QUEST FOR THE LUNATI TREASURE
Episode #3
"Gone in 60 Seconds"

Evan Yukito always fancied himself as a great liberator. He took extreme pride in his work and he was very accomplished, even if few knew he existed. His job afforded him anonymity that he was sure most would envy. Every day he could be someone different, taking on a new role, playing the perfect game.

Evan Yukito was a thief.

Since the age of sixteen, Evan had his career all mapped out. While other teens were begging their parents for cars and new clothes, Evan was snatching the cash from those parents' back pockets. But as he grew older, the jobs got more complicated. The stakes were raised and things became more dangerous. It was an occupational hazard that Evan faced head-on. In fact, he reveled in it. The excitement of always being on the verge of capture almost matched the joy he felt to finally get his hands on his spoils.

"Yukiiii."

Evan opened his eyes at the sound of her gentle whine. As his lids fluttered open, he saw her leaning over him, showing off her impatience.

"What is it?" he spoke, nonchalantly.

"I'm bored," the beautiful young woman spoke, as she frowned. "I want to shop!"

Evan sighed, as he unclasped his hands from behind his head and sat upright on the black leather couch, moving his feet, which had been propped up on the clear glass coffee table sitting in front of him. He rested his elbows on his knees and looked back at her.

"We can't spend anything until Taiyami gets back," Evan said, calmly.

His female companion dropped her shoulders in annoyance, kneeling into the couch next to him.

"What could be taking him so long, Yuki?" she said, as she rested her head on Evan's shoulder.

Yuki. It was a pet name that had annoyed him when Miko first used it, after knowing him for only two days. But, after two years, it had grown on him. Although, no one else dared utter it in his presence. Miko was a soft soul and it certainly fit her persona. Her delicate features always impressed him. She excelled at never receiving a mark or scratch despite the danger of their work. Her creamy skin fit her Asian features. Her eyes were such a dark shade of blue that they appeared almost black. They were contacts, of course, but she never left home without them. After all, they accentuated her outfits, which were always tinted black or blue and sometimes a mixture of both, like today.

As Miko rested her head on his shoulder, Evan couldn't help but take her in. The gold necklace, his first gift to her, dangled around her neck. Her white sports bra was clearly visible underneath her black cotton dress shirt. Only three buttons at her midsection kept her midriff concealed. She playfully tugged on the bottom of her black pleated miniskirt as she kneeled on the couch. A thin navy blue stripe extended around the bottom of the miniskirt, in a zigzag pattern. Her knee-high white socks also sported blue stripes near the top. Finished off with black patten leather shoes, Miko looked perfect.

Evan reached a hand up to her face, brushing a few strands of her jet-black hair away from her eyes, which she batted, despite knowing that it never swayed him. He ran a finger along her cheek and gently tugged at her chin.

"Patience, Miko...patience," he said. "You know we can't spend our payment until the job's officially done. Besides, it's a long trip from Hawaii."

"Not for Taiyami," she countered.

At that moment, they heard the front door of their two-story Japanese-styled base of operations. They both stood up instinctively, as the door swung open several feet away from them, thanks to a gust of strong wind. Miko smiled brightly as they watched their previously mentioned comrade seemingly ride in on a swift wind gust, a complete blur until he came to a stop.

"Is it done?" Evan asked, as the ancient ninja walked towards them, his white furry collar still blowing a bit in the wind.

"Yes," he said, his voice low and dark, yet smooth, rippling with confidence.

As he spoke, the golden y-shaped faceplate on his helmet seemed to get brighter.

"Drakar was pleased with our work," Taiyami explained.

"Good!" Miko squealed. "That means it's time to start the shopping spree!"

"I knew everything would go smoothly," Evan said, with a proud sigh.

He heard a slight grumble coming from his male comrade. Before he could inquire about it, another newcomer greeted them. With its wings flapping wildly, the great blue owl came swooping through the doorway, zipping between the three of them.

"Waza!" Miko yelled the creature's name, as she covered her head, making sure that none of his stray blue or white feathers landed in her hair.

"Calm down," Evan ordered. "What is it?"

The elderly fowl never flew so wildly unless he was fleeing danger or had vital information to share with the team. Waza landed on the back of the couch, making sure not to plant his claws deep enough to pierce the leather. The three other members of Dark Shadow gathered around him. They were all curious, as they waited for the flying creature to catch its breath.

"We have a problem," the owl spoke, still trying to calm his breathing.

"What?" Miko wondered aloud.

"The crown...it was a fake!"

Evan said, "That's impossible!"

"It can't be," Miko added.

"It is," Waza confirmed. "I saw the real thing. Hartford's people replaced the original with a fake."

"They deceived you!" Taiyami said to Evan, defiantly.

"I can't believe this," Evan said, as he pounded his fist into his open hand. "No one tricks us!"

"Us?" Taiyami said. "It was your job to steal the crown. It was you that was tricked."

"Dark Shadow is a team, Taiyami," Miko said, as she placed a gentle hand on Evan's shoulder and sighed, "We were all deceived. I guess that means no shopping spree."

"Wait," Evan said, as his eyes widened a bit. "Taiyami, you said Drakar was satisfied with the crown you gave him? Maybe he doesn't know it was a fake."

A slight rumble was heard coming from just outside the secluded structure. All at once, a swarm of Draggs stormed into Dark Shadow's lair, grunting furiously. As Drakar's crimson warriors began to surround the four members of Dark Shadow, each wielding flame-shaped swords, Miko pouted.

"I think he knows," she said.

The members of Dark Shadow began to spread out. As he saw Waza levitate into the air and Taiyami take a defensive stance, Evan placed a protective arm in front of Miko, while holding the other up in the air, motioning for no one to move.

"Hold on," he said, calmly as he glanced at everyone.

Evan walked a bit closer to the Draggs, which only seemed to rile them up more. He flashed a cordial smile.

"What are you doing?" Taiyami called out to him.

"Everyone, just stay calm," Evan said, gesturing towards the creatures. They seemed to take a few steps back. "We've all been misled here. We're in the same boat."

The Draggs lowered their weapons a bit. Evan turned his head towards Taiyami.

"See?" he said to his hulking blue comrade. "We all speak the same language."

As he turned back to the Draggs, there was nothing but silence, as the creatures glanced amongst themselves. The one standing in front of Evan looked back at him first. Evan smiled warmly. The Dragg's head leaned towards Evan. His mouth opened quickly, causing a stream of fire to come spewing out. Evan's reflexes kicked in instantly, as he dropped his body to the floor, barely dodging the flame and colliding with the wooden floor below.

"Okay...maybe not thesame language," he grunted, as he rolled across the floor and flipped to his feet.

At the sound of the words, Taiyami pulled his twin blades from behind his back and slightly tilted his head, eyeing his prey. Using his advanced speed, he flashed through six of the Draggs, before any of them could even advance towards him. They all stood still, stunned as Taiyami appeared to become one with the wind itself, whizzing past them.

As he came to a stop, on one knee, still holding tightly to his swords, time itself appeared to stop for a moment. After a second, the six Draggs exploded from the inside, thanks to the damage done by his lightning-fast attack. He returned to his feet and turned to face his prey, as they fell around him, turning to ash before they hit the floor.

Three of the fiery creatures sprinted towards Evan. He backed himself further away from the door. Evan ducked as one of the Draggs swung at him with its blade. With its body left vulnerable, he swung his fist, colliding quickly with the creature's face, sending it flying backwards into the far wall. He flipped over the heads of the other two, scoring a spin kick on one, while ducking the sword of the other. He quickly grabbed the third creature's arm, flipping it over to the ground and punching its chest hard enough to make the Dragg squeal. Evan smirked, never more thankful for his ninjutsu training.

Several feet away, another Dragg was going after Miko. As it brought its weapon down towards her, she brought her wrists together in an x-formation, blocking the attack, as she kicked the creature in the midsection, knocking him away. Another Dragg, however, was right behind that one. This one slashed at her. As she staggered backwards, barely dodging the assault, she bumped into the wall behind the leather sofa. A reflexive yelp shout out of her mouth as her head hit the wall.

The Dragg seemed to cackle, as it came closer. At that moment, the fluttering form of Waza began to viciously claw at the creature's face, backing it away from Miko. Once she saw her flying friend intervene, Miko smiled. She turned to the wall behind her and glanced at the two wooden bo staves hanging there. She grabbed one of them and swung it at the creature's head, sending the Dragg flying backwards onto the floor.

As she saw two more approaching, she hopped over the couch. Standing on the cushions, she handled the weapon with experience, tactfully spinning it, striking both Draggs in a matter of seconds.

On the other side of the room, Waza was feeling more courageous than he had in years after helping Miko fend off one of the creatures. He found himself fluttering around another, violently pecking at the creature, until it jumped right through one of the life-sized windows that lined the outer wall of Dark Shadow's base. Waza chuckled, as he watched the creature fall off the cliff where the two-story house sat and crash into the ravine below.

As the battles inside continued to rage, Waza's gaze rested on another creature who he saw approaching Dark Shadow's door. He spun to face the door, just as the fiery form of Drakar appeared there. After taking in the battleground before him, he grumbled loudly.

"Stop!" Drakar yelled furiously.

Everyone within earshot obeyed and all eyes fell on the volcanic creature, as he stepped further inside.

Evan glanced around at his comrades, then stepped forward.

"Drakar—" he began to speak.

Drakar put up his hand, signaling for Evan to stay quiet.

"Dark Shadow, you have failed," he spoke, forcefully, as he revealed the crown in his other hand.

He held the relic up to Evan's eye level.

"This crown is not of the Lunati," Drakar announced.

Deciding to tempt fate, Evan took a deep breath and spoke, "Are you sure?"

Drakar let out a low moan of disdain, then used his power over the element of fire to melt the crown in the palm of his hand, surprising Evan.

"The Lunati treasure cannot be destroyed so easily," he said, angrily. "I gave you a substantial amount of gold, which I took great care to hide before becoming trapped in that volcano. You brought me trash!"

"We were deceived, clearly," Evan admitted, quickly. "But, can't we look on the bright side? I mean, we still set up the surveillance system inside the Hartford mansion like you requested."

"Where is my gold?" Drakar asked, impatiently.

Evan sighed, "Dark Shadow doesn't offer refunds."

Drakar stepped close to Evan, placing a hand on one of the two silver blades he kept sheathed behind his back. The other members of Dark Shadow took defensive stances once again, but Evan put up a hand, halting them.

"However...we do offer guarantees," Evan said to Drakar, with a smile. "We've been dishonored. Allow us to correct the situation...at no extra cost."

Drakar, still fuming, looked around at how few of his Draggs were left. He slowly moved his hand away from his sword and stepped away from Evan.

Drakar spoke, "I warn you not to cross me again."

"We wouldn't dream of it," Evan said.

Without another word, Drakar turned on his heels and stormed out of the entrance, followed closely by his remaining Draggs. Once they were out of earshot, Evan turned to face Dark Shadow and took a deep breath.

"All things considered, I think that went well."

As he flashed his mischievous grin, Taiyami grumbled under his breath, upset that Yukito had not severed ties with Drakar completely...or at least destroyed him.

As Jessica Lorrie descended the large staircase inside the Hartford Mansion, she was always careful, given their steep nature. Once she got further down the long white staircase, she saw a shadow approaching the bottom step. As Chris Hartford came into view, Jessica noticed he was holding one of the home's cordless phones and giving her a surprised glance.

"You're not gonna believe this!" Chris exclaimed.

"What?" Jessica said, looking curious as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She rested her elbow on the banister.

"I just got a call from the electronics store where I bought all my stuff," Chris started.

"Let me guess," she said, with a smirk. "They're repossessing it all!"

"No," Chris said, with a scowl. "They were calling to ask if I was gonna fill out a police report."

"A police report?" Jessica asked, as her accent made her sound more concerned than curious.

"Yeah. Apparently the delivery truck was hijacked a couple of minutes after it left the store," Chris said, looking confused.

Jessica's face soon matched his, as she began to understand what he was trying to say.

"Are they sure it was hijacked before the delivery?" she asked.

"Positive," Chris said. "And listen to this. The hijackers were described as an elderly Asian man and a young Asian woman."

"The Changs?"

"Who knew two thieves could be so good at setting up electronics," Chris said, as his mind wandered. "I'm so glad I didn't leave them a tip."

"This makes no sense," Jessica said, as her own mind was racing.

She passed by Chris, turning her back to him as she pondered the situation.

"I know," Chris said. "Who steals a truck full of merchandise and then delivers it?!"

A light bulb went off in Jessica's head. She turned to Chris, allowing him to see the epiphany on her face.

"Because they wanted something more valuable," she said, as she walked up to Chris smiling.

Chris, however, didn't seem to understand, as he stood, still confused.

"What's more valuable than five thousand dollars worth of electronics?" he wondered aloud.

"The Lunati Crown!" Jessica said, resisting the urge to punch him. "This is all starting to make sense. They were the only ones in the house besides us and Spencer. It had to be them."

"But what would they want with the crown?" Chris asked.

Before Jessica could form an opinion, they heard a creaking door at the rear of the mansion. Standing by the staircase, they peered down the hallway next to it. At the very back of that hallway, they could see into the rear of the kitchen, where the back entrance was opening. The appearance of a set of wheels informed them of who had arrived.

"Hello, hello," Spencer called out, as he pushed Ian Hartford's wheelchair further into the house.

Chris looked confused, as he turned and glanced at the front entrance to the mansion.

"Spencer, the front door's been fixed," Chris said, remembering Bishop Malcolm's explosive entrance. "Why'd you drive all the way around the back?"

Spencer continued to wheel Dr. Hartford down the hallway, approaching the two by the staircase.

"I'm aware, Master Chris," Spencer said, as he glanced down at Dr. Hartford.

"I had the ramp installed in the back for a reason," Ian announced. "I don't need to broadcast my condition to the world."

"How are you Dr. Hartford?" Jessica asked, warmly.

"I could be better," he said, as he glanced into the living room, which was located off to the left of the staircase.

"I can explain," Chris said with a sigh, knowing his father would see his new acquisitions.

"No need," Spencer interjected.

"Spencer's filled me in...on everything," Ian said, as he looked up at his son. "Although I wonder why you'd buy all that stuff if you're so eager to get back to school. In fact, I'm surprised you're even here."

Chris' frown turned to fury.

"Maybe I would have left, if I hadn't come home to an invasion!" he snapped back.

"In somewhat related news," Jessica spoke, in an effort to cool the tension, "We think we've pinpointed who stole the fake crown."

"Let me guess," Spencer surmised, "Mr. Chang and his lovely daughter?"

"Bingo," Jessica said.

"I wonder how they got in the house," Ian said, sarcastically, as he shot his son another glance. "Spencer, I'm going to my office. Bring my meds when it's time."

Ian turned the chair on his own, but Spencer quickly applied the brakes.

"Sir, Dr. Mitchell said you should get your rest. You've just been released from the hospital!" he objected. "I've already set up the guest bedroom here on the first floor until the elevator can be properly installed."

"Spencer, I'm going to my office!" Ian said, showing his annoyance. "Jessica and I have work to discuss."

Spencer grumbled, as Ian released the brake on his wheelchair. Jessica took a deep breath and manned the wheelchair, pushing Dr. Hartford back towards the rear of the house where his office was located. Once they were out of sight, Chris shook his head.

"I'm so outta here," he said, practically shoving the cordless phone into Spencer's chest.

Chris stormed out of the front door of the mansion, leaving Spencer alone in the foyer. He let out a large sigh.

"Welcome home," he grumbled to himself, sadly.

On the outskirts of Silver City sat an abandoned cave. Not many knew that inside the massive rock structure was a system of winding caves. A few of the twists and turns of that cave system led to large caverns where the three inhabitants of the structure led their daily lives. On this day, two of those inhabitants found themselves walking through the caves. With each footstep grinding into the gravel and dirt of the cave floor, they trudged forward, heading for the largest interior cavern, the dwelling of their leader.

"All right," Bishop Malcolm spoke to his sister, who was walking at his side, keeping pace with his brisk movement. "If things get tense in there, just stay close."

Addie chuckled.

"Tense?" she repeated. "This is Tarok we're talking about. Tense is his middle name...if he had a middle name...or even a last name."

To prevent the ramble that he knew would continue, he stopped and grabbed her arm.

"Addie, listen to me. Keep your guard up. I mean it," Bishop said, sternly.

"I know," Addie said, nodding her head and giving him a serious look that proved to him she was paying attention.

Bishop nodded back and they continued on their way until they reached Tarok's cavern. Inside, they could hear the mumbles of the white Karths. A half dozen of the stone creatures were scurrying about excitedly. In the middle of their tribal pacing Tarok stood with his back to the cavern entrance. His head was raised to the sky, as his robed arms hovered, outstretched from his body.

The Malcolms had learned never to interrupt Tarok's meditation, but they had been summoned. Before they could even announce their arrival, they saw Tarok's head lower. The long slender white hat he wore gave away his head movements. As his arms also lowered, the Karths all grew quiet.

"You have been granted a reprieve," his steely voice spoke, in a practical whisper.

Bishop & Addie exchanged curious glances.

"Tarok, we tried to get the crown but it was gone," Bishop explained. "Someone else beat us to it."

Tarok slowly turned to face them. His icy stare seemed to pass right through them as if they weren't even there.

"Someone is playing games with us," Tarok said, as he slowly walked over to the side of the massive cavern, where his stone altar sat.

"Whoever took it is good," Addie said. "We picked up the crown's signature on our trackers the entire time. We thought for sure that it was in the mansion."

"Maybe we should start focusing on the other pieces of the treasure—" Bishop spoke, but was soon cut off by Tarok, who slammed his fist on the altar.

"I want my crown!" he shouted. "It doesn't matter how many thieves join this hunt. I will retrieve what belongs to me. If the crown's signature was there, then the crown is there."

"But...I told you, it wasn't," Bishop said, impatiently. "The Red Ranger was just as shocked as I was that it was gone. You weren't there. You didn't see the look on his face."

Tarok chuckled, surprising the two. He turned to face them.

"Maybe next time I will be there," Tarok said. "The Lunati crown will be mine again and I will destroy anyone who stands in my way."

Tarok raised his fist to his face, showing the Malcolms his clenched hand, just as blue electrical surges began to cover the fist, causing him to smile.

It was all quiet inside the lair of Dark Shadow. Even as Taiyami used his ancient mastery of the mystic arts to repair the broken window at the front of their home, no sound passed. As she sat on the couch, with Waza perched behind her, Miko watched Evan pace in a straight line, back and forth, with one arm across his chest and the other resting on it at the elbow, allowing him to rub his chin. She knew he was deep in thought. It had been almost an hour since the pacing started and little did she know it was about to come to an end.

Evan stopped, even drawing Taiyami's attention. He turned to his comrades and flashed a smile.

"Okay, we know where the crown is, right?"

"Yes," Waza answered quickly. "I sat on the tree outside of the office window. I saw the butler place the real crown in the safe there. I even noted the combination."

"Good," Evan said, "Then I say we go back in, as soon as possible, before they think of moving the crown again."

"It will feel good to do battle, given the advanced technology you saw when you were there last," Taiyami said, with a nod.

"No!" Evan said, "We're going in quiet."

"That did not work so well the last time," Taiyami countered, annoyed at Evan's logic.

"It doesn't mean we abandon our ways," Evan said, forcefully, "Dark Shadow doesn't leave a trail, that includes revealing our true selves to our targets."

"If we simply destroy them, the crown will be ours and we can finish this job, once and for all!" Taiyami said angrily. "Dark Shadow answers to no one...not even you!"

"You're right," Evan said, seriously. "Dark Shadow's a democracy, so why don't we put it to a vote? All those in favor of doing this as quietly as possible, raise your hands."

Evan quickly raised his own. Miko tried not to stare at Taiyami too long. They had known each other since she was a child and he always had his ways of influencing her when she looked at him. She raised her hand, while simultaneously lowering her head. Waza raised a wing and Evan smiled and Taiyami moaned in disappointment.

"I guess I'll dust off the costumes," Miko said, as she saw the outcome of the vote.

"We'll only need one," Evan said, as he looked to Taiyami. "The Changs are retired. Plus, that fat suit was itchy and I'm not smuggling the crown out this time."

"Huh?" Miko uttered in confused.

"I was just thinking," Evan said, as he walked over to Taiyami, facing him. "We could use a...bigger distraction. You want a fight, Taiyami? I think it's time we gave you one."

Taiyami slowly nodded, curious as to what Evan was planning. Evan slowly walked away from him and stepped up to the once-broken window. He took a deep breath and then turned back to face his comrades.

"In fact, I think we should call on a few more reinforcements," Evan said, remembering his earlier battle. "If Drakar wants that crown, he's gonna have to step up to the plate."

As Evan folded his arms and gave them a wide smile, each member of Dark Shadow wondered exactly what he was planning.

Back at the Hartford estate, Jessica carefully wheeled Dr. Hartford into his large office. As they passed through the double doorway and Jessica paused to pull the doors behind them, Ian looked around. His office had changed since the last time he was there. All of the collected relics that he had amassed over his career now adorned the walls on both sides of him. They had previously decorated his living room. He sighed, as he could feel Jessica taking control of the chair again, pushing him towards his desk. He quickly transferred his focus to his computer and getting back to work.

But as they got closer to the large wooden desk, Ian noticed the medium-sized brown package sitting next to the flatscreen computer monitor. Jessica pushed him right up to the front of the desk, as she strolled behind it.

"What's this?" he asked.

"It arrived this morning from Japan," Jessica said, with a slight twinkle in her eye.

Knowing the location was the only hint Ian needed.

"It's from Search Guard Successor?"

"Yep," Jessica confirmed, as she closed the curtains attached to the large picture window behind Hartford's desk. She slid into leather desk chair and activated the computer terminal, as she gave him a curious glance. "I didn't know you contacted them for more equipment."

"Actually," Ian said, showing his first smile since his homecoming, "I requested it a while ago. I wasn't expecting them to ship it so quickly. It's certainly going to come in handy, though, under the circumstances."

As he said the word circumstances, Jessica saw him glance down at his legs with sorrow.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked suspiciously.

Ian looked up at her.

"Doing what?"

"Continuing the search for the other relics," she asked.

"You know why," Ian said, looking almost shocked that she'd ask. "We've been throught this. We can't let the Lunati treasure fall into corrupt hands. It's too powerful. We have the crown and we also know Tarok isn't the only one after the treasure anymore. We have an obligation—"

"Sir, you didn't hire me because I'm an idiot," Jessica cut him off.

Ian's glare rested on her eyes and he knew instantly this showdown would be a stalemate. Her intelligence and perseverance were in full force, he thought. He took a deep breath.

"Jess, you and I both know the power of the Lunati treasure," Ian explained, "If it can somehow help me walk again, don't I have an obligation to use it?"

Jessica was stunned. She began to realize why Hartford had Spencer install ramps only at the rear of the mansion, out of the public's eye. He wasn't embarrassed over his condition. He was planning to change it before anyone noticed.

"I can't believe you'd actually contemplate activating it. That wasn't part of the original plan. You wanted to secure the treasure to protect it, not use it. You don't know it's true power! None of us do. That's why we want to keep it from being used."

"I'm not Tarok," Ian said, with fierce determination. "I need my legs back, Jessica. Without them, I've got nothing left. My career is over."

"That's ridiculous. Look around you at all the artifacts you've found. You're a world-renowned archaeologist! You've built an entire organization to protect some of the world's greatest treasures. You can do just as much good in here, as you can out there," Jessica replied.

"It's not the same and you know it. I know this isn't what you originally signed up for, but I still need to find those relics before Tarok or anyone else does. The world could be looking at eminent destruction if we don't keep them safe," Ian spoke somberly.

Jessica took a deep breath, still staring at him. She didn't want to drop this discussion, despite his attempt. She narrowed her eyes on him for a second and then shook her head. She turned to the flatscreen monitor.

"I've already taken the crown off of your orbital satellite's radar," she said, quietly, "It should make it a bit easier to hone in on the other Lunati signatures, but it's still going to take time, depending on where they're located. It shouldn't take me long to patch your terminal into the computer systems in the basement, though. You'll have full access from here, until the elevator's installed."

Ian's face softened, as did his expression.

"Thank you, Jessica."

Outside of the office doors, Spencer stood. Having overheard their entire discussion, he leaned against the wall next to the door and let out a quiet sigh, one born of sorrow, frustration and fear for his employer. As his head rested on the wall, his eyes veered to the front doors to the mansion. Large windows were present on each side of the doors. Through the glass, Spencer could see Chris Hartford sitting on the side of the concrete fountain that helped form the circle-shaped driveway in front of the house. Spencer sighed again.

As Chris sat on the concrete ledge around the working fountain, he played with a small rock from the ground. Deep in thought, he never heard the approaching footsteps. The first thing he saw was the cordless phone placed in front of his face. He glanced to his side to see Spencer was still holding it.

"What's that for?" Chris asked, when he noticed it wasn't on.

"I figured you'd want to phone the airlines to book your return flight to Florida," Spencer said sarcastically, as he sat down next to Chris.

Chris huffed, knowing Spencer's intent.

"What else am I supposed to do?" he asked, angrily. "He doesn't want me here unless I turn into his servant, doing his bidding at the drop of a hat!"

"I will try not to take offense at that remark," Spencer said, nudging Chris on the shoulder.

"You know what I mean, Spencer," Chris said.

"I do and your father is pursuing a good cause," Spencer said. "He wouldn't want you to stay if he didn't trust in your ability, if he didn't need you."

"Yeah. Need me to risk my life for some rusty old treasure."

"Master Chris, I can't tell you what to do and your father's certainly learned he can't either," Spencer explained, "But, I can tell you that over the course of the last few months I've learned that the Lunati treasure is the most powerful thing I've ever heard of and I've been around a long time. It's very important that it remain out of evil hands."

Spencer glanced over at Chris to see if he was listening.

"Of course, only you can decide what's best for you."

"I'm not sure I can live with him anymore, not after everything that's happened," Chris said, somberly.

"I know you're still hurting over your mother, but you both are, even though you each choose to ignore that fact," Spencer said.

"He was going to lie to me for the rest of my life," Chris said, as his sadness mixed with anger. "How could a father lie to his child about something so precious and how can you defend him?"

"Your father is a great man," Spencer replied, "But even great men have their flaws. That is how I see your father."

Spencer stood up and turned towards the house.

"And that is how I see you," he said, as he patted Chris on the shoulder and began walking back to the mansion.

Chris watched Spencer as he walked onto the porch and into the mansion, closing one of the doors behind him. Chris sighed, as he pondered Spencer's words. A few moments later, he heard a whistle in the distance. He turned his head towards the fence that surrounded his family's property.

His face brightened as he saw a blond-haired woman peering through the metal bars of the fence, waving in his direction.

"Yoo-hoo," she called out. "Excuse me, but my car broke down a little down the road. I could really use some help."

Chris smiled, as he jumped to his feet and jogged over to the fence. He couldn't see her eyes behind her thick sunglasses, but he didn't need to in order to call her a beauty.

"How may I be of service?" he asked, with a wink.

"Flat tire," the beautiful motorist whimpered, as she pointed to her black car in the distance. "And silly me, I forgot my cell phone and I didn't have any way to call for assistance."

Chris smiled widely, as he began to scale the fence, which seemed to startle the damsel in distress.

"You couldn't just open them?" she asked aloud.

She appeared a bit annoyed as Chris made his way to her side of the fence.

"Oh come on," he said, "You gotta admit, that looks a lot more heroic."

"We'll see if you're a hero," she said as she locked arms with him and began guiding him towards her car.

As they got closer, she glanced back at the fence surrounding the Hartford mansion and sighed. Chris knelt beside her tire and examined the large slash that effectively allowed all of the air to escape it.

"Wow, this looks almost like a knife cut right through," he announced curiously. "You got a spare?"

"In the trunk, I think," the motorist said, demurely, as she looked completely clueless.

Chris opened the trunk and first grabbed the tire iron to loosen the flat tire. When he returned to the front of the car where the slashed tire was located, he noticed the young woman was now seated on the hood, with her legs crossed, watching him with her red-colored lips.

"Be careful with that thing," she said.

"I'm always careful," Chris replied slyly, as he knelt down on the ground once again.

As he began to loosen the bolts on the hubcap of the tire, a low rumble was heard. It sounded almost like a growl. Chris stared into the silver hubcap and focused his ears on the approaching sound. In the reflection of the silver polished hubcap he saw several bits of red moving behind him. His eyes grew wide, as he turned, just as a swarm of Draggs bore down on him. The young woman hopped off the car and let out a piercing scream that made Chris want to cover his ears.

The woman ran behind him, positioning Chris as a shield, between her and the creatures.

"It's okay," he said, as he could feel her clutching him tighter by the second. "I'll handle this."

Chris reached into his pocket, pulling out his tracker. With one hand, he slid open the device and pressed the emergency call button. Then, he lifted the device at his side to activate his morph sequence. But before he could rip the tracker across his arm, the young woman snatched it from his hand.

"Perfect!" she yelled. "I'll dial 9-1-1!"

"Hey, gimme that back!" Chris shouted.

But, before he could retake his tracker, three of the Draggs grabbed him from behind, pulling him away from the girl, who seemed to stare at the tracker in her hand.

"This is the funniest cell phone I've ever seen!" she said, mesmerized by all of the buttons on it.

"What are you doing?" Chris asked, as he saw her practically skipping around the car, studying the device.

Without further hesitation, he used his strength to throw one of the Draggs off his arm, causing it to collide chest-first into the side of the car. He pulled the other one around in front of him, kicking him in the chest to free his other arm. He used his weight against the third Dragg, who had him around the waist; he hoisted the creature over his head, causing it to crash to the ground. Chris started chasing after the woman, as she circled the car, fighting off each Dragg that attempted to attack him.

Inside Dr. Hartford's office, Jessica & Ian both heard the alert signal come from her tracker. She grabbed the device and looked over at Ian. Both of them appeared concerned.

"Chris?" Ian wondered aloud.

Without a word, Jessica trotted towards the doors of Ian's office, leaving him behind. As he saw Jessica run through the doorway, leaving it open, Ian could feel the tension in the air. Danger was coming. His eyes then shifted to his safe on the wall near his desk. He grabbed a hold of his wheels and began moving his chair towards the safe.

After glancing at her tracker, she knew exactly where Chris was.

"Spencer, door!" Jessica yelled, as she ran faster towards the front door of the mansion.

Spencer was standing right by it. He saw her speed increasing and he quickly opened one of the two doors. Without losing a step, Jessica sprinted through the doorway, simultaneously ripping her tracker on the open door as she passed through. By the time her body reached the porch, she was fully morphed. She flipped off the white porch to the ground, as she saw the red creatures surrounding Chris on the other side of the fence.

Her speed increased, as she headed in his direction, pulling her hand blaster from its holster at her side.

One second later, she was stopped in her tracks.

The feeling of the blade slashing across her belly caused her entire body to pause. It stung, as her suit lit up in sparks and smoke from the attack. Given her momentum, her body flipped over several times, before crashing to the ground. As she regained her bearings, she looked up and through her visor she could see the blue creature's helmet glaring down at her. The silver crane that sat atop his circular blue mask seemed to bob up and down as she heard the creature let out a dark chuckle.

"This is too easy," Taiyami spoke, as he stood above her.

He looked up at the other child he was supposed to consider a threat. Chris was still chasing the girl around her car...but he was catching up.

Being taller than the young woman, Chris reached out as he got close enough. He swatted the tracker out of her hands, causing it to hit the ground. In the process, he knocked her sunglasses to the ground next to the device. As both of them knelt down to retrieve the tracker, he grabbed it first. Chris looked up at her face, which surprised him.

"Your—your eyes."

"Contacts!" she yelled quickly, as she grabbed the sunglasses to cover them.

It was too late, however. Chris flashed back to his first meeting with Mr. Chang and his daughter, who also had dark blue eyes. As both made it to their feet, he swiftly tugged at her hair, revealing her jet-black mane underneath the wig.

"It's you!" he yelled.

"Uhhhh, some assistance please!" she shouted at the Draggs, who seemed to be watching the drama unfold.

The five creatures responded quickly, all heading towards Chris. Miko ducked out of the melee, grabbing at her costume, which she pulled away completely in one swipe, revealing her normal outfit.

One Dragg swiped at Chris with its sword, but he evaded, causing the sword to shatter the driver's side window of the vehicle. He elbowed the creature in the head, causing it fall away. Another ran towards him, but he dodged again, causing that Dragg to go flying through the now-open window. He caught another with a kick and dodged sword slashes from the two remaining Draggs, as he fell to his knees to avoid them. On his knees, he ripped his tracker across the side of the vehicle, leaving a very pronounced scratch, as he fully morphed. Miko covered her ears from the sound of grinding metal.

On the other side of the fence, Taiyami grumbled, as he saw the Red Ranger appear. He knew it would be up to him to stop the fighter. But as he advanced towards the fence, he felt a hand grasp his shoulder.

"We're not done yet!" a female voice called out.

Taiyami turned to see the Pink Ranger was back on her feet. She scored a quick kick, which acted almost like an uppercut, as it connected with his chin, sending Taiyami flying backwards. Watching from the open doorway of the mansion, Spencer watched with a smile.

Then, he found himself under attack, as the winged owl Waza began fluttering around his head wildly, attempting to claw at his head. Spencer shielded himself with his hands, as he retreated into the house. Waza was relentless, as he continued to attack Spencer, attempting to peck at his head. Spencer knew the Hartford mansion like the back of his hand. Even without being able to fully see where he was going, he stumbled into the dining room and grabbed the broom he had been using earlier to clean. He began swinging it at Waza.

"Out! Out!" Spencer yelled.

Waza dodged Spencer's aggressive assault and picked his spots to go in for another attack. Out of the corner of the owl's eye, he saw Evan Yukito sprint through the doorway, almost as quickly as Taiyami moved. Evan's black zippered sweatshirt was fully zipped, with the hood pulled up over his head. Spencer never saw him.

Yukito made his way towards Dr. Hartford's office, knowing that he would find the real crown there. He swung open the closed office door and walked quickly in, heading straight for the safe near the doctor's desk. He was surprised to see the picture that hung over the safe was on the floor. He became suspicious, as he quickly entered the combination and opened the door, only to see the crown was indeed gone.

Outside the house, the Red Ranger called upon his Power Staff. The weapon materialized before him and he swiftly used it to strike at one Dragg, sending it flying right over the fence into his yard. As the other four all came at him at once, he twirled the weapon around his body in a circle, causing it to slash all four at once. They each exploded in a barrage of sparks around him.

He looked over at Miko, who was completely shocked. He gave her a nod.

"See ya!" he spoke.

Before she could act, he launched himself into the air and over the fence, landing near Jessica.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine, but something got into the house!" Jessica revealed, pointing to a window, where they could see Spencer battling with a very large owl. "I got this! Just go, protect the crown!"

Chris nodded, as he sprinted towards the house. As he ran through the doorway, he already had his hand blaster drawn. He aimed for the owl fluttering around Spencer, but he couldn't get a clear shot and feared shooting the wrong target. Spencer whacked the creature once again, causing it to fly higher. At that moment, they all heard a slight crash coming from down the hallway, past the staircase.

"I'll be back," Chris spoke to Spencer, as he headed towards the sound.

As he approached the doorway of the office, he saw the intruder standing in front of his father's desk. The young man stared right at him.

"Looking for something?" Chris asked, as he slowly walked towards him.

"A crown," Evan said, as he cocked his head to the side. "You haven't seen one, have you?"

"If I did, I wouldn't tell you," Chris retorted.

"Then, I think we're gonna have a problem!" Evan said, as he took off, running towards the Red Ranger at top speed.

Chris transformed his blaster into its sword mode, but before he could strike, Evan had flipped over his head and landed behind him. He scored a back kick, causing Chris to stagger forward, towards his father's desk. He turned quickly, blocking an attempted punch. The two traded blows, each blocking the other. Yukito's movements surprised Chris, given his enhanced abilities in his morphed state. He blocked Yukito's side kick and follow-up punch. He grabbed a hold of his wrists, hoisting the thief over his head and causing the man to crash onto his father's desk, effectively crushing the package that had been laid there.

"I think it's time for you to go!" Chris said, as he walked up to the desk.

Evan had rolled onto the floor behind the desk. Using the furniture to pull himself up, his hand grazed the object that had been in Dr. Hartford's package. Chris's eyes grew wide, as he identified it. It was a tracker identical to his own.

"I'll take that," Chris said, as he hopped onto the desk and reached down to grab the device.

Evan, however, wasn't letting it go so easily. The Red Ranger's swift movements gave away its value and Evan was always a perfect judge of body language. He held tight to the device, surprising Chris. The Red Ranger used all of his strength to yank the device up towards him, but Evan didn't let go. He went flying into the air with the tracker. In mid-air, he used all of his strength to plant both of his feet into the chest of the Red Ranger, sending him flying backwards off of the desk. Evan flipped completely over, landing on top of the desk, crouched with the tracker still in hand. He flipped off the desk, landing on the other side of the Red Ranger, near the door. He sprinted out.

When Evan realized the crown wasn't in the safe, his first instinct was to go back to the place he had found the fake. He burst into the study and saw the wheelchair-bound Dr. Hartford trying desperately to reach Moby Dick on the shelf. Evan smiled.

"You must be Dr. Hartford," Evan said, sarcastically, "You know, I was expecting you to be a lot...taller."

Ian took a breath in his chair and turned it to face Evan. Part of Evan had expected the doctor to be there, holding the crown, given the way he found the picture missing from the safe, but the doctor's lap was empty.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Ian asked, sternly.

"The name's Evan Yukito and I came to say thanks," Evan said, as he revealed the tracker in his hand.

"You have no idea how to use that," Ian said, "So, why don't you just give it to me and get out of here, before I call the police."

"Oh, doc," Evan said, with a smirk. "We both know you're not gonna call the cops. If you did, you'd have a lot of explaining to do about that special basement of yours."

Ian appeared a bit surprised.

"What?" Evan said, "Surprised that your little secret's out."

He walked towards the bookshelf and grabbed the copy of Moby Dick, dropping it in Ian's lap. He pressed the red button hidden in the back of the shelf, causing it to pop out from the wall a bit. Evan gave Dr. Hartford a wide smile.

"See, I can be helpful," he said. "Now, all you have to do to repay me is tell me where the crown is."

"No such luck!" Chris yelled from the doorway.

Both Evan and Ian looked over at him, just as the Red Ranger threw his hand blaster, in its bladed mode, swiftly towards Evan. The thief barely had time to dodge weapon, which pierced another book on the shelf and became stuck. Before Evan could fully regain his bearings, Chris was on top of him. The two fought closely, as Ian glanced at the couch near him. He was extremely nervous, as he knew the crown was lying just behind one of the decorative pillows on that couch.

He wheeled himself towards the couch, putting himself between the hidden crown and the fight nearby. On the floor of the office, the two young men fought fiercely. As Chris tried to wrestle the tracker from Evan's hand, Yukito was busy trying to figure out how to activate the power within the device, which was now opened. He pressed every single button, including the activator, but nothing happened. So Evan decided to play dirty and began using the device to make his punches do more damage to the Red Ranger. He began jabbing the tracker on Chris's helmet.

The Red Ranger grabbed the wrist of Evan's arm that held the tracker. He tried to reach for it again, but Evan fought against his power, causing his hand and the device to hit the hard wood floors of the study.

"Chris, be careful!" Ian shouted from his chair, helplessly.

As Chris grabbed a hold of the tracker again, Evan used every once of strength to pull it away. With the Red Ranger on top of him, Evan pulled the tracker closer to the floor and away from Chris. When Chris tried to break Evan's hold on the device, their struggle caused the tracker to spin on the floor.

Within seconds, Evan could feel the enhanced power of the device flowing through him. Caught off-guard, Chris lost his hold on Evan, who managed to flip him over his head onto the floor, where he landed hard. As Evan got to his feet, he took a moment to glance down at the blue suit that now covered his body. It was like Chris Hartford's in design. He let out a huge laugh.

"Now, this is power!" Evan said, knowing there was no one that could stop him from retaking the crown now.

Without another word he ran through the secret doorway that led down into the basement. Chris grunted in anger, as he made it to his feet and sprinted after the Blue warrior. Left behind in the office, Ian let out a deep sigh, happy that he had never made it to the basement with the crown. He had no idea how he was going to get down the stairs. In the heat of the moment, he couldn't think about his condition. All that mattered was keeping the crown safe in his hands.

Outside the Hartford mansion, the Pink Ranger held her own against the fierce fighting skills of Taiyami. The ancient ninja joined his twin blades together, creating a large naginata, which he swiped at the Pink Ranger, whom only had her hand blaster's sword mode to fight back. She brought the weapon up to block his slash attempt.

On the other side of the fence, Miko was shouting to the Draggs to get up. As they began to stagger, she saw the Pink Ranger competing with Taiyami. She began to climb the fence, losing her footing several times, frustrating herself.

The Draggs made their way over much easier and began to overwhelm the Pink Ranger with their attacks. They waited for any moment that Taiyami backed away to take their own swipes at Jessica. She kicked two of them away.

"Hydro Cannon!" she shouted, causing the white and pink weapon to appear in her hands.

She aimed and fired the hydro cannon at the Draggs sending all of them flying backwards, thanks to the aquatic energy blasts from the device. As she turned to use it on Taiyami, he swiped it away, causing her to fire at the fence, where Miko was finally making her way over. The slippery strike on the fence caused her to almost lose her grip, leaving her dangling at the top of the fence.

Jessica refocused on Taiyami, but found herself using the hydro cannon to block more of his naginata attacks. She pulled her hand blaster and began using both of the weapons at the same time. The combined attack sent Taiyami flying backwards onto the ground. But, he wasn't down for long.

As he made it to his feet, a violent clap of thunder came out nowhere. Both Jessica & Taiyami looked to the clear blue sky, where there seemed to be no strange weather patterns.

However, one was brewing quickly.

As they continued to fight, and Miko continued to hang, the sky grew dark, practically purple. Blue lightning strikes seem to surround several new clouds. Seconds later, a massive magnetic surge of electricity transferred from the lightning to all of the bodies in the yard of the Hartford mansion. Jessica, Taiyami and the five Draggs were all struck at once, sending them crashing to the ground. The fence was zapped as well, practically electrocuting Miko. Thanks to the powerful shock, she flew off of the fence and landed in the fountain in the center of the driveway. The fence flew open thanks to the surge.

Within seconds, the sky seemed to clear.

"Mind if we play through?"

Jessica heard the voice of Bishop Malcolm. She looked up from the ground to see him strolling onto the property, at the side of his sister. Behind them, an army of Karths had also arrived. Jessica sighed, knowing her day had just gone from bad to worse.

"Actually, I do mind!" Taiyami shouted.

He let out a fierce battle cry that caught Jessica off-guard. She watched him assault the Black hunter, furiously swinging his naginata at the newcomer. Bishop had his hand blaster in sword mode and fended off the attacks valiantly, despite Taiyami cowering over him.

Addie walked over, grabbing Jessica off the ground by the arm.

"I'm baaaack," she said, excitedly. "Miss me?"

"Never!" Jessica said, as she struggled in Addie's strong grip. "Let me go!"

"As soon as I kick your butt!" Addie said.

"Hey! I was gonna do that!" Miko yelled, as she ran over, grabbing the Yellow hunter's hand that was on the Pink Ranger's arm.

Addie and Jessica looked at Miko, who was still soaking wet. Then, they glanced at each other at the same time. Using their free hands, they both punched Miko out, sending her flying back into the fountain. They then turned on each other. Jessica went for a punch, but Addie blocked it. Seeing that wouldn't work, both grabbed their hand blasters and launched into the air, still clutched together. They fired on one another, sending each other falling to ground, sparking with damage.

Several feet away, the Draggs were watching the action, as the Karths approached. The two sets of creatures all glanced at one another for a moment, before they began fighting the opposing force, turning the front yard of the Hartford estate into a sea of white and red.

Just on the other side of the doors to the mansion, Spencer found himself chasing the owl that had tormented him. As he swiped at the creature with the broom, it flew even higher.

"Come and face me, you foul...fowl!" Spencer yelled.

"You can't get me up here!" Waza shouted with a laugh, surprising Spencer with its speech.

As Waza flew past a window, Spencer followed, pausing a moment to notice that the Malcolms and their crew of Karths had returned. He returned his attention to Waza, not noticing the sky had once again turned a dark shade of purple. As Spencer whacked Waza with the broomstick near the doors to the mansion, he barely had time to brace himself.

The double-doored entrance to the Hartford mansion was completely blown to bits, thanks to a surge of lightning energy. Spencer fell to the ground amongst the wreckage of the entrance, along with Waza, thanks to the strike. As Spencer looked up, he saw only two levitating feet, in white boots that curled at the toes.

Tarok glided into the mansion on a wave of blue lightning energy. His feet never touched the ground as he moved past the wrecked doors, past Spencer and past the blue owl representing Dark Shadow.

Tarok knew where he was going and within seconds, he had entered the study belonging to Dr. Ian Hartford, who was sitting in his wheelchair near the entrance to his basement Tracking Lab. Ian was peering into the darkness of the stairwell, hoping to hear some word from his son. He never noticed Tarok enter behind him.

"Dr. Hartford, we meet again."

Ian slowly turned to face the Lunati man, as his feet finally touched the floor and he walked further into the study. Ian couldn't help but glance nervously at the couch. He began wheeling himself towards it, but Tarok extended his gloved palm and sent a surge of energy right into Ian's chair, rendering it inoperable.

"No!" Ian said. "Let go!"

"Not until I get what I came for," Tarok said.

In the basement, Chris and Evan found themselves fighting into the Tracking Lab. Both men had their hand blasters drawn, in sword mode. It was blade-on-blade. Each time one of them wanted to strike, the other would block. Evan fought Chris, pushing him backward further into the lab. He fended off another swipe attempt by the Red Ranger and scored a roundhouse kick, sending Chris crashing into one of the monitors. The Red Ranger toppled right over the entire desk.

The Blue thief rushed over to the relic storage locker he had uncovered before. He deactivated the security around it and opened it, shocked to see that the crown wasn't there.

"What?"

"Sorry," a voice came from behind. "No crown for you!"

Evan turned, only to be met with the slash of the Red Ranger's hand blaster sword. The Blue thief's suit lit up in sparks, causing smoke to emanate from his body. He staggered towards the rear of the laboratory, seeing the doorway there. He knew he needed escape. He held his chest as he staggered through, heading into the steel-walled tunnel. Chris gripped his weapon tightly and pursued him.

Evan ran as fast as he could when he approached two doorways. He had no clue where they led, but he could hear the Red Ranger's approach. As he leaned to the left, Chris was on top of him, swiping down at him with his hand blaster. Evan ducked the attack and the Red Ranger's forward motion caused the left door to slid open. Evan ducked inside, followed by Chris. As they fought out onto a balcony, Evan found himself, leaning over the edge, thanks to Chris's onslaught. The motion detection lighting came on. At that moment, both men seemed to pause, as they saw what was in the bay.

Three massive machines were housed on the other side of the balcony. One appeared to be a modified red dump truck. The second sat in a small pool of water and seemed to be a white submarine of some kind. Sitting above both of them, on a landing pad directly across from the balcony was a blue flying machine adorned with the number three. Evan put the pieces together quickly and used his momentum to push Chris off of him. He swiped at the Red Ranger's chest with his blaster sword, causing him to stagger backwards due to the powerful blast. Evan hopped onto the railing and launched himself into the air, flying across the bay and landing right on top of the blue machine. He chuckled.

"I'm outta here!"

"Oh, no you don't," Chris said, as he hopped onto the railing, planning to pursue.

He didn't have the agility of Evan Yukito, though. He almost lost his balance on the railing and took off in the direction of the blue flying machine. Unlike Evan, he landed on the side, barely able to hang on to the wing of the vehicle. Without bothering to knock him off, the Blue thief jumped inside the cockpit of the machine. Soon, he had activated it with his tracker. The machine began to lift off the ground, causing Chris to further lose his grip, but he tried to hang on.

Evan pointed the machine towards the large metal doors that were designed with the familiar compass symbol on his tracker. As he flew slowly towards it, the bay doors slid open revealing a ramp, leading out to the surface above. Chris struggled to hold on, as the vehicle seemed to pick up speed as it hovered over the ramp, following its path until two more sliding bay doors opened, revealing the grassy property outside the house.

Inside Ian's study, Tarok held Ian trapped in his chair, as he slowly walked towards the couch. Not only did Ian's emotions give away the crown's hiding place, but Tarok was so connected to the Lunati treasure that he could feel its presence. As he took the crown into his hand, he looked back at Ian and smiled. With the nod of his head, the electrical surge from his palm sent Ian's chair speeding backwards and crashing into the bookcase.

"I'm afraid this quest is over!" Tarok said, defiantly.

He took to the air, levitating his body once again. Spencer continued to shield himself on the ground, as the blue lightning energy traveled all over Tarok's body, carrying him out the same way he had entered. As he floated onto the lawn, Bishop saw he had the crown. Fighting closely with the Black hunter, Taiyami also noticed this development. Tarok floated above all of them, seemingly stopping all fighting. He laughed loudly.

"The crown is mine," Tarok announced, "Anyone who stands between me and my treasure will meet with destruction!"

Tarok sent surges of his electrical energy throughout the entire area, barely missing Bishop & Addie, but striking Jessica, Taiyami, Miko, the Draggs. Even the Karths were struck, crumbling to dust instantly.

Evan had pulled his vehicle into the area, causing it too to be hit with Tarok's energy. The surge caused Chris to lose his grip and fall to the ground, while Evan fought through the pain to keep his vehicle in the air.

Then, it was all gone. The skies cleared. Tarok and the Malcolms had disappeared, along with the crown.

"I think it's time we make a hasty retreat as well," Evan called out to his comrades below.

He saw Waza emerge from the Hartford mansion, as Taiyami grunted in anger. He used his ninja speed and connection to the wind to glide right up and into Evan's new vehicle. Miko grabbed a hold of Waza's claws as he flew past her. The owl used his strength to carry her petite body up to the vehicle, which they all entered, joining Evan in the cockpit.

"The Helio Zord!" Jessica shouted, as she rushed to Chris's side.

The blue vehicle sped off in the blink of an eye. Instead of helping Chris up, she collapsed at his side in defeat. Chris couldn't help but glance over at his home. The entrance was gone...again. He could see Spencer sitting amongst the wreckage. Beneath his helmet, he closed his eyes, cursing himself.

Hours later, Chris ran like he had never run before. But unlike earlier in the day when he ran to stop evil forces from invading his home, this time he ran to try to clear his head. And, he wasn't covering much ground on the treadmill. But, with his eyes closed, he focused on his breathing and kept moving.

He never noticed Jessica Lorrie enter the Hartford mansion's third floor gym.

"Does that help?" she asked, startling him.

Chris pressed a few buttons, slowing the machine down.

"Not really," Chris said, "But after today, I figured I could use a little...toning. I couldn't even take out a newbie. Evan Yukito had that power for barely a second before he mastered it."

"You can get better," Jessica said. "If you want to."

Chris looked into her eyes, knowing that she was probing him for information.

"Do you want to?" she asked.

"I'm not leaving, if that's what you're asking," Chris said, with a sigh.

"It was," she said with a smile.

"Watch out," Chris replied, "You're starting to act like you want me to stay."

"I do want you to stay," Jessica said, as she walked closer to the treadmill. "I need you, now more than ever. I can't do this by myself...besides, it's nice to have someone my own age around."

"I thought you measured company by intellect," Chris said.

"I do," she said, with a smile. "And, I've learned you're smarter than you let on. Your decision to stay proves it."

Chris leaned over the treadmill to get closer to her face.

"Are you feeling the sparks yet?" he whispered to her.

Jessica leaned in closer, then patted him on the head.

"I think you've had enough sparks for one day," she said, with a smirk.

She headed back for the door.

"You're weakening," Chris called out.

"In your dreams," Jessica said sternly, as she exited the gym and headed for her room.

In her haste, she never noticed Spencer standing outside of the gym. He had heard every word of their conversation and it had left him with a large smile on his face.

"Welcome home," he said, happily.

Inside the lair of Dark Shadow, Miko stood at the window looking extremely sad as she watched three Draggs leaving with the large sack of gold that Drakar had given them for the crown. She never liked the smell of defeat. She huffed, stamping one foot on the floor as she turned to face her comrades.

"I hate this!"

"Don't worry, Miko," Evan called out.

He had been leaning against the wall near the door ever since Drakar's creatures left.

"We'll be back on top very soon," he said, with a smile.

"None of us shares your optimism," Taiyami spoke angrily. "We were humiliated by those color-coded warriors."

"In some ways," Evan reasoned, "But we held our own and next time we'll be even more prepared."

"Next time?" Waza wondered what Evan meant.

"We have the power now," Evan said, as he pulled the tracker from his back pocket. "Once we master Hartford's technology, we can find the other relics ourselves."

"And what will that get us?" Taiyami asked.

"If the treasure is as powerful as Drakar led us to believe, then that makes it extremely valuable," Evan explained. "And once we find the other pieces, we can sell them to the highest bidder. It's time to put Dark Shadow's name on the map. We're not hiding in the shadows anymore."

"Oh, Yuki!" Miko squealed, as she ran over to him, giving him a big hug. "That's the best idea I've heard all day."

Waza chuckled along with her. As Taiyami watched them celebrate Evan's plan, he let out a troubling sigh that none of them could hear.

THE END

Next time on
Quest for the Lunati Treasure
After the loss of the crown to Tarok, Hartford and his crew
attempt to look forward, just as Jessica locates another
piece of the treasure. After an accident, she must come
to terms with tracking alone in a dangerous jungle.