Power Rangers Dino Thunder - Stronger Together

Welcome to Reefside

Tommy Oliver cursed, drowning his sorrow in a bottle of beer. He wasn't an alcoholic by nature but he couldn't deny that it took his mind off things. He knew alcoholism led to a vicious cycle of self-destructive habits. He remembered his adopted father lashing out against them while drunk. Tommy promised himself that he'd never try to drink his problems away but he desperately needed to forget the pain and misery even if it was for a few hours.

Why was it always him?

He had no one he could turn to for help. He knew his old friends had their own lives and the last thing he wanted to do was drag them back to this insanity.

Why did this always happen to him? What had he done to deserve all the bad karma in the universe?

He swung his arm in a wide arc, sweeping the bottle off the table and watching with cathartic joy as the bottle smashed into pieces, shards of broken glass and liquor littering the ground.

He hated his life.

Why couldn't he just have a normal life? Every time he thought he finally had a chance of putting his past behind him and setting his roots somewhere, everything goes up in flames. He was damn sure the universe didn't want him to be happy!

Just then, a portal opened in the middle of his apartment in Amber Beach and two individuals stepped out, one of them a reptilian humanoid with brown scales, big lizard eyes and wearing a red cloak and the other a red headed woman in a simple purple dress.

"Keeper!" His speech slurred as he glared at the entity who got him into this mess in the first place.

"I apologize, Thomas but the universe needs your help." The millennia old creature said gently.

"Fuck off." He snarled turning his back on the duo, only to lose his footing and falling down on the floor. He yelped as the broken glass seared through his hands.

"Shit! Get a hold of yourself Oliver!" The woman yelled, helping him up. "You are not the only one who was screwed over by Mesagog."

Tommy shrugged, trying to pull away from him. "Leave me alone, Hayley."

"I can't, not till we make Mesagog pay for everything he has done." She snarled.

"What?" Tommy stared at her incredulously. "Mesagog is dead."

"I got a vision from the Grid suggesting otherwise." Keeper stated grimly.

"Okay, again with the visions. But by all means, please continue." He drawled, deliberately ignoring Hayley's reproachful glare.

"He will be searching for the dino gems. They are the key to fulfilling his plans of resurrecting the primeval dinosaurs."

"The gems were destroyed in the explosion." Tommy stated.

"Not exactly." The Keeper raised his staff, the yellow gem on its tip glowing brightly as golden light washed over Tommy, relieving him of his drunken state and healing his cuts. "The Dino gems were forged by the spirits of the ancient dinosaurs and the extradimensional energies released sixty-five million years ago. They wouldn't be destroyed by a mere explosion."

"Then, where are they?" Tommy asked.

"Reefside." The ancient alien informed. "The coast city beside Mercer Island. You two must secure the dino gems. It's time for another team of rangers to protect the world."

"I am not going to hand out morphers to teenagers. I won't let others go through what I experienced."

"That's not your call to make, Thomas. You must trust the Grid. The power chooses it's wielders, not the other way around."

"We'll see, Keeper. But we need to make a command center in Reefside then to coordinate the search for the gems."

"Already done." Hayley smirked. "I bought us a house on the outskirts of the city, a cyber café to scout for teenagers with attitude and I may have offered your resume to Reefside High. You are going to be the new science teacher. Also it's not my place but you should probably break the news that you are alive to your friends, atleast to Katherine and-"

"No." Tommy cut her off, his voice harsh and leaving no room for argument. "They're better without me. I can't go back to them, not like this. Not with this mess looming over our heads."

He took a moment to steady himself. "But why the hell do I need to be a high school teacher? Did you forget that I was always late to classes and barely passed my exams?"

"Only because you were busy saving the world! Duh!" Hayley smirked. "There's no way you are getting out of this, Tommy."

"I trust you two to do what's needed to protect your world." The Keeper cut in. "I wish I could aid you more but I need to return to my own dimension."

The two nodded before the alien teleported away in a swirl of red smoke.


It was the first day of his last year of school. Unlike many of his classmates who just wanted to treasure every minute of their senior year, he just wanted it to get over fast.

Nick Russell was just about to open his locker as he heard it.

"Hey Cassidy! Look at this."

"What is it, Devin! Can't you see I'm busy?" Cassidy snapped before stopped to look at Devin's smartphone. "Mercer Industries buying majority shares of Reefside Corporations. What's the big deal? Why should I be interested in this?"

"Mercer as in Anton Mercer?"

"Who?"

"The rich guy who disappeared after his private island exploded and killed a lot of people?"

His eyes narrowed. While the incident got a lot of media coverage, nothing conclusive was found and all the scientists and staff employed by Mercer were presumed dead along with the industrialist himself.

His cousin, Regina had been on the island when it exploded. She was gone while Mercer Industries lived on. Her death and that of so many others were being trivialised as nothing more than news articles.

His hold on the handle of the locker tightened as he flung his arm, unknowingly ripping the locker door from the wall. It fell on the ground with a sharp metallic clang.

"What a creep!" Cassidy screeched as she and the other students scurried away from him.

"Oh. I'm sorry." He fumbled as he tried to fit the locker back in place.

"Leave it. Look at you poor thing, venting out your frustration and destroying school property on the first day." He turned around to see a woman in a grey suit, rimmed glasses and short hair looking at him with a predatory gleam in her eyes. It was the new principal, Miss Randall.

"Sorry. I don't know how it happened. It was an accident."

"It always is an accident with you, Mr. Russell, isn't it? I've seen your record. Throwing temper tantrums and vandalizing public property. Everyone has their trauma, darling but that doesn't turn them into delinquents."

"Excuse me?" Nick blinked.

"I know exactly what you need. One week of detention after class and you'll be set straight." She smiled before walking past him. "Come along now."

There was something familiar about Randall but he dismissed the notion. He'd definitely remember if he'd met someone as unpleasant as this woman before.

Great! First day of school and he already had detention.


Tommy grimaced as he walked into Reefside High, despite telling himself it was literally the worst idea. He and Hayley had tried to find the gems for a year only to fail. He didn't want to believe it but Keeper was right. The gems chose the wielders not the other way around. They had to wait till the gems chose the new rangers. Meanwhile, they had created morphers and ranger armour to go along with the gems, even though the biozords were still in Mesagog's clutches.

As he walked past the sea of students in the hallway, a woman swerved beside him, strutting in her high heels. "Doctor Oliver, I'm Principal Randall."

"Nice to meet you. It's your first day too, isn't it?" He held out his hand.

"I'm still trying to figure out why a doctor of palaeontology would come all the way to Reefside to teach science to teenagers." Randall ignored his outstretched hand and continued walking.

"I guess I am looking for some peace and quiet."

"So, you came to Reefside. That doesn't make a lot of sense, now does it Dr. Oliver?" She smirked. "Why waste your time on bunch of teenagers?"

"Well, I don't think shaping the minds of the future generation is a waste of time, Miss Randall."

Her smile dropped. "You'll find most of these morons don't have brains, Tommy. Anyway, we'll talk later. I have my first truant to find."

Tommy sighed. That had to be one of the weirdest chats of his life and he'd interacted with aliens and megalomaniac monsters, not to mention Bulk and Skull.

He shook his head as he entered the classroom, only to find an utter ruckus. God, they weren't that unruly back in high school, were they? He sure hoped not and he'd have to deal with this on a daily basis? Well, after this, his respect for Miss Appleby and Principal Caplan elevated quite a bit. Being a teacher wasn't as easy as it looked and he hadn't even started teaching yet!

"Hey! Everyone, settle down please!" He shouted over the chaos. He internally sighed in relief as the students stopped chatting and looked at him. "Hi, I'm Doctor Oliver and this is first period, science. Before we start, are there any questions?"

A blond girl raised her hand with a bright smile on her face. "Dr. Oliver, as you might know, I am Cassidy Cornell, the anchor and field reporter for the school TV station. Our viewers might be wondering aren't you a bit young to be a teacher?"

Well, that was straight forward. He could hardly imagine anyone from Angel Grove High asking a pointed question to their teachers. What exactly had he got himself into?

"I assure you Cassidy, I'm old enough to be a teacher." He said sternly as Cassidy snapped at a boy in green, who was carrying a video camera, for not recording this. "But enough about me, this class is about you guys and what you should expect yourself in this class because that's what is really important."

He scanned the room. Unlike Angel Grove High, the students here had no sense of decorum or discipline. He spotted a few backbenchers typing away on their phones. His gaze flickered towards the empty chairs in front of Cassidy. "Is there someone missing?"


Conner McKnight leapt in the air as he kicked the soccer ball towards the goal. He landed back on his feet as the goalie yelped and dodged the ball.

"Dude, you're supposed to try and stop it!" He said exasperated.

"Are you sure it's okay to be here. It's already first period. The bell rang and everything. And it's the first day of school!"

'Dude, chillax. Stop acting like a nerd! If anyone asks, tell them Conner McKnight gave you permission to be here." Conner smirked. As captain of the soccer team, he had gotten away bending rules and silly pranks before.

"Yeah. But I heard the new principal is crazy, like she worked in a prison or something before she came here."

"Dude! Don't worry about Randall. She's a woman! And women are just grown-up girls." He chuckled smugly, not hearing the footsteps behind him nor noticing the cutting motions the goalie made until it was too late. "Need I say more?"

"I think you have said enough, Mr. McKnight."

Conner turned around to see the new principal glaring at him and a boy in a red shirt, jeans and a leather jacket behind her looking bemused.

"Principal Randall, I've heard so many wonderful things about you." He gave a charming smile at her. Flattery and charm always made it easy for him to persuade other people. No reason why it shouldn't work on this woman. After all, his smile can melt the coldest of hearts.

His grin faltered as Randall continue to glare at him. The other boy was trying to hold his laughter.

"Vicious rumours, I assure you." Randall snarled. "Detention! Come along now. I can't wait to hear what your parents think about your opinion of women."

"My parents?"

"I think they should be notified when their son disrespects the principal." Randall smirked cruelly.

"I didn't! I didn't even know you were here." Conner stuttered.

"So, you are too afraid to say what you think about girls to their faces?" She drawled. "What a man!"

"I'm really sorry."

"No, you're not. But I know how to make you reconsider your priorities in life." Her lips twisted into a sinister smile. "You're off the soccer team for the next two months, Mr. McKnight."

Everyone looked at her in shock.

"You can't!" Conner cried out. "I'm the best player on the field."

"I'm sure we can find someone else. Come along now." She started to walk before noticing the goalie still looking at them shocked.

"What are you looking at?" She snarled, running forward and kicking the ball at him with such ferocity that he smashed into the back of the net. "Now get back to class!"

Conner and Nick exchanged shocked stares before following Randall back towards the school building. Whoever this lady was, she wasn't to be messed with!

Just then, Randall broke into a grin as she found her next target- a girl sitting on one of the benches with a small crowd gathered around her as she sang while strumming on her guitar.

The moment she finished the song, the crowd broke into cheers only to disperse as Randall stepped through. "Miss Kira Ford, was it? I am afraid you need a written permission to perform on school grounds. Let's go."

"Are you aware that students who play an instrument have a fifty percent higher chance of getting into college?" Kira shot back haughtily.

"Well," Randall peered through her glasses. "You're hardly college material, are you, Miss Ford? Now come on."

Kira's jaw hung open for a second before rolling her eyes and joining the other two students. "Whatever."

Without any warning, the sprinklers went off, spraying everyone in the ground with water. Kira yelped as she tried to shield her guitar with her sling bag while Randall fumed.

"What the heck!" Conner cursed, as he and Nick were completely drenched from head to toe.

"Ethan James! I should have known!" She snarled as she spotted a young man walking by under a blue umbrella, smiling happily. She trotted towards the prankster and hauled him over to the group.

"Anyone else who wants detention!" She hollered, turning towards the onlooking mass of students.

Just then, she spotted a bespectacled girl with smooth brown skin, her hair in a messy bun, wearing an orange top and a black hoodie over it trying to discretely cross the school gates.

"Miss Kaur, where do you think you're going?" Randall raced over to her.

The girl turned around, surprised. "Nowhere?" she managed a weak smile.

"DETENTION!" She barked. "Come along now. Haven't got all day!"

The girl rolled her eyes before joining the other four as Randall led them back inside the school. This wasn't how she wanted her first day to go.

"SIT!" Randall ordered, pointing at the bench outside her office.

"Miss Randall, I'd like to point out there's no hard evidence linking me to the unfortunate sprinkler incident."

"Save it for Judge Judy! Five of you have detention for a week!"

"What? I have computer cub!"

"Guitar lessons!"

"Soccer practice!"

"Environment club!"

"I don't care!" She seethed, storming into her room. "Meet me here after classes. If anyone decides to run off, that's a month of detention!"

"Okay, somebody seriously needs a hug!" Kira grimaced.

"Dude, computer club? Environment club?" Conner turned towards Ethan and the new girl with a bemused expression.

While Ethan rolled his eyes and ignored him, the girl leveled a glare on him. "Hey hotshot, got any problem with it?"

"You guys actually go to these clubs?"

"Not everybody in this school is a dumb jock." She retorted coldly, as Conner shut up. Never had a girl talked back to him like this before today. First Randall and now her.

"Hey, we probably shouldn't shout and give the crazy principal more excuses to bury us with detentions." Nick said, clamping his hand over Conner's mouth before he could come up with a reply. "I am Nick. Good to meet you."

The girl looked him over, her lips twisting into a faint smile. "Glad to see not everyone here is a jerk. I'm Ahana."

Nick was about to reply when Conner licked his fingers. "Eww!" He made a face as he instantly removed his hand from the soccer player's face and wiped it on his shirt as Ahana started giggling and Conner smirked. Ethan's lips twitched while Kira just gave an exasperated sigh.

"I'm sorry." Conner said to her. "I'm sure that the environment club is very cool and so is the computer club." He gave Ethan a small smile, to which the gamer just nodded.

"It's okay. Maybe you're not a dumb jock after all."

"Well, Randall just kicked me off the team for missing classes. So I guess not anymore." Conner sighed, before slumping backwards into the seat.

"That's pretty harsh. Sorry to hear that." Ahana said gently.

"Hey, where were you trying to go?"

"I was going to join a protest at Reefside Park. The mayor has authorised a petition to turn it into some kind of parking lot. That's unthinkable considering how much important the park is to the environment and so many birds and small animals are dependent on the trees."

"That sounds bad." Ethan cut in. "But what's one protest going to accomplish if it's already sanctioned?"

"Well, we have to do something. If we don't hold those with power accountable for their actions, we are enabling whatever wrong they're doing." She stated vehemently.

"Right." Conner nodded.

"Really, you understood all that?" Ahana raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously, just because I'm a pretty face doesn't mean I'm dumb!" Conner groaned as the other three snickered at his expense. Even Kira gave a small smile.


At the end of all his classes, Tommy huffed before packing everything in his suitcase and turning off the lights. While he was apprehensive in the beginning, the students weren't all inattentive. He was even impressed by some of their answers.

He felt at ease in the classroom and quickly remembered that it wasn't the first time he was teaching kids. Back in high school, he and the other rangers used to teach basic martial arts and self defence to kids and anyone else who were interested. Sure, teaching science was different from demonstrating katas but at the same time, it was similar. All he needed to do was make the students understand the practical importance and necessity what they were learning and he was sure he was successful in doing that.

As soon as he stepped in the hallway, Randall was by his side. God, was she a freaking ninja?

"How was your first day, Dr Oliver?" She asked curtly.

"The kids were great, no problem."

"Good. You're going to see more of them in detention."

"Detention? Mind telling me what I did?" The words were out of his mouth before he realised he wasn't a student anymore.

"No. You're in charge of it." She said bemused, a flicker of a smile gracing her lips.

"Ah." Tommy said sheepishly. "Actually, I can't. I was planning to head to this museum out of town and-"

"Perfect, bring the little monsters with you." She cut in as she led him down the stairs and around the corner where the five students were waiting for them. "That should be sufficient torture for them. You've all met, I presume."

She gave him a tight nod before walking away.

"So, you guys like museums?"


Zeltrax didn't remember much aside from one name… Tommy Oliver. With the help of his master, he slowly pieced together his missing memories. He was apparently a brilliant scientist before Oliver sabotaged his work and left him to die.

He stopped in front of a mirror and saw his reflection… nothing but a robot in grey and blue armour. His entire body felt numb. Everything was cold and mechanical.

He had tried searching for his old identity… Terrence Smith. What Mesagog informed him was disheartening. He had no family to speak of or any home to go back to. Everything was gone. His parents were casualties of an alien attack led by the evil green ranger back in 1993. He had been taken in by the Promethea Foundation till he came of age.

The green ranger was none other than Tommy Oliver… the man who destroyed his life two times.

Zeltrax growled. He hated Oliver with his entire being. He longed for the day when he'd finally destroy him and exact his vengeance!


"Whoa! Check out the T-Rex!"

"Hope this museum is better than the last museum I went to…" Ahana muttered under her breath as Dr. Oliver parked the jeep and they climbed out. There was no one in sight except them and the giant statue of the tyrannosaurus outside the museum.

Tommy narrowed his eyes as they noticed the chains barring them from the entrance. "That's weird."

"Oh well, no museum for us." Conner smirked as they looked around the grounds. No security personnel or faculty in sight.

"Great! Let's go home!" Kira shrugged and the others nodded.

"Tell you what," Tommy folded his arms. "I want you to have a look around the grounds. If you find anything prehistoric, I'll cancel detention for the rest of the week. I'm going to see if I can find someone who knows when they are opening up."

"Sweet!" Ethan smiled.

"That seems extremely vague. You can't expect us to find fossils in here." Nick said dryly while Kira sighed, dragging him with her before Tommy could reply.

"What?" He asked.

"In the off chance we do find something, we don't have to see Randall's stupid face for rest of the week. So, let's go before the good doctor changes his mind." She shrugged as they entered the woods.

"It does seem strange. What kind of teacher tells their students to go off in the forests to find something prehistoric?" Ahana scoffed, making air quotes.

"So, you sent five kids off in the woods alone to find something prehistoric?" Hayley said incredulously over the phone as he video-called her. "Are you kidding me? I'll be surprised if they don't revoke your teaching license by end of this month."

"Relax, Hales. It can't be a coincidence I end up with five teenagers the same time we investigate the museum for dino energies." Tommy winced as he replied.

"You think they are chosen by the gems?"

"I don't know. Keeper did say we have to trust the Grid and everything."

"I thought you were against giving morphers to teens."

"I still am. I just need these kids to give me the gems and then I am going to deposit them in Promethea's highest security vault. There are several other heroes out there who can handle Mesagog for all I care. There doesn't need to be another ranger team."

"Sneaky. I didn't think you had it in you. The Keeper is not going to be pleased."

"I really don't give a damn what that asshole thinks. If it weren't for his paranoia, we wouldn't be in this fucking mess."

"You should really give him a chance, Tommy. He really didn't mean for all this to happen-"

"I don't care." He shrugged, turning to the doors of the museum and spotting the logo that was attached to it.

"In case of emergency, call Anton Mercer…" He read out slowly. "What the hell!"

"What happened?" Hayley asked.

"See for yourself." He said, showing her the logo.

"How is this possible?" Hayley said shocked. "Anton is dead and since he had no child, the company was supposed to dissolve and it's assets bought by Bio Labs."

"I don't know."

"I'll see what I can find out." Hayley nodded at him, cutting the call.

"Damn it!" Tommy cursed, putting the phone back in his pocket. Anton was his mentor and like an older brother to him. He was one of the few he'd trusted with his past as a former ranger. If he somehow survived the island, why hadn't he reached out to him? Nothing about this made any sense!


"Hey! Did you guys hear about the guy who was hiking up there and fell into a giant sinkhole?" Ethan asked as they walked deeper into the woods.

"Must have missed that one," Kira droned.

"Come on, it was on all the urban legends websites!" He protested. Ahana's lips twitched.

"Dude, you know this isn't computer club, right?" Conner smirked at him.

"Oh, I can see you're too big and bad to surf the web. What do you do in your spare time?" Ethan inquired.

"Me? I go out with girls. You know they're the ones at school that smell really good with the long hair and the makeup." Conner smirked.

Nick was trying to not giggle. Kira rolled her eyes and Ahana shook her head.

"I think you don't know what a girl is." Ahana retorted, running her fingers through her short curls. "No long hair and no makeup and I'm pretty sure I'm a girl."

"Sorry?" Conner said sheepishly.

"Whatever." Ahana walked past him.

"Dude, you really need to think before opening your mouth." Nick snickered as he and Conner followed the girls.

"All I'm saying is stuff happens out here!" Ethan shouted, lagging behind them. "Don't come crying to me when you fall into a giant sink-hole!" The moment the words came out of his mouth, the ground gave way beneath their feet and they screamed as they fell down.

While the other four fell on their backs, Ahana landed on her feet. She grimaced, eying the gaping hole above them. The others pulled themselves up and brushing the dust off their clothes.

"How did you do that?" Ethan asked.

"I am a ninja." She said flippantly, winking at him.

"No kidding." He shook his head.

"Alright. You guys stay here. I'll climb up and come back with help." Conner told them as he began to climb the cavern wall.

"Yeah, I don't think you should…" Nick started as Conner moved mere inches before he lost his grip and crashed down with a yelp. "And you're back."

Ethan smirked, helping him up.

"What do we do now?" Conner asked.

"We can call for help by you know, calling someone." Kira said plainly, taking out her phone and dialling the emergency number, only to find her call declined. "Any of you guys wanna try? My phone is bailing on me."

The others checked their phones to find the same.

"Great, there's no service here!" Nick groaned, turning around to find a light blinking at them from within the darkness surrounding them. He used the torchlight of his phone to find a tunnel in front of him.

"Guys, I think there's a way out after all."

"That definitely wasn't there a minute ago." Ahana narrowed her eyes. "I don't like where this is going."

"What? Scared of a little dark." Conner teased her.

She glared at him. "No. But there are crazier things out there. Aliens, monsters, you name it."

"You really think an alien is there in that tunnel?" Conner raised his eyebrows. "Ahana, this is Reefside. Nothing ever happens here."

"People said the same about Blue Bay Harbor and Turtle Cove. Look what happened there." She retorted.

"Come on now. That's the only way out. Don't be scared. If anything happens, I'll protect you." Conner grinned at her, flexing his arms.

"My hero." She said sarcastically before giving a slight smile.

"Let's go already. This place is giving me the creeps." Kira hurried, turning on her torchlight and stepping into the tunnel. Ethan and Nick followed her and Ahana sighed.

"After you." Conner said, making an exaggerated bow before her. She rolled her eyes as she entered the tunnel, Conner following closely behind.

She sighed. She hated entrapped places, especially after what happened last year. She'd tried to block the memories, moved cities and quit the Wind Ninja Academy to get away from that insanity and now it felt she was walking right back into it. She was an air ninja student before she was captured by Lothor almost a year ago. She spent months, trapped in an energy bubble, unable to move any part of her body, yet seeing and hearing everything that happened around her. After being saved by the Ninja Storm rangers, she and the other ninjas fought with them one last time to defeat Lothor before she returned home to her parents, who were beyond relieved to see her alive. While she'd loved being a ninja and training to be a guardian, she now knew that these powers came with a great cost… her entire life had to be devoted to this cause. Her family and friends thought she was dead for months. She lost an entire year of school and all her friends had graduated already. She needed to focus on her real life right now and restore some sense of normalcy to it. The world was not her concern anymore.

Kira led them through the tunnel, humming softly.

"Babe, would you keep it down? I'm trying to stay focused," Conner interrupted, walking past her and Kira stopped abruptly, glaring at him. "Did you just call me babe?"

She turned at the others. "Did he just call me babe?"

"I dunno, I wasn't listening. I was still grooving to your tune," Ethan shrugged his shoulders. Nick grimaced and Ahana nodded.

"Listen, my name is Kira!" She snapped at the boy in red. "Maybe you should write it on your hand or something. Don't call me babe!"

"Okay. Sorry!" Conner held up his hands as she shoved past him.

Nick raised his eyebrows as he smirked at Conner. "You really have a way with girls, don't you?"

"What's up with today?" He huffed, following the others.

After a while they came to a dead end with a dinosaur skeleton framed on the wall.

"That's weird but highly convenient." Nick whistled.

"This screams Jurassic Park to me." Kira quipped.

"This will get us out of detention forever!" Conner whooped, grabbing the jaw.

"Wait! I don't think you should-" Ahana shuddered, feeling a wave of power nearby. Whatever this place was, it was filled with mystical energies that would put the Wind Ninja Academy to shame.

The wall beside it collapsed, sending a wave of dust that obscured their vision and forced them to cough. Ahana put he hands behind her back, making quick hand motions and summoning a gust of wind that cleared the dust.

"Whoa!" Ethan gasped, seeing the strange cave before them, with statues of five dinosaurs surrounding a pedestal in the middle.

"What the heck is this place?"

"I could do a crazy video in here." Kira commented, taking out her phone and snapping pictures of the place. Strange holograms lined the wall, flashing mysterious symbols and alphabets none of them could understand. A large logo inspired by a lizard's footprint was etched across the floor.

"You were saying?" Ahana snarked at Conner, her hands fidgeting. They needed to get out of there fast.

"This place is unreal!" He exclaimed. "Yo Ethan, this must be the mothership for you dude."

"Normally I'd be insulted," Ethan said, eyes glazing over the futuristic holograms. "But when you're right, you're right."

Ahana looked at Nick, whose eyes were fixated on the stone statues. "What are dinosaurs doing in an alien cave?"

"I don't know but I definitely know what aliens do to kids snooping in their lair." Ahana retorted.

"Yo, don't touch that!" Ethan yelled, bringing all of them to the pedestal where they saw five glowing gems lying on top of a smoking rock.

"Why not?"

"You're really taking this dumb jock thing to a new level." Ethan shook his head.

"Look I have sat through enough lame science classes to know that these rocks look fully prehistoric." Conner frowned. "And it means we are getting out of detention. And there are five of these for each of us."

"I hate to agree with him." Kira sighed. "I really do but I already missed one rehearsal."

Ahana looked reluctant but her eyes were unable to waver from the purple gem in front of her.

"And I really need some down time to visit my sister in Ocean Bluff." Nick said, rubbing his arm, eying the red gem.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Conner said.

"Okay…" Nick's hands reached for the red gem, only for Conner to grab it. Ethan, Kira and Ahana picked up the blue, yellow and gold gems leaving only the pink gem. Shrugging, he lifted the gem. As soon as he did, all the gems shined eerily before dimming back to normal.

"What are these things?" Kira asked, inspecting the gem.

"I can go online later and see if I can find out." Ethan suggested.

"You surfing web. Wait, let me put on my surprised face." Conner mocked.

"You know ten years from now, when your hairline is receding and you're playing pick up soccer in the park because your dreams of becoming a pro never quite worked out, I'll have my own multimillion dollar software business," Ethan scowled.

Kira rolled her eyes and headed for the exit, closely followed by Nick and Ahana.

"Where are you going?" Ethan noticed them.

"Technically, we are breaking, entering and stealing in some alien's creepy cave and I really don't want to be here when they get home." Nick deadpanned. "Let's go."

After hurrying back through the tunnels once again, they finally found an exit.

"This way!" Conner cried as they ran outside the tunnel. "Great, we are in the middle of nowhere."

"Chillax. I got GPS in my phone." Ethan said, taking out his phone. He turned left. "We need to go that way."

Before they could start walking, a strong gust of wind blew past them and a roar echoed from the trees. "What was that?"

"The wind?" Kira asked.

"Yeah, I don't think it's the wind." Nick bit his lips as they heard a second roar.

Ahana didn't say anything as a horde of black armoured lizard like monsters arrived in front of them and they froze.

"Don't move…" Conner whispered.

"And be lizard lunch? Yeah, no thanks." Nick snapped. "Run!"

Ahana was a fully trained ninja but she was still bound by the oath of secrecy. She couldn't reveal her ninja abilities unless absolutely required. If they couldn't outrun them, she'd ninja-streak all of them out of here.

They ran through the forest as fast as they could, the creatures following closely behind.

Conner, Ethan and Ahana leapt across a ditch but Nick and Kira landed in the ditch.

"Come on!" the three turned back to help them but the monsters jumped at the two teens, their blades poised.

Kira screamed but it was more like a jet taking off at high speed. The monsters were thrown back and Nick covered his ears. When she realised what she did, the noise stopped and their ears stopped ringing.

"What the heck was that?" Ethan demanded, helping her up while Conner pulled Nick out of the ditch.

Ahana grimaced. That was a superpower and there was only one thing that it could have come from. The gems. That also implied these monsters were after the gems. What had she landed herself into this time?

"I have no idea…" Kira admitted.

"We are not out of the woods yet, guys. Pun not intended." Nick said, pointing at the monsters, who had recovered and charging at them.

They ran at different directions.

Ahana saw from the corner of her eyes, Conner becoming a jet of red light as he sped through the monsters, disarming them and Ethan's arms glowing blue as he apparently gained super strength and tore through his attackers.

Nearby her, Nick stumble and fell again. The monsters had cornered him. She ran in his direction to help. Rules be damned, she wasn't going to let anyone get maimed or killed when she could stop it. But before she could reach him, tiny shards of ice crystallised out of thin air and cut through the monsters, destroying them in a small explosion.

She sighed with relief. Her momentary distraction had allowed the monsters to get the drop on her and they surrounded her from every direction.

She grimaced, falling into her familiar fighting stance. As one of the monsters leapt at her, she dodged the attack, using her ninja speed to catch it by it's arm and used it's own momentum to throw it back at the others. To her surprise, it imploded before it hit it's companions. She narrowed her eyes as she noticed that the monsters' blades were glowing red. Shit! They had blasters!

Ahana raised her arms in front of her, preparing to ninja-streak to a safe distance, just seconds before she felt a strange sensation. Golden lines cracked across her skin, reaching her fingertips before coalescing into an energy sphere.

God, she had new powers too! Tendrils of blazing white energy shot out from the sphere, lashing out at the lizards and destroying them. The energy spheres fizzled out and her skin went back to normal.

"Over here!" Conner's call drew them back together as they looked at the gems in their hands.

"Yo, how much do I love detention!" Ethan said gleefully, looking down at the gem in his hands.

"Hey!" Doctor Oliver's voice reached them and they shoved the gems into their pockets quickly. "Are you guys alright?"

"Yep! We're fine." Ahana smiled.

"Nothing out of the ordinary happened?" He asked curiously.

The air ninja narrowed her eyes. This man knew more than what he was letting on.

"Nah, just your routine hike in the woods. Lots of furry creatures." Ethan shrugged.

"And a few scaly ones." Kira mumbled under her breath. Doctor Oliver frowned.

"So did you get into the exhibit."

"Still working the kinks out." He shook his head. "We better get you guys back." He looked around, walking back towards the museum.

"Don't you guys think we should tell him?" Kira asked.

The others looked at her incredulously.

"Kira, we got superpowers. As cool as they are, if word gets out of this, do you realise what will happen?" Nick pointed out.

"He's right. I've got over a thousand movies and guess how many times, the guy with superpowers ends up strapped in a shady government facility table with wires in his head?" Ethan asked.

"Even I know that." Conner agreed. "And it's not just movies. You know what they did to mutants and metahumans back in the 90s, right? They captured them, experimented them and quite literally made them extinct. I sure don't want to join them."

Everyone stared at him.

"Didn't take you for a conspiracy theorist, dude." Nick smirked.

"Well, it runs in the family." He replied dryly.

"Either way, he's right. People may think superpowers are cool in movies and comics but when they see it in real life, all they want to do is lock us up to reassure their insecurities and paranoia. We can't tell this to anyone, not even our parents." Ahana said firmly, her eyes lacking any trace of mirth.

The others nodded quickly.

"You guys coming?" Doctor Oliver called out to them and they looked at each other before heading towards the jeep.


That night, Ahana couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind flashed back to the day she was captured.

It was just like any other day and their mentors were training them as usual, when suddenly four bolts of light slammed amidst the grounds, transforming into two aliens and what looked to be two girls wearing insect themed armour. All of them ebbed with dark energies and spent no time wasting to attack them.

Then the villains summoned the kelzaks and their ship fired on them from above. They were still holding their own till the green alien bent over and the white backpack opened to reveal energy orbs that entrapped them and all of them were sucked into the spaceship above, where they remained for almost an entire year, immobilised yet unable to sleep for a single second, forced to watch as Lothor and his goons made plans to destroy the rangers.

Ahana didn't have the strength to go through something like that again. She didn't want to be a hero or a ninja anymore. She gulped as she realised what she was about to do.


"Okay, so we all agree," Conner spoke as they walked through the school grounds next day, after their classes were over. "Not to talk about this to anyone? No matter what," He looked at the other four, before Ahana stopped.

"I can do one better." She handed him her gem. "I'm out. I can't deal with this craziness right now. Forget I was here and I'll do the same."

"Wait, how come he gets it?" Ethan demanded.

"Well, here," Ahana gave a frustrated sigh, took it from the soccer player and gave it to Ethan. As he grinned, Kira rolled her eyes, took the gem from Ethan and held it back to her. "Hey, I know it's scary and believe me, I wanted no part of this either. Whatever this thing is, it is part of us now. Last night, I tried to get rid of my gem. Threw it out the window, flushed it down the drain, hid it in my mom's safe. No matter what I did, I found it back in my pocket."

"You flushed it?" Nick wrinkled his nose. "Did you wash it afterwards-"

"Missing the point, Nick." Conner smacked him lightly over his head.

Ahana narrowed her eyes. "I am sorry but I am out." She said, before storming off towards the school bus.

"Ahana!" Kira called after her as suddenly the wind picked up again and the same monsters from yesterday sneaked out from the parking lot, grabbed her and disappeared into a green portal, leaving only her backpack behind.

"She's gone!" Ethan said shocked as Nick lifted her backpack and the others looked gobsmacked by the sudden turn of events.

"We've got to find someone to help." Kira said as they hurried into Conner's car.

"Who do we call? The police?" Ethan asked.

"My sister has some contacts in the Silver Guardians. Maybe they can help." Nick suggested, dialling his sister.

"Would they believe us?" Conner asked sceptically.

"Great! She's not picking up." Nick scowled, slamming his phone against his seat. "Damn it!"

"We can't just sit ducks while Ahana is God knows where!" Kira shouted as Conner started his car.

"Wait!" Ethan said, holding up his phone. "I reached out to some of my online friends. Apparently good old Dr Oliver is not only from crazy town Angel Grove but was on Promethea's payroll for a few years. And he took us on this crazy field trip that led to all this. He's a dinosaur guy. These things are dinosaurs, sort of. And remember how he kept on asking if anything happened yesterday. Obviously, he knows something."

"Where does he live?" Conner asked.

"1992, Valencia Road." Said Ethan, checking his phone.

"Valencia Road? That's in the middle of the woods!" Conner frowned, shifting the gears and driving the car as fast as he could.

The four finally arrived at Doctor Oliver's home, hurrying towards the door. Ethan knocked while the others peered through the tinted windows.

"Knock again," Conner said, fidgeting. God knows where Ahana was. Ethan knocked again but there was no response.

"Now what?" Nick asked.

"Seriously?" Kira sighed, pushing the door and to their surprise, it swung open.

"Why would he leave it unlocked?"

"He's got no neighbours,"

"What, you never heard of the three bears?"

"Is that the last book you read?"

"As much as I hate to interrupt the budding bromance, we have a missing friend to find." Nick said sarcastically before following them inside.

"Doctor Oliver!" Kira shouted. No response.

"Is he still in school?" Nick wondered.

"Don't think so. All the teachers went home while we were in detention with Randall." Ethan supplied as they stepped into what appeared to be the living room.

"Hey, check it out," Conner said, walking over to a model of a T-rex and reached for it's jaw.

"Stop! Remember what happened the last time you did that?" Ethan said, smacking his arm.

"Dude, relax. The guy is a science teacher not-"

There was a loud noise. Kira leapt, colliding with Conner as the floor beneath her began to move and a trapdoor opened, revealing a staircase that led to a dark room below.

"Batman." Conner finished lamely.

"What the hell!" Nick cursed. "I'm not liking where this is going. Anyone else getting serious déjà vu vibes?"

"Come on, let's see." Kira led them downstairs, only to stop suddenly. While it wasn't the same room, they got the gems from, it definitely had the same aesthetic with holograms, computer screens, dinosaur themed decorations across the room and the same logo etched on the floor.

"Guys?" Kira asked nervously.

"Something is definitely up." Nick said angrily. "Dr Oliver is definitely involved in all this shit!"

"Are you freaking out right now?" Conner asked.

"Yeah, I'd have to say I am." Ethan said nervously while Kira nodded.

"If you are looking for extra credit," Kira and Nick yelped at hearing the familiar voice. They spun around to see their science teacher standing in front of a skeleton and glaring at them darkly. "You're in the wrong place."


Hope you liked this chapter and please review. :)