Author's Note: This was actually originally intended to be part of the last chapter, but it just felt like I should end the last chapter where I did. So that's the reason this chapter isn't taking months to come! ;p So, now for the continuation! And, hopefully the title doesn't give too much away…
Oh, and be sure to check out the latest poster for this chapter on my DeviantART page!
Review Comments:
Thanks griffin blackwood for offering to share your story with me and letting me know what you're working on! Maybe you can post something for your other readers sometime…Just a suggestion. But, yeah, I probably could have written a whole chapter about sandwich making, but that's what Dustin in Heat is for. ;p And it's nice to have a smart Dustin to trick the Bradleys into some nice Bradleycest. Still, not the real point of the story. Just…so tempting. Gotta stay on track though.
Thanks witch20 for your love of my story! I will definitely try keep up with the story. As you can tell, this update is a lot sooner. I'm sorry that it took you a while to figure out what was going on and who was with who. It's my fault for taking so long! But, rather than make excuses, I should just write more chapters, right? ;p And thank you for welcoming me back! It's good to be back!
Thanks LadySociopath009 for saying I'm the best! And right now I seem to be spending more time struggling with how long it takes to type things up than with pacing myself, so how things change… But you did say, if inspiration strikes, go like crazy! So that's what I'm doing! I'm actually aiming for 50 chapters because…well, it's a nice round number. So, I guess that means I have some surprises ahead! And, yes, the title "Lothor's Revenge" might be a little misleading, but that chapter and this one were originally written to be one chapter in my notes, but I decided to separate them. After all, you don't want to wait forever… Oh, and to answer your question, the Bradley Sandwich is using real things to mean something else, like the conversation Tori and Blake had at the ice cream parlor about her liking strawberry when she loves blueberry. So, it's a sandwich, but it represents a three-way. And, yes, I need the villains, but not just because it's Power Rangers, but also because there needs to be some danger and action beyond just what Dustin's father would think. I want a good story and I try to come up with surprises.
Thanks Aqua786 for your enthusiastic reviews! And…wait, Ninja Storm is on tv? What channel? Two of the episodes I recorded became corrupted. I want to see it again! Er…maybe I should just check the guide. Ugh, but it never has anything more than the next few hours worth of programming. Anyway, moving right along. I like how now you picture my story and my characters when you watch the episode. Yeah, that little cockblock. ;p But I had to control myself before I went overboard because I'm trying…yes trying, to be at least a little serious here as we lead into…well, this chapter. We'll also see how Dustin's dad reacts. Oh, and I actually had Waldo not come just for the Bradley Sandwich scene. I know, but I couldn't help it. And no! You don't get spoilers! You just have to read and find out! As for your old toys, the best place to look seems to be Ebay. I've found TONS of stuff on Ebay. What, you don't just love the number 3? ;p No, I know they're hearts.
Thanks YellowPrincess for not being mad at me! Hey, four months is better than 8, right? And hopefully this makes up for it! That's right, it's only been…what? A couple weeks? It's a miracle! ;p Yes, that crafty Waldo is definitely lucky! I'm glad you don't think I went overboard. I was afraid it might be too silly, especially since I want this chapter to be more serious. Speaking of serious, you'll get to find out how Dustin's dad will react in this chapter, though I intentionally left some things unresolved so that I have more for future chapters (you'll understand later, but I can't spoil it now). Yes, those Lia and Ali are like two peas in a pod. We'll see more of Ali later on. We'll also see the other dimension's Shane (and the rest of the other dimension's rangers) at some point in the future (again, no spoilers). Thank you! Thank you! I'm so glad you think my story is awesome and you love the chapter and all the characters! You keep encouraging me, so hopefully this makes your day! *crosses fingers*
Previously in Parallel Realities Ninja Storm:
Lothor, Vexacus and Choobo fly down to earth in Vexacus' ship, using the pieces of the Gem of Souls that Vexacus found in the ocean to allow them to pass through the field around the earth undetected. Meanwhile, the rangers receive a message from the other dimension saying that now both dimensions are safe. So, the group takes some time off and Marah, Kapri and Geo join Blake, Hunter and Waldo as they watch the motocross nationals. Waldo tricks the two Thunder brothers into a Bradley Sandwich. Elsewhere, Cam and Lia join Tori and her family as Dustin and Tobi prepare to talk to Dustin's dad about their relationship. Then, after Skyla convinces Shane to tell his brother Porter that he loves him, she sense something, but they assume it's just Shane's parents coming. Meanwhile, unknown to the rangers, Lothor infiltrates Ninja Ops and destroys Circuit and the computers before defeating Sensei and then retrieving the other pieces of the Gem of Souls, thus completing it…
Parallel Realities Ninja Storm: Chapter 44 (Lothor's Victory)
"It's time," Lothor's voice echoed through the speakers of Vexacus' ship.
"Time for what?" Choobo asked.
There was no reply from Lothor and Vexacus chose to ignore the alien as well, instead pressing a few buttons on his control panel. "The field is down," he noted, studying the readout. "I assume you completed the Gem of Souls?"
"You assume correct," Lothor's voice replied. "Remember what I said. The gold ranger is mine."
"Of course," Vexacus grumbled.
"Now, while you two deal with the Power Rangers, I have a certain Megazord waiting for its power supply," Lothor finished.
"Understood," Vexacus added, turning back to Choobo.
"Is it time to capture the rangers?" Choobo asked.
"It's time for many things," Vexacus said cryptically, "but, yes, that's one of them."
And, with that, Vexacus pressed a button on his ship and suddenly a horde of kelzaks transported down to earth. Then, pressing another button, a holographic field flickered around each kelzak and they transformed.
"Wow," Choobo said as the two aliens exited the ship.
"Wow indeed," Vexacus agreed. "And Lothor's bringing more," he added, unable to hide his excitement. For once, things were actually going according to plan. Victory was finally within his grasp.
Over the course of dinner, Dustin and Tobi had gradually become more relaxed. They were also enjoying trying unusual taste combinations by one eating one thing and the other eating something else and seeing what the connection between them made the taste into. It wasn't like just mixing foods, but really made something unique.
"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Hanson for a delicious meal," Cam said after finishing dinner.
"You're welcome, Cam," Mrs. Hanson said, smiling. "And thank you for being so polite."
"That's Cam, the polite one," Lia said, grinning at the green ranger fondly.
He returned her grin before asking, "I was curious how you took…" He gestured between the triplets. "…everything so well?"
The parents looked at each other before answering. "It's not that it isn't…unusual," Mrs. Hanson answered.
"We do appreciate that Lia chose not to grow her hair out," Mr. Hanson added, gesturing to Lia's still short hair.
"Not that I wasn't tempted to drive you guys crazy with the whole swapping places thing," Lia added with a devious smile.
"She would have done it too," Tori agreed.
"But their…origins…" Cam added.
"You mean, being from another planet?" Mr. Hanson asked.
"Dimension," both Tobi and Dustin corrected in unison.
Mrs. Hanson looked from her son to her husband.
"My wife has her reasons," Mr. Hanson explained.
"It's okay," Mrs. Hanson assured her husband before turning back to Cam. "When I was pregnant with Tori, she was supposed to have…a twin brother. It stands to reason somewhere out there in another dimension he…survived." She looked lovingly at Tobi.
Dustin squeezed Tobi's hand as the blond smiled at his mother.
"Mom?" Tori gasped. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"That's what I wanna know," Ali agreed.
"Please understand, girls, that this was hard on your mother," Mr. Hanson defended. "We had to…make a choice who to save."
Tori and Ali looked at each other while Lia chose to speak up. "It's tough making that kind of a choice," she agreed. "I…had to make that choice and our mom…"
Cam looked uncomfortable, like he regretted bringing it up, so Lia leaned over and lightly kissed him on the cheek, making him blush. "It's okay," she whispered reassuringly.
"But now we're one big…" Tobi began, looking at Dustin.
"Happy family," Dustin finished, grinning at his boyfriend.
Just then the doorbell rang.
"Speaking of happy families," Lia commented.
"I'll get it," Ali volunteered, getting up.
"And we'll get desert," Tori offered.
"And miss this?" Lia asked.
"Yes," Tori whispered, grabbing her twin's arm.
"I'll help too," Cam said, getting up and looking at his girlfriend.
With that, Lia knew she had no choice and the three headed to the kitchen just as Ali returned to the dining room with Mr. and Mrs. Brooks and Maya.
"Sorry we're late," Mr. Brooks said.
"That's alright," Mr. Hanson said, standing. "It's been a long time, Jake," he added, shaking Mr. Brooks' hand. "How've you been?"
"Good," Mr. Brooks said, smiling. "Racing keeps me pretty busy."
"You're just in time for desert," Mrs. Hanson told the newcomers.
"Oh, does it have chocolate?" Mrs. Brooks asked hopefully.
"Of course," Mrs. Hanson said, smiling.
"So…Ali," Maya began, pushing her glasses further up her nose. "Did you need any help with your homework?"
"Of course," Ali said, groaning. "Don't I always?"
Maya grinned. "I'll help you. I'm good at every subject. Well, almost every subject. I mean, I don't know everything…Yet, at least." She blushed, still grinning.
Cam had been walking past the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room. "You didn't mention Dustin's sister has a crush on your younger sister," he commented quietly to Tori.
"They're just friends," Tori said dismissively as she put the chocolate cake from the tray onto a plate.
Lia followed Cam's gaze. "My boyfriend, the genius, is right. She's got it bad. You can see it in her eyes."
Tori stopped what she was doing to go over and look out the doorway at the younger girls. After a moment, she asked, "How did I not notice before?"
"Because your boyfriend's Blake," Lia replied. "I'm not saying he's dumb, but he thought I was you and—"
Cam gave her a stern look, shutting her up.
"Mom, Ali and I are going to go do homework now," Maya announced.
"And miss desert?" Ali asked incredulously.
"Sure, why not?" Maya replied. "It probably has dairy anyway. Cow milk is meant for baby cows, you know?"
"Um, I didn't think of that," Ali mumbled.
As the two girls left, Mr. Brooks looked down, noticing for the first time Dustin's hand holding Tobi's as they sat at the table. The two immediately separated their hands as doubt washed over them. They felt caught, almost like they'd done something wrong. Tobi felt guilty for what Mr. Brooks might think of his son and Dustin felt guilty over having doubt to begin with.
Mrs. Brooks followed her husband's eyes to the two before smiling. "Oh, Jake, that's right, you haven't met Tobi Hanson, Dustin's boyfriend from the Twilight Zone." She clapped her hands together happily.
"…boyfriend?" Mr. Hanson repeated, blinking at the two. His features were hard, making it impossible to read his thoughts.
"And I'm the evil triplet!" Lia said, suddenly jumping into the room. "Boo!"
Tori and Cam entered, quickly pulling her out.
"Hey, I was just trying to cut the tension," she insisted as they dragged her back into the kitchen.
The others looked from the doorway back to each other before Mrs. Hanson spoke up. "Honey, why don't you help me with desert?" she told her husband, whispering, "It'll give them a chance to talk."
"What kind of desert is it?" Mrs. Brooks asked curiously, beginning to follow the Hansons.
"I, uh, also need to check on desert," Tobi said, standing.
Don't leave me, TZT, Dustin's thoughts begged.
Tobi immediately turned back to his boyfriend. I'll never leave you, he insisted. I love you. I'm right here in your head. He's gonna be a little uncomfortable, so I think this'll be easier for you both.
I love you too, TZT, Dustin thought back as his boyfriend left the room and he found himself alone with his father.
"So…" Mr. Hanson began hesitantly.
"Yeah," Dustin mumbled, looking down.
Mr. Hanson hesitated before taking a seat beside his son. "Your mom says some crazy stuff," he began. "That's why I married her, but that's also why I divorced her. Was she… That boy…"
"Tobi," Dustin prompted, looking up to meet his father's gaze. "But I call him Twilight Zone Tobi, or TZT."
"The Twilight Zone…" Mr. Brooks mumbled, confused. "So…he's your…" He trailed off.
"Boyfriend," Dustin finished for him.
Mr. Brooks swallowed, looking around the table before seeing a glass of water and taking a sip from it.
"Are you…disappointed in me?" Dustin blurted out.
Mr. Brooks choked on the water, coughing. He wiped water from his chin, staring at his son. "I…"
"You can tell the truth," Dustin prompted. "I wanna know how you really feel." He bit his bottom lip nervously. TZT, I need you, he thought.
I'm right here, Tobi's thoughts replied. You're doing great. Remember, no matter what he says, we can work through it together.
Dustin relaxed a little at this and he looked into his father's eyes, searching for answers.
"I'm…" Mr. Brooks began. "I'm…surprised. I always thought you liked girls."
"I do like girls," Dustin replied. "I just also like guys."
Mr. Brooks sighed. "Look, Dustin, you're young. It's natural to go phases where you think a…girly looking boy is cute."
"It's not a phase, dad," Dustin interrupted, immediately regretting the whine sound his voice made.
"I'm just saying, I know you," Mr. Brooks continued. "You love dirt and motocross." He patted his son's arm. "You're a guy's guy, not…a sissy."
Dustin frowned, feeling Tobi's thoughts as he remembered from his own dad's reaction when he found out his son was gay.
"You just haven't met the right girl yet," Mr. Brooks continued. "You know, I didn't meet your mom until—"
"I love him, dad," Dustin suddenly interrupted. He felt the sting in his eyes that said he had tears forming in them.
Mr. Brooks froze, studying his son.
"Dad…" he continued slowly. "He's like…my whole world, like my sun. I've never met anyone like him. He makes me like being me, all of me, for the first time in my life. He's the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep. He's a part of me and…" He could feel the tears flowing now, though he was smiling. "And the best part…the absolute most awesomest thing in all the universe…is that he loves me back. TZT loves me, dad, and I love him."
The two sat there silent for a moment, just watching each other.
Dustin was nervous, but there was a warmth that passed over him, a feeling of love that enveloped his every fiber of being. It was Tobi and the emotions he felt after hearing Dustin's words and feeling the emotions behind them. They both knew every word was true.
Eventually Mr. Brooks took a breath. "Son, I…" He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit Dustin had inherited. "Okay, the truth is I was surprised and I started to wonder if I hadn't been around enough. A boy needs a strong male role model. And, maybe I was a little disappointed."
Dustin cringed, pulling back.
"But," he continued, "I was wrong to try to fit you into this box. I just thought…I guess I wanted to think you're like me, like I was, that we had things in common."
"We still have stuff in common," Dustin insisted. "We're just not exactly the same."
Mr. Brooks thought for a moment before smiling fondly. "I guess you're right. I just…" He patted his son's shoulder again. "I want you to be happy and if…If this guy does that for you, then…I'm happy for you son."
"Thanks, dad," Dustin whispered, his eyes still wet.
"Here," Mr. Brooks said, leaning forward and hugging his son.
And, in that moment, Dustin felt the love not only from his boyfriend, but from his dad flowing through him.
"Porter called," Shane told his parents as they entered the house. "He said his flight was boarding and he'd be here in a couple hours."
"Thank you for the message, Shane," Mr. Clarke said sternly, "but you know how we feel about you having your girlfriend over when we're not here."
"What do you think we're going to do together?" Shane asked.
"You made it clear that you two are not interested in marriage," Mr. Clarke continued.
"I didn't know what marriage was, but now I do," Skyla volunteered.
"We just have certain rules that we expect you to follow," Mrs. Clarke explained.
"She doesn't really even have a home," Shane began to protest.
"She's…homeless?" Mrs. Clarke said, stepping backward as if appalled. "And you bring her here? There are shelters for—"
"She's not a puppy, she's my—" Shane began to interrupt, speaking far louder than he had intended, but then he felt a hand gripping his arm tightly. He looked over to his girlfriend, expecting to see Skyla's comforting eyes telling him to calm down, to try to understand his parents, but instead he found something completely different and the sight stopped his blood cold.
Skyla's eyes were wide and filled with panic. There was no mistaking the look. Something was wrong.
"What is it?" Shane asked, grabbing Skyla by the arms, trying to force her eyes to focus on him instead of that terror she saw, but she wouldn't focus on him.
"Shane, we're having a discussion here," Mr. Clarke began. "I think it's time your girlfriend left.
"Quiet," he snapped at his father.
"Shane," Mrs. Clarke gasped.
Then Skyla said the one word Shane needed to hear, the one word that changed everything.
"Lothor," she whispered.
With that, Shane was up from the couch in a flash, his mind immediately in leader mode. "I have to go," he said firmly to his parents as he led Skyla toward the door.
"We're not—" Mr. Clarke began to argue.
"Yes, we are," Shane cut him off and the two were out the door, ignoring the protests he heard from behind him.
"What's happening now?" Lia asked her brother.
"They just finished hugging," Tobi said, tears still in his eyes. "Now Dustin's trying to explain the other dimension."
"Good luck with that," Lia scoffed.
"Lia, we really should be giving them privacy," Tori insisted.
"It's not my fault they're telepathically linked," she argued. "I'm just using it to my advantage."
"Tori's right," Cam scolded.
"Party pooper," Lia mumbled.
Just then Cam's Samurai Amulet beeped.
The others immediately became serious, gathering around Cam, shielding him from the view of either the Hanson's or Mrs. Brooks.
"Go for Cam," Cam answered, holding his necklace to his mouth.
"Cam, Skyla's sensing Lothor," Shane's voice said quickly. "It must be something big because she's totally out of it. I need you to scan the area and—"
"I'm not actually in Ops right now," Cam interrupted, glancing at the others.
"Oh," Shane said, surprised. "I'll call Waldo then."
And, before Cam could even reply, Shane had already closed the line.
Cam didn't even need to tell Tobi what to do. He was already sending his thoughts to Dustin as the group left the kitchen. Dustin, it's Lothor. Just make an excuse. We're leaving.
"Hey, you're so smart," Lia interrupted, turning to Cam. "Why can't you make it so we can do that?"
"I doubt he'd want to," Tori told her.
She just shrugged. "Telepathy would be cool."
Dustin watched the others enter the dining room and then looked back at his dad quickly. "Um, you know how I said Tobi like saved the whole Twilight Zone?"
Mr. Brooks nodded, confused.
Dustin stood, showing a resolve his father hadn't seen in him all evening. "It's time for us to save this dimension."
And, with that, they were gone.
"Now we're out of popcorn!" Geo complained after both bowls had been emptied in the popcorn fight.
"We're not really out," Hunter replied, gesturing around at the stray pieces everywhere.
The boy shrugged, gobbling down the pieces. "Destiny, help me find all the popcorn!" he ordered the dog.
"As Dustin would say, 'A little dirt never hurt anybody,'" Waldo commented and Hunter rubbed his head affectionately.
Blake glared at his brother before rubbing the back of Waldo's neck. Hunter leaned over, whispering, "So, how's it feel to be the filling in a Bradley Sandwich?"
"Awesome," Waldo whispered back, placing a hand lightly on each Bradley's knee.
"Which flavor you like better?" Blake interrupted.
Waldo just chuckled before purring like a cat. Destiny looked at the earth ninja oddly.
"We interrupt your regularly scheduled programing for this important news bulletin," the television suddenly announced.
"Great," Blake groaned, laying back. "Just when we were getting somewhere." He glanced around. "I mean, just when we were getting down to the best riders."
But then everyone was frozen in place by what came next.
On the screen, a magnified image of an airplane appeared and a voice explained, "A 747 bound for Blue Bay Harbor airport is going down and is expected to crash in the city itself. Air traffic controllers have been unable to raise the pilot and the mayor has ordered the immediate evacuation of south-western Blue Bay Harbor as a precaution. Fire crews are preparing to—"
Hunter felt Waldo's hand squeezing his upper leg. Under different circumstances, it would have been erotic. Like Blake and Tori, Hunter and Waldo had been taking their relationship slow. There were many times when the two were kissing and their hard bodies were pressed so firmly together that they wanted to go all the way, but Waldo had such a dominant personality and Hunter was not going to be the submissive one under any circumstances. Now, if the genius could convince the younger bradley to join in, both Hunter and Waldo could exercise their dominant personalities…
Just then Waldo's morpher beeped. "This is Waldo," he said, still staring at the screen.
"Waldo, Lothor's planning something," Shane's voice said quickly."
"We know about the plane," Waldo explained.
"Plane?" Shane repeated.
"The 747 bound for the airport that's going down," Waldo continued.
"Porter…" Shane gasped before he was right back to business. "Prep the Zords," he ordered. "We can use the net. Also, scan for—"
"I'm not in Ninja Ops," Waldo interrupted.
"Why isn't anyone…?" Shane grumbled before stopping himself. "You and Cam get to Ops. Have the others with me near my house so we can deal with the plane. And have our Zords ready." The line then abruptly closed.
The group didn't need to be told twice. They were already out the door, motocross nationals and Bradley Sandwiches long forgotten.
"Cam's on his way to Ninja Ops," Waldo explained as they left. "I'll meet him there. Shane's between his house and Tori's."
Hunter and Blake nodded at him.
"Be careful," Waldo said, giving Hunter a quick kiss before streaking off.
"Jealous?" Hunter asked, looking at Blake.
"Nope," Blake answered. "I'm too worried about Tori."
"I hear that," Hunter agreed as they left.
Dustin, Tobi, Tori and Lia streaked to where Shane and Skyla were. A moment later, Hunter, Blake, Marah, Kapri and Geo joined them.
"What's happening?" Blake asked.
"A plane's going down," Shane explained quickly. "I think Porter's on it."
"Your brother?" Tori asked.
"I see it!" Dustin shouted, pointing.
"It's headed straight for the residential neighborhoods," Hunter realized.
Shane nodded at the others and they each raised their morphers.
But, as they each called upon their ninja powers, only Tobi morphed.
"Dude, what happened?" Dustin asked, staring at his morpher.
"Why did only I morph?" Tobi asked from inside his gold uniform.
"Shane to Cam," Shane called. "Waldo, anyone?"
"We just got into Ops, Shane," Cam's voice interrupted.
"The place is totally trashed," Waldo's voice added.
"The mainframe's fried," Cam continued. "You won't be able to morph."
"We figured that one out already," Shane quipped.
"Circuit's…" Cam began, trailing off.
"What about Circuit?" Tobi prompted.
"He's…been destroyed just like the rest of—" Cam explained before suddenly interrupting himself. "Dad?"
"Sensei?" Shane prompted. "What about him?"
"He's…human," Waldo's voice explained. "And…he's not moving."
"Tobi, I need you here immediately," Cam insisted. "He's not breathing."
Tobi glanced at Dustin.
"Go," Shane insisted. "I'll see if I can slow the plane's descent."
Then, as Tobi streaked off, leaving Dustin with a wave of dizziness, Shane focused his attention on the plane far overhead and sent out a gust of air.
"It doesn't look like it's slowing down," Hunter pointed out.
"Maybe it's too heavy," Tori suggested.
Shane raised his morpher. "Tobi, hurry up," he grunted. "We need you."
Tobi streaked into Ninja Ops and couldn't help but gasp at what he saw. The underground dojo was a complete wreck. Nothing was in its place and there were charred computer parts everywhere.
"Hurry, over here," Cam yelled, directing his attention to a corner of the debris-covered room.
Tobi demorphed and approached Cam and Waldo as they hunched over Sensei, but not Sensei the guinea pig. It was the human, the man who had chosen to train Shane, Tori and Dustin but not him. But, no, this was a different Sensei, he reminded himself as he bent over the broken and crushed body.
"I'll get the Gem of Souls," Cam said, looking around for his father's bonsai.
"I guess the spell that made him a guinea pig was broken the moment he…died," Waldo commented as Tobi touched Sensei's arm.
"I can't find the pieces," Cam said while hastily scanning the floor. "Do you think my dad will know to stay near his body?"
Tobi just nodded, too busy concentrating on healing Sensei to speak. It was hard enough just being away from Dustin.
"We need to move the piece of wall so Tobi can heal his leg," Waldo instructed and Cam helped him drag the chunk off.
Meanwhile Tobi continued to concentrate on finding a strand of life to ignight.
"Are we too late?" Waldo asked Tobi, seeing the strain on the blond's face.
"Help me find the pieces of the Gem of Souls," Cam insisted.
Waldo just nodded and helped Cam search while Tobi concentrated.
Beads of sweat trickled down Tobi's face. He had become so out of practice with this kind of thing and he immediately wished Sensei had been stricter about their training over the past month. If Sensei survived this, he would ask the ninja master to train with him.
That was when he felt it. He felt Sensei's spirit reaching out to him. It seemed to be pointing to something and Tobi followed it until he realized what it was. It was a single strand of life.
Tobi put all his concentration into igniting that strand until it sparked and bloomed, becoming a raging fire that covered Sensei's body and healed it.
Moments later, Sensei gasped and coughed, opening his yes.
"Dad," Cam cried, running to his father's side. "I thought…" He choked on his words and decided to hug his father. For the first time…ever, really, he hugged him. It wasn't just that he couldn't when his father was a guinea pig, but even as a human, he had always been distant. This time, his father hugged him back with no reservations. "I couldn't find the Gem of Souls," he explained. "I thought you were—"
"Lothor has the fragments," Sensei explained, using his son's grip to help him up. "I believe he has found the remaining pieces you threw into the ocean as well and has completed it."
"Why does he want the Gem of Souls?" Waldo asked.
Sensei studied his human hands and human body. "He will undoubtedly use them to open the Abyss of Evil."
"There's one of those in this dimension too?" Tobi gasped, catching his breath.
"I am afraid so, Tobi," Sensei agreed. "Lothor must be stopped. And, thank you Tobi."
"You're welcome," Tobi said, catching his breath. "Right now I have to go help them stop the plane. See if you two can do anything about the place." He gestured around before streaking off.
"I fear this plane may merely be a distraction," Sensei said somberly.
"You're probably right," Cam agreed while looking over the mess, "but we have to help the civilians before finding out what Lothor's endangering them for."
"Of course," Sensei nodded. "Now I will go rest." He then left the room.
"How'll we ever be able to track Lothor with this?" Cam complained, gesturing around.
"The Zords have independent scanners," Waldo explained.
"Of course," Cam realized. "We just need to trigger the holographic portals from inside the Zord Bay."
"Let's go," Waldo urged and the two made their way through the debris and out of the main room of Ninja Ops.
Tobi streaked to a stop right beside Dustin and placed both hands on his boyfriend as if his life depended on it.
"I thought the Sun Amulet on your morpher recharged you," Hunter commented.
"I just can't be away from Dustin for long," Tobi explained. "He's my real source of power." He smirked at his boyfriend.
"There's no time for this," Shane yelled. "It's right on us. I can't slow it down."
Tobi looked up, immediately noticing how close the plane was. He concentrated, sending out a wave of energy, but not too strong. He just wanted to slow the plane, not destroy it.
The plane hit the wall of energy and seemed to flicker in air before its descent slowed, but not enough. So, this time he increased the energy enough that the plane finally slowed. "I can't risk anything more," he told the others. "I don't want to destroy it."
Shane nodded as the plane spiraled downward, smashing into a nearby house, sending wood and glass splintering everywhere.
Before the plane had even skidded to a stop, Shane was barking orders. "Tori, Lia, put out fires."
"I can freeze things," Kapri volunteered.
"Great," Shane replied quickly. "You're with them. Tobi, you know what you have to do."
Tobi nodded. He knew he'd be doing a whole lot of healing. "I'll need Dustin with me."
Shane nodded. "Hunter, Blake, we're on civilian duty. We get them out of the plane and to safety."
"What about me?" Marah asked.
"Civilian duty too, I guess," Shane reluctantly agreed, "but keep Geo and Destiny out of trouble."
"Shane," Skyla finally spoke. She seemed to finally be coming out of her daze. "Don't go."
"Skyla, I'll be fine," he assured her, kissing her quickly on the lips before running toward the wreckage with the others.
"It's…" she called, but it was too late. They were already running to the plane. "…a trap."
The rangers coughed, trying to see through the smoke and dust surrounding the plane. The inside was a mess of wires and what must have been several dozen passengers. The plane was packed.
"This way," Hunter and Blake directed the wide-eyed civilians toward the exit.
Meanwhile Shane looked up and down the aisles for his brother.
Tobi had demorphed before he and Dustin walked around, checking each row. Surprisingly, none of the passengers seemed hurt. They even seemed too shocked and confused to speak.
As the passengers made their way to the front of the plane, Tori, Lia and Kapri entered.
"The fires are out already?" Blake asked, surprised.
"Our brother is an awesome pilot, even when he's not the one flying," Lia said with a smirk.
Woof! Woof! Destiny kept barking.
"Shh, quiet Destiny," Geo encouraged.
Woof! Woof! she continued.
"I thought I said to keep them out of trouble," Shane prompted, once again scanning the plane for his brother. Maybe this hadn't been his flight in the first place.
"I've got them," Marah promised, leading the boy and dog toward the exit, but there were too many passengers crowded around it.
"One at a time," Hunter insisted. "No pushing."
Just then, Skyla appeared at the exit, trying to get past the hordes of passengers. "Shane!" she shouted. "Get out of there! It's a—"
Slam! Suddenly the plane's exit door slammed closed and her last word was cut off.
"What happened?" Dustin asked, approaching the others with Tobi.
"I don't know, but I'm suddenly feeling claustrophobic," Tori commented, looking around.
All the passengers were watching them.
"I'll open the—" Marah began, approaching the door, but one of the passengers suddenly kicked her, sending her tumbling back and into the others.
"Hey!" Dustin yelled, helping Marah up just before another passenger kicked him.
"Ouch!" Tobi echoed, feeling the hit with his boyfriend.
"Why are you—" Shane began just as another passenger, an elderly woman with a cane, punched him. The force of the impact sent him into the opposite row.
"What the—" Blake began before also being attacked.
The group formed a circle with their backs to each other to better defend themselves.
"We're here to help you!" Tobi insisted.
Suddenly the passengers flickered for a moment before the holograms they were dissolved and the kelzaks underneath revealed themselves.
The group was trapped on a plane surrounded by kelzaks and only one of them could morph.
"Kelzak Furies," Blake noticed as he tried in vain to block one's attack. "We need to be able to morph."
"Tobi," Shane called, not needing to say more.
The blond immediately activated his morpher. "Power of Sunlight!" he yelled as his body was again enveloped by a gold suit. The gold ranger wasted no time in spinning, kicking and punching the kelzak furies back, but the closed space meant they weren't thrown far. "Stay close," he ordered before releasing a wave of energy out around them.
"Keep them busy," Shane commanded while the kelzaks recovered. "I'll try to blow open the door." Then, while Tobi forced back the quickly recovering horde of kelzaks, Shane tried to blow open the door, but once again his powers had no effect on the plane.
"Here, let me," Marah asked before Shane stepped aside and she shot a fireball at the door. To both their surprise, the door just looked slightly singed.
"Dude, what's going on?" Dustin asked worriedly just as a kelzak punched him.
At the same time, Tobi crumpled to the ground as if he himself had been struck and the kelzaks were all over him. He tried to block out the pain and sent another wave of energy out, throwing the kelzaks off.
"Tobi, we can't—" Kapri began.
"I know," he interrupted, turning his attention to the door. There was no need to hold back now, so he used all his strength and the door exploded off the side of the plane.
The group scrambled their way off the plan with Tobi pulling up the rear, fighting off the kelzaks inside the plane.
"We've got a problem," he heard Shane call from behind him and, as he exited the plane, he turned around to see that the passengers that had left the plane earlier were now a horde of kelzaks surrounding the plane.
"We walked right into a trap," Hunter growled.
Shane ran to Skyla's side as she dodged various kelzaks. "I'm always gonna stop whatever I'm doing to listen to everything you have to say from now on," he promised his girlfriend.
"We're outnumbered and we can't morph," Tori pointed out.
"We need help," Dustin suggested, dodging a kelzak as he noticed it behind him through Tobi's vision.
Shane nodded, raising his morpher. "Cam, Waldo, do you have our morphers fixed?"
"No, Shane," Cam's voice cam on. "We're actually trying to get the Zords ready. I thought you were dealing with the plane."
"Things…changed," he said, looking around as the kelzaks from inside the plane joined those surrounding the rangers. "Morphing just became our top priority."
"My amulet is an independent power source," Cam said, sighing. "I'll go."
Meanwhile, Dustin thought at his boyfriend, You can take all of them at once. I've seen you do it.
There's a lot more and I'm out of practice, Tobi pointed out. I don't want to somehow end up leveling the whole neighborhood.
I'll try to help you concentrate, Dustin volunteered.
Just then, Cam streaked to their location, already morphed, and immediately began slashing away at kelzaks. "Do I even want to know?" he asked between slashes.
"It was a trap all along," Shane explained.
"The kelzaks were disguised somehow," Marah added.
"Holograms," Cam murmured, continuing his assault. "Lia, go back to Ops and help Waldo."
"Cam, I can help," she protested.
"You can't morph and Waldo needs someone who's at least half paid attention to our work," he continued.
"Way less than half," she admitted, blasting a kelzak with a torrent of water. "And none of us can morph but you and Tobi."
"Please, Lia," Cam begged between swipes. "Just do this for me, this once."
She sighed, "Fine, but you owe me."
"Agreed," he nodded as she streaked off.
The moment she was gone, Tobi called, "Everyone stay close!" Then, focusing, he sent a wave of energy out that sent kelzaks flying everywhere, as well as parked cars. Nearby homes were bombarded by the flying debris and some collapsed under the pressure, but surprisingly the plane barely budged.
"Awesome!" Dustin congratulated just as—
Suddenly he crumpled to the ground as something struck him.
"Dustin!" Tobi cried, also falling to the ground. He looked up just in time to see Vexacus and Choobo appear.
The next few seconds became a blur as the compartment on Choobo's back opened and began sucking up the rangers.
Dustin and Tori were the first to be taken, followed by Marah and Kapri.
"Marah!" Geo cried before he, still holding Destiny, was also snatched up.
Shane lasted a little longer, but even Skyla couldn't protect him. "Shane!" she cried out, but to no avail.
In the end, only the two morphed rangers and Skyla were left.
"Tobi," Cam gasped, seeing the gold ranger had demorphed and was lying on the ground. He slashed and dodged, noticing that Choobo made no effort to capture the blond.
"You humiliated me once," Vexacus growled, drawing his sword and approaching Cam. "It's time to return the favor." He swung his sword, clashing it against the samurai's.
"You should have stayed off the planet like I told you," Cam threatened as sparks flew from where their swords collided.
Vexacus just growled, kicking Cam back and swiping at him with his sword, sparks flying out along the surface of the samurai's uniform.
"Enough with this pathetic bickering," a voice called.
There, exiting the plane, was Lothor. Only, it wasn't a plane at all. The wreckage flickered and dissolved to reveal…
Lothor's Megazord.
The plane, like the kelzaks had been a hologram that traveled down through the atmosphere and was now towering above them. And, despite the plane's holographic damage, the Megazord was completely intact.
"Choobo," he called just as he sent out a blast of purple energy that sent Cam crumpling to the ground, "clean up."
And, with that, Cam was also sucked inside Choobo's compartment.
"Now for the famous gold ranger," Lothor announced, approaching Tobi.
"Tobi, you have to fight," Skyla urged, looking from the massive towering Megazord down to the blond.
Tobi grit his teeth. Over the past month, despite being careful when they "made rainbows," his connection to Dustin had grown stronger and stronger. "I can't feel him," he whispered.
"I know," she replied.
"Helpless are we?" Lothor asked, smirking from behind his mask.
"Skyla, you have to use your morpher," Tobi whispered, choking.
"But Shane made me promise," she argued. "He said, since Cam can't test it, I shouldn't—"
"What do you sense will happen?" he interrupted.
Skyla thought for a moment while also easily dodging an arm that reached out from Choobo's back.
"Your death will be slow and painful," Lothor mused, now standing over the weakened gold ranger. "First, I'll make you watch as I release and then kill each and every one of your friends one by one, the way I watched as you defeated my generals." He looked at Skyla, grinning. "Why don't I start with her?"
"Now, Skyla!" Tobi called, mustering all his strength. Without Dustin, everything was so hard, but he managed enough force to push Lothor back a step.
She looked down at her wrist, at the pink morpher.
Lothor stumbled a bit before following her eye movements downward. He couldn't help but gasp at what he saw. "You fool, Vexacus," he shouted. "She has the pink morpher!"
Vexacus quickly approached just as Lothor raised his arm to send out an energy wave, but it was too late. Somehow knowing exactly what to do, Skyla spun the crystal on the morpher around and it snapped before glowing. Then her whole body began to glow until…
There, standing in front of them was a pink ranger.
Her suit was mostly pink with some white, silver and gold on it. The symbol on her chest looked like a crescent moon with stars on its opposite half.
Lothor fired a beam of purple energy at Skyla, but she easily dove aside to dodge it. She leaned down to check on Tobi and a spark passed between them. When she looked up again, Lothor was preparing to fire again. Without thinking, she sent a wave of energy out and threw Lothor and Vexacus backward.
"You…you borrowed my powers?" Tobi gasped.
"I don't know for how long," she explained quickly from behind her pink helmet. She sent out another wave, but it was weaker this time. "We have to get out of here."
"No!" Tobi cried. "We can't leave them."
"We can't help them right now," Skyla insisted, easily lifting Tobi's body now that she was morphed. "There's at least one thing I know how to do that I think I can do again," she commented, concentrating.
"You will not interfere," Lothor growled, sending out two double waves of purple energy just as Skyla and Tobi suddenly vanished. He growled as the blasts hit nothing but air and concrete. He steamed for a moment before seeming to calm. "It's too late anyway," he mused. "Choobo, go back to the ship and add the rangers and my nieces to the ninja students. I don't want to risk losing them."
"Okay," Choobo agreed, fumbling with a button on his wrist before vanishing.
"What next?" Vexacus asked, trying to hide the contempt in his voice. He was ready to ditch his helmet the moment Lothor reached for his PAM.
"I have the Gem of Souls and my Megazord," Lothor explained, "and now it's time to use them to open…the Abyss of Evil." He allowed himself a small smile at his victory. He had finally won and it was about time.
Skyla and Tobi suddenly appeared in Ninja Ops. "You teleported us," Tobi realized, looking around. "But we have to go back."
Skyla turned the crystal back on her morpher and she demorphed. She took his hand to help him to sit on the table.
"What happened?" Lia asked, running over to her brother.
"They were captured by Lothor," Skyla explained.
"All of them?" Lia asked hesitantly while studying her brother. "Even…Cam?"
Skyla nodded. "Even Shane…and Tobi's connection to Dustin left him helpless back there. The only reason he wasn't captured is because Lothor wanted revenge."
"We have to go rescue them," Lia insisted.
Just then, Waldo entered the room. "I used the Zords' scanners to track down Lothor and—" he began before stopping when he saw Tobi. "Tobs, what happened?"
"Lothor has Dustin and…everyone else," Lia explained quickly.
"Hunter?" Waldo asked.
Lia nodded while subconsciously stroking her brother's damp forehead.
"We have to stop him," Tobi said weakly.
"You and what army?" Lia asked. "You're a wreck. "I'll go while you rest and recover."
"He will only get weaker the longer he's away from Dustin," Skyla pointed out and Lia grit her teeth. "And you can't morph," she added.
"He's right though," Waldo interrupted. "I was tracking Lothor and he has a Megazord powered by the Gem of Souls."
"He's going to try to open the Abyss of Evil in this dimension," Tobi realized, trying to get up.
"Tobi, you're in no shape to save the world," Lia scolded.
"We can't let him open—" Tobi continued.
"It's too late," Skyla said, her eyes distant. "He's opening it now."
"No!" Tobi yelled. "We can't let Lothor win!"
"Tobi, little brother," Lia said, grabbing her brother's slumped and weak shoulders. She looked him square in the eyes. "Lothor's already won."
Tobi slumped back onto the table. He never thought he'd see the day come when Lothor would win because he was too weak and helpless to stop him. And, even though the whole world was doomed, he couldn't help but think one person mattered above all the others, one person who he needed, who he loved: Dustin Brooks.
To be continued...
Author's Note: Oh no! Lothor won? So, is that the end? I bet you already know the answer to that. What do you think of Tobi's connection to Dustin actually being a weakness? Could it be a strength? Hmm. And, for any of you who happen to be gay, you'll probably recognize some of the things Dustin's dad said. No, I'm not psychic. Most parents pretty much think alike. So, what did you think? What do you want to see next? Be honest! Review and tell me everything!