It wasn't long before the Rangers found what they were looking for. Los Angeles, despite having one of the richest economies of any city on the planet, boasting a prosperity that was comparable to many countries, it also had one of the largest economic divides in the world. The gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" was no more evident than here, a small encampment by an overpass, a mere handful of miles from some of the richest people in the world.
The camp looked like something they'd have seen on the news from some war zone or disaster zone. Rough, simple shelters had been erected out of cardboard, sheet steel, corrugated iron and various other trash that had been scavenged to keep out the worst of the elements. Massive amounts of blankets and materials were bundled into the shelters and around the camp to create at least some measure of comfort. People gathered around firing barrels, which were being used for heat, and to cook whatever food could be scavenged.
They were parted as a couple of kids ran past, playing a simple game of tag. They didn't seem to register the Rangers at all as they played. One of the most striking things about the people seemed to pay only a passing interest to the Rangers. They kept an eye on them as they came close, but lost interest again just as quickly as they passed, seemingly only caring if they strayed too close to their meagre possessions and their families.
Noah looked down as something squelched under his boot. The ground underfoot was soft and damp in places. He wrinkled his nose as he considered what it might have been. In many ways, he figured it was probably best he didn't know.
"Look at all these people." Noah whispered. "When Cat said there was a camp...I was expecting...there must be a couple of dozen people here at least."
"How does no one notice this?" Jake asked, looking around to where a mother was bundling some rough blankets around her children.
"People don't notice because they don't WANT to notice." Emma sighed. "It's easier to just drive past and pretend places like this exist than it is to do anything about it."
Gia just nodded wordlessly as they continued to look around, hoping to see some signs of the kids, or Lafitte.
"Guys, is anyone suddenly very aware of the fact that we're collectively worth like twenty million?" Jake asked them. They all just turned and glared at him. "What? I'm just saying...that kind of money could go a long way around here."
"Somehow Jake, I don't think most of these people are more worried about whether or not they'll find something to eat today than anything else." Emma told him, gesturing to their clothing. "It's not like we're exactly inconspicuous here, and look, people are barely even looking at us."
"Guys, let's focus." Troy told them. "We need to find those kids. Hey, you, can I talk to you?"
He called out to a man, standing by a firing barrel, reading a book. He was wearing a long, rough woollen coat, and black, woollen fingerless gloves. He had long, greasy hair that had been swept back out of his weather-beaten face. There was a large group of people gathered around him, listening to his reading. Troy had singled him out, because a large number of the campers seemed to be listening to him as he read. He turned towards the Rangers, seeing them approach, and then looked back to his audience.
"We will pick this up again tomorrow evening." He told his listeners, who started to gather up their things and head for their shelters. He looked around to the Rangers and smiled. "Well well, if it isn't the Power Rangers. I am honoured. My name is Raymond."
His tone seemed refreshingly sincere as he greeted them. The Rangers had come to expect a reaction whenever they appeared. Some people were frightened, convinced of the stories that had branded them dangerous, reckless criminals and ran. Others met them with anger and resentment, blaming them for The Armada's campaign of terror, and their oppression. Some continued to see them as heroes, and reacted with excitement or relief, expecting them to deliver them from their problems and seeking to help them. This man seemed a little underwhelmed at having the planet's most wanted fugitives standing a few feet from him, and seemed to just genuinely want to find out what they wanted.
"Hi...um...we were just looking for someone." Noah began. The man just looked at them a little curiously. "Can you help us?"
"I would be only too happy to help if I can." Raymond told them, gesturing around him to people taking refuge in their shelters. "You can understand that some are a little anxious about your presence here."
"We understand. We don't want to bring any trouble." Emma assured him. "We just need to ask you something and then we'll go, we promise."
"We're looking for two kids, a boy and a girl." Troy told him. "Jack and Z..."
"I know them. They are under our care." Raymond confirmed.
"Under your care?" Jake asked. The man just looked back to Jake.
"Our community takes care of each other." Raymond explained. "We find that we are safest if we stay together. Everyone shares what they have, everyone contributes what they can. If everyone contributes equally, everyone benefits equally. That is how we live."
"Have you seen them recently?" Troy asked him. The man just paused to think. He eventually just shook his head.
"I have not seen them since this morning." He informed them. "They went out foraging. I was expecting them back some time ago. I'm beginning to get worried."
Troy was about to explain further, but just then they all heard a huge roar of engines from above them. Looking up, they watched as The Fancy started to shimmer into view as its cloaking device deactivated.
"We need to get out of sight." Troy rushed out. "Raymond, we'll find the kids for you. I promise, but..."
"I have as little desire to see trouble as you do." Raymond told him. "Seek refuge in the shelters. My community will conceal you."
The Rangers all ran off, looking for somewhere to hide, preparing an ambush for Lafitte when he arrived. They suspected that his appearance here meant that he did have the kids, and if that was the case, they suspected he would have no qualms about hiding behind them, using them as a human shield.
As The Fancy landed, and the gang plank opened up, Lafitte walked out with Colo in tow. Colo was carrying a protesting Jack under his arm, while Lafitte had Z held firmly by the scruff of her neck. He gripped the material of her jacket, holding her firm.
"Alright, I brought you...home." Lafitte said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. The camp had a distinct aroma to it, the consequence of the fact that laundry and cosmetic products were something of a secondary concern among the residents. "Now, where are the keys?"
In his hiding space nearby, Troy morphed into Ranger mode, bringing up his pistol, gripping it tightly. He didn't have a clear shot at Lafitte, and he didn't know if any of the others did. It was bad enough that they were still in the camp; the last thing he wanted was to put Jack and Z in danger.
Z just looked up at Lafitte.
"Um...I..."
"I have been very generous already." Lafitte warned her, bringing out his pistol. "I've brought you home like you asked. Now, I am beginning to lose patience."
"It's just...it's kind of a secret." Z told him, looking to Jack. "I have other personal stuff there."
"Well, I doubt you have anything I'm interest..."
"I don't want everyone knowing." She pressed on, signalling him to come down. "I'll whisper it to you."
Lafitte bent down, preparing to listen to Z's instructions. Z took one last glance over to Jack, and nodded to confirm that now was the time. Lafitte felt a hard kick in his shin, and looked around...only to find Z standing nearby.
He felt his trousers being yanked up painfully, crotching him, before he was kicked in the backside, sending him face-first into a dirty puddle. As he looked up, he saw three Z's running away.
Jack phased through Colo's arm and darted off in another direction, leaving the gigantic ape looking completely confused. The hulking henchman helped Lafitte to his feet as the kids disappeared into the maze of shelters.
"You little...do you really think you can get the better of me?" He screamed. He pulled out his trumpet, and slid five Ranger keys into it. Playing a note, the Rangers saw the Silver Space, White Mighty Morphin', Gold Samurai, Green Samurai and the Wild Force Wolf Ranger appeared.
"Go, find them!" He yelled at his puppets. The Puppet Rangers immediately ran off in search of the kids. Just then, he heard a loud blast and looked around to see the Corsair Rangers stepping out of cover. Troy levelled a pistol in Lafitte's direction.
"You're real brave, chasing a couple of kids." Troy taunted him. "How are you against people who can fight back?"
"Why don't you try me and find out?" Lafitte asked him. Troy gestured to the others.
"Go find the kids. Keep Lafitte's puppets off them." Troy told them. "I'll take him."
As the other Rangers ran off to search for the kids, Troy rushed to the attack. As he fired off his pistol though, Colo leapt in the way, intercepting the shots with a huge, brass cymbal. Troy swung wildly with his sword, only for it to be blocked as well. As he struggled against the hulking henchman's inhuman strength, he remembered Cat saying something about being hit with a cymbal.
With a huge heave, Colo shoved Troy, throwing him savagely through one of the makeshift sheds that the campers were using for shelter. He heard a few screams as Colo bellowed out a huge roar.
"What's the matter Lafitte?" Troy asked him as he heaved himself back to his feet. "Are you afraid to face anyone yourself?"
"There's an old saying, why have a dog and bark yourself?" Lafitte said with an arrogant little smirk. "I just happen to have a gorilla, so..."
Colo roared as he barrelled towards Troy. He brought up his weapons only barely able to block in time as the massive creature swung for him with its cymbals. Lafitte just leaned on a wall, watching the battle unfold before him as he pulled out an apple and started to crunch it casually. This was turning out better than he thought.
In another area of the camp, the Wolf Ranger was chasing Z, rounding some trash as she fled for her life. The Puppet face-planted into the dirt as Noah slid out of a side corridor, kicking its feet out from underneath it. He got up, pointing his sword at the Puppet.
"Get out of here kid!" He told the terrified young girl. She just stood, frozen to the spot. "I said GO!"
Z turned and ran off as Noah took on the Wolf Ranger, trading blows with him. He was momentarily distracted as the Silver Space Ranger grabbed Z, causing the girl to scream. He shoved the Wolf Ranger away, before taking aim at the Silver Ranger.
"Damn it, I don't have a shot!" He complained. Before his eyes though, Z just disappeared, leaving him completely confused. The moment passed though when he realised he was now facing off against two Rangers. Silver Space and Wolf Ranger both converted their weapons to sword mode as they approached him.
"We're doing things that way are we?" Noah asked them. He turned his pistol around. "Emma! Switch it up!"
He threw his pistol into the air, and saw a sword flying his way in return. He snatched it out the air, levelling one of them at his opponents, while holding the other behind his back.
"Alright then, let's do this." Noah beckoned them.
Emma meanwhile received Noah's pistol, bringing both of them to bear on the Gold Samurai Ranger. He was moving with impossible speed, blocking her shots as he closed in, but Emma knew that there were people in the surrounding shelters, so she was trying to keep his focus on her.
She was smashed to the ground as he attacked her, before looking around for his quarry. He saw Z breaking cover and running. Emma watched as he brought back his arms, throwing the barracuda blade and its scabbard straight for her.
Emma screamed in determination as she opened fire, hitting the scabbard, sending it spinning harmlessly away from Z, but she missed the Barracuda Blade. Just as it should have struck home though, it passed straight through the girl, who disappeared. Emma saw the opportunity while the Puppet was distracted, hitting it with a salvo of shots.
"She's not here!" Emma called out.
"She's not here either!" Jake yelled as he rounded a corner, firing shots at the White Might Morphin Ranger, who was keeping him pinned down with blasts from Saba. "I'm getting hemmed in guys, one of you will have to find them!"
Meanwhile, Gia was fighting with the Green Samurai, her twin swords whistling through the air as she tried to find a gap in his guard. As he strayed too close to some of the locals, hiding in cover though, she lunged at him, tackling him away from them.
Z and Jack had taken up a hiding spot, watching the battle unfold. They hadn't wanted to bring any trouble to the camp, but within moments of their arrival, the whole camp had descended into a war zone. Jack and Z huddled together.
"Man, this is crazy!" Jack commented. "All of this for a bunch of toys?"
"They're tearing the place apart!" Z told him. "Jack, we have to do something!"
"Like what Z?" He asked her. Z looked over to where Gia was slammed through a firing barrel, tumbling away as she distracted the Green Samurai, letting some campers run from their hiding place. She pulled out the Ranger Keys and sighed, staring at them. She loved the Rangers, she really did. She could remember being unable to stop smiling when she found those figurines, finally able to own some Ranger toys of her own. Now though, it was clear that there was something more to those keys, something she didn't yet understand.
Jack had been on the streets longer than her, and was a lot more cynical and jaded. He had told her more than once that her worship of the Rangers was, as far as he was concerned, foolish. It wasn't as though a Ranger ever showed up and gave them a meal or a night in a warm bed he would always say. As she watched though, she saw Gia taking a lot of punishment, not caring about herself, or fighting to protect herself, but instead was trying to keep his attention away from those trying to flee. Z clutched the keys tightly and looked to Jack.
"Z, I know that look." He said as he tried to reason with her. He was too late though, and she started running. "Z...aw damn it!"
As she ran for Gia, Jack could see the Green Samurai Ranger rounding on her. He started yelling, waving his arms.
"Hey! Over here!" Jack called out as he distracted the puppet. He held up a fist. "You want these? You want what we got? Come and get them!"
The Green Samurai started chasing Jack, leaving the way clear for Z to help Gia. She looked to the Yellow Ranger.
"You...you do care about us." Z stammered. Gia just looked to her in amazement.
"We're here to protect the world, the WHOLE world." Gia told her. "Not just people living in fancy houses."
She struggled to get to her knees, her power levels depleted as a result of the beating. Z just sighed and held out a hand, showing her the keys.
"These will help won't they?" Z asked her. Gia just looked to her.
"Are you sure about this?" Gia asked her. Z just nodded.
"I might want them, but if you use them, then the people I care about will be safe." Z told her. "I guess...I guess that's better than having a few toys."
Gia took the keys from her, accepting them gratefully. They started to glow, at which all but the Yellow SPD Ranger key disappeared from her hand.
"You want to be a Ranger?" Gia asked her. "Find anyone you can, and get them out of here! Things are going to get wild."
Z just nodded in understanding and ran off. Gia got up, taking the Ranger key in hand.
"Now...let's see what the future will bring." She stated, placing the key in her morpher and turning it.