Alessandra was sitting at a bench in the Dino Lab, still a little surprised and confused over what she had seen. A hot chocolate appeared before her as Kendall sat on the edge of the table. She looked up at the stern scientist, a million questions still swirling around in her head. It didn't help that she wasn't sure how to even ask most of the questions in English.
"Why does she get cocoa while I got handcuffed to that workbench?" Allison asked. Kendall just silenced her with her trademark glare, before looking to Alessandra.
"I'm guessing you have a lot of questions." Kendall surmised. Alessandra just nodded in response. She didn't have much of an idea what exactly she had found, but it looked like a much more extensive set-up than would be available in the local Apple store. Most of the equipment she had never even seen before. Even though she had never gone beyond a high school education and was never really into science or technology, she didn't think this was exactly the kind of set-up needed in the average natural history museum.
"What this place?" She asked as she looked around. She saw a Dino Blaster sitting on the bench a little way off. She could recognise it from the time Kendall had come into the gym and blasted the others with it when they were under Shearfear's spell. "What that? Why have weapons in museum?"
"OK, those are very good questions." Kendall said as she took a deep breath. "Alright, where to begin..."
"You know Koda's in New Zealand right?" Allison blurted out. Alessandra just nodded, a little confused as to exactly what this had to do with anything. "Well, do you want to know who else is in New Zealand?"
She went to one of the computers and pulled up some images. It wasn't long before she found some newspaper pictures of the Rangers in battle. Alessandra just looked to the picture, before looking to Allison and Kendall.
"You say Koda is Power Ranger?" Alessandra asked them. Kendall just looked to Allison.
"Well, I thought it would save some time." Allison protested, knowing that the conversation would work around there eventually. She thought that getting this main fact out of the way early would likely cut a significant amount of time off the conversation.
Alessandra looked like she was about to laugh, to just brush all this off as a joke, but she stopped just short, only the smallest little trace of a chuckle escaping her mouth. She started to think a little more about Koda, and the time she spent with him. There were a lot of times he would act strangely, when he would disappear with little or no explanation. She had on occasion seen him with bruises and injuries that seemed to disappear in next to no time. She had also wondered how he would get to New Zealand so quickly. She didn't claim to be an expert, but some of those robots the Rangers used could fly, and seemed to move a lot faster than many normal planes.
"Koda is Ranger?" She asked. "He...Blue Ranger?"
"She's catching on quick." Allison replied, before looking to Kendall. "You know, maybe as a security measure we should suggest they mix up their wardrobe a little."
"Maybe the next team." Kendall sighed, before looking to Alessandra. She could see the young woman was still a little confused and clearly had a lot more questions. "You care about Koda, don't you?" Alessandra just nodded in response.
"I...love." She replied. Kendall smiled hearing this. While she always knew that a relationship in the modern era would be complicated for Koda, she had seen that his relationship with Alessandra had helped him a lot. While she had made a commitment to habilitating Koda to the modern era, she knew there was only so much she could do herself, and the process had hit something of a plateau. Before his wrestling, all he really did was work in the museum and hang around in his cave. Now, he was actually getting out into the city, he made some new friends at the gym, and a lot of his new comfort with the outside world had a lot to do with Alessandra. He wanted to learn more, to improve himself for her.
"There's more to tell, but most of it is his place to tell you, not mine." Kendall told her. "When he gets back, I'll let him know you know about this, and he can tell you everything. I only ask you one thing."
Kendall moved a little closer.
"No one can know about this." She told her. "We need to keep this secret. Not everyone means us well..."
"I keep secret." Alessandra assured them. "I keep secret for Koda."
"Good." Kendall said with a little smile. "I just have one question for you though. What were you doing in the back?"
Alessandra just nodded in response. She still had a lot of questions, but from what Kendall had said, she got the impression it was best she hear it from Koda.
"I...looking for Allison." She replied. "I about to open restaurant, but no one else there. Want help."
"Wait, no one else is there?" She asked. "What about Brad and Erica?"
"Erica had to duck out early. She had...uh...urgent business." Allison said, trying not to admit that business was shopping. Since Brad had left her in the lurch during the lunch hour, she didn't want to deny her that favour in return. Brad, she had no idea where he'd gone. It looked like he'd just walked out when he felt like it. "I...I'm not sure where Brad went, but his shift is over."
"What about Claire?" Kendall asked.
"She called to say she'd be about 20 minutes late. College ran over." Allison answered.
"When was that?" Kendall asked her.
"About...three quarters of an hour ago?" Allison offered rather weakly. Kendall just groaned and adjusted her glasses. "Damn it Allison, I gave you the supervisor position so I didn't need to worry about this stuff."
"I'm sorry Ms Morgan." Allison replied, choosing not to risk a first-name basis when she was being told off. Kendall just gestured to the elevator.
"The two of you deal with the restaurant. I've got stuff to do here." Kendall replied as she gathered up some notes. "I was really hoping for more from you Allison."
As they turned to leave, Allison just kept her mouth shut. It wasn't the first time a boss had told her off. More than once, her last boss had taken her into his office and literally screamed at her so loudly for several minutes it could be heard out on the street. It was, however, the first time she had cared. She felt disappointed that she had let Kendall down, and she felt disappointed in herself that she hadn't made things any easier for Kendall or her friends. She had only been in the job one day and already she was pulling a double shift and getting told off by the boss. Alessandra pulled in closer.
"You say something about handcuffs." Alessandra whispered. "Why Ms Morgan have handcuffs?"
"There are some things that are best left a mystery." She sighed as they got onto the elevator. "I saw her with Matt once...and I got a lot of mental images I really can't un-see."
Back in New Zealand, Albert was still dragging Tyler from the battle, deeper and deeper into the woods. His leg was encased in ice, but it was so cold that even the heat of the day in New Zealand had no real effect on it. The stinging, burning sensation in his leg was agonising. He could tell that it was frostbite. Thanks to the Energem, he knew he had little to worry about if his leg could be freed, but it was still worse than any pain he could ever remember. Albert suddenly stopped, looking around and smiling.
"Albert, what are you doing?" Tyler asked him.
"I'm making my stand." Albert told him with a smile. Tyler just looked alarmed.
"NOW?" He asked. "You left the rest of the team behind, and you want to fight now?"
"Trust me!" Albert said as he stood ready. Stingrage and Ice Age finally managed to catch up with him, breaking through the tree-line. They started to approach him slowly, seeing him hunched over as he stood before them.
"So, you finally ran out of steam." Ice Age taunted him. "You're not as young as you used to be old man."
"Don't give him too hard a time; we should be thanking the old goat." Stingrage told him. "Now, without support, he's delivered us a helpless Ranger. Now we get to bring Fury TWO Energems."
Tyler just glared at Albert as this situation dawned on him. Their friends were still some distance away, and he was in no condition to fight. Nor, by the looks of the way Albert was standing, was the Purple Ranger. He had hand-delivered the power right to them. He hated to think it, but he was starting to believe his faith in Albert had been misplaced. His desperation to believe that he was like his dad, that he was just full of unpopular and wild ideas had blinded him to what Ivan and Riley had been telling him all along.
"OLD GOAT?" Albert roared. "It looks like I have to teach you whippersnappers a lesson!"
He pulled out his Energem and started to fumble with it. As they started to come forward, he held up a hand.
"Let me get ready!" Albert demanded. "Unless...you're scared."
Stingrage and Ice Age just looked to each other, before backing up a little.
"That's it, back up!" He told them. "Now, face the wrath of the Violet Av... Sorry, the Purple Ranger!"
He morphed into his Ranger mode, and summoned up his sword, starting to make his way forward. He only got a few steps forward before letting out a large cry and clutching at his back. Ice Age and Stingrage just laughed at the feeble display.
"Oh, help, save us from the mighty Purple Ranger!" Stingrage laughed as he clutched his sides, unable to hide his derision.
"Stop, please, before you hurt yourself!" Ice Age taunted him. Albert clutched his sword tightly.
"I'll teach you some manners!" He said as he stumbled forward, swinging his sword in a display that looked somewhat more like a 5-year-old with a toy than a credible warrior. The two monsters continued to mock him and keep just out of reach. Neither of them noticed that the whole time, Albert's gaze was always on the ground. He looked towards Sting Rage and lunged for him, this time with a much more serious and powerful strike. The monster jumped back, but with a huge crack, he fell straight through the ground, tumbling down a massive hole, screaming the whole way. The trap triggered a mechanism that dropped a series of logs that were suspended in the trees above it, bringing them slamming down, sealing the hole. Ice Age realised that it was a trick.
"You...You tricked us!" He screamed. Albert just smiled beneath his helmet.
"That's right!" He responded, swinging his sword for a tree. "Why don't you hang around and think on having respect for your elders?"
Ice Age could hear another trap springing, and before he knew what was happening, he was suspended upside down more than thirty feet in the air. Albert came over towards Tyler, gripping his sword.
"Hold still." Albert told him. He swung the sword, smashing the ice off his leg. As he helped him up, Tyler started trying to rub the feeling back into his leg. He could see that it was discoloured, but he was confident the Energem's regenerative powers would save it. Hell, Koda had been an ice-cube for a hundred thousand years and he was fine!
"You had this planned all along, didn't you?" Tyler asked as Albert de-morphed. "You sly old dog!"
"Come, let's find the others and carry on our adventures." Albert responded. "I have a feeling those traps won't hold those two forever."
"So, these are your bigfoot traps?" Tyler asked him. Albert nodded. "You've spent a lot of time on them haven't you?"
"They have their advantages." Albert chuckled. "Let's put it this way. I haven't had a Jehovah's Witness visit in the last 23 years!"
Meanwhile, in the Zandarian Embassy, Phillipe was leading Mr Watkins and his guests around the building, showing them some of the treasures he had brought with him to the country.
"While my father is more interested in treasure for the sake of its value, I'm more interested in historical value. As you can see I have quite a collection I have amassed for myself." He said as he brought them to another room. "I think you'll be very interested in this display."
He opened the door, showing them a room filled with a collection from their home country. They looked around seeing a number of paintings, sculptures and books that were exceedingly rare.
"I have to say, much of this was not easy to find, and it was even more difficult to procure." He told them.
Afansy muttered something under his breath. Mikhail just silenced him and looked to Phillipe.
"You have to forgive my friend; he has a few...issues with some of our past." Mikhail explained. "Many of these treasures belonged to the Romanovs. He has no love of them."
"I can understand why." Phillipe responded, going to a display case, which held a book in it. He opened it and pulled out the book. "Your surname, is Ullyanov, by any chance would that be connected to Vladimir Illyic Ullyanov?"
"Not many know him by his true name." Mikhail said, looking impressed. "Most simply know him as..."
"Lenin." Phillipe responded, handing him the book. "It's a copy of Karl Marx's 'Das Capital' signed by the man himself. It seems only fitting that you have it."
"You...you would give me this?" He asked. "But this would be worth..."
"It is worth more to me to make new friends." Phillipe interrupted him. Mikhail and Afansy started to speak in their native tongue once more. "I'll just give you some time. Margaret, direct them to the dining room when they're finished would you?"
With that, he left them in the room with Margaret, to talk in private. He looked to Mr Watkins, who was smiling.
"Well, I have to say, I admire your generosity." He told him.
"I did owe you a debt for jeopardising your business proceedings." Phillipe replied. "It is a small price to pay." He gestured down the hall. "Would you like a brandy before dinner? I have a fine cognac I've been looking for an excuse to uncork."
"Who needs and excuse for Cognac?" Mr Watkins replied with a smile. "I only wish my daughter had such an interest in the development of business." Phillipe just looked to him.
"Your daughter?" He asked him.
"I always hoped she would take on the family business, but she has shown no interest in it." He said as they walked through the halls towards the dining room. "I've offered her everything, I've offered to pay for her college, an internship, everything."
"She doesn't like the idea of the family business?" Phillipe asked in response.
"She has no problem enjoying the money the business makes." He responded. "When I heard my wife was pregnant, I dreamed of the day I'd change the sign from 'Watkins Ice Cream Bars' to 'Watkins and Son's Ice Cream Bars'. I didn't care when I was told I had a daughter. I just...I just wanted something to share with my children. Something to...when the day comes...hand down to them."
"It's not an uncommon dream Mr Watkins." Phillipe replied. "But unfortunately we can't choose our children's paths for them."
"You have children?" Mr Watkins asked him.
"Oh God no!" Phillipe laughed as he heard this, opening the door into the dining room. "I've been a little too busy with my own pursuits to settle down and find the right woman. Believe me, my father has tried. I just know a little about not agreeing with a parent on which path their children should follow."
"With all due respect Your Highness, that is where we must agree to disagree. That is all fine and well when you can afford to fund such pursuits yourself." Mr Watkins said to him as Phillipe poured them both a Cognac. "But I don't make investments I don't believe in. If my daughter believes there is a future in rolling around in mud digging up bones, then she can find a way to pay for it herself."
As he took a sip, Phillipe paused, thinking about what he had just heard.
"Watkins?" He whispered. "He couldn't mean..."
"Phillipe." Margaret said, interrupting his train of thought as she brought his guests back into the room. "There is a matter we should discuss."
"I'm sure it can..."
"It's quite a pressing matter." She told him. He just nodded.
"Gentlemen. Help yourselves to drink; my staff will keep you well attended." Phillipe told them as he followed Margaret out of the room, closing the door behind them. He looked to her. "What is it Margaret? Is there Ranger business...?"
"No, it's something else." She told him. "There's something you need to know about Mr Watkins' guests."
