"So let me get this straight…you're cousin knows who you are?" Conner questioned, leaning between the two seats. Tommy, frowning, nodded and clutched the steering wheel tighter. "And knows who we are?" He nodded again. "And you never told us?"
"I forgot." He stated and was now choking the steering wheel.
"How convenient." Ethan murmured, rolling his eyes.
"Can it." Tommy growled as he pulled off into a dirt road. "I didn't think it mattered they knew, so I didn't say anything. I still don't think it matters."
"Ok, change of subject…where are we going?" Kira interjected and folded her arms.
"The lab." Tommy answered, smiling as the house came into view.
"Why?" Conner called, once again leaning between the seats.
"You're Dino Morphers are sensing an unusually high amount of energy. Generally, it only does that when the energy surpasses that of the Dino Gem, or the Morphing Grid." Tommy answered, bring the car to a halt in front of the house. "And the energy signature matches the ones from other Power Rangers. That's why some morphers pulsated black and others grey."
Conner "ahed" and then looked at Ethan. "Understand that?"
Ethan shrugged. "Basically he's saying the morphers are sensing more ranger energy." He looked at Tommy for the ok. "Or evil energy."
Tommy shook his head. "It's Ranger energy – that's all the morphers are designed to sense."
"Ok, now that we've got this cleared, who was it sensing?" Kira questioned, peering out into the forest. It seemed so calm and quiet to her.
"I don't know." Tommy stated and threw open his door. "It could have been anyone because the morphers detect ranger energy within in a 3 mile radius."
"Oh that's cute." Ethan sighed. "A 3 mile radius houses about 300 people. Glad we have your ingenious device to save the day, Dr. O."
"Thanks Ethan! I'm glad my genius is needed around here. If you haven't noticed, the morphers calculate the distance of the energy. So it brings it down from 3 miles to almost pinpoint accuracy." Tommy scowled and turned away. "That was my idea, but Haley's design."
"So how do we figure out who the new rangers are?" Ethan quizzed, slouching further in the seat.
The mood seemed to lighten instantly and Tommy relaxed considerably. "Well, we have to let the computer run a scan of the morphers. It could minutes to even days before it finds a match. It has to scan hundreds of people."
"So why are we here then?" Kira asked, peeking her head out the side of the jeep. "Wouldn't we just get in the way?"
Tommy shook his head. "I need you guys to figure out what kind of Ranger energy it is."
"Kind of Ranger energy? Wouldn't it be Dino Energy?" Conner asked and jumped out of the jeep.
"No." Tommy smiled and tapped his morpher. "It's solid if it's Dino, pulsates slow if its an older version of energy, and flashes rapidly if its newer."
"Older, new and present powers, eh? I suppose you have those all classified?" Ethan laughed, shaking his head.
Tommy nodded. "Straight from Mighty Morphin all the way to Dino Thunder." He said with a hint of arrogance.
Ethan and Trent exchanged glances and a grin fell upon them both. "Well Dr. O, what are we waiting for?" They said almost in union before leaping out of the car.
Tommy sighed and nodded again. Many thoughts ran through his head, some more disturbing than others. But the one thought that rattled him so greatly, so dearly, was the one he hoped wouldn't come true.
"I just hope it isn't who I think it is." Tommy said and turned into the house.
"Who do you think it is?" Conner asked, raising a brow.
But Tommy ignored his question and disappeared into the shadow of his house…
- - -
The doors to the Rising Sun Dojo chimed automatically and went silent. It signified the deactivation of the security system momentarily. When the door shut, the alarm reactivated. Kojin tossed his bag into a near by chair and let his shoulders slouch. Sierra had done the same but had begun to stretch.
"You want to spar now?" Kojin groaned and gave a mock defeated slouch. Sierra just grinned and continued her stretching. "Alright, alright, I don't see the harm in whoopin' your ass before we get settled."
But before they could, the ceiling window shattered from a powerful blast. Shards of glass sprayed in every direction, slicing up the walls and floors like a hot knife through butter. But Kojin and Sierra had already moved, soaking into the shadows. Their eyes burned red for a split second and then returned to their respective colors. Sierra seemed to blend in perfectly with the darkness, and for a second Kojin had trouble seeing whether she was acting still breathing or not.
Then he got a good look at their attackers.
To be perfectly honest, he wasn't to shocked either.
They were putties and Tyrannodrones mixed together.
"How original." Kojin thought and suddenly vanished into the shadows. Sierra frowned, feeling her loves presence beside her.
"You never get tired of doing that, do you?" She thought to herself, peering into Kojin's eyes. Almost as if he could read her mind, that mischievous grin gave her the answer. Kojin raised his clenched fist and she saw the pulsing black morpher glow in the shadows. Her only reaction was a simple nod.
On cue the shadows shattered and two black hues expanded through the room. To the invaders, it was like a blinding light and their arms raised to shield their eyes. Words echoed off the walls and into the ears of the aggressors that made them tingle with fear.
"It's morphin' time!" Kojin bellowed and threw the morpher out before him. "Black Dragon!"
Brilliant white and black columns of light descended from an invisible sky and consumed Kojin with suck dark, hellish glow that is scared even their aggressors. When the glow vanished, the once black silk clad figure was no consumed with an equally scary outfit.
His helmet resembled that of a dragon, its eyes twinkled like a blood ruby. His suit was all black with the exception of the white bands strapped around his upper arm and the white belt around his waist. The cuff of his boots was white as well while the rest was a shiny black. Expanding down his chest was pearl white armor with a black coin carved into the center of it.
And resting firmly in his black gloved hand was a sword like non-other. The hand was nearly ¾ a foot long and the hilt was shaped into a dragon. The tsuba expanded a quarter-inch each side and were perfectly carved into dragon's wings. But beyond everything else, the blade was even more magnificent. It was long, nearly four and half feet long with a smooth front edge and a jagged reverse edge.
"Black Dragon Saber, power up!" Kojin hissed as the blade burned a pearl white and then settled into its sleek silvery design.
Sierra grinned devilishly, raised her fist and brought it across her chest. The next set of words had even the mindless putties cowering in fear.
"Black Wolf, Power Up!" Sierra cried, throwing her clawed hand out before her.
The shadows around them seemed to darken considerably, if that was even possible, and feed into Sierra in streams. Her body suddenly exploded like the hulk, becoming immensely ripped before settling again. But even then, her physique was much different. Her arms and legs were bigger and bulkier; but only a little.
Suddenly she exploded once more with energy and beam of black energy expanded out from her. Her screams of rage and hate fueling the power through her veins, and the suit flickered to life. Her helmet was similar to a wolf's head and its eyes sparkled like blue gems. Her suit, much like Kojin's, was all black. White streaks raced down her arms and bleached her gloves a perfect white. Her belt was also white, holding a small coin in the middle and much larger version carved into the metal armor.
If one looked at the two, they could see the resemblances to the Green Samurai Ranger and Green Rangers armor, but to the rest was totally different.
With a single forward step, the putties and Tyrannodrones yelped and took a step back. Sierra and Kojin locked eyes beneath their black visors and charged into battle.
Two of the Putties were down immediately for a swift punch. They flew backwards into several of their counter parts, but two Tyrannodrones took their places. Kojin struck the first hard in the gut with a snap kick and backhanded it hard to the ground. Sierra shot a side kick into the chest of a Puttie, causing it to explode and whirled in defense against the two Tyrannodrones.
"They never give up, do they?" Sierra asked, stretching her clawed hands out. A sudden snap kick by the Tyrannodrone set her staggering back. But the retaliation was lightning quick, and Sierra jolted forward, mashing her fists against the single drone. It staggered back and collapsed under the sudden attack.
She whirled faster then Conner's Super Speed and cracked her heel against the final drones jaw. It spun like a cyclone and slammed against the cold, hard ground with a brutal crack. It faded away into the otherworld like most had. Only a few putties and drones remained.
"It feels good to be back in action, doesn't it?" Kojin asked, easing out of his stance. There was no longer a reason to take them seriously. They were, after all, useless enemies.
Sierra was silent but her actions were the truth. Her fist slammed against a Puttie's skull, nearly shattering it. Her body twisted faster then light and sent another Tyrannodrone flying threw the air. Her leg folded in and she let it drop to the ground.
Before the remaining 2 fiends could attack, a blue-white glow consumed them and they vanished. Kojin glanced around the room, scanning it for a sign of any other being. When all was clear, the two lovers let their shoulders sag and the energy escaped them. After a moment of silence, they caught a movement from the corner of their eyes and scowled at the visit.
Tommy Oliver stood at the window; his face locked a look of displeasure and uncertainty. Beside him was Kira, Conner, Ethan and Trent, all looking thoroughly bewildered and in uniform.
"Well…" Kojin said calmly, looking to his lover. "I'll thumb battle you to see who opens the door…"
Minutes Earlier…
Trent flipped through the pages, scanning over the pictures and information held there. Some were pictures of the actual rangers themselves, and others were of their power recordings. But it hadn't taken long before something caught his eye.
"Ah…Dr. O, I think I have something here." He said and peered down at the picture before him. "It's a power reading of the Dragonzord Power Coin."
Tommy visible winced at that statement.
"But um, I'll keep looking." Trent stammered and began to rapidly skim through the pages. The damage was already done, however. Tommy turned to face Trent and sighed loudly – almost disappointedly. "Um, is there something wrong, Dr. O?"
Tommy sighed again and nodded. "I was afraid you'd find a match with that." He seemed to be contemplating something. "How close of a match is it?"
Trent flipped back to the page and began to compare the two."Um, almost identical, sir." He said, skimming between the two. "It seems to me he's using a Coin Morpher?"
Tommy sighed and looked to the floor. "I was afraid of that." He whispered and rubbed his temples. "Alright, then we've found what we want."
Before Conner could rise to object, the warning alarm went off. Tommy whirled around, peering at the screen as it clicked to life. There, on the screen itself was two Rangers finishing their morph. What's more, their enemy was…
"Dr. O, are those Putties and Tyrannodrones?" Conner asked, stepping beside his mentor.
"Afraid so." He answered calmly.
All eyes turned and rested directly on Trent. His head was lowered and peering at the floor.
"Come, it's time for duty." Tommy whispered as his morpher appeared. Conner and other's followed suit, all eyes resting on Dr. O. "And if comes to push to shove, don't be afraid to take those rangers down."
The others, standing bewildered at their mentors comment, simply nodded.
"If they don't kill us first…" He added quietly and morphed.