ZzZzZ
Kale could hardly keep himself from hyperventilating. The first time he had been captured by Kalix he had been scared, but still mostly confident he could handle everything. Kalix hadn't seemed like that much of a threat. He hadn't even known about Kalix's psychic abilities. He'd handled it all with a calmness that would have made Rez proud.
This time was different. Way different. Nyus and Mesaus had been the ones to capture him. The other two knight monsters didn't really scare him that bad, but Nyus terrified him like nothing else in the universe could. The Knights of Destruction had been created with the same purpose as the Psycho Rangers. There were only three of them and each had been created to deal with two Knight Rangers. The team had struggled with them, unable to find weaknesses to exploit. Kale had been captured by Nyus and missed the final battle, but he knew that it had only been the addition of three new Knight Rangers that saved them.
"Ah, welcome back Knight Ranger. So glad you could grace me with your presence again."
Kale snapped out of his thoughts and found himself before Kalix's throne. The two knight monsters were holding him under the arms so that his feet weren't even close to touching the ground. He was glad; at least it saved him from having to bow before Kalix.
"You won't get anything out of me snake." Kale snarled.
Kalix smirked. "No? We'll see about that." The raptor addressed the two monsters. "Take him to interrogation room four."
"Yes Master Kalix."
Kale struggled kicking his feet, but it was all in vain. He was in a lot of trouble.
ZzZzZ
Zadan swore for the sixteenth time since realizing Kale was missing. Kale's ship had recorded the whole battle and they were all surprised to see the three knight monsters ambush Kale and then transport away with him. Zadan had come to see Kale as a new teammate and seeing the knight monsters capture him tore at his heart a little. Kale was now someplace he couldn't go and there was no way to help his teammate.
"What are we going to do?" Niko asked. "Cam is hurt so bad I'm not sure the healing chamber can save him and Kale has been captured. If Kalix finds out where more Gems are..."
"Think positive." Zadan said. "We'll figure something out."
ZzZzZ
Kalix regarded the morphed Knight Ranger strapped down to a cliché metal table. Last time he had been unable to get anything out of the ranger with just electrical torture. He didn't have anything powerful enough to give Kale enough of a shock to demorph him. He wasn't sure what it would take to forcefully demorph a ranger with so much morphing energy. In fact, he was pretty sure that there was no way to force the Knight Ranger to demorph.
"You have one chance to demorph." Kalix said, an idea forming in his mind.
"Not a chance." Kale sneered. "There's nothing you can do to me to make me demorph."
"To you - maybe not." Kalix agreed. He turned to Deder who stood silently at the door as a guard. "Bring me Harper."
Kale stiffened, but tried to relax before Kalix could notice. The raptor noticed, but only smirked. He didn't need a reaction from Kale to know that the Knight Ranger would demorph in order to save another. It was basic ranger instinct, sickening as it was. He'd learned through dealing with them that rangers all had the same basic instincts laced in the power and within themselves. Very few rangers even had the capability of ignoring those instincts let alone turn against them. It made them predictable in how they would react to certain situations.
Several minutes passed before Deder came back, dragging a young man in by the back of a tattered and torn shirt. Kale had seen the man through the shields the last time he was captured, but hadn't got a chance to talk to him. It didn't matter though; he didn't need to know the person for his instincts to kick in. Almost immediately he felt the urge to beat Deder senseless and escape with the young man.
"Ah Harper, it looks like you've recovered well since our last session." Kalix sneered.
"You know me, I bounce back from everything." Harper said.
Kalix smirked. "We'll see about that."
There was some kind of silent cue from Kalix because Deder suddenly punched Harper with devastating force. The young man tried to recover and defend himself, but Deder was quick and powerful. Harper managed to duck one punch, but had just enough time to whimper as he felt the pole in his back before blinding pain surged through him. His muscles seized up and he fell to the floor, dimly hearing a voice shouting.
"Stop it!" Kale yelled.
"Only if you demorph." Kalix replied.
Kale was torn. He knew he became much more vulnerable when demorphed, but at the same time as a ranger he couldn't sit by and watch someone get tortured. There was only one thing he could do. He took a deep breath and then demorphed, trying desperately to ignore the triumphant grin on Kalix's face.
"Bring Dr. Radkee to retrieve his patient." Kalix ordered his general.
"Yes Master Kalix."
With Deder gone the room became deathly silent. Harper was shooting Kale an apologetic look, knowing that a lot of Kale's suffering would be his fault. At the same time Kale gave him the best reassuring look he could. Kalix watched it all with a disgusted grimace.
"You rangers are pathetically disgusting. Don't you have a malicious bone in your body?"
Kale shot him a look full of hate. "I look forward to shoving a sword or two in your heart. Malicious enough for you?"
"That's just wishful thinking." Kalix replied.
Kale didn't get a chance to reply. He watched as a man with dark hair rushed into the room and practically flew to Harper's side.
"Lad, one of these days you're gonna have ta stay out of trouble." Dr. Radkee scolded. "You've a knack for finding it."
"Trouble finds me." Harper replied weakly.
Kalix snarled at them both. "Both of you get out of my sight!"
Radkee pulled Harper to his feet and helped him stumble out of the room. With them gone Kalix turned his attention to Kale, a sickening smile forming on his face. He stepped closer to Kale and placed one of his wickedly sharp claws against the skin just below his armpit on his arm. He knew the tender places on human bodies, the spots that would have the strongest men whimpering. With a little pressure his claw easily broke the skin and dug in just enough to draw blood and then stopped, not moving an inch.
"I know that you know where more Gems of Power are. Tell me now and save yourself a lot of pain." Kalix said.
Kale smirked. "Yeah right."
Kalix returned the smirk with one of his own. He was sure that in an hour's time he could break the Knight Ranger's arrogant attitude. He'd make the ranger spill everything he knew and then kill him.
ZzZzZ
"There's nothing we can do." Shane repeated for the fourth time. "You guys are in more of a position to help Kale than we are."
"We don't know how to use Kale's ship." Niko said.
"The only person that could figure it out is Cam." Blake said.
All eyes went to the healing chamber where the newest ranger was struggling for his life. It didn't look good for Cam at all. Hunter distinctly remembered Kale saying that the more injuries someone had, the less chance the chamber has of healing them. The chamber couldn't save someone's life. Cam had lost a lot of blood on the battlefield and his wounds were very serious. No one could bring themselves to say anything.
"You guys should go back to Ninja Ops. We'll contact you if Cam's situation changes." Niko said.
"We're staying." Hunter said and everyone knew he meant himself and Blake.
Zadan figured there was no use arguing with the Thunder brothers, so he didn't bother. With a good-bye to the Winds he transported them to the surface. Hunter and Blake went to the hanger to make themselves more comfortable while they waited. Niko and Zadan decided to try and figure out how Kale's navigation and flight systems worked, not to mention how the hell to get the whole ship out of the cavern without making a huge hole. Neither thought they could figure it out, but it kept them busy so that they didn't think about the torture Kale was surely undergoing.
ZzZzZ
Kale bit back a scream as a small piece of his flesh was torn away by Kalix's claw. Kalix still wasn't doing anything that Nyus and Jadikai hadn't already done. He was positive that Kalix could torture him all he wanted but no amount of physical torture would get anything out of him. Not that he could tell the raptor what he wanted to know. Kale didn't know where any of the other Gems had been hidden. He was only responsible for his own Gems and nothing more.
"You know more than you're letting on. Tell me what I want to know and this can end." Kalix said calmly.
Kale swallowed hard and fought to keep his voice from shaking. "I already told you I don't know where more Gems are."
"You're still lying to me." Kalix snarled.
"If you think I know where more Gems are then you know more than I do."
Kalix growled with frustration and made a quick, but deep cut across Kale's belly. Kale gasped and bit his lip to keep from making another sound. It wasn't deep enough to get any vital organs, but it was bleeding pretty badly. He cursed his ranger powers for keeping him alive when by all rights he should have bled to death already. All he wanted to do was die and join his teammates.
Stay strong Kale. The Earth rangers still need you for a little longer. Rez's smooth voice reassured him.
Kalix watched the Knight Ranger's battle with consciousness and was suddenly hit with an epiphany. The Knight Ranger couldn't tell him what he wanted to know because on a conscious level Kale didn't know anything. The full knowledge of the Protectors must have been mostly on a subconscious level that Kale couldn't fully access, probably just for this reason. Some things had to be kept as secret even from the Protector himself. But no mind was safe from him; though having to play mental games was a lot more tiring and difficult than just physically torturing someone. Kalix sighed and drew away from his captive. With another look at the ranger he turned and left, nodding at Deder on his way out.
"Take the Knight Ranger to the infirmary. Tell Dr. Radkee to sedate him if he wakes up and to have him ready when I call for him." Kalix ordered.
Deder nodded. "Yes Master Kalix."
Kalix then turned and strode down the hall to a conference room where someone was already waiting. The man was kicked back in a chair and didn't even acknowledge Kalix as the raptor entered. Kalix glared at the man, but didn't get a reaction he wanted. As Kalix moved to stand in front of him the man finally took his feet off the table and paid some attention to his boss.
"Aranos, it would do you good to show me some respect." Kalix growled.
The dark-haired man rolled his eyes. "Of course, Master Kalix. I just thought maybe you would get bored with everyone kissing your ass all day."
"Your arrogance is frustrating as usual. Am I going to have to do something drastic about that?" Kalix demanded threateningly.
At that, Aranos finally had the sense to change his attitude. "No Master Kalix, I apologize for my behavior."
"As well you should." Kalix moved to take a seat. "What have you to report?"
"The same old thing really," Aranos said. "Expect the Misfits to continue their guerilla warfare against you. There's still no firm leadership and no real plan of action. They still don't trust me enough to show me where their collective base is."
"That's unfortunate." Kalix said. "Though they haven't posed a real threat yet the Misfits are a pest problem I'd like to be rid of as soon as possible." He fixed Aranos with a meaningful stare. "And you had better start yielding better results. Most of your information about their missions has proved useless. You will soon prove to be useless as well and that will NOT bode well for you."
"Master, to be fair, General Bax was able to capture Phoenix and Stryker because of my information." Aranos said.
"And they promptly escaped, destroying a whole battleship and the base on Miros II." Kalix snarled. "If you don't do better I'll be forced to get rid of you, understand?"
"Yes Master Kalix, I will try to provide more useful information in the future."
"See that you do."
ZzZzZ
"I can't stand this anymore." Radkee growled as he spread a cooling cream on his teammate's burned back.
Harper shot him a look over his shoulder. "There's nothing we can do Kardan. None of us have our powers anymore and we don't have anyplace to go."
"If Niko and Zadan can do it so can we." Radkee replied. "I'll not patch you up again because that snake finds it fun to torture you just because you bleed a different color and don't scar."
"What are you going to do? Take on hundreds of lizarians and dedians with a few scalpels and that really scary spinning blade thing you have?" Harper said.
Kardan smacked the back of Harper's head. "Stop being so negative." He looked around to make sure Terik was still sleeping before he continued. "I've been working on a plan for months."
"Just be careful, yeah? I don't need to lose anymore teammates."
"Just teammate?"
"No more friends either."
Kardan smiled. "I'll be careful. Besides, I don't think Kalix will expect it at all."
ZzZzZ
He's trying to pry into your mind. Nick said.
Kale didn't need to be told, he could feel the cold presence in his mind. Kalix was in there, could find all his unguarded memories and information, but the most important things in Kale's mind were protected by walls reinforced by hundreds of years of training.
You must be ready Kale, he can do a lot of damage here. Rez warned. He's not trying to trick you into telling him anything. He's going to try and take it from you.
I'm ready. Kale replied.
No, you're not. Kalix is going to tear your mind apart looking for what he wants. You have to do something drastic or everything you are is going to be lost. Rez said. You must put everything that makes you who you are behind a wall that Kalix cannot break. You must use all that I've taught you if you're going to survive this in one piece both psychically and mentally.
I was never as good at this telepathy, mental stuff as you.
No, but you're better than Kalix knows. Pull you consciousness back, go where Kalix cannot reach you.
Before Kale could reply he felt Kalix begin to tear at one of his walls. Kalix was more brutal and more powerful than Kale had expected. Within moment the wall crumbled under the raptor's attack and Kalix absorbed what had been in there. Kale caught flashes of cherished memories, things he never wanted to lose. He felt them stolen from him forever and cried out. If he didn't act soon he would lose it all.
You've lost Knight Ranger, I'll find what I want. Kalix's voice echoed in his mind.
You'll never win Kalix. Even if you find what you want there will always be someone to stop you. Kale replied. There are things about humans you haven't learned yet, lessons that you'll never understand. Even as you absorb my memories you can't learn from them and you'll never understand why in the end you'll be beaten.
Kalix's laughter was dark and taunting. Don't make me laugh. Humans are weak and once I have more Gems of Power no one will stand in my way. Especially none of the pathetic rangers of Earth.
Kale whimpered as a wall was crushed and he caught brief flashes of his first time with Nick before it was gone and all he knew was a sense of loss. Another wall fell and he saw the moment he had realized his brother had become a Knight Ranger as well before it was torn away from him. He was losing too much. If he let Kalix continue the way he was he would lose everything important to him. He would be nothing but a shell, something Kalix could turn against the rangers.
I won't let you win Kalix. Whatever happens you are going to lose. Kale vowed.
With that Kale pulled his mind back. He tore down his own walls and grabbed everything of importance. Everything he needed or wanted to remember he pulled with him. He could feel Kalix tearing after him, trying to catch him before he could get away, but Kale was swift within his own mind and could hinder Kalix just enough to get away. Kalix roared with frustration as he watched Kale's consciousness retreat behind the gates of his subconscious mind where he couldn't go.
Kalix pulled back slightly, but realized quickly he had made a mistake earlier. The information he needed wasn't in his subconscious mind it was right there in front of him. Looking around more carefully now that he didn't have a conscious mind to fight he could see very clearly three large walls. One was the wall into Kale's subconscious where he had retreated. Another had light issuing from behind it, but as he reached out to touch it he felt the power protecting the wall was much too powerful for him to do anything. Instead he turned his attention to the last wall. It looked strong, but not unbreakable. There was a soft glow from all around it, but he couldn't feel any power protecting it. With a triumphant grin he threw all his strength at the wall and laughed as it crumbled.
ZzZzZ
Kalix was almost skipping as he left the interrogation room. He couldn't believe his good luck. There were ten Gems hidden on Earth. Ten! That would give him an unbeatable number of Psycho Rangers. The Power Rangers of Earth would be hard pressed to match that. What was better was that Lothor had completely bypassed them; missed their presence completely when he attacked the Ice Ninja Academy. That just served to prove how pathetically inept the bumbling space ninja was. He was almost giddy, a feeling he hadn't felt since conquering his first planet. He summoned the Psycho Rangers and the three Knights of Destruction to the command room.
"Go to these coordinates. Use the gloves from the tech room and bring me those Gems!" Kalix ordered.
"Yes Master Kalix."
ZzZzZ
The three Wind Ninjas were meditating when Sensei announced the presence of the Psycho Rangers and the three knight monsters. They looked at the screen and saw them approaching what was left of a ninja academy. Confused, the three rangers looked to their Sensei for an explanation.
"They are at the Ice Ninja Academy. It is too far away for you to ninja streak to and I fear you can not get there in enough time to stop them." Sensei replied.
"Where is the Ice Academy?" Shane asked.
"Missouri." Sensei replied.
"Missouri?" The three students repeated, surprised.
Sensei nodded. "Yes, the reasons for this have never been clear. The Ice Academy is very mysterious and has very little contact with other academies. No one is sure what their academy is guarding."
"Guarding?"
"Yes Shane, all Ninja Academies have something that they are guarding." Sensei replied. "Do not ask what we are guarding, the time is not right."
"Yes Sensei." The three Winds said in unison.
"Sensei, could we use the zords?" Dustin asked.
"They are not all fast enough." Sensei said.
"No, but my Hawk Zord could make it." Shane said. "There's enough space in the belly for everyone else to ride in."
"Go Rangers, you do not have much time."
ZzZzZ
A freshly healed Crimson glanced over his shoulder as he felt eyes watching him. Ever since Alathos busted through the wall into the cave system Crimson had felt like someone was watching him. The caves were cold, dark, and damp and from what he could see so far they were extensive. There was no telling where the Gems were, they could be anywhere.
"What's wrong with you?" Red asked from Crimson's right side.
"Nothing." Crimson snapped, but ruined the effect by glancing over his shoulder again.
Red followed his companion's gaze. Through the enhanced sight in his helmet he could see through the dark perfectly. He couldn't see anything back there, but he trusted Crimson's instincts. He called for the group to halt. The three monsters shared a glance, but stopped, knowing that the Psychos were a little bit higher up on the command chain than they. Red continued to look back the way they had come.
"Nyus and Mesaus, I want you two to retrace our footsteps and make sure we're not being followed." Red ordered. "The rest of us are going to continue on."
"Yes sir." The two mentioned knights said. They turned in unison and headed back the way they had come.
Nyus growled inwardly. He hated being reduced to this. At one time he had been a real terror in the universe, but ever since Kalix defeated Jadikai he had been reduced to a henchman, barely worthy of mention. Now he was being forced to take orders from a human no less. How much worse could his life get?
"Hey, did you see that?" Mesaus asked.
Nyus stopped and glanced to where his brother was pointing. He could see okay in the dark, but not perfectly. There were still a lot of shadows and as he looked he saw one move. He tried to pinpoint the shadow, but it was always just on the edge of his vision. He glanced at Mesaus and found his brother having just as much of a problem trying to find the moving shadow.
"Maybe we should call for Alathos." Mesaus said.
Nyus snorted. "I don't need that big oaf to protect me. Stay here if you're afraid."
Mesaus growled at the insult and followed his younger brother back down the tunnel and then down another tunnel that led to a set of smaller caves. Their armor made a lot of noise as they tried to move stealthily, but the hollow caves created a lot of echo. They wouldn't be sneaking up on anything, but they were sure they could handle whatever they found. As they entered the smallest cave yet they were attacked by a blur of motion. Mesaus stumbled back out of the cave and by the time he got back inside Nyus was pinned to the wall with a strange double-bladed sword to his metallic throat. That was of no immediate consequence, it was, in fact, the sight of an unfamiliar figure holding the weapon that really caught his attention.
"Do you rangers have some magic formula that causes you to multiply?" Mesaus asked.
The ranger was not one he had seen before. The armor's main color was pure white. The helmet looked like the Yellow Ninja Ranger, but the chest reminded him of one of the Thunder Rangers. There was a black belt with several throwing knives slipped inside, but that was the only other major different Mesaus could see between the Ninja Rangers he had already fought and this new one.
"I don't know what you are or who you work for, but you're trespassing on Ice Ninja turf and for that you'll die." The Ranger growled fiercely in a male voice.
"Stronger Rangers than you have tried." Nyus sneered.
The Ranger pulled the weapon back to strike at Nyus's neck, but Mesaus lunged lightning fast and grabbed the Ranger's arm. The Ice Ranger kicked at the monster's chest, but Mesaus caught his leg and lifted him off the ground. The Ranger struggled, but Mesaus was too strong. He threw his captive through the cave wall and then checked on his brother. Nyus pushed him away and went through the hole after the Ice Ranger.
"It is good you ambushed us Ranger. Otherwise you would have been dead without a fight." Nyus sneered. "As it is you'll die slow and painfully now."
"Not before you tell me what you've done to my school." The Ranger snarled. "What have you done with my Sensei and the rest of the students?"
"I don't know." Nyus replied. "But if I did I wouldn't tell you."
The Ranger snarled and made a move to attack Nyus, but the monster kicked him hard in the chest. He flew back through another wall and didn't move. Nyus laughed and followed, picking up the limp form. It was obvious the ranger wasn't as skilled as some of the others he had fought. In all likelihood the ranger was still in training.
"Perhaps Master Kalix will have some use for this ranger." Nyus said.
Mesaus snickered. "He'll be useless against the Rangers; he's hardly skilled enough to be a challenge for them."
Still morphed the Ice Ranger listened to the talk about his fighting abilities with a smirk. Did they think that just anyone could gain access to ranger powers? Of course he was skilled; he just knew he had no chance against two creatures he had never seen before. He could feel their power and knew his best bet was to play opossum, at least for the moment. He stayed still and listened as they joined their comrades again.
"Another Ranger? Master Kalix is going to love this." Blue said. "Maybe he'll drain this ranger and make him a Psycho Ranger."
Psycho Ranger? That didn't sound good. Neither did the idea of having his power drained. He wanted to find out where his whole school went, not become some evil mastermind's henchman.
"Wait." Crimson said, causing the whole group to pause. "I feel something."
"You've been paranoid ever since we got here." Red snapped.
"And we were being tailed by a ranger." Crimson shot back. "But that's not the feeling I've got."
"He's right. It feels...It feels like the Gem is reacting to something." Psycho Blue added.
Red frowned and concentrated a little bit. His eyes widened slightly as he felt it too. There was a tingle, a sensation he hadn't felt before spreading through his body from his chest. His Gem was reacting to something.
"The Gems are close." Blue surmised.
"Spread out and see if we can determine where we get the strongest feeling."
ZzZzZ
"I wonder what the Ice Ninjas specialize in." Dustin mused.
"Ice." Niko supplied helpfully.
Dustin rolled his eyes. "No, I mean, Wind Ninjas specialize in speed and defense. Thunders specialize in strength and offense. What do Ice Ninjas specialize in?"
"Stealth and ambush." Hunter replied.
"Oh." Dustin paused for a moment. "Think any of them escaped Lothor like we did?"
"Anything is possible."
"Think any of them are rangers?"
"Dustin!"
"Sorry."
There was silence again for a long time before Shane's voice chimed over the intercom. "We're almost there. Everyone get ready for a landing."
ZzZzZ
"Here! It gets stronger every time." Crimson called.
Everyone gathered around the little cave he had wandered into and looked at the wall Crimson had his hand on. The three Psychos shared a look. One wall stood between them and showing Kalix they could do something right. That wall didn't stand a chance.
"Psycho Force Rush!"
"Psycho Slash Attack!"
"Psycho Fury Blast!"
The wall blasted apart showering everyone with bits and chunks of rocks. What was revealed was another wall. The inscription on it was old and a little chipped away, but the knights knew the language.
"Only those of the white can open this." Alathos said.
Everyone immediately looked at the white ranger hanging over Nyus's shoulder. Nyus dumped the ranger on the ground and started kicking at him, hoping to wake the only good being with them, but the Ice Ranger didn't stir. Nyus pulled back his foot to kick the ranger as hard as he could, but Alathos stopped him.
"Someone is coming." The big monster said.
Red reached out an easily felt the presence of the Red Ranger. "It's the Rangers. Quickly, hide!" Let the Rangers open it and then we'll ambush them.
The Psychos and knight monsters hid themselves, Nyus holding the Ice Ranger once more. The Ice Ranger decided that he had finally had enough. He couldn't the bad guys ambush other rangers. His instincts wouldn't let him sit around and let it happen. Carefully he pulled out one of his throwing knives and jabbed it into Nyus's shoulder. The knight jerked with a yelp and the Ice Ranger slid down to his feet, dropping all the way to trip Nyus. Mesaus made a move for the ranger, but the human was quicker and easily rolled away and to his feet pulling two identical bladed weapons. They almost looked like sickles only with shorter and wider blades and shorter handles.
"I don't know what's back there, but you're not getting it!" The Ice Ranger yelled.
Then a thin sheet of ice spread from under his feet across the whole cave and outwards. The Ice Ranger stayed perfectly balanced, while immediately the bad guys started slipping and sliding. He laughed, thoroughly amused by it, and watched as they struggled to gain footing. He grew serious when Psycho Red unleashed an energy blast that instantly melted the ice and the five villains got to their feet.
"That's a nice party trick Ice Ranger, but nothing special."
The Ice Ranger knew the jab was supposed to make him mad, make him lose his cool. As if. That was a lot of what his Sensei had trained right out of him. He wouldn't let them throw him off his game, not when they were on his turf. Of course, the energy bolt to his face made his reaction unimportant. He hit the ground already unconscious and was picked up once more by Nyus. Then the group moved into the shadows to wait for the rangers.
They didn't have to wait long. Within a few minutes the rangers and the two Psycho Rangers entered the cave. Yellow and Navy were holding balls of energy so that the rangers could see. Shane strolled up to the exposed wall, realizing immediately that it wasn't a part of the cave, and looked at the etchings. It wasn't a language he recognized, but when Yellow came over he made a sound of surprise.
"That's Hakkaran, that language hasn't been used in hundreds of years." Yellow explained. "Hakkaran was a language spoke by many races of the known universe for a long time. Many of the first Protectors spoke it and it's still taught in some places."
"What does it say?" Cam asked.
"A lot of it doesn't have a direct translation, but the gist of it is that only those of the white can find the Gems." Yellow replied.
"If they can't open the chamber, neither should we." Hunter said. "They can't get it this way and we have no way of using those Gems safely."
In his hiding spot Red growled at the Thunder's intelligence. Let's show them our hostage and give them no choice.
The Rangers all tensed and fell into fighting stances as their enemies made their presence known. All of them were shocked into silence by the sight of the white ranger, hanging limply in Nyus's arms with Alathos's sword to his throat. Shane instantly knew what they were up to and he knew that they would have no choice but to do what they were told or the new ranger would be killed.
"Open the chamber." Psycho Red ordered. He didn't need to make a threat. They all knew what he wasn't saying.
Shane glanced at Yellow. "How do we open it?"
"You six touch the etchings." Yellow said, never taking his eyes off Crimson. He knew his ex-teammate was doing the same.
The six rangers did as they were told, albeit a little hesitantly. Almost immediately the wall slid up and the chamber inside was revealed. They were all stunned. There were ten Gems of Power inside, all nestled on a cushion of some sort. The amazement faded to horror when they realized what kind of force Kalix could make with that. They had to stop their enemies from getting the Gems, but at the same time they couldn't risk the Ice Ranger's life.
Suddenly Nyus gasped as ice began to spread over his body, originating from the Ice Ranger. He tried to drop his captive, but it was too late. The ice spread much too quickly and all he got out was a muffled grunt before he was completely taken over by it. The Ice Ranger broke out of Nyus's frozen hold and as his feet touched the ground he let himself flow right into a leg sweep that took Alathos down. He then pulled his double-bladed sword and jumped at Mesaus.
That's when chaos totally broke out. The Rangers rushed into the battle and the Gems were momentarily forgotten. Almost. Psycho Blue kept herself out of the fight and slipped silently into the chamber. She put on the special glove and began putting the Gems in a pouch. She had just gotten the eighth one in there when she was kicked from behind. The force of the blow sent her tumbling face down and she didn't even get to her feet before she was kicked again. She didn't bother to stick around. She didn't want to risk the Rangers stealing those Gems from her. With a flash of light she was gone.
The rest of the Psychos and the remaining knight monsters realized they couldn't win the fight, but the victory was still theirs. With another flash of light they were all gone, even the frozen Nyus. That left the rangers standing almost completely empty handed with only two Gems, but on the other hand, apparently they had a new ally. They were left to wonder when things were going to start going their way.