"Hey, sorry I'm late, got held up at school," Anabel apologised as she fell into the seat beside Trent. He was pretending to read the book in his hands, but when Anabel glanced at him, she could see him peering over the top, watching Kira talk to some guy at the bar. "You know, if you just admitted how you feel -"
"Whoa, no, it's not like that," said Trent quickly.
Anabel laughed and removed her books from her backpack. "Oh, then what is it like?" she teased. "Because, I am pretty sure stalking the woman you like is grounds for harassment."
"1. I'm not stalking her," said Trent, defensively. "Kira is at liberty to talk to whoever she wants."
"Whom," Anabel corrected.
Trent furrowed his brow. "I'm sorry?" he asked.
"Whomever she likes," Anabel said. "Whoever is grammatically incorrect. The term is 'whomever'."
"Whatever grammar police," Trent muttered.
Anabel smiled. She had been called 'grammar police' by her friends so many times now that it wasn't even an insult anymore. Being an editor meant that her spelling and grammar needed to be on point, otherwise she would miss mistakes in the school newspaper, not to mention her homework and tutoring sheets. "Who is he, anyway?" she asked.
"Don't you mean 'whom'?" Trent teased.
"No, smart arse," Anabel said, poking him in the shoulder. "Do we need to have another grammar lesson?"
Trent rolled his eyes, smiled, and then shook his head. Ever since finding out that Anabel was his adopted father's biological daughter, he had done everything within his power to get to know her on a more familiar level. If they were to be family then it was only fair that they treated each other as such, even if Anabel did dislike her father for leaving her.
"So, who is he?" Anabel repeated.
"I don't know," Trent replied. "Kira said he looked familiar, but I can't say from were. He doesn't look old enough to be still in school, and it's not like we have a lot of time for extracurricular activities, you know, beside fighting the occasional monster."
Anabel smiled and leafed through her notebook. They had a mid-term coming up in Palaeontology, and she had two others in Government and Chemistry. Taking mostly AP classes was a challenge, but being the academic nut that she was, Anabel found the pressure a challenge.
"Not that you could fit any more extracurricular activities into your schedule," Trent teased.
Anabel stuck her tongue out at him. "Your girlfriend is returning," she said, without looking up,
"I told you, she's not my girlfriend!"
"Who's not your girlfriend?" Kira asked, sitting down in the only available chair beside Trent. "Hey, Anabel."
Trent blushed as Anabel grinned. "Hey, Kira, who's your new friend?" she asked.
"His names Blake," Kira answered. "I've seen him somewhere before, but I can't put my finger on were."
Anabel chewed the inside of her cheek. She didn't have a photographic memory, but she was surprisingly good with faces. "What you got there?" she asked, noticing the tickets in Kira's hands.
"Oh, they're passes to his race tomorrow," said Kira, handing one over. "He rides Motocross."
"Blake Bradley," said Anabel, reading the name. "I see what you mean about seeming familiar. The name rings a bell, but I can't place where I have heard it before."
Trent rolled his eyes. "If you two want to fan girl over a potential celeb crush, I can leave," he said.
"Jealousy is an unbecoming trait on a man, Trent," said Anabel, passing Kira back the pass. "How many did you get?" she added to the long-haired blonde.
"Three," said Kira. "But we can try and get more, if you like?"
Anabel shook her head. "It's okay," she said. "Besides, I've already been asked to cover the race tomorrow. I intended to delegate it to Cassidy, but she reckons she's doing an entry for the Reefside news. So…"
"Cool," said Kira. "How about you, Trent?"
"Motocross isn't really my style," said Trent. "Besides, I have to work."
Anabel rolled her eyes. "Spoiled sport," she muttered.
"Whatever. You guys have fun, though."
Kira frowned at Trent. "You sure?" she asked. "I'm sure Hayley wouldn't mind giving you the day off."
"Yeah. It's fine," said Trent. "Maybe we can meet up after, and I can show you the pictures I've done for your demo."
Anabel bit back a smirk as Kira grinned and nodded. These two were so oblivious.
~X~
The next morning, Anabel woke early and was in the middle of storing her notebook in her bag when her mother knocked on the door. "Hello?" said Zoey, smiling.
"Hey, mum," said Anabel, sliding two pens into their specific compartment. She lifted the top lip and slid her laptop in, along with her diary and cellphone and then flipped it shut.
"Going anywhere special?"
"The racetrack," Anabel replied. "I've managed to score an interview with Factory Blue's sponsor, Roger Hannah. It's going to look great in the school's sport section."
"And it'll be even better because you're writing it," said Zoey.
Anabel smiled. If there was one thing her mother was good at it was making her feel better about herself. All throughout her life, no matter what Anabel tried her hand at, her mother was her number one cheerleader, and always supported her.
When Anabel had thought she was a ballet dancer, Zoey had gone out and bought her dresses to look fancy in. When Anabel had thought she was going to be a singer, Zoey had hired the best musicians that money could buy to tutor her daughter. When Anabel had wanted to be an artist, Zoey had bought an exhibition at the local museum to house her work.
If there was one thing that Anabel wanted, her mother usually got it for her. A lot of people called her a spoilt princess, but Anabel knew that her mother just wanted what was best for her. It was hard sometimes being a single working mother and Zoey just wanted her daughter to be happy.
"I'm working late tonight," said Zoey. "There's money on the side if you want to order in, or there is food in the fridge."
"Okay. I'll probably be out late, anyway."
"Don't work yourself too hard."
Anabel smiled and nodded. She hoisted her laptop bag onto her shoulder and hugged her mother tightly. "Have a good day at work," she said. "I'll see you later, maybe, I have to run though, I'm meeting Kira and the others before the first race starts."
"Good luck!" Zoey called. "I can't wait to read the article."
"I'll send you an E-copy," Anabel called. "Love you."
Zoey smiled as she heard the front door closed with a snap. Only her daughter could be in such a rush, despite having an hour or so to get to her destination.
~X~
The racetrack was bustling with individuals. Some where fans and spectators, others were sponsors and reporters, while the others were either racers themselves or big companies that sponsored the racers.
Parking her car, Anabel grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and locked her vehicle. She shouldered the bag and made her way to the entrance, taking her passes from the front of her bag in the process. The man on the entrance gate was an elderly gentleman. He was holding a clipboard and wearing a hat that said 'staff' across the lip.
He smiled at her as she showed him the pass she had obtained from Roger Hannah. "Anabel Brooks," she said, giving her name. "Reefside High News."
The man checked his list and then smiled as he checked her name off. "Enjoy the races," he said, allowing her entry.
"Thank you," Anabel said, bypassing him. She pulled her lanyard around her neck, displaying her press pass against her chest and then set off to look for her friends. She found them, not that far from the entrance. They were circled up, talking amongst themselves.
Ethan spotted her first. "We were wondering where you were," he said, breaking away from the others.
"Kira said you've got an interview?" Conner asked.
"Yeah, Roger Hannah contacted me a few days ago," Anabel answered. "He said that he had read some of my stories in the paper, apparently his daughter goes to Reefside High, and he wanted to know if I'd do a story on him and his riders."
"Blake rides for Factory Blue," said Kira.
"Cool. Maybe he'll get a feature," said Anabel. She checked her watch.
"Next race starts in ten," said Ethan. "They just announced it. Which was why we were wondering if you'd make it in time."
"You got your camera?" Kira asked.
Anabel patted her bag. "All charged and ready to go," she said.
"Great. Let's head on over then," said Ethan. "I don't want to miss the start."
"Hey," said Conner, nudging Anabel and nodded back towards the entrance.
Anabel frowned and turned to find Cassidy standing alongside Devon waving frantically.
"What are you going to do?" Conner asked.
"I offered her this interview," said Anabel, waving back with a smile. "She turned it down. It isn't my fault the Reefside News isn't willing to pay for its reporters to get into these events, and besides, I'm only here because Roger Hannah reached out to me."
Conner snickered and, placing a hand on the bottom of Anabel's back, led her away from Kira and Ethan.
"The 30-second board is up," the P.A. announcer called, as Anabel removed her camera from her bag and started to snap pictures of the riders at the starting line. "The gate is down - and they're OFF!"
As the racers flew around the track, Anabel snapped as many photos as she could. She'd been gifted in a lot of different areas, and photography was one of them. While she had never pursued it as a talent like she had done ballet and art, it came in very handy for her newspaper articles.
"Blake Bradley's got the whole shot!" said the announcer, before adding, "Oh, that's gotta hurt!" as another rider smashed into a hay bale on the side of the track.
Lowering her camera, Anabel nudged Conner and pointed at her bag, then her camera, and then the finish line. He nodded, getting that she wanted him to watch it while she tried to get a shot of the winner crossing the finish line. Tossing him a smile, she carefully climbed down the hill she had been watching from, and knelt a few feet away from the finished line, her camera at high level.
As the rider in blue sped towards her, Anabel snapped her camera, thankful that she had remembered to turn the flash off, and grinned as she checked the screen. The shot was amazing, and she had really captured the exhilaration on the rider's face, despite him wearing a helmet and goggles. His grin was enough to tell her that he had accomplished what he set out to do.
"Hey," said Conner, nudging Anabel and passing her back her bag.
"Thanks," Anabel smiled. She shouldered it and hung her camera around her neck. "Where are you guys off to next? I have to find Roger Hannah."
"Well, we're going to go find Blake," said Kira. "If he rides for Hannah, maybe he knows where he is?"
Anabel tilted her head to the side. "Fair point," she agreed. "Alright. Let's find Blake. Maybe I could get a shot of him with his trophy."
Kira grinned and led the others away.
"She's way to excited for this," said Ethan. "You think she's crushing on Blake?"
Anabel shrugged. "He's a good-looking guy, I suppose," she said. "But then, Trent is more her type."
"Yeah, but you've been rooting for Trent and Kira since they first met," said Ethan. "I thought reporters were meant to be unbiased."
Conner chuckled as Anabel shot Ethan a look.
~X~
After briefly meeting with Blake and promising to come find him later for a catchup, Anabel headed off towards the truck that he had pointed out was probably where she would find Roger Hannah. She weaved her way through riders and supporters, most of which were signing autographs or doing interviews of their own and rapped on the door of the trailer next door. It opened and a man in his mid-late thirties stuck his head out. He was wearing casual gear with a red cap and had tufts of blond hair sticking out of the sides.
"Yeah?" he asked, looking down at her.
"Roger Hannah?" Anabel asked. He nodded. "I'm Anabel Brooks. You reached out to me about an interview?"
Roger's eyes alighted with recognition, and he pushed open the door. "Sorry," he apologised. "I'll admit that I forgot about this. Um, come in, come in."
Despite her rule about being locked in a small room with a stranger, Anabel stepped into the trailer and allowed Roger to close the door behind her. It was a little cramped, but the light seeping in through the windows was enough to light the place up, almost like they were outside. The small table was covered in images and spreadsheets that Anabel glanced at as she found a suitable place to sit.
"Sorry for the mess," Roger apologised, clearing up some space.
"It's okay," said Anabel. "You should see my bedroom when I'm busy, or my office for that matter," she added quickly.
Roger chuckled. "My daughter mentioned once or twice that the office is usually in disarray," he said.
"Can I ask what your daughter's name is?" Anabel asked.
"Ashlyn," Roger answered. "She's a junior."
Anabel looked thoughtful. "She didn't happen to try out for the cheerleading team, did she?" she asked.
"She did, actually."
"I remember a girl named Ashlyn," said Anabel. "We chose her, but she broke her ankle a week later."
Roger nodded. "That's her, yes," he said. "She broke her ankle while racing. She was devastated."
"I bet," said Anabel. "She had a great audition. I was disappointed that we had to give the spot to someone else. She's welcome to try out next year, granted I won't be the team captain then, but I can put in a good word for her."
Roger beamed. "She'd like that," he said. "Now, about this interview. What exactly do you need to know?"
Anabel smiled. "Well, I'm sure you've given interviews before," she teased. "I'm just going to ask you a few questions. You can answer with as little or as much information as you want. I would like to get a few pictures of you, and maybe you can suggest a few of your riders who wouldn't mind being featured?"
"That sounds doable," Roger said. "Where do you want to start?"
"Well, how about you tell me about yourself and what got you into racing?" Anabel asked.
~X~
An hour later, Anabel left Roger Hannah's trailer with express permission from him to interview as many of his riders as she could. He had already suggested Blake Bradley, stating that he had been phenomenal since joining the crew, two years ago. Anabel had marked him down as VIP status and then left to take more pictures. Since Roger had other duties to be taking care of, he had said he would be around later if she wanted to come back and get pictures of him with some of the equipment. Anabel had agreed and then left.
Making her way through the crowds, which had grown substantially since she had been with Roger, Anabel found her friends watching another race and made her way over.
"Hey, did you get your interview?" Conner asked.
"Yep. I've got permission to interview a few other racers, and Blake Bradley is number one," said Anabel. "Do you know where he went?"
"He left," said Ethan. "Something about an emergency."
"Oh. That's okay," said Anabel. "Maybe I can find a," she consulted her notes, "Trevor O'Donnell. Who wants to come with?"
Bleep. Bleep. Bleep.
"Or not," Anabel said, stuffing her book back into her bag. She turned to the others and then headed for the exit. Conner had driven Kira and Ethan to the event, which meant that his mustang was in the car parking lot.
"We'll meet you at Dr. O's," said Conner, heading towards his car.
Ethan followed him.
Kira turned to Anabel. "You want some company?" she asked.
"Sure. You can tell me what you know about Blake Bradley on the way," said Anabel. The pair waved to the boys and made their way over to Anabel's car. She stowed her equipment and bag into the back seat while Kira claimed the front and reversed out of her space.
Kira leaned back in her seat as adjusted her window to let in a light breeze. "How did your interview go?" she asked.
"It was great. Roger Hannah seems like a great guy, and he cares about his riders," said Anabel.
"Do you have a starting point for the article?"
Anabel shrugged. "Not yet. But they usually come to me when I sit down to write," she said. "You remember what I was like when I interviewed Christopher Haynes at the beginning of the school year. I got his intro because of the headline."
"And that was a great article," said Kira. "I know a few people were swayed by your words, and you portrayed Chris as a misunderstood teenager than a monster. I mean, sure, his prank had gone wrong, and he did admit to manslaughter, but he's still a stupid teenager."
Anabel nodded in agreement.
"Then there is the article you did on Conner," Kira continued.
Anabel laughed. "He's lucky I reread that one," she said. "If I hadn't have done a third proof-read then he wouldn't have been praised the way he was. If you remember, I wrote it when we were under the influence of the space rock."
Kira grinned and nodded. "Point is, you're a great reporter," she said. "I'm sure you'll find a spin to write this Motocross article and make them all shine in a glorious light."
Anabel rolled her eyes. "You're weird," she said.
"But you love me."
"Someone has too."
Kira gasped and then slouched in her seat, pouting.
Anabel laughed.
~X~
Arriving at Doctor Oliver's house, the team of four rushed inside, opened the secret base using the T-Rex figure on the sideboard and hurried down the wooden steps into the Dino Base. Hayley, Dr. O and Trent were already there, crowded around the four main computers that monitored the city for any attacks.
"We got here as fast as we could," said Conner. "What's up?"
"Check it out," said Trent, nodding at the monitors.
Anabel leaned against the chair that Tommy was sitting in, and her eyes widened as she spotted three Power Rangers striding into Reefside from the Valley, behind them were several menacing looking monsters and a horde of vividly weird foot soldiers.
"Evil Power Rangers?" Kira asked. "How is that even possible?"
"It's happened in the past," said Anabel. "But then, the only other active Ranger team out there is Ocean Bluff, and they're almost three hundred miles away."
"They are," said Hayley. "But, there has been an evil energy surge over the past twenty-four hours. I've managed to trace its origins back to Blue Bay Harbour, but -"
"Blue Bay Harbour?" Anabel questioned. "Isn't that were the Ninja school is?"
Hayley nodded. "Yes, but, as I already told Tommy, they discontinued their Ranger programme after Lothor was destroyed," she explained.
"What about the Abyss of Evil?"
"That's what I am thinking," said Hayley. "There is a chance that it has reopened, and it would explain this high surge of evil energy. The Abyss is just one of many major points that houses evil, and the protector of the Mystic Realm - the Hellhound - sealed it away two years ago with the defeat of Lothor. Whoever opened it had some serious dark magic."
"How do we know that Kali didn't open it?" Conner asked.
"Because she's in Ocean Bluff," said Tommy. "The last time there was a surge in evil energy was when the Gates of the Underworld were unlocked, and the Mystics thought it best to warn the rest of us that danger was imminent."
Kira chewed her lower lip. "Can't we call Kali and ask her to help us out?" she asked.
"We've been trying," said Hayley. "But the situation in Ocean Bluff must be severe because we can't get an answer."
The team sighed.
"I guess, in the meantime, it's up to us," said Conner. "Let's deal with these fakes."
"Trent, Anabel, you two stay here with us," said Dr. Oliver. "This is just the kind of opportunity that Mesogog would take advantage of."
Trent and Anabel nodded.
"You guys ready?" Conner asked.
"Ready!" Kira and Ethan confirmed.
"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"
Trent and Anabel shared a look as their friends left the base, and then returned their attention to the screens. Sometimes they hated being left behind, but Dr. O was right when he said Mesogog would take this opportunity to attack, and if that opportunity arose, they needed to be ready to defend the city.
~X~
Anabel looked up from her laptop as the others returned no less than thirty minutes later. They stumbled into the base, their breathing heavy after taking a beating. Setting her laptop aside, she jumped up and rushed over, supporting Kira onto the step beside the monitors.
"Are you guys alright?" Anabel asked, helping Kira remove her helmet. For the most part, she looked okay, as did Ethan and Conner, but she was sure that bruises would appear later from the kicks, punches, and swordplay with the Ninja Rangers.
"That was brutal," said Conner, wincing as he touched his head.
"The important thing here is that you guys are all right," said Dr. Oliver. "And that we learned something."
"What it's like to get our butts kicked?" Conner sighed.
"No," said Dr. O, shaking his head. "That it's going to take a lot more than what we have to defeat them."
"More?" Kira asked. "How much?"
Anabel met Tommy's gaze and then turned back to her friends. They had faced hard times before, but this was nothing like that. Evil Power Rangers had existed throughout Ranger history, and many of them had come close to annihilating the current team of Rangers - Dr. O was living proof of that.
"I don't know, Kira," Dr. Oliver answered. "That's what we need to find out."
"Why don't we just use our Dino Zords and kick their Ninja butts?" Conner asked, pushing himself to his feet. He stumbled and Anabel jumped up to catch him.
"Yeah, I'm with Conner on this one," said Ethan.
"Me too," Kira agreed.
"Because they were people that were once good," said Dr. O. "But something has happened to them. Until we figure that out, we defend ourselves, but we don't destroy them."
Anabel nodded her agreement. "Besides," she said, drawing everyone's attention to her, "if the situation were reversed, and that was you out there, wouldn't you want someone to save you?"
Conner sighed.
"Okay. What do we do until round two?" Ethan asked. "I'm guessing we don't just give up?"
Dr. O shook his head. "No, we don't. But, Hayley and I will keep trying to contact the Hellhound or someone in the mystic realm," he said. "Trent's already gone back to the Cybercafe, why don't you guys take a break? Recover, and we'll call you if anything changes?"
"That's a good idea," said Anabel before Conner could argue. "Come on, you can help me pick out pictures for my article."
Conner huffed but allowed Anabel to drag him from the base, nonetheless.
~X~
Later, while at the cybercafe, Anabel paused in her writing and sighed. "Oh, I wish my brain would switch off sometimes," she whined.
"Why, what's up?" Conner asked, leaning over.
"I just had a terrible thought."
"Care to share with the group?" Ethan asked. His gaze glued to his computer screen.
Anabel shrugged. "Okay, but don't blame me if your day gets worse," she said. "But, what about Mesogog?"
"What about him?" Kira asked,
"What if he finds out about Lothor's return?" Anabel asked. "I mean, sure, we haven't heard from him yet, but that doesn't mean we won't. What if he and Lothor decide to team up or something?"
Kira groaned.
Anabel smiled sympathetically and pointed at Ethan. "Blame him for being curious," she said,
Ethan scowled at her from over his laptop. "Whatever," he grumbled, going back to his search. He was searching the Ranger archives for the Ninja Rangers final battle against Lothor, two years ago.
"You should definitely use this one in your article," said Conner, presenting Anabel with a digital printed photo of Blake crossing the finish line on his bike. "You got a working title yet?"
Anabel shook her head. "I'm just making a few notes on what I could include," she said. "I want to get pictures of Roger Hannah for this section, and then I'll think about what to do about Blake." She turned to Kira. "You figure out where you recognise him from yet?"
"No, and it's seriously starting to bug me," Kira huffed.
"Well, here's something to take your mind off it," said Ethan. "I found the battle. There's a video but listen to this entry - During their final battle against Lothor, the Ninja Rangers fought over one hundred alien mutants and mystic demons at one time." He looked to his friends; his eyes wide.
"After fighting them, I believe it," said Kira.
Conner rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, they weren't that tough," he said. "I'd fight them right here, right now."
"Careful what you wish for," Anabel muttered.
The doors crashed open and everyone within the cafe looked around. Anabel's eyes widened as she saw the Ninja Rangers stride in, their faces void of any emotions. They merely stood, facing the table that the Dino Rangers occupied, while others gathered near the stage, waiting for something to happen.
The dark-skinned guy in the centre of the trio took a deep breath, pulled his hand up in front of him, his fist clenched and then threw a gust of wind at the group of four.
"Get down!" Conner yelled. He dived sideways, knocking Anabel from her chair and onto the floor as their table rattled backwards, scattering pictures and notes all over the floor, and sending both Ethan and Anabel's laptops crashing to the ground.
Other patrons screamed and made a break for the back exits.
"Can I get you anything?" Conner asked. "A doughnut maybe or a muffin?"
"Try to stay away from sugar," said the air Ninja. "It makes me hyper."
"Oh, I'd hate to see him when he gets hyper," said Ethan..
"Get up," the blue Ninja ordered. She was Caucasian with long blonde hair that fell past her shoulders. "We have unfinished business to address."
Pushing themselves to their feet, Conner, Ethan, and Kira squared off against their colour counterparts while Anabel hovered nearby.
"Dude, she's kind of cute, don't you think?" Conner asked, nudging Ethan.
"Yeah, in a crazed ninja terminator sort of way," Ethan agreed.
Kira rolled her eyes and hit Conner's arm. "Would you two focus here?" she snapped.
"Remember what happened the last time you got hormonal during a case?" Anabel asked, referring to the Nikki Valentia incident.
Conner and Ethan scowled as Anabel winked at Kira.
"Can we get on with this?" the red ninja asked, bored already of the devolving situation.
"We're not going to fight you here," said Conner.
"Well, then we're just going to have to destroy you."
"We'll meet wherever you want, but you come alone."
"Why should we agree to that?"
"It's called honour," said Kira, staring down the yellow Ninja. "I thought your kind knew all about that?"
There was a tense silence as both teams regarded one another. Anabel shifted awkwardly, waiting for the tension to explode and a fight to break out. But, it didn't.
"Fine," the red Ninja said, although it seemed to cause him great pain to do so. "Under the harbour bridge. One hour. The six of us, and now one else," he cast a dark look in Anabel's direction, before the three disappeared in a streak of colour.
Ethan scoffed as the doors slammed shut. "Ninja Streak? Oh, how cool is that?!" he laughed.
Anabel pinched the bridge of her nose as she shook her head. Leave it to Ethan to find something amusing in his enemies.