She couldn't stand it. There was a needle being driven into her mind. There was the nagging sensation of a job to be done. She didn't want to wait, couldn't wait. It was driving her nuts. The intense need to do something. The burning feeling that she could end her suffering was too much to ignore. She had to act, had to finish it before the needle drove her insane...or well...more insane.
"...no one is to go after a ranger without mine or Kalix's permission."
Those had been Psycho Crimson's words. None of them realized days would pass without action. It was going on the fourth day of waiting and Psycho Blue couldn't take it anymore. She could feel Tori's presence in the back of her mind, the needle driving relentlessly in her mind. She had to kill her. She had to get rid of the Blue Ranger's presence. The rest of her sanity depended on it.
ZzZzZ
Tori shifted restlessly in her sleep. She had been having nightmares ever since Dustin went down in battle. She dreamed of the attack and her mind supplied even more imaginative ends for herself. Needless to say Psycho Blue starred in all her nightmares. Even if it started out as a pleasant dream it always went bad.
The reoccurring nightmare always started with her surfing. Her dream self would catch the perfect wave and ride it for a long time. Then suddenly she would realize she was riding a tsunami and she would have a wipeout and get dragged under. She always managed to break the surface and breathe, but just as she would take a deep breath something would grab her by the ankles and drag. her under. She would kick and fight, taking in mouthfuls of water. Then she would manage to look down. And she always found herself looking into Psycho Blue's glowing visor, which made it look all the more menacing.
That's when she would always jolt awake.
Tori gasped and sat up straight in her bed trying to catch her breath. She almost felt like she really had been dragged under the water and was drowning. She managed to just catch her breath when she realized she wasn't alone. With a gasp she looked toward the window and found a dark form standing there. Her ninja training kicked in and she immediately felt the presence was familiar but all wrong to be in her room. She could tell that whoever it was, wasn't looking at her, so she very quietly slipped out of bed. She thanked her lucky stars that the bed didn't creak like usual and silently stalked toward the intruder. She was just close enough to reach out and touch whoever it was when the figure spun around and even in the dark Tori knew who it was.
Because she was looking into the glowing visor that haunted her nightmares.
Psycho Blue.
Tori scrambled backwards but not quick enough. Psycho Blue lunged and shoved her back against the bedroom door. One gauntlet wrapped tightly around the water ninja's mouth while the other was loosely clutching her neck. Psycho Blue's mocking laugh sent chills up and down her spine and she had a brief flash of worry that her parents would hear, but that thought quickly left her mind. Her immediate worry became breathing.
"Oh little blue, did you really think you were safe here?" Psycho Blue taunted. "You're more of a fool than I thought."
Don't kill her so quickly. A voice whispered in the back of Psycho Blue's mind. Make the little ranger suffer.
Psycho Blue relented to the voice and before Tori knew what was going on she and the Psycho Ranger were streaking away from her house and the false sense of safety it had provided. When she next became aware of her surrounding she realized they were in the forest. Where exactly was a good question, but irrelevant considering the situation. All she knew was that she was in deep trouble. It was late at night and likely that Cam would be asleep and could expect no one to know she was in danger. She didn't really think Psycho Blue was going to give her the chance to use the communicator function of the morpher.
We really need distress signals of some sort. Tori thought. Maybe I'll mention it to Cam.
"Well, here's your chance to morph little blue, not that it'll save you." Psycho Blue announced, standing only a few feet away.
Tori thought about just ninja streaking away, but where would she go? She couldn't go to Ninja Ops and lead the Psycho right to it. That was quickly becoming their only safe place. Psycho Blue would likely follow her wherever she went, which meant she would just be better off to stay and fight. In the unlikely event that she beat Psycho Blue they would have one less of them to worry about.
"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form. Ha!"
Tori's suit had barely encompassed her before she was attacked. The cutlass lashed across her chest spewing sparks. She tried to back away, but Psycho Blue followed quickly, never relenting for a moment. Tori yanked out her Ninja Sword and blocked a swing at her head. The next ten minutes was spent with the two furiously trying to land hits at each other. Psycho Blue seemed to be the only one making any progress. She was slowly but surely backing Tori toward a tree trunk that had fallen. Tori didn't even have a chance to see it coming. Her feet connected with something solid and she fell backwards. On her way down Blue managed to slash her two more times with the cutlass. However accidental the fall was Tori was able to tuck and roll backwards and used her hands to spring her back onto her feet.
"Nice moves." Blue remarked in a voice that was clearly not impressed at all.
Tori didn't have a smart ass comeback and wouldn't have gotten a chance to say it anyway before Psycho Blue attacked again. Their fight was furious and Tori found herself brawling more than fighting like ninja. There was no real skill being used, just all out desperate fighting that was unlike anything she had ever allowed herself to do. Psycho Blue was bringing out primal instincts of survival that were screaming to do anything necessary to live. Even fight dirty.
But nothing was phasing or stopping Psycho Blue. She was ready for anything and everything, even when Tori tried to change tactics. The more desperate the blue ranger got the more mistakes she made. Pretty soon Tori was laying on the ground with her suit sparking fiercely. She tried to get back up, but found a foot on her chest pinning her down.
"It was a nice try ranger, but I'm done playing now." Blue sneered.
Tori grabbed the Psycho's foot and twisted her whole body to the side. She scrambled to her feet as Psycho Blue used the momentum to cartwheel instead of fall. The two faced each other again, hatred clear in their body language. They charged each other again and clashed weapons with furious speed. They quickly became nothing more than a blur as their struggle took them all around. Then Psycho Blue landed a lucky kick to Tori's chest that sent the Ninja Ranger slamming into a tree trunk.
Tori got to her feet and ducked in time to miss being decapitated. Right then she knew she had to get away. She couldn't go home because she couldn't put her family in danger. She couldn't go to Ninja Ops and lead the Psycho to their only safe place. She didn't know where to go, but she knew she had to get away.
"Ninja smokescreen!"
Psycho Blue watched with amusement as the blue ranger disappeared behind a burst of blue smoke. When the smoke cleared the girl was gone. Psycho Blue smirked. Did she honestly think she could get away? There was no where for the girl to go.
ZzZzZ
Dustin looked around in confusion. Hadn't he just been in Blue Bay Harbor fighting the Psycho Rangers? As far as he could tell he was in the savanna, which meant in Africa. How did he get there? What was going on? He turned in a circle expecting to see his friends, but there was nothing but grassland and animals for miles.
"What's going on?"
"You're unconscious."
Dustin spun, falling into a fighting stance, before he noticed the massive lion watching him. The creature was all muscle and more intimidating than anything Lothor had ever thrown at him. The lion's golden eyes watched him with amusement as it sat on its haunches.
"So why do I feel like I'm in a bad rendition of the Lion King?"
The lion seemed to roll his eyes. "Don't ask me this is your unconscious mind we're talking about. You summoned me here."
"Summoned you here? Dude, I don't even have a clue how I would have done that." Dustin frowned at himself for talking to a lion. "What do you mean by summon?"
"I'm not a part of your mind little cub." The lion replied. "I'm your spirit animal. Do you forget everything this easily?"
"Excuse me if our focus has never been on our spirit animals. We focus on elements."
"I know. You've practically ignored me." The lion said. Dustin thought the voice almost sounded sad. "I suppose I can't blame you. Hawk and Dolphin get the same treatment and your Thunder buddies don't even know their animals spirits exist."
"Hunter and Blake have spirit animals? Don't tell me, are they bugs?"
"No." Lion said. "The thunder powers aren't connected to their animals like your wind powers are."
"Why not?"
At that the lion looked a little annoyed. "How should I know?"
"Well…" Dustin looked a little lost. He wasn't even sure this wasn't all a part of his imagination. Well, obviously it was because he was unconscious, but what role did the lion really play? Was there a point to any of this? "Why are you here again?"
"You summoned me." The lion retorted, looking annoyed to have to repeat himself. "You're facing something your element can't help you with and without realizing it you reached out to me."
"So, you can help me?" Dustin asked, still confused about the whole thing.
"I will give you strength when you need. All you have to do is call on me little cub. I've always been here and I always will be."
ZzZzZ
Tori knew she was being hunted. She felt as if Psycho Blue was breathing down her neck. Her enemy could be everywhere and though Tori's ninja senses allowed her to feel the danger there was nothing physically that she could do. Psycho Blue was too much for her alone and it was too late at night...or early in the morning...to contact anyone for help. Though that's not to say she hadn't tried, but something was blocking the communication. All she heard was static.
"You can't get away from me little ranger." Psycho Blue's voice seemed to echo from all sides.
Tori gathered her strength for another ninja streak and when she stopped she knew she didn't have the strength to do it again. The need to do so was reinforced when Psycho Blue appeared in front of her. Tori ducked the cutlass and rolled backwards as Blue tried to kick her. She sprang to her feet only to be kicked firmly in the chest again. This time when she slammed against the tree she fell to the ground and didn't have the strength to get up again. She watched with pain clouded eyes as Psycho Blue casually strolled over to her as if fighting the ranger was no big deal and killing her was the most natural thing to do.
"Now your brief reign as a ranger will come to an end."
Psycho Blue pointed her cutlass down at the ranger and prepared to deliver a fatal energy attack, but cried out in shock as she was attacked from behind. Her suit sparked as a sword sliced at her and she spun quickly only to receive a kick that sent her flying away from Tori. Blue got to her feet and looked up to see the two Thunder Rangers and the Red Wind Ranger standing protectively in front of Tori. She growled angrily at being stopped.
"Isn't it a little late for you kids to be up?" Blue sneered.
The Rangers offered no comeback, not that Blue expected one. She tensed as the two Thunders charged forward with their Thunder Staffs ready. She raised her cutlass to block them both, then gasped in pain as the Red Ranger streaked in and slashed her exposed midsection with his sword. The pain faded quickly and she shoved the two Thunder Staffs away from her, managing to send a wave of energy at the two Thunder Rangers while she was at it. The attack knocked them both off their feet and Blue turned to take on the Red Ranger, but barely had time to tense before she was under heavy attack from the angry Red Ranger. She managed to block a few swipes of the sword, but she was no match against him. Her strength was in fighting the Blue Ranger, the one she had scanned, not any of the others. She quickly found herself beaten onto her back and might have been impaled on a Ninja Sword if her reflexes had been any slower. She zipped away from the blade and to her feet only to be grabbed by a Navy Antler. Pain flashed through her as an extreme amount of energy was unleashed on her and then she was tossed right into the path of a ferocious flurry from the Crimson Blaster. Just when she thought she couldn't take anymore she was teleported away.
As Psycho Blue vanished Shane felt the fury leave him only to replaced by fear. He went to Tori's side and grimaced as she demorphed. She was conscious, but too weak to do or say anything. She needed medical attention and he just hoped it was something Cam could handle. The Psychos had just proven to the rangers that they weren't safe at all outside Ninja Ops.
ZzZzZ
Psycho Blue fidgeted as she stood facing Psycho Crimson's broad back. He was morphed, but she wasn't. She had been forcibly demorphed the moment she had returned. He had yet to say anything, but she could read the obvious signs of fury in his body language. She was in for it.
"You disobeyed a direct order." Crimson said. His voice was strangely calm. That frightened Blue considerably more.
"Sir-."
"What part of don't attack the rangers wasn't I clear on!" Crimson roared, spinning to face her. She backed up a step when she noticed his visor was glowing. He was really angry and the focus of it was her. "Now the rangers are going to go into hiding where we can't actively track them."
"I'm sorry sir, I-."
"Not as sorry as you're going to be." Crimson snarled. "Niko, give me your quarterstaff."
Psycho Blue was startled to realize the other Psycho Rangers were in the room as well. She had been too focussed on Crimson to see the others. She watched as Navy hesitated a moment too long and Crimson blasted him into a wall. Crimson strode over to where Navy lay and held out his hand. After a moment Navy handed him the quarterstaff and Crimson turned his attention back to Blue. She shrank a little bit as she was beginning to figure his punishment out.
"Turn around and kneel on the ground." Crimson ordered.
Blue hesitated for only a second before doing what she was told. She knew this routine well, except usually it would have been a cane that was a little bit more forgiving than Navy's quarterstaff was going to be. She braced herself but still wasn't ready for the pain that exploded through her back. She gasped and arched her back as if to get away from the next strike, but was unsuccessful. The second strike was even more painful than the first and by the third strike she was trembling. She wouldn't allow herself to cry though. Warriors don't cry. She told herself.
Red watched the happenings with growing fury. He never would have punished her like that. Kalix was the one that did the physical punishment. Sure he had beaten Crimson up a few times, but that was a dominance thing and recent events showed he hadn't done enough. Psycho Blue didn't deserve to be beaten with a quarterstaff. He could barely bring himself to stand by and watch as her back arched again and a small sound of pain escaped her.
Navy wasn't going to stand by. At Blue's whimper he'd had enough. Seeing her demorphed with her long brown hair cascading down her back and her dark green eyes exposed he felt his old affection for her during their training come back. As Crimson pulled his arm back for another strike Navy stepped forward and grabbed Crimson's arm. He ducked Crimson's swing and drove a knee upward into his so-called leader's chest. Crimson doubled over, but used that position to drive his shoulder forward into Navy's chest armor. The momentum carried them both to the floor where Crimson started pounding on Navy like the Crimson Ranger had done to him days earlier.
Psycho Yellow stood by watching it all with a silent frown. For the first time in a long time the fighting just didn't seem right. He didn't understand it. Instead of feeling satisfaction at watching Crimson's actions he felt like he should do something about it. He wondered where the feeling came from, but didn't have to do anything in the end. He watched as some unseen force picked Crimson up and threw him across the conference room into a wall.
"That's enough." Kalix barked.
Crimson hurriedly pulled himself to his feet and the Psychos assembled in front of Kalix. Psycho Blue hurriedly morphed and tried to ignore the pain in her back, but it was difficult. The Psychos stood silently as the reptile man glared at them for the first time in a long time.
"I better not see you fighting each other again." Kalix warned. "You're a team and working as a team is the only way you're going to beat the rangers."
"They're weaker than us." Crimson noted. "We don't need teamwork when we're more powerful than them."
Kalix shot him a glare. "Separately they may be weaker, but as a whole their teamwork makes them stronger." He eyed them speculatively. "What happened to all the work we put into making you a team?"
None of the Psycho Rangers replied. Crimson didn't understand what being a team had to do with anything. Red knew that this was a good example why Crimson wasn't a good leader. Blue was curious as to why Navy stood up for her. While Yellow just wondered why he cared. Navy was the only one who wondered what had happened to their teamwork. What had happened to the people who had talked him into getting a tattoo that symbolized their bond as a team and as friends?
"I want answers to my question." Kalix snarled. "All of you had better think about being a team while I try to convince Lothor the recent defeats at the hands of the Rangers doesn't mean anything. The next time I see you I had better see a team and not individuals."
"Yes master." The five Psychos replied with utmost respect.
Kalix gave them one more furious glare before he left. Immediately Red and Crimson were bickering while Blue slunk off to lick her wounds. Yellow also left to think better, while Navy was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice the two Psychos arguing. What had happened to them, but more than that why was he the only one that cared?
ZzZzZ
"I am afraid that after this recent attack I cannot let any of you leave." Sensei announced from his spot on Tori's cot. "It is too dangerous."
"But Sensei, Kelly will probably fire us if we don't show up for work." Hunter argued.
"It is better to lose your job than it is to lose your life."
"What do we tell our parents?" Shane asked. "They're going to worry about us."
"We'll think of something to tell them after this is all over with." Cam replied. "For now it's better for us to worry about the more pressing matter of defeating the Psycho Rangers."
Hunter was silently glaring at Shane as usual. He couldn't believe his bad luck. Shane was going to be stuck in Ninja Ops where he and Blake were living while their academy was still missing. He still firmly believed Shane had failed Dustin as a leader and a friend and could hardly look at Shane. He hoped he didn't have to talk to the Red Ranger anytime soon. Nothing good would come out of his mouth and he knew Blake would reprimand him for it. It's not that he feared Blake, rather he hated fighting with his little brother. Blake was the only person in the world he really had now and the last thing he wanted was to fight with him. And if he started anything with Shane that was exactly what was going to happen and with the air ninja staying in Ninja Ops it was only a matter of time.