Wow, thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews and ideas. We love hearing from you, sorry i am not so good at replying. :P Anyway we are starting to get right into the thick of things so stick with us! It's going to be a bit of a bumpy ride from here on out. Hope you enjoy and thanks again keep the ideas/reviews coming.
Intervention Part 2
By the time Jason and the other three returned with supplies for the scanner, Adam, Tanya, and Rocky had finished tending to their injuries and were relaxing in the living room, talking quietly as they kept watch over Tommy. He hadn't moved since they'd put him back on the couch.
"How is he?" Jason asked, striding straight over to them.
"Well, he woke up once," Tanya answered. "And he was acting a little strange…"
"But he didn't try and attack anyone," Adam said. "He just collapsed and passed out again before he could actually talk to us…"
Jason sighed, nodding. Turning, he went to add what he was holding to the pile Hayley, Zach, and Justin had made on the far side of the room. Hayley and Justin immediately got the computer and transmitter set up over by where they were going to work and called Billy. He answered quickly and the three were soon absorbed in the scanner. While they were busy, Tanya checked on Jason and Zach like she had on Rocky and Adam. An hour or so after Jason and the others had returned, Tommy finally woke up again. He groaned as he shifted, drawing the attention of everyone in the living room.
"Tommy?" Jason said, instantly on his feet and moving toward the couch. "Falcon, are you awake?"
At the sound of Jason's voice, Tommy jerked upright and opened his eyes. He looked around wildly for a moment and saw the other rangers watching him warily.
"Tommy, are you alright?" Jason asked, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder.
He jerked away.
"Don't," he said, shaking his head. "Just—just don't touch me."
Jason drew his hand back.
"Alright," he said. "But are you alright?"
"No!" he snapped, flinching at his own voice. "I—I just…All of you need to leave!"
Frowning, Jason crossed his arms.
"We aren't going anywhere, bro," he said firmly. "I already told you—you aren't allowed to be alone right now."
Tommy was visibly shaking as he sat on the couch. Standing, Tanya moved to sit on the couch next to him. But the moment she got close, Tommy stumbled to his feet and away from her.
"Tommy!" she exclaimed, reaching out for him.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "Stay away. None of you should be anywhere near me. Please, just go."
"We're not leaving you, Tommy," Adam said, though he didn't move any closer. "You need our help—we're not just going to walk away from that."
Still shaking his head, Tommy continued backing away from them, trying to put as much distance between himself and his friends as he could manage in the small apartment.
"I'm not—I'm not safe," Tommy insisted. "Just go—before I hurt anyone else…"
The rangers exchanged glances. They'd been hoping he wouldn't remember any of that, which is why they'd all been trying hard to cover up any signs of injury before he woke up. Adam, Tanya, and Rocky hadn't been sure if he'd seen anything earlier, but they had hoped for a no.
"Tommy, we're all fine," Jason said. "A few bumps and bruises is nothing to worry about."
"Jason, I attacked you!" Tommy snarled.
All of them flinched, watching him warily again.
"See!" he exclaimed, having managed to put himself in a corner. "I hurt all of you and it shouldn't have happened. You need to leave before—before I can hurt you again…"
But the other rangers just shook their heads. They weren't going anywhere. In the corner, Tommy leaned against the wall and sank down to the ground, pulling his knees up. Tanya started to go over to him, but Adam caught her hand and stopped her.
"Give him a little while," he said softly. "He's awake now, but let's give him some space."
She sighed, but nodded.
Several hours later, Tommy was still in the corner. He had refused to come out all afternoon for anything. All of the rangers had tried to get him out of the corner without success. Jason had tried ordering him out, but all that got him was a glare. Then he had tried talking Tommy out of the corner. It still hadn't worked. Adam and Rocky had tried talking him out, too, but Tommy just ignored their efforts. He flinched whenever someone got too close, trying to draw further into his corner. Zach had tried joking around with him, to get Tommy to relax enough to go sit on the couch again. He didn't even get a smile. And when one of them wasn't trying, Tanya was trying to coax him out of the corner. As Justin and Hayley started wrapping up with the last details of the scanner, he came over to give it a shot.
"Hey, Tommy!" Justin said brightly, grinning at the older ranger as he bounced over. "How are you feeling? I'm glad you're awake now. You should come over and see the scanner I helped build. It's great!"
Tommy shook his head.
"I'm staying here," he muttered. "And all of you should be gone. I told you all to leave."
"But I can't leave," Justin said, standing a few feet away. "My dad isn't picking me up until Sunday night… He's gone all weekend so I can't exactly go home."
"Then stay with someone else," Tommy said. "You aren't safe here."
Justin snorted.
"I'm in an apartment full of power rangers and super geniuses," he said. "Is there somewhere safer than that?"
"Please," Tommy said, looking around at everyone again. "Just leave. I don't want to hurt anyone again…"
"Tommy, you aren't going to hurt us," Tanya said softly, moving to stand next to Justin.
"I already did!" he exclaimed. "Tanya, I saw the bruises I gave you, Rocky, and Adam. I don't know what I did to everyone else, but it can't have been any better because Zach has a bandage wrapped around most of one of his arms and Jason is moving just as stiffly as you three!"
"And we'll all be fine by the end of the week," Jason said, crossing his arms. "Or sooner. You know that. We've all had worse—"
"This wasn't just another monster, Jason," Tommy said. "It was me. I hurt all of you and it's going to happen again if you don't leave. And even worse, I betrayed you."
Jason frowned.
"Tommy, you didn't betray anyone," he said. "Why would you think that?"
Tommy groaned, burying his face in his hands.
"All of you trusted me," he muttered. "You forgave me and you accepted me and you trusted me—and now this! I gave into the magic and I used it to hurt you—all of you—again!"
Jason sighed, shaking his head.
"Tommy, there's no reason to feel guilty," he said. "This isn't your fault."
"And besides, you didn't touch me," Justin said, shrugging. "You tried, but you didn't actually touch me."
"That's not the point," Tommy said in frustration. "It's dangerous for any of you to be here! Especially Hayley! What is she even doing here anyways?"
"That's your fault," Justin said quickly. "I told her nothing and if anyone asks I'm sticking by my story that it was all you."
Tommy frowned in confusion. Hayley came walking over to them, finished with the scanner.
"It's all ready," she said. "Tommy, are you coming?"
"I'm not leaving this spot until all of you get out," he growled. "I'm not going to risk hurting anyone again."
Sighing, Hayley rolled her eyes. She strode right over to Tommy in the corner and sat down next to him. He tried jerking away, but he had nowhere else to go without moving closer to the other rangers.
"Hayley!" he exclaimed. "You shouldn't be this close to me. It's not safe—I could seriously hurt you."
She scoffed.
"As if you could," she said. "Besides, it's my choice. Now let's go—I've got the scanner all ready for you."
Tommy glowered at her in response.
"Fine," she said. "Then we'll do this the hard way."
As the rangers looked at her in confusion, Hayley reached over and poked Tommy in the side. He jumped, shooting a glare at her.
"Come on," she said. "You need to get out of this corner."
"Hayley," he growled. "Go away."
"Not until we've done the scan," she said, poking him again.
He jumped again, but still didn't move. So she started poking him more until he finally jerked to his feet.
"Hayley!" cried Tommy. "Stop!"
"Then get over there," she said as she continued to poke at him.
The rangers watched in amusement as Hayley practically chased Tommy across the room.
"Well, apparently Tommy is ticklish," Zach laughed as they watched. "Can't believe we never noticed."
Jason nodded, grinning as he headed over to the scanner.
"Now sit down," Hayley said to Tommy, pointing to a chair.
Glaring at her, he sat down at the scanner.
"You know, Hayley?" Jason commented as he joined them. "I've decided I'm ok with you knowing. You get to sitck around."
Hayley rolled her eyes as she started setting the scanner.
"Good to know," she said. "Though I wasn't going anywhere anyways—and good luck trying to make me."
"You should all leave," Tommy muttered, crossing his arms.
Jason and Hayley ignored him. Justin joined them while the rest of the rangers stayed over by the couch. They didn't want to crowd Tommy right now.
"Are you sure this thing is going to work?" Jason asked, eying the scanner.
Hayley glanced up at him.
"Hmm… I don't know," she said. "Why don't you put your hand right there and we'll test it first?"
She pointed, raising an eyebrow.
"But Hayley," Justin said. "Isn't that where the one part comes down to rest? It scans from the other side."
Jason glared at Hayley as she sighed.
"Yes, Justin, it is," she said, shaking her head. "But Jason didn't know that."
"Oh," said Justin. "Whoops."
"Is everything in order, Hayley?" Billy interrupted from the computer screen.
Tommy jumped in surprise. He hadn't been able to hear Billy talking with Hayley and Justin from across the room and he hadn't noticed the computer yet.
"Billy?" he said, looking at the computer in surprise.
"Greetings, Tommy," Billy smiled. "As a warning, the scanner is going to run a little differently than what you are used to, but it will still accomplish the same purpose."
"So hold still," Hayley added as she turned it on.
She ran the scan carefully, trying to gather as much information as she could and hoping everything turned out clearly. Billy watched from the computer as Jason and Justin stood off to the side. The rest of the rangers continued to wait on the other side of the room for the results. Once the scanner was finished, Hayley turned her attention to the computer.
"Your turn, Billy," she said. "This time anyways. I've never read a scan like this before."
He nodded as he leaned closer to his computer. She had sent the data straight to him for analysis. Billy studied it for a few minutes, not looking happy. The rest waited where they were for him to say something. Sighing, Billy looked back up on the camera. His picture disappeared, replaced by the scan he had been looking at, though they could still hear him as he spoke. Jason frowned at the screen. He knew what the scan should look like and something was really wrong.
"The results of the scan are troubling," Billy said.
"Billy, what exactly is going on?" Jason asked. "Because that's not what Tommy's core looked like the last time I saw a scan of it."
"Same here," Justin said, looking at the screen in surprise.
Tommy's core, which had once been under tight control in order to rein in the dark magic, was chaotic. Colors were splashed everywhere, all of them tainted by the dark green that was overtaking everything.
"The dark magic is slowly strangling Tommy's life force," Billy answered grimly. "While he once had it contained within a circle of his life-force, somehow it broke free. It has taken over his core and, if Tommy can't stop it, it will eventually kill him…"
Jason flinched, glancing over at Tommy who was now staring up at the ceiling.
"So what do we do?" he asked Billy.
Billy took a deep breath, the video of him coming back up as he started to answer.
"There is not much we can do," he said slowly. "We cannot combat the magic for Tommy. All we can do is help—well, distract him from the urge to give in to the magic. The longer he can go without using it, the easier it will be and eventually he should be able to contain it again."
Jason nodded.
"That settles it, then," he said, turning to Tommy. "I'm staying here whether you like it or not."
Taking a deep breath, Tommy stood up.
"Fine," he muttered, throwing his hands. "I give up…"
Shaking his head, he stalked to his room. The door was still lying on the floor so they watched as he dropped onto his bed, curling up on top of the blankets with his back to the door. Jason sighed, running a hand over his head. The rest of the rangers came crowding over to ask Billy for a repeat of the information.
"Should one of us go in there?" Zach asked, looking at Jason after Billy was done.
He shook his head.
"No," he answered. "We can see he's not trying to do anything. Let him sleep."
"Ok, then next question," Zach said. "How are you going to tell the girls? Like Kim and Kat?"
"And someone should call Aisha," Rocky added. "Just because she's living in Africa doesn't mean she won't be ticked if no one tells her."
Jason groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.
"Telling them isn't the problem," he muttered. "It's keeping them away. Especially Kim and Kat…Any ideas?"
"Sedatives?" Tanya said, her face completely serious.
"I can't drug them long term," Jason grumbled. "So, no…"
"I'm going to excuse myself from this conversation," Billy interrupted. "Jason, please keep me informed on Tommy's condition. If I can think of any other suggestions for aiding him I will contact you."
"Thanks, Billy," Jason sighed as Billy ended the call.
"We could always just lock the door," Adam pointed out. "Neither of them know how to pick a lock—and I don't think you'll have to worry about Aisha right away."
"I have rope!" Hayley inserted.
They all turned to look at her in surprise.
"What?" she said. "I do. It's in my car."
"Let's save that as a last resort," Jason said, shaking his head.
"Do you think ordering them to stay away would work?" Justin asked.
Now everyone looked at him. Zach and Rocky both burst out laughing as Jason and Adam just shook their heads. Tanya sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Not a chance," Zach snorted. "Kim or Kat actually listen to Jason? That only happens in battle—unless it involves rescuing Tommy. Then no one listens to Jason."
Jason glowered at him.
"What?" Zach said. "It's true. The minute Tommy disappears, gets kidnapped, is brainwashed, or anything else all the rules suddenly fly out the window."
"Anyways," Jason said, glaring at him. "Any other suggestions for keeping our two pinks in check?"
"I have a taser!" Hayley announced.
All of the rangers looked at her in shock.
"I'm sorry…" she said. "I've had a lot of coffee today…"
"You know what?" Jason muttered. "I'm just going to call them. I'll figure out how to keep them away on my own…The rest of you get packed up and head home. I want it to just be me when he wakes up in the morning."
"So where do I go?" Justin exclaimed. "I can't go home, remember?"
Jason sighed, pausing in the middle of dialing his phone.
"Ok, fine," he said. "Justin stays with me. The rest of you go home—"
Hayley glared at him.
"You, too," he growled. "I don't care if you come back tomorrow—though I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to stop you—but at least give us until after breakfast."
"Alright," Hayley conceded, rolling her eyes.
He nodded.
"Now, I'm going to call the girls," he muttered. "I'll be back in a little while."
He started to turn and walk away, but his phone started ringing. Sighing, he pulled it out and looked to see who was calling. Seeing the number, he frowned.
"Trini?" he said. "Why is she—oh no…I didn't tell her I wasn't going to make our date…"
Rocky and Zach hit the floor as Jason answered the phone.
"Hey, Trini," Jason said. "Umm…So I know I forgot to call you earlier, but—"
He jerked the phone away from his ear as she started shouting at him over the phone. That just made Zach and Rocky laugh harder. Justin joined them, shaking as he laughed. Tanya was trying not to, covering her mouth as she shook her head and Adam was chuckling. Hayley just watched in amusement as Jason tried to defend himself.
"No!" Jason exclaimed, finally getting a word in edgewise. "I wasn't trying to stand you up. I got an—Trini, I got an emergency call from Justin…Yes, it was an actually emergency…No, it's Tommy…"
He started heading toward the door again.
"No, he hasn't been kidnapped again," he said. "It's the dark magic, it's out of control…"
As Jason walked away to finish explaining to Trini before he called the other girls, leaving the rest of the rangers in the apartment to get themselves ready to leave.
"Need any help there, chief?" Xander asked, glancing over his shoulder.
"Not anymore," Nick said. "Thanks for asking."
"Just doing my part," Xander grinned.
They were at the Rock Porium working. Well, most of them were working. Xander was supervising again. All of them, however, were doing their best to avoid Leelee. Since she'd started working there they'd all been giving her the cold shoulder. They knew who she was—and who her mother was—and the rangers didn't trust her. Seeing her in the underworld with Necrolai had placed her on the enemy's side in their eyes.
"Uh, hey, Nick," Vida said, popping out of Toby's office. "Toby wants to see you in his office. He seems really mad. His eye was doing that twitch thing again."
"Aw, man," Nick muttered, leaving the box he had just brought out.
Behind his back, Xander and Vida exchanged grins. As he slowly opened the door to Toby's office, Xander, Vida, Chip, and Madison crowded behind him. But it wasn't an angry Toby that awaited him inside.
"The winner of the first ever Rockployee award goes to—Mr. Nick Russell!" Toby announced, holding a large trophy out to Nick.
He grinned in surprise, taking it.
"I can't see!" Leelee exclaimed behind the rangers. "I can't see!"
They just closed ranks tighter, blocking her out of the office.
"Thank you, Toby," Nick said gratefully as he turned to look at his friends. "Thank you, guys."
He chuckled, looking at the trophy.
"Wow," he said. "Well, I couldn't have done it without the help of my friends and coworkers—recent hires excluded."
He directed a glare in Leelee's direction as his friends smiled.
"Thanks again, Toby," Nick said. "It's amazing."
Laughing and excited, they all piled back out of Toby's office. Leelee stormed off, upset again.
"Looks like you finally found your groove in Briarwood," Madison said, smiling at Nick.
"Like I told you," he said, shrugging. "I've never stayed in one place long enough to have any real friends. But now…"
"Now you have," Madison said.
"Yeah, I have," he smiled back.
Glancing up, the clock caught his eye.
"Aw, man," he muttered. "Can you cover for me? I've gotta go feed Fire Heart. It's my turn today."
Madison nodded.
"Go ahead," she said. "I don't think Toby will mind his star employee stepping out for a few."
"Thanks," he said, heading for the door.
Nick was just about done feeding Fire Heart when Daggeron came walking up. Daggeron had been watching out for them since Udonna left several weeks before to try and find Leanbow. Clare had disappeared as well. They were pretty sure she'd just gone after Udonna, though they were a little concerned because she hadn't left a note. But that left Daggeron in charge of all of their training, both as knights and as wizards. He'd taken on the responsibility seriously, keeping a close eye on all of them.
"This is a dangerous time for you, Nick," Daggeron commented, watching him with Fire Heart.
"What's new?" Nick said, shrugging.
Daggeron frowned.
"The terrors know you're the Light," he said. "They will come for you. They will do everything in their power to deceive you, capture you, and destroy you."
"I get it!" Nick exclaimed, trying to brush off the subject.
He'd been avoiding it for a while now, not really sure he wanted to be shouldered with that kind of responsibility.
"No, you don't," Daggeron said, shaking his head. "But nice try. When the time is right, you will understand. And you will also realize your connection to Fire Heart."
He gestured at the dragon.
"Fire Heart?" Nick said, earning a loud roar from the dragon.
He shook his head, but Fire Heart just watched him.
"I gotta get back to work," Nick said.
"So do they know you're coming?" Adam asked, glancing over at Tommy.
Tommy shook his head.
"Not a clue," he grinned. "Jason hinted that he was planning on coming, but he never said anything for sure."
It was Friday evening and Tommy was surprising the girls with a visit for their birthday. It was a long weekend for him since there was no school on Monday so he was taking advantage of the opportunity before he was too busy grading papers and such to take time to visit.
"Yeah, well he's not coming out here anytime soon," Rocky snorted. "Cause you know he's going to end up with the flu by the time Trini and Mark are better."
Adam and Tommy both laughed as Tommy parked his jeep. He'd found a spot just down the street from the Rock Pporium. As Tommy turned off the car, the three men climbed out.
"Let's go surprise the girls," Tommy said. "I'll worry about presents later."
Rocky and Adam nodded, following him down the street. When they walked in, they didn't immediately see the kids. Figuring they were out, Tommy decided to wait around a little while to see if they came back. Adam and Rocky started wandering, looking around the shop. Tommy leaned up against the wall, watching the door. Then he caught sight of Leelee walking by with a box. She was wearing the purple uniform shirt. Frowning, Tommy watched her closely. He didn't know that she worked there—though he had heard a little about her from the girls. Some boxes on the counter she was passing moved and Leelee jumped in surprise.
"Hi!" she exclaimed, smiling as she turned around.
The rangers were leaning on the counter, watching her. But Tommy stayed where he was, not wanting to interrupt. None of the rangers had seen him.
"Can the hi's," Vida said shortly. "Why'd you decide to work here?"
"Are you going after Toby?" Madison asked.
"Maybe she's trying to infiltrate the team and take us down one by one," Chip suggested.
Tommy frowned as he listened.
"No, I'm not," Leelee protested. "I just want to be like everyone else. I want to be your friend. Is that so hard to believe?"
"Yes!" all five of the rangers exclaimed.
A beeping ring, which Tommy recognized as coming from their morphers, went off and he quickly shifted away from the door and out of sight.
"Probably your mom now," Nick scowled, heading for the door.
"Leelee, if you want to be like everyone else, go help that customer," Vida smirked, following him.
"But I—" Leelee started to say.
"And could you finish cleaning the kitchen?" Madison interrupted, slipping past her.
"I already started—" Leelee tried again.
"The trash is ready for the dumpster," Chip said, dropping a full trash bag in her arms.
"Yeah, I—" she said.
"Sorry, Leelee," Xander interrupted. "I won't be able to supervise you."
Xander was the last one out the door, leaving Leelee staring after them. Rocky and Adam, seeing the kids leaving, had hurried over to Tommy.
"Should we go after them?" Adam asked.
Tommy didn't answer right away, watching Leelee as she headed to take out the trash.
"Yeah," he finally said. "I need to talk with them. So follow, but don't let them see you. And don't get involved if a fight breaks out. I'll catch up in a few minutes."
Adam and Rocky nodded, taking off after the kids. Tommy headed in the other direction, following Leelee outside. He waited while she tossed the trash in the dumpster. When she turned around she jumped in surprise, not having heard Tommy follow her.
"Umm… Hi," she said hesitantly. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
"We need to talk," Tommy said.
"About what?" she asked warily.
"The rangers," Tommy answered. "And what you're doing here."
She looked at him in surprise.
"Rangers?" she said, trying to act like she knew nothing. "I don't know anything about the power rangers."
"Don't dodge," Tommy said shortly. "I know V, Maddy, Nick, Xander, and Chip are the rangers."
Leelee's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't been expecting to hear that.
"And I have a good idea of who you are," Tommy continued, studying her. "But what I want to know is—what are you doing here?"
Frowning, Leelee bit her lip as she tried to decide whether she could talk to him or not. But Tommy just watched her patiently. Finally Leelee sighed.
"Just what I told them," she said. "I don't want to be like my mom—I just want to be normal. I want to have friends. I don't—I don't have any friends…"
She dropped her gaze, staring down at her feet. Tommy studied her intently, trying to read her intentions. After a moment he relaxed a little.
"I'm not saying they should trust you yet," he said slowly. "But I do think they need to give you a chance to prove yourself."
Leelee's head shot up and she looked at Tommy in complete shock.
"I'll say something to them," he said. "But you're going to have to work for their trust—it's not something to be lightly given."
"I know…" she sighed, ducking her head again. "I just want a chance."
"I know the feeling," Tommy said. "More than you can understand. Now get back to work—I'll handle the rangers."
Without another word, he slipped past her and took off down the street.
It took Adam and Rocky a few minutes to catch up, but they finally found the kids. Staying out of sight, they kept a close eye on what was happening.
"Let the hunt begin," the creature the rangers were approaching said, looking around. "Ah."
He'd seen the rangers. They ran forward, already morphed and ready to fight.
"Stop right there!" Nick shouted.
The five rangers faced him, waiting for him to make a move.
"I am Oculus the Hunter," Oculus said. "And you are my quarry. But I'll make a deal with you."
Exchanging looks, the rangers frowned. Adam and Rocky exchanged looks, too. They didn't like the sound of this.
"A deal?" Madison said.
"What kind of deal?" asked Xander.
"I only want the red ranger," Oculus answered. "If he surrenders to me now, the rest of you will be spared. Interested?"
"Why is it always the red rangers?" Adam muttered to Rocky.
"Hey, it was always Tommy with us," Rocky protested quietly. "Even before he was red."
Adam shrugged, not having an argument to that, and turned his attention back to the kids.
"He's the hunter and we're the prey?" Chip said hesitantly.
"That's right," Oculus said. "And I'm the best. Just surrender, red ranger, and spare me the trouble."
"Forget it!" Nick snapped.
"Yeah!" Vida agreed.
"We don't go down without a fight!" Chip said.
"Ok," said Oculus. "I'll demolecularize your friends one by one with my lasers. If I don't have all four by sundown, I'll surrender. That's the game."
"Well, then game on!" Nick agreed. "Hey!"
Oculus had just disappeared. Adam and Rocky exchanged grim looks. This didn't sound like it was going to end well. And there was still no sign of Tommy.
"Where'd he go?" Vida said, glancing around.
"Something tells me he'll be back," Chip said, looking as well.
Suddenly they could hear Oculus' voice, apparently coming out of thin air.
"Rangers, the hunt is on," he said. "I can be anywhere. I suggest you start running!"
Blasts of magic started shooting toward the rangers. They formed up, facing in the direction the blasts were coming from.
"He's up in the window!" Chip said, pointing.
"He's not so smart after all," Nick scoffed.
"Magi staffs!" they all called.
But even as they blocked the barrage raining down on them, another shot came from behind. It struck Nick in the leg, dropping him to the ground with a cry of pain.
"Nick!" the rangers cried, shifting to defend him.
"That blast came from the other direction," Madison said in surprise. "How?"
"Watch out!" Chip cried, blocking a blast with his staff.
"We gotta get Nick out of here!" Xander cried.
"Come on!" Chip said as they helped Nick up.
They took off, trying to put some distance between them and Oculus. Rocky and Adam looked at each other and then took off after them.
"Use the Ninjetti," Adam said. "It's the only way we're going to keep up without someone seeing us."
"Got it," Rocky agreed.
They followed the kids through the streets as they ran, but they hadn't made it far when Nick's leg gave out again. He'd been leaning on Xander and Chip, but as he stumbled he fell to the ground, slipping out of their grip.
"Nick!" Xander exclaimed.
"My leg!" Nick groaned.
Xander moved to help him back up, then stiffened in surprise as a bolt hit him in the back. The girls gasped as he fell backward, disappearing into thin air.
"Oh no!" Chip said.
"Xander!" Nick cried.
Adam and Rocky stared at the place Xander had just been standing.
"Great," Rocky muttered. "This isn't good. This really isn't good."
"Where's Tommy?" Adam said, glancing around. "He's not going to like this."
"I don't know, but they're on the move again," Rocky said, darting down the street.
And they were. The remaining four rangers were making a break for it. Adam followed Rocky, the pair silently streaking down the street after the rangers.
Tommy jogged quickly through town, looking for any sign of the rangers. But he hadn't even been able to find Rocky or Adam yet.
"Come on, guys," he muttered. "Where are you?"
Hearing shouting and small explosions, Tommy spun and bolted in the direction of the sounds.