Title: Tilling My Own Grave
A vampy revamp of Power Rangers Ninja Storm
By foggynite

Preparations for patrol were tense that night. While the three rangers suited up, Cam stood in the armory, trying not to yawn as he ran an experienced eye over the wooden and steel equipment. Uncharacteristically, no one spoke.

Cam wanted desperately to be out there with them, doing something active, something more than waiting for news. Instead, they were all doing their nightly routines.

The walls of the small room were lined with every weapon available to a ninja and more, each carefully maintained by Cam, and he wondered which staff he wanted to sacrifice to Dustin next. Sighing, he selected the strongest one, then a katana for Shane, and a set of sai for Tori, as well as shurikens.

Returning to the main room, he studied the somber faces of the rangers. At least they were being serious for once. His father was just wrapping up his nightly wise and motivational speech, so Cam laid the weapons out on the table and waited until he was finished.

When his father fell silent, Cam cleared his throat and motioned to the weapons. "Try not to lose these, all right? We don't really have the budget to order more at the moment, and they're a pain to make from hand. So unless you want to get sanding, I suggest you exercise a little caution. Got it, Dustin?"

The brunette winced and nodded sheepishly. "Caution. Right."

Giving him a warning look for good measure, Cam continued. "Until we know exactly what we're up against, I'd like if you kept mostly to recon. Dustin, Shane. Start with patrolling the docks again, then make your way downtown. Keep an eye on the vamp and werewolf gangs, see what they're getting into. Try not to pick fights with everyone, Shane."

Ignoring the team leader's protest, Cam turned to Tori. "I need you to scout out the Bloody Mary, see if there're any new faces around. Don't make contact with anyone. This is just observation. We can start pulling in favors and asking around once we know who's in town."

"Why does she get to sit outside a club all night?" Dustin complained.

"Because she has the best memory," Cam answered simply. "I want you all to check in twice, one at midnight and again when you're on the return. Got it?"

They nodded and he looked questioningly at his father. Sensei merely bowed his head to them, a gesture they mirrored, and said, "Be careful, my rangers. May the Goddess protect you."

They left quickly and Cam stood for a moment, adjusting to the sudden quiet. His father padded slowly to the edge of the table.

"I'm going to reinforce the wards, son. Please let me know if you need anything."

An empty gesture, but Cam nodded anyway. Sensei sprang off the table into the shadows of the basement, heading for the small room behind the water heater where they kept the physical manifestations of their magical security grid.

Leaning over the computer console, Cam checked to make sure the electronic security system was functioning properly. He logged back into the rangers' section of the Council network. He called up the messages about Marah and Kapri again, searching for any known acquaintances they might be traveling with. Their last sighting was in New York City, with one of his uncle's generals, Zurgane. The werewolf was practically the second-in-command of his uncle's outfit, but Lothor had at least a dozen more under-bosses he employed, and any one of them could be in the city at the moment. With a determined frown, Cam started gathering intelligence on all of them, adding to the profiles already in his personal database.

Several hours of searching later, he leaned back from the console to stretch. His father had been systematically adding layers of power to each ward on the building and Cam's hair was standing on end. He almost didn't register the tingle from the back alley ward when it was triggered. He could feel his father sensing the intruders, but then Sensei backed down, making it easier for them to get in. The ward on the door to the basement warned him a second before the commotion in the stairwell had him on his feet. Dustin and Shane were staggering down the stairs.

"What happened?" Cam demanded as he registered their bedraggled state.

"Some dude called Zurgane tried to rip our heads off, but other than that everything's peachy..."

Sarcasm on Dustin was a little scary. Cam hurried over to help with Shane, who was favoring his ribs again and leaning heavily on the taller ranger, who was in turn limping and using the wall for support. Together, they managed to get to the futon Cam kept in the corner for nights like these.

"Aw man, and I have to go to dinner with my parents tonight," Shane groaned as they lowered him down.

"Just tell them it was a skateboarding accident," Cam suggested dryly while he efficiently stripped the jerkin from the younger man. Shane glared at him through the pain.

"Yeah, 'cause they don't already think I suck from all my 'accidents.' I'm never gonna get them to spring for that new deck if I keep getting thrashed..."

"Then stop getting thrashed."

Shane glared some more for good measure. Dustin flopped down on the futon next to him and gave him a weary shrug.

"At least we didn't lose our weapons, dude."

Cam quickly walked his fingers across Shane's ribs, trying not to put too much pressure on the already darkening bruises, but needing to know if anything was obviously broken. Compound fractures would require they go to a hospital, but Cam knew how to heal and bind simple breaks and cartilage damage. None of Shane's ribs had the sponge-like feel that usually meant a serious break, and despite his pallor, the team leader was alert and feeling well enough to be cranky, as was his usual state when injured. Some of Cam's tension eased.

"It feels like you've cracked these three here," Cam muttered and motioned for Dustin to grab the first aid kit under the futon. "Aren't these the ones you injured last night, too?"

"Yeah," Shane rasped, wincing. "Obviously, I need to work on my left guard. I didn't want to tape 'em tonight 'cause it hurt to breathe."

"Well, I'm sure it hurts a lot worse now." He plucked the medical tape from the box Dustin held open, as well as a bloodstone. "Now lay back and let me see what I can do."

He held the stone over the bruised area, focusing on the simple charm for healing. The ability was one that all of the rangers had, but Cam had the most practice. The spell was also a drain on the performing witch's power, and Cam was the only one besides his father that didn't use his powers on a regular basis during combat situations. He would be able to heal the bone and connective tissue, but the soreness and bruising would linger for a day or two.

The shrill ringing of his cell phone interrupted his focus.

"I got it," Dustin whispered, limping to the computer desk. Cam resumed his concentration, but Dustin tapped him on the shoulder, offering the phone. "It's Tori."

Keeping himself under tight control, he took the phone. "Yes?"

"Cam? We've got a situation here," Tori huffed into the phone. It sounded like she was running.

"What is it?"

"I just found Blake in an alley by the Bloody Mary. He's been bitten. Vampire."

"Do you know how to reach his brother?" Cam knew where this was going to end up and he didn't like it at all.

"No. They don't have a phone yet. We were just going to meet up." She kept pausing for breath and he realized she was carrying Blake.

They couldn't take him to a hospital; there would be too many questions and keeping the human authorities from knowing about their world's existence was a top priority, even over the life of one person. That didn't mean he was willing to let an innocent warlock die, though, so his options were limited. He would have liked to tell Tori to take the long route to the dojo, warned her to make sure her tracks were covered, maybe even directed her to another witch he knew that could handle a vampire bite. But the other witch lived in the suburbs, and they didn't have much time.

"Bring him in the back door to the dojo kitchen. Is he awake?"

"No."

"I'll meet you upstairs."

He snapped the phone shut and looked down at Shane, who had his eyes tightly shut. Dustin was swabbing at the deep scratches on his own leg with a gauze pad. On one hand, he wanted Shane healed as quickly as possible in case there was another confrontation ahead. On the other, he needed his father to keep reinforcing their security.

"Dustin, can you get my father to take care of Shane?"

"Sure, dude."

Cam quickly removed what he needed from the first aid kit and jogged up the stairs. Tori was closing the back door as he came out of the basement, and he hurried to help her. She had slung Blake over her shoulder for the journey, obviously struggling to keep the broader body balanced, and the look she gave Cam from behind her mask was fiercely determined.

"Just lay him on the floor," Cam ordered, catching Blake under the arms as she lowered him. A streak of blood was running down his face, pooling near his temple from when he had been upside down. The bite mark on his neck was a jagged crescent, not especially deep. It obviously hadn't been meant as a killing blow, so why would he be dumped in an alley? A tryst from the club perhaps?

While Tori kept the unconscious man's head supported, Cam wiped the bite area thoroughly with an alcohol swab. More blood oozed up, but it didn't have the purplish tint of infection that vampire bites got further in their progression. A recent bite, then, probably within an hour. Blake was lucky.

Wielding an unlabelled pump-spray bottle, Cam coated the area with the clear liquid. It was a counter-agent to the enzyme in vampire saliva that caused the transformation. In humans, it required they be bitten three times and then share the blood of the sire to transform. Witches were harder to turn and it was a complicated process, but the bite caused them illness, even death.

It was best to treat bites as quickly as possible, and the counter agent stung horribly according to Shane, so it was no surprise that Blake's eyes fluttered open when it started to fizz like hydrogen peroxide on a cut.

"Wha--?" Blake blinked up at them, a dopey smile coming across his face despite the pain. "Hey, Tori..."

"Hi." She smiled for the first time that night. "How do you feel?"

Cam rolled his eyes at the obvious question, but remained silent.

"Dizzy... Kinda weird." Blake mumbled, eyes drifting half-closed.

"You were bitten by a vampire," Cam supplied helpfully when it looked like Tori was just going to pet the man's hair all night. "Do you remember anything about the attack?"

"Huh? Blake looked confused and disoriented. "We were supposed to meet up with a friend once we got into town, but we couldn't find him. So I went to the club to find out if anyone's seen him. Then I..."

He trailed off, blinking again. Cam got out a penlight and shined it in his eyes. The pupils were unevenly dilated. "Looks like a concussion. Or he's on something."

"I had a soda. I think." He slurred.

Tori cradled his head, fingers checking for any lumps. "It doesn't feel like he's been hit..."

"A spell, maybe?" Cam speculated. He hadn't ruled out drugging. If it was hypnosis, then it should have been broken when he woke up.

Blake tried to sit up and Tori helped prop him against the cabinet doors. He grimaced and touched his neck, which had stopped fizzing. Cam swatted his hand away and opened a pack of gauze.

"Don't mess with it," he murmured. "It's still vulnerable to common infections."

"Yes, sir," Blake grinned cheekily at him. Cam had the feeling he was used to being fussed over. Not that Cam was fussing.

He glared until Blake held up his hands in mock surrender.

"It's all right, Blake." Tori said brightly with a tight grin at Cam. "You're safe here, but maybe we should contact Hunter?"

"Yeah," Blake seemed to be more alert by the minute. He gingerly moved his head from side to side when Cam was done bandaging. "He'll go nuts once he finds out, though, so I should probably tell him in person."

Then he blinked and looked around for the first time. "Where are we?"

"Cam's dojo," Tori supplied and Cam wanted to strangle her.

He'd tried explaining to the rangers once about volunteering information or giving more than was strictly necessary, but did they ever listen? No. And they had the gall to say he was paranoid, too. At least Blake had already known about the dojo, thanks to Dustin, but Cam had been hoping to get him away from here without letting him know where it was.

"Tori, why don't you drive Blake home since you have the van?" Maybe then they could find out where the two brothers were living.

"Oh, hey, you guys have done more than enough already," Blake protested with a charming smile. "As much as I'd love more time with you, Tor, I really couldn't ask you to drive me all the way home, too."

Cam frowned at the casual diminutive. Tor? She'd break their knee-caps if they tried to call her that, but she was just grinning at Blake.

"No, it's okay. Honest. I'm heading home anyway."

He'd have to get her report tomorrow, but it was his own fault for suggesting she drive. The two of them helped Blake to his feet, holding him steady when he swayed, and got him out the back door to the alley they used as parking. Dustin's motorcycle was carefully tucked out of sight next to the dumpster, and Blake didn't comment as they poured him into the van's passenger seat.

Saying a quick good bye, Cam hurried back into the dojo and secured the door before going back downstairs with the leftover medical supplies. Shane was dozing on the futon while Dustin and Sensei spoke quietly next to the computer.

"Cameron, Dustin has shared some disturbing news," his father said when he was near.

"More disturbing than Zurgane?" He asked with resignation.

"Indeed. Dustin?"

"Yeah, man. I meant to mention earlier—"Dustin's eyes were wide. "We stopped to break up one of the gang fights, cause they were being really loud, and that's when this Zurgane guy appeared out of nowhere. He started to get all furry, so the gang backed off, but there was this dude behind him, just watching the entire time we were fighting. He was in full ninja wear, I swear. When Shane fried Zurgane with his fire, this guy steps forward and grabs Zurgane by the scruff, then they teleported out of there. The gang freaked and ran."

Cam sat down slowly at the computer desk, digesting what had been said. Automatically, he opened a new file and started logging the information.

"You have no clue who it was? Other than the fact that it was some guy in a ninja suit?"

"Well, I think it was a guy. I didn't get a very good look." Dustin scratched at his head. "He was tall, though. I think."

Cam sighed. "Good enough. I'll ask Shane if he remembers anything more when he wakes up."

"Yeah. Can he sleep here tonight? I heard Tori leave and he'd kinda fall off my bike, dude."

"Yes." Cam checked the clock. It was only a little past midnight. If there was any more excitement going on that night, they'd have to hear about it through the grapevine. "Go home, Dustin. Get some sleep."

"Cool." The ranger had already changed out of his uniform, but he paused, looking at Shane. "Tell him I'll pick him up in the morning, okay?"

"Will do."

After Dustin left, his father retired back to the ward room. Cam began searching through the files again, trying to find any mention of rogue rangers or ninjas or even just rogue witches. Shane's snoring grated on his nerves, but he tried to tune it out. He couldn't help the anxiety churning in his stomach, no doubt preventing him from sleeping. There was just too much happening in a short span of time.

He thought of Tori's smile in the kitchen, and recalled uneasily how Blake hadn't even looked twice at her uniform.

To Be Continued...