LAST CHANCE: Who should Hunter end up with? You can still vote in this poll, but it seems to be leaning heavily toward Cam. I suppose this makes sense if Dustin and Tobi end up together, Shane is with Skyla, Tori ends up staying with Blake and that leaves Cam and Hunter. But that means that all the alternative rangers including TZ Dustin go back to their own dimension… Anyway, as always, you can let your opinions know by reviewing, but this chapter is already influenced by my analysis of the poll.
Author's Notes: This chapter takes place during the episode Eye of the Storm, which is the episode that follows Double Edged Blake (the last episode before the rangers left their dimension), but it only loosely follows the episode. Okay, so it has the monster Eyzak and Shane's brother Porter and that's about it. The rest I was forced to change in order to incorporate the other rangers. I'm thinking of doing this for the two parter that follows (General Deceptions) as well. If you have some thoughts on this, let me know.
Anyway, this chapter tries to incorporate more emotion and action than humor and I'd like to know what you think of Tobi meeting Tori's parents. And, since this is Power Rangers after all, I'm once again trying to get in practice with action scenes, even though I still don't feel completely comfortable with them. Let me know if the symultaneous action is clear and understandable... or not. Knowing specifically which part was unclear helps too!
Review Comments:
Thanks Ruon jian for an incredibly helpful review! No, no, I'm not referring to the Dustin sandwich (I think you have been reading too much Dustin in Heat). I mean, the specifics of how people bond. You'll notice that your idea of the two Shane's bonding over Porter appears in here, but I figured that it would feel rushed if I had everyone bond completely in one chapter. And, I'm saving the other Dustin turning good because I really want to figure something else out besides two Dustin's sharing Tobi (though, I'll admit the whole Dustin sandwich idea is tempting…).
Thanks griffin blackwood for your constant reviews of all my stories! You're still the only one who's reviewed my story Dustin's First Crush (hint, hint to anyone else reading this). I'm guessing that you would agree with Ruon jian and want a Dustin sandwich as well. Either way, there's not that much double Dustin in here, but I'll throw something into the next chapter. And, I guess we'll see if there's a Dustin sandwich outside Dustin in Heat…
Thanks YellowPrincess for saying that the battle scenes and emotional parts are amazing! It's good to know I've succeeded. And I really like you're suggestion about Tobi's sister saying she loves him and is proud of him, so I'm going to do that in the next chapter (since things don't all get resolved at once in this chapter). And, regarding Hunter, it looks like reviewers are leaning heavily toward paring Hunter up with Cam (see note at the top of this page). So… there's some Hunter/Cam stuff thrown in here, but most will be saved for later (on the off chance that the poll suddenly shifts). I haven't really made any final decisions on who stays and who goes, so we'll see what happens. And poor Kelly! She may be a patient boss, but some things just cross the line…
Thanks megsjedifor both your reviews as well as your help and advice in other areas! I'm glad that I was able to create a realistic character in Tobi. I think some of the things he goes through (the less ridiculous stuff) are things I really relate to. And you're not the only one who thinks Cam and Hunter should pair up, so there's a little taste of something in this chapter. As for TZD, his character is going to have to be resolved in the next chapter along with TZT, but thanks for the thoughts on who to send back, since I've had conflicting poll results on this. I have an idea in mind about the two sets of Marah and Kapris, but I won't reveal it yet (even though you could probably guess it given enough time). And, lastly, I'm glad that you consider me one of the few male writers you like. I really don't like using violence in any form unless it's absolutely necessary to furthering the story and even then I try to dwell on the drama of it rather than gore. As for sex, I don't take it that seriously for some reason, so I poke fun at it all the time.
Thanks FinalJudgement for declaring my last chapter both awesome and beautiful work! Now, as for evil Dustin, I'm not sure as of this moment what will happen to him, but I plan to resolve his character in the next chapter. I don't know if you have to feel sorry for the evil Power Rangers, so it's fine if you don't know how you should feel. Just because someone has a troubled past doesn't excuse their present actions, but I do plan to (eventually) resolve things between all the rangers and probably send some back… And, yes, I suppose a guy named Tobi is nothing compared to some of the weird aliens the rangers encounter. I seem to recall a big foot attacking them at some point…
Previously in Parallel Realities Ninja Storm:
The rangers return to their dimension to discover that Geo, Marah and Kapri have followed them. While the non-rangers go to Storm Chargers and make Kelly's day worse, Tobi takes on his dimension's rangers as they Zord battle "for fun." Meanwhile, Cam, Dustin and Circuit take back Ninja Ops while the others take on Lothor's enlarged monster. Afterward, the rangers face off against their morphed counterparts and gold ranger Tobi confesses to his sister and former friends that he loves Dustin, but not the Dustin he grew up with. That Dustin seals himself in Ninja Ops and uses remotely controlled Zords to scare the others off. While the rangers retreat, their evil counterparts escape...
Parallel Realities Ninja Storm: Chapter 34 (A Matter of Choice)
The group of rangers and refugees stood across the water from the waterfall portal that led back to the remains of the Wind Ninja Academy grounds where Ninja Ops was located.
"Is there another way into Ninja Ops?" Shane asked as he made sure Skyla was alright.
"There is," Cam replied, staring at the water. "There's an underwater entrance to the Zord bay. Normally I'd just morph since the suit is waterproof and has an independent oxygen supply, but I'm afraid the other Dustin would be able to detect me coming."
"Plus, didn't you say only you can fix our morphers after that EM pulse?" Hunter pointed out.
"Actually, I only said that so the other rangers wouldn't simply destroy Circuit," Cam admitted. "Circuit was projecting an electromagnetic disruption field. The morphers should work fine now that Circuit's no longer projecting the field."
"Really?" the others replied, surprised.
"Cam, I had no idea you could be so… crafty," Tori commented.
"Uh, thanks," Cam mumbled.
"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!" Dustin shouted and, for the first time since he lost the ability in the other dimension, he morphed. "Awesome!" he cheered, studying his suit. "I so missed this."
Tobi leaned back, giving Dustin's butt a glance. "So did I." He offered Dustin a smile. "Now we're both Power Rangers."
"Yeah!" Dustin agreed, doing a little dance. He grabbed Tobi's hands and began dancing with him. Tobi could do little more than follow Dustin's crazy movements and laugh.
"Should the rest of us morph?" Shane asked Sensei.
"It may be prudent to check on your families," Sensei advised. "With your counterparts still loose and with unknown motives, they may prove a risk to those you care about."
"Our families are also probably worried about us," Tori suggested.
"Yeah," Dustin realized. "I bet my mom's like freaked."
"But what about them?" Shane asked, gesturing toward the members of their group who weren't rangers.
"Blake and Hunter will remain behind," Sensei concluded.
"Since our parents are dead in this dimension and there's no one to take hostage…" Hunter commented, mostly to himself.
"It is an unfortunate fact that may serve us well in our present circumstances, Hunter," Sensei replied.
Tori patted Hunter's arm. "They're always with you."
"Yeah," Hunter mumbled, glancing at Skyla, even though she could no longer see his parents now that she was human.
Blake rubbed his brother's shoulder and gestured to their morphers. The two then called, "Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"
"How will you get into this Ninja Ops place if it's underwater?" Marah asked.
Cam glanced at the others. "Anyone have any scuba gear?"
"Too bad we're not still in our dimension," Cam's mother commented. "Remember when we used to go scuba diving?"
"How can I forget?" grumpy Sensei replied. "You tried to drown me."
"It was all in good fun, Kanoi," she insisted.
"My dad used to take me diving," Tori spoke up. "I'll see if he still has his equipment."
"Thank you, Tori," Cam said sincerely as he stared at her just a little too long.
"Tobi, do you want to come with me?" she asked, turning to her brother.
"Me? Why?" he asked, confused.
She approached him and put an arm around his shoulder. "They're your family too," she said.
He gave her a surprised look.
"If you're my brother, you're my parents'—our parents' son," she told him.
"Yeah, TZT," Dustin added. "You belong here, dude."
"Thanks, guys," Tobi told them, "but you guys are all the family I need."
Hunter approached Tobi. "Your mom's alive here," he said matter-of-factly. "You owe it to yourself to at least talk to her." He offered him a pat on the shoulder.
Cam looked at Hunter, a hint of surprise in his eyes as he approached Tobi. "I realize she may not be the same person you remember," he said, glancing at the living version of his mother before turning back to Tobi, "but Hunter's right. About a few things," he added, glancing at Hunter out of the corner of his eyes.
"Yeah, I'll go," Tobi told his sister.
"I guess I should like check on my family too," Dustin said, nodding while watching Tobi.
"Are you forgetting something?" Tori asked.
"What?" Dustin asked, confused.
"You can't go see them morphed," she reminded him.
"Oh yeah," he realized before powering down. "Aw," he whined.
"You're still Awesome Dude," Tobi reminded him.
"Yeah," Dustin agreed before listing off his goodbyes. "See you Shane! See you Tori! See you Hunter! See you Cam! See you Blake! See you Marah! See you Geodude! See you Kapri! And Destiny! And Skyla and other Marah and Kapri and Cam's mom and Senseis!" He paused. "And, see you, TZT."
"Yeah," Tobi replied, staring up at Dustin. "Maybe we'll get some ice cream after this whole thing's resolved."
"I'd like that," he told him, running a hand carelessly through Tobi's hair. "Too bad there's no pizza ice cream here."
"Oh yeah," Tobi mumbled, frowning.
"It's cool, dude," Dustin assured him with an encouraging grin. "It's not the flavor, it's the company."
Tori and Blake exchanged looks.
"And maybe we could taste… other flavors sometime too," Dustin said with a chuckle as he gestured down with his eyes.
"I bet you taste good," Tobi breathed.
"'Course I do," Dustin replied. "I'm Awesome Dude!"
Tobi laughed. "Totally," he agreed. "I'm glad you're the Dustin I ended up with."
"I'm glad you ended up with me too, dude," Dustin told him. "Have fun meeting your parents, TZT," he added, raising his hand for a high five. "That means I love you," he reminded him. After their hands met, he let their fingers intertwine and held Tobi's hand for a moment. "You know, you have really soft hands for a dude."
"Uh, thanks," Tobi replied, blushing.
"Bye, TZT!" Dustin finished, releasing his hand.
"I love you too, Dustin!" Tobi called as Dustin left, Dustin's eyes watching Tobi as he went.
"We'll be back soon," Tori said, turning back to the others.
"Yeah, see you blueberry," Blake called.
Tori paused, looking at the navy ranger. "It's not the flavor, it's the company," she said, repeating Dustin's words.
Tobi gave his sister a confused look as she then leaned up, giving the side of each of the brothers' helmets a quick kiss. After that, she turned back to Tobi and the two left.
Shane turned to Skyla. "I guess I'll be back soon," he told her. "I'm just gonna check on my family."
"I understand," she assured him, giving him a hopeful look.
He could see in her eyes what she was thinking and he leaned forward. But, just before meeting her lips, he decided to give gave her a kiss on her cheek. As she blushed, he remembered why he wanted to take things slow with her. She had an almost innocent quality, but also seemed to radiate some hidden strength that she herself wasn't even aware of.
And, using that hidden strength, Skyla shifted her position so that she could kiss him on the lips. He was surprised at first, but then he gave in until she pulled away, a satisfied grin on her face. "I've never kissed anyone before," she admitted. "It was nice."
Shane just nodded, catching his breath as if he'd just run around in circles. Composing himself, he said, "See you soon. I love you, Skyla."
"I love you too!" she called, waving as he left and the others exchanged looks.
"Were you really going to enter Ninja Ops by yourself?" Hunter asked, turning to Cam.
"It would reduce the risk of being detected," Cam replied, trying to sound casual as he glanced between Hunter and his brother.
"Maybe you should like let one of us come with you, cousin," hippy Kapri suggested.
"I'll be okay," Cam assured them. "Though, Circuit, do you know if you're water proof?"
"I don't know, Cam," Circuit replied, "but I can find out." The mechanical moth then flew over to the water.
"Circuit, wait!" Cam shouted just as—dunk!—Circuit sank into the water.
"You might want to work on its risk programing," Blake suggested. "If it comes back up, that is."
Just then, Circuit reemerged from the water, flying over to Cam. "Yes, I'm waterproof," it announced.
"Circuit, please don't do something like that again," Cam warned.
"Why not?" Circuit asked. "It was the only logical way to find out if this body is water proof."
"Ah, logic," Hunter commented with a grin. "You should appreciate that."
Cam gave him a slight glare before shaking his head.
"Cam, what did you mean when you said I was right about a few things?" Hunter asked.
"Oh," Cam mumbled, glancing toward his father. "I just mean, about my… interests," he whispered.
Hunter smiled and told him, "Welcome to the club. I think it's good you came around because it opens the door to more… possibilities, if you catch my drift." He gave him a wink.
Cam blinked at him before looking at Blake as the brother stared off in the direction that Tori had gone. "The only possibility I want is the same one you and your brother want," he explained.
Hunter glanced at his brother. "Tori," he realized, turning back to Cam. "Her and Blake are meant to be, even if she doesn't realize it. I think that particular door has closed… for both of us."
"For me, it was never open," Cam sighed.
"Cam, you deserve to be happy," Hunter told him, "no matter what kind of person you end up with."
"So, you're saying anyone will do?" Cam asked.
Hunter shook his head. "I don't want you to settle, Cam. You deserve more than that. I mean, you're smart, kind and… sensitive."
"Uh, thanks," Cam replied, his cheeks involuntarily flushing as he stared just a little too long at Hunter.
"You think our Cam feels as unloved and unwanted?" Cam's mother asked her husband.
"I didn't always treat him well and you left him," grumpy Sensei replied.
"I left you," she corrected.
"I don't think he knows the difference," he commented. "I sure didn't and he's a little on the slow side."
"Unlike, you?" she asked sarcastically before suggesting, "Maybe we should tell him."
"Agreed," he replied before speaking up. "We're going to look for our son. We have some… things to say to him."
"He's probably with the others," Cam warned, turning from Hunter. "It wouldn't be safe."
"We're ninjas," Cam's mother replied. "We can handle ourselves."
"Neither of you can morph and one of you is a guinea pig," Cam pointed out.
Grumpy Sensei somersaulted onto Cam's shoulder. "Cam, we have to do this," he told him before whispering, "Just make sure those girls stay out of trouble." He gesturned toward the pair of Marah and Kapris. "I know, good luck with that!"
Cam glanced over at his father, who nodded. "Alright," he relented, turning back to grumpy Sensei, "but be careful."
"Do you want one of us to go with them?" Blake asked.
"Please," Cam said, an earnestness in his eyes.
"I'll stay here with the others, bro," Hunter said as Blake nodded and followed Cam's mother with grumpy Sensei on her shoulder.
Once they were gone, Hunter turned to Cam. "I know she's not really your mom, but you still worry about her, don't you?"
"I worry about them both, actually," Cam replied. "I care about a lot of people."
"You probably think that should surprise me," Hunter commented, "but it doesn't."
Cam just gave him a quizzical look.
"I wonder," Hunter continued.
"What?" Cam prompted.
"Why you always caved so easily when it came to me, like when I wanted to know where Tobi was after he spent the night with Dustin," Hunter explained.
"I could simply… understand your concern is all," Cam defended.
"And the other times?" Hunter added with a smirk.
"You're my friend, end of story," Cam replied.
"Uh huh," Hunter mumbled, chuckling softly to himself as Cam glared at him.
Meanwhile, hippy Marah and Kapri took to singing in order to keep their space ninja captives entertained.
"We don't sound that bad, do we?" space ninja Marah asked her sister.
"Some of us do," space ninja Kapri replied.
Just then, Destiny began to howl along with the singing.
"I'm thinking Blake got the better deal on this one," Hunter commented, closing his visor and covering the sides of his helmet, as if that would block out the noise. Cam glanced between his cousins and Hunter. This time it was Cam's turn to smirk.
Tobi and Tori arrived at the house that Tobi had unknowingly wandered to the morning that he overheard Dustin choose Hunter and a feeling of uneasiness came over him. "Tori, I know you're doing this for me," he began, "but they don't know me and… knowing that makes it hurt."
Tori gave him a sympathetic look. "You don't have to see them if you don't want, but this is my home and… I want it to be yours too."
"You want me to live with you?" he asked.
"It would be like your sleepover idea," she suggested, "but I won't use sleeping pills this time."
"Thanks, Tori," he told her, giving her a hug. "You know, when you were being controlled by Mindzine and we were in the training room, I thought about how much better things would have turned out if I was born here. You'd be my sister, my real sister."
"I would have liked that," she replied, "but it's not too late."
"What will you tell your—our parents?" he asked.
"That you're my twin brother from a parallel dimension?" she suggested.
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like they'll buy that."
Just then, the front door opened.
"Tori!" a girl who looked like a younger version of Tori greeted. "Are you gonna freak out and run away again?"
"What are you talking about?" Tori asked.
The girl rolled her eyes. "You saw mom and you freaked out," she said flatly.
Tobi looked at Tori. "My sister," he whispered. "She must have come here too while we were…"
Tori nodded before introducing, "Tobi, this is my sister, Ali. Ali, Tobi."
Tobi looked at Tori with wide eyes. "You have a sister?"
"You don't?" Tori asked, surprised. "I mean, besides… her?"
Tobi shook his head. "Our—my dad always said there were too many mouths to feed as is."
"Ah," Tori realized.
"You two look just like twins," Ali commented.
Both Tori and Tobi looked at each other at the same time.
"Uh, how would you like to have a brother, Ali?" Tori asked hesitantly.
"That'd be cool," Ali said with a grin. "Why? Is he our new brother?"
"Maybe," Tori suggested, grinning nervously.
"Mom! Dad!" Ali shouted. "Tori's back and she brought a brother!"
The two exchanged horrified glances as their parents approached the door. Their mother was dressed casually and had her daughters' blonde hair. Their father looked like somewhat of a nerd, complete with glasses and pocket protector. As Tobi saw them, he felt something catch in his throat.
"Tori, we've been worried sick," their mother began. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, mom," Tori assured her.
"And what's this about you bringing home a boyfriend?" their father asked.
"Not a boyfriend, a brother!" Ali corrected. "Look." She pointed between the two.
Tobi felt nervous as he was examined by two people who looked just like his parents.
"I remember you," their mother told Tobi. "Didn't you say you were Tori's friend?"
"Yeah," he mumbled, blinking at the memory.
"But they're like total twins," Ali protested.
The two parents looked at each other, exchanging surprised glances.
Tobi turned to Tori. "I'm gonna go," he whispered, his lowered voice cracking.
"Tobi, don't," she urged, reaching out to stop him. With her hands still on his shoulders, she turned him to face their parents, took a breath and said, "Mom, dad, meet your son, my twin brother Tobi."
Their mother gave her a nervous look. "Um, Tobi, your twin brother, you say?"
"He's from… another dimension," Tori explained, hastily adding, "And, dad, do you still have your old scuba diving stuff? I need to borrow it."
"Yeah, it's in the attic," he replied, "near the old Slip and Slide I think. You know, scuba, Slip and Slide. The snorkeling gear would be after that."
"Thanks dad for being so organized," she said, giving him a quick hug. "I'll be right back," she added, running inside.
Tobi froze, staring at his parents.
"They do look just like twins," their mother whispered.
At first, their father gave his wife a confused look before realization dawned in his eyes. "Come inside… Tobi," he said, leading them into the living room.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Ali asked, seeing the far away look in her mother's eyes.
"Why don't you go help your sister," their father advised.
Ali looked miffed but just shrugged, leaving them.
Once she was gone, their father turned to Tobi, his expression serious. "Tobi, this isn't a particularly good topic to joke about."
"This isn't a joke," Tobi replied, looking to their mother, concern in his eyes. "Mom… I mean… are you okay?"
She looked up at him and her eyes were shiny, so shiny in fact that he saw his own reflection. "You really do look just like her," she whispered, "just like he would have looked."
"He?" Tobi asked, confused.
When she seemed to become overwhelmed with emotions, her husband spoke up. "When my wife was pregnant with Tori, she was actually pregnant with… twins."
Tobi couldn't help but gasp.
"But there were complications," he continued. "Not both could survive, but the girl—Tori—had a better chance of survival, so we…" He removed his glasses, catching his breath. "We chose her and Tori was born. The boy… didn't survive."
Tobi just stood there, his mouth hanging open. "Does Tori know?" he asked.
"We never told her," their father replied, returning his glasses to his face. "We tried to put it behind us and, after Ali was born… and she was healthy, we moved on."
Their mother looked up. "She said you were from another planet?" she asked, her voice slightly horse.
"Another dimension," he corrected, staring at her.
She looked at him and he could read her expression. She wanted to believe him, but it was just too strange.
"You… I mean, my mom back in my dimension is… dead," he said slowly. "My sister… back in the other dimension… she had to choose who to save and she saved… me." He chocked and reached for his face, trying to wipe away the tears. "I know you don't know me, but… your daughter is like a sister—She is a sister, and… I'm her brother. She wants me to live here, with you." When they didn't say anything, he continued. "I'm not trying to take the place of the son you lost. I just want…" he swallowed. "I want some place I belong."
He stood there, watching them as they looked at each other and then back to him.
"I'm sorry," he told them, turning to go. "I understand. I'll let myself out."
Suddenly their mother grabbed him, and in one sweeping movement she stopped him from leaving and pulled him toward her. He was caught by surprise as she began crying on his shoulder. "You would have been named Tobi too," she choked out and he heard the "you" instead of "he would have been named Tobi."
He hugged her back, letting out the emotions that he had been trying to suppress. "I love you, mom."
"Tobi," his father whispered. "Your tears…"
Tobi opened his eyes, seeing that his tears were once again evaporating, but, as he pulled back, he noticed that his mother's tears were too."
She blinked, surprised. "That hasn't happened since I was a child," she whispered.
"Oh," he mumbled. "It started happening to me a few days ago."
She held him back a step from her so she could study his face. "I don't know how or why, but… you are my son."
He blinked heavily at her, feeling his father pat his back. He saw movement out of the corner of his eyes and he turned to see Tori standing and smiling at him, her arms full of scuba gear. Ali was beside her, watching with a confused look on her face.
"Girls," their father greeted, surprised to see them. "Uh, Tori, where are you going with all that?"
"I'm taking this to a friend of ours," she explained. "I'll have everything back when I'm done."
"We're leaving?" Tobi asked, turning to face her. At first, he didn't want to come, but now he didn't really want to leave.
She studied the expression in Tobi's eyes and glanced at their parents. "No, Tobi, you stay," she told him. "They're your family too now."
He just nodded, blinking.
"You know I love you guys, right?" Tori asked her parents.
"We know," her father replied. "And we love you too."
"Then do me a huge favor and treat my brother like your son because… like it or not, he's staying."
Their mother nodded, looking up at her husband.
Tori looked between the two adults. "You're not going to argue about it?" she asked, surprised.
"We trust you," her father replied. "And I've always wanted a son." Everyone looked at him. "What?" he asked.
"No, I get it," Tori said. "You treated me like a son sometimes when I was little. But… about the whole other dimension thing, I know it doesn't sound like—"
"We believe you, Tori," their mother said sincerely.
"Oh," she replied, surprised. "Um, good. Well, I… better go. Cam will be waiting." She slowly backed toward the door.
"Tell Cam good luck," Tobi told her. "And… thanks, Tori."
She smiled. "No problem. Anything for my brother, right?"
"Right," he agreed.
"See you soon," she said, leaving out the front door.
"He doesn't get my room, does he?" Ali spoke up. "Though, Tori got the van when she got her license and I just got my license, so… I get a new car if he gets my room. Deal?"
"We'll talk about that," their father said slowly.
"It's okay," Tobi told them. "I used to share a room with my sister back in my dimension. When we moved in with my dad after our mom died, I slept on the floor a lot."
His mother put a hand on his shoulder. "That won't be necessary." She turned to her husband. "We'll figure something out." She then turned back to Tobi, adding, "son."
"Thanks, mom," he said sincerely. He looked at the door, taking a breath. He really wished he had grown up here with this Tori, but, as he turned back to his parents, he felt that it wasn't too late. He may not have been born in this dimension, but he felt like he belonged here. He felt like he was home.
After Tori returned to the waterfall, she handed Cam her father's scuba gear.
"Where's Tobi?" Hunter asked, looking around.
"I left him with our family," she replied. When she felt every eye staring at her, she added, "He chose us over his friends and his own sister. He's already a brother to me and… he's staying here, where he belongs. Besides, our parents seem to already like him."
"Dad?" Cam asked as he suited up.
"I had hoped to resolve the issues with our counterparts and return them to their dimension," Sensei began.
"But, Sensei, Tobi belongs—" Tori started to protest.
"Except for Tobi and Skyla," Sensei finished. "It would be… harmful to the team to separate them."
Tori and Hunter both offered him a smile.
"Plus, we could always use another Power Ranger," Cam added, his father nodding in agreement.
"What about us?" Marah asked, approaching while holding Destiny.
"I am uncertain," Sensei said, looking between the two sets of Marah and Kapris. "Skyla, may I speak with you?"
"Of course, Sensei," Skyla agreed.
Cam noticed Tori's confused expression. "Second opinion," he told her.
"Ah," she realized. "Oh, and Tobi says 'good luck.'"
"Thanks," Cam replied, now fully suited up. "Here," he said, handing her his Samurai Amulet. "I don't want the other Dustin to track my morpher either. I doubt he'll be looking for a robot moth, though."
"Is it time?" Circuit asked.
"It's time," Cam agreed.
"Cam, be careful," Tori told him, her voice full of concern.
"I will, Tori," he said, letting his hands hold Tori's upper arms. "So, uh, goodbye." He seemed to be waiting for something.
"You're coming back, right?" she asked hastily.
Cam lowered his arms. "Yes, I'm coming back," he replied coldly. "I just…"
Hunter leaned over, whispering something in her ear.
"Oh," she realized, hesitating before leaning up and kissing the side of Cam's scuba mask.
Cam's cheeks flushed and he smiled wide. "Thank you," he said before diving into the water.
"Thanks, Tor," Hunter told her once he was gone.
"For the kiss?" she asked, confused.
"He needed that," Hunter replied with a smile.
We're not going around in circles!" Grumpy Sensei protested as he, his wife and a morphed Blake wandered through Blue Bay Harbor.
"So there's really is a Starbucks on every corner?" she said doubtfully.
"Maybe," he replied.
Blake groaned. Hunter had definitely gotten the better end of this deal.
"Did you hear that?" grumpy Sensei suddenly asked.
"Yeah, it's the sound of you admitting we're lost," she replied.
Grumpy Sensei glared at his wife. "You're just lucky I love you so much."
"I love you too, but I'm not scared of a guinea pig," she told him.
"You should be," he said in a menacing tone. Well, at least his attempt at one.
Just then, someone ran past them, screaming.
"I told you I heard something," grumpy Sensei said.
"That's impressive ninja hearing you have," his wife commented, covering her ears as the screamer ran past them.
"Stay here," Blake told them. "I'll check it out." He then ran toward a commotion near the shopping district.
There were people running around in a panic and everyone seemed to be wearing these strange looking collars around their necks.
"I'd be screaming too if that was the latest fashion," grumpy Sensei commented.
Blake spun around to see the guinea pig and his wife. "I thought I told you to stay there."
"You did," Cam's mother replied. "And you seriously expected us to listen?"
Blake shook his head before turning back to the crowd. What he saw surprised him. The other dimension's rangers, all still unmorphed, were standing, facing Motodrone and some big eyed ugly alien with tentacles. "Seriously, where does Lothor find these things?" Blake mumbled to himself.
Someone ran past the other dimension's rangers, screaming, "The dogs! The dogs!"
"Does anyone see any dogs?" Cam asked, confused.
"Only that dog faced freak," Shane replied, gesturing toward the alien near Motodrone.
"I think he looks more like a fish, man," Cam commented, tilting his head.
"What's the deal?" Tori shouted.
"It does not concern you, rangers," Motodrone told them. "Lothor's arrangement is that you stay out of his way and he stays out of yours."
Then maybe you should step aside, because we're walking here," Blake quipped.
"Why do you defy Lothor?" Motodrone asked in a deep, gravely voice. "First you take down Nazol and now you get in my way."
"We didn't take down your overgrown snot factor," Shane replied. "That was the other Power Rangers. They're back."
"And they have help from… a gold ranger," Tori added, glancing at the others.
"Lothor will not be pleased," Motodrone said, "but I appreciate the information."
"Yeah, whatever," Shane told him before pausing, his eyes going wide.
"Bro, what's wrong?" Hunter asked Shane, concerned.
"Porter?" Shane whispered, approaching the crowd of fleeing humans. In it was a man in a suit, Shane's older brother Porter.
"Shane," Porter greeted quickly. "I was back in town and mom and dad said you were—"
He was cut off by Shane knocking him over just as the alien with Motodrone shot a beam toward them and a collar appeared on a woman directly behind where Porter had been only moments before. So the beams the alien was sending out were putting collars on people, Shane realized.
"Woah, what's with the freaky jewelry?" Cam asked.
"Eyezak can make people see what they most fear," Motodrone explained. "With the citizens of Blue Bay Harbor overcome with fear, they will be helpless to Lothor's conquest."
The other dimension's Shane felt himself being thrown off Porter and he looked up to see the red Power Ranger, this dimension's Shane. "Get off him!" the morphed Shane shouted at his counterpart.
"He was trying to help," Porter defended. "That thing was about to attack me and my brother saved me."
The morphed Shane glanced between his morphed counterpart and Porter before turning to face Motodrone and Eyezak. "What are you up to, Motodrone?" he called.
"I assume you are not one of our invited Power Rangers," Motodrone replied. "Allow me to help you face your fears. Eyezack!"
The morphed Shane dove out of the way before removing his sword and slashing at Eyezak.
Meanwhile, the unmorphed Shane looked at Porter. "Are you… okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," Porter told him. "Thanks to my baby bro and the Power Rangers."
"You… like the Power Rangers?" Shane asked.
"Yeah, they protect the city from monsters like that one."
Shane looked from Porter over to his morphed counterpart attacking Eyezak. "Porter, get out of here," he said, turning back to his brother.
Porter nodded. "What about you?" he asked, starting to leave.
"I have some payback to dish out," Shane replied.
Porter gave him a confused look. "Be careful."
"Yeah," Shane said, running toward Motodrone.
The morphed Shane glanced from his attack on Eyezak over to see his morphed counterpart taking on Motodrone. The unmorphed Shane just nodded at him and they continued.
"Isn't this breaking our deal with Lothor?" the other dimension's Blake asked.
"I for one don't really care," the other dimension's Tori commented.
"Yeah, action time!" Cam cheered as the group began attacking the two aliens.
"Am I seeing things?" the morphed Blake asked Cam's mother and grumpy Sensei.
"Not unless we are too," Cam's mother replied just as Motodrone called out something and a dozen kelzaks appeared.
"They're attacking with… kelzaks?" grumpy Sensei asked. "What, were the kittens on strike?"
"As a guinea pig, are you still allergic to cats?" Cam's mother asked her husband.
"Mind if I join you?" the morphed Blake asked his unmorphed counterpart.
The other dimension's Blake immediately took up a fighting stance. "We're not on your side. We're just monster smacking."
"Sounds… fun," the morphed Blake offered.
"It is!" the other dimension's Hunter agreed, fighting a kelzak.
"We wouldn't mind a temporary alliance," the other dimension's Tori told the two, causing the unmorphed Blake to shrug, turning back to the kelzaks.
"Why let the kids have all the fun?" grumpy Sensei told his wife. "After all, I tought them everything they know."
"There's a comforting thought," Cam's mother commented.
Grumpy Sensei just rolled his beady little eyes before jumping into the fight, his wife quickly joining him.
Cam emerged from underwater with Circuit to find himself in a damp cavern. He looked around as he removed his scuba gear and spotted his Dragonforce vehicle. "Circuit, scan the area for heat signatures," he whispered before climbing into the large green vehicle and digging around.
"The only heat signatures are from the electrical panels," Circuit told Cam as he emerged from the vehicle holding a green gun.
"Okay, be prepared to emit a general electromagnetic disruption field if I tell you," Cam advised as the two left the cavern and made their way across a much larger cavern. This was the main Zord bay and it was currently empty of Zords, making it look even bigger. "Now," he whispered as they neared a series of security cameras. After slipping past them, they entered an underground labyrinth and he told Circuit to stop projecting the EM disruption.
When they arrived at a panel, Cam pulled out a screwdriver and began unscrewing it. After making a few modifications, a series of red laser light appeared across the floor. Cam then hopped around, avoiding the lights as Circuit followed.
When the two finally made their way up to the back entrance into the main room of Ninja Ops, Cam raised his gun and motioned for Circuit to be quiet.
But, when he entered the room and looked around, he noticed it was empty. The computer monitor was still on and the main Zord bay was being displayed. Approaching the screen, he saw the Zords reentering the bay.
Just then, Circuit called out, "Look out Cam!"
Cam only had time to spin in his seat before he was knocked to the ground, the gun sliding across the floor. He looked up just as the other dimension's Dustin grabbed the gun, pointing it at him.
"Cam!" Circuit called, ramming its body into Dustin just as he fired, causing him to miss and hit the computer. When nothing happened to the computer, Dustin stared at the gun.
"It's just a stun gun," Cam explained quickly. "I had no intention of hurting you."
Dustin looked from the gun back to Cam. "I guess that'll have to do," he said, raising the gun.
"Now, Circuit!" Cam called just before Dustin could fire. The screen behind Cam flickered out as the gun also stopped working. "Dustin, you don't have to do this," he told the armed earth ninja. "I understand how you feel, but—"
"What could you possibly know about how I feel?" Dustin snapped.
"You waited too long to tell Tobi how you felt and, now that he knows, it's too late," Cam explained, "but it's possible that he was never meant for you." Cam sighed, unable to help thinking of himself and Tori and… Blake.
"He fell in love with someone who looks just like me," Dustin retorted. "What could you possibly know about that? I knew him more than just a week and a half like that dopey wannabe." He groaned before barking, "This conversation is over."
"Dustin, he still cares about you, even if he doesn't love you," Cam told him.
Dustin paused, thoughts racing through his mind.
"Even though you knew her longer—I mean him," Cam corrected, "you never really left yourself open to a relationship. The distance became so… comfortable. But, maybe there's someone meant for you too…" Cam adopted a far away look as he wondered this about himself.
The other Dustin remained silent.
"You don't have to do this," Cam repeated, slowly approaching Dustin and reaching for the gun.
"Yes… I do," Dustin said, his concentration returning as he backed away and then started running toward the Zord bay.
Cam immediately ran after him, Circuit following. "Circuit," Cam called. "Do you think you can emit a field strong enough to disable the Zords if we need to?"
"I won't know until I try, Cam," Circuit replied as the two entered the main Zord bay.
"Dustin, stop!" Cam called, running after Dustin just as he jumped toward the rock wall and vanished, using the power of earth to disappear into it.
Just as Cam stopped to catch his breath, the underground cavern began to collapse all around him, covering the Zords and blocking his escape.
"I guess it figures that you'd be into surfing too," Ali told Tobi as the two stood in Tori's room, "being twins and all."
Tobi looked away from the surfboard that decorated one of the light blue walls of his sister's room. There was something that had been bothering him. "Ali, what if I told you I'm… gay?" he asked slowly.
"Oh, I already guessed that," she replied.
He gave her a surprised look. "How do you think… dad would react? Back in my dimension, my dad stopped… caring about me when my sister outed me."
"He'd be cool with it," she said with a shrug. "Our parents aren't uptight or anything."
Tobi smiled, looking around. Everything was so… blue.
"So, you have a boyfriend yet?" Ali asked suddenly.
"Uh, I guess so," he answered. Although they hadn't used the word, Tobi couldn't help but think of Dustin that way. "His name's Dustin."
"You don't mean Maya's brother Waldo, do you?" she asked, eyebrows raising.
"Yeah, why?" Tobi replied, confused.
She shrugged. "He's cute," she said. "Kinda an airhead sometimes, but I used to have a crush on him."
"You don't anymore?" Tobi asked nervously.
"Don't worry, brother," she said, patting his arm. "He's all yours."
As a grin spread over Tobi's face, a beeping sound came from his morpher.
"Hey, you have one of those cool watches just like Tori," Ali commented.
He gave her a confused look before raising his morpher. "Go ahead," he called. "I'm here."
"Tobi," Tori's voice came from his wrist, "a couple of Lothor's goons are attacking downtown in the shopping district."
"I'm on my way!" Tobi called, lowering his wrist. "I'll be back, Ali," he added, running out of the room and leaving his younger sister staring with her mouth hanging open, a surprised and confused look on her face.
When Tobi arrived downtown, he saw two versions of most of the rangers, only one of each version morphed. He ran up to the single Dustin, who was morphed and taking on a horde of kelzaks. "Who are we fighting?" Tobi asked him.
"Anyone who's not human?" Dustin suggested with a shrug as Tobi noticed the two Toris fighting alongside each other. The unmorphed Tori (presumably his sister) kept giving sideways glanced at the morphed Tori.
"So, how did this happen?" Tobi asked his unmorphed sister.
"Blame Motodrone," she replied. "It's temporary anyway."
Tobi jumped aside as Eyezak shot a beam out of its tentacled body. Instead of hitting him, the beam hit a kelzak, causing a collar to appear around its neck and making it squeal. "What are those things?" he asked before calling, "Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!" and morphing.
"The collars make you see whatever you're most afraid of," the morphed Tori explained as Tobi jumped into action. She turned to her unmorphed counterpart. "And, despite what we've been through, I'm hoping this isn't temporary."
"Mom, look out!" the other dimension's Cam called as a beam shot toward his parents, but, as he flew between them and the beam, a collar appeared on him and he fell to the ground.
"Cam!" grumpy Sensei shouted, jumping down to his son. As he did, a beam hit him and collar appeared around him. But, due to his small size, he just climbed out of it. His wife bent down, also checking on their son as he screamed out about clowns attacking.
Meanwhile, unknown to the others, the other dimension's Dustin watched from behind a nearby series of bushes.
"TZT!" the morphed Dustin called, knocking Tobi out of the way of another blast.
"Thanks, Dustin," Tobi breathed, smiling from behind his helmet.
Suddenly the Dustin crouched over Tobi fell to the ground and cried out. It was then that Tobi saw the collar around Dustin's neck.
"Dustin!" he yelled, shaking him, but the only responses he received were wimpers.
Tobi looked up from Dustin toward Eyezak before running toward the alien, screaming out angrily.
Nearby, the other dimension's Hunter dove to protect the two Blake's before being collared himself and yelping.
"Everyone, get back!" the morphed Shane called. "I'm gonna use the battlizer on this creep."
As Shane started powering up, Eyezak shot a beam toward him, but Tobi had streaked between the two and raised his arms, deflecting the beam back at Eyezak. A collar suddenly appeared around the alien's bulbous neck.
"Thanks, Tobi," Shane called as armor formed on him and he hovered into the air.
The other dimension's unmorphed Shane stared in awe as his morphed counterpart blasted down a large stream of energy on Eyezak and Motodrone. When the morphed Shane landed, the two aliens were on the ground, smoking and writhing in pain. Motodrone pulled something from his cloak and began pressing buttons on it.
Suddenly Eyezak began to grow larger and larger, the collar around its neck snapping under the pressure of the size change.
"Cam, we need the Zords," Shane called into his morpher.
A beeping sound came from this dimension's morphed Tori and she demorphed and studied the Samurai Amulet in her possession. "He didn't take his amulet," she told Shane. "He was afraid the other Dustin might track him."
Tobi ran up to her. "We have to help Dustin and the others!" he insisted.
"I will see if I can reach them," a voice called and the others turned to see Sensei standing atop Skyla's shoulder as she approached. "Rangers, please distract Motodrone and the kelzacks while I meditate," Sensei continued.
The other dimension's rangers paused, looking between the two guinea pigs. "Do as he says," grumpy Sensei called from over his collared son as calm Sensei closed his eyes and concentrated on projecting his thoughts into the world the collars were creating.
Ariving with Skyla and Sensei was this dimension's morphed Hunter, who quickly joined the fight on the ground while the morphed Shane ran to protect Skyla as a kelzak was about to attack her from behind. But she just stepped aside at the last minute and the kelzak ended up punching a fellow kelzak in the chest. She seemed to almost predict their moves.
Overhead, Eyezak began to stomp through the city. "Cam's not here either?" the this dimension's morphed Hunter asked.
Tori shook her head. "He didn't come back while you were there?"
"No, he hasn't returned," Hunter said as she remorphed.
"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!" she called. "Power of Water!"
Nearby, a series of voices echoed her calls and the others turned to see hippy Marah, Kapri, Geo and Destiny.
"Rainbow power!" Marah called.
"Unicorn power!" Kapri added.
"Chocolate power!" Geo declared.
"Woof!" Destiny finished.
"I told you guys to stay with the other Marah and Kapri," this dimension's morphed Hunter told them.
"We wanted to help!" Kapri explained as Marah blasted Motodrone back with a red beam. Her blast was followed by a series of small fireballs and she turned, surprised to see grumpy Sensei joining her.
"Tobi!" this dimension's Tori called as she ran to his side as he checked on Dustin.
"Sensei?" Dustin whispered.
"It's working!" Tobi declared, grabbing Dustin's gloved hand.
"Tobi," Tori said, grabbing his shoulders. "Look!" Tobi turned his head to see Eyezak stomping toward residential neighborhoods. "It's heading to our house."
Tobi looked from Dustin back to the giant monster.
"Tobi, you have a Zord," she told him. "It's up to you."
Tobi nodded, giving Dustin one last look. "Take care of Dustin," he said before streaking toward the massive Eyezak.
Behind the this dimension's morphed Tori, Tobi's sister furrowed her brow in concentration.
Just as Tobi left, Dustin shouted, "TZT!" and looked around.
"He's going after Lothor's monster," Tori told him.
"But I didn't tell him I love him," Dustin whispered.
"I'm pretty sure he already knows," she replied. "You say it often enough, now at least."
"Yeah," Dustin mumbled, looking around some more. "You know what the collar made me see?"
"Well, you're afraid of heights, being so far from earth and all," she suggested, "so you were falling?"
He shook his head. "No," he disagreed. "I thought I lost TZT… again."
"Oh," she whispered, looking up at Eyezak.
As Tobi streaked around Eyezak's dragging tentacles, he saw Ali standing outside their house staring up at the alien. "Ali!" he called.
As he did so, their parents emerged from the house, also calling for their daughter.
"Mom, dad, run!" Tobi shouted, streaking between the tentacle alien and their house.
"Tobi?" their mother gasped, staring at the Gold Power Ranger.
"My brother's a Power Ranger?" Ali shouted. "How cool is that?"
Tobi spun in his tracks, facing the alien and aiming his palms up. Focusing, he sent a wave of force out from under Eyezak, sending the enormous alien flying high up into the air.
He ignored the gasps of amazement from his new family and just streaked to the edge of the city, where his Zord was.
He held the force barrier in his mind as he streaked up to his Phoenix Zord and entered the Zord's cockpit. He found it easier to control the energy while he was morphed. Or, maybe it was just because of what the alien did to Dustin.
Zoom! The gold Phoenix Zord shot across the sky, its wings burning with flames as it circled the still hovering Eyezak. Tobi pressed one button after another on his panel as the alien shot beams out of its eyes toward Tobi's Zord.
The Phoenix Zord rocked in the sky, but Tobi remained in control until…
Suddenly, the massive alien's nose (really the whole front of its face) opened and Tobi's Zord was sucked inside the alien. He instantly found his Zord's viewscreen covered in glowing blue and clear goo. Reaching for his controls, he also found he was unable to maneuver.
Looking around his cockpit, he noticed a hand shaped panel to his right and he placed his palm on its surface. As he touched the panel, he felt an awareness of the outer surface of his Zord and he grinned. "You won't make anyone suffer ever again," he growled, concentrating.
The outer surface of his Zord, still burried inside the massive Eyezak, glowed as an energy barrier built up around the Zord.
Boom! Just then, the alien blew up from the inside and Tobi shot his Zord out of the exploding debris before concentrating on containing the blast. As he contracted an energy bubble around the destroyed Eyezak so that nothing would reach the city, the alien literally imploded into... nothing.
Down on the ground, all the collars dissolved, freeing everyone. Seeing this, Motodrone made a hasty retreat, the remaining kelzaks also vanishing.
This dimension's morphed Tori looked up at the flash in the sky. "I knew he could do—" She was cut off as a green beam hit her and she fell over.
A second beam hit the morphed Dustin under her and he fell unconscious just as the other dimension's Dustin streaked over and grabbed his unconscious counterpart.
"Dustin, don't!" Tobi's unmorphed sister called just as her dimension's Dustin streaked away with his prisoner.
Tobi streaked out of his Zord and down to the unconscious Tori's side. "What did you do to my sister?" he snapped at his sister.
"I didn't do anything," she defended. "And I thought I was your sister, little brother."
"Where's Dustin?" he asked, looking around.
"The smart Dustin, our Dustin," she clarified, "took him."
Tobi immediately raised his wrist. "Cam, Dustin's been kidnapped! Can you track him?" After a moment of silence, he called again. "Cam?"
He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, but looked up to see a morphed Hunter looking at him, his visor open. "I think Cam's in trouble too," he said slowly, the concern in Tobi's eyes reflecting in his own.
"Don't worry," Cam's mother said, approaching with grumpy Sensei and their son. "We'll help."
"We'll all help," grumpy Sensei added.
To be continued...
Author's Note: So, the two Dustin's get a chance to talk, but what will happen next? And what about Cam? Will the other dimension's rangers put aside their differences to help? The drama continues next time in Parallel Realities Ninja Storm!