Bursting into Rootcore at a full run, the young rangers skidded to a stop and looked around wildly as they tried to catch their breath. But there was no one to be seen and nothing had changed that they could see.
"I don't see anyone," Vida gasped, still looking around. "What time is it?"
Nick glanced at his watch.
"We still have half an hour," he panted.
The others nodded, moving toward the center of the room where the table and the crystal globe were.
"So where are they, then?" Xander said, wincing as he took a deep breath and putting hand on his side.
"No idea," Madison said breathlessly. "Could they be waiting outside? I mean, they can't get in here without us—can they?"
They all stopped to think about that for a moment.
"You know, I don't know…" Nick said slowly. "But I didn't see anyone outside…"
"We should really ask Udonna about that," Chip commented. "But I hope we didn't miss them…"
"Did the letter say how they were coming?" Vida asked, looking a Chip.
He shook his head as he pulled it back out.
"Nothing," he said. "It just says we had to be here in an hour or we lose our chance."
Nick took a deep breath.
"Well, then all we can do is wait," he said. "We still have twenty-five minutes until it's been an hour. Maybe they're waiting until then. So, in the meantime, we'll wait here to find out."
Reluctantly his teammates nodded. All five of them started drifting around the room, trying to find ways to entertain themselves. Eventually Nick and Xander settled down at the table to play cards. Madison, too nervous to just watch them, grabbed her computer and started editing some of her videos. Chip and Vida, however, couldn't sit still so they continued moving around Rootcore, bouncing from place to place as they tried to contain their nervous energy.
"Where is he?" Vida grumbled a little while later, dropping into a chair at the table. "It's been almost an hour."
"Not here," Nick said irritably. "And I don't think they're coming. I really don't think they can even get in here without our help."
"They have to come," Chip countered. "They said they'd meet us here in an hour."
"No, they said to be here in an hour," Xander corrected, leaning back in his chair. "It never actually said anyone would be here."
"I'm sure they'll be here—" Chip started to protest.
"Hey, guys!" someone said from behind them.
All five of them jumped in surprise and Vida and Chip spun around to look. Xander lost his balance in his chair and tipped it backward, crashing to the ground. Nick leap out of his chair and whipped around to see who had come in. Madison followed suit, nearly knocked over her computer as she jerked to her feet. But it was only Clare, now looking at them in surprise.
"Oh, it's just you, Clare," Vida sighed in relief.
"Is everything alright?" Clare said, looking at them in concern as Xander scrambled to his feet.
"We're fine," Madison quickly reassured her. "We just thought you were—well, someone else…"
"Who?" Clare asked suspiciously.
"Doesn't matter," Nick said, trying to brush it off.
Clare put her hands on her hips.
"Did you think I was Udonna?" she asked. "What did you five break?"
"We didn't break anything," Xander protested. "You just surprised us, that's all."
"Hmm…" she said doubtfully, frowning. "Well, if you say so. I just came to get a few potions."
No one else said anything as she hurried across Rootcore to the potion cupboard. The young rangers just looked around nervously, hoping no one would show up while Clare was still there. They weren't sure how she'd react to strangers just randomly walking in. Finally she left and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Nick looked at his watch again.
"Well, it's been an hour," he announced. "And still no one. He's not coming."
"He has to," Chip insisted. "He said to be here, so he has to show up."
Xander scoffed, crossing his arms.
"It probably wasn't even him who sent the letter," he said. "Someone's just pranking us with that letter."
Chip frowned, shaking his head.
"It can't be prank," he said. "They knew about Rootcore."
"And?" Xander said. "We may not be completely outed, but there are quite a few people in town who know who we are now. Maybe one of them heard about the letters and thought it would be funny to mess with our heads."
"Xander has a point," Nick agreed. "No one is here. This has to be some kind of trick."
"Maybe he's just running late," Vida said, glancing at Chip who didn't look happy. "That doesn't mean he's not really coming. We should give it a few minutes."
Nick shook his head.
"Face it, V," he said. "We're never going to get anywhere with this. They don't want anything to do with us."
She scowled at him, hands on her hips.
"You don't know that," she said defensively. "He gave us the letter after all. You're just uptight because no one immediately came running to meet us."
Nick scowled back.
"Guys, come on," Madison said, inserting herself between Nick and Vida. "There's no need to fight over this. We're already here, so let's wait a while to see what happens."
"Besides, it had to be him," Chip inserted. "It was his seal. He always wore that symbol as a ranger. I would recognize it anywhere."
"And so could hundreds of other people," Xander pointed out. "It's not like it was a secret symbol. He wore it in public. Anyone who's seen stories on the original rangers could have easily copied it and created that letter. I still say it's just a prank."
"I would know if it was a fake," Chip argued. "It is definitely his seal."
"Chip, we're not saying it's not the right seal," Nick said. "Just that maybe he wasn't the one who used it. Think about it. How could he have found our base? None of us have ever met him or told him anything about ourselves—at least not that kind of information. It's just not logical."
"He said he'd been watching us," Vida countered. "And since we had no idea who he was, he could have been around a lot and we'd never have noticed him in the crowds."
"Guys, please," Madison pleaded. "Don't argue."
The sound of someone clearing their throat made them all jump.
"Not exactly the most harmonious team, are you?" someone said behind them.
Not recognizing the voice, all of the rangers spun, looking for the speaker. But there was no one in sight.
"Where are you?" Nick demanded, on the defensive.
"I'm here," the unseen man calmly replied.
The rangers grouped tighter together as they looked around, still not seeing anyone.
"Then why can't we see you?" Nick snapped, clearly on edge now.
The man sighed.
"I'm on the computer," he said patiently.
Spinning to look at Madison's computer, which was sitting open on the table, the rangers stared in surprise. There was indeed a man watching them from her computer screen.
"Greetings," he said, nodding his head.
"Sis, there's a man on your computer," Vida said, glancing to her sister.
Madison nodded mutely, not entirely sure how to respond. But Chip was pointing excitedly as he stammered, momently incoherent.
"That's Andros!" he finally managed to get out.
His teammates all frowned, looking between Chip and the man on the computer.
"Who?" Nick asked.
He hadn't relaxed yet, ready to react in case someone appeared in Rootcore itself.
"The red Space Ranger!" Chip exclaimed excitedly.
Vida, Madison, and Xander took a closer look at the screen, their eyes widening in recognition as they realized Chip was right.
"Red Space Ranger?" Nick repeated, frowning. "But I don't recognize him from the articles you've shown me. He wasn't in the pictures."
"He wasn't there," Chip said, still grinning. "At least he wasn't with the others when they all revealed themselves in front of everyone."
"He came later," Xander agreed. "He was the one who carried the evil space witch off the ship."
On the screen, Andros stiffened and frowned.
"Don't call her that," another man said, appearing on screen next to Andros.
He was dressed in silver, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. The younger rangers looked at him in surprise.
"What?" Xander said uncertainly.
"Don't call her that," the man repeated in a growl. "She's not a witch."
The Mystic Force rangers exchanged confused looks, not understanding what he was talking about.
"Karone is my sister," Andros said. "Yes, she was evil for a time but that was only because she had been brainwashed. I will let it go this time because you did not know, but I will not let it go again."
"Sorry…" the young rangers chorused, all of them slightly embarrassed by their mistake.
"It better not happen again," the other man muttered.
Glaring at them one more time, he spun and stalked away and quickly disappeared from camera view. Andros didn't watch him go, taking a deep breath as he regarded the Mystic Force team.
"Who was that?" Vida asked, glancing between Chip and Andros as she waited for an answer.
Chip shrugged.
"No idea," he said.
"That was Zhane," Andros said after a moment. "My long time partner, our silver ranger—and he is just as protective of my sister as I am. So I would refrain from unnecessary comments."
They nodded and Andros took another deep breath.
"Now," he said briskly. "On to the purpose of this call."
"Great idea," Nick said. "Because I would love to know why you're talking to us when your letter clearly stated you couldn't have anything to do with us until we went through the original red ranger—and I'm pretty sure you're not him."
Andros raised an eyebrow.
"No, I am not," he said. "But I am speaking with you under his orders."
"Fair enough," Nick consented. "But why doesn't he just talk to us himself."
Andros hesitated before answering.
"The situation is complicated," he said slowly. "Part of it is that the original rangers are extremely protective of their identities. He did not want to risk his identity being compromised should someone else happen to intercept the message. There are also several other factors involved which I will not explain here."
"Why?" Xander asked suspiciously.
"Because they are not mine to explain," Andros answered shortly. "Now, I am here for a purpose. The five of you wish to meet with him, so I am here to arrange the meeting."
"Really?" Chip said excitedly.
Andros nodded.
"Yes," he said. "And before I go any further, let me remind you all that you get one chance. You have pushed the boundaries of proper procedure with your letters and tested the patience of many rangers. Do not take this lightly."
The young rangers frowned, exchanging looks. But Andros didn't give them a chance to argue.
"Now," he said. "If you still wish to meet the original rangers, the meeting will take place this Saturday afternoon."
"That quickly?" Madison said in surprise. "That's only two days away."
Andros nodded.
"He sees no reason to delay any longer. Is that a problem?"
"No," Chip said quickly. "Not a problem. Saturday afternoon is fine. What time?"
"Two o'clock," Andros answered.
"I think we can manage that," Nick said, nodding. "Where at?"
"The museum on the outskirts of Reefside," said Andros.
Nick stiffened, his eyes narrowing.
"Not a chance," he scowled, crossing his arms. "The Dino Thunder rangers threatened us!"
Andros sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.
"Yes," he said. "We are aware of that and the issue has been—dealt with—as best we are able to for the moment. They will not threaten you again, or attack you, without legitimate provocation."
"Still not happening," Nick said adamantly, shaking his head. "They'll just have to meet us somewhere else."
Andros raised an eyebrow, settling back in his chair.
"And if I tell you they won't?" he asked. "I was not lying when I told you this is your one chance. If you choose not to go to the museum then there will not be a meeting."
Nick continued to stand with his arms crossed, but the rest of the team exchanged looks.
"Come on, Nick," Chip pleaded. "This is our shot. We've gotta go."
"Chip is right," Vida agreed. "And if Andros says Dino Thunder will leave us alone, then I say we go for it."
Nick hesitated, clearly not happy about the current situation. Andros waited patiently for an answer.
"They threatened us, V," Xander pointed out. "And I don't think they'd be happy to find out we're on their turf."
Vida shot a glare at him, but Xander stood firm with Nick.
"Nick, please," Madison said softly, putting a hand on his arm. "This means a lot to all of us. Let's go. And, if something happens, we'll get out of there as fast as we can. It can't hurt to try."
Taking a deep breath, Nick finally relented.
"Fine," he said reluctantly. "We'll go. But nothing had better happen."
"The young rangers will not be told you are in the area," Andros informed him. "And, if they somehow find out, you need not worry about them crossing him to that extreme. He's irritated enough about their letter—they won't push the boundaries too far."
Nick nodded. He still didn't look happy, and neither did Xander, but the other three were smiling a little again.
"Now before I go," Andros continued. "I want to impress on the five of you again how seriously you need to take this. For any rangers who have not already been exposed to allow you to know their identities is a great leap of faith. You must prove to them you are worthy of that trust before you will be allowed to meet or know of anyone else."
"We will," Chip said eagerly.
Andros smiled faintly at the yellow ranger.
"Being a power ranger is a great responsibility," he said. "The position you have been given is not to be taken lightly. The protection of our cities and the worlds is a serious duty that asks a lot of any of us."
Behind Andros, the Mystic Force rangers saw two other people enter the room Andros was sitting in. One was a woman dressed in pink while the other was a man dressed in blue. They were talking about something, but stopped when they saw Andros at the computer. He didn't appear to have noticed they had entered the room.
"The original rangers have taken on that responsibility to an extent none of the rest of us have," Andros continued. "And each of them has demonstrated time and again that they are willing to do the same once more should the need arise. You would do well to follow their example."
The man behind Andros was grinning now and elbowing the woman, who was shaking her head but laughing at the same time. As they watched, he started making funny faces toward Andros' back and the camera. The young rangers tried to keep straight faces and not laugh as Andros continued speaking without acknowledging what was going on behind him.
"I am not saying you have not accomplished a great feat as rangers in your own right," Andros clarified. "However, you are the latest edition to the ranger legacy and it is your responsibility to uphold the legacy previous teams have left. There is always someone watching—whether they know about you or not—and it is imperative that you always act appropriately."
Nick frowned and started to ask a question, but Andros held up a hand. Behind him, the man had started trying to give Andros bunny ears and the woman was giggling harder. Spinning quickly around, Andros glared at the pair.
"TJ, knock it off!" he snapped. "I'm in the middle of a meeting."
The man froze momentarily, caught in the act. Then he relaxed, frowning.
"Meeting?" he said. "What meeting?"
Andros raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. TJ moved closer, leaning in to the computer to take a look. Seeing the Mystic Force rangers looking back at him, his eyes widened and he scrambled backward a few steps.
"This is live?" he asked, looking at Andros in surprise. "I thought you were just going to record your message!"
Andros rolled his eyes.
"Of course it's live," he said. "How else was I supposed to make sure it worked?"
TJ groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.
"Just great," he muttered. "Falcon is never going to let me live this down…"
"Mmm hmm," Andros agreed. "And just wait until Rex hears about this—he's not going to be happy."
TJ paled.
"Aww, you wouldn't," TJ sputtered. "Come on, man. Rex is gonna kill me!"
Andros just smirked in response. Whipping his head around, TJ started backing away. The woman had already bolted from the room.
"What was that?" TJ called behind him. "Coming, Ashley! I'm out of here…"
He disappeared from the screen. Taking a deep breath, Andros turned back to face the young rangers. They were all looking at him in surprise.
"I apologize," he said.
"Who was that?" Xander asked.
"TJ," he sighed. "My blue…And the woman was my pink, Cassie…"
"Well, they seem—nice," Vida said, still trying not to snicker.
Andros took another deep breath.
"Yes, well," he said, trying to collect himself. "As I was saying, being a ranger is a serious commitment. Yes, we still have fun with each other—as you just saw—but it's part of your responsibility to know when the behavior is appropriate in any given situation. Not everything is what you think it is."
"What do you mean by that?" Madison asked, frowning.
But Andros shook his head.
"It doesn't matter right now," he said. "The point is, you don't know the whole story and some of the things you think you know are wrong."
The young rangers exchanged confused looks, still not sure what the red ranger was talking about.
"Now," Andros said briskly, getting back to business. "Saturday at 2pm at the museum outside of Reefside. Remember, only your team is welcome at this meeting. If anyone else is present you will never see them. Understood?"
"Understood," Nick said, nodding.
"Then I will say farewell for now," Andros said. "Good luck to you and may the Power protect you."
And then he was gone and they were left looking at a blank computer screen. For a few moments, none of them spoke. Then everyone started talking at once.
"Alright!" Nick exclaimed after a moment. "Guys, calm down."
His teammates quieted down, turning to look at their leader.
"We need to talk to my parents," he said once he had their attention. "We're going to go through with this one way or another, but they need to know what's going on."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Leanbow is probably training with Daggeron," Xander said.
"And Udonna should be out with Clare," Chip added.
"So let's call them for a meeting," Vida suggested. "The sooner, the better."
The rest nodded in agreement.
"And just think," Madison said before they scattered, smiling. "We're going to be meeting the original rangers."