Coincidentally, the exact thing Blake had told Hunter would probably be happening, actually did come to pass a minute after the younger Bradley had rejoined his teammates. Sensei suddenly appeared in the doorway of the practice room, looking calm and serene. The Rangers jumped up, ready to bound down the stairs, but their teacher held them back with a simple paw gesture.

"I would need some paper and a pencil, please," was all he said. Tori shot off to retrieve the requested items while Sensei waited, silent and expressionless.

"Be ready, Rangers," he said quietly when he took the notepad from the Blue Ranger. "It won't be long now."

This statement proved correct, for about five minutes later, Sensei Watanabe reappeared in the doorway again, alone and clutching a sheet of paper. Two somersaults brought him up the stairs and onto Shane's knee. He held out the paper to the Red Ranger.

"This will tell you how to find Julio Morales' secret drug lab," he said. "The antidote is also there. Morales keeps it in a safe in his office."

Shane's expression was a mixture of relief and awe. "Sensei, how did you…"

"Sometimes a sympathetic ear is more effective than the best interrogation procedures," the tiny teacher said. "We spoke of many things. Life, family, ninja honor, the future..." Sensei looked around him and into the faces of his students. "Jared has strayed from the righteous path, but I have provided him with a light to guide him back onto that road again. I agreed to absolve him of his wrongdoings and guaranteed him re-admittance into the Wind Academy...if he agreed to break off all of his drug contacts and reveal Morales' hideout." Sensei Watanabe spread his paws. "Once I was able to make him see the errors of his ways and assured him that he has yet a place among the Wind ninja students, Jared was eager to make up for all the harm he has caused. Not only to Cam and us, but also to the Wind Ninja Academy as a whole as well as his own reputation. Much still remains to be discussed between us, but for now Jared has shown his repentance by taking the first step into the right direction – with this." The Wind teacher nodded at the map in Shane's hands, then hopped off the Air ninja's knee.

"But Sensei, are you sure you can trust him?" Blake's face showed his skepticism. Sensei turned his gentle gaze upon his student. "I think that his change of heart is genuine, yes. I also believe that everyone deserves a second chance, Blake." The rest of Sensei's sentence remained unspoken, but was conveyed in the guinea pig's eyes. Just like you and Hunter.

"And now you must move swiftly, Rangers," Sensei urged. "Jared said that Morales planned to remain at his hideaway until shortly before the rendezvous time at Orchid Park. It is now less than an hour until then."

Shane promptly leapt to his feet, clutching the paper. "All right, guys, let's go over this real quick with Jared, and then..." The Red Ranger's face was hard and determined. "...it's time to get that inbred sewer rat Morales"

Confrontations…

The hood of night had settled over the hidden valley, but the four figures creeping through the woods didn't mind; on the contrary - the night was the ninjas' friend.

The moonlight cast platinum light over the sheer wall of rock they had rappelled down. The moon glow was unfortunate as it had significantly increased their chances of being seen, but it was the only way to get to the hidden headquarters below. They had made their descent as rapidly as possible, then seemingly blended into the trees of the vast, primeval forest as soon as their boots had touched the frozen ground.

Shane looked behind him; four rappelling ropes were hanging from the edge of the cliff like dark vines; nothing they could do about those, unfortunately, other than hope that no night guard patrols would be spotting them.

For now, all they could do was to infiltrate Morales' lair as quickly and silently as possible, retrieve the antidote and retreat.

Ironically, they found themselves back on Misty Mountain, albeit on the other side of the ridge onto which they had chased Jared just a few hours ago. It prompted Shane to shake his head in frustrated amazement at the thought of just how close they had been to Julio Morales' hideout in the first place.

Next to him, Dustin shivered, but the Earth ninja did not voice his discomfort as his head continued to move, scanning the terrain in front of them. Shane could emphasize. They were wearing their black ninja uniforms and consequently, they were all cold. Their Ranger suits would have offered much better protection against the freezing weather, but the rainbow of colors would have been anything but inconspicuous. The evergreen-scented air was so cold, they could see their breaths with every exhalation. At least the rock wall behind them sheltered them from the wind, which would have been more than brutal at such a high elevation.

Blake, on the other hand, wasn't as reserved as Dustin. "Come on, guys, let's go," he mumbled, hands tucked beneath his armpits in a futile attempt to keep them warm. "This cold sucks."

In response, Shane reached into his jacket pocket. The waning moon cast just enough light for him to make out the sketches on Jared's hand-drawn map. It was poorly made, for Jared was not an artist, but it showed all the important landmarks they needed to find their target: the cliff wall, the stretch of forest and according to Jared, about half a mile north of their present location - at the edge of a concealed clearing - the lodge.

He took a moment to orient himself, then pointed to the right. "This way." They plunged through the thicket and traveled north. The forested mountain terrain was tricky to maneuver at night, but before long they could make out a break in the rows of trees up ahead. Beyond lay the glade and at the edge of it they would find Julio Morales' secret hideaway and laboratory, disguised as a secluded mountain retreat.

Jared had told them that the villa was accessible only via helicopter and a little-known logging road, therefore Morales' guards would not be expecting an approach from the forest. Nevertheless, they were careful to make as little noise as possible in their approach.

When the impressive-looking lodge came into view, it looked like the weekend ski retreat of an eccentric millionaire-recluse in every respect, complete with the sleek black form of an executive helicopter perched on the flat roof.

'Ready to take its owner into the city within the hour, no doubt,' Shane thought grimly.

Hidden by the night, the ninjas watched and listened intently for a while, and suddenly the orange glimmer of a cigarette flared up from the shadows of the front door. It remained the only indication of a guard, though. Apparently, Julio Morales deemed his hideout safe enough not to splurge on more than just a skeleton crew for security.

Nonetheless, Shane didn't dare raise his voice beyond the faintest murmur. "All right, let's make our way to the back door. Get this over with quick and clean," he whispered. "Get inside, head straight for the office, find the antidote, get out."

"Your word in God's hearing aid," Dustin muttered.

The darkness under the canopy of spruce, pine and fir was near absolute and the ninjas reached the lodge, only mere yards from the edge of the woods, without detection. One more quick sprint, and they were pressed up against the plaster of the wall. Shane held his breath and listened, but the only sounds were those of the nocturnal forest. If there were guards in the back, they certainly weren't chatting with each other.

All senses engaged, they moved swiftly and silently through the tapestry of weak light and shadows until they arrived at the spot Jared had marked on his map; the service entrance in the back of the building. The door was secured by an electronic lock, but Jared had provided the code sequence and only a few seconds later, the ninjas entered Julio Morales' headquarters. They found themselves in a dark hallway. Shane didn't have to consult Jared's map again to know that to the left lay the drug lab whereas Morales' office was located at the end of the passage to the right. From the direction of the lab came the faint sounds of a radio playing. Apparently, the drug lord's scientists didn't like to cook up their synthetic dope in total quiet.

The ninjas turned right and crept forward down the corridor, hugging the wall, darker shades on dark background. They passed several plain and unmarked doors, but Julio's office could not be missed. The dark wooden door at the end of the hallway was more than obvious even if their eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness yet. A narrow strip of light underneath it faintly illuminated the linoleum floor, and with a final nod to his friends, Shane pushed open the door.

A Hispanic man which could only be Julio Morales was seated behind a massive mahogany desk, reading through a stack of papers. He glanced up at the sound of the door opening. "Jared, where the hell have you..." The rest of the sentence died on his lips when he apparently realized that the black-clad figure in the doorway was not the boy he had expected.

"Sorry to disappoint, but your ninja lapdog won't be coming around anymore," Shane said as he stepped across the threshold, flanked by the rest of his team. The four ninjas automatically aligned themselves shoulder to shoulder, effectively blocking the way into the hallway. Tori pushed the door shut with the heel of her boot.

Morales composed himself surprisingly quickly. He put the papers down and folded his hands over them. "Well, well, what do you know? The Mod Squad. And you've brought a friend." He fixed the four teens with a cold glare. "Being that I don't see you carrying a bag holding half a million dollars, I can only conclude that you didn't show up here to spare me a trip into the city, but actually got your hands on Jared somehow." He shook his head. "Of all my employees, I didn't think it would be him who'd be squealing on me."

"Seems that all he needed was someone to show him just how wrong it was to get involved with scum like you," Tori spat out.

"And now he's ready to regain his honor with the Wind Ninja Academy," Dustin added.

"Honor?" Julio snorted derisively as he pushed himself up from his leather chair. "Bullshit. That'll get you nothing. Honor is for dreamers. In the real world, it's all about power and money." There was a glint in Morales' brown eyes, but it was without the maniacal quality usually associated with lunatics. Those same brown eyes, however, were also completely devoid of any sympathy or even the smallest shred of warmth as he stared at the ninjas from across his desk.

Shane shook his head. "And that's where you're wrong, Morales. But we don't have the time to be discussing morals with you! You know what we're here for."

"Ah, yes," Julio said and a cold, hard smile played across his features. "Your friend should be expiring any moment now, I believe."

If looks could kill, then the glares he received from the four ninjas would have struck Julio dead in an instant.

"Where is the antidote, Morales?" Shane growled.

Morales kept the smirk on his face. "Tell me: Where's your fifth Ranger?" he inquired casually. It was an obvious attempt of stalling for time and it had Shane worried that maybe the drug lord had already activated a silent alarm.

"None of your concern," Blake replied curtly.

"Enough talk, Morales," Shane said with a sharp wave of his hand. "I'm not going to ask you again: Where is the antidote?"

This time, at the mention of the remedy, Morales' eyes inadvertently flickered to his right, where a large oil painting hung on the wall at an odd angle. It seemed to be leaning slightly away from the wall, as if on hinges. The drug lord's look lasted only for an instant, but it was enough for Shane to catch the meaning behind the glance. 'Something behind that picture...the safe?'

Julio moved, but he did not get farther than one step before Shane had already leapt up and somersaulted over the desk, effectively putting himself between Morales and the wall and caught his arm before he could push the painting, and the possible safe door behind it, closed.

Morales yanked his arm back in an attempt to twist his wrist free of Shane's grip, and the Air ninja delivered a forceful kick at Morales' midsection. Julio staggered backwards a few steps, bumped into the wall next to his office window and promptly doubled over, gasping for breath.

"We'll take the antidote," the Air ninja said, "and while we're at it, we'll take you as well. To jail!"

"Like hell you are!" Julio straightened up while at the same time, his hand reached into his jacket and the ninjas suddenly found themselves with a gun pointed at them.

Before any of them could react, Morales aimed the weapon and squeezed off a shot towards Dustin, but at the exact same instant, Shane released a powerful gust of air that blew the trajectory of the bullet off course and into the ceiling. Morales snarled and swivelled his gun around at Shane, only to have it literally explode in his hand by a dark blue bolt of lightning.

"Anyone ever told you that it's not polite to point?" Blake smiled without humor as the drug dealer yelped in pain, the broken pistol clattering to the floor in several pieces. Blake, Dustin and Tori were on him in an instant, tackling him to the floor. Shane moved towards the heap of bodies as well, but Tori whipped her head around.

"Check the safe, Shane!"

"Ah...right. On it."

The Air ninja turned on his heel and yanked the oil painting aside. His breath came in a sigh of relief when an open steel door was revealed behind it. He groped around the dark space until his hand closed over something small and tube-shaped. He pulled his hand back to find himself holding a slender glass phial capped with a black plastic stopper. At first he thought it was empty, but a closer inspection showed that it was filled to the top with a clear liquid. The antidote! It had to be!

Just to be sure, Shane searched the safe once again, but the small vault held nothing else other than papers.

By the time he turned around with the vial in his hand, Dustin and Blake had already hauled Morales to his feet and were holding him safely in place between them. Tori was looking at him questioningly and Shane held up the tube, then nodded towards the window. Somebody was bound to have heard the shot and they needed to get out of here quickly. And while the Water ninja fumbled with the window lock, Shane tucked the vial into his jacket pocket and stepped close to Morales. "Oh, and to answer your question: Our fifth Ranger is right where he belongs; by our sixth one's side. And that's where we'll be in a moment, too."

Just then, Tori got the window unlocked and slid the glass pane aside. The instant she did, a high-pitched wail reverberated through the room. The ninjas jumped.

'Great,' Shane thought dismayed. 'If Julio's boys aren't already on the way here, they sure will be now.'

Morales flashed them a smirk, which promptly turned into an expression of pain as Shane roughly gripped his shirt collar. "High time to go!"

From beyond the office door suddenly came the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, followed by a yell.

"Mister Morales!"

A moment later, the heavy wooden door was thrown open and five men burst into the room, armed with guns and rifles. They swung their weapons in all directions, but all they caught was a flash of multi-colored light by the open window. By the time any of them had the chance to point a gun, the only thing that remained of the unseen intruders or their boss was a breeze ruffling the curtains.

Justice…

Sheriff Marty Carpenter scowled at his computer screen, his entire attention focused on the program in front of him, so when his intercom chimed, he actually flinched. With a growl, he stabbed the comm button. "This better be important, Marge. I told you I have to get these expense reports done today."

"I'm sorry, sir, but there are some people here to see you." His secretary's usually composed voice sounded strangely flustered.

"People? What people?" Carpenter snapped.

"Uhm…the Power Rangers, sir. And they have Julio Morales with them."

Sheriff Carpenter was around his desk and through his office door in record time, and the sight before him was certainly something to behold: The Yellow, Blue and Navy Rangers were standing in the hallway, holding a disheveled-looking Julio Morales between them. The drug lord's hair was wild, and his expensive suit looked like it had been hung up in a wind tunnel. His olive complexion was waxen and he was swaying on his feet. His hands were bound with a silk tie.

The Yellow Ranger nodded in greeting. "How're you doing, Sheriff? We happened to run into this gentleman here and since we know that you've got a few questions for him, we thought we'd drop him off here." The yellow helmet turned towards Morales, then back to the sheriff and Carpenter could hear the amusement in the Ranger's voice. "Give him a few minutes, though. We travel at a somewhat higher speed than the average Joe, and as you can see, he hasn't quite gotten his breath back yet."

"And here is a set of directions on how to get to his secret headquarters," the Blue Ranger added, handing him a sheet of paper of what looked like a hand-drawn map. "The drug lab is in the basement, but we suggest you move out fast, before his men manage to clean it out again and hightail it out of there."

Sheriff Carpenter automatically reached for the paper, but in his lingering bafflement, he was slow to find his voice. "I don't…how did you guys manage to…?"

The Navy Ranger took a step forward. "There's unfortunately no time to explain, sir. We need to catch up with our Red Ranger who had to take off on an urgent errand. He sends his regards, by the way." And with that, the male Rangers gave Morales a slight shove towards the sheriff and motioned to go. A firm grip on the Yellow Ranger's arm held him back, however, and Dustin turned to find Julio Morales glowering at him.

"So you think you've won, don't you?" the drug dealer spat out. "You forget that I know who you are. I will talk to the press, blow your identities wide open…"

The Yellow Ranger stepped almost conspiratorially close to him and lowered his voice. "So you saw us morph - big deal. You might know who the ninjas behind the Ranger helmets are, but that's not going do you any good at all." Dustin smirked behind his visor, and he knew that Morales could hear it in his voice. "What are you gonna do? Give the press directions to a non-existent ninja school in the woods? No one would believe your crazy story. But even if someone did, all we have to do is deactivate the holographic entrance and no one will find as much as a stone out of place in the clearing behind it."

"That's right," Tori contributed to the hushed conversation. "Lothor was nothing if not meticulous when he sucked the academy up into space."

"You've got nothing on me my lawyers couldn't get me out of; with one phone call I'll be out of here within the hour," Morales hissed defiantly.

"Well, let's see..." Tori raised a gloved hand, ticking off her fingers. "The mountain retreat with the meth lab inside, your office with the safe which is probably full of files and other records, your computer..."

"Not to mention that at least a few of your 'employees' will snitch on you in exchange for a plea bargain," Dustin chimed in.

Blake put a hand on the drug lord's shoulder in a mock-friendly gesture. "No, Morales, I think this time, not even Johnnie Cochran and James Shapiro combined would be able to get you out of this one."

Morales said nothing; he simply glared at the Rangers, and his face was dark with rage.

Just in time…

The fast-paced thumping of boots made Hunter look up to see a shadowy form materialize in the doorway of Cam's room. A moment later Shane had crossed the distance to the hospital bed. He wordlessly held up the glass phial and Hunter didn't even have to ask what was inside.

No words could adequately convey his feelings at that moment, so Hunter poured all of the relief and joy he felt into the look he gave Shane as he took the tube from the Air ninja.

His hand was shaking when he pulled out his cell phone to call Doctor McAllister.

To Be Continued…