QUEST FOR THE LUNATI TREASURE
Episode #13
"Vertigo"

War. It's been said that a prolonged conflict can lead to creative thinking. One side seeks to take control in the battle for victory. When the odds are stacked for the opposing side, the most creative thoughts can lead to new avenues for the fight to continue.

Standing tall, several feet above Silver City's largest building was the creation of forces on the losing side of a war. But this war, for both the Ja'Vey and their hunter, had grown as well. It was now a vendetta, larger than any robot could ever be.

Inside the cockpit of their massive metal weapon, the two remaining Ja'Vey demons sat, confidently in triumph as their robot stood above the rubble that was once a hidden cave system on the outskirts of Silver City. With the rubble beneath its feet, the robot had no feelings of victory or accomplishment. But, its pilots were well-prepared to take all the credit.

"It is a pleasing sight, Abaddon," Gadarel spoke as he looked to his right.

Abaddon, once the Ja'Vey's second-in-command, slowly nodded along with his only remaining comrade.

"I believe Tarok has finally realized his biggest mistake," Abaddon spoke, his voice low, yet filled with pride.

"And that is?" Gadarel asked.

"You never give away too much power…especially if you can't control the outcome," Abaddon said. "I don't believe he understood the true amount of power he bestowed upon us, giving us not just enhanced physical abilities, but the brain power to unlock all of our potential."

"And, here we sit," Gadarel responded, raising his arms as if addressing an army of followers after victory. "Inside our greatest weapon."

"Tarok has made his bed. Now he will die in it," Abaddon said, keeping his eyes staring straight ahead, outside of the massive window in front of him, tinted green to match the design of the robot's exterior. "His lack of cooperation sealed his fate and I believe it is time we dealt that same fate to the hunter!"

"We will attack him where it hurts!" Gadarel said, forming fists with his hands. "His city will fall around him. Not only will we destroy his home, it but will pave the way for the return of ours."

The two Ja'Vey turned to face one another at the exact same moment. They both began to howl in unison, as their hands gripped the controls in front of them. Their robotic weapon came alive instantly, turning its focus towards downtown Silver City, as dawn approached.

Deep beneath the feet of the hulking metal monstrosity, underneath the massive rubble of the caves, three lives remained trapped. Addie Malcolm's eyes remained closed, as she lay motionless amongst the fallen debris of Tarok's cavern. There seemed to be no motion in the vicinity of her body. Everything seemed still, despite all of the darkness and dust. Addie's thoughts, however, were moving rapidly.

She had found herself back in Egypt, at the location of the ruins her parents were exploring on her brother's eighteenth birthday. It was the last time she had been a victim of a cave-in. It was the last time she had seen her parents alive. It was a memory that had remained buried within her mind, just as she was buried now.

Addie felt extremely groggy, her mind clouded. Even though she didn't have her bearings, she could still hear herself talking to someone.

"Why do you always do that?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Play the bishop!" she said, clearly annoyed. "Always stoic and quiet and looking down on everyone like you're better. It's condescending!"

"Do you even know what condescending means?"

"I'm fourteen, not ten, not that you've noticed!"

"Then, start acting like it," her brother retorted, "Look, I'm not gonna pretend that I want to be here. What eighteen year-old would want to go crawling through some tunnel, instead of having a real birthday."

"Mom said you were born a couple miles from here," his sister said. "This place has significance in your life, whether you care or not."

"I'm not like you," he said. "I can't just go with the flow."

"Yeah, I know," she said, as she activated the flashlight on her wrist. "You don't go with anything unless you're controlling it. Well, you know what? You're an adult now, so do whatever you want."

It was Bishop, Addie thought. She watched herself turn away from him. It wasn't right, she thought. She screamed out for her feet to stop moving towards that tunnel. It was as if she knew what was going to happen if she ventured further into the darkness.

Addie, however, couldn't stop herself. It was as if she was trapped inside the brain of someone else, moving on a predetermined path that couldn't be changed. She looked through her eyes and saw two figures in the distance. She saw her arm point towards them. The flashlight mounted on her wrist showed the two figures talking, as they were hunched over something, studying it closely. She tried to listen to what they were saying, but she was too far away. Their voices sounded almost like a swarm of whispers invading the darkness.

Addie could see her feet moving closer towards them, but her anxiety continued to rise. She didn't want to move, but her body was not under her control. As the light from her wrist grew brighter on the two figures, they seemed to stop what they were doing. The barrage of whispers also stopped. Addie could feel herself growing more queasy, as their heads rose, paused for a moment and then turned to face her.

Addie screamed out, as she saw the faces of her parents had been replaced by skeletons.

Back in the present, Addie's eyes popped open, as she began gasping for air beneath the rubble. With dust invading the area, she found it hard to catch her breath. She looked around and saw nothing but darkness. She was happy to see that none of the rubble had fallen onto her head. In fact, there appeared to be a large amount of open space above her. Somehow, the falling debris had created a large air pocket, beneath all of the damage.

As her breathing grew more steady, she tried to move, and let out a gasp of pain. She was trapped on her back. She could move both of her arms and even raise her head, but her lower-half was completely pinned by the large stone pieces of the ruined cavern.

"Addie," she heard a whisper call out.

"Bishop," Addie spoke, practically gasping.

"It is Tarok," the voice spoke a bit louder.

Addie could sense that he wasn't very close by. She remembered seeing him standing by the altar on the far side of the cavern just as the cave collapsed.

"You must free me," Tarok spoke.

"Use your power," Addie said, panicked. "Do something. I have to find Bishop."

"I cannot," Tarok whispered. "I am trapped beneath the altar. My arm is pinned. I cannot access my power without it."

"Bishop!" Addie yelled out.

She heard no response.

"You must get yourself free," Tarok spoke.

"I can't," Addie answered, as she squirmed in her place, trying to maneuver her body from beneath the stones on top of her legs. "The stones are too heavy."

As she tried to push the heaviest one on top of her away, she realized that it wasn't stone. It was a bit cold, but she knew instantly she was touching a body. Her brother lay still, helping to keep her further confined in her spot.

"Bishop," Addie said, as she nudged at his shoulder, but got no response.

She tried to reach for his head, to wake him, but when she grazed his temple, she saw a deep red substance transfer to her hand. Addie looked at her hand and knew instantly what the warm liquid was. Bishop was bleeding heavily from the head.

"No," Addie said, as her tears began to flow. "No."

As sunlight made its way to its highest peak, Jessica Lorrie's day had already been underway. She jogged up the steps from the Tracking Lab, with her empty coffee mug, headed for a refill. As she reached the kitchen, she found it odd that Spencer wasn't there making breakfast for the Hartfords, as usual.

Jessica grew curious and walked down to Dr. Hartford's office, finding it empty as well. She headed for the main staircase near the front door and began making her way up the first flight, when she heard the mansion's rear exit door close. She stepped back down the stairs, just in time to see Spencer walking quickly into Dr. Hartford's office.

"Spencer," she called out.

Spencer emerged from the office, holding a pair of sunglasses. He smiled warmly at the sight of Jessica.

"Good morning, Miss Lorrie," Spencer said, walking over to her.

"Going somewhere?" she asked.

"Oh, yes," Spencer said, as his tone turned somber. "I'm sorry. I should have informed you but I thought Dr. Hartford might have told you."

"Told me what?"

"Today…is the anniversary of the day that Mrs. Hartford passed away," Spencer revealed. "I'm taking Dr. Hartford to the cemetery but he forgot his sunglasses. Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day, despite the occasion."

"I didn't know," Jessica said. "No wonder it's so quiet around here. Chris must be going with you."

"Uh, no," Spencer said, with a sigh. "Master Chris is not one to enjoy his father's company on days like this. I'm sure he's in his room. He'll probably remain there for the rest of the day, if history is any indication."

"It's so sad," Jessica said. "Give Dr. Hartford my best, will you?"

"Of course," Spencer said, before exiting back the way he had come.

Jessica let out deep sigh and continued up the stairs. She was sure Spencer was right about Chris, but that didn't stop her from heading to his room, in hopes of lifting his spirits before they could get too low today. After reaching the third floor of the mansion, she knocked on her friend's bedroom door, but got no answer.

"Chris, you in there?" she asked. "Please let me in."

When he didn't, she turned her back on the door and sighed again, disappointed that he had chosen to ignore her. At that moment, she heard a slight knocking coming from outside of the mansion. She glanced down the hallway at the window at the very end. As she walked closer, she heard the knocking continue, almost in a perfect rhythm.

Jessica walked up to the glass which looked out on the right side of the mansion. She saw Chris Hartford standing several yards away from a basketball hoop. She appeared confused, as she saw him gripping a baseball bat. She watched him take a baseball out of a large black duffel bag near his feet. He tossed the ball into the air and swiftly struck it with the bat, sending it crashing right into the backboard.

Jessica made her way outdoors and got a closer look at what Chris was up to. When she got close enough for him to hear, she couldn't help but inquire.

"Target practice?" she wondered.

Chris was so deep in thought that he didn't even acknowledge her arrival. He swung at another ball, sending it straight into the backboard. Jessica admired his hand-eye coordination, as she noticed the ball struck the middle of the red square above the rim, perfectly.

"Spencer told me about today," Jessica said. "It must be rough."

"I barely remember," Chris mumbled, as he hit another ball. "You know, it's amazing the things we remember…and the things we don't."

Jessica walked closer, but kept mindful of her position and the direction he swung his bat.

"Like this," Chris said, cryptically.

"What?"

"This basketball hoop," Chris said. "It was a gift from my dad for my fourteenth birthday. He knew I was good and according to him, if I was gonna go to high school and become a star, I needed the best."

Jessica looked confused.

"I didn't know you played basketball."

"I never did," Chris said, as he stopped swinging and finally looked at her, his face full of disappointment and anger. "He could never figure out why I was so upset. Basketball…baseball…they all sound so alike, he said. If he had ever bothered to come see me play, maybe he wouldn't have had that problem. She would have known."

"Oh, Chris. I'm sorry," Jessica said, as she gently rubbed his arm.

He attempted to put on a brave face for her.

"It's okay. It helped me work on my swing after all," Chris said, as he dropped the bat.

"You made it work," Jessica said. "I'm sure your mother would have been proud of you for more than just your athletic talent."

"How would you know that?" Chris said, giving her an unbelieving look. "You never knew her. Hell, I barely remember her myself. Why is it that I can remember everything that my father ever did wrong, but I'm starting to forget what she looked like, the things she did…it's all just fading away."

"Come on," Jessica said, trying to knock him from his misery. "You can't forget everything. You won't."

"I woke up this morning and looked at her picture. I tried to remember how she would look when she'd walk into my room or her voice when she'd answer the phone. But all I can remember is her smile, her touch, her warmth when she'd hug me."

"You remember what's most important," Jessica said. "The thing I most remember about my mother is her emotionless face as she looked down at people, thinking she was better than them."

"At least your mother's still alive!" Chris said, angrily. "You don't understand. I've lost so much of her and if I lose what I have left in my head of my mother, I'll never get it back."

Chris walked off, heading towards the front gate. Jessica called out to him, but he never turned around. She kicked herself for not being able to help. In fact, she was pretty sure she had made things worse.

Chris left his family's property, on a quest to find the one person he felt would understand what he was going through. She had to, he thought.

"I have so many regrets, Maggie," Ian said, as he set in front of his wife's grave.

Given his condition, he was seated almost eye-to-eye with the large headstone.

"There were so many things you wanted to accomplish and I wanted to help you," Ian said. "Christian needed you. We all needed you. I think we still do. I tried, but—it's just all gone to hell without you. Time is just so fragile. I never realized how much until you were taken from me."

Ian ran his fingers along her name, etched on the stone. He gently placed a bouquet of her favorite flowers in front of the headstone.

"It's been another long year," Ian said. "I promise it won't take me that long to visit again."

Ian activated his high-powered wheelchair and as he turned towards Spencer's car, he saw the butler standing stoically next to the door, somberly nodding to him. Ian took a deep breath, as thoughts of his wife continued to fill his head. As he made his way towards the Bentley, he noticed a familiar figure in the distance.

It was the first time on this day that his mind didn't rest on his wife. Spencer watched Ian roll straight past the Bentley headed towards the grave of another resident of the cemetery. It was then that Spencer saw Detective Stephen Garza kneeling at another grave, placing flowers near a headstone. Spencer sighed, certain this wouldn't end well.

Garza finished his visit and prepared to leave when he heard Ian Hartford call out his name. Garza turned to face him, casting his unfriendly gaze on Ian.

"Dr. Hartford, what do you want?" Garza said, clearly in no mood to talk.

"I'm glad I ran into you," Ian said. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Garza wondered.

"Your new power," Ian said bluntly. "I did a little research and it turns out that it was created by Search Guard Successor, the same company that created the tracking technology we use."

"You needed research to tell you that," Garza said, sarcastically. "I thought the resemblance was uncanny."

"That morpher was stolen from S.G.S. by Gordon Tracy, along with the helmet he used to transform into Drakar," Ian announced.

"What's your point?"

"It's clear you have no interest in helping us in our quest. S.G.S. would like their technology back, so I would appreciate it if you would hand it over," Ian said, as he stared directly at Garza's wrist.

The morpher was slightly visible underneath his black leather jacket sleeve.

"You don't work for Search Guard Successor," Garza said. "If they want this…morpher back, they can come get it themselves. Until then, it's going to stay right where it is."

"I don't see why you're making a situation out of this," Ian said, annoyed. "If you have no interest in using the power, why don't you give it to someone who will?"

"Who? You mean you? I don't think so," Garza said. "Your track record with extra power isn't too good. That's why we have a growing file on Dark Shadow right now, so giving you another toy to play with…or lose, isn't really any option for me."

"It's not your power to claim!" Ian spoke, sternly.

"You want to talk about situations, Doctor?" Garza said, as he stared at Hartford. "Because I could run down an entire list of damages caused by you and your crew, which I've had to cover for at the station. So, you listen to me. I don't work for you and I certainly don't answer to you. So, the next time you want to talk, you make a formal appointment—oh wait, I forgot. If you show your face at the station, you might find Sergeant Durst waiting to arrest you."

Garza couldn't help but smile, for only a second.

"I suggest you stay out of my way and off the police radar from now on and don't ever disturb me when I'm visiting with my sister, because then you'll make me angry and you don't want me as your enemy. I can guarantee you that," Garza said, staring a hole through Ian.

The doctor was seething. He wanted to reach out and punch Garza across the face, but it was impossible, for now. At that moment, Spencer tapped Ian on the shoulder.

"Sir, I think we should be getting back," he advised.

Without a word, Ian turned his chair back towards the car and began rolling away. Spencer watched him for a moment, before turning his gaze back at Garza, who had turned away from them. As the detective tried to talk away, Spencer grabbed his arm, causing him to impatiently turn back to the situation.

"Detective, I never had a chance to thank you for what you did at the mansion, when those demons came calling," Spencer said. "I appreciate your efforts."

"You're welcome," Garza said.

Spencer extended a hand to shake Garza's. When the detective obliged, Spencer grabbed hold of his hand, tightly, pulling Garza closer to him, so Spencer could keep his voice low.

"There's someone waiting for a call from you," Spencer said, appearing dead serious. "At your earliest convenience, I suggest you make it. Miss Lorrie is a very special young woman and she happens to be very important to me. So if something hurts her, it becomes a nuisance to my easy-going lifestyle. Make the call. If you don't, you'll receive another visit from me and I'm afraid I won't be as cordial."

Spencer released Garza's hand and the detective continued to stare at him, stunned by his verbal assault. Garza didn't fear Spencer in any way, but he had a feeling that the Englishman was indeed serious in his warning.

"Good day, Detective," Spencer said, giving a polite nod before walking back to his car.

Garza sighed, as he thought about Jessica. His eyes fell once again on his sister's grave.

"Bishop, please wake up!" Addie said, continuing to panic over her brother's bleeding head.

She tried to sit up, but too much of her lower half was pinned beneath the rubble and her brother's body.

"You must free yourself," Tarok called out again.

"I can't!" Addie said, angered that he didn't seem to care about Bishop. "He's on top of me. I can't move him."

"You must muster your strength," Tarok said, hoping Addie might be able to unleash the powerful energy he had sensed within her. "Push him aside! It is the only way. You must get to your tracker and activate your zord. The dozer can remove the debris."

Addie continued to shake her brother, hoping to wake him up. Her efforts failed and she lay back onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I can't…" she said. "I can't move him. He could die."

"He is already dead," Tarok professed.

"No!" Addie yelled, as she covered her face with her dusty, bloody hands.

She closed her eyes and was instantly transported back to the fateful day that her own parents fell to a similar fate. Addie herself should have died too, she thought. It was all so dark until that final boulder had been moved from around her. She could feel herself being pulled into the light of the Egyptian sun by her brother. Back then, it was she who had the blood dripping from her skull.

"Addie! Addie, wake up!" Bishop yelled through his tears. "Please...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please, just wake up. Mom! Dad!"

"I was alive," Addie said, as she opened her eyes in the present. "He didn't give up on me. I can't give up on him."

At that moment, downtown Silver City was struck by the brutal cannon mounted atop the head of the Ja'Vey's massive robot. The bomb ejected directly from the robot and incinerated a large office building, causing it to crumble within seconds.

Inside the cockpit, Gadarel squealed with delight, as he watched the structure crumble.

"How long until we get to the police station?" he shouted to Abaddon.

"It won't be much longer," Abaddon said, quietly reveling in the destruction happening all around them.

Another swift jab sent another building to rubble. He only wished they could hear the screams of torment that the people below were feeling.

Chaos reigned at the Silver City Police Department, as Stephen Garza made his way inside, taking off his motorcycle helmet. He looked around with interest, as he noticed all of the panicked looks of incoming residents and the attempts by his colleagues to keep order in the lobby.

He made his way towards the stairs, headed to the detective's division when he saw James Durst heading down the steps in a panic himself.

"Hey, Jimmy, what's going on?" he asked the sergeant.

"There's been an attack downtown," Durst said, as other officers rushed past them. "Some kind of huge tank. Early reports say terrorists. There's been tons of damage. We need all the manpower we can get out there."

Durst headed down the steps, heading to the parking lot. Garza glanced at the morpher strapped to his wrist. He had made a claim about what he'd use the power for. This wasn't it. But there was danger lurking and he wasn't going to sit by and do nothing. He ran back down the steps, replacing his helmet, as he rushed back out of the precinct.

Spencer opened the rear entrance to the mansion wide, allowing Ian to maneuver his wheelchair through. Spencer closed the door, as Ian sighed.

"So, what did you say to Garza?" he asked.

"Oh, it was nothing important, sir," Spencer said. "I was just thanking him for warning me of the Ja'Vey during their last attack on the mansion."

"Oh, right," Ian said. "I almost forgot about that. The new windows were installed so quickly."

"I've got Mr. Mason on speed dial!" Spencer said, with a chuckle.

Jessica walked in, with a smile.

"You're back. How are you, Dr. Hartford?" she wondered.

"Okay," Ian said. "Is Chris here?"

"No," Jessica said, somberly. "He left. He seemed pretty down. I figured he might go to the cemetery."

"I doubt that," Spencer said, as he walked off to the kitchen.

Jessica followed Ian as his wheelchair approached his office. As he began muttering business issues to himself, Jessica got worried.

"You sure you want to be working today?" she asked.

"Not really," Ian said, before he could even get to his desk.

"Maybe you should take some time to rest. I know it's not the best day for you," Jessica said.

"You're right," Ian said, as he turned back towards the door. "I'm a bit tired. I think I'll go lie down."

"Is there anything I can take of care for you while you rest?" Jessica asked.

"Actually, yes," Hartford spoke. "S.G.S. sent me some new data I inquired about. I haven't had a chance to log it into our database."

"I'll take care of it right now," Jessica said, with a smile.

"Thank you, Jess," Ian said, before heading off towards the elevator, which carried him up to the second floor.

Ian maneuvered his wheelchair into his bedroom and as he crossed the threshold, his mind once again focused on his wife. As he looked around the vacant room, he couldn't help but feel lonely. He wheeled himself over to a large closet door. He opened it, half-expecting to see her clothes hanging there. But the closet was empty, of course. He closed the door and turned away from it. His eyes fell on the photograph on his nightstand. He reached out and stared at the photo of Maggie, holding their newborn son.

"Why does it have to be so wrong?" Ian asked, as he raised his head to the heavens, hoping for her divine intervention.

As his eyes focused in on the baby in the photograph, he knew Chris was indeed haunted on this day, just as much as he was. He wished he could hold his son and promise that things would be all right, like he did when he was first born. Ian laid the picture down and gave up on past memories, choosing instead to look ahead, as he always did. His future was not in that room.

Chris made his way through the thick brush of trees on the outskirts of town. He was almost there, he thought. He made his way past the largest tree, hoping to exit the wooded area right in front of the entrance to the large cave system inhabited by Addie Malcolm.

But when he walked away from the trees, he saw nothing but mountains of rock and dirt and debris. Chris appeared stunned.

"Oh no," Chris said, practically breathless.

He quickly grabbed his tracker, activating the communications system.

"Addie! Addie, are you okay?" Chris shouted into the device, but received no answer. "This is not happening."

"What is that sound?" Tarok called out.

Deep beneath the rubble, Addie Malcolm had heard her tracker's communications alert sound, from beneath her body. However, she couldn't reach it.

"My tracker," Addie said. "Someone's trying to call. I can't reach it."

"You must!" Tarok ordered.

"I can't!"

"The sadness, the despair you feel," Tarok said, as he calmed his voice, making it much more soothing and seducing. "You can use it to your advantage."

"What are you talking about?" Addie said, as the tears flowed.

"The hurt in your heart…your brother is dead!" Tarok said, a bit more forcefully. "You want to hurt those responsible for doing this to him! You must harness your energy and free yourself!"

"No," Addie muttered, as she could feel the roller coaster of emotions inside of her beginning to take control.

Tarok could feel the darkness rising inside of her, as she clutched her head.

"It will make you stronger," Tarok urged. "Give in to the power. Give in to its darkness!"

Meanwhile, downtown the squad cars and emergency service vehicles all rushed onto the scene of the collapsed buildings, attempting to tend to the wounded. Several squad cars and matching choppers advanced on the Ja'Vey's robot.

"Meddling humans!" Abaddon cursed, as he activated the robot's arm, causing it to swat one of the choppers away.

The helicopter spiraled down to the ground, crashing into a fire truck, causing even more chaos on the streets.

Inside one of the squad cars, Sergeant Durst was on the radio, shouting orders to his other units. They were getting closer to the robot.

"What is that thing?" the officer driving his car shouted.

"I don't know…but it don't look like terrorists," Durst said, as he gripped his walkie talkie even tighter. "All units, be aware…this thing's got legs. Watch out for the feet."

Just as his squad car turned a corner and spotted one of the feet, he saw a squad car go crashing right into the foot of the robot, bursting into flames.

"Damnit," Durst yelled.

The robot looked down on the flashing lights of the squad cars, allowing Abaddon and Gadarel to see the carnage on the streets.

"They're like ants!" Gadarel exclaimed, as he lifted the robot's leg and brought it down, violently crushing an ambulance, before the EMT's could get the injured inside.

The wounded took cover, as Durst opened fire with his pistol. He stood just outside of his squad car, using the open door to steady his aim.

"Fire!" he yelled to the officer on the driver's side.

They both opened fire. The bullets pierced the monstrous machine's leg, but appeared to do little damage. From the cockpit, the Ja'Vey saw this encounter and snickered. The robot's foot came stomping down on their squad car.

"Move!" Durst yelled, as he dove away from the car.

He landed hard on the concrete and looked back to see the robot's foot lifting off of his flattened squad car.

"Williams, you okay?" Durst shouted to his driver.

He rushed to the officer's side and began checking for injuries. It was then that Durst noticed a shadow being cast over him. Something was blocking out the sun. He looked up to see the robot's foot was coming down towards him and the fallen officer.

At that moment, the sound of Garza's roaring motorcycle invaded the area. He went speeding right past the robot, instantly gaining the attention of the pilots inside.

"It's Garza!" Abaddon shouted. "After him!"

The robot stepped quickly past the other buildings, trying to stomp the motorcycle, but Garza's talents on the craft were too much for the slow-moving robot.

"I've got an idea," Gadarel spoke, as he controlled the robot, forcing it to bend over and pick up a green minivan, which it threw.

Gadarel aimed a few feet ahead of Garza, causing the van to crash into a large truck, which was blocking a nearby road. As the collision caused a massive explosion, Garza's motorcycle spun out of control, sending him flying to the ground. Durst came running around the corner to see this.

"Garza! Get out of there," Durst yelled.

He watched closely, as the robot's foot came down towards Garza, who ran inside the lobby of an abandoned building. Garza found the closest staircase and began running up the stairs quickly. When he felt his body getting tired from the hike up the stairs, he tossed off his leather jacket and flipped open his wrist-mounted morpher.

"Here goes nothing," Garza said. "Start up!"

He morphed instantly, not missing one step. As he could feel his energy growing, along with his physical stamina, he made it up the remaining stairs easily. He burst onto the rooftop, with his Tracking Striker in laser mode, aimed directly at the monstrous robot. He opened fire, but the lasers seemed to do little real damage, other than alerting the machine to his presence on the rooftop.

"He is there!" Gadarel shouted, pointing out the window in front of them.

Abaddon pressed a button on the control panel in front of him.

"We meet again, Silver Ranger!" Abaddon shouted.

Garza could hear the words from the rooftop and he was bowled over by the knowledge that the Ja'Vey were responsible for this carnage. He now knew they were controlling the robot. To Garza, it seemed almost like some sort of tank-based Transformer. The green and black color and the cannon mounted on its forehead gave away exactly where the Ja'Vey must have gotten the parts for the machine.

"Surrender, or your city will be destroyed," Abaddon ordered.

"Not that it matters," Gadarel spoke. "The city will be destroyed anyway!"

"Never!" Garza yelled, as he transformed his weapon into its staff mode.

The Silver Ranger let out a fierce battle cry, as he went running towards the edge of the roof. He took off into the air, headed for the creature's chest. As he lowered past the window in front of them, Abaddon & Gadarel saw he had his weapon above his head, ready to bring it down upon them.

The Silver Ranger's Tracking Striker stabbed the chest of the robot, causing sparks to fly. The robot stumbled backwards. Inside the cockpit, the Ja'Vey pilots experienced no damage to their controls. As they wiggled the robot furiously trying to knock the Silver Ranger free, they backed into another building, causing the windows there to shatter.

Garza held tight to the weapon, as it stuck out of the chest of the robot. Down below, Durst and the other authorities were watching intently, as the Silver Ranger hung from the robot.

"Who is that?" one of them asked.

Durst frowned, as he instantly knew that Hartford's group was once again putting their noses in affairs that didn't concern them.

"More trouble," Durst grumbled. "Let's get these injured out of here."

Durst rushed over to the building where he saw Garza enter. He peeked inside, but saw no sign of him.

"Garza, where are you?"

"Sarge, get out here!" another officer shouted.

Durst rejoined his forces on the street, gazing up at the robot, which had managed to swat the Silver Ranger away, along with his weapon. Another police helicopter swarmed around the creature, as Garza landed back on the rooftop. As he regained his footing, he saw the helicopter getting dangerously close to the robot's arm.

"No!" Garza yelled, reaching out as if he could grab a hold of the chopper. "Get away from it!"

With a single swat, the Ja'Vey sent the helicopter spinning out of control. Their aim was deadly, as they aimed for the building where Garza was standing. The helicopter crashed into the structure a few stories below the rooftop, causing the entire building's structure to weaken. The building began to collapse with the Silver Ranger on top.

Down below, Durst ushered as many of the injured away as he could. The last thing he saw before turning his back was Garza's motorcycle on the ground by that building. He knew if Garza was inside, he wouldn't survive this.

The entire structure came crashing down. All news outlets were covering the massive attack downtown. When Spencer saw what was happening, he went running towards Dr. Hartford's office. He swung the door open quickly.

"Have you seen what's happening out there? It appears Detective Garza is—" Spencer stopped in mid-sentence, as he saw Jessica was not in the office.

He could hear the news report playing on the television in the office, as he walked over to Dr. Hartford's desk and grabbed the remote, turning it off. It was then that Spencer saw what Jessica must have left in the middle of doing. The information she was putting into the database referenced the Silver Ranger. When Spencer looked closer, he saw some impressive bits of information that he knew must have prompted Jessica's departure.

"Oh my," Spencer said.

The red Drive Loader quickly pulled up to the massive mound of rubble that was once a large cave system. With the Red Ranger morphed and behind the wheel, he activated the controls, causing the rear carriage to unfold, turning it into a makeshift bulldozer. The vehicle scooped a heap of the dirt and debris into its carriage and Chris backed the vehicle up for the fifth time on this day, as he attempted to clear more of it.

"Come on, come on!" he said, pounding his hand on the steering wheel, wishing his zord could move faster.

As it went back for another load, Chris couldn't help but worry for Addie's safety. Was this day cursed for him, he thought. His mind had been filled with thoughts of his mother and how she died, how he found out. He was angry for losing her. He couldn't lose anyone else today.

At that moment, he heard an incoming alert. Someone was trying to contact him. It was her, he thought, as he answered quickly.

"Chris, what are you doing?" Ian's voice invaded the zord, catching him off-guard.

The Red Ranger hopped out of his zord, activating its remote systems so it could continue working. Still morphed, he saw his father sitting in his wheelchair several feet behind the scene of destruction. Chris was surprised to see the Silverhawk on the ground a few feet behind his father's chair. He was so focused on his task that he never heard it land.

"What are you doing here?" Chris murmured.

"I came to ask you the same question," Ian said. "When I saw your call came through activating the Drive Loader, I followed. What happened?"

"I didn't do this, if that's what you mean," Chris said.

"It's not what I mean," Ian said. "I have a good idea of what happened here. There's a robot attacking the city. It appears to have come from this direction."

"They may be trapped inside," Chris said.

"You don't know that," Ian said, somberly.

"She's not answering her tracker!" Chris said, forcefully.

"Who? Addie?" Ian said, surprising himself that Chris would call her. "Chris, the city is in trouble. They need you."

"Since when?" Chris said, angrily. "When I tried to get you to help protect this city you wanted nothing to do with it. So, what changed your mind?"

"You did!" Ian said. "I was wrong. I've seen the damage. You have to go. Use your zord for something you won't regret."

"What does that mean?" Chris said. "You just want me to leave them. They could be buried down there, hurt…or worse. And, what about your precious crown? It could be down there too!"

"If they were inside the caves when they came down, they probably are dead," Ian said. "You have to leave them. There's an emergency in the city. If what I believe is true, the crown can wait."

"I can't just give up!" Chris said, furiously, as he marched closer to his father. "They could be alive, calling out for help. I won't give up on them…not like you gave up on mom."

The Red Ranger turned his back on his father, as Ian's heart fell at the sound of those words.

"Chris, I never gave up on your mother," Ian said, sadly. "I kept wishing and hoping that she would get better. I even fooled myself into believing that would happen. That was my mistake. I should have used the time she had left to build more amazing memories for us both to remember her by. But I was so stupid. I convinced myself that there was no way she'd leave me—leave us. It's the mistake that caused me not to tell you the truth as it was happening right in front of my eyes."

Chris lowered his head as he heard his father's response.

"I couldn't face it then," Ian said. "But now I know I have to face the truth and face the possibility that the future won't be better than the past."

"I can't leave," Chris said, somberly. "I have the power to help them."

"There are others that need that help," Ian said. "I know it's hard but sometimes our entire life can be shaped by one hard decision. Mine was."

"Just leave me alone," Chris said, as he launched himself off the ground.

The Red Ranger landed on top of the Drive Loader as it unloaded the latest rubble from the caves. He turned his back on his father once again, focusing his attention on the crumbled home of Addie Malcolm, an important woman in his life that he couldn't leave behind.

"I'm sorry, Chris," Ian said, from the ground below. "For everything. I'm sorry it took me so long to see that I made the wrong decision. I hope it doesn't take you that long."

Several yards beneath the conversation occurring between the Hartford men, Addie's energy was still growing. As she screamed for the energy inside of her to subside, it continued to take over, thanks to her emotions.

"Yes," Tarok spoke, his voice low. "Embrace the power."

He sensed the energy within her rising. She shut her eyes tight, as her entire body took on a golden glow. The energy within her grew even more. Addie tried to focus her thoughts, but the only thing that invaded her brain was her time in Egypt.

This time, however, her memory seemed a lot less clouded. She finally felt like she was looking through her own eyes, as she entered the tunnel, looking for her parents.

"I think this is it," John Malcolm Sr. spoke, as she got further inside.

As she cast her light down on her parents, her mother looked back at her. Her face was her own, but she wasn't smiling.

"Don't come too close, baby," Terry Malcolm spoke, putting up a halting hand.

Addie instinctively took a few steps backwards. She couldn't see what they were looking at in her father's hands, but her curiosity was mounting.

"What did you find?" the young teen called out.

"I'm not so sure this is what we were looking for," John spoke again, this time his voice sounded more uneven.

Addie had never heard fear from her father before.

"Daddy?" she called out, just before her mother released a piercing scream.

The entire tunnel began to shake, as John dropped whatever was in his hand and looked over at his daughter.

"Run!" he shouted.

Addie's eyes grew wide, as she saw it approaching her. It was too late for her.

In the present, Addie's body continued to glow, as the energy within her grew stronger. Tarok could feel its presence even with all of the debris. He had never imagined this kind of power could exist in a mere human. Tarok gripped the Lunati crown a bit tighter in his free hand, not wanting to lose it. He had no idea what Addie's increased energy might do, but he was eager to find out. Addie's scream grew louder, as the golden energy that surrounded her body continue to grow, causing the glow around her to get brighter.

"Addie."

Addie's glowing eyes seemed to be knocked from their trance, as she heard the faint sound of her brother's voice.

"Bish—Bishop," she called out, panting as her body's systems regained normal control.

Addie looked down and saw her brother's body beginning to move a bit.

"Bishop!"

Downtown, Abaddon and Gadarel howled in victory, as they stood above the rubble of the building that held Garza.

"Finally, we are rid of that nuisance!" Gadarel exclaimed.

At that moment, the Silver Ranger shot out of the wreckage, appearing as a practically silver blur. He flew into the air, with his Tracking Striker drawn. He swiped at the window in front of the Ja'Vey, catching them off-guard. The Tracking Striker hit the window, causing a massive crack.

"No!" Abaddon yelled, as the robot staggered backwards a bit.

He quickly regained control and grabbed the Silver Ranger, holding him tight within the robot's grasp.

"Now, we will crush him!" Gadarel yelled.

Garza tried to break free from their grip, but was unsuccessful. He knew he was in trouble.

Then, a barrage of lasers hit the robot, causing them to lose their grip on Garza. The Silver Ranger fell back into the rubble of the building. As he made his way out of the rubble, he saw the lasers were coming from the Hyper Jet. The red and silver aircraft swiftly zoomed past the robot, firing once again, as the Pink Ranger hopped out of the cockpit, landing on the ground near the Silver Ranger.

"Jess—I'm surprised to see you," Garza said, clearly stunned.

"Your antics interrupted Oprah," Jessica said, sarcastically.

"Where's the rest of your team?" Garza asked, as he kept his eye to the sky, seeing the robot still trying to evade the Hyper Jet's laser blasts.

"Let's just say it's not a good day for an attack on the city," Jessica said. "You're going to have to take care of this one on your own."

"How?"

"Your powers. They were created by the same people who made ours," Jessica explained.

"Hartford told me that, but I don't see how that helps. I tried using the Tracking Striker, but it wasn't strong enough," Garza responded.

"Then, I guess it's time you went big," Jessica said, grabbing the arm where his morpher was located. "He must not have told you about this."

The Pink Ranger pressed one of the red buttons on his morpher.

"What are you doing?" Garza asked, curiously.

"Introducing you to your new toys," she said, as she twisted the dial on Garza's morpher three times, causing the numbers 11, 12 and 13 to flash on the morpher's screen.

Jessica pointed off in the distance. Garza watched in surprise, as three zords came roaring into the area, with sirens blaring.

"Whoa," he muttered.

"They've been dubbed the Patrol Triad," Jessica announced. "Two lightning-fast cruisers and not-your-average fire truck."

Garza walked closer to the approaching vehicles. He looked back at the Pink Ranger.

"The Ja'Vey won't know what hit 'em," he said.

"The Ja'Vey are controlling that thing?" Jessica said, surprised at the revelation.

Garza nodded.

"I'm glad the Triad can come together then," she said, as she walked up next to him. "They can combine on your command. You've got all the power you need."

She tapped his morpher.

"Thank you, Jessica," Garza said, sincerely, before hopping inside the over-sized fire truck.

Inside the cockpit of the zord, Garza ran his fingers around the wheel, before taking true control. With the Ja'Vey's robot in his sights, he headed into action. The robot took a few more laser blasts, causing it to stagger backwards, almost crashing into a building, thanks to the Hyper Jet.

"Destroy that thing!" Abaddon ordered.

Gadarel sent a blast from the robot's cannon, hitting the Hyper Jet, sending it spiraling out of control. On the ground the Pink Ranger activated her tracker, attempting to regain control of the flying zord.

"That takes care of that," Gadarel spoke, triumphantly. "We have a small fire from one of the laser strikes."

"I can help with that!"

The Ja'Vey both responded to hearing the Silver Ranger's voice. They whipped the robot around, only to be met with striking blows from the small patrol cruisers, causing the robot to spark with even more damage, as the flying cars whizzed around the robot repeatedly attacking at its armor.

"There's more where that came from," Garza shouted from inside the fire truck.

He activated the weapons systems, causing several laser beams to come shooting out of the vehicle, damaging the robot even more. The robot managed to swat both of the patrol cruisers away. The two cars crashed to the ground, causing more damage to parked cars on the street. Garza worried for the safety of those on the ground and his new zords.

"You're no match for us!" Abaddon shouted, as he brought the robot's foot down towards the fire truck.

Garza sped out of their range, barely dodging destruction.

"I think it's time to go taller," Garza said.

Within seconds, the Patrol Triad combined forming a full megazord, which matched the robot in size and stature.

"What?" Abaddon yelled in shock. "How does he always acquire more power!?"

"Just lucky I guess," Garza said, as he used his megazord to punch the robot, sending it staggering backwards.

He went for another strike, but this time the Ja'Vey were ready. The robot blocked Garza's intended strike, causing a sparking collision of limbs.

"Try this, Silver Ranger!" Gadarel shouted, as he brought the robot's leg up, kicking the Triad Megazord in the chest, sending it staggering backwards.

Inside the cockpit, the Silver Ranger fought through the sparks from his controls and regained his bearings. As he looked ahead, he saw the robot powering its cannon once again.

"Uh oh," Garza murmured.

On the ground, the Pink Ranger helped a couple trapped inside of their car thanks to a fallen light post. As she made sure they ran off to safety, she looked back up to see the Triad Megazord staring down the barrel of danger.

"Let's see what this baby can really do," Garza spoke to himself, as he powered up the megazord's primary weapons systems.

"Triplicate Bomber!" he shouted, as the laser cannons on top of his megazord's head sent a barrage of laser strikes towards the Ja'Vey robot, just as it fired its cannon.

The metallic bomb from the Ja'Vey robot seemed to hang in the air, as it was struck by the barrage of lasers, fighting its forward momentum.

"No!" Abaddon screamed.

The Triad Megazord's powers reached full strength, sending the bomb right back at the robot. The bomb collided with the chest of the robot, piercing its primary energy source, causing a massive wave of explosions to break out all over the robot.

Inside the cockpit of the massive machine, Abaddon and Gadarel were both fighting the sparks in front of them, as their control panels exploded. The robot collapsed to the street below, before a massive explosion caused the entire machine to become engulfed in flames.

"I'm starting to like this job," Garza said, patting his steering wheel in celebration.

On the outskirts of Silver City, Chris Hartford sat unmorphed on top of his Drive Loader. The zord was inactive and he was staring at the screen on his tracker, watching the destruction of the robot that had Silver City under attack. Part of him wished he could have been there to do something to help. Another part of him was glad Garza had suited up instead. Chris looked back at the massive amount of debris still in front of his zord. He had removed so much, but still had found nothing.

Chris hopped off the roof of the zord and activated his tracker's communications systems again. The words of his father were echoing in his head. How could he give up?

"Addie, if you can hear me, please respond," Chris could feel his pulse quicken, as he waited for an answer that would never come. "I really hope you weren't in there."

Chris dropped his head in shame, as he used his tracker to activate his zord. He jumped inside and placed his tracker in place, giving him full control. He slowly backed the zord away from the rubble and made his way for home. As he did so, the Drive Loader knocked another large stone boulder away.

This caused a single ray of sunshine to shine down into the wreckage. Addie's eyes grew wider as she saw her brother, Bishop, raise his head in the path of the sunlight.

"You're alive," she said, with a smile.

"Addie," Bishop called out, appearing disoriented. "Are…you okay?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad…cuz I don't feel so good," Bishop mumbled, before lying his head back down.

"Just hold on!" Addie said. "Something up there moved that rock."

She focused her eyesight on that small hole.

"Help!" she shouted, still unable to reach her beeping tracker. "Help! If anyone's up there, please. We need help!"

She had hoped to see Chris Hartford's face appear at that opening. It had to have been his call, she thought. It had to be. She looked back at Bishop, who was now unmoving again.

"Bish? Bishop!" she shouted, but he didn't answer.

As the feelings of panic filled her once again, she could feel the anger and frustration building as well. Addie let out a furious scream, which caused her eyes to give off a golden glow once again. As her scream intensified, Tarok winced, still trapped several feet away. The loud shriek was only matched by the growing sound of moving debris around them all. Addie grew more uncontrollable as her emotions poured out, causing the power within her to manifest itself. All of the stone and dirt and debris around them began to shake and move, as the glowing golden light from her body grew stronger. Within seconds it was over.

Tarok looked around to see that he was no longer trapped. The rubble around them had been completely knocked away by Addie's power. As her intensity remained constant, Tarok rushed over to her, still clutching his crown. He touched her, unleashing a small surge of energy that knocked her from her trance, returning her body to normal. Addie's eyes focused on Tarok's hand on her shoulder.

She muttered to him, "I don't understand. Why is this happening to me?"

Tarok did not answer. He simply stared around them, seeing that some of the debris had actually been knocked almost a mile away from their location. She was more powerful than he imagined.

"Bishop!" Addie shouted, getting Tarok's attention once more.

The Lunati man gently pushed Bishop off of his sister's legs, allowing her to move into a better position to check on him.

"He is breathing," Tarok revealed, as he checked the Black hunter's pulse.

"It's gonna be okay," Addie said, as grabbed him into her arms on the ground. "You're going to be okay."

Stephen Garza walked back into the detective's department at the police station, where he was instantly spotted by his boss and friend, Sergeant Durst, who rushed over to him.

"Oh my god! Garza, you're all right," Durst exclaimed. "I thought you were caught in that building when it went down! We listed you with the missing."

"No, I went in, but I came out a different exit before it all collapsed," Garza covered.

"Thank goodness. I thought we lost you."

"I'm okay," Garza explained.

"There's still a ton of wounded," Durst spoke. "We're gonna be cleaning up this mess for months. They're all a menace."

"All?"

"We think whoever sent that robot was responsible for a raid on a military base not far from here," Durst said. "Plus Hartford's people were out there compounding the problem. This Silver guy is as bad as the rest of them. Looks like Hartford's found a new recruit."

"We don't know that," Garza said, quickly. "We can't make any more assumptions until we find out more about this character."

"He's a vigilante, just like the rest of them. That's all I need to know," Durst said, as he patted Garza on the back. "I'm glad to see you survived it. I've got more calls to make. I'll catch you later."

Durst returned to his office, as Garza made his way to his desk. As he contemplated his friend's words to him, he slowly stuck his hand in his pocket, touching his morpher that he had hidden inside. With the loss of his leather jacket, he had no way to hide it on his wrist because of his short sleeved shirt.

Garza thought long and hard about the day's events. Suiting up as the Silver Ranger felt good, but the lines were becoming blurred, he thought. His place within the spectrum of this power was still undefined. It was then, that he remembered his frosty encounter with Jessica and some forceful words, which prompted him to grab his cellphone and dial out.

Jessica's cellphone rang several times, as it lay on her bed inside the Hartford mansion. The LCD screen flashed his name, but there was no answer. When her voicemail activated, Garza contemplated hanging up. But, Spencer was right, he thought. Jessica was special. She deserved more.

"Hey, it's me," Garza said, quietly. "I was calling to thank you again for your help…and also to say I'm sorry."

Garza took a deep breath. Every bone in his body was telling him to hang up and leave it at that, but something else urged him on. He glanced on his desk at the photo of his sister, Sienna.

"Jess, this is hard for me. I really didn't want to do it like this. Actually, I didn't want to say anything at all. I know that makes me a jerk, but I can't do this. I can't feel the way you want me to feel. I can't be the person you think I am," Garza explained. "That's the reason I haven't called. We made a mistake. You shouldn't want anything to do with me. It's a death sentence if you do."

On the other end of that call, Jessica's cellphone remained on her bed, but the speaker had been activated. Jessica was seated on her bed the entire time, listening intently to his voice as he left the message.

"I'm sorry," Garza said, before hanging up.

Several floors below Jessica's room, Chris Hartford stood inside the Tracking Lab, staring at the Lunati sword which he had placed on the recently-repaired examination table. He heard approaching footsteps and glanced over to the doorway to see Spencer Kingston. Chris returned his eyes to the weapon, as Spencer walked over to him.

"So much power," Chris said, somberly. "All this treasure. What's really the point, Spencer? No one can be invincible. The Lunati king sure wasn't…and look how much he's been corrupted."

"On days like this, it's a lot easier to feel powerless," Spencer said.

"I keep thinking about the day we buried her," Chris said. "After I found out she was dead I ran off…you found me."

"I remember," Spencer said, with a somber smile. "I told you that she would always be in your heart—in all our hearts."

"I hope she still is," Chris said, as his thoughts drifted to Addie.

"That's something you should never doubt, Master Chris."

"I remember something else you told me that day," Chris said, as he looked over at Spencer. "We all have to grow up sometime."

"You have grown into a man your mother would be very proud of," Spencer said. "She would want you to be happy. You have to take your destiny into your hands. You cannot let the past dictate your future. She wouldn't want this negativity against your father to fester in your soul. You must learn from his mistakes and your own."

"Or I'm doomed to repeat them, right?" Chris said, his voice low.

Spencer nodded in agreement, knowing it to be true.

"So tell me Spencer, how does an orphan with no family turn out to be the best father in the world?" Chris said, as he smiled at his butler.

"You could say I've had a lot of great influences…and so have you. After all, one of them was Maggie Hartford," Spencer said, with a smile.

Chris hugged Spencer and as he closed his eyes, he saw her face. His mother was smiling at him. Chris didn't want to be doomed to repeating his father's mistakes. It was a fate that he knew he had to avoid.

Across town, Addie Malcolm was in the exact same boat, whether she realized it or not. Ignoring…or forgetting past mistakes could prove to be a fatal mistake.

THE END

Next time on
Quest for the Lunati Treasure
Possession of the Lunati sword leads to trouble for
Hartford's crew, as all their foes seem to emerge from
oblivion looking to secure the most powerful piece of
the Lunati treasure. But what makes the Lunati sword
so special? When its true nature is unlocked, the
Rangers get a shocking surprise.