Author's Note: HA! This chapter proves to the entire world that, indeed, writer's block is not an incurable disease! That, and it is possible to write two stories at once. [shrugs] Who knew? Anyway, thanks to everyone who's reveiwed and said such nice things about the story. (I love feedback). And a shout out to those who have basically made me finish this chapter because the suspense was deadly (you know who you are [winks]). Also {} indicates telepathic speech. So, without any further ado, I present to you Tall, Blonde, and Broody -- Chapter Four!
Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
Tall, Blonde, and Broody
by Froggie Lover
Chapter Four: "The Dark Ranger"
Alexandra awoke the next morning to find herself in quite different surroundings. She was lying comfortably in a soft bed and covered with warm blankets. There was a small, circular table to the left of the bed, and a small mirror was sitting on it. The room was otherwise bare, except for a console that stood across the room. She guessed it was for keeping contact with other parts of the ship. She slowly got out of bed to find clothes on the table.
She gasped as she recognized the clothes. They resembled the Crimson Thunder Ninja uniform she had worn during her days at the Academy, but instead of burgundy and black it was black with silver accents where the burgundy would be. Confused, she changed into the uniform. What could this mean? What was Lothor trying to pull?
Hunter and Blake walked into Ninja Ops, both ready for the day ahead. "Anything new, Cam?" the older Trejo asked.
Cam shook his head. "I would've called you already if there was anything."
They sat down at the table. Shane and Tori were already there; Dustin had yet to arrive. Then, something came flying down the stairs and tripped over a pillow that was lying carelessly in the middle of the floor. Everyone turned to see Dustin slowly rising from the floor, looking more in shock than in pain.
"Ooh, that had to hurt," Blake said, wincing.
"I'm okay, I'm okay. Nobody panic," Dustin announced, brushing imaginary dust off his ninja uniform. He looked around as no one had made any apparent move to help him. "All right then, at least someone care."
Tori grinned. "We care in the sense that your fall was great comedic entertainment."
Dustin feigned a smile. "Ha, ha. Very funny."
Even Hunter had to smile. "So, what's our next move?" he asked as Dustin sat down.
"We must wait for something to happen," Sensei said. "In the mean time, you six should return to training. That is the most we can do right now."
The Rangers exchanged exasperated glances as they returned to training like they had the day before. They all hoped that Lothor would make a move soon.
Nikko paced across the bridge of the ship. He was considering his options. "All you want me to do is scare them? That sounds a bit trivial of a thing to ask of me. I didn't agree to work for you so you could use me to make a Power Ranger piss his pants."
Lothor waved away the complaint. "It is the simplest of the many things that you will have to do in order to exact your revenge, I must say. Why don't you have some fun with it? Besides, if you don't show at least the tiniest bit of your ability to eliminate the Rangers, I dare say that you pass up the chance to see your precious Alexandra. That is merely half the reason why you are here, is it not?"
"You drive a hard bargain, Lothor. That I must admit." Nikko sighed. Lothor did have him cornered; there were no ways that he could avoid this task and still see Alexandra. "Fine. I'll go. Just tell me where and when, and I'll see what I can do about scaring those pathetic Rangers. No matter how inconsequential this request seems, you have officially pigeonholed me."
"Glad to hear you admit it!" Lothor exclaimed. "Prepare yourself quickly, the time for when you shall strike is soon."
Blake and Tori were sparring; Dustin and Shane were practicing moves; Cam and Hunter were running through their own katas as usual. A normal day was commencing in Ninja Ops. Few of them were thinking of the insane amounts of snow outside, or even the trouble that they might get from Lothor some time soon. All they could think about was dodging the next punch or kick and the next step in their routine. This thinking tactic had always been a crucial piece in being a good ninja: Never let your mind stray too far from the present situation. Worrying about too much at once could easily cost you the battle.
So today they followed this singular bit of advice; there was hardly anything that could blow their concentration now.
Without warning, a loud beep sounded from the computer. Blake, being caught off guard, ending up taking a punch to the stomach; Shane didn't land a flip right and fell backwards, accidentally pulling Dustin down with him; and both Cam and Hunter managed to inadvertently hit something with either a kick or punch. Only Tori was left standing or hadn't destroyed anything, but even she had been knocked a bit off balance by the sudden noise.
Cam, nursing his wrist from when he hit it hard against the wall, walked over to the computer and pressed a sequence of buttons with his good hand. "There's a serious heat signature reading out in the park. Don't go just yet. Let me engage the new scanning system so we have a better idea of what it is. For all we know, it could be a huge cat or something."
The other five waited in suspense, Hunter especially. All of his focus was on the computer screen, all of his thoughts bent on the possibility on what that heat reading might mean. The chances that it was one of Lothor's goons, or even Lothor himself, were a million to one, but there was still that small percentage that gave Hunter hope.
"Well, as it turns out, I finished the scanning system just in time. The heat energy is a human, but that's not all," Cam said finally. "This guy is so full of dark power, it's not even close to being funny. Better Ranger-up before we go out there, unless you want to end up dead."
Blake shook his head. "Well, worrying about death is the least of our problems at the moment, Cam. We still have to figure this whole thing, and I've got ten bucks that says this guy plays some big part."
Shane raised an eyebrow. "You don't actually have ten bucks, do you Blake? 'Cause the last time I checked, we were all broke from buying winter gear."
Tori rolled her eyes. "That's not the point, Shane. The point is, we better get out there before this guy causes any serious damage."
"Uh…right," Shane said, averting his eyes.
"Let's go," Hunter said with determination.
"Right," the others replied.
The six fell into a line in front of the computer. Cam summoned his Cyclone Morpher.
"Ninja Storm--"
"Thunder Storm--"
"Samurai Storm--"
"Ranger form, ha!"
And with those words they morphed and teleported out of Ninja Ops.
The six Ninja Storm Power Rangers landed in Blue Bay Park. They stood still and silent for many moments, listening for any other signs of life.
"Cam, are you sure it was here?" Shane asked.
"I'm positive," Cam replied. "The computer never lies."
"Only fools are positive, dude," Blake said, grinning underneath his helmet.
"Are you sure?" Tori questioned, also grinning.
Blake laughed. "Positive."
Dustin shook his head. "Okay, that totally didn't make any sense."
Tori giggled. "And here I thought that Dustin had seen every animated movie ever made. I guess not."
"I think I'll just shut up and go back to looking for the bad guy now," Dustin muttered, clearing his throat.
"That might be wise for all of us," Hunter said. "This guy might come out of nowhere. We'd better be on our guard."
"Even if you're on your guard, the odds are I can still beat you in any ninja art in existence," a deep, almost malicious voice said, the tones resonating off of the trees. "Lothor has only bad things to say, but that's not much of an opinion is it?"
A shadowy form appeared before them. It seemed to be a Ranger, but it was almost too easy to tell that it was a dark being of some sort. If the uniform wasn't enough of a hint, the figure exuded so much evil and malignant energy it was near impossible to say that there was even a chance that he was good.
"You know, as seriously bad this guy seems, I kind of have to agree with him on that last statement," Dustin remarked offhandedly.
Hunter was already in a defensive stance. "Who are you?" he snarled.
The evil laughed. "Wouldn't you like to know? I suppose telling you would make figuring out this mystery a bit easier, wouldn't it? Well, that's not my mission. Anything that's convenient for you is something I must avoid at all costs."
"Gee, he's one to evade answering a question," Shane said, glancing at his friends.
"One of my more charming qualities, I'm told."
The Crimson Thunder Ranger raised an eyebrow beneath his helmet. That arrogant tone…he'd heard it before, he just wasn't sure where.
Tori fell into a fighting stance. "So, did you come here to fight us, or just talk? We're game either way, so it really doesn't matter."
"Good, because I came here to fight," the dark figure said. He launched himself at the Blue Ranger, flipping in mid-air and pulling out a sword at the same time.
Quicker than lightning, Tori pulled out her Ninja Sword and parried the blow. How did the guy come to think that she would do anything else?
Blake jumped in the middle of the action with his staff. He blocked a couple of shots, then kicked the guy away. He recognized the guy's fighting style; he just wasn't sure where he'd seen it before.
The evil warrior rolled away from Blake and Tori, then headed towards Hunter. His sword changed into a staff, a weapon better suited to fighting against a Thunder Ranger.
Hunter was unfazed by the transformation of the weapon. The guy had a couple parlor tricks up his sleeve, so what? He pulled out his Thunder Staff and held it in a defensive position as the guy charged forward. Whatever this guy could dish out, he could handle it.
"Ha, you look tough, but let's see how you do in the face of death," the evil said, laughing. The blonde Ranger's eyebrow became raised again. He just knew that voice, but he couldn't place it anywhere in his memory. It was frustrating.
In the next moment there was a clash of staffs. Black and crimson faced off; both moved with quick reflexes and perfectly executed moves. After a few well-done parries, Hunter somehow managed to knock the opponent away, giving him time to think. He wasn't used to fighting with this quick style. It wasn't the Crimson Thunder ninja technique. The other man's attacks were fast, with many defensive moves in between, but they were still powerful. While similar to the Crimson Thunder, it was the speed that set them apart. This meant that there was only one other fighting style that fit those descriptions.
"Navy Thunder," Hunter muttered, glancing at Blake. Then, it all came together in his mind: the voice, the fighting style, it all made sense. "Nikko!" he exclaimed. He turned to face the dark warrior. "What the hell are you doing here fighting us?"
The other Rangers were staring at him, but he didn't care. "Answer the question, damnit! You disappear for three years and then suddenly show up one day and start fighting two of the same people who you went to the Thunder Ninja Academy with? What's your mental problem? Were you not loved enough as a child, or what?"
Nikko transformed his staff back into a blade, then put it in its sheath. "Well, that's just something you'd love to know, isn't it Trejo?" With that, he teleported out of the battle.
Hunter's fists slowly clenched and unclenched. None of this made any sense. Ever since Alexandra came to Blue Bay Harbor, nothing made sense.
Blake was rooted to the ground. "Whoa, you're telling me that was Nikko? After all these years he shows up here? Why?"
The others were confused. "Who's Nikko?" Shane asked.
"We'll explain back at Ninja Ops," Hunter replied quickly, then teleported out. Blake was slow to follow. The remaining four exchanged bewildered glances before going back to Ninja Ops to get the confusion sorted out.
The air in Ninja Ops was tense. Hunter paced back and forth; Blake leaned against a wall, while the others stared at the two with puzzlement. Every few minutes or so Hunter would mutter something incoherent and shake his head.
"So, who's Nikko?" Tori finally asked.
Blake smirked. "Ah, the million-dollar question. Hunter, if you wouldn't mind leaving your brooding for just a moment to answer everyone's question?"
Hunter looked up. "Huh? Oh, Nikko was this guy who attended the Thunder Ninja Academy with Blake and me. Actually, he was a Navy Thunder, funnily enough. Anyway, he was the one dating Alexandra when we graduated, so yeah. There's his motive."
Sensei was pacing on one end of the table. "Lothor seems to have planned this all very carefully. He is using Alexandra as bait, and Nikko to destroy you it would seem. The only question that remains is--"
"What's Kutar's part in this whole thing? What does he get from our destruction?" Shane finished. "That's the one part I don't get."
Cam shrugged. "Who knows? Money, maybe?"
Tori didn't look convinced. "That doesn't make any sense. I don't think any evil being would just aid someone else unless he got something out of it. Considering that he's a king of a planet, I don't think money's an issue."
"That doesn't leave much," Dustin sighed. "Come on, this guy has to be helping Lothor for some good reason. We just have to think of it."
Shane shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe Kutar didn't actually go to Lothor looking for a job. It's possible that Lothor hired Kutar to do something that he couldn't do himself. Like, maybe, Kutar had some kind of resource that Lothor couldn't get, so he hired him instead."
"Hmm…That is probable," Sensei said. "What is also interesting is how Nikko had powers very similar to yours, but made of pure darkness. Something is not right here."
Hunter snapped his fingers. "That's it! Lothor needed access to a seriously powerful dark energy source, and Kutar had it. So, he hired him and Kutar created those dark ninja powers, and Lothor gave them to Nikko."
"Whoa, check out Sherlock over here," Blake laughed. "That was a quick deduction."
Cam grinned. "His brooding has to be for some purpose."
"You know, that sounds like it could work," Dustin said. "I mean, what other reasons are there? We certainly haven't thought of anything better."
Tori nodded. "Okay, we now have a theory. Now, we just have to keep Nikko from destroying Hunter."
"Why would he want to destroy you anyway?" Shane asked, looking suspiciously at the Crimson Thunder Ranger.
"It's a long story," Hunter replied. "And also one that I really don't want to get into at the moment, if you don't mind. But, I will say that it's got something to do with the fact that Nikko dated Alexandra and she broke up with him not too long after graduation. I'm not sure if me now seeing her has anything to do with it, or if Nikko even knows. If he did, I imagine he'd add it to his list of reasons to see my demise."
"Gee, you're not the best expert at getting on someone's good side, are you?" Cam asked.
Hunter shrugged. "I try, but sometimes it just doesn't work out."
Shane laughed. "I heard that."
Nikko sighed heavily as he teleported into Lothor's ship. Scaring those Rangers had been a little tougher than he'd anticipated, but not by much. Though, they were still stronger than Lothor obviously knew. He wondered briefly if he had failed his mission to, as he put it, "make a Power Ranger piss his pants."
"Excellent job," Lothor said suddenly from behind him. "You definitely have them frightened of you."
The dark ninja waved a hand dismissively. "They're not quite frightened yet. It's true that they are confused, especially with Hunter figuring out my identity, but they are certainly not scared of me in the least bit."
Lothor clapped a hand to his shoulder. "Either way, they are set back farther than they can catch up by the time we're through." He noticed Nikko looking at him expectantly. "Yes."
Without another thought, Nikko ran out of the bridge of the ship. He raced down a few corridors until he reached the elevator, which took him to the living quarters deck. Past the first hall and to the left was the room he sought. The doors opened slowly to reveal Alexandra in a black and silver ninja uniform, sitting on the edge of her bed.
Nikko's heart leaped in his chest. It had been so long since he'd been in the same room as her, three years to be exact. It had been three years since the day she more or less sent him from her sight like the goddess she was. Because of him, his mind reminded. With some new power running through his veins, he took a bold step into the room.
Alexandra looked up, her face going from wonder to anger. Her midnight eyes were ablaze with a fire that meant hatred for the man standing in the doorway. She stood, but didn't move towards him. "Nikko," was all she said. In her voice lie many emotions and unsaid words, but the most evident was a warning that basically told him to back off.
He moved farther into the room, closer to his former lover. "Alexandra, it's so good to see you again. It's been three years since last we met. I was hoping I'd get a better welcome."
She didn't shrink back or try to get away. She held her ground. He didn't scare her in the least. "Three years is far too soon. I was hoping that our next meeting would never happen."
Nikko waved a hand and the doors closed behind him. After they were shut, something clicked. They were locked inside the room. "What did that idiot white boy do to twist your mind against me like this? And your heart, for that matter." He put an unsure hand on her arm.
There was just enough hesitation in his grip for her to grab his wrist and flip him on his back. "Hunter didn't do anything. You're the one who screwed up, Nikko." She took a step away for the first time. "Get out."
The former Navy Thunder Ninja was quick to stand up. "You forget, on this ship, I am above you, which means that I do not follow any orders besides Lothor's, and even that's a stretch." With all the speed expected from a graduated Thunder Ninja, he pinned Alexandra against a wall. "I don't want to hurt you, so don't make me."
Alexandra held back the bile in her throat. His touch disgusted her. She felt no fear from his threats. Not many things scared her, and Nikko had never been on that list. In an almost reflex action, she kneed his groin and pushed him away. She walked across the room and fell into a defensive stance.
Nikko was doubled over with pain. It wasn't as though he had forgotten how good a fighter, strong-willed, and stubborn Alexandra was; he just had counted on her being a little afraid of his new dark presence. It was obvious that she wasn't going to make this easy. After the pain had subsided a little, he leaped at her.
Fighting in the small quarters was tough, but both ninjas could swing it. Somehow, in the flurry of kicks, punches, and blocks, Nikko managed to get Alexandra on the bed. She quickly realized the weakness, and made to flip off, but something stopped her. Nikko held his hand out and a ball of dark energy sprouted from it. The energy ball expanded and seemed to act like a shield, in effect keeping her right where she was.
It was that action that confirmed to Alexandra the suspicion she'd had over the last three years: there was no chance in hell that Nikko was still an honorable ninja. He had truly converted to the dark side.
Alexandra struggled against the shield, hoping the force of good within her was enough to break it. Before she could find the answer, Nikko climbed on top of her and sneered. "I told you I didn't want to hurt you, but you leave me no choice," he whispered in her ear.
Hunter lay awake in his bed, trying to focus on the music flowing out of his stereo. If he let himself think about anything else, he'd end up worrying about too many things, and be sent right down the spiral he just managed to pull himself out of. Instead, he concentrated on the penetrating female voice singing in his stereo. Sure, the music was depressing, but it was enough to keep his mind off other things.
Suddenly his stomach twisted into knots, and his chest seemed to tighten. One could say that he had a grueling headache as well, but it was hard to tell since he had pain in almost every part of his body. Many questions were burned into his mind at once, but he couldn't distinguish one from the other. The only one he could discern was why this was happening to him, but like all the others he couldn't answer it.
Then, somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a faint female cry. The voice was filled with pain and anguish. He couldn't recognize it because it was so distant, but he knew it wasn't anything good. He got up and turned off his stereo, hoping the silence would help him think, and maybe hear the voice again. He was sick and tired of being confused. Everything around him was a mystery. There was some clarification, but not enough to change anything. He still didn't understand any of it. And now there was a mysterious voice in his head? He was ready to scream if something didn't change.
Not a second too soon, the voice called out to him again. "Hunter!" was the cry.
Hunter froze. He knew that voice. Why or how he heard it in his head, he didn't know, but that didn't matter. {Alexandra?} he mentally asked. He hoped his senses hadn't led him astray.
{Hunter? You can hear me?} There was a liberal amount of control and strain that had been added to that voice. Something was going on. Nonetheless, it was who he thought it was.
{You're inside my head!} Hunter exclaimed. {Of course I can hear you! What's going on? Lothor hasn't hurt you has he? 'Cause if he has--}
{It's not Lothor,} Alexandra said. {Hunter, listen, I don't have much time before they figure out that I'm telepathic. Once they do, this is cut off. Promise me you'll listen?}
Hunter gave a mental yes, but his thoughts had strayed elsewhere. Alexandra was telepathic? Who was hurting her? He was a step away from answering the question when her voice interrupted his thoughts.
{I don't know what Lothor's planning, but it involves Nikko and this guy named Kutar. He's going to use me to get to you. Do not, under any circumstances, give in! I'll be fine. The fate of Earth is more important than my life.}
{No way! There's no way in hell I'm leaving you to die!} He stood up, his temper flaring. He wasn't sure whom he was angrier with at the moment: Alexandra or Lothor.
{Hunter, listen to me! When and if it comes down to it, promise me you won't do something stupid like pick me over the fate of the Earth. Please, Trejo. Worse things could happen than me dying.}
The Crimson Thunder Ranger shook his head, a few tears slowly slipping out of his ice blue eyes. {I can't, Alex, and you know it. I care about you way too much. I'm going to get you out of there. I don't know how, but you are not going to die. I can't let that happen.}
{Please, Hunter, you have to--} Her sentence was cut off. Her voice became fainter until it dissipated from his mind entirely. He tried calling out her name, but there was no response, only an echo which meant that his message was going nowhere.
Shit, he thought. He knew what had happened. Lothor or someone had discovered their connection. Of course, Hunter had no idea how the hell it had been established in the first place, but he was glad it was. It gave him a new resolve for the purpose he'd set at the beginning: He would free Alexandra from Lothor, no matter what the cost. She would not die, not as long as he was still standing.