said. Sensei chuckled softly.
"You've always had a heart Dustin. And now, that you realize you love Marah, your emotions are coming into play in your decisions more. You were jealous of Hunter and Summer's relationship, so you hurt Summer. Then, you were overtaken by evil." Sensei concluded.
"So, obviously I can't be counted on to make ranger-like decisions." Dustin said. "On the contrary. You are even more fit for it. A ranger must think with his heart and mind." "I'm confused...Aren't you disappointed in me?" He asked. "For the way you choice to let your heart deal with your feelings. A ninja must only fight when needed." Sensei told him. Dustin nodded sheepishly.
"Meaning I shouldn't have fought with Summer, and thrown her off the cliff." Dustin said. Sensei smiled and nodded.
"Exactly. Now as punishment, you will run 10 miles and apologize to Summer for what happened." Sensei said. Dustin nodded and bowed.
"Thank you Sensei." He murmured quietly. Sensei nodded and went back to his little house.
"Don't forget your morpher." Sensei. Dustin picked up his things. He left. He found the others outside. "Summer." He said. Summer looked at him. "I..." "You don't need to apologize. I shouldn't have said those things." Summer said.
"You were only being honest." Dustin said.
"I shouldn't have thrown you off the cliff-" "You didn't throw me, it was more like we fell." She smiled. "Well, fine, but, I shouldn't have pushed you into the river." He said.
"Friends?" He asked. "Always." Summer smiled, hugging him. Dustin looked at Joey. "I know that I was under a spell when it happened, but, still, I'm sorry for strangling you." He said. Joey shrugged. "Eh, I was evil to remember, know the feelings." She said. Dustin smiled.
"Friends?" He asked. Joey nodded. Hunter took Summer's hand in his and leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"Ready to go?" He asked. Summer nodded.
"I'm going to have a long, hot bath when we get home." She commented. Hunter chuckled.
"We'll see you guys later." He said leading Summer away from the group.
"So, just a warning, will it be safe to come home?" Blake asked them. Hunter looked at Summer. "As tempting as it sounds...Not tonight.." She whispered to him. Hunter kissed her forehead. "You're still recovering." He said. He looked at Blake and nodded. He and Summer left.
"So, now what?" Tori asked. "We go home for a long sleep." Joey sighed. "I mean, after that...Like, big picture." Tori said.
"You mean, now that we all know who's who." Larissa said. Tori nodded.
"Well, our base of operations is home, but it's nothing like what you guys have." She said. "Cam, you think you can share the tech business?" Shane smirked. "With any of you, hell no." Cam said.
"But, Larissa, if you want to-"
"Your stuff is far more advance then ours." Larissa said. Cam smiled and took her hand. "Well, then, I guess long hours of tutoring are in order." He said. Larissa smiled. "Guess so." They went back to Opts. Shane, Dustin and Blake laughed. "Cam is in looooove." Dustin said. Everyone chuckled.
)))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((
Hunter and Summer walked slowly through the wooded area behind Ninja Ops.
"I need to get my car." Summer said out of the blue. Hunter smiled and kissed her.
"Lets get you home first, then I can go get it." He said. Summer looked at him.
"You'd do that for me?" She asked. Hunter smiled and nodded.
"Of course I would. come on, lets bounce home, you can get your bath and go to bed, and I'll go get your car." He said. Summer smiled.
"Race ya home." She said taking off bouncing in the direction of the Bradley household. Hunter bounced after her. By the time Hunter reached the driveway of his house, Summer was sitting on the porch, resting. Hunter jogged over to her.
"I take it you won?" He asked. Summer winked and giggled.
"I always win." She said.
"Maybe I let you." Hunter smiled. He went over and scooped her up in his arms. Summer shrieked with laughter. "Put me down!" She said. "No can do, m'lady." He said. He opened the door and carried her inside. Summer continued to shriek loudly with laughter as Hunter wandered upstairs and into his room. He gently placed her down on his bed and kissed her. She smiled at him and kissed him back gently.
"Need any help getting undressed?" He asked innocently. Summer tilted her head and looked at him.
"The only thing your going to help me do, is get my car." She joked. Hunter sighed and pouted. He nodded and tossed her robe to her.
"I'll be back soon.. If I come back quickly.. Can I bath with you?" He asked, sounding like a 10-year-old. Summer broke into a fit of giggles.
"Of course." She said kissing him passionately. Hunter grinned and exited the room. He stopped at the door and looked at her. "I love you so much." He commented. Summer looked at him and smiled softly.
"I love you too Hunter." She replied as he bounded down the stairs, and out the door. Summer made her way to the bathroom and filled the tub with warm water. She gingerly took off her clothes and slid into the tub.
A/N: Hey everyone, just to let you know, this book in the series in coming to an end in a few chapters, and Becky and myself will be starting on book two almost as soon as we finish.. Also, my birthday is a week from tomorrow (tomorrow's Monday October 27th, meaning that my birthday will be November 3rd) so well wishes are greatly appreaciated.
Byez!
"It's.... Dustin...He's in....Trouble...." Larissa said softly.
"I...Something feels...Bad..." Everyone looked at one another, then back at Larissa. "How..." Tori asked.
"Looks like the power of lightening isn't the only thing she got from Taheaira." Joey said softly. She stood up.
"I'll go find him." Joey said. Summer looked at her. "Jo-" "Don't worry," Joey said.
"I know you want first dibs on him." Joey smiled. "Do you want me to come with you?" Shane asked. "No, it's OK." Joey said.
"I'll be back in a bit." She said as she left. Hunter set Summer down on the ground and knelt beside her. Summer smiled weakly, trying to ignore the pain. Hunter tucked some fallen strands of hair, behind her ear and smiled gently back at her.
"Thanks." She murmured. Hunter smiled and kissed her gently.
"Anytime beautiful." He replied.
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((
Joey walked along the woods of the island.
"Dustin?" She called out. "Dustin, come on, where are you?" She asked. She sighed.
"Look, if it makes you feel any better, Summer's declared that Hunter, me, or anyone else can't touch you, at least not until she gets a whack at you." Joey smirked.
"And she will." She muttered.
"Oh look, another Ranger has lost their way." Came Kapri's voice as she stepped out from behind a tree. Joey blinked and instantly got into a fighting stance.
"Oh look, my favorite evil pink haired freak." Joey replied. Kapri smiled evily. Joey looked at her.
"What do you mean ano..." She paused.
"What did you do with Dustin?" Kapri simply laughed and stepped to the side. Joey gasped as she saw Dustin motionless body lying on the ground. He had a bruise on his forehead. Joey went over to his side.
"Dustin?" She said, shaking his shoulder. Nothing.
"Dustin, come on, wake up." She said. Dustin's eyes fluttered open. He looked up at her.
"Jo?" He asked, unsurely. Joey nodded. She helped him sit up. Dustin put his arms on her shoulders. Joey stood up and helped him up.
"Come on, let's get you out of-Ahh!" Joey gasped as she felt Dustin grab her and roughly slam her against a tree.
"Dustin, what the hell!" She screamed. Dustin pressed up against her. Joey began to panic. Was he going to do to her what her "father" did to her mother? Dustin put his legs between hers and wrapped his hands around her neck. He had his legs there to keep her from kicking him where it hurt. Joey tried to push him away. Dustin didn't budge. His grip around her neck tightened, nearly crushing her windpipe. Joey franticly scratched at his hands. She could see that she was drawing blood on his hands, but he didn't seem to care. He kept choking her and sneering down at her menacingly.
"You're probably wondering what's going on." Kapri said with a smirk.
"It's quite simple, your yellow friend is under my control." Joey continued to scratch at Dustin's arms, and could feel herself losing consciousness from lack of oxygen. Joey's head finally slumped forward and her arms became limp at her side. Kapri smiled evilly. Dustin smirked and threw Joey to the ground. Kapri stood over her and took out a miniature sword from her pocket and placed it on Joey's forehead, and in between her eyes. She muttered a few choice words and the sword sunk into Joey's head. Her eyes reopened and were blood red. Kapri giggled and stood up fully. She looked at Joey who was still lying there.
"Get up." Kapri commanded. Joey stood up and beside Dustin.
"Excellent." Kapri smirked.
"When darkness falls tonight.... your friends will all be separated, and one by one, you shall kill them." She told the now evil rangers who nodded.
((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((( (((((((((((((((((((((( "No." Marah whispered, tears filling her eyes. Kapri had tainted the one she loved. He was evil. She thought maybe that Joey could help him, save him, but when he started choking her, she got even more frightened. Even if Dustin broke out of the spell, the grips of killing someone would never loosen, he'd wish for death himself. And then Kapri turned her evil as well. There had to be something she could do.........But that?
)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Larissa screamed, clutching her head. Cam held her close. "What's going on?" Tori asked worriedly.
"Joey...She............AHH...So much pain...She's scared...She can't breath...She...." Larissa rambled. Shane's eyebrows shot up. "What? What about Joey?" He asked desperately. Then suddenly Larissa stopped moving. She was limp in Cam's arms, her breath ragged.
"Larissa." Shane asked. "I.........I can't...Everything's..........Black...Red...I don't...Know." Larissa said. "She's...dead?" Summer asked, tears threatening to fall. "I don't know." Larissa said. Summer forced herself to her feet and wobbled around before regaining her balance.
"Where is she?" Summer asked. Larissa blinked back threatening tears.
"Somewhere.... I'm getting mixed signals of where she and Dustin might be." Larissa responded. Summer looked around the group and took charge.
"Alright.... Blake, Tori, Cam and Larissa, you go and try to track down Dustin. Hunter, Shane and I will track down Joey." Summer told them. They nodded and set out from the cave. (((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( (((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))) "Where is she......" Shane asked desperately. He, Summer and Hunter were searching for Joey. He was panicked. "It's getting dark." Hunter said. Shane spun around to him.
"I don't care!" Shane yelled. Hunter stepped back. Summer stepped between them. "Stop." She said.
"Look, we're not going to stop looking for her. She could be in trouble or...." Summer didn't even want to think of the "or".
"We're not stopping." "I'm not saying we should." Hunter said.
"I'm just saying it's going to be harder in the dead of night and we should find her soon."
"Find who?" Came a voice. They all spun to see Joey walking over to them calmly.
"Everything OK?" She asked. Shane and Summer ran up to her and pulled her into a bone crushing group hug. "Are you OK?" Summer asked. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Joey asked.
"Larissa, she-" Shane began. "Larissa's having problems." Joey said.
"You know how she is, Sum. She gets crazy under stress." Joey walked past them. Summer, Shane and Hunter looked at each other. Something was wrong. Joey would never talk about Larissa so flippantly. "Uh, no, Jo...Larissa, all of us, were really worried about you." Summer said.
"Have you seen Dustin?"
"No." Joey said.
"He's probably just cooling off, I mean, Summer you did get him pretty steamed." Joey said. Shane walked up to her and looked at her. "All right, who are you and what have you done with Josephina?" He asked.
"A little while ago you were ready to murder Dustin and everything." Joey looked at him. A slow smile crept on her face.
"Well, why would I do that? Dustin's not the enemy. You are." She said. And with that, she kicked him in the gut, knocking him to the ground. "Oomph!" Shane cried as the wind was knocked out of him. Summer and Hunter looked at Shane.
"Joey, what's going-" Summer began. Joey looked at them. Her eyes were glowing red. Summer gasped. Hunter stepped in front of Summer, ready to protect her. Summer placed a hand on Hunter's shoulder.
"We need to split up in order to beat her... let me create a distraction for her, you grab Shane and follow Joey from a safe distance ok?" Summer asked. Hunter looked at her with titled eyes, still focused on Joey.
"How about I create the distraction?" He asked. Summer shook her head.
"No.... I know for a fact that Joey is more likely to come after me.... Trust me." Summer told him. Hunter cursed under his breath.
"Your still hurt." He said. Summer sighed.
"Nothing I haven't dealt with before... I'll be fine.... I love you." She said. She kissed his cheek and ran out from behind him, her legs still a little shaky.
"Hey Joey!!!!" Summer called waving her arms over her head. Joey looked at Summer and snarled. Summer cursed herself, and took off running down the mountainside. Joey flew past Hunter and chased after Summer. Hunter dashed over to Shane and helped him up.
"We have to follow them closely." Hunter said. Shane nodded and they ran after the girls. Summer ran as far and fast as she could. Her legs were killing her, but she had to keep running. Joey bounded after her. Summer's legs felt like they were on fire. She yelped as she fell down. Joey caught up to her. "Aw, did Pinkie fall down and hurt herself?" She asked. Summer looked at her. "Joey, I don't know what happened to you, but this isn't you..." Summer said. Joey grinned.
"Oh, keep begging for your life Sum, it makes it all so much more exciting." She said. She slowly walked closer to Summer. Summer tried to move away. "Summer!" Hunter yelled as he and Shane got there. Joey spun to face them. "Aw look, the boyfriend and the pathetic loser to the rescue, how touching." She sneered. She held her hand down at her side. The two boys watched as a small ball of fire formed in her hand. Shane looked at Hunter.
"You get Summer, I'll keep her busy." He said. "You sure?" Hunter asked. Shane nodded. Hunter darted to the side and dodged a flying fireball that erupted from Joey's hand. Shane ran around the other side, and as Hunter came closer to Summer, Shane tackled Joey around and waist and brought her to the ground. She kicked Shane and pushed herself into a sitting position. Shane ducked out of the way and rolled away. Joey got up and surged after him. He darted up the hill and Joey trailed him. Hunter skidded to a stop beside Summer. He dropped to his knees and looked at his girlfriend, whose eyes were wide with fear.
"You ok?" He asked. Summer looked at him, her entire body shaking.
"My legs gave out... I think I've got pinched nerves in them... and Joey tried to kill me... I'm fucking peachy." She told him. Hunter chuckled and hugged her.
"Well.... your ok for the most part, and that's all that matters." he told her truthfully. Summer smiled. Shane ran over to a tree. Joey was right behind him. He jumped up and walked up the tree, jumping behind Joey. He grabbed her over her arms, pinning them to her side. Joey screamed like a wild animal, struggling.
"Joey, I know that something or someone is making you do this...You've got to break out of it!" Shane said. Joey continued struggling. She suddenly gave out a pained scream and fell, pulling Shane with her. Shane was sitting, holding her against him. He felt the skin under his arm heating up.
"Aw crap, not now." Joey was sweating, turning pale and everything. Even though she was currently trying to kill him, Shane had to help her. He focused his ninja energies and used his Air Ninja powers to bring on a cool breeze. ~~~~~~~~~~~Joey's Dream~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joey looked around. She was in the dark room again; Shane was standing in front of her, again, touching her, again. The room started to spin, she felt different. ~~~~~~~~~~~Real~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joey gasped as her eyes snapped open. Shane looked at her. Her eyes held fear, pain, and confusion. "Shane?" She choked out. Shane looked at her and hugged her tightly.
"Your back." He said. Joey nodded and whimpered as another wave of an attack hit her.
"Hold on Jo.. Your gonna be fine." He whispered gently into her ear. Joey nodded through her tears.
))))((((
Hunter helped Summer to her feet and she took a step forward and cried out in pain.
"It hurts so much.." She cried. Hunter hugged her tightly.
"What's wrong?" He asked. Summer looked at him.
"My legs. It's like a constant muscle spasm. I can't walk." She sobbed into her hands. Hunter looked at her legs and gently massaged her thighs, calves, knees, everything. Summer looked at him. Surprisingly, the pain lessened.
"How.......What......" She asked, surprised. "Days and days of endless training, you learn to do something about those craps from miles and miles of jogging." He smiled. Summer smiled. ())))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((
Joey was in Shane's arms. He was making the wind hit her full on. It was slowly working. Shane had slid his hand in hers, and she would squeeze it whenever a attack hit, he was seeing that the squeezes were beginning to be few and far between. Joey couldn't believe this...It was as if her dream was true. Shane was helping her cool off. He was filling her with cool breezes. Joey paused as she realized something. "Dustin...He..." She said as she tried to sit up. Shane held her close. "Shh, shh, just relax right now." He whispered softly. "Did I hurt anyone?" She asked, afraid of the answer.
"You knocked me down, chased Summer, but that's all." He said. "Are you?" She was cut off by an attack. "I'm OK, Summer's OK. Hunter's with her." He said. Joey let out a shaky breath.
"Well at least I didn't hurt anyone." She commented. Shane smiled.
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((9
Cam, Tori, Blake, and Larissa stumbled through the thickly wooded area.
"I wonder if they found Joey." Tori wondered out loud, rubbing her arms. Blake put his arms around her. Cam looked at Larissa. "Are you getting anything?" He asked. Larissa took a deep breath. "I'm feeling...Ease..." She said softly.
"I think she had an attack...And now it's passing."
"Well, that's good right?" Blake asked.
"It means she's not dead." Larissa nodded. ())))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))))))))))))))))))()))))))))))))))) After a while, Joey's episode passed. Shane helped her to her feet. Joey didn't wait for him as she took off for Summer. Summer and Hunter saw her coming. "She's coming......Without Shane....." Summer muttered. Hunter stood up quickly, protecting her. Joey got there. "Summer, are you OK?" She asked, worriedly. Summer stared at her closely. "Is it really you?" She asked skeptically.
"It is." Shane said as he ran up to them.
"She had another attack, and it must have broken her out of whatever it was she was in." He said. Summer let out a sigh of relief. Joey went over and hugged her gently. "We were worried about you. What happened?" Summer asked. Joey sighed.
"I was looking for Dustin, and I found Kapri. Then, I saw Dustin...He was lying on the ground. I thought he was dead or...I don't know...So I went over to him and everything. He woke up and I tried helping him up to his feet and then...He pushed me against a tree and..." Shane's fist clenched.
"What did he do?" He asked. Joey took a deep breath and pushed her hair aside to reveal her neck. There was a red mark on it, as if she had been strangled. "And then I passed out, and Kapri did something to me...She made me...Evil..." "And she made Dustin evil too?" Hunter asked. Joey nodded.
"The others are looking for him, we better warn them before he hurts them." Summer said. ()))))))))))))))((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))()()()( Cam, Tori, Blake and Larissa were walking around when they heard bushes rustling. They stepped back, wondering whom it was. Soon Hunter, Summer, Joey and Shane came out.
"Joey!" Larissa yelled as she went over and hugged her. Joey hugged her back.
"Are you OK?" "Yeah." Joey said. "Well, none of you will be soon." Came Kapri's voice. They turned to see her standing with Dustin.
"Dude, there you are," Blake said. "Careful, Kapri's got him under some sort of spell." Joey said. "Got that right." Kapri sneered. "Give the girl a prize." Dustin said. "Dustin?" Tori asked. Dustin sneered at Tori and sent some sort of flying projectile at her. She dove out of the way.
"Holy hell Dustin.. Snap out of it!" Hunter said. Dustin turned and sneered at Summer and Hunter. Dustin approached them cautiously and Kapri kept the others busy with Kalzacks. Summer's back hit a tree and she stopped. She looked at Hunter.
"Distraction?" Summer muttered. Hunter nodded. Summer dove to the left, and Hunter dove to the right. Dustin sent a blast flying at Hunter. The ground in front of him exploded and Hunter flipped over and began rolling and bouncing down the hill. He tried to grab onto something but it wasn't working. The bottom half of his body finally came to a stop, but he was holding onto the side of the cliff, and dangling over a lake. Summer saw this and stood up. She couldn't believe it. Dustin was trying to kill Hunter this time.
"No more nice Lady Thunder." She growled. Summer ran at Dustin, kicking and punching. Dustin blocked and then began attacking her. He was moving to fast and Summer couldn't block. He then wrapped his hands around her neck. "Summer." Hunter yelled. He tried climbing back up to help her. Joey knocked down a Kalzack and saw Summer and Dustin.
"Hang on!" She yelled. She flipped her way over to Dustin and grabbed him around the neck from behind in a tight headlock, causing him to release Summer. Summer fell back, coughing.
"How do you like being on the receiving end, buddy?" Joey yelled, holding him. Summer went over to Hunter and pulled him up.
"You OK?" Hunter asked. Summer nodded. Dustin ran back and slammed Joey's back against a tree. Joey cried out and fell down. Hunter and Summer jumped up and went at him. The others got rid of the Kalzacks. Dustin went back over to Kapri. Summer helped Joey up to her feet and the others came over to them.
"Ready to die, Rangers?" Kapri sneered. Suddenly, her eyes rolled back and she fell, unconscious. The others stood surprised as they saw someone wearing a purple hooded robe standing behind her holding a branch. Dustin turned to the person. "Big mistake." He said. He went and began attacking the person. They blocked and kicked him in the knees. He fell back. The others stared at the person.
"Who...Who are you?" Tori asked. The person looked at her and pulled back the hood. It was Marah. "You?!" Summer exclaimed. Dustin rose to his feet. Marah turned to him, staring him in the eyes. "Dustin...Don't do this...You're under Kapri's control. You don't want to hurt your friends." She said.
"That's what you think." Dustin growled as he tried to punch her. Marah grabbed his arm and pulled him to a tree. She pressed against him. Dustin struggled. Marah grabbed his face and crushed her lips against his. They shared a long, slow passionate kiss. Marah pulled back. Dustin's eyes flashed red then went to normal. He groaned as he slid to the ground. "Ah.... My head..." He said. Marah kneeled beside him. Dustin looked at her. "Mar....What are you doing here?" He asked. "She saved you.." Cam said, surprised. Marah looked up at them. "I couldn't let Kapri do this...Couldn't let her use Dustin this way." She said. Summer looked down.
"You love him." She said. "Yes...I do." She said. Everyone felt all kinds of stupid right then. "We thought..." Blake began.
"I know." She said.
"And I wouldn't exactly blame you all for it either. I know that my behavior didn't exactly give you all room to consider that." She looked down.
"I am ashamed of what I've done." Dustin placed a hand on her cheek and made her look at him. "You're here now, that's all that matters." He said. Marah blinked. She stood up. "I have to go." She said softly.
"I have to leave before Kapri wakes up."
"Where will you go?" Larissa asked. "Back to the ship." "What? Why?" Dustin asked. Marah looked at him, sighing painfully.
"I can't...It's. Hard to explain...Lothor and Kapri are all the family I have...I can't leave...At least not yet." She said. She disappeared, taking Kapri with her. Dustin looked down. "I...I'm sorry." Summer said.
"I was wrong about Marah." Dustin stood up. He sighed. "Forget it, it's OK." He said. Hunter coughed. Dustin looked at him.
"What?" He asked. Hunter glared at him. Summer put her hand on his arm.
"Don't Hunter.. It's not important anymore." Summer told him gently. Hunter backed off but continued to glare at Dustin. Dustin knew what Hunter had been hinting at. But he wasn't going to apologize yet.
"Rangers? Are you there?" Came a voice on Cam's communicator. Everyone looked at him shocked. "Marah must've removed the block in our systems." Cam said. "That's good, right?" Joey asked. Cam nodded. He brought it to his mouth. "Yeah, dad, we're here, and all right, and, well, we have some new friends." Cam said. "The three mysterious rangers, I presume." Sensei said. "Yeah." Cam said. Sensei smiled.
"I will be teleporting you momentarily. do you have everything you need?" Sensei asked. The teens nodded at Cam.
"Yes dad, we do." Cam replied. Sensei nodded and jumped onto another button.
"Teleporting now." He said. All at once the 9 teens disappeared in streaks of yellow, orange, green, crimson, navy, red, pink, blue and black. They re- materialized on the floor of Ninja Ops. Summer, Joey and Larissa, who had never been teleported before landed painfully on the floor, whereas the other rangers only stumbled before regaining their composure. Hunter lifted Summer into a standing position and she leaned against him. Cam held his hand out to Larissa, who took it eagerly and Joey stood on her own without and help.
"Whoa." Summer said, looking around the room. "Welcome, friends," Sensei said. Joey, Larissa and Summer looked over at him. "Uh...This might be me being delusional, but did that hamster just talk?" Joey asked. "If you are delusional, then so am I, cause I think it did." Larissa said.
"A. He's a guinea pig, b. he's my dad." Cam said. Joey looked at Cam, then at Larissa. "Lar, you're dating the son of a guinea pig.." She said. "He's human." Shane said.
"He's just...trapped in a guinea pig's body right now." Summer looked at Sensei and giggled.
"He' so adorable." She commented. Hunter looked at her strangely.
"Did you just call Sensei. adorable?" He asked. Summer nodded.
"Guinea pig's are so adorable. and since your Sensei is a guinea pig. he's adorable." She said. Hunter looked at her again.
"I have one weird girlfriend." He commented. He was the rewarded for his comment by being smacked upside the head.
"I resent being called weird." Summer told him. Hunter grinned.
"If the shoe fits.." He began. Summer turned and glared at him.
"If the shoe fits. you won't be able to make children." She told him, smiling smugly. Hunter's face paled.
"I'm going to retract that previous statement then." He said. Summer grinned.
"Smart move." She said. Sensei smiled at the two. He then looked at Joey and froze. "Dad?" Cam asked. Sensei shook his head. "I'm sorry, I just..." He looked at Joey.
"You remind me of someone...A ninja student I knew when I was a student...She was from another academy. She then became one of the sensei-"
"Carmen Sanchez is my mother." Joey said. Sensei blinked. "Oh, I didn't know she married." Sensei said. "She didn't." Joey said in a tone that said she didn't want to talk about it anymore. Sensei looked at Larissa. "You must be Taheaira's child." He said.
"I...How'd you know?" She asked. "Your mother and I were friends when we were younger. We sometimes kept in contact and she told me she had a daughter who she just knew one day would step up to be a holder of great power." He said. Larissa blushed at hearing her mother had talked about her like that. Sensei then turned and looked at Summer.
"And you." He began. Summer smiled weakly.
"Not much about me.." She said. Sensei smiled.
"Lady thunder, I presume." He said.
"All the Sensei's knew the prophecy of a woman wielding the thunder power." He smiled.
"But we always thought it was just a myth." "Wow, you're a prophecy." Hunter smirked. "Go Summer." Shane laughed. Summer blushed.
"Sensei Oramo told me about that. Before I left." Summer admitted. Sensei smiled.
"Well it's wonderful to be in the presence of a prophecy." Sensei commented. Larissa walked up, admiring the tech stuff. "Wow, this is all incredible." She said. She accidentally pressed a button, suddenly Cyber Cam appeared in front of her. Larissa jumped back, shocked. "Cam?" She looked back at Cam.
"And Cam...What the..." Cam and Cyber Cam smiled and looked at Larissa.
"Larissa meet Cyber Cam, a creation of my own to run Ninja Ops. Cyber Cam, meet Larissa Lekika, my girlfriend." Cam introduced the pair. Larissa shook Cyber Cam's hand.
"Nice to meet you." She said politely. Cyber Cam nodded.
"Werd." He said.
"Cam's got fine taste in hunnies." Cyber Cam said. He lifted Larissa's hand to his lips. Larissa pulled it away. "Cyber Cam, knock it off." Cam said. Cyber Cam smiled and stepped back. "No fowl, no fowl, just appreciating the beautious babe." He said, winking at Larissa.
"Don't worry," Shane said. "He's supposed to be the exact opposite of Cam." He said. Larissa sighed with relief. "Thank god." She smiled. Everyone laughed.
"At least I won't get them mixed up." Larissa commented. Cam smiled. Cyber Cam smirked.
"Well yah kno. if Cam ever does anythin' I got Yo back." He said, sweetly. Larissa smiled.
"That's sweet Cyber Cam. but it's not going to happen." She responded. Cyber Cam looked down sadly.
"Shot down again." He muttered walking away. Cam walked over to Larissa. "Well, I guess I did make him smart." Cam said. Larissa looked at him. "What do you mean?" She asked. "Well, he thought you were incredible, so, he's obviously not retarded." He smiled. Larissa blushed. Sensei cleared his throat. Cam looked down.
"Sorry dad." He said. Sensei nodded.
"I've noticed that some of our new rangers, as well as others, have some battle injuries, and I would like for them to be taken care of." Sensei told Cam, who nodded.
"Summer, Dustin and Joey, come with me." Cam said. The three nodded and set off after Cam, but were stopped by Sensei's command.
"I would like to speak with Dustin alone, before you take a look at his injuries Cameron." Sensei said. Cam nodded and shooed Dustin towards his father. Tori, Hunter, Blake, Shane, and Larissa vacated outside Ninja Ops and waited for Sensei to finish with Dustin.
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"Is Dustin going to be OK?" Larissa wondered out loud as they all got outside. "Don't know, don't care." Hunter said. "Hunter." Blake said sternly. "What? He made my girlfriend fall of a cliff, threw her in a river and tried to strangle her." Hunter said. "He's been through a lot." Tori reasoned. "And Summer hasn't?" Hunter said. "Look, you guys are a team, you have to stick together." Larissa said. "Yeah, well, Dustin's not exactly a team player." Hunter grumbled.
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Joey and Summer followed Cam into the back room in Ninja Ops, and stopped, waiting for Cam to give them more directions. He turned around and looked at them.
"Joey lay down on that table, Summer on this one." Cam said. Both girls nodded and plopped themselves down on the tables. Cam ran a scanner over Joey's body. "Dustin nearly crushed your windpipe." Cam said. "Really? Didn't notice." Joey replied sarcastically. Cam laughed. He shot some beams at her neck, fixing the damage. Joey felt it get better.
"Whoa." She said. Cam's brows then furrowed as the scanner got a weird reading. "That's weird." He said.
"What?" Joey asked. "It-" He began to say, suddenly the scanner sparked and grew very hot. Cam jumped back and dropped it, it broke into little pieces. Joey sat up. "Your toy just broke." She said. Cam looked at her.
"No kidding." He commented. Joey smirked. Cam looked at the busted scanner. He touched it and removed his hand almost immedality.
"That's really hot!" He commented. Joey looked at him.
"Like a burning fever hot?" She asked. Cam nodded. Joey gave him a half smile.
"It's reacting to my condition." She said. Cam looked at her. Joey shook her head.
"The exact same thing happened at the Academy a few years back. I just remember my mother saying it was reacting to my genetics and condition." Joey finished. Cam nodded.
"I guess it makes sense." Cam said.
"Has anyone ever tried to-" "Diagnose it?" Joey asked.
"Uh, yeah, about a hand full of doctors. Nothing. They can't find anything wrong with me to show why I get this. One even said it was probably mental, that I was crazy..." Joey shrugged.
"Maybe I am." She said. Cam looked at her and shrugged.
"Maybe." He said. He wandered over to a consul in the middle of the room and picked up another scanner and wandered over to Summer. He smiled gently and ran the scanner over her body. When the scan finished he looked at the scanner and sighed.
"Good news, and bad new. which do you want first?" He asked the pink ranger. Summer sighed.
"Good please." She said. Cam nodded.
"Good news is, your injuries are mostly minor, and should heal by themselves. bad news is. you've got two pinched nerves in your legs, so walking is going to be very painful until they heal, which should take 6-8 days." He said. Summer smiled and sat up.
"Other than that. your perfectly fine. and you can both go home now." Cam told them. The girls smiled and stood. Joey bounded from the room immedality, whereas Summer slowly exited, trying not to aggravate her pinched nerves.
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Sensei and Dustin watched as Joey bounded past them and up the steps outside, they then watched at Summer slowly and gingerly made her way out of Ninja Ops. After both girls, as well as Cam, had exited, Sensei turned to Dustin and looked at him.
"I am very disappointed in you Dustin." He said. Dustin sighed and nodded. He pulled off his morpher and communicator and set it on the desk by Sensei's feet. Sensei stared at him. "I know. Find some one else to be the dirt ranger." Dustin said. "Dustin." He said. "You are a power ranger. Your destiny chose you."
"I thought it was just because Shane Tori and I were the only ones left." Dustin replied bitterly. "Whatever reason the three of you arrived late, it was fate. Fate kept you from coming on time and being captured by Lothor. You must know that Dustin." "All I know is I hurt people. People who are my friends. What kind of ranger am I?" "One who can not control his emotions." Sensei said. Dustin looked at him.
"I don't get it." He replied bluntly. Sensei sighed softly and looked at Dustin.
"You cannot control your emotions, therefore, when something happens, you think with your heart, not your head." Sensei finished. Dustin groaned.
"Well at least I know I have a heart now." He said. Sensei chuckled softly.
"You've always had a heart Dustin. And now, that you realize you love Marah, your emotions are coming into play in your decisions more. You were jealous of Hunter and Summer's relationship, so you hurt Summer. Then, you were overtaken by evil." Sensei concluded.
"So, obviously I can't be counted on to make ranger-like decisions." Dustin said. "On the contrary. You are even more fit for it. A ranger must think with his heart and mind." "I'm confused...Aren't you disappointed in me?" He asked. "For the way you choice to let your heart deal with your feelings. A ninja must only fight when needed." Sensei told him. Dustin nodded sheepishly.
"Meaning I shouldn't have fought with Summer, and thrown her off the cliff." Dustin said. Sensei smiled and nodded.
"Exactly. Now as punishment, you will run 10 miles and apologize to Summer for what happened." Sensei said. Dustin nodded and bowed.
"Thank you Sensei." He murmured quietly. Sensei nodded and went back to his little house.
"Don't forget your morpher." Sensei. Dustin picked up his things. He left. He found the others outside. "Summer." He said. Summer looked at him. "I..." "You don't need to apologize. I shouldn't have said those things." Summer said.
"You were only being honest." Dustin said.
"I shouldn't have thrown you off the cliff-" "You didn't throw me, it was more like we fell." She smiled. "Well, fine, but, I shouldn't have pushed you into the river." He said.
"Friends?" He asked. "Always." Summer smiled, hugging him. Dustin looked at Joey. "I know that I was under a spell when it happened, but, still, I'm sorry for strangling you." He said. Joey shrugged. "Eh, I was evil to remember, know the feelings." She said. Dustin smiled.
"Friends?" He asked. Joey nodded. Hunter took Summer's hand in his and leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"Ready to go?" He asked. Summer nodded.
"I'm going to have a long, hot bath when we get home." She commented. Hunter chuckled.
"We'll see you guys later." He said leading Summer away from the group.
"So, just a warning, will it be safe to come home?" Blake asked them. Hunter looked at Summer. "As tempting as it sounds...Not tonight.." She whispered to him. Hunter kissed her forehead. "You're still recovering." He said. He looked at Blake and nodded. He and Summer left.
"So, now what?" Tori asked. "We go home for a long sleep." Joey sighed. "I mean, after that...Like, big picture." Tori said.
"You mean, now that we all know who's who." Larissa said. Tori nodded.
"Well, our base of operations is home, but it's nothing like what you guys have." She said. "Cam, you think you can share the tech business?" Shane smirked. "With any of you, hell no." Cam said.
"But, Larissa, if you want to-"
"Your stuff is far more advance then ours." Larissa said. Cam smiled and took her hand. "Well, then, I guess long hours of tutoring are in order." He said. Larissa smiled. "Guess so." They went back to Opts. Shane, Dustin and Blake laughed. "Cam is in looooove." Dustin said. Everyone chuckled.
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Hunter and Summer walked slowly through the wooded area behind Ninja Ops.
"I need to get my car." Summer said out of the blue. Hunter smiled and kissed her.
"Lets get you home first, then I can go get it." He said. Summer looked at him.
"You'd do that for me?" She asked. Hunter smiled and nodded.
"Of course I would. come on, lets bounce home, you can get your bath and go to bed, and I'll go get your car." He said. Summer smiled.
"Race ya home." She said taking off bouncing in the direction of the Bradley household. Hunter bounced after her. By the time Hunter reached the driveway of his house, Summer was sitting on the porch, resting. Hunter jogged over to her.
"I take it you won?" He asked. Summer winked and giggled.
"I always win." She said.
"Maybe I let you." Hunter smiled. He went over and scooped her up in his arms. Summer shrieked with laughter. "Put me down!" She said. "No can do, m'lady." He said. He opened the door and carried her inside. Summer continued to shriek loudly with laughter as Hunter wandered upstairs and into his room. He gently placed her down on his bed and kissed her. She smiled at him and kissed him back gently.
"Need any help getting undressed?" He asked innocently. Summer tilted her head and looked at him.
"The only thing your going to help me do, is get my car." She joked. Hunter sighed and pouted. He nodded and tossed her robe to her.
"I'll be back soon.. If I come back quickly.. Can I bath with you?" He asked, sounding like a 10-year-old. Summer broke into a fit of giggles.
"Of course." She said kissing him passionately. Hunter grinned and exited the room. He stopped at the door and looked at her. "I love you so much." He commented. Summer looked at him and smiled softly.
"I love you too Hunter." She replied as he bounded down the stairs, and out the door. Summer made her way to the bathroom and filled the tub with warm water. She gingerly took off her clothes and slid into the tub.
A/N: Hey everyone, just to let you know, this book in the series in coming to an end in a few chapters, and Becky and myself will be starting on book two almost as soon as we finish.. Also, my birthday is a week from tomorrow (tomorrow's Monday October 27th, meaning that my birthday will be November 3rd) so well wishes are greatly appreaciated.
Byez!