I'm sooo sorry for the wait! My laptop busted and the episodes I had downloaded were gone. But, thankfully, YouTube has most of the episodes up, so I can use those. Thanks Thundra, BJvision, jonoave, PernDragonrider, Crimson-Ranger, and CamFan4Ever for commenting. And, a special thanks to my beta, silvershinigami. Anyways, on to the chapter!

Chapter 3

There's No I In Team

Cam watched as the Rangers did their simulation, mentally commenting on their performance. 'I'm not all that sure Shane's going to be a good leader. I mean, he's trying to do everything himself. Doesn't he know that he can't do that?'

"Simulation over. Well, that was below average," Cam said with a small smile on his lips as the Rangers got themselves together. "It'll be on the mainframe if you want to relive any of it," he said, getting up.

"Rangers," he heard his father say, "you are lucky this was only a simulation."

"Sensei, why can't we get this right?" Tori asked. "Why do we keep failing?"

"That is for you to figure out. Tomorrow we will try again," Sensei said as he back flipped to the SuperComputer.

Cam shook his head and left to put his laptop away. He came back to talk to them about their performance, but he lingered in the open doorway, listening in on their conversation. 'I knew it. Shane thinks he can do everything himself. He needs to learn that they have to work as a team.'

After the others had left, Cam turned to his father. "Dad, you do know that this is bad beyond all thinking, right?"

"Cameron, they will work it out."

"Dad, Shane's extremely stubborn. He's not going to accept that they have to work together in order to save the world unless he comes close to death."

"Yes, he will, Cam. It might take a while, but he will accept it. I'm off to meditate," Sensei said as he left the room.

Cam sighed as he watched his father leave the room. "I hope it doesn't take too long."

The next day...

"I just can't get this one piece to fit. If I could just find a way to harness more power from the hydraulic systems..," Cam trailed off, typing away at his computer.

"Some kinds of power cannot be found in a computer."

"What other kind is there?" Cam asked, already knowing the answer. He heard footsteps echoing down the hall, effectively drowning out his father's reply. 'Here come the Rangers,' he thought to himself.

Tori and Dustin came into the room and sat down at the table, looking as if they'd just been kicked out of the academy. "Where's Shane?"

"I dunno. Single-handedly saving the world."

"Yeah. I guess it's nice being a one-man army," Tori said bitterly.

Cam stopped paying much attention after that. He noticed that the power readings were much higher than usual and he tapped into the police surveillance system. A video of Shane being repeatedly hit by metal objects popped up on the screen. "It's Shane and some weird magnet-head thing. I tapped into the police surveilance system when I saw that the power readings were off the chart."

"We better help him." Tori and Dustin ran off to help him, but Sensei stopped them. They stood by, watching the video of Shane getting slammed repeatedly against a wall and a car.

"Now?" Dustin asked, worried for Shane.

"Now," Sensei said, watching the Rangers transform. They rushed off to help Shane, and had the monster defeated, until a strange scroll-like thing appeared over the monster. The monster grew to at least 4 times his original size.

"The program still isn't sequencing. I don't think they can handle it," Cam said after the monster finished growing.

"They're ready Cam. Sends the Zords."

"All right. Just a few more seconds to access the holographic portals...got it!" Cam said as he slammed his hand down on the button on the middle of the keyboard.

He explained the Zords to the Rangers, all the while praying that they'd win the battle. He watched as they battled, silently thinking about how Hunter and Blake would've handled it. 'Blake and Hunter probably would have already combined their Zords and would have him beaten by now. I really need to stop comparing them to Blake and Hunter.' He told the Rangers to do what it said on the prompt screen while he prayed for the best. He cheered when the Rangers had finally beaten the monster.

After the battle...

"All the people are back to normal," he said, thankful that they had won. He listened as his father gave them a very short lecture, and he even chuckled a bit when he saw the puzzle his father had been working on.

After everyone had left, he opened up a drawer on the desk of the SuperComputer and pulled out a picture. It was a picture of Cam and Hunter taken 2 weeks before Cam had come back to the Wind Ninja Academy. Cam was nestled in between Hunter's legs with his head back against Hunter's shoulder. Hunter had his back against a willow tree while his arms encircled Cam's waist. Both were shirtless and water was dripping on them from the willow tree. Cam sighed as he remembered that day, not noticing that Dustin had crept up behind him.

"Damn, I'm so jealous of you right now," Dustin exclamied, snapping Cam out of his memory.

"Dustin, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Cam asked, putting the picture back in the drawer.

"Nah, just wanted to see how you were holdin' up. When was that picture taken?"

"It was taken two weeks before I came back to the Wind Academy. The students had been sent out during a thunderstorm to connect with their elements. I, not having that kind of element, only went because I'd get a chance to be with Hunter. Blake snuck a camera out with him and followed us around. After the rain stopped, he had us pose under that willow tree. We snuck back out there the next day and he carved our initials onto it. I really miss him and Blake."

"What kind of element do you have?" Dustin asked, not knowing very many of the elements.

"I don't know if you'd call it an element, but it's a good power. Empathy and compulsion," At Dustin's blank stare, he clarified. "Empathy is the power to feel, understand, and read emotions. Compulsion is the power to control another person's emotions."

"Whoa, that does seem like a good power. Remind me never to piss you off," Dustin joked, checking his wristwatch. "Oh man, I'm sooo late for work!" he said. His face suddenly became much more serious, "Cam, thanks for coming back. And thanks for sending the Zords out when we needed them. We owe you big time, and it just keeps growin' every time you save us. Thanks," Dustin said, giving Cam a quick kiss on the cheek. Cam, startled, stared blankly at Dustin. "No worries, dude, just sayin' thanks!"

Dustin winked.

"Oh. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Dustin."

"See ya tomorrow, Cam!" Dustin yelled as he ran out of Ninja Ops. Cam turned off the computer and walked back to his room, silently praying.

'Please let Hunter and Blake be alright. Please be alright. Please be alright...'

AN:Does anyone else want the picture I described? I know I want it!