On the Romero Farm, the work was hard, but going really quite well all things considered. The Romeros weren't really farm people, Dane had only bought the farm because it was off-the-grid. That said, there was always some kind of maintenance to do at the Wind Ninja Academy, and the staff and students, especially those that lived on the premises, were expected to take an active role in the upkeep, and so Dane was more than equipped to deal with the upkeep of the old farmhouse when he got there. He was almost as skilled with metalwork and woodwork as he was in the art of ninjutsu, and given the fact he was at one time considered a prospect for taking over not just as the sensei of the Air students, but the entire Wind Ninja Academy that was saying something.
He was outside, measuring up some cabinets. The project was a big one, a lot bigger than it really should be, but considering no one had actually lived on the farm for ten years the maintenance was looking almost more like a case of tearing it down and starting over than building it back up again. Galvanax had already seen to the workshop, or more accurately Galvanax's body had when he was blasted through it by the Nexus Prism, and so they were having to rebuild that from the ground up anyway, but the house was still standing and if they didn't have to start again, they were eager to find out what could and could not be kept. While sections of the house needed to be repaired and some of the worse affected areas perhaps rebuilt and replaced, the actual structure had held up pretty well. Of course, the house had also not been decorated since Levi and Brody were children. Aiden had been almost twelve and Brody was eight when Galvanax attacked. Levi had already made it clear he was staying in his own apartment, but Brody would likely be in the house at least another couple of years and so he was eager to make it fit for a young adult. The bunk beds may have been fine for a couple of young kids, but now Brody would need a desk, a good bed, perhaps a good size chest of drawers.
He was overjoyed to see his boys working on the farm again. A long time had passed, and he knew it was never going to be like it was in the old days. Even Brody would no doubt move on in a few years' time. Even if he decided to go to college within commuting distance of the farm the day would come, he would be looking to make his own life and his own home. There was no guarantee that life would be in Summer Cove, but he fully intended to enjoy the time he had his son at home as long as he could.
Tom, it was still pretty early to tell how he felt about Tom. He had always hoped, dreamed of getting back to his two boys, and yet when he came back, there was a third guy in the mix. His sons appeared to like him. Aiden…Levi, he was still having a little trouble with that, referred to Tom as his brother. It was hard to argue with that, he had been raised with him, raised alongside him, with Tom looking out for him as an older brother. Given that Aiden…Levi, had been Brody's older brother he imagined it was a nice change to be taken care of. He almost wished he could meet Tom's father, the man who had it in his heart to take in a child he didn't know and raise him as his own, though he had ascertained from the little time he spent with Tom that The General had passed on a few years ago. Tom had taken up the position he always had, taking care not only of Ai…Levi, but also overseeing his career and dealing with the executives on his behalf. Brody, he got the impression from what he had said that their early days had been a little rocky, but they had since managed to find some common ground. Mainly it was Levi that brought them together, but Brody had also discovered a shared love of football with Tom while they were staying in hospital. Brody was even talking about trying out for the team when school went back. Dane honestly didn't know where Brody got that from, neither he nor his mother really cared much for the game, but he was happy enough. Kids often formed interests their parents didn't really get after all.
"Hey dad!" Levi called out. Dane couldn't help smiling hearing that. For all the harmony and contentment, he felt within the nexus, the one thing he didn't have was hearing his sons calling him dad. "We've finished salvaging all the lumber we can, but there's nowhere near enough good wood here for the repairs we need."
"I figured that would be the case." Dane answered. "Wow, is that really all? That's…that's way less than even I thought."
"You know, ten years not being painted or treated, the weather does its thing." Tom chipped in. "Most of this will be used in repairs on the house. The trees sheltered it pretty well, but there's still some rotten wood that's going to need to be pulled out. The only good news is you don't seem to have termites."
"Ten years and we didn't get termites?" Brody asked.
"Is that a bad thing?" Levi asked in response.
"No, just think it's odd. Kind of like how there's no birds calling or other animals around here." Brody commented. "There's kind of a vibe around this place, like Galvanax's spirit somehow kept things away."
"Well, at least one good thing came out of that." Tom said with a shrug.
"I suppose it's up to us to replace that spirit." Dane told them. "But for now, someone needs to take a little trip to the hardware store. Who wants to come with?"
"I will!" Brody called out, sprinting over. "I'd love to see how the old town's changed! I didn't get time to check it out before."
"Anyone else?" Dane asked.
"It's fine, we'll just take a short break and then get back to it." Levi said to him, taking a seat on a tree stump and pulling a book out of his bag. It looked a little familiar, Dane furrowed his brow.
"That book, what is that?" He asked. Levi just looked to it and then back to him.
"Oh, this?" He responded, gesturing to the book. "I got this at the Wind Ninja Academy. It belonged to her predecessor…"
"Mariko." Dane concluded.
"Yeah, it was her journal." Levi confirmed. "Tori gave it to me, she thought some of the stuff in it might trigger some memories."
"Right, of course." Dane said. "Um…how much of it have you read?"
"Dad, we need to get going!" Brody called out, honking the horn. Dane looked between the truck and Levi for a second.
"I haven't had much chance to read it at all." Levi admitted. "Galvanax kept us kind of busy."
"Dad!" Brody called out again, honking the horn. "I want to see if that candy store is still there!"
"Yeah, just coming!" Dane told him, turning and heading to the truck. Levi was about to start reading when Tom arrived by his side, handing him a bottle of water.
"So, I was thinking, most of the house is pretty stable." He commented. "If we set up a dehumidifier or two in there and get them running to the max for a while, we might be able to deal with the worst of the damp and rot without having to pull much wood."
"Yeah, that sounds good." Levi answered, putting the journal back in his bag. "Once the house is ready, we'll have somewhere we can put Redbot back together without freaking out the locals."
Meanwhile, over in Zandar, a couple of figures were nearing the peak of one of the highest mountains in the area. Zandar was blessed with a lot of natural beauty, and although they were there for a wedding, Tyler and his father were making ample opportunity of their time there to explore and challenge themselves in the environment.
Tyler had always loved climbing, even before his father went missing. It was something they had always shared, but now that he was back, they were making up for lost time.
James Nevarro, as he was now known, had decided to stay out of the public eye, to let his former life as Dr Neil Nevarro, the man who was thought of in the field in equal measure as either a genius or a lunatic depending on who one asked based on his wild theories that the dinosaurs were not killed by a natural event but by a directed attack from an extra-terrestrial source, remain at an end. It was going to be difficult to come back anyway after ten years of being "dead". There were numerous people who wouldn't exactly be happy to see him back, not to mention he'd have to explain where he had been. His life would never be his own, and so he had instead decided to content himself just being back in his son's life. Since the museum knew the truth about him, they were happy enough to give him a job that let him stay close to his son and the field he loved. He often joked he was now the most ridiculously over-qualified and over-paid janitor in history! James though didn't care. He was back with Tyler and that was what mattered.
"OK, this next overhang looks tricky." Tyler told him, securing a piton to the rock face and hooking his safety line. "I think of we try edging up that way, then we can use this crack here to…"
With a huge, whooping yell, James ran past his son, leaping into the unknown. His Aqua Energem started to glow and he soared almost twenty feet upwards, and thirty feet out. He caught onto an outcrop with one hand, dangling hundreds of feet above the ground. Tyler just started laughing.
"You know, I think technically that's cheating!" Tyler said, wagging a finger disapprovingly at his dad.
"Oh, come on, I didn't use it to get anywhere I couldn't have gotten to eventually." James said, continuing to dangle from one hand. "Darn it, I'm out of pitons. Little help?"
Tyler pulled one out and threw it to his dad. James caught it and put it in his teeth. Grabbing on with his other hand, he swung a little from the outcrop to get some momentum, before launching himself up a little, climbing up a little further. Once he got to a location, he could secure his legs, he hammered in the piton and attached a rope.
"I still say it's cheating." Tyler chuckled.
"And I say it's appreciating the fact we have a deadline, you know how Shelby gets when you're late." James stated. "Now, if you just use the rope…"
Tyler leapt up, catching onto the outcrop. James just looked down to him, seeing his Energem glowing and wagged a finger.
"I thought that was cheating." He commented.
"Yeah, I'm more scared of Shelby than I am of my ego at not doing this properly." Tyler said with a grin. "Besides, it gives us an excuse to come back and do this again properly someday."
"So, there's only about another fifty feet to go." James said with a smile. "Want to do this?"
Both of their Energems started to glow, and both of them started to scramble up, far faster than should have been humanly possible. They got to the top, steadying themselves and catching their breath. They looked down over Zandar, taking pride in being among the very few who ever got to see this view. Tyler pulled out his camera and snapped a few shots.
"It's a pretty amazing place isn't it?" James asked. "I can see why Phillipe and Margaret are so proud of it."
"It's pretty wild alright." Tyler answered. The alarm on his phone started bleeping. "Well, Shelby's expecting us back soon. Want to do this?"
"Oh, you know it!" James replied. "Just try not to land in someone's back yard this time!"
With that, they both ran, leaping off the top of the cliff. They pulled the rip chords on their parachutes, drifting down over the forests, and towards the city.
Meanwhile, the Ninja team were in Phillipe's limo, their faces pressed to the windows as it brought them towards the castle. Now they were in a heated limousine, they could finally appreciate Zandar for the beautiful place it was. Like much of Europe, it had a marvellous blend of the modern and ancient within the country, simultaneously celebrating the cultural heritage of what it had been, while at the same time looking to the future. At this time of year, like much of Europe, the streets were awash with markets, where traders and street performers from all over the world were lining the streets. Stands selling brockwurst were flanked by stands selling steaming hot paella and Polish goulash and breads. People seeing the motorcade coming would part ways, but wave and cheer for him as they went. They passed by monuments that were built to commemorate great figures of their past. The people walking around were a lot better prepared for the climate than the Rangers, most of whom had never really left California were, but with the exception of some thick coats, they just seemed to go about their business without any real mind.
"This place is amazing!" Calvin gasped, looking out the window. "Hey, check it out, this street isn't even asphalt, it's cobblestones!"
"Yes, the thoroughfare to the main entrance to the family estate is preserved by a conservation order." Phillipe told them. "With the exception of a few repairs, many of those stones are the same ones that were laid almost a thousand years ago."
"The people seem to really love you here." Hayley commented. Phillipe just laughed as he saw them waving and cheering for him.
"Yes, the people of this great land are very definitely traditionally minded." He agreed, waving back. "It's one of the reasons I work so hard to try and expand my skills and standing on the international stage. I may have been born into this role, but that doesn't mean I don't want to feel like I've earned the faith my people have in me."
"Oh my gosh, look at that!" Preston squealed, pointing forward as he saw them coming up on the castle. "This is like something from dungeons and dragons!"
"Well, there may not be any dragons…other than the Dragon of Zandar in my father's throne room, but we definitely have dungeons." Phillipe stated, causing them all to stare at him. "Don't worry though, we haven't actually used them in centuries."
"Dragon of Zandar?" Calvin asked, glossing over the dungeon part of the conversation. "You have a dragon?"
"Well, that's just what it's called." Phillipe chuckled. "It is in fact a Pterodactyl skeleton. The most complete ever excavated I believe."
"Pterodactyls are notoriously difficult to find complete." Sarah chipped in. "Like modern day birds their bones were hollow which means they didn't last as well as others. They were more prone to breaking and crumbling so a lot of skeletons were only partially preserved."
The rest of the team just stared at her. She just sighed.
"I used to work in a Natural History Museum, remember?" She pointed out. "It's kind of hard to spend all that time there and some of that stuff not stick."
"Guys, check it out!" Calvin said excitedly. As they approached, the drawbridge started to open, allowing them access. The motorcade drove in over the drawbridge, which crossed the moat, and through a long gate house which was long enough to fit all three vehicles with room to spare. There was a spiked portcullis at either end, though the CCTV cameras let them know that the castle also employed some extremely advanced security as well. By the time they passed through and the drawbridge closed, the motorcade circled around, coming to a rest. The door was opened by a guard, allowing Phillipe and the others out.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my humble home." Phillipe said rather ironically. Preston could only imagine how much his father would only wish he could build something like this in his home country. "My staff are just taking your bags to your rooms. I'll have you directed there soon, but for now I think…"
"SARAH!" Someone screamed out loud. They all turned in time to see a couple of women running towards them. The first one by their side was a girl in pink denim shorts and a flannel shirt. She grabbed Sarah, hugging her tightly as more arrived. Shelby looked to her, inspecting her enthusiastically. "Oh man, it is so great to see you! You look great!"
"You do too Shelby. How was Zaire?" Sarah asked.
"Hot." Shelby stated. "But it was so great! We got some amazing samples, and I got to meet the most amazing teams and professors…I even managed to get a paper published and…"
"Shelby, you'll have plenty of time to talk about our adventures." Kendall reminded her.
"Yeah, listen to me, what about YOUR adventures?" Shelby asked. "I turn my back on you for five minutes and you end up becoming a Power Ranger? What's up with that?"
"It wasn't exactly planned." Sarah laughed. "But then when is it?"
"Ain't that the truth." Shelby agreed. "So, come on, introductions please."
"Well, unfortunately Brody and Levi couldn't make it, but this is Calvin, our Yellow Ranger, Hayley our White Ranger, and Preston our Blue Ranger." Sarah introduced them. "Guys, this is Shelby, the Pink Ranger and this is Dr Morg…"
"She paused as she saw Kendall giving her a little look.
"Right, only in the museum. Kendall…yeah, it still feels a little strange to call you that." Sarah conceded. "So where are the others?"
"Ivan's off exploring somewhere." Kendall told them. "He was glad to see his homeland again, but it's kind of changed in the last 800 years. The others are waiting for us inside."
"Well, most of them are!" Shelby said impatiently, checking her phone. "Tyler and James said they'd be back by now!"
"Heads UP!" They heard someone calling out from above. They all looked up in time to see two men drifting down into the courtyard on parachutes. The guards on the walls did not look at all happy, but the fact no one was going for weapons indicated they had seen this before. The two men landed just in front of the ninja team.
"OK, we've made a lot of use of flash powder and smoke bombs and even I can admit that entrance was kind of awesome!" Calvin commented. Sarah rushed the two men, hugging them. Shelby just stood, glaring at them both.
"And what time do you call this?" She asked them.
"Come on, we're not THAT late." Tyler stated.
"Tyler, it's great to see you both!" Sarah greeted him. "Guys, this is Tyler, the Dino Charge Red Ranger and James, the Aqua Ranger!"
"Hey, it's awesome to meet you guys!" Tyler stated. "So why don't we go inside and…"
Phillipe just cleared his throat and pointed to the parachutes.
"Oh…well, we'll pack these up and join you inside with the others." James answered. "It really was great to see you again Sarah. We'll catch up inside."
As the Ninja Rangers started to head inside, Preston put his arm around Sarah and pulled in close.
"Aqua?" He asked. "How many Rangers did your last team have?"
"Ten." Sarah told him.
"Wow, and I thought OUR Command Centre could get crowded." Preston commented as they followed Shelby, Phillipe and Shelby inside, leaving Tyler and James to pack up their parachutes.