Disclaimer: Power Rangers does not belong to me.
A/N: I have not watched the entire season of Wild Force, so I apologize in advance if I anything in this chapter is factually inaccurate.
Chapter 12: Seeds of War and Peace
"Merrick, are you sure you are ok?" Cole questioned Wild Force's former sixth ranger.
"I'll be alright," muttered Merrick Baliton as his old Wild Force teammates gazed at him in concern along with another group of rangers he did not know.
"But you looked so weak when Hunter and I found you outside an hour ago," began Alyssa worriedly as she rewet the washcloth in the basin of warm water and continued to wipe away the dried blood and grime from her friend's face.
"I'm fine now," pleaded Merrick. "You have to let me go, or the Orgs will…"
Everyone gasped as Merrick tried to stand, but started to collapse from his lack of strength. Quickly, Danny and Cole each caught Merrick by one of his arms and forced the ancient worry to sit back down.
"Tori, bring him a blanket from the back room, and Hunter see if find some food in the kitchen," ordered Sensei Watanabe from his guinea pig hut before turning back to regard Merrick. "Now, did you just say 'Orgs'?"
"Yes," said Merrick gravely. "They have been reborn."
"What do you been reborn?" asked Cole urgently, pushing forward to kneel by Merrick's side.
"I was wandering the woods a few weeks ago when I sensed a disturbance in the natural force," explained Merrick. "Traveling to the region where I felt a growing evil, I came upon a clearing in the woods where I found three aliens pledging allegiance to a creature with a scaly face and horns. This alien seemed to be their king."
"Lothor," confirmed Cam grimly as Dustin, Shane and Blake nodded in agreement.
"This alien king you call Lothor seemed about to bestow something upon the monsters," continued Merrick with his tale. "Lothor opened his palm to reveal the gift, but it was too tiny for me to see what it was. The three alien monsters took the gift eagerly and ate it. By the time I realized what Lothor had given the monsters, it was too late for me to stop it."
"Stop what?" asked Danny anxiously. "What did Lothor give them?"
"Org seeds," replied Merrick grimly as he saw his old teammates gasp in horror.
"Ok dude, like I totally don't get what the big deal is," sighed Dustin in boredom. "I mean, like, I get that sunflower seeds can taste nasty sometimes or that poppy seeds can be annoying the way they get in between your teeth sometimes… OWW!" whined the yellow Ninja ranger as Shane cut him off with a sharp elbow to the ribs.
"What are Org seeds?" asked the Ninja Storm rangers' leader.
"They have the ability to give a monster an incredible power boost," revealed Merrick. "In this case, the seeds turned Lothor's alien monsters into Orgs."
"So that's why all the monsters we fought today had horns," said Alyssa.
"You fought the three already?" asked Merrick in surprise.
"Yes, but what's more important is I thought all the Org seeds had been destroyed when we defeated Master Org," exclaimed Max.
"I overheard Lothor tell his monsters that these three gifts were the last of their kind, although he did not mention to the monsters specifically that they had been turned into Orgs," responded Merrick. "I only recognized what the three had become by the horns on their heads. After I saw that the monsters had been transformed into Orgs, I immediately tried to attack them, but Lothor teleported away with a monster who looked like a samurai."
"Samurai Smogger," confirmed Cole. "That explains why he had been all by himself these weeks I was tracking him."
"I was left to fight the other two who called themselves Ms. N'Ozone and Duke Deforestation," continued Merrick. "But I was outnumbered, and they escaped. I spent the next weeks tracking the new Orgs and thought I had defeated them but a few days ago. Yet apparently I hadn't finished off Ms. N'Ozone and Duke Deforestation, because they returned today with the third monster you say is named Samurai Smogger. I was overpowered and blacked out in the middle of the forest. When I came to, I sensed the presence of you all, my old allies, in the area and used what was left of my strength to find you."
"So it looks like we're dealing with Orgs who also know the ways of the ninja," summarized Sensei. "Not to mention it seems the three have been able to revive their old, Putrid foot soldiers as well."
"What are we going to do?" worried Blake. "Our Ninja powers were ineffective against them today."
"We have to go find the Orgs now before they do any harm to the city," said Merrick urgently as he tried again to stand only to fall over a second time.
"You need rest," said Tori gently who had just returned to the room with blankets for him.
"You all need rest," put in Sensei. "You are going to need all your strength to defeat these new Orgs. Go home and get some sleep. Cam and I will call you if they should reappear before morning."
"I have a pullout cot in room," said Tori, turning to Alyssa. "You can spend the night at my house."
"Jealous, Bro?" whispered Dustin teasingly to Blake.
"Oh shuddup," muttered his friend in response.
"But Dad, we only have two beds extra beds here at Ninja Ops," Cam told his father. "And Merrick needs one of them. He's too weak to move anywhere."
"Max and I can take one bed," piped up Danny eagerly.
"Yeah, we don't mind sharing!" said Max happily.
"I'm sure they don't," whispered Blake in amusement to Dustin who chuckled in response.
"Max, yay! Sleepover!" said Danny ecstatically as he picked his little buddy up and swung him around the room as Dustin snorted to keep from laughing.
"Where should I go?" asked Cole, secretly hoping Tori maybe had one more extra bed considering who else was staying at her house.
"You can stay with Hunter and I," offered Blake cheerfully.
"HE CAN!" gasped Hunter in horror, almost dropping as he entered the room the plate of food for Merrick.
"I CAN?" asked Cole, clearly not to delighted to accept the offer.
"Good, then it is settled," said Sensei in a tone that announced the end of all discussion. "Go home rangers and get some sleep. Hunter and Cole, can I see you for a minute?"
The boys made evil eyes at each other as they walked over toward the guinea pig hut. "What is it, Sensei?" asked Hunter, continuing to glare at Cole.
"When the spirit of the Org and the spirit of the Alien combined, the team of monsters became twice as powerful," offered Sensei.
"What are you trying to say, Sensei?" asked Cole in puzzlement.
"That is for you two red rangers to figure out," responded Sensei, smiling slyly.
"But Sensei," protested Hunter. "I'm the crimson ranger, and he is red. We are NOT the same color."
"Aren't your colors just variations of the same shade?" answered Sensei with a question.
"But…" protested Hunter and Cole.
"Sleep on it," advised Sensei as he turned his back on the boys, signaling it was time for them to leave.
Sighing in confusion at Sensei's words as well as in frustration at having to spend the night with Hunter, Cole turned to follow the other ranger out the door when he heard a hoarse voice call his name.
"Can you wait for me a minute?" Cole asked Hunter.
"Whatever," responded the blond boy. "Blake and I will meet you outside."
Walking over to the couch, Cole approached the one who had called his name. "Something on your mind, Merrick?"
"Were the Ninja rangers' attacks really ineffective against the Orgs?" asked Merrick as his face creased over in anxiousness.
"Yes," confirmed Cole. "Why do you ask?"
"I didn't want to say this earlier in front of them," sighed Merrick in worry. "Or in front of our own boys who can't keep their mouths shut," he said ruefully, looking to where Max and Danny were holding hands and jumping excitedly on the cot they were to share.
"Merrick, what is it?" asked Cole as his voice grew serious.
"Cole, I have a feeling the fate of us defeating these new Orgs is tied to our old Wild Force ranger powers," said Merrick uneasily.
"But we don't even know where Princess Shayla is!" gasped Cole in horror.
"Trust me, I wish I knew where she was, or how to get in contact with her," replied Merrick longingly in a far-off tone. "More than you'll ever know."
It was dark when Taylor finally landed her plane. Even though it was night, she knew her surroundings well enough to find her way around easily. Parking her plane in it's usually spot, Taylor walked the familiar path to the place she'd long called home.
Everything was in its usual spot when she arrived: the office plants, the wooden table… and the fountain in the center of the room. Kneeling over by the edge of the cool water, Taylor saw the reflection of a young women. Not herself, but a lady dressed in white with long, brown tresses and flowers upon her head. As an eagle beloved to her cried overhead, Taylor's heart raced at the sight again of a friend so dear to her.
"Princess Shayla?"